“In my younger and more vulnerable years” — as F. Scott Fitzgerald begins The Great Gatsby, describing the ideals of good judgment — I didn’t actually understand how government affected my life in the context of my individual position. I believed myself to be a Rockefeller Republican: liberal on social Read More…
In another round of what has already been a heated semester between the two groups, Berkeley’s partisan clubs politically sparred on Tuesday night at the Undergraduate Political Science Association’s “Great Debate” over the national debt. On the left was Cal Berkeley Democrats’ Tom Hughes and Matthew Symonds, hitting with “hope” Read More…
I finished The Wall Street Journal’s Op-Ed on the Republican debates and realized it was by Karl Rove. I shuddered. Why? For the obvious reason — it being written by Karl Rove — but also because I agreed with it.
“I might stay in and study tonight,” remarked a friend of mine recently. “But I’ll probably end up with FOMO and just go out anyway.” FOMO? Is this some kind of new martial art, I wondered? FOMO, as I learned, stands for “Fear Of Missing Out,” and it has become Read More…
When our country gears up for election season, it is fraught with cultural currency — a time where there is a focused discussion on our American identity and what that actually means in a turning socio-economic time. We can banter or have small talk about the latest headlines and join Read More…
My future’s as foggy as San Francisco and I like it that way. But as I rush across campus to my classes every day, I am reminded by the ever-present “Yoshua” that we are mere days away from Judgement Day on Oct. 21. He doesn’t scream or yell — usually Read More…
This footage I shot of last Thursday’s “Rally Against Austerity” may seem slightly outdated now that nearly a week has elapsed. The culprit behind my tardy posting is yesterday’s “Increase Diversity Bake” sale by the Berkeley College Republicans. After all, “racist” cupcakes are much tastier to write about than a Read More…
If pride can be quantified in terms of stickers, NorCal is bursting with pridefulness, and SoCal just doesn’t care. Check out these two Google searches on stickers, for NorCal and SoCal: 10 relevant shopping results for NorCal stickers, and just 2 for SoCal. There has always been a debate on whether Read More…
I am a traitor. Raised amid the white columns and red brick of the University of Virginia, I jumped ship (or continent) and came west to the University of California, Berkeley for my undergraduate education. I forsook the comforting, dusty depths of UVA’s ancient Alderman Library, the smooth marble floors Read More…
I was in Beijing sipping a three-yuan beer and playing poker with collegians I had recently met. There weren’t any poker chips so we took rocks from the hotel ashtray. I felt like Jenny from the Block looking at all the rocks that I got. I was coming off a Read More…