BY bavalova
I’m listening to Bill’s speech right now. I think he just said Obama has a queer grasp on foreign policy. Freudian slip?
UPDATE: Ah. It seems he was trying to say clear grasp. I was only half listening and heard “queer” and “firm” in the same sentence and thought that Slick Willy was bringing new talking points to light. Here’s the video (My PVR is working now.. Yay!):
No tags for this post.BY bavalova
There I was minding my own business, doing homework and watching CNN in the background, and I noticed Hillary pop up in my peripheral. Fortunately, I missed her speech earlier in the day but as fate would have it, I am seeing it now. I must say, she’s holding it together quite well.
“Whether you voted for me or voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose,” said Clinton in a speech Democrats hope will end a lingering party rift left over from their bitter nominating fight.
It goes to prove that she’s nothing but a shrewed politician. I wonder how Obama got her to agree to give such a compelling speech. I guess Bill isn’t too happy about it though: he’s not showing up to Obama’s speech.
By the way, watch about 0:27 into the video below. Is it just me or did she really have to force out that whole bit about Michelle Obama? Anyone else sense a bit of that intra-woman superficiality? Could just be me. I’m just saying.
No tags for this post.BY bavalova
Alright ladies and gentlemen. It’s 3AM and I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s about time I went to bed. I’ve done just about all I can do for VC’s new facelift. As some of you know, when Wordpress updated to 2.5, my old theme was left in the dark so for a while I’ve been dealing with the default theme.
This new theme is mostly courtesy of Derek Punsalan from 5ThrityOne with a few of my own tweaks. I think that this new theme really forecasts my direction for the site. I want to focus more on reading between the lines and dispelling some of the idiocy that is out there.
I’ve neglected my midterms for long enough; I’ll have to finish the job at another time but I think this is a logical stopping point.
Cheers!
Bava
BY bavalova
It has become almost a fashion trend in the Western World to be of the opinion that Global Warming is a man made phenomenon and needs to be stopped. Those who snicker and sneer at the idea are in turn snickered and sneered at by these nose up environmental whack jobs. Just today, NASA scientist James Hansen told us:
“We’re toast if we don’t get on a very different path,” Hansen, director of the Goddard Institute of Space Sciences who is sometimes called the godfather of global warming science, told The Associated Press. “This is the last chance.“
This is such a spineless position. It’s easy to see why the opposing position is harder to stand up and proliferate. If you’re a scientist on the Global Warming side, you can keep spewing your “research” and scarring people on to your side. When governments around the world join to spend billions, if not trillions, on research and development in lowering greenhouse gas emissions, you can sit there and baste in your glory. If everything goes well, as it likely would have even without any intervention, everyone will sing your praises. If not, you can sit there and tell everyone they didn’t act fast enough. Either way, when it comes to government contracts you win.
If you’re on the other side, what incentives do you have to speak out? You’re vastly criticized despite your research and specialization; despite your dedication and hard work. Your opinion is not profitable. This is why your arguments will never gain any traction.
No tags for this post.BY bavalova
Sorry folks, regular maintenance, I suppose.
UPDATE:
It seems there is a problem with my existing Wordpress Theme that is preventing the new version of Wordpress (2.5) from showing more than just the latest entry. I’ll try to get the problem fixed but may end up creating a whole new look. I guess it’s long overdue, anyway.
BY bavalova
As everyone knows, the Clinton campaign has been harping on Obama because of his lack of foreign policy experience but this week CBS released a report showing that Mrs. Clinton isn’t quite Mrs. Foreign Policy either. Of course, the Obama campaign jumped all over the story:
The Obama campaign seized on the story when it was splashed across the CBS website Monday, with spokesman Tommy Vietor saying it is “part of a troubling pattern of Sen. Clinton inflating her foreign policy experience.â€
I think it says a lot about the Democratic Party if the point of contention between the two Democratic candidates is who has less foreign policy experience. They’re like a couple of five year olds pointing fingers at one another. “She has less experience!” “No he has less experience, na na na na na na!” It’s just sad… all around.
Moreover, the Media’s love affair with Obama is just sad. Now, I’m not standing up for Hillary or in any way suggesting she has any meaningful foreign policy experience. But on a serious analysis, does the media really think Americans are stupid enough to think that a trip to Bosnia to meet and greet the troops is resume building foreign policy experience? If so, then heck, Sinbad and Cher should have made an ‘08 ticket, too! Are we as Americans really that petty? I mean, if anything, the Clinton story just reinforced something we already know to be true: Politicians lie. It goes hand in hand with their job titles.
It’s all superficial, they’re both saying the same thing and neither of them really have any experience to back up their trash talking.
No tags for this post.BY bavalova
So, like most UCD students, I got the fun little email from which read:
There was an incident at Tercero Residence Hall last night. Our Fire and Police Departments have the situation under control and there is no threat to the campus. Classes and business will continue as usual. Additional information will be posted at http://www.ucdavis.edu/.
Thank you,
U C Davis WARN Alert
So I did some research. After reading a few news stories, the Sac Bee story is the most detailed (I bold faced the interesting points below). Of course, as usual, I try to give you a little something the news leaves out so I’ve included a picture of the guy and the building (Tercero, Thille D 316) where it happened on a map for reference.
No tags for this post.Normal class schedules are under way at UC Davis on Thursday following the arrest of an 18-year-old student after two pipe bombs were found in his dormitory room Wednesday night, authorities said.
The discovery about 9 p.m. Wednesday resulted in the evacuation of 455 freshmen from eight dormitory buildings in the Tercero complex. The students spent the night in the common dining area at the complex and are expected to be allowed to return soon. No one was injured, and classes were not disrupted by the incident.
UC Davis police said they arrested Mark Christopher Woods, 18, a freshman economics major from Torrance, on charges of possession of materials with the intent to make an explosive or destructive device, and also possession with intent to make such a device on school grounds.
Police said bomb-making materials were found on a table in the dorm room, along with two empty pipe bomb shells, and police Capt. Joyce Souza said she could not reveal what materials were found but that it was “bad stuff.”
An examination of it earlier Thursday morning showed that “the way it sits right now, it’s not as unstable as we originally thought.”
“At first glance, it looked like pretty serious and volatile material,” Souza said. “Once they did an evaluation, they were able to determine the way all the materials were sitting, it wasn’t as serious because it wasn’t mixed.”
Souza said that “there’s no reason to believe he intended at this point to blow up anything or hurt anyone on campus.”
But, she added, “anytime you get a call like this, we’re going to err on the side of caution.”
The material is expected to be packed up and moved to a U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives lab in Walnut Creek on Thursday morning. Woods is in custody on campus and is expected to be taken to the Yolo County Jail in Woodland later Thursday.
Paul Pfotenhauer, a spokesman for the UC Davis Fire Department, said the incident began shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday when a woman reported students with possible explosive devices in a dormitory room.
That led to the questioning of four students in the bedroom, including Woods. The other three students were released.
A bomb team moved in Thursday morning to assess the room where the explosives were found. Their work had been delayed because a search warrant had to be obtained before the situation could be addressed. The search warrant was not executed until about 5 a.m.
Crews had expected to decide if the explosives needed to be removed by a robot or by team members in protective suits and there were discussions of detonating the devices in a nearby field.
Before 9 a.m., however, authorities said there never was a fully assembled bomb.
“As soon as they have everything out of the room, we will be opening it all back up to the students,” said campus spokeswoman Lisa Lapin.
Acquaintances of Woods’ described him as a pleasant young man who had shown no signs of trouble, and some said they believed authorities had overreacted to the incident.
Robert Chao, an 18-year-old from San Jose who is Woods’ roommate, said he was “in the room at 6 p.m. last night and didn’t see anything like” a bomb.
Chao added that he thought the incident was “being blown way out of proportion.”
With all the recent tragedies at universities around the country, “they have reason to believe it’s one of those things, but it’s not that at all,” Chao said. “That is the opposite of what he is.”
Chao and others describe Woods as someone interested in many subjects and say he was trying to expand his knowledge with science experiments.
Woods was an academic decathlete in high school, and while he was an economics major, he also was taking classes in Russian, Japanese and statistics.
“He had no ill intent like people said he did,” Chao said.
Other students said Woods was a kind young man who escorts young female students to their dorm rooms when they go home at night.
“He’s one of the nicest guys I know,” said Lauren Bachman, 18, who lives in the dorm. “At the end of the day, I trust him.”
Other students said that while he was kind of an eccentric, he’s an intelligent young man who is not dangerous.
Despite that, authorities were taking no chances Wednesday night and ordered the evacuation.
Before students found some place to sleep, they gathered in common areas of nearby buildings and stood around, shivering in the cold. Freshman Anderson Ellis, 19, said “a lot of people have papers due tomorrow” but were unable to complete their work.
Lapin said a campus-wide notification was not issued because the substance is not an immediate threat.
She stressed that the rest of the campus is open and operating — classrooms are in use and people are going to work and school.
BY bavalova
After Jimmy Kimmel’s little Matt Damon stunt a while back, I didn’t think he could get any higher in my book. However, this just shot him right off the charts and directly into my heart.
Thanks Gabby
No tags for this post.BY bavalova
Well, ladies and gentlemen. The results haven’t quite come in but I think it’s almost safe to assume that this is what we’re looking at in 2008.
This half ass work of Photoshop tells no lies. In 2008, we’ll be voting between socialists by two different names. I’ve never notice until today but they do bare a striking resemblence; go figure.
Anyhow, on a serious note, what’s the difference between the Republican or Democrat nominees? You’re basically hearing the same policies from both of them. Socialized health care, flip-flopping opinions about Iraq, ending of “torture,” more taxes, more government, less freedom, the list goes on ladies and gentlemen. The only difference between the two of them is that one has a penis and the other doesn’t. Which one of them has it, however, is still up for debate.
No tags for this post.BY bavalova
Perhaps one of the most dangerous platforms the Democrats are running on is Socialized Health Care; that is, free health care for everyone, yay! People often point to Britain and Canada as leading examples of the wonders of Socialized Medicine. Well, try getting an MRI in Canada or dental care in Britain; I just hope you’re not one of the seven million waiting in line:
It has meant a shortage of dentists with shocking reports of people being forced to pull their own teeth out.
Now, there are reports that many British doctors don’t want to provide health care to old or unhealthy people; an argument I don’t wholly disagree with (especially in regard to the unhealthy lifestyles) but it’s just another sad commentary on the Socialized Health Care system. That is, Socialized medicine doesn’t work.
Smokers, heavy drinkers, the obese and the elderly should be barred from receiving some operations, according to doctors, with most saying the health service cannot afford to provide free care to everyone.
Obesity costs the British taxpayer £7 billion a year. Overweight people are more likely to contract diabetes, cancer and heart disease, and to require replacement joints or stomach-stapling operations.Meanwhile, £1.7 billion is spent treating diseases caused by smoking, such as lung cancer, bronchitis and emphysema, with a similar sum spent by the NHS on alcohol problems. Cases of cirrhosis have tripled over the past decade.
Now, this sounds reasonable to some degree, right? Of course it does; I mean, if you’re a heavy alcoholic, should you get that liver transplant over the other person whose liver is failing for some other, uncontrollable reason? But, when the government deals with things, they cannot discriminate in such a manner. I mean, sure, doctors in America cannot make this discrimination, either but at least the health care system is setup in such a way that if you’re a smoker or an alcoholic or whatever, certain procedures will either not be covered under your policy or you will be denied altogether.
No tags for this post.BY bavalova
It’s interesting to see where this is going to go. What were these guys thinking? I thought it was illegal to get drunk in Islam.
No tags for this post.WASHINGTON - In what U.S. officials called a serious provocation, Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats harassed and provoked three U.S. Navy ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, threatening to explode the American vessels.
ADVERTISEMENTU.S. forces were on the verge of firing on the Iranian boats in the early Sunday incident, when the boats turned and moved away, a Pentagon official said. “It is the most serious provocation of this sort that we’ve seen yet,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.
The incident occurred at about 5 a.m. local time Sunday as a U.S. Navy cruiser, destroyer and frigate were on their way into the Persian Gulf and passing through the strait — a major oil shipping route.
Five small boats began charging the U.S. ships, dropping boxes in the water in front of the ships and forcing the U.S. ships to take evasive maneuvers, the Pentagon official said.
There were no injuries but the official said there could have been, because the Iranian boats turned away “literally at the very moment that U.S. forces were preparing to open fire” in self defense.
The official said he didn’t have the precise transcript of communications that passed between the two forces, but said the Iranians radioed something like “we’re coming at you and you’ll explode in a couple minutes.”
BY bavalova
So, here’s a video of John Edward’s speech yesterday morning:
People always laughed when Bush butchered the English language so I thought I’d point it out now that Edward’s has done it. Now, I know he’s trying to sound like he’s the change for America and I know he’s trying to appeal to a broader audience. But who is Edward’s speech writer? How, sir, can the status quo be yesterday in any context? The status quo refers to the current state of affairs not yesterday’s state of affairs. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’ve made plenty of blunders in my day but I’m not campaigning for president and I don’t pay anyone to write my speeches or even look them over.
No tags for this post.BY bavalova
Pardon the horrible title for this post but I felt like it was appropriate considering the last. Anyhow, formalities aside. I’ve decided that unless hell freezes over I will not vote Ron Paul. After reading the Ohio Against Terror report of even CAIR uniting with Ron Paul, I’ve decided that despite his seeming paleo-Conservatism, his incredible unrealism and the alliance of odd-ball supporters (CAIR, KKK, etc) make him completely unelectable. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m not finding all of this out just now but I’ve opted until recently to try to give the man the benefit of the doubt and hoping that maybe he’d change his stance on foreign policy. It’s becoming clear that he has no intentions of doing so.
No tags for this post.BY bavalova
So, my friend has been badgering me for a while now to jump on the Ron Paul bandwagon and I must say that I’ve actually considered it. Crazy, right? Well, like many of you probably, Ron Paul appeals to my paleo-Conservative nature. He is awesome when it comes to lowering taxes and putting America and Americans first. I love his immigration policies and so many other things about him.
So why can’t I vote for him?
Here’s the rub: Paul’s foreign policy, or lack thereof. With Paul’s mentality, the United States would have grown no larger than the original 13 colonies. I see two main flaws with his foreign policy position right off the top of my head. (1) It does not allow for America to defend herself unless she has been explicitly threatened. (2) It allows for the vast mistreatment of people in other countries without any repercussions.
Unless he changes something, he will not appeal to me. I love the Constitution and I do think we need to follow it but I think we need to use the tools at hand to change it when necessary. The Constitution is dynamic and it’s foundation is not its original words but rather the ideas of freedom which its drafters, our Founding Fathers, shared. We cannot be so closed minded.
That’s all for now, kids.
No tags for this post.BY bavalova
Though this has become old news, I’m putting it out there just in case anyone has missed it. The Churchill event has been pushed back to Nov. 27 in Science Lecture Hall 123, the largest Lecture Hall on campus. Not sure why, the Facebook group only shows about 115 people coming for sure and another 170 who maybe coming. Even if 100% of all the maybes came, they would still have only about 300 people who could all fit comfortably in Chem. On second thought, the Science Lecture Hall is significantly prettier and newer. But the question remains: Does a nice, clean, and new lecture hall make up for the old, dirty, Communist imitation Native-American? I say no, but I suppose we’ll see. Anyway, here’s the flier:
Whatever.
No tags for this post.BY bavalova
I’m not sure what the fascination between Muslim Students at UC Davis and fired professors is but, they’re bringing yet another fired professor to campus. Last quarter, they brought over Norman Finkelstein, this quarter, they’re bringing Ward Churchill. Perhaps the fascination lies in the fact that both of them hate America, Israel, and Zionism (among other things). The event is hosted by Students for Justice and Peace which is basically the same as Students for Justice in Palestine (same leadership) which is basically a political movement of the Muslim Student Association.
Here are the event details as described on the facebook group:
No tags for this post.Ward Churchill Speaks at UC-Davis!
Global
Information
Event InfoName:
Ward Churchill Speaks at UC-Davis!
Host:
Students for Peace & Justice
Type:
Education - Lecture
Time and PlaceDate:
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Time:
8:00pm - 11:00pm
Location:
UC Davis - Chem 194
Street:
Hutchinson st
City/Town:
Davis, CAView Map
Contact InfoEmail:
justice.ucdavis@gmail.com
Description
The official title of the speech is:“Zionism, Manifest Destiny, and Nazi
Lebensraumpolitik: Three Variations on a Common
Theme”Ward Churchill (Keetoowah Band Cherokee) is one of the most outspoken of Native American activists and scholars in North America and a leading analyst of indigenous issues. He is former tenured Professor of Ethnic Studies and Coordinator of American Indian Studies at the University of Colorado, fired in retaliation for the exercise of his First Amendment-protected speech and in violation of the doctrine of Academic Freedom.He is also co-director of the Colorado chapter of the American Indian Movement and vice chair of the American Indian Anti-Defamation Council.
Churchill’s many books include Fantasies of the Master Race, Struggle for the Land, On the Justice of Roosting Chickens, From A Native Son, Critical Issues in Native North America, The COINTELPRO Papers, Indians R Us?, Agents of Repression, Since Predator Came, and A Little Matter of Genocide: Holocaust and Denial in the Americas.
In his lectures and numerous published works, Churchill explores the themes of genocide in the Americas, racism, historical and legal (re)interpretation of conquest and colonization, environmental destruction of Indian lands, government repression of political movements, literary and cinematic criticism, and indigenist alternatives to the status quo.
Churchill is also a past national spokesperson for the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, has served as a delegate to the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations (as a Justice/Rapporteur for the for the 1993 International People’s Tribunal on the Rights of Indigenous Hawaiians), and as an advocate/prosecutor of the First Nations International Tribunal for the Chiefs of Ontario.
“I have found [Churchill’s writings on native American history] to be assiduously researched, making important contributions to a much-neglected part of this nation’s history.”
— Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States“Ward [Churchill]’s scholarship is very serious, measured, non-hyperbolic and uses primary sources extensively - in measured and honest ways.”
— James Craven (Blackfoot Nation), Professor of Economics, Clark College, Vancouver, Washington“Ward Churchill…defends the rights of oppressed people, and exposes the dark side of past and current history…These are achievements of inestimable value.”
— Noam Chomsky, author and activist“Without reservations, I support Churchill’s right to free speech and academic freedom, and regard the attack on him as scurrilous - and by now craven cowardice as well, as the state authorities and other critics pretend that the issue is (suddenly) his academic credentials and ethnic origins. That’s a real disgrace.” - Noam Chomsky
BY bavalova
Okay. I don’t even like this car but I LOVE how it smacks smug Prius owners in the face.
No tags for this post.BY bavalova
Of course everyone knows at this point that Hitler is speaking at Columbia. I’m over the hype. We all knew what he was going to do; that is, avoid directly answering any questions whatsoever. Our boy, Former Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton, said something that describes how I feel about the whole situation on Fox. I don’t have Tivo right now so I’m not able to go back and get an exact quote but I will try and find the video. Either way, he said something along the lines of, Columbia University is doing this just to attract attention for Columbia… They invite speakers who are well outside the realm of practical political discussion and give them a platform propagate their nonsense (Disclaimer: This is not a quote. I’m trying to find the video clip).
UPDATE:
Here’s the video:
BY bavalova
So the Military is allowed to recruit at Yale again. Here’s the story:
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Yale Law School will end its policy of not working with military recruiters following a court ruling this week that jeopardized about $300 million in federal funding, school officials said Wednesday.
Yale and other universities had objected to the Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that allows gay men and women to serve in the military only if they keep their sexual orientation to themselves. Yale Law School had refused to assist military recruiters because the Pentagon wouldn’t sign a nondiscrimination pledge.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Yale on Monday, rejecting its argument that its right to academic freedom was infringed by federal law that says universities must give the military the same access as other job recruiters or forfeit federal money.
“The fact is we have been forced under enormous pressure to acquiescence in a policy that we believe is deeply offensive and harmful to our students,” said Robert Burt, a Yale law professor who was lead plaintiff in the case.
The funding loss would have devastated the university’s medical research into cancer, heart disease and other illnesses, Burt said.
Yale Law Dean Harold Koh said in a news release Wednesday that he was disappointed by the appeals court decision, saying the school has an obligation to “ameliorate the impact” of discriminatory hiring practices.
“We intend to meet this obligation and will work alongside our students to identify the best ways of doing so, in accordance with the law,” Koh said. “We continue to look forward to the day when all members of our community will have an equal opportunity to serve in our nation’s armed forces.”
Koh did not immediately respond to calls seeking additional comment.
Jan Conroy, a Yale Law spokeswoman, said the school would waive the requirement that military recruiters sign the nondiscrimination pledge. The Air Force already has asked to participate in a job interview program that starts Monday, she said.
The 2nd Circuit decision followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling last year that the government can force colleges to open their campuses to military recruiters. The justices rejected a free-speech challenge from law schools and professors who claimed they should not have to associate with military recruiters or promote their campus appearances.
First of all, How is it disciminatory to not make decisions based on someone’s sexual orientation? Basically, what the Military says is “We don’t care if you’re gay.” How is there a problem with that? Answer: Because it’s not about that. The universities just hate the Military. Period. They hate everything it stands for.
No tags for this post.BY bavalova
So I’m back from my honeymoon now and I’m getting back into the groove of reading my usual amounts of news. So I sat down and checked my RSS feeds and I noticed an interesting post link to a FT.com article regarding Chinese hackers breaking into unclassified US government networks via the Drudge Report. I suppose the pulp of the story can be found in this quote:
The Chinese military sent a shiver down the Pentagon’s spine in June by successfully hacking into an unclassified network used by the top policy advisers to Robert Gates, the defence secretary.
While the People’s Liberation Army has been probing Pentagon networks hundÂreds of times a day for the past few years, the US is more alarmed at the growing frequency and sophistication of the attacks.
Well… After reading this, I thought to myself, I sure hope Robert Gates and the rest of the brilliant people at the Pentagon are looking at this problem the way I am. Well, if they aren’t I’ve come up with a brilliant network scheme for Homeland Security:
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Bored? Listen to some music by some of my friends.
Gotta have it.