In contrast to the shadow cast over the UC Berkeley’s cultural diversity and unity, students joined together last night to light candles in remembrance of the victims of the recent Mumbai terrorists attacks. While you grab your pencil-topper globe to figure out where exactly Mumbai is, know that the guy sitting next to you in lecture may have been directly affected by these killings. Crazy stuff.
Students of all cultures, colors, religions, shapes and flavors attended the vigil at Upper Sproul, providing moral support for fellow classmates whose friends were killed and yet other students who call Mumbai home. Our hearts go out the the students and families affected by this tragedy.
Image Source: Whirling Pheonix under Creative Commons
Students Hold Vigil On Campus For Mumbai Victims [Daily Cal]
Berkeley Mourns Mumbai Terrorist Attacks [Berkeley Daily Planet]
UC Berkeley researchers ran a study comparing kids of different socioeconomic status. It seems that the little Richie Riches are showing more brain development in the prefrontal cortex than the young poorer folk.
The prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain that deals with all kinds of decision making, including your inhibitions that keep you from being too socially-awkward. Robert Knight, director and psychology professor, suggests that kids of low-income families are not exercising their brain functions well enough because they are missing out on things like trips to the museum and games (games, huh?). Mommy, feed my brain!
That’s not to say that a hearty education must be coupled with the big bucks. However, Knight also points out that brain development is affected by health conditions and environment stress factors. These kids just can’t catch a break!
Image Source: Swami Stream under Creative Commons
UC Berkeley: Brain Difference Between Rich, Poor Kids [KCBS]
Happy AIDS day to you,
Happy AIDS day to you,
Happy AIDS day, Happy AIDS day…
OK, that was a little morbid. However, we received word that today is, in fact, a day to raise awareness for a notorious disease which is making a name for itself as one of the most “destructive epidemics” in known history.
After a quick glance at the history of World AIDS Day, we knew that such a progressive movement begged for Berkeley involvement. We were right, naturally. Check it out. San Francisco is joining in on the fun as well.
Of course, HIV and AIDS aren’t just fun and games (duh). The Berkeley Free Clinic offers free STD testing to all men; for more information and services regarding HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, check out the Tang Center or a city clinic of your choice.
In other news, after getting tested for STD’s, pick up a flu shot for as low as $5 today. Right now. Go.
Image Source: littledan77 under Creative Commons
The fact that we’ve been getting more and more student questionnaires via email asking us about our trends in suicidal thoughts has been mildly unsettling, but it may just be Tang looking out for us. They’re upping their services in response to increased counseling service visits per year (now more than 14,500). They’re also just in time for finals (the season of stressing) and winter (also not so good).
So if you’re feeling the gray hairs growing out, the worry wrinkles settling in or the blood pressure climbing off the charts, drop in on the Tang Center and find a peer or professional–whatever you’re into. Apparently, taking care of your mental health is the cool thing to do nowadays.
On a more serious note, if you need help, talk to someone. Anyone. It’ll be worth your time.
Image Source: Hamed Saber under Creative Commons
Tang Center Increases On-Campus Presence of Counseling Services [Daily Cal]
UC Berkeley professor Christina Romer was announced yesterday to be the head of the President-elect’s Council of Economic Advisors. Romer is credited for her skillz in the Great Depression, a trait which Obama believes will help our country in this time of economic uh-oh’s.
Did we mention that this Team Obama add-on is a package deal? read more »
UC Berkeley professor Patricia Buffler is looking for potential culprits for autism, a disease which affects 1 in every 150 children in the United States. Her research, however, is not geared towards genetics or the baby’s development in the mommy’s pregnant belly–for Buffler, it’s what’s on the outside that counts.
Buffler is checking out dust in air samples and keeping an inventory of household chemicals in search of a correlation between these and autism. Unfortunately for Californians, we seem to be setting up camp in one of their leading suspects.
Does this mean autism may be caused by airborne somethings or invading DNA mutators? It sounds like a microscopic alien horror movie. Creepy!
Image Source: skampy under Creative Commons
Researchers try to solve mystery of autism [InsideBayArea]
Ideas are flying left and right for how to get our UC system out of its current financial rut. Our chancellor has a couple of his own up his sleeve: raise and lower student fees according to the financial need of each respective campus.
The University of California Board of Regents traditionally imposes equal tuition for undergrads across all nine UC campuses (currently $6,571 per year). If Chancellor Birgeneau’s idea were to be set into motion, each campus would be allowed to raise or lower said asking price by 25 percent.
He writes in his proposal (titled “Access and Excellence”) several upshots to his propositions. Among these: provide incentive for students to attend UC campuses aren’t exactly first in preference for students (as these campuses would lower their student tuition) and provide sufficient funding for the schools to which students flock like madmen (i.e., UC Berkeley. Represent!). Additionally, Chancellor Birgeneau predicts that any gap between top tier UC campuses and leading private schools will be made smaller once our campuses are better funded.
Well, duh. read more »
Hurrah for a night of legitimized barbarism and college fun! Berkeley’s finest clappers will be hosting the traditional Big Game Bonfire Rally, and we hear it’s supposed to be hot stuff (hah). We love fires. A lot.
This night is so huge that one online encyclopedia felt the need to define it. It’s also not so huge that Wikipedia felt no need to define it. Jerks.
What: Big Game Bonfire Rally
Where: Greek Theatre
When: Friday, Nov. 21 at 7:00 p.m., doors open at 6:00 p.m.
Cost: Free, no ticket required read more »
First it’s Styrofoam, then helium balloons (by the way, we’re still waiting for details about this … does anyone have any info?); next on the Berkeley City Council’s ‘naughty’ list are plastic bags. Shortly thereafter, Berkeley will witness an explosion of: A) trendy totes, B) paper sacks or C) a plastic-orthodox counter-revolution.
We predict the city council’s next victim to be the infamous water bottle, for one reason or another.
Meanwhile, as the Berkeley City Council busy themselves with concerns for the environment, future generations and the like, the Clog wonders what is to become of our Berkeley bums when “plastic bags” join “food” and “shelter” on their Christmas lists.
Image Source: Sam Felder under Creative Commons, edited by April Isabel Angeles
Environmental Concerns Prompt Plastic Bag Ban Proposal for Berkeley [Daily Cal]
OK, maybe that was a bit of an overstatement, but with Google’s launch of video chat and Flu Trends we cannot help but rejoice. Judge us all you want for trusting Google to predict our personal health patterns. And, dear Google, how did you know that we wanted to make faces at our friend online as we sought a distraction from a yawn-fest of a lecture? (Related: Why type your friend a Facebook message, when you can give ‘em a better visual? Update: Wall post videos are possible as well).
We’ve dished the dirt on the our favorite and not-so-favorite Google goodies and have even regarded Google as beacon of morality. Now we sit and wonder what other of our personal needs Google has yet to fulfill: global peace, personal hygiene, mid-day snack attacks…
Tell us your opinion: What should Google come up with next?
Image Source: berbercarpet under Creative Commons
Official Google Blog [Web site]
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