As the days grow closer to a final summer sunset, maybe you’ve spent this vacation exploring, dating someone new or maybe just staying friends. But can a guy and a girl really just be friends and nothing more? It’s a timeless and popular question that Timothy Goodman and Jessica Walsh have set out to answer.

Jessica, a hopeless romantic, and Timothy, scared shitless of commitment, claimed to be amused by each other’s not-so-successful love lives. In an attempt to answer why relationships can suck so much, 40 Days of Dating was born.  In order to get the most out of their project, Goodman and Walsh set up rules for themselves. They were to:

1. See each other every day for 40 days.

2. Go on at least three dates a week.

3. See a couples’ therapist once a week.

4. Go on one weekend trip together.

5. Fill out their daily questionnaire and document, well, everything.

6. Not see, date, hook up or have sex with anyone else.

Okay, so we’ll leave it to you guys to judge whether this could be considered a legitimate experiment, but maybe this didn’t have to be so complicated. It’s a fun project to take on if you have nothing else better to do, but guys and girls can totally be friends! Now of course, this would be a little difficult if you think your friend is hot, is cute or just has the greatest personality. But if you don’t feel attracted to your friend, then there. Friends! However, when asked in a CNN interview whether Goodman thought whether men and women could be friends, he answered, “If you asked me a couple of months ago, I would’ve said yes. In one of his stand-ups, Chris Rock said every platonic friend that he had was someone he was trying to sleep with, but he made a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in the ‘friend zone.’ I think there’s truth in that. A man always has a motive.”

What do you think? Do men always have their motives, or is it totally possible for all of us to be, quite simply, friends (especially in college)? Let us know in the comments!

Image source: randomix under Creative Commons 

Contact Karen Kwaning at kkwaning@dailycal.org.

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kennethkonica via flickr/File

In the wake of the horrific Boston bombing in April, millions of people waited for any breaking news that would put them at ease. Families of victims, national security advisors and millions worldwide sat in silence as the 24-hour news cycle ripped apart every detail and fact that it could verify — until CNN broke the incredible news that the suspect had been captured. Thousands of viewers felt immediate relief. People across the country immediately rejoiced as the news quickly spread — I, for one, texted all my friends and family members to inform them of the good news. But less than an hour later, the truth surfaced that no suspect had been captured and that CNN had misinformed its millions of viewers with an incorrect report. This set off countless critics who derided and reprimanded the news network for being so reckless about such an important and groundbreaking issue.

If there is any lesson to be learned from CNN’s blunder, it’s that media networks are corporations before they are corporate citizens.

The mass media, even referred to as the “fourth branch of government” by political scientists, holds an enormous amount of responsibility in reporting and informing the American public. This responsibility, unfortunately, is molded by the investors of these corporate giants rather than the wants and concerns of their viewers. CNN ran a profit of nearly $600 million in 2011, and Fox News ran a profit of nearly $900 million that same year. No longer do American news networks report to the American people in a nonbiased, informative fashion. Today’s media moguls are stereotyped by differing ideologies. Feeling conservative? Check out Fox News. Want some snarky liberal reporting? MSNBC. Only select news networks like ABC and NBC (which are not 24-hour news networks and are generally unpopular) try to preserve the good old days of the media. In these days of sound bites and the 24-hour news cycle, news networks will do anything they can to get ahead of a rival to turn a profit — even if that means running a story that can ruin a person’s life.

During the Newtown massacre this past December, the news corporations were churning out stories and digging deep to discover the identity of the shooter. Soon enough, several news networks incorrectly identified the shooter as Ryan Lanza, the shooter’s brother, and posted pictures of his Facebook profile on the web for all viewers to see. Within minutes, this man was receiving thousands of hate messages and even death threats. This man’s privacy was completely destroyed — and to what end? A news story that will garner a temporary 10 percent increase in website traffic? A marginal increase in profit?

If media networks want to regain Americans’ trust, they need to act responsibly and stop reporting news in a horse-race fashion. One mistake like CNN’s Boston bombing blunder can permanently cost them thousands of viewers — more than offsetting the temporary gain in viewers from the initial story. Risky stories like these have bad economics written all over them: The potential for gain is minimal, and the risk of loss is huge. I had to learn the lesson the hard way that these news networks care less about informing the public than about the race to the finish. If these news networks are going to give us a product like a corporation would, then we should treat ourselves as customers and use the one which serves our needs best. I no longer give the American news networks my business simply because these organizations do less reporting than they do commentary and speculation. I have switched to BBC and Al Jazeera, and I could not be happier.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the same option as I do. Ryan Lanza may never forget what this media did to him.

Julian Sarafian discusses political opinions in his Monday blog. Contact Julian Sarafian at jsarafian@dailycal.org.

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Laura Stachel/Courtesy

Founder of the Berkeley-based nonprofit We Care Solar Laura Stachel was named a 2013 CNN Hero last week for her work in finding electrical solutions for health care clinics in impoverished areas.

Stachel began her work in 2008 after a trip to Nigeria, where she witnessed how health care facilities struggled to function without a reliable source of electricity. Recognizing the need for a solution, Stachel and her husband, Hal Aronson, developed the We Care Solar Suitcase — a portable solar electric system about the size of a suitcase.

The contents of the We Care Solar Suitcase include medical lights, a cellphone charger, a battery charger, solar panels and a battery.

Since We Care Solar’s inception, UC Berkeley’s Blum Center for Developing Economies has sponsored Stachel, providing her with funding to continue developing her ideas.

“What sets Laura apart is her passion and commitment to helping and to promoting the work she does,” said Phillip Denny, chief administrative officer for the Blum Center. “She has incredible passion, and it’s nice to see CNN and others recognize that and to see the impact of the solar suitcase.”

Since its first pilot test, We Care Solar has provided nearly 250 solar suitcases to facilities in more than 20 countries. Soon, Stachel said, the organization will also include laptops in its suitcases.

“Initially, we identified (the clinics) on our own, but once word got out, people have been coming to us,” Stachel said.

An OB/GYN doctor by profession, Stachel loved her work delivering children but feels now that her endeavors in delivering light are much more important.

“This feels like it’s having more impact on the world,” Stachel said. “It feels like it may actually transform health clinics and the people in them, and that is very fulfilling.”

The lights have not only served to increase the success rate of deliveries but have also served to ward off potential burglars, said Jacqueline Cutts, a nonprofit CEO who nominated Stachel.

“(Health workers) are no longer afraid to go to work at night,” Stachel said. “They’re more confident, they’re no longer fighting over candles or kerosene lamps. They’re no longer postponing procedures.”

Not dwelling on their victories, Stachel and We Care Solar are working on getting solar suitcases to more locations globally, making it easier for women around the world to deliver children.

“I saw women in labor silently, not getting the attention they needed,” Stachel said. “I thought maybe I can be the voice for these women.”

Contact Tara Hurley at thurley@dailycal.org.

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Hansen has not disclosed many details of his new work at Apple. In an article written by CNN, Hansen expressed excitement about his work with such a brilliant group of people, describing them as “the best there is.”

In addition to his faculty position at UC Berkeley, Hansen has been a consultant for many major companies around the world and has published award-winning research in business management.

According to the story, Hansen was first approached by former dean of Yale School of Management Joel Podolny to join the program in 2009 but declined the offer of a full-time job so he could finish his book “Great by Choice” with co-author Jim Collins.

CNN reported that Apple approached Hansen again in late December and that Hansen accepted the job at Apple’s MBA training program under the condition that he could remain at UC Berkeley to teach one course per semester.

Apple University, an in-house MBA training program instituted by former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, trains the company’s executives within Apple’s business culture.

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Anna Vignet/Senior Staff

While hundreds of students danced in celebration of  President Barack Obama’s re-election to Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” on Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley, members of the Berkeley College Republicans were huddled around a television in an apartment south of campus.

The site where various campus groups spent weeks pushing students to voice their opinions at the polls through voter registration drives became the site of hundreds of crossed fingers — and then chants of victory — when students took to the plaza for an election result viewing party Tuesday evening.

“It is nerve-racking, but exciting, because it’s the first time I’m able to see the outcome of the things I voted on,” said UC Berkeley junior Kenzie Mittelman from Sproul.

The viewing event, which live-streamed CNN election coverage on a Jumbotron on the steps of Sproul Plaza, was organized by the ASUC and the campus Graduate Assembly.

“Being here makes you feel like you are a part of something bigger,” said UC Berkeley sophomore Jonte Grant.

South of campus, the Berkeley College Republicans held a much smaller viewing party of around 40 students who were hoping for different results. They squeezed into former BCR president Shawn Lewis’ cottage-like apartment, where Mitt Romney posters covered the walls and a bonfire burned outside.

At the beginning of the night, the BCR members were fixated on the television as results poured into a mostly quiet room. Some stood, others sat and all awaited the election results for who would be named the next U.S. president.

The news of Obama’s win sunk in slowly.

“We still need to wait, watch and see,” Lewis said before all of the results for Florida and Ohio had come in.

“(Romney) would’ve been moderate,” said Mia Lincoln, a senior and active member of BCR.  “He would’ve been fair … he was going to be someone that really brought people together.”

Lincoln said she was worried that Obama’s re-election would negatively impact her father, who owns an insurance business.

“He’s really nervous,” Lincoln said. “I’m trying to reassure my dad — my family — that everything is not lost.”

Less than a mile away on Sproul, the jubilation continued more than an hour after the election was called.

“I was jumping up and down with joy,” said UC Berkeley sophomore Roxanne Rohnama. “He deserved to win, and I know that he is going to keep moving America forward.”

But standing on the edge of the plaza’s Ludwig’s Fountain, UC Berkeley junior Samantha Derrick looked less sure.

“I’m more excited about Romney staying out of office than Obama staying in,” Derrick said.

From around the bonfire, BCR members continued to discuss the election and incoming results.

Contact Andrea Guzman, Aly Neumann and Gladys Rosario at newsdesk@dailycal.org.

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Fareed Zakaria, a CNN host and Time editor-at-large, broke that trust when he plagiarized in a Time magazine column on gun control, an act he admitted to on Friday.

He has rightly been suspended by both CNN and Time, and readers will probably question the validity of his future — and past — articles, as well as those by both entities. Zakaria, who before this incident appeared to be a great journalist with valuable insight, deserves a second chance.

He should not be fired and certainly not be used as a scapegoat for an industrywide problem. Yes, Zakaria is completely at fault for borrowing, without attribution, from a piece in The New Yorker, but he is by no means the only one culpable. It was a failure of not just Zakaria but the journalism industry evolving in this digital age.

We expect more from Time, CNN and the mainstream media as a whole. There is an expectation that articles go through standard editing and fact-checking processes: How is it that this was not caught? How many other people out there are plagiarizing and not getting caught?

This failure is one of several of late that goes far beyond Zakaria and Time Warner, the conglomerate that owns CNN and Time. A writer with The New Yorker resigned on July 30 after a series of plagiarism incidents. When the Supreme Court delivered its ruling on President Obama’s health care law, both CNN and Fox News, in a rush to deliver the news first, initially reported that the individual mandate was struck down.

Journalists need to take a deep breath and slow down. It’s not about being first — it’s about being right. Only in extreme cases does breaking news a few minutes before a competitor make any significant difference. A well-researched, original article is undoubtedly superior to a hastily written but earlier-published one, plagiarism or not. And laziness should never be accepted when fastidiousness is a viable option.

Part of being a journalist is questioning the ethics of others, whether it be heads of state or a face on the street. It is therefore essential that journalists hold themselves to the highest ethical standard. Plagiarism delegitimizes news, and a journalism industry with integrity is a must in society.

The fact that anyone can get caught plagiarizing is a lesson for students as well. The consequences for plagiarism here at UC Berkeley are especially harsh and can be detrimental to future academic and professional endeavors.

Don’t take the lazy, easy way out — not in school, not in journalism. Not at all.

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