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Cheez Whiz -- it’s back

2007-12-13T10:33:00.000-08:00

by Dan Verel, [X]press Online

The culinary gods have returned to the Cesar Chavez Student Union recently, where the lack of a specific product had at least one East Coast ex-pat wondering if the happy days would ever be rekindled. Cheez Whiz, in all its yellow, gooey glory, has returned to the once-mighty cheesesteak -- and it is good.

Update: Nearly three weeks ago, the fine folks at the Gold Coast Grill let a disaster go ignored when the Cheez Whiz warmer broke and was never replaced -- until now, that is. The problem was finally addressed shortly after the Thanksgiving break ended.

During that stretch, one student said he was forced to try all sorts of alternatives to replicate the authentic Philly cheesesteak, which, despite protests from the fooderalis in the Bay Area, contains… you guessed it… Cheez Whiz.

“I tried nacho cheese, four slices of cheddar, extra mayonnaise, but nothing ever came close,” I said to myself. It was a long three weeks, to be sure. So long, in fact, that I began to have conversations in my head and even remembered some of the quotes, like the one you just read.

But it was during those three weeks that my love for the Cheez Whiz cheesesteak was cemented. To be honest, I needed the break, and actually grew accustomed to ordering other delicious-but-not-very-healthy lunches, like turkey melts, pastrami sandwiches and Polish sausages.

Then, the Whiz came back -- I hadn’t even known. One day, when I ordered a pastrami sandwich, one line cook gave me a simple nod. I nodded back, and before I knew it, he was smearing the yellowy goo on what was supposed to be pastrami and Swiss! Well, too late now, I said, this is the price I must pay. The pastrami and Whiz combo wasn’t all that bad, either; a bit salty, but not terrible.

I returned the next day, eager to sink my teeth into the gooey beef, mayo and Whiz concoction, and it did not disappoint. Although the gentleman behind the grill put way too much mayo on the Philly classic, the Whiz reminded me why the cheesesteak is perhaps the most venerable sandwich in all of America. The Clogger comes close, as does the Monte Cristo, but nothing is quite as powerfully simple as lean beef, Cheez Whiz, grilled onions and mushrooms on a nice toasted bun.

I have learned to enjoy this gelatinous snack in moderation lately, though. Whenever I order something other than a cheesesteak, the kind sirs behind the grill first look shocked when I say, “No, really, I just want a tuna melt.” Then they nod, perhaps grateful that I’ve become less of a pain in the ass, and just a tiny bit healthier.

For more information on the Clogger, visit: http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=4282

For more information on the Monte Cristo, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Cristo_sandwich

Tattoos leave more than just a permanent mark

2007-12-10T16:30:00.000-08:00

By Pamela Bryant, [X]press Online

In a city such as San Francisco, tattoos have become the norm, and I’m not talking about within the Hells Angels. Your waiter at a five star restaurant has full sleeves; your dentist has a little flower on her ankle; your DAD has your mom’s name in cursive on his neck. Ok, I’m just kidding about that last one, but tattoos today, are barely glanced at as different as we’re approaching 2008. Or are they?

In my Ethical Issues in Journalism class last Tuesday, my teacher, whom I greatly respect and adore, made a reference to how his generation paved the way for change regarding appearance in the work place. He brought up how people with tattoos are getting the jobs their parents complained they would never get due to their appearance. Yet, when he reminisced about a time when he sent a disgruntled letter to an organization, he made a joke about attaching a picture of someone covered in tattoos to give it a menacing intent.

That got me thinking about how a large, urban city such as San Francisco or Manhattan contains only a small percentage of the remaining “judgmental” human race. And it would seem this minuscule portion is immune or desensitized to the stigmatisms that accompany tattoos.

When traveling home to visit my parents this past Thanksgiving, in the lovely, yet astoundingly slow city of Davis, I noticed people staring at me, and not in that, “oh, her outfit is so cute,” way. People in a location just shy of two hours from the city I call home, were making presumptions about me because of a few tattoos. My father himself refers to me as an “inmate,” despite his being in the military, where traditional sailor-type tattoos were the norm. He of course never embarked down that path, since only “gang members, prisoners, and people with low IQs would be dumb enough to do it.”

I also recall one of my friends making a statement that she later recanted, due to my open mouth reaction. She stated that she would feel more comfortable having a doctor with no tattoos, than one who had them. I asked her how the two differ, if they both received their medical licenses, and completed the same lengthy duration of time in college. She was silent.
I started researching tattoos and came across a CNN video clip of a couple who were refused housing, based on the amount of tattoos the husband had. The building actually has a no tattoos policy that did not violate the fair housing act. How is this legal?! Don’t get me wrong; I am not referring to obviously disturbed individuals with swastikas tattooed on their foreheads. There are extremes to every culture and lifestyle. But this was a couple that wasn’t even given a chance to be good or bad tenants based on their affinity for art.

As biased as I am due to my own personal admiration for tattoos, it still baffles my mind that people view others (myself included) with dissent. Can you really look at my tattoo of a teddy bear and think I rob banks or worship Satan? The negative connotation that comes with having permanent ink has made no hint of leaving, and as much as it saddens me, I have to admit, I myself, am just like them. I make my own judgments of others based on their outward appearance and just because it’s not a tattoo, doesn’t make it any better. People will always make judgments of others based on anything and everything and there’s nothing you or I can do about it, except maybe get a tattoo on your neck (or other highly visible place) that says, “STOP JUDGING ME.”

With less than a month to go, a presidential horce race

2007-12-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

by Khari Johnson, [X]press Online

We are less than a month away from Jan. 3 presidential primaries in Iowa and the 2008 presidential scene has changed dramatically from what it was a month or even weeks ago.

Barack Obama seems to have found his stride… and Oprah. His campaign sold out an auditorium for a Obama-Oprah event in South Carolina on Sunday and moved it to an 80,000 seat football stadium.

The latest polls show Obama leading Clinton and Edwards in Iowa, the first primary state, by seven percentage points. Most national numbers show Clinton leading all Democratic candidates by around 20 percent.

Mike Huckabee is gaining ground too… and cool points with adding Chuck Norris to his election campaign. Norris sat in the front rows of last week’s CNN/YouTube Republican debate. He’s using Chuck Norris facts in his campaign ads! Definitely one of the best campaign ads I’ve ever seen.

Regardless of your politics or who you plan on supporting in the upcoming election, check out these presidential quizzes. I was surprised to learn that my political beliefs were considered most like Dennis Kucinich. It seems we have a lot in common politically but I don’t believe in aliens. Plus he looks like a weasel. But it's good to know where you stand based on

www.change.org/presidential_matchmaker

www.speakout.com/VoteMatch/senate2006.asp?quiz=2008#sec0

By most accounts and considering the current state of the world, this is an important election. Mitt Romney gave a speech yesterday to try and approach voters about his Mormon faith. Most every media outlet would compare him to John F. Kennedy's speech to a room full of Protestant ministers before his 1960 election. Most would conclude Romney is not Kennedy.

It's also the first presidential election since 1952 in which no incumbent president or vice president is running. Candidates are vying for both the presidency and the rights to redefine their party and the direction of the nation in unique times.

To learn more about presidential race visit the New York Times 2008 election guide . There you can find candidate profiles and recent articles about them, a calender of election events and breakdown on where each candidate stands on key issue. Their poll numbers are a few days out of late.

For up to date polling numbers from a variety of news outlets visit www.pollingreport.com , voted #26 in Time.com's 50 best websites of 2007.

YouTube's YouChoose '08 campaign is also a good resource for insight into the campaign and debate of the issues. Full Q&A between major Democratic and Republican candidates with questions contributed through YouTube videos is also available.

For details of California elections in 2008, visit easyvoter.org sponsored by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund.

Hints at global warming seen in Sigur Ros's free film

2007-11-27T10:19:00.000-08:00

by Contessa Abono and Nadine Caouette, [X]press Online

Twinkling lights yielded to snowy icecaps as the wondrous eyes of children gave way to bright-red kites flying against the blue cloud-filled sky.

Over 500 people packed the Mezzanine Monday, November 19 to view the Icelandic band Sigur Ros's new film “Heima,” which documents their homeland summer tour of Iceland in 2006.

The film gave fresh perspective to a country many have yet to see with their own eyes. Footage of streams, rivers, oceans, fog and raindrops were played back in reverse to give the illusion of turning back the clock.

The film meaning "at home" or "homeland" was shot in a documentary style by Dean DeBlois. Sigur Ros’s myspace.com blog states, "In the event, the open-door policy worked amazingly well, with people of all ages, who would never have normally bought a ticket for a Sigur Ros show, just coming along to check it out. As the tour went round, it gained a semi-mythical status."

Using high contrast and saturation, with foreground images that popped out and made you feel like you were there, the film incorporated the town life into the music and used an earthquake-shaking effect when the band talked about the music industry. "The music biz is left overseas," said their drummer, Orri Páll Dýrason, when talking about their worldly fame.

The film captured the day-to-day lives of the Icelanders and had a special focus on child-like innocence, possibly to foreshadow the films take on the future of Iceland. It seemed as though they were sending out a message about globalization and how Iceland likes to be their own community.

Sigur Ros could also be sending out a message about global warming with the numerous shots of ice melting.

Admission to the film was free, and it is now being shown in movie houses around the world. The band is giving back to their fans -- a more recent trend in music for the 2007 year. For example, Radiohead is now letting you set the price for their latest album sold only on their website, www.inrainbows.com.

The culture and imaginative gusto of the filmmakers and band alike gave a deeper meaning to Iceland and Sigur Ros's music.

Longtime Sigur Ros fan Shelly Booth attended Monday night’s screening. This was her seconded time seeing the film. "The first time that I saw ‘Heima’ in L.A., it was purely a sensory experience," said Booth. "I left speechless. I knew that it was amazing, but I had to see it again to make sense of what I had felt about the film."

For more information on Sigur Ros visit www.sigur-ros.co.uk. For more information about the film go to www.heimafilm.com.

Dude, it’s Devin the Dude and Del!

2007-11-27T10:18:00.000-08:00

by Dan Verel, [X]press Online

It’s no secret that underground hip-hop is big in the Bay Area. So when famed and well-respected Del The Funky Homosapien, from the Hieroglyphics camp in East Oakland, makes a return to the stage, hard-cord Bay hip-hop kids come out in full force.

Wednesday, Nov. 14 was no exception as Del wrapped up his nation-wide tour at Slim’s in the SoMa district. As the headliner, and after recently signing with indie hip-hop juggernaut Def Jux, Del had created quite the buzz as the tour wound down and headed back to the Bay Area for two shows at Slim’s. And while he did not disappoint, Devin The Dude and his Houston homies may have stolen the show.

The Dude does well to distance himself from the typical “Crunk” sound of the South, as he and his H-Town cohorts display a sound more akin to Snoop Dog mixed with a touch of Outkast.

Unfortunately, the performance on the 14th suffered the same fate as hip-hop shows the world over: mediocre and bad opening acts. The show started out promising, with Knowbody, a new talent out of East Oakland who toured the country with Del and Devin, being the first to the stage. The little-known emcee impressed the early crowd, with clever and well-written rhymes set to bass-heavy, energetic production. He was an appropriate opener for Devin and Del, and acknowledged as much with a concise but solid set.

The next act, however, would not do the same. Shortly after Knowbody came the Serendipity Project – “Unfinished Project” might be a more apt name. The eight-piece band of surfer-looking frat boys and one female vocalist sounded like a cross between the B52s and the Red Hot Chilie Peppers, except that the guy from the B52s probably had a better flow. Borrowing a tired chapter out of countless copiers of The Roots, Serendipity Project’s attempt at blending virtually every genre of music into hip-hop failed, though not for lack of effort. My esteemed colleague who writes about hip-hop for MP3.com succinctly summed up the sound with four words: Santa Cruz jam band. Next.

Next, indeed, was Bukue One, from all parts East Bay. The skateboarding, kick-flipping emcee was a welcome respite from the ill-fated mess that preceded him. The only problem with Bukue, despite his engaging and reggae-infused freestyles, was that his set seemed to last for 56 hours. The crowd came to see Devin the Dude and Del, so when 14K – named after the cheap gold that coats the teeth of equally cheap gangsters – came to stage, the show finally picked up where Knowbody had left off. 14K, part of Devin’s Houston crew, engaged the crowd with the unique southern style that has made Devin a legend in Texas and in the underground generally: smooth flows, great stage presence, and tales of smoking weed and chasing skirts.

Soon to follow was the Coughee (pronounced “coffee”) Brothers, yet another crew of H-Towners aligned with Devin, who was quick to join them on stage. With Devin leading the way, the crew of six lit blunt after blunt on stage, while treating the crowd to a sound not typically heard in the Bay Area. G-Funk meets southern twang in Devin’s and the Coughee Brothers’ unique brand of hip-hop, and the Hyphy-crazed heads in the bay might do well to take notice. Plus, the Coughee Brothers have the gangtsa version of Ray Charles in Rob Quest, a blind member of the group who was arguably the best rapper on stage.

Finally, four hours later on a Wednesday night, Del came out to massive adulation, and performed a great set of throw back jams from his heyday. But the contact high provided by Devin The Dude and his pals was more than enough to leave at least one person satisfied for the night. The show was a bit of a blur after them, but in a good way.

For more information, visit:
http://www.myspace.com/devinthedude
http://wc05.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll
http://www.myspace.com/cougheebrothaz
http://store.definitivejux.net/store/index.htm
http://wm03.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll

Oh, Cheez Whiz, where art Thou?

2007-11-27T09:53:00.000-08:00

by Dan Verel, [X]press Online

As most students who are forced to eat on campus on a regular basis know, the options can be limiting, tiring and downright frustrating. How many mediocre bagels and Cesar salads can one stand? So when I found an authentic East Coast treasure being offered at the Gold Coast Grill in the student union, I was smitten with guilty pleasure.

The delectable item at hand: A Philly cheesesteak. Sounds simple enough. Steak, cheese, bread – done. But this was no ordinary cheese steak. Although the amiable line cooks would ask the ludicrous question of whether or not you wanted lettuce and tomato on the meaty and cheesy concoction, (never!) someone had the foresight to honor a Philly tradition that might otherwise be shunned in the food-conscious Bay Area. Not provolone, not cheddar, not American cheese. Cheez Whiz, that hot, yellow, liquid-y Kraft product that comes out of a jar and sort of resembles cheese. While the three just-mentioned cheeses are acceptable, any true East Coaster knows what really makes a cheesesteak legit – yes, it’s Cheez Whiz.

Now before the organic mafia bristles at the notion of a chemical concoction tasting better than any soy product, consider this: you’re a hippie, and few people outside of the Bay Area care.

Like I said, I was tickled when I found this out. I could indulge in one of my favorite, most gluttonous snacks – a cheesesteak with da’ whiz, cooked mushrooms, grilled onions, topped off with an ever-so-slight spread of mayonnaise. Heaven. But in San Francisco, they try to throw mustard, lettuce, tomato, peppers, avocado, salsa, cucumbers, sprouts, patchouli and fairy dust on a cheese steak, and it’s gross.

But then something terrible happened, about two weeks ago. The warmer that turned the typically thick and otherwise inedible Whiz into a hot vat of deliciousness that you could bathe in broke. The first day they told me wasn’t so bad; I had eaten a cheesesteak consecutively for nearly two weeks, so I could handle a day without the artery clogger. I’m pretty sure the guys behind the grill thought I was insane, but what did I care? I had whiz!

The key word now is had. Nearly two weeks after first reporting this kitchen catastrophe to me, no progress has been made to replace the pot of gold that sat next to the grease-caked griddle. That’s where the magic happens. And despite repeated promises of “maybe next week,” no action has been taken. Now, instead of biting into a gooey and delicious mess of whiz, mayo and beef, I’m forced to settle for boring old cheddar. With four slices of the cheddar, it’s kind of close, but not really. One guy, seeing my constant disappointment, offered what sounded to be a decent solution: nacho cheese. About the same, right? Wrong. I tried it in good faith, but it was too soggy, and had that hint of jalapeño flavor that should never be mixed with beef. I wasn’t sure if I was eating at 7-11 or at Pat’s in South Philly.

So, Gold Coast Grill, I have one simple request: Bring back the whiz! I know I’m not alone in this matter.

For more information, visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheesesteak
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheez_Whiz
http://www.patskingofsteaks.com/Site/Welcome.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat%27s_Steaks

Stussy is still super sick with it

2007-11-26T15:15:00.000-08:00

by Pamela Bryant, [X]press Online

Stussy used to be a brand that was associated with a Rasta cartoon caricature that I, along with everyone else, wore in junior high. They produced M.C. Hammer type parachute pants and focused in on the “hype” of the hyper-color movement (which I heard is making a comeback).

Currently, Stussy is more than just clothing. It’s a name henceforth built by popularity with attachments to hip-hop and rock music, collaborations with famous graphic designers, and grand creations with world-renowned artists.

Stussy has become a staple among the skateboard, DJ, and artist community as was relevant at their latest in store endeavor.

Graffiti artist Ghost, a.k.a. Cousin Frank made his mark inside the Stussy San Francisco location with an opening party Saturday, November 17th.

Ghost, born in the 60’s, made his début in the graffiti word by “bombing trains” in the Bronx. Those familiar with graffiti have seen its prolific movement from the streets to upscale gallery status.

Stussy has housed many artists of the like; deeming Saturday’s shindig no different than any other soiree they’ve thrown.

A crowd of what appears to be 20-year-old skateboarders, huddled by the front door, eyes half closed, glancing at each arriving person’s attire. Clouds of smoke blew past the entrance, as track bike after track bike were locked up at any and all available parking meters. The crowd consisted mainly of boys, but after an hour passed, the maidens were soon in tow.

Ghost remained, well, rather ghost-like as he drifted from outside to upstairs, where he could view the crowd without interruption. He was later joined by his friend Lupe Fiasco (plus entourage), which caused a slight buzz among the patrons/ art go-ers. I, of course, had to be told whom the commotion was about, since my cable was cut off last year, leaving me to fend for myself by reading Big Rich logos plastered on SUVs.

Everyone just kind of clumped together in small groups of two or three, each examining the art hanging around the store at their leisure, in between sips from their Dixie cup. (Yes, the infamous red Dixie cup reared its ugly head containing liquid for the legal adults in the room).

The show lasted until 11 p.m., the keg tapped, the lingering conversations of invitations to after parties died down, and everyone piled their drunk, yet culturally enlightened minds onto Haight Street.

All in all, the art was super sick, the patrons thought they were super sick, and I’m sure a few people actually became super sick from the chilled air of the night.

Greenfestival for freaks?

2007-11-26T15:06:00.000-08:00

by Pamela Bryant, [X]press Online

A friend once told me, “the more evolved you get in the environment, the weirder you get.”
I just shrugged it off with my response of how I am vegetarian and eco-friendly but definitely not weird. And yes, I’m sure there are a few people out there who beg to differ with that last statement but I’m not referring to how I talk too much when I drink, or how I wear pajamas even if it’s three in the afternoon. I’m talking about the people we stare at that ride electric bicycles, wear brown outfits that resemble elf clothing, and swear by coffee enemas (yes, I said enemas).

I thought about it for a while and remembered a time when I would throw paper in the trash. Now, I yell at my roommates for not recycling their grocery receipts, going as far as digging in the trashcan for cardboard toilet paper rolls. Do they view me as the recycling nut job? Yes. The answer is yes, they do.

A few weeks ago, my fellow weirdos and I attended Greenfestival at the San Francisco Concourse Exhibition Center.

I used to think Greenfestival was about promoting a healthy lifestyle with vegetarian and vegan diets. While it does contain those elements, I realized this year after volunteering, that it is more about sustainability.

Most of the vendors I visited had samples of delicious snacks, organic soaps, and even lip balm that doesn’t contain Petrolatum and isn’t tested on animals. However, in addition to these items, there were leaflets containing information on signing up for environmental causes, such as www.care2.com, that focuses on green living.

In the front of the Concourse, there was an area to drop off used batteries, (as most people put them in the trash not realizing how hazardous that is for our environment) along with a listing of places to drop off used laptops, computer monitors, etc.

My job volunteering this year was to stand by the trash, recycle, and compost cans (fun, right?). I learned so much about what can and cannot be recycled, such as gum (it doesn’t make that stain on the cement from it’s compostability).

The receptacle that maintained its capacity the most was green. Of course you would imagine at GREENfestival, the green container would receive the most action. But did you know the sample cups used were made from corn or potatoes, making them biodegradable? I found out the hard way but putting coffee in mine resulting in a disappearing act of cup, not coffee.

Hopefully someday soon, we will be living in a world where you can eat with a fork, and then eat your fork after, drink from glass and then plant it in soil, write with a pen…well, you get my drift.

Until then, I will continue to recycle my receipts, toilet paper rolls, and stop chewing gum, because after all, I am a weirdo.

Reopening of The Uptown in Oakland a good sign for local bands

2007-11-13T14:33:00.000-08:00

by Contessa Abono, [X]press Online

Downtown Oakland is undergoing some exciting revitalization projects these days. One that caught the eyes and ears of the local music community was the reopening of The Uptown Nightclub on Friday, November 2.

Around the corner from The Paramount Theater and near the Tribune Building, the location is ideal for many East Bay residents who don’t want to make the trip all the way into the city of no parking zones -- also know as San Francisco. The Uptown will feature entertainment ranging from live burlesque shows to skating video premiers -- something different from the crackers-and-cheese, live-band standards of other venues.

Larry Trujillo, Zero Magazine’s publisher and editor-in-chief, took on the club after its recent owners let it go. He sees a niche in the area that The Uptown could fill. After waiting for the club to go through escrow, he and his team worked to get the nightclub remodeled and ready to rock.

“Tonight is literally the first time I have seen it all put together. We have been working night and day, up until the last second,” said Trujillo of the reopening show, which featured Bay Area indie rock locals Birdmonster, The Morning Benders, The Mumlers, and Poor Bailey.

Two newly-remodeled rooms upstairs in the club are now open to the public and feature black leather couches, balcony views and semi-private seating nooks, full of plush pillows perfect for sneaking a make-out session. As far as the ambiance, Trujillo likens The Uptown to its sister club, The Blank Club in San Jose, which Trujillo also owns and operates.

The Uptown was like a well-divided household with a bar on one side; an adjacent room; “the family room,” which has a decent-sized stage; the surprisingly large “backyard,” which serves as the smoking area; and an upstairs “master bedroom,” a lounge with a smaller bar area.

San Francisco alternative radio station Live 105 (KITS 105.3FM) also presented at the reopening. Music director Aaron Axelsen, creator of the radio show Soundcheck, was at the event. Intent on discovering up-and-coming musicians, Soundcheck has a distinctive focus on SF Bay Area bands, and Axelsen came to the East Bay venue to support the nights undertaking.

“I grew up in the East Bay going to places like Gilman,” said Axelsen.

Axelsen feels it’s important to support local venues especially in the East Bay where there isn’t a plethora of activities for kids to choose from. Axelsen has his finger on the pulse of virtually dozens of local bands including Minipop who played a studio session recently on Soundcheck.

Axelsen feels clubs like The Uptown are vital for new music and hopes to see more clubs popping up all over the East Bay.

“The East Bay club scene has been stagnant lately,” said Axelsen. “Hopefully, The Uptown can rekindle the flourishing underground warehouse venues that were happening before. I feel this venue harnesses that sprit. The Uptown has that serendipitous nature.”

The demand for music venues outside of San Francisco seems to outweigh the number of hot spots that do exist -- making the reopening of The Uptown even more intriguing to local residents.

Vincenzo P. Mantooth, from San Leandro, had been to The Uptown before the reopening and was pleased with the changes.

“They are much friendlier now. As far as customer service goes they seem more attentive,” said Mantooth.

Many of the opening nights attendees had not been to a show at The Uptown so for them this was a night of excitement and possibly new beginnings.

You might find yourself winding up at The Uptown in the near future, catching an indie band and finding out that a local music scene does exists beyond the Bay Bridge.

The Uptown Nightclub is located at 1928 Telegraph Ave, Oakland. For more information on upcoming shows visit www.uptownnightclub.com.

"The name's Newsom...Gavin Newsom"

2007-11-10T08:07:00.000-08:00

By Timothy Henry

I think I have a crush on Gavin Newsom.

Well…not really. I mean, maybe I should explain here that I am a heterosexual male (and a liberal)– and even still, the now second term mayor of San Francisco has something about him. Je ne sais quoi – I don’t know what to call it. It is charisma, charm, confidence, elocution . . . and . . . what?

Gavin Newsom San Francisco State’s Knuth hall campus on October 29th, in a sparsely attended and poorly advertised rally hosted by the College Democrats (were these to be metaphors for poor voter turnout?). Newsom, sported his token attire: hair, a heavily gelled and perfectly sculpted helmet; shirt, absent of a tie, and unbutton two-fold, and the whole ensemble framed by a black blazer and black slacks.

“Is he wearing a tuxedo,” a fellow reporter asked, as our journalistic posse of three trotted into the last twenty minutes of the event. Newsom’s ensemble did resemble worn formal-wear, and you had to wonder if Newsom was coming from some fancy, high-powered event, like James Bond after a long night of fighting spies, drinking dry martinis, and wooing exotic women.

Someone who identified them-self as a “driver” asked Newsom a transportation question, to which the mayor responded, “. . . That lays out a Transit Effectiveness Plan – TEP.”

Oh, you had me at TEP Gavin (or Gav’s, as I like to call him).

Indeed, what a ring acronyms and statistics have. Newsom then spouted of percentage, to the decimal. These are the basic tools of a good politician, not unique to Newsom, but certainly he uses this tool with great skill. Clearly one has weight, authority, and legitimacy if they have stats (to the freaking decimal) at their fingertips.

Newsom continued: “Integrative Traffic Management System ITMS 36.4 million dollars in repaving our street, three times more money . . .” Oh, yes, YES! Don’t stop, Gav’s.

Cecilia M. Vega of the San Francisco Chronicle attended Newsom’s State of the City earlier in the day, and wrote:

“In a presentation bordering on both a commercial for his administration and a college lecture series, Newsom carried a wireless microphone and walked around the stage and through the aisles in an auditorium at UCSF's Mission Bay campus, at one point briefly taking a seat next to an audience member.”

Yes, Newsom is a master politician. Bill (Slick Willy) Clinton had the Je ne sais quoi too , that smooth charm, that ability to seduce an audience. Indeed, my puppy-dog like crush is not limited to the young Gavin Newsom--it’s something that all good politicians can illicit (even Republicans).

Like Clinton, Newsom has been able to absorb scandal and emerge relatively unscathed, perhaps even politically stronger. “There was no mention of the sex scandal that rocked his administration earlier this year,” wrote Vega.

When thinking of slick politicians, I always refer to the beginning of Joe Klein’s “Primary Colors,” the brilliant semi-fictional journals of Bill Clinton’s emergence:

“. . . The handshake is the threshold act, the beginning of politics. I’ve seen him do it two million times now, but I couldn’t tell you how he does it, the right-handed part of it – the strength, quality, duration of it, the rudiments of the pressing flesh. I can, however, tell you a whole lot about what he does with his other hand . . . He is a genius with it. He might put it on your elbow, or up by your biceps: these are basic, reflexive moves. He is interested in you. He is honored to meet you. If he gets any higher up your shoulder – if he, say, drapes his left arm over your back, it is somehow less intimate, more casual. He’ll share a laugh or a secret then – a light secret, not a real one- flattering you with the illusion of conspiracy . . . He’ll flash that famous misty look of his. And he will mean it.”

Plumpynut

2007-11-07T06:34:00.001-08:00

By Tim Henry

A week ago, my editor pitched a Blog to me about a breakthrough in a food-supplement for famine-ravaged countries, with the unlikely name of “Plumpynut.” I watched a 60 Minutes segment with the white-haired Anderson Cooper roaming through Niger, showing kids squeezing packets of a peanut-butter paste in their mouths.

In an age when American’s are dosing themselves all manner of drugs for increasingly obscure symptoms, when pills can give men extremely accurate and responsive erections, and when five year olds are hopped up on Ritalin and Adderall, what a sad statement of humanities priorities it is that simple, life saving and sustaining sustenance has only recently been created and distributed.

And a few days after I discovered Plumpynut, it was Halloween.

The United States and Africa have long been represented the extremes of human conditions. Abundance versus scarcity, prosperity versus suffering. For the first time in my life, I bought candy and handed it out to lines of children dressed as all manner of super-hero’s and monsters. My roommates and I spent around thirty dollars for Pumpkins and candy.

“A daily dose of Plumpynut costs about a dollar,” said Anderson Cooper in his 60 Minutes cameo. So we had essentially bought the equivalent of 30 days of food for one African child – and for what? Halloween is the first in the American holiday season of abundance (followed, of course, by another type of feast, and then a feast of materialism and consumerism).

My dogs started eating the pumpkins, and we realized that pumpkins are more than just ornamental squash . . . they are in fact a vegetable. They are food that we cut designs into, while Africans are trying not to starve.

Plumpynut is a peanut butter flavored vitamin paste that can bring terribly emaciated children back from the brink of death. “Plumpynut” was created by the French company Nutriset, and has been put into widespread use in developing nations by Doctors Without Borders. It is a blend of peanut butter, powdered milk, powdered sugar, and vitamins.

Powdered milk and other basic food substitutes require preparation, available clean water, and refrigeration, all basic elements that we take for granted in developed countries. Part of Plumpynut’s effectiveness is that it does not need to be prepared, refrigerated, or distributed by professionals.

Nutriset calls Plumpynut a Ready to Use Therapeutic food or RUTF, and can be eaten directly from it’s packet.

Zombies come "Out of the Abyss" for Judgement Day

2007-11-04T13:47:00.000-08:00

by Contessa Abono, [X]press Online

From the darkened corners of a quiet basement, the sight of ever-nearing zombies creeping towards the members of Oakland-based band, Judgement Day, lingered in the air like a cold and dreary prison.

This is a scene from their video shoot for the song “Out of the Abyss,” the latest off of the band’s first album, “Dark Opus,” which they released back in 2004.

“Right now it's 'Out of the Abyss' -- a bonus track when you buy the album online, like on iTunes or Rhapsody,” said Anton Patzner.

Patzner plays violin for Judgement Day and has also recorded with East Bay bands Poor Bailey and Audrye Sessions, but is better known for his work in the indie-rock great Bright Eyes. He plays with a well-balanced match -- his brother, Lewis Patzner, plays cello, and Jon Bush is on drums.

An experimental take on a darker classical sound, Judgement Day’s music has an unmistakable, pure-metal vibe that comes through their use of effects pedals on the cello and violin. The band says some of their influences include Refused, Mars Volta, Shostakovich and Bartok; but their sound has a surprising blend you most likely haven’t caught before. The first obvious difference is the absence of guitars. Instead, Anton takes the role of lead guitar with his violin while Lewis seems to be fitting the roll of rhythm guitar.

The video for “Out of the Abyss” is destined to leak out of the coffee house basement where it was shot. Director Travis Jones and Assistant Director Adam Rygiol -- who also handles special effects and editing -- have created a feast of flesh for the zombies as the band becomes their unlucky meal.

Look forward to an undead bride and groom backed by music that any “Night of the Living Dead” movie is lacking. But you will have to wait until November 28, when the music video comes out. Look for it on You Tube.

Emergency: This Temblor is Not a Test

2007-11-04T13:42:00.000-08:00

by Shanon Corbin, [X]press Online

My eyes slowly wander around the room as the thought crosses my mind: Is this tremor, this shaking actually happening right now? It is real -- a 5.6 magnitude earthquake happening at 8:16 p.m. on a Tuesday night in San Francisco. I quickly thought to myself as I was lying in bed, “Find your pants and stand in the doorway.” As I made my way out of bed, the small earthquake stopped. I asked myself, “What can I do in case this happens again? Am I ready for the next big earthquake -- especially if I am in San Francisco?”

I remember being eight years old and sitting somewhere in my family’s home when -- exactly at 5:04 p.m. on October 17 -- the Loma Prieta earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay area. I did not know what was happening except that a once-talked-about textbook example and a now-put-into-practice emergency drill was now real. In that brief two minutes, my family members were shaken -- one actually thought it was the Rapture. Ha-ha. No, when that happens, you will hear a horn, silly.

Experiencing what just happened, I think to myself that people are never prepared for such events, because until something actually happens, the moment itself is hypothetical. If another earthquake -- or any natural disaster – struck, I would ideally like to take,my Ipod and its charger, an external hard drive, my digital SLR camera, important documents, and a some pictures with me. But that is materialistic. Realistically, the items I should have ready in the next natural disaster are clothing, a pack of mints and credit card. People can always anticipate disaster, but until it strikes, the event remains at the back of our mind. In case of any emergency, try to stay calm and go from there.

Haute Couture Shock

2007-11-04T13:36:00.000-08:00

by Shanon Corbin, [X]press Online

My little known secret: I like the culture of fashion and fashion-photography. When Gentlemen’s Quarterly, W magazine, Purple Fashion Magazine or any other stylish publication grabs my attention on the newsstand through slick and innovative photography or great clothing, I will buy! I was more than compelled when I saw this month’s Out magazine with cover model and designer Tom Ford – Oy!

Tom Ford is a big deal in the fashion world. Tom Ford summary: Ford graduated from the Parson’s School of Design in 1986 and moved to Italy in 1990, where he began working at Gucci and took different leadership roles, from designing women’s clothing to becoming their creative director in 1994. Ford left Gucci in 2004, to form a clothing line under his own name only a year later.

I read the article, and like most stylish, hip magazine pieces that are made for gay 21-to 36-year-olds, it is a fluff piece. Flipping through the new November issue of Out magazine or visiting Ford’s website (www.tomford.com), a viewer will see a well-positioned bottle of Tom Ford’s new men’s fragrance nestled in the middle of a woman’s neatly shaven crotch. Yes…exactly.

Granted, the ad does what it sets out to do -- cause some chatter and maybe get some people to buy the fragrance. But even I, as a gay man, wonder if the ad is going a bit too far. Tom Ford says in the Out article, “We need to get over our sexual hang-ups,” but is using a woman’s body in a sexually explicit and exploitive manner to sell a fragrance for men really going to create conversation about why people in the United States are so silent when it comes to sexuality? No, because changing the views of sexuality starts by disrupting the heterosexist and patriarchal systems that exist in the United States, and not in a magazine where someone is trying to sell a product. Ford took a gamble in his new ad campaign, but I believe it wasn’t worth the bet.

Sushi and the City

2007-10-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

by Lindsay Rasten, [X]press Online

How do we find good sushi? You go searching for it, that's how!

Here's my top five choices for sushi in San Francisco.

Ebisu, in the inner Sunset district is the catch of the day. This casual atmosphere and mildly expensive restaurant has tasty specialty rolls and is given the number one spot. The amazing seafood salad, tuna, and fried oysters make your mouth water but can easily be washed down with a shot of saki.

Located in the Western Addition, the second hotspot in the city is Tsunami. This hip urbane restaurant has an extensive saki list with a refreshing drink called Tsunami’s Wrath: a saki/sangria mix with cranberry and limejuice. With a live DJ, sushi aficionados can indulge into the party atmosphere and fresh fish.

Walking through the Haight Ashbury district you cannot see the sign for Hama-Ko, but the line that wraps around the corner will give the secret away. This Mom-and-pop sushi restaurant has fish that melts in your mouth. The line can get long but the food is definitely worth the wait.

Blowfish sushi is a name that easily heard in San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, and Hollywood. This well-known restaurant has a modern flair to traditional Japanese sushi with Putterfish, Ostrich, and Duck. The atmosphere is filled with a San Francisco grungy chic crowd and fashionable chefs. The service is welcoming and friendly with sushi to die for. The forth spot to grab a bite of sushi is handed on a silver platter to Blowfish.

Even in a city full of great Japanese restaurants, the last hot spot is Kabuto sushi. The small spot stands out with the mouth watering Japanese tapas. There are many rolls that cater to vegetarians including Grilled eggplant with spices. The chef selection is the reason many customers flock. Try the Stewed Tripe topped with Peppers and the Japanese Egg Custard.

Something for Nothing: Reviews and Previews of Everything Free in San Francisco

2007-10-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

By Juliet Blalack, staff producer

Saturday 10/20 at 8 p.m.: Boxcar Theatre's "Big Co."

"Big Co." is a two hour play that reflects the reality of living in a consumer culture with humor instead of preaching.

The set resembles a small downtown deli with genuine props of freshly made soup and sandwiches shielded by a glass display case while handwritten menus and signs hover above them. Nick Olivero, still in character as the deli owner, serves refreshments from this theatrical prop to theater goers during the intermission.

In one scene, the characters toss around Fast Company magazine, and discuss an actual article about the former Sierra club president who now works as Wal-Mart's green strategist. Actor Peter Matthews expounds the true crimes of Proctor & Gamble in a game show sequence.

Olivero, one of four actors and writers of "Big Co.," credits much of the play's appeal to its authenticity. Each actor feels at least one character mirrors their personality. Onlookers can gather their own predilections as well, whether they are the consumer who goes nuts over the latest iThing or one who finds comfort in the purchase of biodegradable trash bags.

"There's a lot of our personality that went into the characters," said Olivero. For instance, Olivero is on a personal boycott against the rental chain Blockbuster like his character is in the play.

Although "Big Co." shows a family-owned deli being driven out of business by a corporation, it is not strictly an attack on corporate businesses; it is more an exploration of how people earn and spend money.

"We want our audience to realize that it's not as clear cut and dry as we'd like it to be," said Olivero.

"Big Co." began when Olivero started writing a series of scenes about customer service. The cast began to mold the story around consumer dependency to fit the company's season theme: dependency. The script then became focused on four main characters: Sonya and Nikolai, the siblings who own the Borisov Deli, Sonya's corporate-ladder-climbing boyfriend Mr. Man, and Jenny, the do-gooder who accepts a public relations job at the big company to change it from the inside out.

"We fell in love with the characters," said Olivero.

"Big Co." is the first play the Boxcar group has performed in its location in South of Market. Last season, the actors performed on a bus, beach, and borrowed theater spaces.

"A big hitch has just been getting audience in," said Olivero.

"Perhaps people think that if shomething's free, it's not good," he said.

Still, the free shows this Friday and Sunday are booked. The cast will perform "Big Co." for two weeks after that at a sliding scale fo $14-$28, according to the Boxcar website. Olivero said students can buy discounted tickets at $10.

To find out more about Boxcar Theatre, visit their website: http://www.boxcartheatre.org/

Real talent is underrated

2007-10-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

by Nadine Caouette, [X]press Online

Talented musicians don’t get enough recognition these days in the United States. Americans are swallowed up by crappy pop music like lip syncing Britney Spears “Gimme More,” which by the way is the most annoying piece of crap song in the world. What kind of role model is she for kids when she can’t even take care of her own?

Now lets talk talent. Patrick Wolf, a 24-year-old British indietronic singer-songwriter, plays many instruments including ukulele, harp, autoharp, violin, viola, accordion, harmonium, organ, guitar, clavinet, autoharp, mountain dulcimer, harpsichord, clavichord and singer. Talk about talent, eh?

His songs are extremely different from one another as well -- Electronic, folk, indie, pop—etc., he does it all.

Here’s a nice ballad “Blue Bells.”

It’s one of the most powerful songs he plays live.

Wolf played a show at the Mezzanine on Monday, October 16th, and only about 200 people showed up. “What did I do wrong—Isn’t the Mezzanine a club?” he asked the crowd drunkenly. He sold out two shows at Café Du Nord in May, but wasn’t as successful this time around. It’s probably because it was a Monday night, and most college kids have midterms this week.

Wolf isn’t afraid of making fun of pop artists. Back in July 18th after he supported British Pop artist Mika in London, he posted a myspace bulletin that stated that “Mika was a twat” and “Please let’s put an end to over-marketed, expensive, heartless, tacky rubbish, autotune, airbrush.. I demand justice for good music and firebrands who refuse to compromise to be popular

Patrick, you’re not the only one who doesn’t understand most people. We true musicians and real music lovers need to stick together.

Nightlife with Saira

2007-10-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

by Saira Masood, [X]press Online

Trader Sam's (Richmond district)

In the Richmond district, at 26th avenue and Geary, there is hole in the wall dive bar with drinks that have big kick.

You won’t miss Trader Sam’s because of it’s neon red lights that line the windows and the crowd of smokers grouped together outside.

The first thing I did when I got there was buy the infamous scorpion bowl. It is a mix of five different types of alcohol, champagne and tropical juices. This tropical wonder is served in a large bowl with several straws and is meant for sharing. So bring a few friends unless you want to be singing into toilet at the end of the night. The bar is Indonesian themed and is pretty lively for a dive bar.

This bar caters to a not-so-rowdy crowd, who wants to have a strong drink at the end of a hard day.

I had to stand for a while when I first got there because all of the table were taken. The bar has bar minimal seating of a few tables and couches for patrons and of course bar stools. There is also a jut box that plays everything from J.Lo to Journey. I of course chose some Journey to spice things up a little and get the crowd singing.

The bar is crowded on most nights and always promises a good time. Dancing is reserved for those who have had one too many, but it is not looked down upon. I think that Trader Sam’s is a perfect dive bar to meet some locals and relax in the Richmond.

Ruby Skye (Union Square/Downtown)

There is a place, in the middle of a busy square, amongst perfect strangers where you can go to dance and drink for a little too much money

Ruby Skye is located at 420 Mason Street in Union Square. It is a place to bring out of towners or to celebrate a party or just to have an excuse to dress up and go out and spend some dough.

When I got to this club I had to wait in line for a considerable amount of time. Unless you know the bouncers plan on paying a twenty dollar entrance fee or you can get around it. I went on line a few days ahead of time and put my name on the list!

After crossing the threshold, I stepped into the club world, where everyone is half naked and bumpin’ and grindin’.

Pink and purple lights flash against circular, plush white couches, and spotlights focus on trapeze artists that are somersaulting above the dance floor.

Upstairs there is a V.I.P. section that is almost impossible to get into, unless you are famous or have enough money to buy a hundred dollar bottle of alcohol for each of the five tables in the room.

The upper level also caters to a smoking box and the room has one window for fifty smokers. Also, there is a D.J. playing more house music.

The club does have a good selection of house music and brings in different D.J.’s from all over the country to mix and spin.

I thought that Ruby Skye had a good clubin’ atmosphere and lots of people come there to dance and meet strangers.

The house music can be tiresome after a while and I found my self trying to dance, but really just jumping up and down. I had trouble holding a decent conversation without getting humped across the dance floor.

Drinks are also hard to get because there is only a few bar tenders and everyone is fighting for their attention. If you do manage to score a drink, don’t be surprised when the tab turns out to be ten dollars a drink.

All and all it takes a certain party lover to appreciate Ruby Skye… If there is nothing else to do I’ll go, but I’m not paying the cover.

The San Francisco loner gene

2007-10-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

by Anna Karlsson, [X]press Online

Forbes.com recently rated San Francisco to be the best city in the U.S. for singles. The ranking methodology included coolness factor, determined by a Harris Poll, cost of living alone, based on the price of, for example, a six-pack of Heineken and a Pizza Hut Pizza, culture, how many people were signed up for online dating and the number of restaurants and bars per capita, etc.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 65 percent of the San Francisco population over 15 years old is unmarried. Even if some people of that percentage are in an unhitched relationship, the number of folks who are still looking for love is still quite large.

Why are there so many single people? Is it the best city to be single or best city to for those who want to keep being single? Are people flying solo by choice? Or are there microwaves activating the loner gene when you pass the city limit? It doesn't make sense.

It's seems as if people in San Francisco are so over stimulated by the museums and pro sports teams that there's no reason to settle down with a mate. All the options of recreational activities filter away for the human need of monogamy.

Perhaps the Harris Poll should have included questions about best city for casual hook-ups or the average number of dates people go on before deciding to stop because obviously, people in San Francisco are against long term love.

Whatever the reason is for this high single population, it seems to be that San Francisco is a transitional city. It's a place people come from all over the U.S., and the world for that matter, to build a career, be independent and live in a Victorian house for a while. They work 70 hours per week, watch games, go to a couple of movies per month, drink their six-pack of Heineken and when they're tired of it, they go on Match.com, find someone and move somewhere where it's easier to park the Volvo.

Fleet Week in retrospect...

2007-10-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

by Timothy Henry, [X]press Online

I was sitting in traffic and crawling toward the bay bridge on Thursday when I saw four jets screaming toward the San Francisco skyline. For a split second, I was terrified, and thought we were under attack. Then I remember . . . it must be Fleet Week.

What red-blooded American male wouldn’t drool over the sight of fighter-jets roaring across the sky (I’m sure there are plenty of females digging it too . . . it just seems to be more of a dude thing). Overcome by some boyish adrenaline, I pump my fist as the jets go by again, and flip through the radio in the hopes of finding “Rock you Like a Hurricane.”

Fleet Week is the Armed Forces open house – numbers of Attendance vary from ten of thousands according to NBC, to over a million, according to KQED and the San Francisco Chronicle. This years Fleet Week began on the fourth, and will end tomorrow at 4pm.

The 2007 San Francisco Fleet Week occurred during a time of stark polarity in American foreign policy, and during a long and increasingly unpopular war. Do politics prevail during such a time honored tradition (if tradition always prevailed, then we would continue to celebrate Columbus Day vs. Italian Heritage or Caesar Chavez Day)?

The Chronicle’s Carl Nolte wrote: “It is a paradox: On the one hand, there is widespread perception that San Francisco and the Bay Area are opposed to the military and all its works; on the other, the citizens of the Bay Area . . . gather in huge crowds to welcome the Navy.”

Led by supervisor Chris Daly, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors considered banning the Blue Angeles this year, sighting safety concerns stemming from an Angels crash in South Carolina in April. Daly also said immigrants from war-ravaged countries were terrified by the air-show, a claim that was confirmed on the KQED’s “Forum” on Friday. One listener E-mailed a comment saying that she used to love the Blue Angels, but that nanny from Nicaragua was terrified, because they reminded her of war, bombs, and destruction.

Daly’s measure was defeated 7-3 in September, but the debate was sparked.

Is fleet week innocuous? According to their website: “The Blue Angels’ mission is to enhance Navy and Marine Corps recruiting efforts and to represent the naval service to the United States . . .”

Military recruitment has become a contentious issue in the wake of the Iraq war – many college campuses tried to ban recruiters outright, but the supreme court ruled that schools had to allow the military, or loose federal funding. Further, the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps was eliminated in san Francisco last November by the Board of Education.

And then there’s the F/A-18 Hornet, the current vehicle of the Blue Angles – the average coast of an F/A-18 is $21 million, according to the Blue Angeles website. While the Blue Angeles are painted bright and beautiful colors, the F-18 is still an implement of war.

But a different war. Fast jets are the vestige of wars against super-powers. In the current so called war on terror, the enemy’s weapon is simple and ghastly, and the entire fleet, with all it’s firepower, has no obvious and discernable target.

Back on the freeway, the planes disappear toward the mouth of the bay, then reappear, flying parallel to traffic and dipping beneath the city while leaving a wispy trail of smoke, and describing an undulating snake as they go. The sound follows . . . a distant, window shaking rumble that consumes the air before fading, fading.

Most Iraqis, Afghans, and Bosnians have never seen an air-show. A jet flying over-head does not mean pump your fist and wave the flag . . . it means run for your life.

Links

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=29&entry_id=20848

On Board of Supervisors:

http://www.sfgate.com/cg-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/27/EDDVSEKKV.DTL&hw=Fleet+Week&sn=027&sc=096

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/04/MNH0SILMH.DTL&hw=Fleet+Week&sn=028&sc=088

Me and the Gang (No, really, they’re in a gang)

2007-10-04T21:34:00.000-07:00

by Dan Verel

Last May, for my reporting class, I authored a story on the possibility of a gang injunction in the Western Addition, which was my neighborhood beat. I knew it was an important issue, but at the time I would never have guessed it would become an obsessive quest of mine.

Instead of abandoning the beat after the semester ended, I dutifully went to Fillmore Street, where one of my most reliable sources could usually be found. I wanted to see if there were any worthy stories to pursue, and I found one. Two days before I went to Fillmore to see Minister Regnaldo Woods at his non-profit, Up From Darkness, seven people had been shot in a hale of gunfire at the Friendship Village housing complex and nearby Plaza East. I couldn’t just walk away from the neighborhood that welcomed me with open arms, especially now.

The shootings were a result of a dispute between youths from Friendship and Eddy Rock, from Plaza East just five blocks away. Eddy Rock, I had learned, was one of the more menacing gangs in the area, and I knew they were likely to be named in the looming injunction. Sure enough, when City Attorney Dennis Herrera announced in July that he would seek injunctions in the Western Addition and in the Mission, Eddy Rock was on the list, along with its rivals, Chopper City and Knock Out Posse.

Woods told me in June that he and a few others had a grand plan: reach out to the gang members and convince them to attend a summit, where they would call a truce. Once there, they would receive access to mental health services, employment guidance, and hear from inspiring African-American men. I wanted to write about that, and knew if I hung out long enough, I would likely be able to get exclusive access to the event. In other words, I would be able to interview the most elusive of sources – gang members.

The summit never happened. So I -- in a bit of a panic -- asked Woods if I could interview the gang members anyway, and tie it into a story about the injunction. He agreed to take me down to Plaza East, where I would be able to sit down with a few of the “shot callers” and just, you know, chat.

I can’t say exactly why I was so eager to talk to reputed gang members. Perhaps it was morbid curiosity, perhaps just innocent intrigue -- a hope to gain insight into a world that I’ve never experienced. One thing I decided early on, though, was that I wouldn’t just use this opportunity to further my own agenda to get published. Sure, it would help; but I realized that was the wrong mindset.

I’ve interviewed grieving mothers, multiple sclerosis patients, and anti-social pack rats in the past, but these interviews would easily be the most challenging.

After interviewing four of the guys, I was in a bit of a daze and had to finish up so I could digest what had been discussed. The matter-of-fact tone in which they explained what it was like to have six of their friends killed less than a block away was a bit mind-numbing. But they all sounded a common theme: They wanted to change -- really. They just didn’t know how and needed the guidance of Woods and other elders. They seemed sincere.

But was I simply going to be an apologist for these guys? Could I just ignore the thousands of pages of evidence stacked against them? No, I couldn’t. And I realized what I had gotten myself into – a neglected community about to be caught up in the middle of ambitious political policy.

I went back to Plaza East four more times despite my personal reservations. I was curious to see how things were evolving with Eddy Rock -- and evolve they did. They no longer call themselves Eddy Rock. They were now calling themselves Open Arms, named after a non-profit they started with the help of Woods and others. Whether or not their Arms will remain open remains to be seen. For the sake of the neighborhood, let’s hope so.

See xpress.sfsu.edu for a reprint of the full San Francisco Bay Guardian story.

CYHASY, a group of goofs

2007-10-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

by Contessa Abono, Photo by Nadine Caouette -- [X]press Online

Brooklyn’s Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah have successfully become known as the do-it-without-a-record-label musician guys. Their goofy musical personality is layered with fresh pops and surprises and topped off with whiney yet attractive vocals.

CYHASY played the second day of the first Treasure Island Music Festival on September 16 and were quite titillated by the fact that there was water all around them and possibly a bit afraid of sharks.

As keyboardist, Robbie Guertin, said, “I wasn’t really sure of the concept until we got here, but it’s pretty cool now that I’m here.”

Though the band members mentioned that they thought perhaps people would be better off being on the beach “instead of being caged in watching music on an island,” they warmed up to the idea after arriving and seeing the festivals overall set up. “I love it. I love the ocean and the boats, I also love the puppets that our outside right now-they’re fantastic,” said drummer Sean Greenhalgh after Guertin mentioned the beach idea.

Posted on the Treasure Island Music Festival website is an article about the islands history. The event has people thinking about what the island is and it seemed like the festival was not just promoting itself but the island as well, “I went on the website and it shows the history of the island being build, it’s pretty interesting how it was made. It just use to be this little mound of dirt and now it’s a whole island,” said Guertin.

The dangers of the having a large event on the island would be that during earthquakes, fires or other natural disasters a quick evacuation would be virtually impossible. Though, Guerin remained optimistic about the turnout of the event. “If there was an earthquake, would the whole island just open up? I would start screaming. Well, I would just go for a swim.”

CYHASY are going to be touring in California and are hitting up the Independent in SF on September 25th and 26th, “We have ten days to sell it out. You’re the only place we’re announcing this, we need your help.”

In addition to selling out three L.A. shows in the end of September CYHASY are soon to be featured for their film debut alongside John Malkovich and Tom Hanks.

Cavemen, Nitro and Turbo...Dear God!

2007-10-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

by Khari Johnson, [X]press Online

I’m not sure I know where TV is going. And I don’t think TV knows either.

In approximately 10 hours, the first episode of Caveman will premiere on ABC. He’s originally the spokesperson for Geico auto insurance. I think we have all seen the commercials.

Just in case…

I’ll admit the commercials were funny, but a full blown TV show?

NBC Entertainment/Universal Media Studios has decided to bring back American Gladiators in midseason. Recycling what now? I really hope people aren't looking forward to this. Athletes participating took stage names like Turbo, Nitro and Laser and competed in competitions named the Joust, the Wall or the Eliminator, said Variety . The original series premiered in 1989 along with Baywatch, Family Matters and the Simpsons.

Through the sitcom era, into the times of reality TV… where does that put us now? Personally, I think this is exactly what American needs. Washington's corrupt, the Middle East is a powder keg and the world is melting.

Who knows? Maybe both shows turn out successes. Flava of Love on VH1 is "successful" too. It's all garbage.

Although you can’t help but imagine...

Urkel, Gladiator and Hasselhoff… that's utopia.

How fun is toothpaste in your ear, anyway?

2007-09-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

by Anna Karlsson, [X]press Online

CNN.com published an article on September 28 concerning underage drinking and the impacts of parental supervision when a minor is introduced to alcohol. Several sources claimed that if the parents teach their children to drink moderately during social gatherings, they're less likely to binge drink later on.

Of course this is true. It's true for everything a parent can teach their child. Being from a European country myself, where the drinking age is lower and social rules more relaxed, I thought this was interesting because it's so ingrained in the American culture to abstain from virtually everything if you're under the age of 21. The social rules in this country are so strong -- if you don't go to college right after high school something is wrong with you or if you're unmarried by the time you're 30 you're obviously a social deviant.

The topic isn't just applicable for drinking; it's applicable in every aspect of “the coming of age.” There are things that most teenagers will do no matter what anybody tells them: have sex, drink alcohol, and probably try some drugs. If American parents wouldn't be such sticklers about these inevitable rites of passages, they could be handled a lot better.

The main source in the CNN.com article, Anna Peele, 19, was allowed to drink a little bit of wine together with her parents from the time she was 14. She says she learned how to deal with alcohol that way. She was informed about alcohol by her parents and that "education" changed her views and possible desire to binge drink in college.

That's the message that should be sent out. Inform your kid and be honest about what's going on and they'll learn to handle themselves. Teach your teenager about safe-sex and birth control instead of abstinence and you're less likely to have a teen pregnancy on your hands. Teach your kid about drinking and they won't become the booze bragger at the frat party who "totally did 13 tequila shots at the dorm" and woke up with toothpaste in his ear.

Pamela Bryant eats San Francisco: Shangri-La

2007-09-30T11:51:00.000-07:00

Shangri-La (vegetarian)
2026 Irving Street/San Francisco/CA/94122
(415) 731-2548
Mon to Sun 11:30am – 9:00pm
CLICK HERE FOR MAP & DIRECTIONS

I may perhaps have high expectations regarding quite a few things in life and tepid restaurant water is no exception. This has been a running joke between my friend Robin and I, due to her endorsement of vegetarian or vegan eateries. I can only conclude from this that ice must not be vegetarian because it is never included in ANY of the meals we’ve had. You would think after the inculcation of this fact into my brain, I would no longer comment about it, but obviously, we haven't met.

Shangri-La, one of the longest running Chinese vegetarian restaurants (since 1978), on Irving between 21st and 22nd Avenue, is yet another one of those lukewarm water-providing establishments.

Having said that, words almost cannot describe how marvelous my dinner was, but I will give it a shot, seeing as how expressing opinions has never been my weak point.
Firstly, I must say our entrees arrived within 10 minutes after we were seated, and yes, it was cooked all the way and hot. This is a plus for people like me who like instant gratification and only go to out to eat at the very last second before dropping dead of starvation.

Secondly, if you are not a fan of tofu, then this is the place to change your mind. The Pie Pa Tofu Balls with Broccoli tastes like an array of spices fused with crispy fried tofu resting atop a soy sauce, garlic, and ginger mixture.

And if you're like me then almost anything fried equals delicious, which leads me to my next dish of Imitated Sweet and Sour Pork (why it's called imitated instead of imitation is beyond me, but we'll just say it adds character).

This dish not only tastes like the real version and was fried, but also arrived inside half a pineapple. Add brown or white rice, plus the complimentary hot tea and cabbage salad, and you have an amazing, healthy meal, with enough food for lunch the next day.

Evening prices are cheap, running about $6.50 per entree, with daily lunch specials for $5.75 that includes soup of the day, rice and an egg roll.

With the owner's friendly and fast service, Shangri-La's tepid, iceless water is not even a factor. That is of course, unless you're me.

Jena Six and the modern day civil rights movement

2007-09-20T14:53:00.000-07:00

By Khari Johnson, [X]press Online

Jena 6 protests begin nationwide, SF State students involved, too

Today may be the culmination of mounting wills and tension in a racially charged Louisiana town. For a story that was dormant in the mainstream press until recently, today’s events in Jena, LA may cause national controversy and could influence the destiny of a certain presidential candidate.

Busloads across the country descended upon Jena, a town of 3,000, in support of the “Jena 6”, a group of six black teenagers accused of attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy after beating up their classmate.

On Monday, silent demonstrations were held at USF where students taped their mouths shut and wrote letters to the Louisiana governor and the prosecuting district attorney.. On Tuesday, the SF State Black Student Union wore all-black to show solidarity with the Jena 6. Today, protests will be held at the University of California, Berkeley, in downtown San Francisco and across the nation.

A black student asked his principal if he could sit under a shade tree typically only sat under by white students. The next day, three nooses painted school colors were hung from the tree. A series of escalating racial events would follow.

Today one of the six, Mychal Bell, was to be sentenced but after being convicted by an all-white jury, a Louisiana state court overturned the decision because the juvenile was tried incorrectly as an adult. He remains in jail.

More than a quarter million people have signed an online petition. More than 450 different groups have been formed on Facebook with "Jena 6" in their name.

It’s a story all too familiar to some and others are just now hearing. Black Americans and some progressive blogs and press broke the story nearly a year ago, while the mainstream press is just beginning to cover the controversial case.

Obama catching heat from black civil rights leaders

While all this is happening, miles away from Jena and its issues, Senator Barack Obama’s future is contemplated.

A New York Sun report states that Obama’s future rests on how he responds to Jena.

Jesse Jackson, who was without question the most successful black candidate for president in American history, told a crowd of students Wednesday that Senator Obama is “acting like he’s white.”

“If I were a candidate, I’d be all over Jena,” Jackson said after an hour-long speech at Columbia’s historically black Benedict College.

“Jena is a defining moment, just like Selma was a defining moment.”

Jackson, who ran for president in 1984 and 1988, marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil right leaders in the mid 1965 across a bridge in Selma, AL for…

Jackson also said Obama must be “bolder” in his political positions if he is to erase Clinton’s lead in national polls. Hilary leads national polls but is about even with Obama among African Americans.

Barack may not be known for politics as usual but he will have to do some political maneuvering if he wants to avoid being vacuumed into the debate.

The question is, particularly after getting called out by Jesse Jackson, does Barack feel the need to respond in rhetoric or in person?

Rapper calls out to peers for Jena 6 support

African Americans of diverse backgrounds urged people to come and protest in Jena. The NAACP will sponsor the rally. On the other side, rapper and activist Mos Def, while on “Real Time with Bill Maher” on Sept. 9, Mos Def asked for other rappers like 50 Cent, Kanye West, Jay-Z and others. In a statement released through his press secretary, Mos Def urged “African Americans of prominence” to show up and be counted.

MORE VIDEO

Tuesday’s Democracy Now interview with two of the Jena 6, Robert Bailey and Theo Shaw.

Oops, I've Really Done it Now

2007-09-19T17:05:00.001-07:00

by Shanon Corbin, [X]press Online

On the sixth anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks, President George W. Bush discussed the possibility of some troops coming home from Iraq. Yet my concern was focused toward an insignificant but nationally anticipated performance . Britney Spears’ appearance at the Video Music Awards was similar to a flaming car crash. After the performance, I wondered: is Britney -- not so gracefully -- crying out for help or just rebelling against her fame?

Honestly, Britney Spears is an entertainer. She is not an artist or a musician; She is a dancer, a performer. Spears, in my opinion, is an entertainer without a strong voice like Whitney Houston, Nina Simone or Mariah Carey. She uses her body, sexuality, beauty and a great marketing team to move her career. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Spears ranks as the eighth best-selling female artist in American music history. Her career has steadily climbed into music history since she began with her first album and hit single ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time.’ But, for lack of better words, Spears has not been herself lately.

Many television viewers and people watching Spears’ performance from the audience did not see the same performer that once kissed Madonna -- nope. Britney Spears’ Video Music Awards performance looked like it came from someone who happened to look like her – someone who got an outfit and was told to fill in for Spears because she was “under the weather.” That person’s words of encouragement: “Break a leg!” I find it sad that Spears is slowly eroding her success with such stunts and attitude. Could it be that Britney Spears’ performance is her way of communicating that she is no longer interested in the music and notoriety that she has worked so hard for? If so, maybe Spears’ VH1 Behind the Music will earn an Emmy.

As economy fails, Greenspan criticizes Bush and Republicans in new book

2007-09-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

by Timothy Henry, [X]press Online

Alan Greenspan’s words used to put every stock broker and financial adviser worldwide on the edge of their seats. Greenspan’s sentences were dissected for every possible meaning or clue as to what incremental change the chairman of the Federal Reserve might make to interest rates. Aside from the president or the chief justice of the Supreme Court, no one person in Washington carried more influence.

And now the man with the most powerful words in the world has released his memoirs, and become yet another critic of the Bush administration. Greenspan’s memoirs a day before the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates Tuesday, from 5.25 percent to 4.75 percent, the first lowering of rates since 2003. Lowering interest rates are generally cautionary tactic to combat inflation by discouraging saving and increasing spending.

The stock market historically responds strongly to interest rate cuts, and Wall Street saw a strong day of trading Tuesday, as did Asian and European markets. The same trends crossed over into today.

Among his criticisms of the president, Greenspan said “. . . Everyone knows the Iraq war is largely about Oil.” Keep in mind that Greenspan is no Michael Moore or George Clooney. It is widely printed that Greenspan is a self-described Libertarian Republican, and a devotee of Capitalist author Ayn Rand.

“The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World,” was released today by Penguin Books (and co-written by Peter Petre who co-wrote Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf’s autobiography). Greenspan is rumored to have been paid somewhere around $8 million, second only to Bill Clinton’s $12 million for his memoirs, according to the Washington Post.

“ ‘The Age of Turbulence’ is three books in one,” according to Bradford DeLong, a professor of economics at University of California, Berkeley who reviewed Greenspan’s auto biography
for the Los Angeles Times. “The first [book] tells us who Greenspan is,” says DeLong, who described Greenspan as a talented jazz-clarinetist and math geek who read economics books between gigs.

“The second book,” says DeLong, “gives Greenspan’s view of the world . . . He is trying to convey complicated and subtle technocratic ideas about the global economy . . . in a way that is comprehensible to general readers whose purchases drive bestseller lists.”

The third book, according to DeLong, contains Greenspan’s criticism of the Bush administration. Greenspan writes of the Republicans: “They swapped principle for power. They ended up with neither. They deserved to lose in the 2006 election, when they lost control of the House and Senate.” This seems to be Greenspan’s token anti-Bush quote, and has already echoed across the internet.

Alan Greenspan was chairman of the Federal Reserve for 18 years, serving six presidents and both parties over the course of his career.

The chairman of the Fed wields enormous monetary power. When the economy runs smoothly, Greenspan got the credit. And when the economy got ugly, the criticism was shoveled to Greenspan’s feet. Censures of Greenspanian policy include the recession of 2001, and the recent housing market bubble burst.

Not many people can name influential economists – anyone know who Milton Friedman is? How about John Maynard Keynes? These are famous economists, insofar as economist can achieve fame. Most people know the name of Alan Greenspan, even if they weren’t fully aware of the nuances of the power he wielded.

Greenspan’s words could literally change the economy. Those words drew a fairly swift reaction from President Bush. During an interview with Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier, Bush plainly said, “I would respectfully disagree with the characterizations by chairman Greenspan.”

Curtis vs. The Graduate

2007-09-08T20:02:00.000-07:00

By Austin Walsh, [X]press Online

“I’ll never be as laid back as this beat was/ I never could see why people would reach a fake-ass façade they couldn’t keep up/ you see how I creeped up/ you see how I played a big role in Chicago like Queen Latifah.”

Much like Kanye himself, his newest album sounds boisterous and bold yet manages to maintain a self-conscious cool, which can be as abrasive as it is introspective.

Graduation marks his progression from a star-struck prodigal fan-boy on College Drop Out, to the lackadaisical playboy philosopher on Late Registration, and it culminates to a grandiose celebration of the progression of a man as an artist. Armed with essential hip-hop instruments and basic rhyme skills he has orchestrated a masterpiece theatre on the beauty of simplicity.

On the other side of the tracks, 50 Cent is making simple-minded music in the name of keeping it real. But the newest album Curtis sounds more like another episode of “When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong.”

Curtis is a lame attempt to recapture the hunger that 50 Cent had five years ago when he released his classic debut Get Rich Or Die Tryin’. He has neglected the opportunity to change over the years and as a result he now sounds stale and stagnant. The beats are the highlight of the album, but his lyrics are sound like an uninspired cliché throughout.

“My stomach is growlin they say that I’m wildin/ I’m doin my numbers or I’m getting violent/ they hearin my rappin, they think that I’m playin/ they see the barrel then they see the flame,” Fiddy mumbles on “Fully Loaded Clip.”

50 has the premier single of both albums with “Ayo Technology,” featuring Justin Timberlake on a ridiculous Timbaland’s beat. Meanwhile Kanye houses his raps (and silly ass glasses) over Daft Punk on "Stronger." T-Pain does a fine Roger Troutman impression to Kanye’s Zapp-influenced “Flashlight.” Meanwhile, 50 hosts Akon on “I’ll Still Kill,” which is sandwiched between songs called “My Gun,” and “Man Down.” Some may accuse Kanye of biting other’s styles, but 50 sounds like he’s regurgitating himself.

Both albums are slated to release against one other on Tuesday. Curtis raised the stakes of the competition between the two stating that if Kanye outsells him, he will retire. Judging by how good Graduation feels, its time to say good-bye to the bad guy.

New Pill stops Periods

2007-05-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

Men need not read further

By Katie Cox

The FDA approved a pill today that will stop a woman’s period. The new pill, Lybrel, will be marketed with that as its key feature. The pill must be taken daily, every day of the month, which is different from other pills that are only taken for 21 days. The pill is a lower dose of hormones and is produced by the Pharmaceutical distributor, Wyeth. This sounds quite promising for women around the country.

What consumers don’t realize is that this is no new feat. Just because pills in the past have a series of placebo, or sugar pills, during the week that the women is to menstruate does not mean that she has to take those. If she continues her pills back to back, she will miss her period, which is exactly what this new pill is.

To me they are marketing an idea that smart women out there have known for years. Ask any gynecologist and they will tell you the same thing, you don’t need to stop taking your birth control, the period that you get is only there to reassure you.

According to reports, unscheduled bleeding can still occur and it will not stop periods for all women on the pill. It sounds like a lot of B.S. to me.

Other forms of birth control, such as Seasonale, claim to limit menstruation to only once every few months. Scientists did not just discover the ability to halt periods, but rather, marketing experts have found that women, despite what they say, actually like the idea of menstruation and consider it a sign of good health and fertility. These are concerns of the distributors of Lybrel, who aren’t sure how women are going to feel about it. We all know that birth control is only 97-98% effective if taken correctly, so with no period how can one be sure that it is working at all?

Not to mention that symptoms including bloating, irritability, and fatigue to name a few cannot be promised away. Where is the cure all pill that gets rid of the cramps along with the period itself. I won’t be satisfied until I see that happen. Lybrel is the first oral contraceptive of its kind to be marketed specifically to stop periods and I would be surprised if it was a hit.

Katie Holmes’ Battle with a Porn Star

2007-05-23T07:46:00.000-07:00

By Katie Cox

“Why is Katie Holmes in the headlines again?” I ask myself as I flip through the Chronicle. I roll my eyes and swallow down the vomit that floods my mouth at the sight of her name, but a force stronger than myself turns the page as I unwillingly read the latest TomKat gossip.

According to the newspaper, several sources say that a soon-to-be porn actress is changing her name to “Katee Holmes” in tribute to the actress. An 18-year-old Texan reportedly plans to lose her virginity on screen claiming that she wants to be able to remember her first time forever.

Holmes who spells her name with “i-e” is furious with the girl, who plans to spell her name with double “e’s”, and plans to sue. But common’ Katie, you really think that this girl could make you look any worse? I am pretty sure that this is probably one of the mildest headlines about you in years.

Katie’s Dawson Creek, wholesome girl next- door image was marred by her ridiculous and over the- top freaky Scientology courtship to Tom Cruise. Soon after Tom jumped all over Oprah’s couch, Holmes announced that she was pregnant with what we later found out to be a creepy, beady-eyed devil baby wearing a toupee named Suri Cruise.

Now I am not a lawyer, but I am fairly certain that a person can only sue over something like this if it will somehow damage the person’s reputation. But if your reputation isn’t that great anyway then I hardly see a reason to sue,

The wannabe porn star plans on jump -starting her career by first starring in a girl on girl flick and later being “de-flowered” on screen. Shy Love, a representative for the girl, says that she choose to mirror herself after Holmes because she liked the innocent and sweet character that she played as Joey on Dawson’s Creek.

While I agree that Holmes’ character on the popular teen drama was at least likeable, the current state of Katie’s like-ability is almost non-existent.

A word to the aspiring young sex star, other than “don’t do it, go back to school and keep your legs closed”…PICK A BETTER ROLE MODEL!! Out of every sexy young thing out there, you have to pick the weirdo? And in response to Holmes’ legal threats, get over it, you aren’t that great anyways and you are about to sue one of your only fans.

Hey You! Keep Those Thumbs on the Wheel!

2007-05-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

By Mauricio Grijalva

Most of us in this country have taken to texting like birds take to flying. In the Unites States alone, according to industry statistics provided by the New York Times, cell phone users sent 158 billion texts to their friends, family and acquaintances in 2006, up a staggering 95 percent from the previous year. Judging from those statistics, it’s safe to assume that we text everywhere: our homes, school, jobs, churches, and parks.
Two pieces of upcoming legislation in both Washington and New Jersey are about to stop their citizens from texting in the one place they feel people shouldn’t be texting: their car, while driving. ”Would you read a book or newspaper while you were driving? No!” Washington Governor Christine Gregoire said in a New York Times article. “Then why would you text while driving?” If the law is passed, drivers in Washington will face a $101 fine.
Has it really come to this? Does the government really need to create legislation that will control what we can do behind the wheel of our cars? I’m torn about this legislation. For one thing, I think the less government interference we have in our lives, the better. First, they ban textng while driving. What’s next, banning changing the radio dial while we pilot our automobiles? If this legislation passes, it will mean that we as individuals will have less control over what we can do in our very own cars, which for some of us are second homes.
On the other hand, I sometimes wish drivers would have just a little more common sense and refrain from doing things that would put others in danger. It’s not exactly brilliant to drink while drunk, but some people do it. Some people know that they’ll easily get distracted while driving and talking on their cell phones, but its done anyway, and the next you know, there’s a pile up on the freeway that could have been avoided. While not proven, maybe texting can be just as distracting as talking on the phone; even more so, because you have to take your eyes off the road for a long time to type in what you want to say. While I don’t agree with the legislation in spirit, perhaps its passing will remind people that their number one priority while driving their car is, well, driving their car.

Suicides on Rise

2007-03-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

By Angela Asche

According to a recent article by Jim Rosack, Impact of FDA Warning Questioned in Suicide Rise, in Psychiatric News published March 2, 2007, the number of child and youth suicides under the age of 20, have dramatically increased from 2003 to 2004. Experts are questioning whether or not this increase is the result of a decline in antidepressant drug prescriptions due to a 2003 media frenzy concerning a series of FDA advisory committee meetings and congressional hearings regarding data possibly linking antidepressant medication with an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors compared with placebo.

It’s revolting to find that our youth have lost their natural ability to conquer their own problems, and have become dependent upon drugs to make them feel good. Whatever happened to the good ol’ days when human beings knew how to suffer in order to build their tolerance and overcome hardships? How did they do it? They sure didn’t take antidepressants to get their jollies. I have family members and friends who feel the solution to any, if not all, of their problems is to find the latest and greatest anti-depressant medication. Whether it may be an abusive boyfriend that’s making them unhappy or a broken fingernail, an unfortunate amount of people lack the natural endurance to “get over it” and move on.

Not to say that nobody can benefit from these drugs. But should everybody? Shouldn’t drugs be the final stage in treatment, with extensive evaluation being the first and most thorough? Where do psychologists draw the line when prescribing these drugs? I have been acquainted with numerous people who have used anti-depressants.
Most of them took them after break ups with boyfriends. I was shocked at how successful they were in obtaining the drugs. One of them actually was suggested anti-depressants, but refused to take them.

Perhaps it’s a result of the over-eager psychiatrists to get the patient out of the office or because this generation just lacks the resources to get good service, but I’m sure the latter is highly unlikely.

Maybe instead of pointing the finger at the lack of prescribed medications being the cause of increased suicide rates, researchers can look into more valuable methods of preventing such an action by spending more time in the office evaluating and then using drugs as a last resort.

Cyber-Bulling

2007-03-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

By Logan Triglia

The rite of passage known as high school leaves no one unscathed. The clearly defined cliques and student organizations leave no room for floaters or those who like to mingle with different groups.

It used to be that elementary and middle schools were the calm before the storm, the place where kids could be kids. Where the cheerleader and the skater could be friends. But today with kids as young as 12 using social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook, the medium to criticize fellow students from the safety of their own home has grown exponentially.

The most recent public backlash against cyber-bullying came after a 14-year-old from Novato had to change schools after a website posted on Myspace deemed her a “homo” and “bitch.” According to sfgate.com, more than 4 in 10 teens have been on the receiving end of taunts and threats through different forms of media.

Although this phenomenon of cyber-bullying is taking off thanks to social networking sites that leave people vulnerable and bullies more likely to spew venom from the safety of their own home, it happened to me through the same medium in the pre-historic, pre-Myspace days of the year 2000.

I went to high school in white-collar town with a population under 30,000. About midway through my high school years my town joined a group of other small towns and created a community website. Today BeniciaNews.com is mostly ads and citizen journalism. It used to feature breaking news, a teenage column and most importantly, a community forum where anyone could register using any name and post comments.

This infamous message board became the sounding board for Benicia’s youth. A forum intended for community input and conversation about local politics turned into a place where middle and high school students posted threads about their peers and invited everyone else to join in and post their opinions as well. Of course this turned in to a huge dog pile on the person with a few scattered posts of defense from their friends. All anonymously. When my turn came for the roast there was a blend of good and bad. The good were flattering, the bad were superficial, but it spread beyond the forum. I had people urinate in my yard, break glass beer bottles in my driveway and street, spread peanut butter all over my garage doors.

Cyber-bullying is not a new thing. It is being taken to new heights through new mediums as with every other single thing in our culture, but ultimately the blame rests on the parents.

Bay Area’s Doom: Water or Quake You Decide

2007-03-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

By Bernadette Blanco

An article from SF Gate mapped out the Bay Area and which parts would be affected by global warming. In the article, scientists from the Bay Conservation and Development Commission predicted that “parts of Corte Madera, San Rafael, Hayward and Newark and much of the Silicon Valley shoreline would be under water, including a portion of Moffett Field, the site of NASA Ames Research Center, where Google wants to build a 1 million-square-foot campus.” The article also mentions that the future site of the Oakland A’s stadium in Fremont would be affected by flooding sometime in the 21st century.

Whether or not people believe that global warming is real, the climate change is certainly obvious. Just this past winter, temperatures reached about 20 degrees or less. Last week, temperatures in the Bay Area reached 70 to 80 degrees. I never know what the weather will be like the next day.

And while some people might think the warm weather is wonderful for this time of the year, I can’t help but think about how different this season has been compared to the ten years ago and it certainly worries me. What’s worse is that there are some people out there who have never even heard of global warming.

Last month, I was reading an article from SF Gate that about a percentage of Americans have never even heard of global warming. According to a poll by the ACNielson, a global information and media company, about 13 percent of the American population, “have never heard of global warming.” I was shocked to read that. The poll was also taken in Latin in America, and about 95 percent of the population has heard of global warming, according to the article.

It seems like the U.S. government isn’t doing enough to educate people and address the issue.

Cinderellas Can't Jump

2007-03-19T18:42:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Dapper

It's been a dozen years since a double-digit seed failed to make the Sweet 16. Many say there are no underdogs left. Cinderella is dead and already at the morgue. A year ago, we had No. 13 Bradley and No. 11 George Mason as the Cinderella stories.

This year that is certainly not the case. What we have left are 12 teams from the big six conferences. All of the top seeds advanced past the first two rounds. Wisconsin was the only number two seed to be knocked off and Washington State was the lone number three seed left out in the Big Dance.

I think there is a Cinderella here. Let’s talk about the PAC-10. For only the second time in history, the conference sent six teams to the tournament and is now tied with the SEC for having three left to dance with the stars.

The PAC-10 always seems to get a bad wrap for being a weak division compared to teams in the Big East and Big 12. This year they may have proven that to be different.

Here’s the 411, the breakdown…

UCLA is the team with the most NCAA men's basketball titles in history and they made a return to the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the West Regional bracket.

The Bruins had a 26-5 record this season and were ranked No. 1 for six weeks during the regular season. On the down side, they stumbled in the Pac-10 tournament losing to the California Bears 76-69 in the first-round that cost the Bruins the No. 1 seed.

No team in the country was more consistent this season than the Bruins. They also have the experience of last season's NCAA Tournament. Combined with their strong defense and key players like Aaron Afflalo, Darren Collison, Josh Shipp and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute they should have no problem handling Pittsburgh.

Next up, The USC Trojans are back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002. With double duo on the court Junior Gabe Pruitt and Nick Young can pretty much score in any situation. Young scored 22 points against Texas and Taj Gibson, a 6-foot-9 freshman, had 17 points and 14 rebounds. USC won by playing smarter and more disciplined basketball. In order to take on and defeat University of North Carolina they have to watch the turnovers, they rank last in the Pac-10. They need to keep up the big defense and use they key players to execute.

Oregon advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2002. The Ducks are an explosive offensive team. They like a fast-paced game, so their opponents try to slow things down a bit. They have Tajuan Porter, who is one of the best shooting little man in the country, especially from the 3-point range. Numerous programs turned their heads away from him because of his size, but Ducks coach, Ernie Kent, took a chance on him and it sure has paid off. One can’t for get about Aaron Brooks, simply Mister clutch, who led the Ducks with 22 points. The Ducks have a little trouble rebounding, due to the lack of size on the court. As long as they can control the pace of the game they should be able to run past the No.7 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels.

The odds are pretty good for at least one of these three outstanding teams to stay for the last dance. So watch out Big 12 and Big East, there may be a new conference in town.

I am going to put my money on the Bruins.

What’s Your Final Answer?

2007-03-19T16:43:00.000-07:00

By Katie Cox

I have been doing thumb exercises since the age of eight. Each day taking full advantage of those small fleshy stumps which separate me from other mammals and will make me rich one day. I have it down to a science. I know which categories to avoid: opera, sports and the Bible, and which to wager big on: American history, pop- culture, movies, music or science. I dream in rows of glowing blue boxes and I think in the form of a question.

A person who knows when Alex shaved his ‘stache off and who believes that Ken Jennings is a robot created in the likeness of Joseph Smith to put Mormonism on the map: What is a Jeopardy Junkie?

Many programs have tried to compete, only to be scoffed and snubbed by Jeopardy junkies –individuals that truly believe they are destined to stand behind that podium and are appalled by Regis Philbin, as Jeopardy is clearly the only intelligent game show on TV. We walk among you. You may identify us only by our tendency to turn up missing at exactly 7p.m. western standard time. I am the first to admit that I lie awake, fuming over the five to seven minutes that Trebek takes to interview the contestants because that is precious time which could be better spent on squeezing in another round.

With that said, I am pleased…elated even…to report that Jeopardy made history on the evening of March 16, 2007, with an unheard of three-way tie between its contestants, resulting in tonight’s playoff. According to a mathematician hired by the show, the odds of this occurrence are one in 25 million.

The contestants finished the game after each correctly answering the final question in the category, “Women of the 1930’s”, tying them all at $16,000. The answer to the question, “ Who, as a waitress, once served on of the men that shot her,” with the obvious answer being Bonnie Parker of Bonnie and Clyde.

While the tie is exciting within the Jeopardy-lovin’ community, I am a little skeptical. The chance that all three players wagered just enough to tie is rare, but come on…the chance that all three players got that question right is like one in two. If the question had been a bit more challenging, then maybe I could give it more credit.

Nonetheless, as an aspiring contestant and a self- proclaimed “junkie”, I am always thrilled when Jeopardy makes headlines. I have grown up with the show and have had the privilege to enjoy 22 out of its 23 yearlong run thus far. So congratulations and good luck tonight to Jamey Kirby of Gainesville, Fla.; Anders Martinson of Union City, Calif.; and Scott Weiss of Walkersville, Md.

I will be watching.

Sorry 'Bout It

2007-03-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

By Mauricio Grijalva

The last time I was on a flight, it was August of 2003. I was getting ready to board a flight to Mexico at 1:45 in the morning. My eyes were bleary and I was grouchy from having to get up so early just so that I could fly the friendly skies with 100 other strangers, their destinations unknown. Seven hours later, I had touched down on Mexican soil, safe and sound. My flying experience can be summed up in a few words: dull, uneventful, and practical. For all the times I have been on a flight and gone to another part of the world, nothing has gone wrong on the plane, the plane wasn’t delayed, nor was the plane in any danger of being blown up.

Unfortunately, from talking to friends and reading the news, it seems my experience with flying is a rare one, since most people flying nowadays experience delays, becoming stranded at a strange and sterile airport, or experience worse while in flight. Just a few months ago, on December 29, 4,600 airline passengers flying American Airlines were stranded, making for an unwelcomed New Years. Then, on February 14 of this year, passengers flying JetBlue on the East Coast were stuck at their respective airports, wondering when they were going to get to fly into the air.

Mind you, in both those cases, the airlines couldn’t help that weather wasn’t being kind to them. Despite that, after the JetBlue incident, the airline announced the creation of a Passenger Bill of Rights, explaining that passengers will get more help from the airline should another storm keep them stranded at another airport in the future. Southwest, on the other hand, prefers a different approach.

In a New York Times article named “Airlines Learn to Fly on a Wing and an Apology,” writer Jeff Bailey describes how Fred Taylor Jr., Senior Manager of Proactive Customer Communications, has the job of formally apologizing to Southwest passengers in case they are delayed or wronged in any way.

In the article, Bailey explains that on average, he writes 180 letters a year, and with an average of 110 passengers a flight, he mails almost 20,000 letters of apology a year. He apologizes for things from weather delays, to mechanical failures, to passenger errors. “During the return, a customer became ill and apparently ‘decorated’ three rows of seats — and perhaps a few customers,” he said in the article.

Reading about Mr. Bailey, it brightened up my day. Everyday. I deal with good or bad services provided to me by corporations, from my MP3 player, to my computer, to the ride home I take everyday. When I read what Bailey does, it made me feel better about this world we live in. I deal with the malfunctions of people and corporations everyday, and yet I receive no apologies for it. My MP3 player won’t work because of a production glitch? Too bad. My cell phone isn’t getting a signal? Oh well. My train is delayed more than 15 minutes? Wait some more. In no case is someone there saying, “Sorry, we feel your situation,” so when I read what Southwest does, I smiled. Yes, it’s Mr. Bailey’s job to apologize, but it shows me that Southwest, possibly one of the country’s most popular low-cost airlines, knows the importance of getting in touch with customers, and relaying their deepest regrets that their flight didn’t happen or somehow went wrong. It would be nice if someone said sorry to me for some of the things that went in wrong in my life that weren’t my fault. Glad to see Southwest is at least apologizing for its errors.

By the way, if you didn’t like my blog, Sorry.

Silly Reasons to Vote for a Candidate

2007-02-23T11:23:00.000-08:00

By Aaron Morrison

He’s his own man. She’ll bring dignity to the office. He cares about children and families. His record on the issues is clear.
The aforementioned clichés to describe a political candidate’s character can be easily applied to the current batch of 2008 presidential election nomination hopefuls. But they are not.

Instead we know them as a white woman, a half African, half Caucasian man, an Italian ex-mayor of New York City and a really old guy who opposes a woman’s right to choose. Ladies and gentlemen, these are your front-runners.
And trailing behind them are a Mormon, a guy who referred to a black candidate as clean (but he meant to say ‘fresh’), and that other guy with an accent who’s gearing up for his third attempt at the White House.

All of this and more was recently the topic of discussion at SF State’s Political Science Student Association (PSSA) meeting, held Monday. About 12 meeting attendees, amongst them PSSA president Dell Brooks and College Republican president Leigh Wolf, sat around and trashed Barack Obama, that biracial guy, for his consideration as a viable candidate based solely on his appeal (or lack there of) to the African American community. Apparently Al Sharpton wasn’t black enough either.

They hung Hilary Clinton, that white woman, out to dry for being “too plugged in” to the political machine. She can’t help it. She’s married to a former president.

There wasn’t much said about Rudolph Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, other than his show of courage as mayor after the Sept 11 attacks being duly noted. The man’s certainly got that heroic thing going for him.

And John McCain, that really old guy who despises the Roe v. Wade decision, was having a hard time even winning over the staunch Republicans in the room because of his stance on abortion.

The meeting attendees did not deny that this is indeed a unique group of politicians.

“We’ve never (seen) a group a group of candidates like this,” said PSSA treasure Sabrina Terry.

“It has to do with modern times. We’re not as closed-minded. We’re progressing as a nation.”

Well, Ms. Terry, it might be easy to agree with you if almost every respectable news outlet didn’t run stories about Obama’s racial background being an issue with black voters, as if his identifying with the black community is not enough.

Or about Giuliani being the first Italian-Catholic presidential hopeful. Whoop-tee doo!

Or about Clinton being the first woman front-runner. You go girl!

Or even about McCain being for a federal stop to abortion, and not for a constitutional ban to gay marriages. Has anyone told him that both those issues are equally viewed as forms of legislating morality?

It appears too hard for the media to think past such silly and irrelevant aspects of a candidate’s persona.

Is America afraid that Obama will serve greasy, heart attack inducing fried chicken and collard greens at his inaugural ball? At least that’s what they thought after Tiger Woods was the first black man to win the masters.

Will Giuliani bring the Italian mafia to the white house? Will they be able to film the lost episodes of the final season of HBO’s Sopranos from the oval office?

Will Clinton’s presence in the White House synchronize menstruation periods of all the female staff, making it harder for the male staff a few days every month?

Does McCain’s old ass have any business gunning for anti-abortion laws, when a more realistic issue for him would be senior citizen abuse in convalescent hospices?

Truth is, the media hasn’t provided very many relevant thinking points to make any of these candidates more than just horses in a race for multi-millions in campaign contributions.

A solution to this problem: shut down the presses on the election! We’ve got more than a year to go before the primaries. By then, we wouldn’t care if Obama was born to a Martian and a golden retriever, if Clinton was transgender, if Giuliani starred in the Godfather Part Four, or if McCain adopted black orphaned babies from Africa.

Cartoon Network Show New Terrorists?

2007-01-31T19:39:00.000-08:00

Story by Logan Triglia

A guerilla promotional tactic gone awry wrong caused hours of traffic on Wednesday, January 31 and halted services on two of Massachusetts’ Bay Transit Authority lines.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force, an animated show on the Cartoon Network placed several magnetic lighting devices outdoors in Boston, Mass. The harmless marketing campaign that has been featured in 10 cities across the U.S., San Francisco included, caused bomb specialists to detonate devices alongside Interstate 93, a central highway in Boston.
Turner Broadcasting, the parent company of the Cartoon Network has since released an apology for the confusion stating, “they regret that they were mistakenly thought to pose any danger.”
Although it is common knowledge that U.S. citizens live in a state of fear, with terror levels alternating between high and elevated, but do we really live in a time where a marketing tool resembling a Lite-Bright causes gridlock in a major American city? The terror level today, by the way is high.
Boston’s mayor, Thomas Menino was, of course, outraged. After all, this advertising stunt paired with fearful citizens cost the city approximately $750,000 and the mayor believes that Turner Broadcasting should foot the bill.
I find it laughable that Menino would be so indignant about something so ridiculous and even more so that he would point his finger at the broadcasting company instead of the current administration.
So who’s fault is it, really, that a city where 35.6% of people over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree or higher are scared into thinking that cartoon icon is a bomb?
It seems that we have come to the point where the average, educated adult has been brainwashed by President Bush and his cohorts despite the fact that nothing like 9/11 has happened to this country since … 9/11.
Should a broadcasting company really be held responsible when the state of a society is one that is terrified that any object or, more importantly, any person who is unknown or unfamiliar to them automatically poses a threat?
Menino says, “It is outrageous, in a post 9/11 world, that a company would use this type of marketing scheme.”
While I agree that people should be more culturally aware in a post 9/11 world, shouldn’t it take a more positive tone? I think that the bill would be better suited at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Yo Quiero Good P.R.

2006-12-15T17:25:00.000-08:00

Story by Bernadette Blanco

First I heard it was spinach, and then I heard that certain types of lettuces were contaminated with the deadly bacteria, E.coli. More recently, green onions were said to be the cause of another E.coli outbreak, but now the Food and Drug Administration is retracting its statement.

Green onions are not the culprits behind the E. coli outbreak at the Taco Bell restaurants in the Midwestern and Eastern cities of the U.S after all, according to Yahoo! News. The FDA could not prove that the onions were linked to E.coli, but they will continue to search for the cause.

In the meantime, the president of Taco Bell, Greg Creed, is on a full blow promotion to tell the public that Taco Bell is indeed safe to eat. So safe, he said, that he even told his college daughter as well as her friends to eat at Taco Bell.

“I can assure you, I would not tell my daughter that unless I absolutely believed it," said Creed, who told Yahoo! News. And since the incident, Taco Bell is taking extra precaution to clean and sanitize the food and restaurant.

However, the news didn’t want make me run into Taco Bell and buy a Chalupa. Taco Bell is still unhealthy and full of calories. I don’t even remember the last time I ate at a Taco Bell. The restaurant may be taking extra safety with it produce, but how long will that last? It seems like this whole thing will blow over once the public forgives and forgets.

But people shouldn’t forget things like this and people shouldn’t forget that the FDA is still trying to figure out what exactly is contaminated with E.coli. It is scary to think that there is this sort of mystery, but it seems as though the people from Taco Bell, more specifically, Greg Creed, doesn’t want the public to acknowledge that. Creed wants his customers to only know that the fast food company is working diligently to prevent this incident from happening again.

It seems that Creed is trying so hard to win over the public through his media campaigns. Creed recently posted an open letter to readers of the New York Times and USA Today, basically announcing his step to change the face of Taco Bell by supporting the creation of a coalition that would support public health and safety of produce suppliers and the government.

Who knows if all of this press will help Taco Bell regain sales; if it doesn’t I’m sure that the major fast food chain will still survive.

A Potential Holiday Disaster

2006-12-08T12:01:00.000-08:00

Story by Bernadette Blanco

Last Thursday, more than 1,000 people were killed in the Philippines after a violent typhoon hit several villages near Mount Mayon and other provinces. According to the several news outlets, the winds reached up to 139 mph. The aftermath of the storm has been certainly damaging and costly for this developing country. There have been dangerous mudslides and violent storms. Some doctors fear the aftermath will also increase the risk of airborne and water-borne diseases. The president of the Philippines, Gloria Arroyo, declared a state of national calamity, according to Yahoo! News.

I heard about the news last Saturday from a friend of mine. She told me about it after I mentioned to her that I would be going to the Philippines to visit my grandmother and cousins at the end of the year. I was disappointed with myself for not finding out about the news sooner. I should have known what was happening -- I am a student journalist, I have family there, and I am going to the Philippines in a couple of weeks!

It was a major travesty that has left thousands homeless and hundreds missing. Fortunately for me, no one in my family was hurt or affected by the typhoon. But after seeing all of those photos on TV and online news outlets, it really got to me. The aftermath of this horrible event cannot be ignored and I certainly want to help out in any way that I can when I go and visit. My mom and I have already bought food and clothes to bring and donate when we get there. I know my help might be small, but it will hopefully make a difference.

The typhoon has also hit parts of Vietnam and just recently, in an article from Reuters, weather forecasters predict that another major typhoon will soon be hitting the Philippines. It is shocking and devastating to hear that another one will be hitting the country and causing more damage to the people and the land.

I began searching for articles about what was being done to help the impacted areas. Countries like Guam, China, Indonesia, and Australia are donating funds to help victims with food and shelter.

The country is facing a lot of problems. I also read an article about terrorist warnings in the Philippines. An article from a British Web site, warned tourists to stay away from the province Cebu and the island Mindanao. The travel warnings have increased more than ever this year.

This is going to be a troublesome time for those who are visiting, especially for those who have loved ones who were affected by the typhoon.

Same-Sex Marriage Should Get Same Rights

2006-11-14T23:27:00.000-08:00

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.

Chuck Norris: The Coolest Man in America?

2006-11-09T19:45:00.000-08:00

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.

Campus Republicans Incite Me

2006-11-08T17:10:00.000-08:00

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.

More Tricks Than Treats

2006-11-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

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.

The Castro Street Disaster

2006-11-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

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.

Wouldn't it be Nice...?

2006-10-30T23:22:00.000-08:00

Story by Curtis Steudeman

I have a list of lifetime goals that I try to keep in my head. One is to drive 200 miles per hour. Another is to run a marathon. Finally, one is to go to the World Series. Check on that last one.

Last Thursday I went to Game 4 of the 2006 World Series in St. Louis. I was already planning on going to St. Louis for a journalism convention, and ever since August I had a good feeling that the St. Louis Cardinals would go all the way this year. About a week before my trip, still before the Cards had secured their World Series spot, I entered a drawing on the Cardinals Web site for World Series ticket rights. I won my rights in the second round and was able to purchase two standing room tickets (The best available).

Once I arrived in St. Louis that Thursday, the electricity in the streets was incredible. On my way to the stadium I walked behind Magglio Ordonez, the Tigers power hitter who belted the homerun that finished the sweep of the Oakland Athletics in the ALCS.

I went to the box office and picked up my World Series tickets. There was something about having them in my hand. They felt different. Smelled different, too. I knew that I could sell the pair on the spot for almost $500. Not a chance.

When the gates opened, we were one of the first inside the new stadium. Bright neon lights, loyal fans, and the smell of grilled hot dogs filled the stadium.

The game itself was one of the best I’ve ever seen. The back-and-forth scoring inspired the spinning of rally towels and countless cheers. The eventual win couldn’t have been written better. A botched diving catch gave up the go-ahead run and the Cardinals closed out the game as they have so many times before.

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Cardinals since Tony LaRussa and several Athletics moved to the organization back in the 1990’s. It was really special to see a team work so hard, knowing that so much was on the line.

There is only one thing that I’d change about the experience, though.

I can’t wait to see the Giants in a similar position. Although, I must be honest, I’ll have so much invested in a Giants World Series emotionally, I’m not sure I can stomach it.

Some Parents Just Need to Grow Up

2006-10-30T21:53:00.000-08:00

Story by Belinda Wong

A Philadelphia father was charged with aggravated assault after pulling a gun on his son's football coach because he didn't think the boy was getting enough playing time.

Even though there were no injuries, the mere fact that parental behavior at
youth sporting events has become an issue is disturbing on its own. These kids were six and seven years old. That's some good example setting, dad. I'd love to get a glimpse into this household.

It's just sad. Parents must lead by example, but there is no hope for a promising future if proper guidance isn't implemented.

Organizations like the "Citizens Through Sports Alliance" and "The Center for Sports Parenting" promotes fair play in sports and reinforces the value of sport as a test of character. Since 1997, CTSA has been building a sports culture that encourages respect for self, respect for others, and respect for the game."

But unfortunately, parents acting, let's say - childish, is all too common.

According to shatteredpeace.com, a Pennsylvania parent body-slammed a high school referee after he ordered the man's wife out of the gym for allegedly yelling obscenities during a basketball game.

Also in Pennsylvania, a former police officer was convicted of soliciting assault for giving a 10-year-old Little League pitcher $2 to hit another youngster with a fastball.

And there's plenty more where that came from.

Regarding the increase of parental violence at youth sporting events, Fred Engh, of the National Alliance for Youth Sports, told the New York Times "It's not the kid at bat," he said, "It's the parent, who is living vicariously through his child.”

A second factor is greed, Engh said. "So many parents today are saying, 'My child is going to get some of that money, the millions of dollars in professional sports or a college scholarship."

Looks like it's the parents who need to grow up.

Just Say No to Liquid 'Cocaine'

2006-10-26T22:51:00.000-07:00

Story by Bernadette Blanco

It seems that there is always a new energy drink coming out claiming to be better and trendier than the rest. First there was Red Bull and then Rock Star, and then a slew of drinks appeared: Monster, Sobe Adrenaline, Pimp Juice, Crunk, Hyphy Grapple and the list goes on.

Last month, Redux, a beverage company from Las Vegas, came out with a controversial energy drink called “The Legal Alternative: Cocaine Energy Drink Sold Here." According to a recent article from the San Jose Mercury News, the drink “Cocaine” claims to have 18 grams of sugar and 350 percent more caffeine than Red Bull, which has 80 milligrams of caffeine. And just when you thought it was bad enough, the drink also contains a throat numbing-substance that mimics the effect of the real drug.

The disturbing drink angered many parents and so several stores like 7-Eleven are boycotting the drink until it changes its name. Yet, despite the controversy, “Cocaine” has been a best-seller among teenagers.

That comes to no surprise. What better way for teens to rebel than to buy an energy drink that’s gained negative attention among parents. And what’s worse, a majority of the young consumers are girls. Why? Maybe these young girls think that by buying “Cocaine,” they can emulate the party-going lifestyle of their favorite celebrities Lindsay Lohan or Nicole Ritchie, who are rumored to use the drug cocaine. It’s really pathetic.

I have never tried “Cocaine,” but I will drink a Red Bull occasionally when I’m up late trying to finish a paper or if I just need a pick-me-up, but there are certainly potential health risks.

With its high levels of caffeine and sugar, several countries in Europe have strict regulations on energy drinks. A British supermarket does not sell Red Bull to teens under 16 years old, and in Denmark, Norway, Uraguay, and France, Red Bull is considered a medicine because it contains taurine.

If they think Red Bull is bad, I wonder what they would think about “Cocaine.”

Get a Clue, Chronicle!

2006-10-25T01:31:00.000-07:00

Story by Logan Triglia

You may have heard: Gavin Newsom has a new girlfriend.

SFGate.com, a seemingly respectable news Web site had the revelation as its lead story on Oct. 15.

The news factor, or tidbit that makes a story like this worth reporting is that Newsom’s new love interest is a 20-year-old model by day, hostess by night who may or may not have been drinking a the grand opening of the Westfield San Francisco Centre.

A 20-year-old drinking alcohol? I’ve never heard anything crazier!

Photos of Brittanie Mountz holding a wine glass at the grand opening festivities were posted on Bay Area photographer’s website, but when a Chronicle City Hall reporter began asking questions the photos disappeared.

It started with the mayor letting his normal hairstyle, a gelled back fade go wild and free. This earth-shattering, life-changing news also made the front page of the Chronicle Web site.

My question is this: Who cares?

Why is the mayor’s private life any of my business and furthermore, why is tabloid journalism making the front page of the Chronicle website when there are congressional sex scandals to report on? Hmm.

So, is the concern that Mountz is a 20-year-old who drinks in public? Or are we supposed to be outraged that our ever so popular (not to mention attractive and single) mayor would dare associate with another attractive single person, let alone be in her presence while she allegedly breaks the law by consuming alcohol? The former is laughable, the latter an insulting assumption made by the Chronicle.

My plea so the Chronicle is this: Please, respectable news source, don’t sink to the level of so many other publications during election time (although not a mayoral election) and grapple with any piece of tabloid news you can dig up.

Please, stop reporting stories that are essentially how-to guides on utilizing San Francisco’s brothels (intriguing, local and relevant topic, tabloid delivery).

And while we’re at it, no more leaking grand jury testimony!

Stay classy, San Francisco.

I Remember That Day

2006-10-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

Story by Mark Howell

A customer of mine at work reminded me that Tuesday, Oct. 17, was the anniversary of the big earthquake of 1989. This brought back a lot of memories.

It was the Battle of the Bay Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics. The Giants were on the verge of being swept, but the there was something else on every Bay Area residents mind that day. Just as the A’s scored another run, televisions everywhere began to shut off and the ground started to shake. A magnitude 6.9 earthquake shook the Bay Area ground and everybody ran for cover.

I was six years old at the time and I remember what I was doing that day. I wasn’t into sports back than so I wasn’t one of the millions watching the World Series. I was watching the Snorkels, while my mom was in the kitchen putting the dishes away. All of a sudden, the TV shut off and our apartment began to move. I was in the middle of the living room, so I just curled up into a ball and covered my head, while my mom was in the kitchen trying to keep the cabinets from spilling out our glassware.

I didn’t know what was happening at the time because I never heard of an earthquake or been in one. The TV wasn’t working so we turned on the radio and the guy from the station was telling us that an earthquake just hit the bay area. My mom was worried about my father, who was owned a grocery store at the time, so we jumped in the car and went over to his store to see if he was all right. When we got there, we found out that three bottles fell on him, but he turned out to be fine.

The television at his store was working and we all started watching the news and learning about the damage the earthquake caused. What I remember from that news coverage was the footage on the Bay Bridge. I remember the car driving on the top deck of the bridge and all of sudden it falls right through to the second deck. That really scared me, but we all calmed down when a few family members came by and we all sat down and started telling ghost stories.

Finally after all the stories were told, we went home and checked on our apartment. There was no major damage, just a few broken glasses, which we all helped to clean up.

That happened 17 years ago, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. I am just hoping that the Bay Area does not have to go through that again.

Don’t Hide The Belt

2006-10-12T15:32:00.000-07:00

Story by Aaron Morrison

On Monday, USA Today insinuated that children who are spanked have an increased chance of becoming the world’s top CEOs and power brokers. This news certainly comes too late for most college students.

Honestly, how many of us would have taken a few more spankings to have the master corner-office suite, stock options, and a Rolls Royce?

I certainly was spanked when I was growing up. But hell, don’t I now wish I could have been beaten nearly unconscious just before I went off to college. Perhaps I’d have that 4.0 GPA.

The very suggestion that there is a correlation between getting the belt occasionally and becoming the head of a major corporation is a bit absurd, but not totally far-fetched.

While I’m no CEO or power broker, I certainly can attest to the power of a good beating. I remember the time I was spanked in the first grade (pants down with a wooden yardstick from the garage) because a girl hit me and I pushed her back. Of course when the girl told our teacher, I was the one sent home with a “bad news” report for my parents to sign, which clearly stated that I had pushed a chubby, brunette girl during recess.

My mom spanked me good for that one. And while I was angry that nobody believed the girl hit me first, I certainly avoided all potentially physical altercations with the opposite sex from then on. Perhaps this means I’ll be less likely to beat my wife when I get married. But I’ve digressed.

Where was I? Oh yes, pubescent beatings and CEOs.

According to the USA Today article, of the 20 CEOs they interviewed over a few months, all 20 over-achievers admitted to being spanked during their youth. However, most felt being spanked as an adolescent had little to do with the successes in their careers.

That’s complete bullshit.

If I’m going to be beat for most, if not all, of my childhood, something good better come out of it.

In fact, I urge you all to tell your younger brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, cousins and Godchildren to stop hiding daddy’s belt. Just hand it to him when he comes home from work. Tell him you pushed Suzy Bluesy on the playground today at recess. And don’t forget to mention she broke her neck. That’ll get you a real good whooping.

During the spanking, snotty nose and tears, think of the paid vacation to tropic islands, the country club memberships and expense accounts. It’s all worth it, right?

Deep Thoughts, Cheaps Shots and Bon Mots

2006-10-08T22:52:00.000-07:00

Story by Dashiell Collins

Over the past weekends, I've taken part in events that speak to the true nature of San Francisco. I went to LoveFest and got drunk in the streets with friends. I photographed one man giving another man a blowjob, inches from my bike, at the Folsom Street Fair. I rode in my first Critical Mass and laughed as some pissed-off driver yelled at a cyclist "What makes you think you have the right to stop traffic?" Apparently he's never noticed the two-wheeled chaos on the last Friday of every month for oh, only the last 15 years.

I met cheerleaders at the Castro Street Fair who raise money for the fight against AIDS and cancer. I even made it to opening weekend of the new mall, but not to take part in the consumer trap of doom under the beautiful dome. It was the only place “The U.S. vs John Lennon” was playing that my roommate told me about, so we went.

Along with less than 50 people who all seemed over or nearly 50, munching on 50 cent popcorn, I couldn't help but chuckle at the blatant comparisons of Lennon, Nixon and Vietnam to this country's current downward spiral, with another criminal president and unpopular war. They are the same comparisons we've all heard. And it saddens me to think that the principles that Lennon believed in, the principles I saw in action these past weeks, are the same principles that our country still cannot embrace.

The powers of this country still cannot give peace a chance. Whatever steps this country had since taken closer to brotherhood among all citizens were pushed back by political feud, general distrust, and fear of those with a different color, religion or ideology.

And guess what: it's about a month until Americans vote again. Yes, us citizens of this shining beacon of democracy will go to the polls, probably in pathetically low numbers as usual, and see which party we think will make everything ok again, at least for ourselves. Will the champions of grand old American values keep their grip? Hey, if Mark Foley is gay and sends sexual e-mails to his underage staffers, why wouldn't someone I photographed at Folsom vote for him? Oh yeah, he's gone.

Maybe some of those folks who live between the parentheses of California and New York might open their eyes a little bit, see where their precious elephants have led us along by their tails. Or maybe not. I don't trust those electronic voting machines, because there's no hanging chads when there's no paper trail.

Meanwhile, our Congress is on a month break to campaign. We've got no legislature for October. That's just a little weird to me. Let's just leave the country in the hands of the White House and their Supreme Court, just as we're about to threaten the others(1) rollin along that axis of evil(2).

The times just keep getting scarier. War is over, if you want it.

Open Facebook

2006-10-08T22:35:00.000-07:00

Story by Logan Triglia

Facebook has opened its figurative doors to the rest of the Internet.

The social networking site, formerly open only to those with an educational (.edu) e-mail address, is now allowing anyone with a ‘verified’ e-mail address to register and use the site.

There was quite an uproar at the beginning of this semester when Facebook launched their Big Brother-esque news feed. The feature greeted users at each login with a bullet-pointed play-by-play of what their friends were up to.

If Jamie accepted Casey as a friend, I knew!

If Jenna left a message for Taryn about their weekend plans, I knew!

Students started a formal petition to Mark Zuckerberg, the 22-year-old creator of Facebook, who responded with an open letter of apology and explanation and added more diligent privacy features.

While some believe that Facebook’s latest expansion is the result of a potential sale to Yahoo! for a reported $1 billion, others think that Facebook is just doing what it must to keep up with its biggest rival, MySpace.com.

Zuckerberg will not comment, only revealing that he has ‘spoken to different companies about different things.’

It’s clear that students enjoy the voyeuristic tendencies of cyber-networking. But it’s also clear that they don’t want others to know who they’re watching. Failure of the MySpace profile tracker anyone?

Facebook groups formed by SF State students such as, ‘I’m Afraid to go on Facebook because EVERYONE WILL KNOW,’ and ‘Do not invite people to Facebook!’ have more than 240 students collectively. Just to keep it in perspective, another SF State group with nearly 100 members is ‘SFSU students STREAKING on FIRST RAIN.’

So there you have it; SF State students taking their privacy very seriously while simultaneously not taking it seriously at all.

Something students may be overlooking is the fact that despite the expansion, Facebook still only allows those in your network (in our case SF State) to view your profile.

And there’s always those handy privacy features.

My Tuesday Morning

2006-10-08T22:24:00.000-07:00

Story by Melanie Heimburg

I know it’s cliché to say “Life can drastically change in a split second,” but after my morning, those words are ringing true…

It’s an irregularly-sunny Tuesday morning and I’m waiting for Muni. If I’m not headed to school, I’m off to work, so the whole bus experience has become pretty mundane. I see a car trying to parallel park. The driver underestimates the car’s length and that icky metal-on-curb scraping noise is produced. Almost simultaneously, I hear a different car’s brakes screech to a halt, which I assume is on the busier and less visible Geary Street, one block over, since I don’t see anything.

Gosh, am I going to be late for class? Is that bus coming yet? My eyes strain to see the answer is “nope” so I look back down at my magazine.

“Help help!” a man’s voice urgently calls from somewhere behind me.

Another woman – blonde with a sweater tied around her waist – who is also waiting for the bus, and I dash halfway across the intersection to the yelling man after standing dumbfounded for a good 15 seconds trying to process what we’re seeing:

A smaller-sized person in dark clothing is crumpled upon the asphalt and the man yelling “help” is trying desperately to help him up, which doesn’t look like it’s working at all. It looks like the small body is disproportionately heavy. Up close, I see the crumpled person is an old, maybe 80-year-old, Asian man with hearing aides.

Oh man, poor guy must have tripped while crossing the street. Or worse, maybe he had a heart attack. He looks discombobulated.

The other man tells us he’s helping the old guy up in a voice that sounds like he’s barking orders. But it seems as though the very second we touch his drooping body, blood begins pouring from the crumpled man’s nose. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. This is not just a fallen elderly man, the woman with the sweater and I seem to realize at the same time.

“Did you hit this man?” she asks.

Holy crap. The crumpled man was hit by a car. He was hit by a car. Oh my gosh.

In a split second, it seems as every person in a two-block radius has sprung into action. At least three people are calling for help on their cell phones, somebody places their jacket under the crumpled man’s head, a woman who was driving stops her car in the intersection and steps onto the street to direct traffic around the incident, and a guy with a close-shaven beard who seems to be more medically knowledgeable than the rest of us takes control. A fellow journalism student and I (we ride the same bus) run two blocks to the fire station for help.

In a city where you regularly walk pass not one, but many people that sleep on the street every night, in a city where you know a bus schedule better than your neighbor, in a city that’s filled with people that are just going to leave in a week (hi tourists) it can be difficult to establish a sense of community.

But this morning, people who probably wouldn’t have even looked at each other while riding the bus came together as a group because somebody was in need.

I hear people constantly talking about my generation’s apathy toward politics or current events. I’d argue that it’s not just us – it’s the whole freaking nation. People don’t have time to make meaningful relationships or to get involved in all that confusing political stuff - they’re too busy trying to be individual and make enough money to “make it.”

So my point is this: it shouldn’t take a natural disaster or school shooting for people to come together. But it does – and the shelf life of compassion is seriously short when these things happen anyway. We as Americans tend to choose apathy on a daily basis because it’s easier, because we have the option to do so, because unless we’re faced with a crucial, undeniable need, there’s no need for us to care.

So don’t blame my generation.

Besides, maybe the apathy is the way to go when you forget that your life can change drastically change in a split-second.

A One-of-a-Kind Wedding Story

2006-10-07T22:18:00.000-07:00

Story by Bernadette Blanco

There have been many wedding horror stories, but certainly very few stories about a bride being kidnapped by her very own parents.

On Wednesday, a bride was kidnapped by her parents just days before her wedding day. The bride was told by her parents that they were taking her on a shopping spree, but instead, they drove 240 miles away from the wedding ceremony, Provo, Utah to Colorado.

The bride-to-be, Julianna Redd, was taken captive by her parents, Lemuel and Julia Redd. Her parents tried to talk her out of the wedding nuptials, but couldn’t convince her so they kept her in Colorado until she missed her wedding.

Her fiancé, Perry Myers, realized his bride was missing after she didn’t show up to the pre-wedding dinner and called police. Yet, the police had to do little, in fact, did no searching for the bride.

Mr. and Mrs. Redd brought their daughter back home the day after her scheduled wedding date. The parents were then arrested by the Provo police and they were charged with second-degree kidnapping. If the parents are convicted, they could face up to 15 years in prison.

Despite the whole fiasco, four days after the incident, 21-year-old Julianna Redd got married. It’s too bad her parents didn’t realize before their plan, that nothing -- not even kidnapping -- can prevent their daughter from getting married.

What would drive her parents to do such a drastic thing?

Julianna indicated that the kidnapping had nothing to do with her fiancé. So what was it? Did Mr. and Mrs. Redd think that Julianna was too young to get married? Or did they think that the wedding date wasn’t the appropriate time to get married?

Whatever the case may be, the parents’ plan was stupid and selfish. The Redds can’t hold a grown adult captive and think that it is okay.

Julianna and Perry are now expecting their first baby in May 2007. This will surely be an interesting wedding story they can tell their new child about.

San Francisco Geriatrics Need to Get Younger

2006-10-07T21:55:00.000-07:00

Story by Curtis Steudeman

The San Francisco Giants need to make a lot of changes before they can even begin to think of competing next season. At least the Giants are on the right track.

The Giants decided not to renew manager Felipe Alou’s contract this off-season. Alou had been the San Francisco skipper for four years and did leave an impression.

In his first year with the Giants, Alou led the team to a 100-win season and a wire-to-wire first-place finish in the National League West Division.

Since then, it’s been a bumpy road. This season the Giants finished third in their division with a losing record, 11 1/2 games behind the Padres and Dodgers. Ouch.

The decision to let Alou walk was a good one on the part of San Francisco general manager Brian Sabean. Like Alou, Sabean’s usually known for keeping personnel that are well past their prime.

So the real question now is “Who’s next?” Sabean’s comments have been very broad, saying that nearly anyone is a candidate.

Coincidentally, Dusty Baker, Alou’s predecessor, is also out of a job with the Chicago Cubs. It would be interesting to see if anything materializes with the Giants now.

I think that Sabean will surprise most by either going with someone in the organization (perhaps long-time pitching coach Dave Righetti) or go with someone completely new that’s never managed in the majors before.

This is a gamble that the ballclub needs to take if they want to prove successful in the next couple of seasons. However, this is just the first step the Giants need to take to build a successful team.

After a managerial decision has been set in stone, Sabean and his staff need to start making decisions about the veteran players on the team.

While players like Moises Alou did well with a .301 average and 22 home runs, he was only able to play 92 games. At this point in their career, I doubt that the Giants will be able to get much for these veteran players in a trade, but it’s something that needs to be considered.

It’s no secret that next season the Giants need to go younger.

The Anna Nicole Smith Saga

2006-10-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

Story by Katie Cox

Anna Nicole is back in the media with more stories of drug abuse and promiscuity, but this time the gossip is more tragic than tasty. The recent death of her 20-year-old son, Daniel Smith, and debates over the paternity of her newborn daughter, Dannielynn Hope, has been front cover news in several tattlers within the last month, making us yearn for the good ole’ days when she was only slurring sentences at award shows.

Daniel Smith was found dead in his mother’s hospital room in the Bahamas as she recovered from the birth of her new baby, only days before. It took weeks before the coroner concluded that the cause of death was an “accidental” combination of prescription medication including methadone, Lexapro and Zoloft.

Where did he get the medication? (only the Lexapro was prescribed), and why was he obviously trying to sedate himself after the seemingly joyous birth of his new sister? Nobody knows.

Then, to make matters more weird, Smith’s attorney Howard K. Stern announced his paternity to the baby girl, only to be challenged by photographer, Larry Birkhead, who has also staked his claim on the infant.

Birkhead is now requesting that Smith return the baby to California where a paternity test and a drug test can be conducted.

Yes, that’s right folks, now the baby may have drugs in her system.

Meanwhile Smith, who is now residing in the Bahamas, is protected from the California court system unless she returns.

Smith and Stern held a commitment ceremony last week on a boat, surrounded by only close friends and family. And just in case anyone doesn’t remember, Stern was Anna Nicole’s “man-slave” on her reality television show a few years back -- the one often ordered to bring her pickles and rub her feet.

And so, as the Anna Nicole Smith drama continues to unfold with the paternity of her daughter still up in the air and the reasons for her son’s overdose a mystery, it is natural that we long for the simpler days when we could just laugh at her instead of feel sorry for her.

Diesels Make a Comeback

2006-10-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

Story by Erick Ayapana

During my online publication lab earlier this week, Professor Andrew DeVigal asked the class, “Why are you studying journalism?” Answers ranged from the desire “to tell a story” and the opportunity to “meet people you normally wouldn’t talk to.”

I’m studying journalism because I want to write about cars. I have loved cars since the age of five when I picked up my first Car and Driver magazine and read reviews about the Porsche 911, Chevrolet Corvette, Toyota Supra, etc….

But with the uncertainty of gas supplies and global warming, I’m also aware of the negative effects behind cars. When I moved to San Francisco six years ago, I was almost embarrassed to be a car fanatic in a city full of environmentalists and car haters.

I’m still a fanatic, but I’m more mindful of what car companies are doing to develop alternative fuel sources and cleaner engines – including diesel engines.

Your first memories of diesels most likely include the Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz sedans from the early 1980’s that would sputter along freeway onramps while spewing sulfur and particulates (that nasty black soot and smoke cloud) into the air from their tailpipes.

Those polluting beasts from the past are a huge reason why consumers can’t purchase a new diesel vehicle in five states, including California, due to strict emission laws. It’s unfortunate because diesel cars today are quieter, cleaner and more fuel-efficient than some of their gasoline-powered counterparts.

That could change for you diesel hungry Californians as soon as this month.

According to a CNN.com article released on Wednesday, “ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel will roll out to the nation’s pumps this month” which should allow car companies like Mercedes-Benz to sell clean burning diesel cars in California again. The Mercedes-Benz E320, for example, has been available to the rest of the country since 2003.

And last Thursday, Edmunds.com reported that Honda Motors will soon release a “next-generation” diesel engine that will run significantly cleaner than diesels we have seen in the past.

The CNN.com report predicts that these new diesel cars could take away the hybrid car’s crown in terms of price, fuel-economy and performance.

We shall soon see.

The new Honda diesel should be available by 2009, which should give you soon-to-be-college-graduates plenty of time to pay off those student loans and credit cards.

A Customer is Always Right, Right?

2006-10-06T14:06:00.000-07:00

Story by Erika Estrada

Happy National Customer Service Week, everyone!

Didn't know? Well, neither did I.

The first week of October pays homage to those who have delightfully made our stay more welcome and our meals more enjoyable, while providing us with the hospitality we demand and oh-so deserve.

Right?

National customer service week, which Congress declared in 1992, is to commemorate and recognize the diligent, hardworking, and dedicated individuals and their efforts to provide customer satisfaction.

Yet according to an article from sfgate.com, the service isn't adequate enough.

The article states that 11 percent of cell phone customers took their business elsewhere because of poor service, 12 percent of wireline phone customers, 14 percent of bank customers, 15 percent of people with Internet accounts, and drumroll please... an astonishing 18 percent of retail customers.

As for someone who has some "expertise" in customer service, I understand why lousy service has been given.

I cannot reckon how many times customers have screamed at the top of their lungs because they wanted to sit at a different table. Or that time a customer shouted obscenities to me and my fellow co-workers because he couldn't wait 45 minutes. Oh, and I definitely can't forget the time a mayor threw his business card at me, thinking that would abbreviate his wait time.

Don't be mistaken, I don't condone poor service, but I do understand both sides, as a consumer and provider.

So the next time you go out to eat, think twice about constantly hounding your waiter, or you might just find a delightful surprise in your drink, courtesy of customer service.

Upcoming Elections not short on Scandals

2006-10-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

Story by Michaela Domer

Its election time and like a time-honored ritual, the American public can only expect scandal to surface. Whether it’s within the Democratic or Republican parties, it never fails that a government representative should fall suspect to the unflattering spotlight.

This time it is Congressman Mark Foley, a Republican from Florida who has served six terms in the House of Representatives. He has been accused of having inappropriate contact via e-mail and instant messaging with male congressional pages. But it wasn’t until these transcribed communications surfaced that Foley resigned from his position, and dashed off to rehab.

As major newspapers and many 24-hour news networks go into deeper analysis as to what really occurred, it seems as though this scandal is all anyone can really talk about. Thus, causing Republican’s to worry about the backlash against their party, come voting time on Nov. 7.

According to an article on msn.com, FBI case against Foley explores legal 'gray area': Making a federal case out of sexually charged e-mail could prove difficult, retired FBI agent Ken Lanning whom served as an expert on child exploitation for the agency has his own take on this case.

“There are going to be some issues here in the gray area,” Lanning said referring to the extent of the charges that Foley could face. “You may find this behavior repulsive, offensive or immoral. Whether it’s a violation of law will be based on a precise reading of the law.”

Furthermore, the article details how Foley is currently undergoing treatment for alcohol abuse while the FBI investigates the extent of Foley’s relationship with former congressional pages. It is this substance abuse that he is being treated for which is being linked to his inappropriate conversations.

So worry not America, Foley’s seeking help, therefore he will be ‘healed’ once he is done with his rehab treatment.

While rehabilitations have proven successful in the past, it doesn’t always guarantee that people won’t revert back to their old bad habits.

But isn’t it interesting how when something of this caliber comes up in the media, whether it is a congressperson or celebrity, they seek treatment to ‘cure’ them of their wrong doings?

Then suddenly society is supposed to accept their wrong doings because they weren’t in the right state of mind, thus passing on the message that if they or any other member of society is intoxicated their behavior is excusable.

So as the media and FBI continue their conquest for the truth. Foley will be seeking help -- as the rest of America watches the saga play out until after the elections when this story fades away into the pages of history.

Critical Mass or Mass Chaos?

2006-10-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

Story by Kimberly Castillo

Every last Friday of the month, bicyclists around the city congregate at Justin Herman Plaza for a local phenomenon known as Critical Mass, to protest the use of gas-guzzling, pollution-causing, ozone-depleting cars. September 29th was the 15th anniversary of this tradition.

Thousands of bikers made up of families, punks, hipsters, hippies and everything in between took off for an evening ride through downtown - their main goal being to give motorists pause and make them think about how terrible they are for supporting the oil war through driving.

But the bicyclists aren't all peaceful protesters. Many of them were downing beers and flipping off car drivers. Intersections were blocked for up to five minutes while bikes circled around in a self-righteous merry-go-round.

One regular, whose bike is is the group's unofficial mascot, fashioned to look like a fish with scales made of cd's, provided ambient music that blasted hits like "La Bamba" and "Hit the Road Jack".

As the group approached Pier 39, tourists took pictures as the bicyclist whooped and hollered through the street. Fellow bikers encouraged each other when they tackled tough hills. Over all it gave a sense of community to a group that is often marginalized in the city.

Bikers bike for many reasons: for one, maybe they can't afford cars and two, bikes are better for the environement. And really all they get in return is agressive drivers that nearly run them over and double-park in their designated lanes.

Yet for all their eco-friendly rhetoric, the traffic jams they cause sure do hold up traffic.

One cyclist, Asella Donovan Blood, 23, noted, "It kinda creates more pollution in a way..."

As the group headed down Market Street through the Tenderloin, one biker heckled a car full of guys who were fed up with the hold-up. The guys jumped out of their car and started pounding the biker (who was probably wasted). Suddenly an avalanche of bikers started shoving the guys back. The driver reached into his glove compartment and somebody shouted "He's got a gun!"

Bikers dispersed like ants and the car screeched off into the night.

The bikers where startled but they trudged onward to their destination - a pub in the mission to celebrate their journey.

The city had tolerated their monthly wrath once again. They were victorious.

Stylin’ and Profilin’ Like a University President Should

2006-10-03T17:01:00.000-07:00

Story by Aaron Morrison

So, the Westfield San Francisco opened downtown. Whoopteedoo!

Another reason for staunchly materialistic people to pretend as if they didn’t just spend this month’s electric bill money on Juicy Couture. Another reason for broke students to become broker. Another reason, or rather excuse, for President Robert Corrigan to perhaps style and profile for his political friends.

Mayor Gavin Newsom was there. And that “Shriver lady” showed up. But what was Corrigan really doing there? The extension of San Francisco State University at the Westfield doesn’t open until early next year.

But why pontificate when you can walk right up and ask him?

Corrigan happened to be sitting down on cheesy, retro mall furniture enclosed by red velvet rope. That rope separated the “common folk” from the wealthy public figures, Westfield executives, and “FTE” reporters who were invited to take part in the inclusive yet exclusive opening ceremony.

Corrigan sat, legs crossed, studying a note card as if he was preparing to speak during the ceremony. And he didn’t. Was there a particular new development regarding the extension of the university? Corrigan said there wasn’t, also admitting that the walls had not yet been put up where the extension is to be housed.

Realizing where this line of questioning was going, Corrigan began rambling about the Westfield and how it’s an Australian company, blah blah blah. This effectively turned off any desire to entertain further conversation. However, one can’t leave empty handed from such a rare encounter with the university president.

Many students often admit that they don’t even know what the president looks like. Our estranged president is arguably the least social university president in the California State University system. But it’s clear he’s social enough to rub shoulders with the “important folk.”

Fret not, friends. This is our president at the mall, taken with a digital camera, paparazzo style! Enjoy.

‘Crack’ Can’t Be That ‘Wack’

2006-09-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

Story by Aaron Morrison

Substance abuse and domestic violence, in general, are certainly not laughing matters. But in the case of the recently divorced Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, it might be. The couple’s often public marital problems over the last several years may have you wondering whether Houston has finally realized that Brown is what’s ‘wack’, not so much the crack.

The Associated Press reported last Thursday that Houston filed divorce papers in an Orange County Superior Court. Houston requested a legal separation from Brown because of irreconcilable differences. But after numerous allegations that Brown was abusing her during their 14-year marriage, Houston’s filing for a divorce is not so surprising. Well, at least statistically.

Researchers at the Group Health Center for Health Studies are calling domestic violence an ‘epidemic.’ The report, published in the June 2006 issue of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, reveals that in a sample of almost 3,500 women, 44 percent of them had experienced ‘intimate partner violence’ during adulthood. Their findings conclude that the longer domestic violence has taken place, the worse the woman’s physical and mental health is.

This could certainly explain Houston’s appearance and behavior while accepting a Lifetime Achievement honor during the 2001 BET Awards. After delivering a painfully mediocre rendition of her hits, she proclaimed Brown the ‘king of R&B’ music, despite the lack of career longevity to support that allegation. Let’s not forget her behavior on the 2005 Bravo reality series Being Bobby Brown, in which she co-starred with Brown. “Oh, hell to the no!”

Whether Houston’s public persona even a year ago was a result of years of marital abuse at the hands of the “R&B king” is unclear. Houston, however, is taking a step in the direction that many women who are in abusive relationships are unlikely to take.

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence has estimated that women who choose to leave an abusive relationship are at a 75 percent greater risk of being killed by the ‘offender’ than those who choose to stay. This, they say, explains why so many women remain in abusive relationships.

In addition, researchers with the Group Health Center also found that rates of domestic violence were much higher in surveyed participants whom were old, had higher incomes, and were typically more educated. Previous studies estimated domestic violence rates as high in ‘younger, lower income groups.’

Whether Brown beat her senseless or beat sense into her, it’s clear that Houston has decided that her own well-being and the well-being of their daughter Bobbi-Kristina, who Houston has requested full custody of, is more important than having ‘the greatest love of all.’

Let’s hope Houston doesn’t plan on ‘running back’ to Brown. Unless, of course, there are plans to tape another season of Being Bobby Brown.

The Pope and the Media

2006-09-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

Story by Dashiell Collins

So the Pope gave a speech and Muslims around the world rose up in protest at his anti-Islamic remarks. Talking to scientists on the subject of faith, reason, and the university, His Holiness made reference to a conversation between a Byzantine emperor and an educated Persian, during which the Christian declared that The Prophet's big new idea was killing those who would not believe.

Regardless of the validity of Manuel II Paleologus and his assessment of Islam, what struck me is how a small introductory anecdote to such a complex and analytic speech given to a small, academic audience circled the globe as a papal damnation of Muslims. I find it hard to believe that state-controlled media in much of the Muslim and Arab world gave the people the whole story, and if they did, well, maybe the uproar would have been even louder.

This is nothing new, the anger and passion of the people inflamed by what the media is choosing to put on the front page and what to bury between the obituaries. I bet there's plenty of work for the obit staff at the dailies in Baghdad, unless they're too scared to drive to work themselves.

Kofi Annan is warning that the constant religious murders and violence in the streets of Iraq might bring on that civil war we've been warned about for months. Jacques Chirac publicly announced his opposal to UN sanctions against Iran, while Hugo Chavez brought down the ultimate hammer with his buddy Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Along with reminding the world of America's double drop in Japan, Chavez threatened to shut off the pump if Iran was attacked. The dual embargo of Venezuela and Iran would drive oil prices to $100 a barrel or more. Good thing I ride a bike.

But you know what? There's some hope here. Good ol' George is going to address the UN to defend his bloody blunder, and maybe this time, the world will tell him to stop doing this shit. Maybe this time, calmer heads might prevail, real intelligence might drive actions. And even if the Democrats don't take one of the chambers in November, maybe some of their colleagues across the aisle will stop worrying about their re-election and start worrying about stopping the bloodshed in the country they voted to invade.

If you noticed, most of my links were from the BBC. When I sit in my room late at night and read their news site, find myself wondering: Do the British ever read or watch the speeches our president makes? If they do, do they laugh their heads off? I'd cite the New York Times, but I'm too poor to subscribe.

Retro Cars Not So Nostalgic

2006-09-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

Story by Curtis Steudeman

The retro car trend started out very strong. The Volkswagen New Beetle came out in 1998 and was one of the first, drastically retro rebirths of years past. The New Beetle was never quite the hit the original was during the gas crunch of the 70’s, but it was quite popular. I have a friend who has owned two different New Beetles.

The Beetle only got things warmed up though. Soon other cars were reborn. Some of them never ceased production and moved right into a completely new body style. Others wore badges that hadn’t been seen for years. Ford Mustang, Pontiac GTO, Mini Cooper and Ford Thunderbird were some of the cars to give into this new trend.

Some of these cars have been built for muscle and some purely for aesthetic nostalgia. The GTO and Mustang were built for performance as they were back in the day. The GTO doesn’t hold a retro design, but instead a retro attitude. The new GTO is a small, light, two door car that’s had a 400 horsepower engine shoehorned into it. Yes, I’d say this mirrors the concept behind the GTO of yesteryear.

These cars were mostly successful throughout the early 2000’s, but as we enter a modern mini gas crunch with price per gallon signs hovering around $3 it’s safe to say that most pocketbooks won’t have room for a car like the GTO that gets around 16 miles to the gallon.

While not all of these retro cars are geared for performance it was only time before it moved in that direction. Both Dodge and General Motors have released performance minded concepts within the past six months. The Camaro and the Challenger are almost certainly a case of too much too late. Both cars have been announced for production.

The Challenger will be seen in 2008 and the Camaro in 2009. The Camaro hosts a 6.0 liter V8 that will likely get less that 20 mpg. The Challenger will probably host a hemi similar to the one in the Magnum and Charger that are currently in production.

GM and Dodge are too late. GM especially completely missed the boat on this one. Don’t get me wrong, these cars look beautiful, but if want to make a muscle car today, it’s got to be toned down a little bit. There are very few people who can afford to own a car that gets closer to 10 mpg and needs premium fuel.

Camaros will be sold to muscle car enthusiasts who can still afford the hobby, and some other people who probably can’t, but will buy one anyway.

The situation is unfortunate, but by the time the Camaro comes out, hybrid and fuel efficient vehicles will be in such demand that GM will be scratching their heads and wondering what went wrong.

As a muscle car fan I hate to see it end this way, but right now there is just no room for a new generation of muscle cars.

Record Labels on the Verge of Extinction?

2006-09-14T00:10:00.000-07:00

Story by Luis Mauricio

Its official. According to the NY Times techtalk podcast people, Myspace.com has jumped into the online music distribution business.

Owned by News Corp, the same company that runs the NY Post, Myspace.com is ready to offer over 3 million non-DRM'd mp3s for sale from its ranks of unsigned Myspace.com Music bands.

Bands will be able to set the prices for downloads with Myspace.com taking a small cut for the favor. It should be interesting to see how this takes off for unsigned musicians and to see if the major labels will finally go the way of the dinosaurs.

Just in case you don't know, Myspace.com was recently purchased by Rupert Murdoch for $580 million and is the number one online destination for over 106 million users. Kinda like how over 106 million years ago, the Koolasuchus was lurking below the surface waiting for prey. Don't believe me? Peep the video.

But who needs to listen to whole songs anyway? A snippet of something can be just enough to get you through your day. You know quality versus quantity. Boomkat got that quality.

Oh yeah, just in case you haven't heard, the first Tuesday of each month is FREE at the SFMOMA.

Yeah, I missed it too.

Well, lucky for us, the SFMOMA plays nice with broke people like you and me. Yes, it's College Night on September 21 from 6pm - 8:45pm. Catch up with graphic designer Rex Ray, DJ Jimmy Tamborello, and the Paradise Boys.

I don't know man, it's FREE. Don't believe me? Click here if you need proof. Yes, FREE for all Bay Area college students, faculty and staff with ID. Thank you and you to SFMOMA and Noise Pop.

So there you go. This post has been inspired and brought to you by the wonderful world of FREE. You should now be able to buy formerly FREE music on Myspace.com, listen to FREE music snippets on Boomkat.com, and be VIP FREE, or FREE VIP, your choice, courtesy of the SFMOMA.

Will the Great Teacher of History Pass Bush?

2006-09-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

Story by Dashiell Collins

Five years on, and we're still searching through the tears and the rubble for some sensible way to navigate these stormy times. The towers fell and the world changed forever, bringing America to face, President Bush said yesterday in his anniversary address, "the test history has given us."

Unfortunately for the world, Bush decided to ignore the teachings of history and launched us into the new crusades. While no history forbids waging a war of ideas, most certainly attest to their fruitless and disastrous consequences. And when the swords and catapults are replaced with airplanes and smart bombs, suddenly the flame behind the idea burns the faces of more children, torches more houses and ignites hatred and vengeance in more hearts around the world.

There seems to be little hope for an answer anytime soon. If the past centuries have not taught us well enough that fighting one extreme belief with another tends to produce more corpses than results, then it's doubtful that five more years will have done the trick. As if they have no regard for the lessons of history or the public's understanding of those lessons, Bush and Vice President Cheney candidly offer is that they were wrong before, they made mistakes before 9/11 and before and during Iraq, but they're trying really, really hard now.

And all the while, it seems the freedom-loving Americans our troops fight and die so needlessly to protect aren't enjoying many freedoms at all. Phone lines are tapped without warrant or oversight. Poverty and desperation still grip victims of Hurricane Katrina who wait, hopefully not in vain, for help from a government stretched so thinly from military spending, it'd be a surprise if their phone bills get paid.

We are supposedly fighting this long war, as our top generals have referred to it, to ensure the safety of freedom, of Americans and of the entire world. Secretary Rice has said we are safer, but not safe. Tom Ridge, who formerly headed the Department of Homeland Security, said after his resignation that countries could never be completely safe from terrorism. The death of thousands of Americans and the destruction of our symbol of world power might seem a legitimate cause for a global strike against a shadowy enemy, but the voices of Madrid, Bali, London and Baghdad cry out louder than the quivering pleas of sympathy and support for this administration.

Perhaps no answer is clear and right just yet, but this war against terrorism raises questions and problems of a new urgency. How long can this country survive if the tragic mistakes of Vietnam and Iraq become standard operating procedure for American involvement in the Middle East? How long can innocent citizens around the world bear the pain of this great clash between the defenders of freedom and the fighters of the infidels? In five, ten or fifty years, will the great teacher of history pass Bush or give him the failing grade? There's no extra credit when millions of lives are caught in the middle.

The Pressure in Journalism

2006-05-07T19:36:00.000-07:00

Story by Allison Bloch

I have been going to SF State for almost four years. Now that I’m almost out in the real world, I’m itching to get out of college- yet I’m reflective on what I have learned in my few years here. I have taken several classes, from my mandatory major courses to creative writing to science classes, and each one has taught me something. Though the classes that hold the most importance for me are, of course, my mandatory major courses.

As a journalism student, we take classes range from reporting to publication classes to the history of journalism itself. Recently, with the Balco case, journalism has come under attack. And more so then ever, those lessons I have learned in one of my classes have been altered.

The Chronicle ran an article on May 7th about how lawyers are now going after reporters to reveal their sources, THE BALCO CASE-  More pressure on reporters to name sources. In the article it began with a little history, and something that I didn’t really realized could happen- “since at least 1972..federal prosecutors have the power to force reporters to disclose their confidential sources or go to jail.” And before the release of this article, on May 5th, the Chronicle and two of its reporters were subpoenaed to testify about the leaked grand-jury testimony used in articles that had linked Barry Bonds and other athletics to the use of steroids.

So here I am, about to embark into the “scary” world of journalism and everything I have learned, been preparing for, is beginning to change. Journalism has clearly been under attack for a few years now due to numerous reasons. From plagiarism, to reporters making up stories, journalism isn’t what it used to be. It once was this creditable source of knowledge and information that people could turn to and get information that they normally couldn’t get on their own. But now, that seems to have change.

Over the past few years it has been an uphill battle for us journalists. When I tell people I am a journalism major I get one of two reactions- 1. Wow, that is admirable or 2. What are you thinking? Regardless of the competition and the low-income journalists get, there is little creditable for journalists just because of a few bad eggs.

Take this for a real life example. Working for the State online and newspaper publications, I have experienced a lot of mixed reactions. Recently, I went around campus to get reactions about the May Day walkouts and rallies. Several of the students whom I asked for interviews had no clue State even had a paper. This is constantly the battle State journalists find themselves in- being caught between people who have no clue that our paper/publications exist and people who think we make stuff up.

Perhaps classes should be taught now on the scary realities that the real journalism world holds for us students. State gives its journalism students classes to practice reporting and writing, even editing and design, so why not this proposed “scary realities” class? And now, more so then ever, we need the knowledge so we either don’t make bad decisions (like give false facts) or know what to do when a judge orders us to give out our confidential sources.

The new MediaNews monopoly

2006-04-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

Story by Florence Brown

MediaNews Chief Executive Dean Singleton called the San Jose Mercury "the crown jewel" of the Knight Ridder company today as he eagerly bought it from McClatchy. I almost gagged.

It's like watching a movie set in colonial times where greedy entrepeneurs sit around a map of Africa and slice it into pieces while they pat each other on the back and smoke Cuban cigars. The crown jewel? Was he serious? Does the package include a fleet of elephants and a harem of servants?

I recently acquired a job with MercuryNews.com (the San Jose Mercury's site) and my colleagues gleefully love to point out that I could not have entered at a more turbulent time. The week I signed my contract, Knight Ridder sold to McClatchy. The week I began training down at the office, McClatchy sold to SingletonCorp, err, I mean MediaNews.

It doesnt mean much for my job in particular since I'm just a lowly part-time web producer. Nothing will change about what I do every morning when I wake up at 4 a.m. and edit the news site. For thousands of readers across the Bay Area, however, it signals an end to an era of diverse newspaper options and the freedom to choose how one consumes media. There are two choices now for those who call this area home - the San Francisco Chronicle or the MediaNews monopoly.

I chose to apply with Knight Ridder papers solely because I liked their style of multimedia and writing. The Alameda News Group, which is owned by MediaNews, never appealed to me particular. Turns out the choice has been made for me anyway, as I unwittingly enter the mysterious Walmart-like business of cost-cutting and penny pinching media monopolies.

I hope I'm wrong. Maybe San Jose Mercury employees will say "damn the man" and continue business as usual with their trademark style and flair. Perhaps one day I'll look back on this blog and laugh at how worried I was that the big bad Denver-based media giant would consume the Bay Area. Either that or I should place bets on that sh*t and get my money's worth. I'm not quite sure.

Either way, I'm worried most about the disposable nature of my little tiny job in the saga of big-time newspaper sales. Only time will tell, so I guess I'll report back in a few months if I, and the Mercury, are still keeping our heads above water.

Jesus and His Peeps

2006-04-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

Story by Mike Wille

Easter is upon us, the holiest of holidays when devout Christians will gather at churches en mass to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. A holy day is so important that even those with minimal devotion will make Easter one of their two annual days of mass (the other being Christmas, of course).

It might be a little harder for Minnesotans to remember the holiday, however, due to a ban on decorations in the City Council lobby. The state’s human rights director, Tyson Terrill, called for the removal of the Easter bunny and pastel colored eggs relaying the message “Happy Easter” to passers by. Terrill argued that the decorations on display might be offensive to non-Christians, resulting in a national debate – “to decorate or not to decorate?” is that even a question worth asking?

Should we launch a national ban on the boiling unfertilized chicken embryos, painting their coffins and hiding them throughout the house and yard for children to seek simply because it may be offensive to non-Christians and vegetarians alike? This tradition stems back to the 4th century, when the church forbade the consumption of meat and eggs during the 40 days of Lent, when there was an surplus of eggs to consume at the end of the fasting period.

Of course, abstaining from eggs became next to impossible once Teflon was created and the three-egg omelette entered the breakfast scene. The inception of the Denny’s 3x3x3 – 3 eggs, 3 pancakes, and 3 pieces of bacon served with hash browns and an English muffin, smothered in the triad of American sauces: ketchup, tobasco and maple-flavored high-fructose corn syrup also makes it difficult for Christians to stay on the egg wagon.

The American Egg Board would not be too happy to see a ban on eggs, which might affect their increase in sales from 73.2 million to 104 million eggs the week before Easter. The website states that egg sales do not taper until the week after Easter, re-inforcing the idea that the whole symbolism of eggs at Easter time is more consumer driven than purchased for religious reasons. Ironically enough, the Easter holiday takes its name from the pagan festival of Eostre, the goddess of spring according to Anglo-Saxon mythology.

Other symbols highlighting the theme of the religious holiday are bunnies and chicks, representing fertility and the new life of the spring season. I somehow fail to find the connection between chocolate bunny rabbit and the body of Christ. And fluffy little chicks today are most commonly seen in the form of granulated sugar coated marshmallow candy dyed to a pastel perfection lovingly known as “Peeps.” The wonder-food of sugar, gelatin, egg whites and palm wax has an undetermined shelf life and is notorious for being indestructible – unlike the religious holiday which seems to be on its way out.

Who claims these peeps as holy and sacred and who could possibly find them offensive? Is there really a connection so deep and so subliminal between the peeps of Jesus, his apostles; the peeps of Christianity; and the Just Born brand marshmallow peeps factory in Bethlehem, Penn. (yes, the peeps factory is in Bethlehem, click here for the virtual tour) that we should pull them from the shelves of Walgreens? The traditions and symbols may be alive and well, but the religious meaning is about as hollow as a molded chocolate bunny.

Homelessness and Awareness

2006-03-27T11:43:00.000-08:00

Story by Katrina Van Loan

To the observant, it seems that there are some serious issues with the current trend of cutting funding to social programs in order to whittle down America’s bloated budget deficit.

One of these issues is continuing homelessness, and the shameful abandonment of our mentally ill citizens on the streets. When Ronald Reagan de-institutionalized thousands of mentally ill patients, he essentially abandoned them to wander the streets or eke out an existence in subsidized housing without the care their illness demanded. Regardless of the gravity and the utter wrongness of this situation, mentally ill people are still not receiving the care they need, not only in California, but across the entire country.

Last week, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported hundreds of sick mental patients living in squalor in the city, largely ignored by the community and authority figures.

Despite continued media coverage of this disgraceful matter, one of the largest problems with the way San Francisco (and indeed, the entire Bay Area) treats its homeless population and mentally ill continues to be the lack of care available for them. Although Gavin Newsom’s “Care not Cash” program has a few good points, it’s still just another bandage on an open wound. To treat this open wound, we need to addess the underlying problems, not the symptoms. This means ponying up the necessary cash for social programs designed to help homeless people get back on track, it means building a few less bombs in order to build a few more shelters, and it requires looking inward at our own social problems rather than concentrating fearfully on foreign events.

As citizens, we need to continue to inform ourselves of current issues and we need to have the critical reasoning to look at all sides of every problem, as well as maintaining a balance between “what’s current” and “what’s not.” This means taking a good hard look at domestic issues, and it means not putting the image of that drooling, vacant bag woman you just passed out of your mind in favor of worrying about whatever foreign issue is on the newspaper’s front page today.

While I have nothing against supporting our troops, what about supporting our homeless? What about supporting the unsupervised mentally ill? Why are there no special ribbons on display to raise awareness of the lack of funding for abandoned mentally sick people, for families living on the streets? With this week marking the third anniversary of the Iraq war, it’s embarassing that our country spends so much money on foreign issues and so little on helping its own citizens.

Catholics Gone Crazy

2006-03-22T23:56:00.000-08:00

Story by Belinda Wong

Why should gay couples be allowed to adopt?

The real question is: WHY THE HELL NOT?

George Niederauer , the new archbishop of San Francisco, announced that "placing children with gay couples conflicted with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church," following a statement by former SF archbishop William Levada who said he "does not believe Catholic organizations should place children for adoption in gay households."

Those Catholics have gone nuts. Or should I say, us Catholics.

Yes - I'm a "Catholic," but more in title than in actual practice. I went to Catholic school, wore my horrid green plaid jumper, prayed before meals and went to church every Sunday - the whole nine yards. But that definitely does not mean that I condone or accept its beliefs and rules whole-heartedly…especially when it comes to things like this.

For a religion based on the principles of love and respect, we sure do have a lot of hate. We hate abortion, birth control and premarital sex. Heck - we even hate rock and roll.

But the big "no-no"? Homosexuality. An even bigger "no-no"? Homosexuals having children.

But what makes a good parent? Trust, patience, compassion? I don't believe any of those are gender or orientation-specific.

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors unanimously condemned Levada’s statement as “discriminatory and defamatory.” There is nothing inherently superior about the ability of straight couples to raise children. Good parenting is not dependent on sexual orientation, but on the ability to maintain a loving and supportive environment.

Some may argue that homosexual partners simply cannot provide the stability that married heterosexual couples can give, and that such an upbringing can subject the child to ridicule by his or her peers, leading to lifelong detrimental effects on their self-esteem and worth. But that can be said about almost anything: the kid who had glasses, or the kid who had an alcoholic father, or the kid who dressed differently, or the kid with the retarded sibling.

We need to get our priorities straight.

According to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, 127,000 children in the public child welfare system are waiting to be adopted. With a shortage of adoptive and foster parents in the United States, isn't it more important that we find these children loving homes than to waste our time and energy trying to prevent able couples from having a family?

Maybe our society just isn't ready for this kind of unconventionalism. In an ideal situation, people would be more accepting and could abide by the standards of equality that our country apparently prides itself on. But just because we don't live in a perfect world doesn't mean we shouldn't strive for it.

See The Examiner Article

Erasing a Culture

2006-03-22T11:38:00.000-08:00

Story by Mark Howell

A huge part of San Francisco's Japantown is up for sale and it already has a potential buyer. The buyer is an family-run company based out of Southern California called 3D Investments. After 40 years of ownership, Kintetsu Enterprises of America is finally calling it quits and selling its properties to an American Industry. A deal between these two industries can happen in the next two months.

The plan to sell the properties, which is two hotels and the only two malls in Japantown, does not go well with the Japantown community. In a story I did for my news bureau class, many of the residents of Japantown had some trust issues with the new buyers. Residents were told by the city of San Francisco that the potential buyers will keep the Japanese culture theme going around the community, but the residents aren't buying it. During my interviews with some residents, I was told that this same situation happend 60 years ago before the Japanese were interned at the concentration camps. Redevelopers told residents that when they get back, their community will be as good as new. But when WWII was over, the Japanese came home to find their community completly sold off to American Industries, which made Japantown residents not trust what redevelopers say.

Now it looks like it is happening again and Japantown might lose it's cultural identity. The community wants this deal to be stopped and they want to be the ones to decide should be done with the properties that are up for sale. San Francisco's Japantown is one of three J-towns left in the country, the others being L.A. and San Jose. Now there might not be a J-town in San Francisco anymore because residents believe that redevelopers, like 3D Investments, are going to come in and change everything. They might not even care what the community wants and it seems like they don't because they have not disclosed any plans of what they want to do with the properties once they purchase them. I guess it's going to be a surprise for the community when one day they are going to wake up and their community will not be "their" community anymore.

Atleast some city officials are trying to be more involved with this deal between 3D Investments and Kintetsu Enterprises. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi has proposed a legislature to make Japantown a special-use-district. This legislature basically says that if anybody wants to buy a district, like Japantown, will have to go through the city first and present to them their ideas on what they plan on doing with the property. In other words, this legislature will help preserve Japantown communtiy and help keeps the Japanese tradition alive in San Francisco.

I feel that this is a good idea because the city is saving a community that is a shadow of what it once was. This six-square-block community is all that is left after WWII, and now after the potential buyers close in on deal, there might be nothing left. Japantown is slowly being eaten away and if nobody trys to stop it, there is only going to be two J-Towns left in the county.

Save Japantown Rally

Starbucks- is it really that safe?

2006-03-22T10:31:00.000-08:00

Story by Allison Bloch

Starbucks is known as one of the largest coffee companies in the world. Perhaps it is not the best cup of joe you can get, but it is definitely everywhere you look. Starbucks prides itself on its six “guiding” principles and attached mission statement. Number one is “provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity.” But is this always true?

Recently, Starbucks announced that they will install high-tech sensors to detect tampering with its cargo containers that are filled with coffee beans when shipped from Guatemala to Europe or to the United States. But do they provide security and safety for their partners in stores that are in high risk areas?

How do I know this or even question it? Because I work there.

I work at the Starbucks on Market, next to a Methadone clinic and on the cusp of being considered in the Tenderloin. Every day, various incidents happen. Take for example the day when a homeless man in a wheelchair came in, stole the tips off the counter and tried to get a few sandwiches in the process. Me and my two other co-workers stopped him, but where was our security?

How about the time when a man demanded free coffee and when a co-worker of mine said 'we can’t do that' he refused to leave and proceeded to follow him around the store? And what about the time a homeless man came into the store, screamed he needed an ambulance and then threw up all over the condiment bar and window?

Where was our security then? And who was going to clean that mess up--- you guessed it, yours truly.

I have worked for Starbucks for almost four years, obviously I like something about this company. But now, as I work 5 days a week in the TL, I wonder how is Starbucks going to protect me.

Starbucks explained to me and my manager that we could not be offered security because we are attached to an apartment complex who has security in the building, but these rent-a-cops aren’t available to our store 24 hours a day- heck when we need them they aren’t even at their security desk most of the time.

What I find odd is the two Starbucks down the street from us (one just a block away and the other 3 blocks away) both have a security system up in place. One has a security guard in the store at all times and the other has cops patrol the store every hour. So where is our security guard?

I hate to think that Starbucks would really risk their workers safety just because they don’t want to shell out some more money to protect those who sling coffee for them every day, seven days a week. I guess only time- or crazy people- will tell.

Scapegoating At Its Truest Form

2006-03-20T01:51:00.000-08:00

Story by Phil De La Cruz

This past weekend wasn’t particularly short on festivities. You had St. Patrick’s Day on Friday, replete with all the parades, parties and pubs your merry little heart could enjoy.

On the other hand and for the activist in you, there was Saturday’s Anti-war protest to yet again voice your displeasure with the U.S. invasion of Iraq – three years later and counting.

But for fanatics of the baseball world, Friday marked the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Congressional hearing against steroid use in Major League Baseball, which set the wheels in motion to implement strict laws that now govern the sport.

Talk about voicing your displeasure.

On March 17, 2005, the tenacious lawmakers of Capitol Hill weren’t celebrating St. Patties or even the color green. In fact, the color of choice was red – as in the red-faced baseball players and flustered MLB commissioner Bud Selig, who were lambasted by Congress for their roles in the steroid scandal that rocked the baseball community.

One year later, Selig again finds himself in the vortex of a black cloud that hangs over America’s pastime.

This time, however, the cloud of doubt is cast over none other than San Francisco Giants’ star slugger Barry Bonds, after two major books: "Game of Shadows," by San Francisco Chronicle reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, and "Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero," by former Sports Illustrated reporter Jeff Pearlman, are set to release in the coming weeks.

According to excerpts distributed to ESPN and Sports Illustrated, both publications will outline Bonds’ purported steroid use and illuminate his motivations for crossing over to the “dark side.”

Bonds, who already despises the media, is now being vilified in almost every news outlet in the nation for his alleged steroid use. The backlash is so strong that Commissioner Bud Selig is being pressured into conducting an independent investigation on Bonds.

This is where the issue becomes even more problematic.

Where does Major League Baseball draw the line? How far does the investigation have to probe before it becomes counter-productive for – gasp! – MLB’s own self-interest?

Any half-assed investigation would uncover that not only Barry Bonds was linked to performance-enhancing drugs (PED), but a slew of other players as well. On the Giants team alone, names like Benito Santiago, Marvin Benard and Armando Rios have already been implicated to the Bay Area Lab Co-Operative (BALCO). Those names don’t even begin to scratch the surface.

Let’s assume that all the big names who have been documented in the media are guilty of some form of steroid use. That would include Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro. Shouldn’t they be investigated as well?

And let’s not forget that sluggers aren’t the only suspected steroid users. Last year when MLB finally instituted a drug policy against performance-enhancers, names like speedy outfielder Alex Sanchez and relief pitcher Juan Rincon were suspended 10 games each for a failed drug test.

Read that again. A light-hitting outfielder – all 5-foot-10, 180 pounds of Sanchez – tested positive for steroids. And Rincon? He’s proof that even pitchers are looking for an edge in today’s “juiced” game.

Both Sanchez and Rincon failed their tests after Major League Baseball announced to the world that they would finally test for steroids… and those two bozos were still caught. Imagine the number of players who would have been caught before the new laws were implemented?

Again, this brings us to the fine line that Bud Selig needs to cross and rid baseball of all the doubt surrounding steroids. He needs to clean out the closet and expose all the skeletons – not just Barry Bonds. It will be baseball’s version of Watergate.

However, does Bud have the necessary wherewithal and integrity to launch such an investigation?

Of course not. Especially not when, as we mentioned, it will turn out to be counter-productive.

You see, the commissioner and the majority of Major League Baseball are part of the problem, not the solution. This is an establishment that turned the other way when critics questioned the veracity of McGwire and Sosa’s accomplishments during their great 1998 homerun chase.

This is the same establishment that did not institute a drug policy and stringent penalties until Congress basically put a gun to their heads last year, issuing an ultimatum - seven years later!

Now the media and fans alike are pressuring Selig to call for Bonds head? That Bonds be suspended, or worse, be banned from baseball and consequently erase all his records?

Ridiculous.

Not only is that cruel and unusual punishment, it’s scapegoating at its truest form. To pin all that troubles Major League Baseball on its star is weak and irrational. It solves nothing and would only open the door to a major lawsuit from Bonds and a trickle-down effect not worth getting into.

To be fair, Bonds in all likelihood may have used performance-enhancing drugs. He cheated. He cheated the fans, his teammates and the sport itself, which has withstood many trials and tribulations for decades.

But Bonds isn’t the only one who cheated and since we’re all adults here who know there is no Santa Claus, let’s all agree that over the past decade, steroid use is as much pervasive to the sport as owners and investors profiting from these “juiced-out” sluggers, who draw a massive following of fans to the ballpark.

And therein lies the real problem.

Baseball is a business first and therefore this steroid scandal is as deeply-rooted into the powers-that-be as it is to the players they employ. Everyone in the sport has benefited from the past decade or so – from the executives in the luxury suites to the fans crossing the turnstiles to witness records being broken.

If Bud Selig opts to launch an independent investigation on Barry Bonds, he may just as well be opening Pandora’s Box, bringing the entire sport down with him.

What a sight that would be, though. The pressures from protesters against an administration’s inability to prove its real agenda will finally consume its leader to do what is right.

I’ll drink to that.

Wait, never mind, we’re talking about baseball. For a minute there, it seemed too good to be true.

Not This Again

2006-03-16T23:25:00.000-08:00

Story by Mark Howell

I was watching ESPN today and on the bottom of the screen they were showing news from around the sports world. And across the screen there is news about Barry Bonds and the steroid issue again. Is it just me, or is this getting old.

Major League Baseball(MLB) and the media has been on Barry Bonds'case about the whole steroid issue. They still bother the guy even when he said he did not take steroids. The problem with this is that they have no evidence of Barry Bonds taking steroids, except for that BALCO case. But that case did not prove anything and they still bother him. There are plenty guys in the MLB that already tested positive for steroids and the media never bothers them. All you hear is about Barry Bonds and the steroid issue which is giving me a headache.

The media can't leave it alone and they always have some source saying that they seen Barry Bonds taking steroids. I think the latest news is some guy has some book saying Barry Bonds admited to taking steroids. They even had Bonds' ex-girlfriend say he took steroids. People will say anything to make a buck these days and using steroids and Barry Bonds in the same sentence can definetly buy you that new car you always wanted. For example, Jose Canseco, the former Bash Brother, had to run his mouth off and come out with his book "Juiced", which not only said he took steroids, but also other MLB players. And of course he mentioned Barry Bonds's name so his book can actually get some readers. I guess Canseco needed some camera time so he used Bonds' name to get people to remember him again.

Barry Bonds is the greatest baseball player period and I guess the MLB believes he had to use a drug enhancement to get to achieve that status. Can't a guy have good work ethics and be good without suspecting him of using steroids? I mean the guy is the grandson of the "Say Hey Kid" Willie Mays. He might have been getting a few pointers on how to hit the ball from him. Jerry Rice was the greatest football player ever, and the media never bothered him about taking steroids. The media even pushed Bonds to the edge and almost forced him into retirment because he was so tired of hearing all the BS the media was asking him. They always asked the same question, "Did you take steroids," even though they were going to get the same answer.

I guess bringing up old news on a great athelete is the only way sports reporters can get published. And I guess if the MLB really believes that Bonds took steroids, then why dont they keep testing him. I know why; it is because Bonds brings in the money. Thousands of fans pack AT&T Park to see Barry Bonds hit one into MCovey Cove. Without Barry Bonds in the MLB, those thousands of fans will be gone and the MLB will lose out a pretty good amount of money coming out the San Francisco Giants organization.

I think I and the rest of the world can agree that we are never going to stop hearing about Barry Bonds and the whole steroid issue even after he retires. I am going to feel sorry for Bonds when he breaks the homerun record because everybody is going to think that he used performance enhancers to achieve that goal. And the media is going to be right there with same steroid question. Even though, the issue can be about something different, the media is going to be repeating the same thing over and over again; just remember, they are doing it just to make a name for themselves.

Not-So-Hot Coffee

2006-03-13T09:13:00.000-08:00

Story by Mike Wille

“EXTRA, EXTRA Get it while it’s HOT!” Or perhaps just get it at room temperature and go. Fortunately, the SFSU Lobby Shop is now carrying something conveniently found elsewhere on campus, hot coffee. The five campus outlets I frequent seem to have plenty of the liquid perk to support my habit, so why is the not-so-hot stuff being pushed at the registers as well?

For a mere $2.99 I can buy a Wolfgang Puck Instant Hot Latte. Now I can have my coffee made by a world-class chef without having to deal with the “baristitude” I get for not tipping. No more standing in line at the slow-as-molasses Caffe Rosso across from the humanities building, waiting for the execution of technical culinary touches like the spooning of frothed milk or swirling of whipped cream. Now I can pick up a can, press a button and fire up 10 oz. of torrid 140˚F coffee in less than 8 minutes. And I can do this while waiting for the elevator in the humanities building – which just happens to take an average travel time of 8 minutes to get me to my third floor class.

We have the folks of OnTech to thank for this brilliant technology "http://www.ontech.com/Technology/technology.asp" . Development only took seven years and 20 million dollars, in which the company rammed what looks like a plastic black dildo into an aluminum can and filled it with calcium oxide and a water capsule. When the H2O packet is ruptured the water mixes with the calcium oxide creating an exothermic reaction, conducting heat to the beverage in contact with the polypropylene dildo.

The coffee would be great for someone on safari in Kenya, who wouldn’t want to scour a lion-laden savanna for felled acacia trees to start a fire and heat a kettle. Or perhaps someone in Sri Lanka, cold and wet without a pot to piss in right after the 2004 Tsunami disaster could appreciate a hot rich caramel, espresso, mocha or French vanilla flavored latte; and there are only 100 calories and 9 grams of fat which seem so little for a something that weighs nearly two pounds. The thermal can seems a bit excessive for someone stranded in the middle of campus, no more than 40 feet from the nearest joe stand or a dorm room away from the closest illegal hot plate or microwave.

The product manufacturer claims the cans are classified as #7 recyclable, but where the hell am I supposed to put this thing when I’m done drinking it? Does the plastic dildo classify it as a plastic or does the outer aluminum coating qualify it for the can bin. Calcium oxide is a substance used to make porcelain and glass, since there is about a cup of this stuff in it maybe it should go to glass? And just how much manpower will it take to dismantle this thing? We may be better off shipping the empties over to Sri Lanka and using them for landfill. We can rebuild the coast one can at a time and have Wolfgang Puck to thank for it.

The Sweet Taste of Fresh Pease

2006-03-05T21:36:00.000-08:00

Story by Mike Wille

SF State’s Holistic Health Learning Center is promoting a concept that deserves a chance: A 64-day season of peace. The 9th annual non-violent season began on January 30 and will last until April 4, recognized by the memorial dates of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. respectively. Both of these men were murdered for merely speaking their ideologies.

A daily journal outlining the principles of love and action for social and personal change at http://www.sfsu.edu/~holistic/ is inspired by the lives of the two celebrated profits – a guideline to remind us that we recognize, yet continuously fail as a society to practice their teachings. Each day of the season sets forth a task for the practitioner that focuses on personal, interpersonal or communal change. An example would be: Day 16 – begin the day by writing down five things you are grateful for. Day 29 – write a letter of forgiveness to someone and move on with your life (fortunately you do not have to mail the letter). Day 35, LOVE – focus on what you appreciate most about the person you like the least.

Because I believe in the ideology of the season but know darn well that I could never maintain the capacity to carry out such daily tasks, I have regressed to what I know best, which is food, in search of 64 days of peas. My research, although not complete, has uncovered remarkable similarities that reach far beyond the pronunciation of pease and peace – yes, "pease" as they were once known in the English language as derived from the anlgo-saxon word "pise."

By adding the number of days in the growing season of the most common varietals such as Little Marvels, Petite Pois, Sugar Ann Snap Peas and Lincoln Shelling Peas and dividing by the number of varietals, I was able to come up with a mean score of 64. Coincidence or not, this was one of many common threads between the two homophones.

Peas were one of the first crops to ever be cultivated by man. An archeological dig at Jarmo in northwestern Iraq revealed pea carbon that was estimated to date back to 7,000 B.C. (give or take a thousand years). With 2,500 dead soldiers in the last two years and an estimated 30,000 dead Iraqi civilians, it is safe to say that Iraq is long overdue for a resurgence of pease.

Catherine de Medici introduced piselli nouvella, a tiny sweet pea that is still popular in today’s French cuisine. The fresh sweet peas were so different from the dried split peas of peasant fare that they became a part of the French culinary renaissance among the elite and were dubbed petite pois or "little peas." Oddly enough, you never hear anyone asking for a lot of peace. Often a little peace seems to be just enough. The French tried to achieve their "pease" by refusing to take part in Iraq war, although they will have to cook up some new schemes with the Iranian uranium issue being brought to the dinner table.

And Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who had a dream that one day, "the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood." If that day ever comes, I would be willing to bet those sons will be breaking cornbread over a traditional southern meal of slow cooked pork, collard greens and Hoppin’ John – a dish of black eyed peas and rice.
Although dried, frozen, and canned peas are available throughout the year, the season for the fresh pea harvest is short, similar to our brief season of peace. The pods must be pulp and shiny without being over-ripened, as their sugars begin to convert to starches. Peace, as well, seems to loose some of its impact when it spends more time as an idea and less time as a practice. Perhaps sooner, rather than later, we will all have an opportunity to taste a little bit of fresh peace.

Your extended network of "friends."

2006-03-01T10:28:00.000-08:00

Story by Marcelina Blea

Parents and internet users are complaining over safety issues with MySpace due to underage kids being kidnapped. But countless networking sites have been around long before MySpace. The first female kidnapped met her attacker almost 10 years before MySpace existed.

Surprise! These type of crimes are not new at all.

MySpace is marketed as “a place for friends.” Whereas other networking websites and services, specifically make it known their users are there to meet new people, not to reconnect with old friends. This makes the user more aware of the possible dangers.

The main difference with MySpace is the way they place everything on one page with its user-friendly features. Finding a user on MySpace is no problem, anyone can search a person by their name or email. The cure doesn't lie with banning MySpace but educating teenagers.

People lie. This fact becomes believable with age. How many times have you heard "I'm going to make you a star!" or something similar? Maybe people are telling the truth and just are into paper mache. Maybe I can still make a bid on the London Bridge. Internet users have seemed to drop their own personal boundaries. I have met people first on the internet. However, I shared friends (in real life) with the two people and I knew both for at least two years before meeting either one in person. If you meet someone from the internet in person, do so in at a busy coffee shop. Also, examine the purpose of meeting the person and the friendship between you and them.

MySpace is geared towards that bored younger generation who don't have after school activities. Preventing teenagers from logging into myspace is not the answer. There are plenty of other websites to replace MySpace. While I was in highschool in the mid-nineties, my friends used ICQ, Yahoo! Chat and hyperterminal.

The possibility anyone may read your personal page is known. There are basic rules, even listed in the "safetytips," on myspace. A main rule to know is anyone can see what you post on your page. A big attraction to myspace is thier easy navigation. Chat, groups, blog, calendar, classifieds, bulletins, music and customizing your page are all within clicks. Myspace uses simple applications, which almost every computer has already, such as flash. Meanwhile, with other websites you have to download or update your programs, such as Yahoo! Or AOL.

Teenagers need to be educated about internet safety. Believe me, I don't put it past my own mom to look me up on MySpace. I only hope she doesn't find my Las Vegas photos on it.

The Unpopular Tour

2006-02-27T11:08:00.000-08:00

Story by Mike Wille

Did anyone happen to see that peloton that just blew through our state, or was it just me? During the last week, 16 cycling teams, 128 riders in all, pedaled 596 miles in pro cycling’s Amgen Tour of California. According to VeloNews magazine, this has been the first cycling tour of California since 1971. Supposedly there have been other proposals over the last three and a half decades but their wheels were never given a chance to hit the ground.

This year’s race was able to spin into action due to the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), a company that has invested $35 million in hopes of growing the race over the next five years, budgeting a mere $7 million dollars a year to host a massive state-wide undertaking. AEG didn’t solely get stuck with the bill, however, since the world’s largest biotech company, Amgen, flexed some of their $14 billion annual turnover to sponsor the race for the first three years.

Californians in the ten major cities from Santa Rosa to Redondo Beach had a fleeting opportunity to view the cyclists blazing past their workplace or residence at some point during the tour. Although many fans may have missed the voices of the tour’s toughest critics – those apposed to Amgen’s title sponsorship because the company was the first to biogenetically engineer EPOGEN, also known as EPO, a drug that stimulates the body’s production of red blood cells. The drug is used by cancer and kidney patients to help combat anemia but has also been used illegally by cyclists to increase performance.

I hiked part way up Sierra Road with my family to watch the 1,943-foot climb for King of the Mountain during the second stage, and although the cyclists flew past in an impressive blaze of commotion the overall feel seemed somewhat lackluster compared to what I’ve seen broadcasted during the Tour de France. There were no red devils chasing cyclists with pitchforks, no bare-bellied lunatics parading around with a flag of Texas for a cape, and few people ventured far past the shoulder to get close to the riders – perhaps in fear of the of the “tour Nazi’s” continuous yelling to GET OUT OF THE STREET!

Police estimates boast over 1 million spectators for the entire course but the crowd seemed somewhat thin, nothing like the 15 - 20 deep at the finish lines of the France’s tour. That may have something to do with France’s estimate of 15 million spectators that come to partake in a 100 year old tradition, almost 25 percent of the country’s population. California’s tour in its first launch since the early 70s reeled in a mere 2.9 percent of the 34 million person population.

Needless to say, race directors seem to be happy, the press seems to be positive and Southern California native and winner of this year’s tour, Floyd Landis, said he would enjoy the sweet taste of success by heading to In-N-Out after his eight-day ride. The race doesn’t quite have the lore of France’s tour but plans are already being made for next year’s race. Crowds or no crowds, steroidal uproars and devil’s with pitchforks be damned, I’ll be heading out next year to watch another lap of history in the making.

School Needs More Athletic Support

2006-02-20T23:32:00.000-08:00

Story by Mark Howell

There are many problems with San Francisco State University such as budget cuts and increase in tuition, but the problem I think that should be addressed is the lack of athletic support this university gets.

One of the main reasons that we do not have athletic support from the school is because we do not have a football team. The last time San Francisco State had a football team was about 10 years ago and then it got to expensive to keep and so they got rid of it. I believe this was a big mistake by the university because by getting rid of the football team meant that you could lose your support from former sport alumnus. In my opinion, football is the greatest sport ever and it draws the most viewers and generates the most money and so why would the school ever get rid of a sport that can actually help the school financially?

Another reason why school athletics does not have support is that our sports programs are not that good. Now, do not get me wrong, I am not saying that we have bad athletes, I am just saying that we need to have a stronger program in order to win. I played high school football and we had a winning season my junior year because our football program was good, but when my senior came around, the program lacked disipline and we had a losing season. So I believe a key to a winning season, especially for our basketball team , is to have more disipline in the program. And in result our teams at school may start to win a few games which will draw more fan support and students will actually start coming to the games.

Sports are a big thing, especially in college, and I don't see no reason why we shouldn't have good sports teams. We have plenty of good athletes that want to play but that urge to play will soon die off if you are not winning. And winning is the key because as I said, once teams start to win, there will be more fan support and people will start to attend games. Even alumni will start to take notice and will probably donate money to the sports programs.

And I don't believe the university is doing anything to encourage students to have more support in school athletics. One of the reasons why I believe this true is because they tried to get rid of all sports including intermural sports last year because of budget cuts. But thankfully, there were enough sports fans at SF State to save sports at SF State. I know a lot of people that would have been angry if the vote when the universities way because there are still some sports fans at SF State that don't want to see sports at school fade away. They already got rid of our football team because of budget cuts, what's next?

Problems with online classes

2006-02-14T18:11:00.000-08:00

Story by Marcelina Blea

Several problems surround the “online learning and educational” websites SF State uses for handling classes online. Online learning and online classes are two separate things. There are classes offered online only, in which the students and teachers never meet each other. Webpages expire in these websites, as due dates pass. I have taken four online only classes, at my last college, San Joaquin Delta Community College.

However, with several regular university classes offered at SF State, there is often an external component, available on the internet only, which supplements the class. In addition to meeting in person in the classroom, students are asked to log into an external website to view materials, such as the syllabus or take quizzes online. It’s as if, there is another book required for the class, yet only accessible online.

When used properly these websites are very efficient. Students can take quizzes, view their grades, the syllabus, communicate with other students, use a message board, view materials, amongst more.

This concept doesn’t always work smoothly. There are too many external educational websites used by professors. This semester I have three professors using three different websites. They are Blackboard,iLearn and Grouphub. The website used by professors needs to be uniform. This way the student can see all their classes on one page. They also will be able to access all their classes from one page. We can call it the “One Stop Online Learning Center.”

It is confusing to remember all the urls for all these online learning websites. The Blackboard website has even included a link to iLearn. Just click on the small banner at top reading, “Looking for your iLearn classes?” Problems continue to arise when trying to log in. Just like any other website, you need a user name and a password. Blackboard is the easiest to use, requiring your student I.D. number and PAC. Professors hear it all the time “I couldn’t log in.” With iLearn, a professor can manually add students to the system, preventing the unable to login problem.

Even when students can log in, they don’t always do so. This can be frustrating as students don’t read the announcements or contribute to group projects.

One English class I took at SF State used Blackboard very effectively. What helped was the teacher did not require students to login until the first day of class. They also went over how to use the message board function properly. In this class, we carried out group projects and were able to communicate with each other. Meanwhile, in my current journalism class (using Grouphub), we can’t seem to communicate well enough to coordinate a reporter with a photographer.

The key to making these websites is proper communication and consistency. In the astronomy online only class I took, the teacher stopped giving online quizzes half way through the semester. Also, not all professors keep the grade book up to date.

Professors prefer different online teaching and educational websites. However, there should still be one main way to tie all three websites into one login method. Maybe through our personal www.sfsu.edu/student page. Or maybe have the links to the classes through one main page. This way every professor can choose the online learning website they prefer.

The Valuable Lesson of Homelessness

2005-12-05T15:12:00.001-08:00

By Marcelina Blea, staff writer

After spending three weeks living out of my suitcase, car, going from couch to couch and having no "home," I am looking back at what I learned.

It was as if, I was on a road trip for three weeks. Don't get me wrong, I love road trips. I wish I could drive across the country.

Yet, this one was hard because the whole thing was unintentional. Even, if it's a spontaneous road trip, at least my purpose is to have fun, to relax or explore. And usually I don't have major responsibilities on road trips.

In late August 2005 and early September I found myself homeless. Of course I didn’t plan this. I moved to San Francisco in Jan. 2004, to live on-campus for one year. After leaving the Village aka SF State summer camp, I moved off-campus. It was okay. My new roomies were quite dull and boring. I longed to live again with my last roommate, Leana.

Her and I began hunting for apartments in June. Then Leana left for New York, followed by another trip to Jordan, leaving me to search on my own. A few perspective roommates and abandon searches later, I was out of time and out of a home.

One of those dull and boring roommates, turned out to be a jerk. The other roomie and I both ended up moving out. I told the jerky roommate I didn’t have another place, but he told me I needed to move because someone else was moving in. I know it was another girl and I suspect he was trying to hit it, as he cleaned the apartment for the first time in eight months.

Leana did return to San Francisco and met up with me. We began searching for apartments together. She was staying with friends of ours, on their couch and would shower in SF State’s locker room. I was worried her and I were going to be fighting for the same couch soon.

The hardest part about not having a permanent home, is people refused to believe me. I know I wasn't sleeping in Golden Gate Park, but there are different kinds of homelessness. There's a big difference between a homeless crack head and a homeless family. I did have most of my necessities in my car, including a Rubbermaid full of clothes, backpack, laptop and a Club for protection. I stood with three different people, in a matter of three weeks. At one place, I only brought in my backpack, and had to come and go, on my friend’s schedule.

Countless classmates refused to believe me, asking “Are there even homeless students?” Yes, there are.

I wasn’t alone. After one long Saturday afternoon of apartment hunting, Leana and I sat in a taqueria in the Inner Sunset. I wanted to cry, at the confusion of being without a home. I finally lifted my head from my taco and asked “How did we end up here?”

At first I was reluctant to tell people I had no home. Then I got weathered and beaten, real fast. Every night, I wasn’t sure where I was going to sleep. I spent my days and nights at school, mostly in the Journalism lab. Unsuspecting classmates may have thought I was working on my articles. Little did they know I was just hanging out or searching Craig’s List. I even missed this semester’s first deadline.

One night vividly stands out in my mind. It was almost 11 p.m. I sat in the chained up chairs, near Café Rosso, waiting for a friend who is a teacher aide to finish her work. The friend I was staying with called and said they were going out of town for four days. I had just finished a long day and night at school. All I wanted to do was sleep. Maybe then I could forget about everything. Attempting to maintain my tough kid image, I tried to hold back my tears, as I called a friend’s mother and asked her if I could borrow her couch. She let me stay at her home, until I found a place. That was the best sleep I had all year long.

I came to San Francisco to attend college, not to couch surf. Attempting to maintain my grades, proved to be a challenge. Going to class was the easy part, at least I could sleep in class.

It became annoying real fast, when countless people told be “just search Craig’s List.” Although, I have found my last apartment, my internship and weekend job on Craig’s List, I was getting no love from CL this time around. There are several problems with the housing listings. Sure, there are countless each day. However, people are very specific about what type of person they want as a roommate. They don’t always put this in their posting. Occasionally, the apartment or room to rent is not as describe, with people having unhealthy living conditions or trying to rent you their living rooms.

Some people don’t show up when you schedule a viewing. Or multiple people show up to check out the same room. This is how I met Jahmie. Her, Leana and I and several other people all showed up at a house in the Panhandle, looking to rent the same room. Jahmie was also homeless, after arriving from MI to study art. I also have another friend who ended up homeless, after his parents moved out of town.

The experience has been an eye opener. Now, I'm all staying inside my new apartment a lot. Whereas, during those three weeks I went out and did a lot of things. Not everything I did cost a lot of money. Sometimes I went out because I had nowhere else to go. At other times, I felt like tomorrow was not going to matter. Yet, a tiny piece of me would hope tomorrow would come because it's not today.

I hope I never forget how it felt to be out (usually at school or waiting somewhere) all day and all night. When I see homeless kids I just want to scream. Why don't you at least try to go home or seek help? Where are your parents, friends or loved ones? I hope they have someone that loves them. I don't get it. At times, it really sucked.

As much as it sucked, I would do it again. This was the only way I was going to learn something valuable.

Now, the only road trip I'm able to go on is a cruise on the Broke Boat. Wait, if there's no road is it called a "sea trip?"

San Francisco as its Own Country?

2005-11-13T21:01:00.000-08:00

By Shaun Nichols, staff writer

Well, if you read the newspaper, watch the news, or were one of the many people handed a newspaper and then interviewed on the news, you know about Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly’s comments about our fair city.

The professional talking head concluded that if San Francisco wants to pass a largely symbolic law that opposes military recruitment on school campuses, then the city should form its own country and the rest of the U.S. should consent to let Al-Qaeda bomb Coit Tower.

Now, I know, the immediate reaction is to call for O’Reilly to be dragged into the middle of the Embarcadero and publicly lobotomized in hopes that it would lead to an improvement in the drivel coming forth from his mouth, but let’s just hold back the knee-jerk reactions and violent urges for a second.

Let’s give Bill O’Reilly the bleeding-heart benefit of the doubt. He’d do the same for us, right? Err…anyways…

Let’s give O’Reilly a chance to explain himself. I’m willing to bet he won’t prove to be the horse’s ass that he’s made of himself with his half-baked comments earlier this week.

Let’s assume that he’s not really as hateful as to suggest that a city which contributes tens of millions in federal income taxes does not deserve the same sort of treatment from the federal government as everywhere else simply because they democratically decide to issue a declaration against recruiting 14 year-olds to go to war.

Let’s assume that he’s not so blatant of a partisan hack that he’d really condone killing thousands of innocent Americans because they reside within a city that is critical of government policy. Let’s assume that he’s not so wrapped up in his own delusions of grandeur that he’d really disregard the more than two-dozen Bay Area soldiers that have given their lives in Iraq.

Let’s put aside the natural conclusion that O’Reilly holds partisan politics so high above the welfare of the country as to condone blowing up a monument to firefighters killed on duty.

Let’s just assume that he’s stupid.

Let’s conclude for now that he’s just unbelievably ignorant. We should just figure that he’s so focused on upping his ratings and scoring with his female staffers that he doesn’t quite realize just how blatantly outrageously offensive and disgusting his comments were.

Let’s go with Chris Daly’s assertion and figure that O’Reilly was whacked out on hillbilly heroine like fellow right-wing tough-talker Rush Limbaugh and really had no idea what he was saying.

The man deserves a chance to explain himself as a publicity-driven drivel machine with few solid morals and even less consciousness as to the impact of his words, and not as the hateful, unpatriotic, vengeful prick that he’s currently being portrayed as.

It’s the least we can do before we’re disowned and added to the Axis of Evil, right?

Men in Tight Pants are NOT Sexy

2005-11-13T20:54:00.000-08:00

Story by Allison Bloch

I wonder if men who wear women’s clothing find it sexy. Do their balls feel better in a tight, confined place?

More and more I see men adopt a more “girlie” style of dressing and I grow
concerned. Walking around the campus, I lose count of how many guys are
wearing tighter pants than I am.

They may think they look all sexy and hot, but most of the time they just…don’t.

One friend of mine said her guy friends wear girl’s pants because it cheaper. I think this is just ridiculous.

Many people go to thrift stores because the clothes are cheaper and they like the “vintage” style, but they don’t covert to this way of dressing just simply on the money factor. They go follow that trend because they like the style or the way they look. The same could be said for these guys.

I have a friend from work named Tim that is into the whole “indie hipster” look. You know- his hair is always hairsprayed in place, his hair always looking better than mine and he wears tight girl pants.

The first day I saw him I had to suppress my giggles. I walked behind my store’s counter to see Tim standing there. White dress shirt, black tie, green apron, tight black pants, Adidas shoes and his hair styled (almost close to the whole “Flock of Seagulls” hairstyle).

I almost thought it was a good look, until he opens his mouth.

Every time I hang out with Tim he makes fun of the “sell-out bands” (as he likes to call them), such as the Killers or Fall Out Boy. He comments on their slicked hair, tight pants and poppy tunes. To me, sometimes he sounds like he is describing himself. The only difference is that he’s still a struggling musician.

He always says he doesn’t care about what others thinks, but I know he does.

One time, I made a joke about he went a whole five minutes without fixing his
hair.

Guess what he did.

He fixed his hair.

I’m torn though.

I’m not sure if he realizes people don’t like his look, or he is oblivious. I know he thinks he’s hot, because he says it daily, but I’m not sure if he thinks that everyone sees him in the same light. I may never know.

One day, I gathered the courage to ask him why he preferred women‘s clothing.

“They fit better,” he answered plainly.

I believe my butt always looks good in my own pants, but I don't believe the same can be said for our male counterparts.

But what I’m really wondering if what type of underwear they wear. I’m curious
if they wear briefs or if they just go commando.

Or even better, maybe they wear girl’s panties. Come on.. Inquiring minds need to know!

This is the one question that I may never find the answer to because there is
no way in hell that I’m asking any of my guy friends.

They’ll probably just want to show me.

Unaffiliated and Proud

2005-11-09T05:58:00.000-08:00

By Keka Robinson, staff writer

When entering college, young, fresh collegians often find themselves experimenting with new things. They begin to start peeling off the layers and discovering not who their families and friends think they are but their true selves. A school as free and open as SF State certainly feeds the desire of its students to explore new territory and tread the unbeaten path. Well, I am no exception to the trend and today, I’m coming out. I am not a liberal.

As a Black woman born in Berkeley and raised in the Bay Area, it’s pretty much predetermined and assumed that once you start forming your political opinion it will be a liberal one. At first, that’s how it was for me.

On my 18th birthday, I voted for the very first time. I can’t remember what was on the ballot but I’m sure my votes were democratic.

It went that way for a few years. An election would come up and I’d vote democratic. Then Al Gore ran for president and I was uneasy about his personality. But he was, in my eyes, a better choice than George W. Bush. So, reluctantly, I voted for him.

Then, in 2004, John Kerry came along and I really didn’t like him or his Catsup-peddling wife. But, again, I voted democratic and gave John Kerry the okay because I just can’t see myself voting for a former powder-head. Seriously, G.W. Bush is reminiscent of Rain Man.

Lately I’ve been listening to AM radio. There’s only so much 50 Cent I can tolerate before I am no longer able to tolerate FM radio. I have been listening to a lot of Jeff Katz and Michael Savage on KNEW talk 910 and I find myself understanding their points of view though not necessarily agreeing with them all the time.

This, coupled with my newfound fondness of Senator John McCain freaked me out. Was I becoming a liberal? Then, at the anti-military rally in Malcolm X Plaza two weeks ago, I had an epiphany.

As I stood in the midst of the crowd listening to “FREE PALESTINE!” and “KILLING IRAQIS IS NOT A CAREER!” as obvious dissenters dressed in AIR FORCE sweatshirts and waved Israeli flags in opposition it came to me.

I’m not a liberal nor am I a conservative.

I’m just me. Unaffiliated with any particular party especially the dominant two. Democrats, the party with no ideas and Republicans, the party with bad ideas.

Fresh Stupidity in the Castro

2005-11-04T07:37:00.000-08:00

By Flo Brown, Staff Writer

Like many other San Franciscans too lazy to make the drive out of town, I attended the Castro celebration for Halloween. Here's my take on the worst and best dressed.

Props Where Props Are Due

The guy who came as Frida Kahlo - unibrow, back brace and all.
The Hunter S. Thompson look-alike whose photo ended up in the Chronicle.

The sailor and nurse gay couple who posed just like the original WWII photo.

…and those who deserve no props.

The Guy in Really Bad Drag

Your beer belly and hairy back are disturbing when combined with fairy wings. If you're not a drag queen, you have no business cross-dressing in the Castro. Real drag queens spend hours waxing and applying MAC makeup, while your ugly ass is running around Market Street looking like a deranged frat boy during pledge week. No.

Uniform Dudes

You work at McDonald's so you came in your uniform…with fake blood and bruises. Or maybe you used to play football in high school so you're wearing your jersey and pads to relive the glory days. Or maybe you're a reservist who happens to own a pair of BDU's and camo paint. Wow, F for effort guys.

Lingerie Fairys

Let me guess, you're a freshman at SF State and the boy from your Speech 150 class mentioned he'd be at the Castro too. Don't worry, I already saw him earlier running around in a ballet skirt and wings…just like yours, actually. You must have spent the afternoon in Victoria's Secret finding the perfect lacy bra and panty set…how effing cute. I have one thing to say to you, slut…starts with a "t", ends with an "ool".

"I Came As Me" Guy

I hate you. That's all.

The Naughty Schoolgirl/Nurse/Maid/Cop

Ooh, are you going to put me in detention/play doctor/clean my bedroom/arrest me? You original, creative hottie you. Nobody else would have EVER thought to buy their costume from a lingerie website…nobody. Except the other 200,000 of you on this street alone.

Mask Guy

Notice that the people I dislike are the people who half-ass their costumes thinking that their devilish good looks will somehow compensate for their total lack of creativity. Sorry, guy in the mask and regular clothes…you look like you just stepped out of Spencer's with that thing on and forgot to wear the rest of your costume. Go home and change now before my belligerent ass walks straight up to you and tries to start a fight. You don't want to mess with a Samoan chick, trust me.

The Literal Costumes

The "one night stand" girl partially wearing a nightstand? You're not cute, you're cumbersome and awkward. The wannabe cool guys walking around as beer pong tables with red plastic cups and beer? You remind me of my tool-box exboyfriend, DOWNGRADE. The plug and socket couple costume? Haha, we get it, you plug your prongs (which happen to be cleverly placed at your groin) into her socket. That's so funny I forgot to laugh.

Honestly, if I'm still in San Francisco next Halloween I will make a dress code sign and make sure nobody can get away with this crap in the Castro ever again. Email me if you experienced similarly hideous costumes. flobrown@sfsu.edu

The Mosh Pit Frenzy

2005-10-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

By Allison Bloch, Staff Writer

Dark brown hair clings to his forehead. Sweat drips off him. He is now being chased by a security guard.

Earlier the teenage boy had been crashing into the bodies around him, his elbows slashing and bruising in time with the music. He tries to hide behind a big, black speaker that is vibrating in tune with the music playing on stage, but he is too slow.

The guard grabs him and pulls him toward the exit.

The boy escapes. He runs into the crowd, shirtless. The guard chases behind the boy, who is holding his shirt in his right hand.

It is a scene that could happen at any concert. But it's practically a necessity at punk shows, where the crowd and musicians alike have a penchant for extreme dancing.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, moshing is to engage in "uninhibited, often frenzied activities with others near the stage at a rock concert."

Moshing began as a type of dance, but has evolved into bodies crashing into one another and a sea of flailing arms, at times even leading to bruises and broken bones.

So why do it?

Since the early 1990s, moshing has been a way of life for fans who want to physically experience the music. But soon, that way of life may be lost.

Moshing enthusiasts are now left with fewer places to express themselves.

In the past couple of years, many venues in San Francisco have restricted moshing and other violent acts associated with hardcore rock/punk music. While there is no actual law in San Francisco or Oakland to restrict moshing, many clubs enforce this unwritten rule.

Larger venues, such as the Warfield, now post signs and kick people out for any signs of violence. Nationally, many venues began restricting moshing about ten years ago in response to lawsuits.

Early in the mosh scene, a young boy died in a club in New York. The family sued, and in 1996 Rockland County passed anti-moshing legislation.

Crowd Management Strategies, a Chicago-based organization that complies an annual injuries and deaths surveyed from news, police reports, lawsuits, industry sources, and public-information documents, reported 21 deaths, 4567 injuries, 2683 arrests, and about $524,000 in property damage at concerts and festivals in 2002 resulting from moshing.

I am a big music fan. Going to concerts is a way for me to relax and get lost in the music. I'm not one of the crazies who goes and beats people up in the pit, but I respect that some people like to go wild.

Being able to get crazy and lose yourself in the music is what makes the show. It is what creates the atmosphere and what keeps you coming back for more.

No moshing equals no fun. Even though I don't participate in the debauchery I still can sit back and watch, pointing and laughing with my friends. No harm is done.

Except when people take it too far.

I was talking to one of my teachers a while ago. She focuses on American culture, primarily with the trends of music. As we sat in her office, her Donnie Darko poster on the wall and her collection of CDs lining her bookcase, she just shook her head in sadness about the state of moshing.

She told me of a time when moshing wasn't about hitting and hurting people, but expressing yourself. This was true especially for the people who couldn't really dance.

It was a way to feel the music and experience what the musicians were feeling. More importantly, it was used to pump them up as well.

She let me borrow a Morrissey concert video she had, one that she treasured. She explained to me what was on the tape was hardcore moshing, the type of moshing that would get you kicked out of venues like the Warfield.

Watching tape made me laugh, just like how laugh when I watch the little 16-year-olds mosh at the punk shows.

The Balancing of America

2005-10-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

By Shaun Nichols, Staff Writer

With fair taxes, fair schooling, and fair news, America seems to be caught up in a fairness craze. Everything must be balanced and weighted according to the prevailing ideas of what statement is equal to what counterstatement.

TV pundits are being brought in two at a time so that what's crazy and unrealistic on the right can be counteracted by what's crazy and unrealistic on the left. Organizations have been established as self-proclaimed "watchdog groups" to monitor and ensure that classes give balanced curriculum. Lawmakers have begun a push to make the tax system fair, ensuring all Americans are to pay the same rate in income taxes, not holding the wealthy to give a larger share of what they make than teh rest of the country.

Well if the tide in America is shifting toward fairness, I'd better start swimming before I sink like a stone. The times are changing.

I hereby suggest the following four-point plan be taken to make America more fair.

1. The fair tax of 12 percent will be imposed on all Americans, so that everyone pays the same amount of their income to taxes. This will be accompanied by fair rent, fair gas, and fair grocery rates to be adjusted according to a percentage of the person's income. Thanks for the great idea, Mr. Forves. I'll be paying that $2.50 cable bill ASAP.

2. The inherent bias in college curriculum will hereby be banished. No longer will teachers be able to discriminate against those of us that don't know the answers. Hell, it's only your opinion that an essay on J. D. Salinger's use of metaphor can't include a half-page on why I think burritos are good. You can't discriminate against me just because I don't give a rat's ass; we're living in a fair society now.

3. In order to correct a cosmetic bias on Fox's Hannity and Colmes talk show, conservative pundit Sean Hannity will have his face beaten into deformity so that his physical appearance is equal to that of left-wing counterpart Alan "Frogman" Colmes. This facial de-biasing will be carried with a perfectly balanced 2x4 over the course of several hours by a panel of politically moderate bar bouncers paying close attention to providing an equal number of blows to both the right and left side of his skull.

4. Entitlement programs, such as affirmative action, will be suspended. Furthermore, a 100 percent death tax will be imposed, with a person's entire net worth upon their death going into ensuring that funding, class density, and test-performance in inner-city schools equals that of any suburban school. Hey, thisis the new "fair" America. Nobody's entitled to anything just because of where they were born, right?

Though these are just a few suggestions, and the unbalances in our socity are many, I feel they will provide just a little more fairness to this biased society of ours. Well, that's just my fair share of input, I guess.

Myspace vs Real World

2005-10-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

By Allison Bloch, Staff Writer

Okay, I’ll admit I use Myspace. But I’m not alone.

I’m currently number 33, 007, 660 in Myspace land. And there’s still more
coming. People all over the world are logging in daily to Myspace. So I’m not
the only loser out there.

But, is this really a good thing?

Myspace is taking over. From meeting new friends to interviewing people to
now meeting the “one”- all with a click of the mouse.

You now never have to leave the four walls and your comfy bed in your home to meet new people. It’s now the lazy era, live it up- or should I say, live it down?

Remember the days where we would make fun of personal ads? Similar to
the side splitting personal ads on TV- you know what I’m talking about, the 800 numbers with the scantily clad women asking for you to call them. Then there even was a “hilarious” (please note the quotation marks) movie about the subject called “Desperately Seeking Susan” (go 80s Madonna!). My friends and I would laugh at the lame personals in the newspapers.

Now, my friends are writing those ads themselves- just in Myspace.

Somehow, Myspace made blind dating “hip.” All the “cool” kids are doing it. It’s the new drug, why don’t you try it?

I have a friend who likes to go “boy shopping” through Myspace. Sadly, I must admit I got her hooked on Myspace, and I regret it to this very day.

Every day she checks her messages/account to see if someone new sent her a message.

Granted I do the same thing, but still. I’m not talking about myself. So far,
she has met her last three boyfriends, and counting, through Myspace.

You can go on Myspace and look her up there.

I did an experiment last week with Myspace dating, My friend Lina and I
were talking about hot new trend of dating through Myspace. I wondered how many responses I would get if I posted a classified on Myspace. So I did it.

Within three days I received 28 responses and over 400 new hits to my Myspace account.

Damn, I’m hot shit. Oh yeah.

What’s next? Are we going to be having sex virtually (some call this
cyber sex), falling in love online or getting married through the
net?

Nothing is safe. Nothing.

Now let me go post this link on my Myspace.

Don't Judge Me for Being Un-American

2005-10-17T13:42:00.000-07:00

By Amelia Gravagno, Staff Writer

What I am about to admit will make me a pariah on campus, so if you see me walking to class, please refrain from throwing soda cans and rotten tomatoes.

I do not vote.

I have actually never voted. In the four years that I have been a legal adult and been able to make my contribution to the system whenever there has been a presidential election, a gubernatorial election, and countless propositions on the ballot, I missed every single one of them.

And when I say miss, I don't mean I forgot or was out of town that day. I made a conscious effort not to exercise my rights as an American.

Yes I am a registered member of the apathy party. How many of you out there hate my guts right now?

And let me state, remaining apathetic on this campus has been quite a chore. All day long I have to dodge members of the republicans, the democrats, the Palestinians, the Israelis, M.E.C.H.A. , the socialists, Students Against War, and about a million others.

I find it hilarious that every organization is convinced that their cause is the most valid, that their point of vciew is the one we should all subscribe to, and the guys at the table next to them shoujld just rot in hell.

I'm getting tired of being yelled at for not signing a petition, or not grabbing a flyer I know I will just throw away in two seconds.

Hey, me not taking the paper just saved a rainforest somewhere.

Contrary to popular belief, it's not that I don't care about starving children, genocide, or whether or not our president is in fact Satan incarnate. I just don't think arguing about it for hours on end is going to change the situation.

A riot in the quad certainly won't make Bush pull out of Iraq, no matter how clever the signs and chants are. It's not something I'm passionate about, and I'm not about to fake it just because a cause is trendy.

I, unlike seemlingly every other student at SF State, did not become uber political the second I stepped into Malcom X Plaza. I was apathetic when i arrived and remain so to the disgust of both liberal and conservative friends.

I guess I just don't understand the point of detesting someone just because they have a different political affiliation than me. As for not voting, maybe part of it is out of laziness. I don't feel right about putting in my two cents on an issue I know nothing about, yet I don't really do all that much to educate myself.

Now I just need to figure out how to spin the next time my parents get on my case for being "un-American."

Minority Views Suppressed at SF State

2005-10-13T17:53:00.000-07:00

By Marcelina Blea, Staff Writer

Welcome to SF State University, considered one of the more liberal colleges in America. However, once arriving here, a student will find out SF State leans towards the conservative side.

Recently Champlain College in Burlington, located in Vermont, dealt with a controversy surrounding its annual “Black and White” ball. One student complained about the possibly racial slant in the name, when the name actually refers to the ball’s attire.

In response, Mike S. Adams wrote on townhall.com, a mock letter of response to the offended student, where he states “If any of this is a problem, you are free to transfer to U.C. Berkeley, Brown, Princeton, or San Francisco State University.,”

Why? Has Mr. Adams been to SF State? Where does his idea we are liberal come from? Mr. Adams himself has gone back and forth between being Democratic and Republican.

Attending SF State has been one disappointment after another. The biggest being most students are not willing to, even listen (forget about accepting), views of pro-war and pro-Bush students.

The 2004-05 academic year saw students protesting Army recruiters and the on-campus Republican club being hassled for tableing. This year, only a reported three Republicans attended the anti-war rally.

Students of minority views are being discouraged from discussing their views, myself included. Imposing on others rights and freedom of speech is not liberal at all.

The Democrats and Socialists are free to stand in the quad, to shout their ideas at me, while I get to scurry safely out of earshot.

I just ask for the SF State student body to be more open to listening the minority opinions of others. This includes ditching stereotypes of Democrats and Republicans. I would like to go one week without hearing an Anti-Bush statement.

Now 2004 has past, everyone has forgotten about John Kerry. Being anti-Bush is just another trend I can’t wait to see pass. People will continue to bash whomever is elected in 2006, no matter who it is.

I don’t consider myself to be political. I am only registered Green Party, because as supposed tree lovers they won’t send you any junk mail.

And yes, I did vote for Bush. Twice. This makes me homophobic, right? Although, I am not. I’ve attended Gay Pride for the last three years and volunteered with the Human Rights Campaign.

Thank goodness, graduation is coming soon, that is if I don’t get attack by the Socialist club first.

San Francisco Used as the Golfer's Playground

2005-10-07T17:21:00.000-07:00

By Marcelina Blea, Staff Writer

Last week San Francisco saw Johnny Mosely use the City for his birthday, holding the Icer Competition at Fillmore and Vallejo Streets.

Now, this week the whole world is here, using San Francisco as their playground.

With the backed up traffic along Sunset and Lake Merced Boulevard, it’s impossible to not notice the PGA World Golf Championship taking place across the street from SF State at Harding Golf Course, causing traffic frustration.

Monday morning, as I drove along Sunset to SF State, I got caught up in a traffic jam. The normally three lanes wide Sunset was limited down to one lane, on both sides, beginning near Quintara Street. I thought I was stuck in a funeral procession. There were about nine tour busses parked along Sunset, coincidently parked adjacent to a Church.

“Damn, who died,” I wondered.

Plenty of cops were out directing traffic. Then it dawned on me, as I came around Lake Merced to see the peaks of white tents on the golf course. The world isn’t coming to an end. It’s just coming to the PGA World Golf Championships.

A big orange sign near the Irving and Sunset displayed which items were allowed into the tournament and which items were not allowed. Driving along Sunset now feels as if I’m entering the Shoreline Amphitheatre. But this shoreline is our backyard.

I’ll admit I’m not the biggest golf fan. I’m barely tall enough to go miniature golfing. But must the PGA put SF State at an inconvenience?

Parking along Lake Merced, near the tournament entrance, is reserved for tour buses. Forget that Lake Merced Boulevard is where countless students living on campus park.

John Muir was blocked off at both ends, shutting out possible residents and through traffic. All so some big time golfers can have their tournament. These golfers get so many perks; maybe they can donate some cash to SF State.

Lot 25 is charging $25 for daily PGA parking. Kudos to SF State for quickly responding to the anticipated traffic and parking issues. They did send out a campus wide email letting students and staff know we will get parking priority in our SF State owned lots. There will be no PGA parking in Lot 20. Whew.

Even, the zoo is getting in on the act. They’re charging $20 for daily PGA parking.

However, there is one good thing to come out of the PGA tournament. The City has nicely landscaped the surrounding area of Harding Gold Course, from Great Highway (as if it’s not pretty enough), along John Muir and around Lake Merced Boulevard. I’ve never seen city workers finish a project so fast. Almost 16 years later, we’re still waiting for the Bay Bridge to be rebuilt.

Planning for the Championships began months ago, and the green signs directing attendees to parking lots were posted weeks ago.

I guess maybe next time I’ll start paying closer attention.

Mainstream Journalists are Chicken Shit Conformists

2005-10-07T13:38:00.000-07:00

By Florence Brown, Staff Writer

Until today, it was eerily quiet in the United States. We held our breaths after London, Madrid and Bali wondering the same unspoken and maybe subconscious question: why not us?

At the risk of sounding morbid, I was almost relieved that there was a scare today in New York. Not because I'd ever wish harm or fear on any American citizen, but because it broke up the stillness of our collective waiting, because it proved that we really are paying attention to national security.

The relative quiet from terrorist threats in the United States might be chalked up to a few serious and not so-serious factors. Maybe some superior being decided "Damn, y'all have had enough to deal with this year". Maybe our intelligence agencies are doing their jobs properly. Maybe our finger pointing, witch-hunting and hand wringing has paid off in a roundabout way.

Or has it?

If the terrorists' goal was to disrupt our way of life, then bravisimo, you bastards. At this very moment the NYPD is scouring New York City's subway system checking strollers, purses, and backpacks one by one while I'm sure many folks are thinking "Well screw that, I'm walking my happy ass to work". And if you're of Arab descent (which could mean anything from Moroccan to Egyptian to Iraqi as far as the authorities are concerned), you're in for quite a ride if you choose to take the subway to work this week.

The intelligence report read that between 12 and 20 people are rumored to meet today, some from Iraq and others already living in New York. So basically, if you wear hijab or a galabya today (which is more likely since this happens to be Ramadan), you're fucked. And my deepest sympathy goes to you.

But you won't hear the voices of people who get "a little" extra harassment today - not from the New York Times and certainly not on broadcast media. In journalists' attempts to be "fair and balanced", we'll avoid asking people the questions that need to be addressed. We'll talk to local officials about safety precautions and we'll ask Average Joe if he feels safer riding on the subway today, but we won't ask Palestinians or Persians how their commute went this morning because we want to believe we're doing the country a service by avoiding their discomfort.

Fuck that. Give me a mike and a camera, I'll ask. I'm so tired of knowing that my friends, classmates and colleagues of Arab descent are living their lives in fear, silently, because mainstream journalists are too chicken shit to begin a discourse about that fear. Independent media is probably covering it somewhere on some magazine or radio station, but is it even fringing the consciousness of the oh-so-socially-conscious members of Delta Delta Delta at the University of Texas? Not likely, unless Kanye West has made a rap about it it.

Figure it out, media, and when you do maybe I won't have to keep defending myself in my classes

Terrorism Accepted as "Part of Life"

2005-10-05T01:28:00.000-07:00

By Angela Generoso, Online Managing Editor

Residents and Tourists in Bali are claiming they have accepted terrorism as a 'part of life', and are trying not to live in fear of future attacks, according to SFgate.com.

I don't know what bothers me more: The fact that terrorists are targeting gorgeous tropical vacation spots in their attacks, or that the people are accepting it into their lives. It makes absolutely no sense to me.

When I was a kid I remember reading about Bali in National Geographic. The article described the island as one of the ten most beautiful places on Earth.

Reading the stories following Saturday's bombing this week has left me sad...mostly because since we are in the beginning of Ramadan, the Muslim population of Indonesia finds Bali's party atmosphere offensive.

What about Vegas? Or Ibiza? Or Buenos Aires? There are tons of cities with offensive party atmospheres.

Now security is to be heightened, police control is to be stricter, and life in general will be a little bit harder for the Balinese.

Growing up in Los Angeles, I remember seeing my first bullet-proof window at Taco Bell. The first thing that went through my mind was that there isn't really a reason for bullet-proof glass to be up in a Taco Bell...it wasn't a bank. There couldn't have been more than $400 in cash in the safe.

What were they going to rob them for? Steak Gorditas?

Was that Taco Bell's way of saying violence was accepted, and we weren't going to live in fear, but now we're prepared just in case it happens?

Like the Balinese, I don't want to live in fear, and I understand times are changing...dangerous situations are far more prevalent now than they were a decade ago.

But I just cannot see terrorism as "part of life." Life is too short for that sort of idealism.

Parents at Folsom Street Fair Should Have Hired a Babysitter

2005-10-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

By Katherine Ambellan, Staff Writer

Whatever turns you on man, that’s all I gotta say.

So when I was at the Folsom Street Fair, it wasn’t the wieners and floppy vaginas that bothered me the most.

It was the unfit parents that brought their children to the Penis Parade 2005.

The Folsom Street Fair is an inappropriate place to take your children. And fuck you if you did. What types of values are you trying to teach your kids?

I don't care how "progressive" you are. Children don't need to see that. It's sick and it's walking child porn for all the exhibitionists who are getting slapped and caressing their balls.

It wasn't the naked man in the skull mask rubbing one out for the circle that had formulated around him that made me nauseous. It was the mother that was watching with a five-year-old child in a stroller. I admit, I watched for a minute, but I wonder if she stayed to see the climax.

I just think that when you bring a child that is anywhere from four to eight years old to a sex event, it sends the wrong message. You're saying it is totally alright to whip out your genitalia in public and touch yourself. In fact in any other city doing so would be illegal. It's called indecent exposure. Let us not forget Pee Wee Herman.

Hairy asses being slapped by fat, ugly dominatrix women and skinny men being dragged on a leash like dogs sounds like a great party for my kids! Screw Disneyland and the Cole Valley Street Fair!

I am appalled by the ignorance of parents who brought their kids. Hopefully at this year's fair they picked up some free condoms and stopped having kids to corrupt.

See related story at The Golden Gate [X]Press Online

Love Parade Brings Too Many Underage Participants

2005-10-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

By Allison Bloch, Staff Writer

Standing on the jam-packed Muni car last Saturday made me wonder where the party was. As I got off at Van Ness Station and my friend and I walked in the hot sun, we soon discovered what the commotion was all about.

It was the love parade.

I think I got a contact high just from walking around the street. And on top of that, i saw many exposed men. Not more than at the Folsom Street Fair or Halloween in the Castro, but it was still more penises than I expected to see.

The fascinating part about the Love Parade was it brought in many children and babies as well. One awesome aspect of the parade was the playground in front of City Hall in which presented a sign that read, "No Adults. Just Kids."

Playing in the playground were some children decked out in rave gear, giggling while the music played on.

I don't understand why parents bring their children to these events.

When I was growing up, my parents didn't hide sexuality from me, but then again they didn't have it put right in front of my face on a Saturday afternoon either. It makes me think what I woul ddo if I had children.

Who in their right mind would take their young child to events like the Love Parade or Folsom Street Fair? It would be one thing if parents took their children to these events to show them the diverse lifestyle San Francisco has to offer. But where does one draw the line?

Next, are parents going to take their kids to porn shops and strip clubs?

It almost makes me sad that my parents sheltered me a bit.

Maybe if they hadn’t, I could have gone to the Love Parade at age four and seen my first penis.

See related story at The Golden Gate [X]Press Online

The Downside to the Student Health Center

2005-09-29T02:11:00.000-07:00

Story by Allison Bloch

Every semester we pay $102 in student health fees.

Despite the controversy regarding on-campus medical facilities vs. city clinics, I still wait at least an hour to be seen at the Student Health Center.

It really is comforting to know if I went to the center with my eye falling out of my head, gushing blood they might see me…in about three hours.

Who is to blame for inadequate on-campus health care?

It seems as though funding is being taken away from the most important thing in our lives: our health.

Two years ago I was stuck at SF State during winter break, and I got sick. Upon visiting the Student Health Center I was told nothing could be done for me, and I had either mono or strep throat.

Well that was just super.

After waiting around for an hour I got a pat on the back, a thermometer, and a handful of cough drops.

Years later it hasn’t changed much.

I hurt my arm last Tuesday scrubbing the floor at my work. After being called in to be seen I was told they couldn’t see me because of worker’s compensation.

I was to go back to work and ask who I could see to get the pain taken care of.

I know it’s not those who work in the Student Health Center who are to blame, but the system needs improvement. There needs to be a better way for students to receive health care.

But for now, I am suffering paying $102 every semester for this crap.