UCSB Lands on Another Top Party Schools List

Princeton Review thinks we’re the number 10 party school in the nation. Playboy, on the other hand, deemed us worthy of just 12th place earlier this year. Who are we to believe?!

According to the recently released results from the Princeton Review survey, Gauchos also made the grade by coming in 9th for “Reefer Madness” and ranking 20th for “Lots of Hard Liquor.”

“Reefer Madness?” Really? That’s so hip, Princeton Review.

As for our more scholarly pursuits, we’re on the Best Western Colleges and Best 371 Colleges lists. But no one cares about that, right? Click more to check out the full list of the so-called top party schools. (more…)

Obama’s Beer Summit a Farce

The woman who called the police when she witnessed Harvard scholar Henry Gates and his cab driver breaking into Gates’ own home did not mention their being black in the 9-1-1 call. The police officer who arrived at the scene did not go in thinking, Okay, I’m looking for two black suspects, and here’s a black guy inside the house, he must be one of the guys. Rather, it was Gates himself who introduced racism into the incident by accusing the officer of being racist for simply doing his job, and even rudely brought the officer’s mother into the discussion. He could have ended the situation simply by producing his driver’s license, and saying, Officer, this is who I am, I live here, I got locked out and had to break in. Maybe if the officer arrested Gates after he had done that, and maybe if Gates had not been so rude and confrontational, would I then be alarmed by his arrest. But no; Gates, although he broke no laws, was the one who acted stupidly, to use the word our president used to describe the police department’s actions.

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Real World: California

SACRAMENTO - College students are not the only ones who procrastinate.

If you’ve been following the California budget crisis, you’ll know that the state legislature recently resolved the $26.3 billion gap in the state’s budget. When it finally came time to solve the problem—meaning to vote—the legislature did what most college students do: They stayed up all night.

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London: Want to Get Away?

LONDON - Samuel Johnson was right.

“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”

And he was just talking about the 1700s.

I’ve lived here for a few months of my life now, and I am never at a loss for something to do. In fact, there’s almost too much to do – when I end up leaving in a few weeks, I feel there will be a million things left on my list. This past weekend I did finally make it to my number 1-must see-can’t go home without visiting London site – St. Paul’s Cathedral. Definitely worth it, and I’m kicking myself for never having gone before.

But even with the literally endless options of tourist attractions, bars, clubs, restaurants, plays, musicals, etc. (you get the picture), sometimes it’s time for a break from city life.

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Dubai and Ghana: First Impressions

After a 15.5 hour flight from SFO, I arrived in Dubai. We had only 12 hours there, which included the many hours it took sorting out our issues with the hotel. Most of the students going to Ghana arranged to take the group flights, which included stay at a 4 star hotel in Dubai. Unfortunately, we had no information on where to go, where the hotel really was, or how we should go about checking into our rooms. Needless to say, the first hours off of the plane were pretty stressful.

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The Only Option That Makes Sense

Recently, both the House of Representatives and the Senate released details of their health care reform plans, and thankfully they have included, among other things, a government-run health care option. And you know what that means: It’s time for some Republican fearmongering!

It’s socialized medicine! A bureaucrat will be in charge of your healthcare! Higher taxes! Lions! Tigers! Bears! House Minority Leader and spray tan enthusiast John Boehner even went so far as to claim that the new plan will ruin the best health care in the world. Really? The best health care in the world? On what grounds could the opponents of health care base this claim?

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Oh, Mama! I’m going to Ghana!

So, why did you decide to go to Ghana?

Nearly every single time I have told someone I’m going to West Africa for a semester, I get this question. Sometimes it sparks from genuine wonder and occasionally, from the more adventurous, jealousy. More often that not, it has tinge of bewilderment and even dismay.

I suppose it’s hard for people to understand why I want to go to a place where UNICEF estimated in 2007 that 260,000 people live with AIDS, a place where sexism and gender inequality is a way of life, a place where running water is inconsistent, a place where I will spend the first two weeks trying to adjust to the blistering heat and humidity, and a place where malaria is prevalent.

Many of my friends are traveling to Europe with EAP and I think that they will also embark on fantastic, life-changing journeys of their own. However, I’m looking for a different experience. (more…)

Sotomayor Fails on Merit

During the confirmation hearings for judge Sonia Sotomayor, Senator Schumer gave a lovely speech about how America is a land where anyone can rise from poverty to the highest levels of success regardless of race, color, sex, or creed. His words were quite touching for me, as they very much echoed my own sentiments, and touched upon one of the reasons that I personally so love this great land. In this nation, neither one’s caste, one’s race, one’s class, nor one’s gender are certain determinants of their success, and—in theory, at least—all are given an equal chance to realize their potential. Not all succeed, but then again, not all people have the same levels of skill and intelligence necessary to become the CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation, or become supreme court justice. What matters is not the equality of results, which would be impossible unless every individual was exactly the same and raised in the exact same circumstances, but that each individual is the master of their own destiny, and, if they choose to do so, can realize the full extent of their potential.

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