Volume 8, Issue 4 by The Bottom Line (UCSB)

The Catalyst Returns

Wavves Rocks The Hub

Features / 3

A&e/ 6

THE

@tblucsb / thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu UCSB’s Weekly Student-Run Newspaper

Associated Students, UC Santa Barbara | Volume 8, Issue 4 | Oct. 30 - Nov. 5, 2013 Stanley wants to know: How could UCSB and Isla Vista’s Halloween weekend policies be improved? Submit your answers to bottomlineucsb@gmail.com

‘STOP THE SHAME’ RALLY MARCHES AGAINST SEXUAL VIOLENCE

Photo by Benjamin Hurst | Staff Photographer ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Take Back The Night marched through campus on Tuesday, Oct. 29, to promote awareness of sexual violence during Halloween weekend in Isla Vista. Look for full coverage of the event at thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu.

iV BeAT RePoRT Halloween 2013: Law, Order Loom Over Celebrations by Giuseppe Ricapito IV BEAT REPORTER Halloween in Isla Vista can only mean that debauchery and decadence once again reign over the streets. Isla Vista’s total nightly population can balloon to more than a 25,000 during the holiday weekend, so an increased police presence has been mandated as a counterpoint to the depravity set to run rampant. In order to counter the inﬂux of visitors, Isla Vista essentially falls into partying martial law. But under the threat of incarceration or ticketing, students can utilize common-sense strategies to keep out of trouble. “The main way to stay out of trouble, especially as far as with the law, is to avoid the Big Three,” said External Vice President of Local Affairs Alex Moore. “The highest number of arrests comes from drunk in public, minor in possession of alcohol, and open containers.” The Festival Ordinance is in effect from Saturday, Oct. 26, until Monday, Nov. 4, which means a ban on music audible outside a personal residence between the hours of 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. Road closures — on the 65 through 67 blocks of Del Playa and Sabado Tarde; the 65 block of Trigo, El Nido, and at the IV Loop; as well as portions of Camino Pescadero, Camino del Sur, and El Embarcadero — essentially creates a police boundary cordoning off automobile traffic on the beachside swath of Isla Vista. Though the official expectation is “Keep it Local! Keep it Safe!,” few students will be shutting their doors on visiting friends at the behest of Festival Ordinance guidelines. With this in mind, Moore recommended that students should simply “Be a good peer” while out on the streets. His viewpoint suggests that working as a community can achieve a universally positive Halloween experience. “Being a good human being is a great way to help out your fellow students and prevent any safety problems,” said Moore. Robin Unander, an advising attorney at the Legal Resource Center in Isla Vista, suggested that the way to avoid arrests or citations is by complying with the weekend’s ordinances. “There’s essentially zero tolerance, so there’s no tolerance from the police to give a warning,” said Unander. Moore expanded further on the Halloween zero-tolerance policy. “During our public forums a lot of police officers have stressed [that] Halloween is really kind of zero tolerance,” said Moore. “They don’t take the same amount of time to give a warning, per se. They’re giving a ticket, then moving on.” Around 200 police officers will be keeping their eyes on the swarms of costumed students during the Festival Ordinance. Though some of the officers are from the local IV Foot Patrol or Santa Barbara Sheriffs, Unander explained that the event required the bussing in of even more officers, with paid overtime,

See HALLOWEEN | Page 2

AS BeAT RePoRT

Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer A LOOK INSIDE: The Gaucho Certified Farmers Market officially opens today, Oct. 30. Check out photos of its debut last week outside San Rafael Residence Hall on page four.

UNUSED MEAL SWIPES TO BE RECYCLED BY ON-CAMPUS ORGANIZATION Kelsey Knorp AS BEAT REPORTER

tudents with a meal plan from Housing & Residential Services at University of California, Santa Barbara can, as of Monday, Oct. 28, donate their excess swipes through an on-campus program that will reallocate the swipes to those in need, both on campus or elsewhere in the Santa Barbara community. The program, which was piloted last year as Swipes for the Houseless, is undergoing some structural changes that the founders, second-year psychology major Shannon Mirshokri and third-year sociology and psychology major Ali Guthy, feel will enhance its ability to both give back to the student body and provide for the local houseless population. At a meeting with Associate Vice Chancellor Marc Fisher on Friday, Oct. 18, Mirshokri and Guthy were given a 1,000-swipe quarterly collection cap for the program as well as the ability to choose how many of those swipes would be donated back to students through the Associated Students Food Bank and how many would be translated to a monetary value for the purpose of feeding the houseless. “Am I totally satisfied with it?” Guthy said in reference to the quarterly cap. “I feel like there’s room to grow in the future.” However, both founders expressed gratitude at having received a significant increase from the caps implemented for last year’s pilot program, which had been 75 swipes for Winter quarter and 100 for Spring. The two have decided to allocate 70 percent of the first 1,000 swipes collected to students, with 30 percent going to houseless aid. These swipes will be collected during the remainder of Fall quarter and distributed during winter. Necessary adjustments to the proportion will be made based on the results of this initial strategy. “We have a lot of different ideas from administration and from the student body, and we’re just trying to figure out what’s best,” Mirshokri said. “We’re trying to work internally first.” Students wishing to acquire donated swipes through the

program must first apply to determine whether they meet certain criteria decided upon by the program’s leaders. Qualifying students will receive a designated need-based number of swipes per quarter, which they can redeem using vouchers provided by the organization. “This would be a really good additional [resource] where students in need can be able to get food from the dining commons [instead of the food bank],” Guthy said. “[We’re] able to repurpose swipes in a way that fits those students as well.” Those swipes allocated to feeding the houseless will be used in a variety of ways. During last year’s pilot program, they were translated into raw materials for sack lunches, which were then given to Casa Esperanza, a homeless shelter in downtown Santa Barbara. Future swipes collected will still be assigned a monetary value (of around $2.30), but the funds will be used to purchase nonperishable goods from Costco to be donated both to Casa Esperanza and to other more local houseless causes as well. Guthy also alluded to a potential collaboration with the Isla Vista 7-Eleven to help distribute its leftover inventory to the local houseless population. “The original name of our program was Swipes for the Houseless, so we want to make sure that we’re still reaching out to that community and helping them to the best of our ability,” Guthy said. The organization began tabling to collect swipes on Monday during lunch and dinner and will continue to do so through Wednesday, by which point it will have covered all four dining commons. This schedule will continue through week eight of the quarter, with the goal that the 1,000-swipe quota will be met by then. According to the organization’s vice president, second-year global studies major Katie Shea, it is because of the way Housing & Residential Services has set up the meal plans that the swipes must be collected early in the week. “Based on some algorithm, they plan on each student only using 12.2 meals, so by giving us an extra swipe they’d be losing money or food they weren’t planning on using,” Shea said.

See SWIPES | Page 2

Photo by Margarita Baliyan | The Bottom Line

“We have to consider all the students we represent,”said second-year political science major and on-campus AS Senator Nikki Calderon. “There are still some students that are upset because the no conﬁdence resolution didn’t pass.”

AS Senate Considers New Resolution Regarding Undocumented Students by Kelsey Knorp AS BEAT REPORTER During the Associated Students Senate Meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 23, Senate tabled “A Resolution Backing the Undocumented Community and Demands to UC System” and passed both “A Resolution in Support of Lighting on the Lagoon” and “A Resolution to Fund the On-Campus Senator Forum, ‘Turkey Talk.’” The first resolution seeks to address concerns that have persisted after the Senate’s failure last week to pass “A Resolution in Support of Undocumented Students and Immigrant Communities,” which included a contentious “no confidence” clause regarding University of California President Janet Napolitano that prevented it from receiving necessary votes. The new resolution, authored by On-Campus Senators. Nikki Calderon and John Pena-Soriano, was received with some criticism, even from those who supported the original failed resolution regarding Napolitano and the concerns of marginalized groups. Off-Campus Sen. Beatrice Contreras, who co-authored the earlier resolution, cited some of the new resolution’s content as misleading. “There were some additions to the resolution that were very unclear,” Contreras said. “Not all of those demands came from [other] UC campuses; there were some that came just from our campus. So that was kind of unclear.” Other senators expressed feelings of hesitation as well, pointing out ﬂaws in language and structure. One prevailing

See SENATE | Page 2

The Bottom Line | Oct. 30 - Nov. 5

News

–HALLOWEEN

[[

Continued from page 1

to handle the size and scope of the weekend Both were booked for obstructing a pomandate. lice officer and resisting arrest. They spent the She noted that the local officers “know how night in the Santa Barbara County Jail. to work with students,” but the cops “that don’t Hernandez, who is only 5 ft. tall, claims, “inhave any kind of regular exposure to IV…are timidation was obviously a big tactic” for the probably the ones that are not necessarily the Isla Vista and jail officers, even though “she best to be out there enforcing things.” wasn’t a threat.” She spoke on multiple issues Unander maintained that students should be of mistreatment and verbal abuse. aware of the increased police presence. “It was explicitly very unethical…if we could “It’s not call someone we the job [of would probably the cops] to call 911, but we “During our public forums be nice,” said were in jail,” said a lot of police officers have Unander. Hernandez. “And a lot of Bello acstressed [that] Halloween is times, they knowledged that really kind of zero tolerance... aren’t. And she “doesn’t like They don’t take the same if they aren’t, feeling victimtypically ized,” but felt amount of time to give a it’s because obligated to warning, per se. They’re givthey’re not speak out on ing a ticket, then moving the normal the controversy. guys working “Their on.” out here.” methodolog y — Alex Moore, external vice A police is flawed,” said president of local affairs officer was Hernandez. not available “That raises for comment on the Festival Ordinance, but concern for us because we don’t know how informational packets available at the Isla Vista often they do it, to who else they do it and how Foot Patrol office provide safety tips, parking many cases go unheard of because they’re information, and an itemized list of fines for brushed under the carpet.” the various citations common to Halloween Unander seemed to indicate that the situaweekend. tion was not particularly unique. Shedding light on the seemingly duplicitous “I’m not commenting on whether she was behavior of police on Halloween weekend, lawfully incarcerated or not, but I don’t doubt Unander acknowledged, “I hear also a lot of that she feels that she was unlawfully appreabuses by law enforcement.” hended,” said Unander On the night of Oct. 12, at the corner of Speaking on the Halloween weekend, Seville Road and Camino Pescadero, Isla Vista Unander stated that though certain police residents Jocelin Hernandez and Ofelia Bello action may not be entirely justified, students claim they were aggressively handled by the should not expect special or gentle treatment. Foot Patrol and arrested for unclear reasons. “Because there is such a heightened sensitivFollowing a “verbal altercation” (in which ity and zero tolerance by law enforcement at Hernandez and Bello were not involved) in this time of the year, the cops don’t care,” said the street, officers arrived and promptly hand- Unander “If you break an arm, that’s bad. But cuffed Hernandez, who was attempting to if they leave some bruises, they don’t care as leave the scene. long as they accomplish their goal, which is to Each of them claims to have been sober maintain order.” — they even remember going as far as to ask The only sure-fire way to stay out of for a Breathalyzer test (which was denied) to trouble is to avoid potentially incarceratory be put on record. Video and audio footage de- situations, but within the fermenting cluster picts an emotionally heightened event; through of flowing alcohol, drug use, and street fights, the voices and streetlight-blotted darkness Bel- anyone can get caught in the crossfire. The lo can be heard in the background yelling at official UCSB Halloween website provides the officers, “She wasn’t doing anything, she a section on “Knowing Your Rights.” If stuwas just standing there! You threw her on the dents keep their wits about them, this essential fucking floor!” knowledge could end up their saving grace.

STAnLeY SAYS

Halloween is a trying time for storks. You people can stroll down DP in whatever getup you like, but as a stork, I can’t sport any costume without people guessing that it involves my being a stork. For instance, last year I tried to dress up as a sexy firefighter, and people kept guessing that I was dressed up as a stork dressed up as a sexy firefighter. Yeah, no. I’m just a stork in a sexy costume. And the mess! Storks can’t eat candy. Storks also can’t eat candy wrappers, empty alcohol bottles, and other trash items, so please try not to kill us off this year. Happy Halloweek!

–SWIPES

For this reason, swipes must be donated preemptively so that the dining commons can plan supplies accordingly. This policy also requires students to plan ahead of time how many meals they will use that week, and students with unlimited meals each week are ineligible as donors.

Photographers: this issue Margarita Baliyan, John Clow, Benjamin Hurst, Lorenzo Basilio Illustrators: this issue Beth Askins, Hector Lizarraga, Amanda Excell, Silvia Quach The Bottom Line is sponsored by the Associated Students of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Opinions expressed in TBL do not necessarily represent those of the staﬀ, AS, or UCSB. Published with support from Generation Progress/Center for American Progress (genprogress.org). All submissions, questions or comments may be directed to bottomlineucsb@gmail.com or content.tbl@gmail.com.

The Bottom Line provides a printed and online space for student investigative journalism, culturally and socially aware commentary, and engaging reporting that addresses the diverse concerns of our readership and community. This is your community to build, share ideas, and publicize your issues and events. We welcome your questions, comments, or concerns at bottomlineucsb@gmail.com, or call our oﬃce phone at 805893-2440.

Continued from page 1

Photo by Margarita Baliyan | The Bottom Line

AS Senate voted to table “A Resolution in Support of Undocumented Students and Immigrant Communities”until next week. Several senators voiced concerns over the bill’s “misleading title”and late submission. cause for uncertainty among the senators was the lack of support for the resolution via public forum, which had been an inﬂuential factor in the Oct. 9 discussion of the initial Napolitano resolution. Eventually Calderon motioned to table the resolution, an action that Collegiate Sen. Ali Guthy and On-Campus Sen. Colton Bentz endorsed. It was ultimately decided that the resolution would be tabled and discussed again at the next meeting. “A Resolution in Support of Lighting on the Lagoon” was authored by On-Campus Sen. Kimia Hashemian as part of her continued effort to implement more light fixtures alongside the lagoon for purposes of student safety. Its passage will allow her to continue the process of working with the administration to put her plan into action. “That area is well-traveled at night, so [it would be] nice to have increased lighting and security there,” Guthy said.

The passage of “A Resolution to Fund the On-Campus Senator Forum, ‘Turkey Talk,’” also authored by Hashemian, will allow the on-campus senators the monetary resources to hold their public forum “Turkey Talk” as a means of reaching out to their constituents. The event will take place on Monday, Nov. 18, at Santa Rosa Hall. “Any and every on campus resident is encouraged to come to talk with us about any concerns they have, or how to get involved, or what projects they might want to work on,” Hashemian said. When Senate reconvenes on Wednesday, Oct. 30, to discuss “A Resolution Backing the Undocumented Community and Demands to UC System,” Contreras hopes to see more support vocalized by those the resolution would be benefitting. “If people come back in and say they’d like me to do this, I’d probably vote yes,” Contreras said. “I mean I’d like to vote yes.”

nATionAL BeAT RePoRT

HEALTH CARE SITE EXPERIENCES SEVERE GLITCHES

TBL 2013-2014 Staﬀ

Writers: this issue James Shevelin, Julia Frazer, Giuseppe Ricapito, Kelsey Knorp, Allyson Werner, Evelin Lopez, Ivy Kuo, Chris Ortega, Mimi Liu, Julian Levy, Sam Goldman, Travis Taborek, Anumita Kaur, Cindy Chan

While many aspects of the program will stay ﬂexible for some time to come, the mission at the heart of its endeavors remains the same. “The point is that we have these swipes,” said Guthy. “Now we can use them however the students see fit.”

–SENATE

Illustration by Beth Askins | Layout Editor

Continued from page 1

Photo Courtesy | thewhitehouse.gov by Allyson Werner NATIONAL BEAT REPORTER Controversy over the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and its accompanying website has plagued Congress since the federal government reopened for business after a two week hiatus. The new online marketplace for health insurance, HealthCare.gov, is experiencing a wide array of technological glitches due to the overwhelming number of people trying to access the website. Many users have been unable to apply for new, affordable health insurance. “The Marketplace is where you can apply and shop for affordable new health insurance choices,” said President Obama on Saturday during his weekly address. “Ultimately, the easiest way to buy insurance in this Marketplace will be a new website, HealthCare.gov.” According to the New York Times, almost 20 million people have visited HealthCare. gov since it opened Oct. 1. It is stipulated that online enrollment will last six months, until March 31, 2014. Jeffrey D. Zients, the troubleshooter for this project, said more than 90 percent of users were able to create accounts, but only three out of 10 were able to complete the application process. Furthermore, insurance executives say they are still receiving incomplete and inaccurate data.

For months, the Obama Administration referred to HealthCare.gov as the best way to purchase insurance, hoping to appeal to the younger tech-savvy generation; however, due to these technical glitches, Obama now stresses that Americans can still apply for insurance over the telephone. “We’ve updated HealthCare.gov to offer more information about enrolling over the phone, by mail, or in person with a speciallytrained navigator who can help answer your questions,” said Obama. The home page of HealthCare.gov used to have one button that read, “Apply now.” The button initiated the online application process. The website now has two options: “Apply online” and “Apply by phone.” “Insurance plans don’t run out,” Obama said. “They’re not going to sell out. They’ll be available through the marketplace throughout the open enrollment period. The prices that insurers have set will not change. So everybody who wants insurance through the marketplace will get insurance, period.” The ACA comes into full effect Jan. 1, 2014, and, as a result, many Americans will lose insurance plans that do not meet the requirements of the new law. Unfortunately, registering for replacement insurance may become difficult with the website malfunctioning. The Obama administration told press that HealthCare. gov would be fixed and fully functioning by Nov. 31; however, according to the New York Times, people generally must sign up by Dec. 15 for coverage that takes effect on Jan. 1, leaving a limited window for those with expiring insurance plans. Policy-makers have already begun contemplating solutions to enrollment delays. One option is to extend the six-month enrollment period. Another is to defer penalties for Americans that do not have insurance. Despite the controversy over HealthCare. gov, Obama continues to defend his health care legislation. “The site has been visited more than 20 million times so far,” said Obama. “Nearly 700,000 people have applied for coverage already. That proves just how much demand there is for these new quality, affordable health care choices.”

THE BOTTOM LINE IS A PROUD MEMBER OF

Our web magazine offers hard-hitting journalism, analysis, and multimedia on issues of the greatest concern to young people; gives young writers, reporters, artists, and others the chance to publish nationally; and builds a community of progressives interested in issues, ideas, and activism.

The Bottom Line | Oct. 30 - Nov. 5

Features

Questions with

Francisco Escobedo UCSB Student and Small Business Owner

by Evelin Lopez

Q: What did you hope to accomplish once your t-shirt business, Aviators Airlines, began? A: The whole idea began in high school when I was in art class and my friend wanted to start a business. He came up with the idea and I went along with it. I really liked drawing and painting so I figured it would be a good idea to go into the t-shirt business. The main goal we started with was that we wanted to put art out there. So it’s kind of like spreading art designs as well as the importance behind the design. We try not to be another t-shirt company that just prints words on a t-shirt. We have pieces that send messages. On the Aviators Airlines Facebook page we have the design posted with a sub-caption with the meaning behind the design. It is to spread information. Our first design was for the earthquake that hit Japan in 2011. Some of the money that we made was donated to Japan. That was what jump started our business. Q: How long did the preparations take in order to open the business? A: It took us a couple of months to come up with the money to buy all the t-shirts and designs since it was all from our pockets. To make a t-shirt with the design, depending on how many colors we ordered, would be around $5 to $10. We would sell the t-shirts for $15,

but after that everything came quick and we started making more t-shirts and then we kind of stopped when we graduated high school. Once we graduated high school we all moved to different schools and it became harder to communicate and keep the business going. Although we have not been as active as before we still have been printing more shirts and creating new designs in hopes of starting up again. Q: Can the t-shirts be purchased online? A: No, not yet. At first we had a Facebook page and people could see the designs on there and they would tell us since it was within our city. We also had costumers from our school and then we started to try to expand and we got some stores to buy some but we never had anybody to make a website for us. So I am taking a class right now to try to figure that out. Since I can draw, I am very good with Photoshop and the graphics will not be a problem. Q: How are you planning to expand and promote your business? A: We are trying to recruit more people since there are only three of us. I’m in charge of pretty much all the arts stuff. The creative side of the business. My co-partner Anthony Vargas, who goes to Cal State Long Beach, is in charge of the business and marketing aspect of it. Nick Frausto, another co-partner, is in charge of the expansion. So he’s talking to stores trying to figure out where it is

Photo Courtesy | Francisco Escobedo cheapest to make the shirts. We are actually learning how to do it ourselves so we can kind of kill out the middle men as well as reduce the cost and make more profit. Q: What advice would you give to future entrepreneurs? A: Well, we had to start off small – so start

off small. We started off with only 50 shirts in the beginning. Once you build up a small reputation and collect enough funds maybe people will help you and donate money. We had some people say they were willing to donate before we stopped. If we start up again we already have the backup and support we need in order to expand Aviators Airlines.

Photo Courtesy | Natalie O’Brien

The Catalyst Magazine Makes an Innovative Return by Ivy Kuo

The Catalyst, a student-run literary arts magazine here at the University of California, Santa Barbara, is facing an exciting revival after its 2007 departure. The Catalyst’s website defines the word catalyst as “an agent that stimulates a reaction, development, or change,” and tidal waves of change is exactly what the innovative magazine will be bringing to the literary and arts world. “The Catalyst is a creative and academic bridge. It’s a new genre we’re trying to field,” said Natalie O’Brien, a third-year English major and editor-in-chief of the magazine. The Catalyst’s first quarterly issue, “Reactions,” will be released in January 2014. It will be a collaborative piece that primarily includes poetry, short stories, prose, illustrations, and photography. These student-submitted works of art will be handcrafted by the magazine’s layout editors into aesthetically pleasing collages. The Catalyst is shedding its old image as a magazine of purely black-and-white text by embracing vibrant photography paired with artistically written and creatively arranged essays. “I want it to be a book of art, a place that gives students the opportunity to make their work

visible to the world,” said O’Brien. “Reactions” will feature different mediums of writing, art, and photography that interrelate and work together. The issue is divided into various sections, each with its own artistic theme. The works of art not only respond to the topic but also correspond with one another. For example, you might find a student’s band lyrics next to a memoir created through a series of haikus, or you may read a poem written as a response to the photograph beside it. “Everything in this issue responds to something else,” said O’Brien. “That’s why it’s called ‘Reactions.’” Various genres of art meld together in this pioneering magazine, a culmination of numerous artistic and literary forms collaborating seamlessly. “We’re trying to draw from different communities to create a common ground where the artistic, creative, and literary minds can connect,” said O’Brien. However, The Catalyst isn’t limiting its impact on UCSB’s cultural scene to just the use of the printed word. It’ll be hosting the Reactions Film Festival, free to all students, on Thursday, Nov. 21, in IV Theater. The deadline for student submissions of films — pieces up to five minutes long that respond to the definition of “catalyst”

— is Nov. 8. There will also be a student art gallery, where student art can be submitted to be displayed and sold. The magazine will also be making its way into the digital world; the website, thecatalyst. ucsb.com, will soon be hosting an online bulletin board informing UCSB students of local arts and humanities events. The site will also boast a multimedia section featuring student bands and films. Currently, the website hosts the 15-page preview of “Reactions,” which O’Brien and Layout Editor Julia Marsh have put together to illustrate their vision. Whatever form of art you’re interested in, there’s no doubt that you can easily find an artistic endeavor that suits you: whether it’s picking up a free copy of the beautifully crafted art magazine at the launch party in January, attending the Reactions Film Festival, visiting the website, or submitting your own work online. The Catalyst provides an innovative presence in the the world of university magazines, as well as those of art, literature, and film. “The Catalyst is truly its own definition,” O’Brien said, proudly. “It’s making changes in the community and in people’s lives. A catalyst itself doesn’t transform, but it does change everything around it.”

Photography

fresh off the From their land to your kitchen: UCSB’s firstever on-campus Farmers Market opens for business.

Above: Friends’ Ranch Farmer offered samples at the farmers market. Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer

Local farmers, artisans, students, and community members convened Wednesday, Oct. 23, for UCSB’s first Gaucho Certified Farmers Ma and vegetables, bread, and fresh honey. The official opening is Wedn

Above: Underwood Family Farms presented an assortment of fruits and vegetables at the Gauch Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer

The Bottom Line | Oct. 30 - Nov. 5

Above: A farmer weighing cucumbers at the farmers market. Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer

Above: Market-goers buying and sampling bread. Photo by John Clow | Staff Photographer Left: Many students and locals attended UCSBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first official farmers market. Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer

farm

d at Lot 23 outside San Rafael Residence Hall arket. Among the wares were seasonal fruits nesday, Oct. 30, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

ho Certified Farmers Market.

Above: People eating oranges from the Friendsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ranch. Photo by John Clow | Staff Photographer

Right: Fresh organic beets were sold at the farmers market. Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer

Above: Fresh produce sold at farmers market. Photos by John Clow | Staff Photographer

Arts & Entertainment

The Bottom Line | Oct. 30 - Nov. 5

UCSB Rocks and Rides Out With Wavves by Chris Ortega

Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | The Bottom Line

Stephen Pope of Wavves rocking out at The Hub on Oct. 25, 2013. Can you think of any better way to spend a Friday night then at a rock show? What if you attended an institution regarded as the “second best party school in the nation” and it was the weekend before Halloween? Does live music still sound exciting? Well, it was. In a show sponsored by the Associated Students Program Board, the indie surf-rock band Wavves, along with opening act Cosmonauts, performed in The Hub at University of California, Santa Barbara this past Friday, Oct. 25. While the show didn’t draw a significantly large crowd, those that did attend were bestowed with great and lively music. As a whole, the show may not have been as crazy as a Halloween party in Isla Vista,

but the music and ambiance was just as intoxicating. Hailing from San Diego, Wavves is the recording project of guitarist Nathan Williams and bassist Stephen Pope, who play what can be described as “noise pop.” Combining elements of punk, surf, alternative, and psychedelic rock, Wavves has a high energy, fuzzed-out, lo-fi style that definitely translated to one frenetically fun show. The Cosmonauts are a garage/psychedelic rock band from Orange County, California. The four-piece band started the show on a sweet note. Playing laid back, melodic tunes, the band set an easy and chill mood for incoming attendees. The band was a surprise to hear. They are relatively unheard of, so I had assumed they were some random alternative band, but the Cosmonauts were actually quite good. To a certain extent, their sound is comparable to that of Real Estate and Oasis. The band wasn’t around for very long, as they only played about seven songs in a set that lasted roughly 35 minutes. Yet Cosmonauts provided an enjoyable contrast to Wavves’ loud and energetic set that followed. After the pleasant sounds of Cosmonauts, the restless crowd grew eager and started to cheer as Wavves began setting up. Once ready to perform, the band got into the mood right away and started with the track “Post Acid,” pleasing fans with its fast pace and loud, scratchy guitars. The ecstatic crowd was jumping around, vibing off the music and band’s energy. Wavves didn’t waste much time between songs and didn’t say much the entire set either. They only stopped to blurt song titles, as they weaved in and out of different songs and albums. Wavves primarily performed songs off their latest album “Afraid of Heights,” including the singles “Hippies is Punks” and “Demon to Lean On.” Other songs included were “Supersoaker,” “Life Sux,” and “Bug.” The San Diego natives also played “Nine is God,” a song which Williams stated was recorded for the Grand Theft Auto V soundtrack. Wavves ended with “Green Eyes,” a love ballad that allowed the band to slow down the pace, but with enough static and fuzz to go out on. In total, the band played about 19 songs in a set that lasted around 50 minutes. Despite the long set list, their songs were short and sweet, and the transitions between them brief. The set was certainly a pleasure to hear, but because their songs don’t have much variation in sound and composition, most of the songs blended together, making the set feel like one long song. It didn’t seem to matter to the crowd, though, as they rocked out the entire time. They even asked for an encore, but were unsuccessful in convincing the band. All things considered, the band delivered tight sounds that weren’t too far off from their recordings, and the show was definitely an alternative, fun way to spend a night in UCSB. Considering there was hair left on the floor afterward, it’s safe to say attendees very much enjoyed themselves to the music of Wavves.

The Book Thief:

ALBUM REVIEWS: Ryan Hemsworth’s Debut Album ‘Guilt Trips’ a Sullen Lullaby

Photo Courtesy | soundsstagedirect.com by Chris Ortega A self-proclaimed “Remix Ryan Gosling” and “Internet Zach Morris,” Ryan Hemsworth has a charming personality that shows in his music and latest album. After numerous high-profile EPs, singles, remixes, and artist collaborations, the ever-prolific producer and disc jockey Ryan Hemsworth released his debut album, “Guilt Trips,” this past week through Last Gang Records. Hemsworth proves his talent as a producer, as he successfully jumps from smaller releases to a full-length album that delivers a number of captivating songs. Described as “One of the best DJ’s with the worst names in the music industry right now” by fellow DJ/producer extraordinaire Diplo, Hemsworth is a 24-year-old DJ/producer from Halifax, Canada, who experiments with hiphop and electronic beats. He has provided beats for artists such as Antwon, Main Attrakionz, and 100s, to name a few, and impeccably remixed songs by artists such as Cat Power, Grimes, and Migos....

The Bottom Line: 9/10

Finally, Best Coast’s Patience for Singer’s Lover ‘Fades Away’

Bestselling Book Poised to Become Oscar-Worthy Film by Mimi Liu

“HERE IS A SMALL FACT: You are going to die...” This sentence leaps off the very first page of “The Book Thief,” a multiple-award-winning novel by Australian author Markus Zusak. Listed on the New York Times Best Seller list for over 230 weeks following its publication in 2005, “The Book Thief ” is a famous contemporary fiction novel concerning the Holocaust. This book has currently returned to its status as number one due to the publicity of an upcoming film adaptation to be released this November. Although I had already read this novel five years ago, I reread “The Book Thief ” in light of its upcoming cinematic release. The book, set in mid-20th century Germany in the years prior to and during World War II, follows 8-year-old Liesel Meminger and her interactions with her foster parents, her neighbors, and Max, a Jewish fist-fighter whom her family shelters in their basement. Liesel is taught how to read and write by her foster father, and “The Book Thief ” is the title of Liesel’s diary and of the novel itself. During the war, she reads to an elderly neighbor and to a group of people as they all hide in a basement bomb shelter. The value of words is seen on every single page. Words can change the world — and they have — whether it’s Hitler’s “Mein Kampf ” or Liesel’s own journal. At one point

Photo Courtesy | thelovedbook.com in the novel, she rips up a book in frustration, because she is angry, and rightfully so, at what the power of words has done to Germany. Uniquely, the story is narrated by Death himself, whose perspective sets a perfectly dark tone for the tale. However, he is far from the stereotypical apathetic grim reaper; he views the world with a sympathetic and sarcastic demeanor. For example, he likes to spend time looking at the colors of the sky whenever he collects souls. Zusak’s prose is lush and dark. He handles sensitive topics such as the Holocaust with gentle nuance and beautifully crafted

sentences. Every page holds something of worth: a unique metaphor, a certain phrasing, or a lovely description. In the last few pages of the book, Death says, “I am haunted by humans.” This book will stay with you for a very, very long time. I’ve long awaited the film adaptation, to be released Nov. 15. The marketing campaign is just starting up, and it’s impressed me already. “Imagine a world without words,” Liesel says in the movie trailer. And so it is, at least for the newest ad for the movie adaptation of “The Book Thief,” which ran in the New York Times. The ad consisted of two open blank pages, with just the URL “wordsarelife.com” at the very bottom, the movie site for “The Book Thief.” I was worried that the Hollywood hype would focus on marketing this story for revenue instead of staying true to the novel. After all, most young adult books such as “Harry Potter,” “The Hunger Games,” and “Twilight,” have a concrete audience and a guarantee to sell, especially since they can be read by a wide age group. And unfortunately, movie adaptations can only portray so much, leaving much to be desired. However, I don’t think that this will be the case with “The Book Thief.” Directed by Brian Percival and written by Michael Petroni, the film adaptation stars Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson as the adult leads, holding six Oscar nominations between them. The movie trailer is spectacular, and I have hope that the film will be just as good as the book.

Photo Courtesy | consequenceofsound.net by James Shevelin Best Coast’s latest extended play, entitled “Fade Away,” considers the themes of untimely love and bright, solitary California days, which ride on top of bubbly, swinging riffs. Throughout the course of seven brand new songs, Best Coast’s “Fade Away” is still depressing but more inspiring and fun. From Los Angeles, Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno make up Best Coast, a surf rock band reminiscent of 60s girl rock bands. The duo signed to Mexican Summer in 2010 after their lo-fi demos circulated the Internet; since then, they’ve cleaned up their sound, but not the content. Now, it’s been nearly a year and a half after the release of Best Coast’s last album, “The Only Place,” but the resting period in between albums has clearly been used by Cosentino for self-reflective purposes...

The Bottom Line: 8/10 Want to read the full reviews? Check them out at thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu.

Remembering Lou Reed

Lead Singer of the Velvet Underground Dies at 71 by Giuseppe Ricapito IV BEAT REPORTER News broke out that Lou Reed died at the age of 71 on Sunday morning, Oct. 27, only five months after receiving an emergency liver transplant. The death of the rock n’ roll legend came as a surprise to the music community. After canceling several shows and an appearance at last year’s Coachella, he emerged “stronger than ever” from his surgery, publicly announcing on his website that he was “a triumph of modern medicine, physics and chemistry.” He continued, “I look forward to being on stage performing, and writing more songs to connect with your hearts and spirits and the universe well into the future.” The Velvet Underground’s former front man has been referred to as the godfather of punk and the influential forerunner of alternative, garage, and new wave rock bands. From The Strokes and Nirvana to the Modern Lovers and Jesus & the Mary Chain, most modern bands are acolytes to the inventive, bound-breaking style of The Velvet Underground. Reed’s signature drawl of off-kilter, deadpan, and jabberwocky poetics developed into an iconic vocal style imitated by many but never exactly matched. Reed formed the avant-garde and prolific The Velvet Underground in 1965 with Welsh violinist John Cale. The band rose to local prominence in New York as the house band for Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable.

Their 1967 debut album, “The Velvet Underground & Nico,” (fronted with the iconic “Peel Slowly and See” banana pop art) is considered by rock historians to be one of the greatest albums of all time. Featuring the atonal German seductress Nico, the album features drug-binged, disillusioned classics such as “Run Run Run” and “Heroine.” This album also projects incredible sonic range in the charming “I’ll Be Your Mirror” and the glooming viola resonance of “Venus in Furs.” Subsequent records “White Light/White Heat” and “The Velvet Underground” pushed sonic boundaries even further, featuring classics such as the paranoiac love-epic “The Gift,” the hauntingly saccharine “Pale Blue Eyes,” and the mystic reverberation of “Here She Comes Now.” The Velvet Underground’s final album with Reed, the 1970s “Loaded,” features some of the band’s most radio-friendly hits, including “Sweet Jane” and “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’.” Reed later embarked on a successful solo career; his album “Transformer,” produced by David Bowie, featured the mysterious and absurdist “Satellite of Love,” the rollicking “Vicious,” and Reed’s only American Top 40 Hit, “Take a Walk on the Wild Side.” As indicated in his 11th studio album “The Blue Mask,” Reed embraced a sober lifestyle by the 1980s. Though receiving little commercial and artistic recognition in their musical heyday, The Velvet Underground revolutionized popular music for generations to come. Their fuzzed-out, frenetic

Photo Courtesy | Yarl guitar riffs and minimalist drones have become staple sounds for hard rock, psychedelic, and pop acts around the globe. Instead of leaving a mark on the musical and cultural zeitgeist, Lou Reed left a stain that can’t be ignored.

Science & Tech

The Bottom Line | Oct. 30 - Nov. 5

UCSB Researcher Tests Metacognitive Introspection in the Human Brain by Travis Taborek

“

In particular, one of the things that interests me a great deal is the higher levels of human cognition and consciousness, what makes human consciousness unique and this capacity to reﬂect on experience seems to be one of those things.

“

— Benjamin Baird, a fifth-year graduate student in UCSB’s Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences

Photo by Benjamin Hurst | The Bottom Line There is much that we have yet to understand about why the human brain works the way it does and how self-aware we are about the processes involved when reflecting on our experiences. Benjamin Baird, a fifth-year graduate student in University of California, Santa Barbara’s Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, has taken it upon himself to rectify this with his latest research. This research, which aims to measure the capacity of individuals to accurately reflect on and judge their own experiences, is made possible by the development of new techniques that facilitate the assessment of personal metacognitive ability in terms of memory and perception. “It really wasn’t known whether the capacity to accurately reflect on experience is something that generalizes across different types of domains, like memory and perception,” said Baird. “No one had done that before we started the study.” It had not been previously known whether one’s introspective

ability was relegated to a single part or function of the brain. A research project Baird recently undertook as a visiting student at the Max Planck Institute at Leipzig, Germany, examined the metacognitive abilities of 60 participating students at the institute through visual and word memory tests. Following the exams, each participant was asked to rate his or her own judgment in performing the tasks. After controlling for the participants’ individual performances of the tasks, the researchers found was that there was no existing visible correlation between an individual’s capacity to reflect on their memory and their capacity to reflect on their perception. The results were similar when Baird replicated the experiment on three groups of the same number of undergraduate UCSB students, according to the press release for the experiment. “There is no systematic relationship,” said Baird, “and the conclusion that can be drawn from this is that they are somewhat independent processes. So you can be good at reflecting on your per-

ception but not necessarily good on reflecting on your memory or vice versa.” Some of the follow-up research that Baird is currently undertaking deals with examining the connections between the anterior prefrontal cortex and the anterior singulate cortex. These two sections of the brain are associated with metacognitive ability and self-reflective awareness, as well as other distinctive features that are unique to human consciousness similar to that tested in the study. “What I’m interested in is human consciousness,” said Baird, discussing the ramifications of his research. “In particular, one of the things that interests me a great deal is the higher levels of human cognition and consciousness, what makes human consciousness unique and this capacity to reflect on experience seems to be one of those things. It’s an important and interesting question, how it is that the human brain came to support these different types of processes.”

‘Zombie’ CISPA Bill Resurrected for Third Time in Congress by Sam Goldman The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, the controversial bill that would allow tech companies to share more of their customers’ information with the federal government, has been revived in the United States Senate. The bill, which has been shelved and resurrected twice, eliminates legal barriers and adds legal protections for tech companies to share their customers’ Internet information with the government. According to Mother Jones, the current legislative draft mandates that this information can only be reported in emergency cases. According to The Hill, CISPA’s revival in the Senate is meant to be the counterpart to the House of Representative’s latest version of it. The bill passed the lower chamber in April, but died this summer in the Senate amid the sudden wave of privacy concerns generated by Edward Snowden’s National Security Agency leaks. The House’s version gave more leeway than the current Senate version to tech companies in terms of reporting customers’ private information, according to Mother Jones. NSA director Keith Alexander has been the latest big name to push for the bill’s revival. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) have taken up his request. Feinstein is the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is still in the process of drafting the legislation. The House’s version of CISPA has been supported by many of the tech giants that would be affected, including Verizon, Facebook, AT&T, and Microsoft, according to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and has generally been sponsored by more congressional Republicans than Democrats. Proponents believe CISPA is necessary to help prevent cyberIllustration by Silvia Quach | The Bottom Line

attacks and to keep the country safe, and they insist that people’s privacy will continue to be respected. “If we can't work with industry, if we can't share information with them, we can't stop [cyber-attacks],” said Alexander. Opponents on the other side, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the software community Mozilla, contend that the bill will only further promote privacy abuses and spying by the federal government, particularly by the controversial NSA. Internet activism generated dozens of petitions totaling hundreds of thousands of signatures in protest of the latest House version of the bill. Despite assurances from Feinstein that the new CISPA will not tolerate sharing “the communications and commerce of Americans,” opponents are still skeptical and point out that privacy issues have not yet been written out of this latest version, according to Mother Jones. “This summer has confirmed that any information that goes into the NSA will be shrouded by secrecy and there will be no oversight,” said ACLU legislative counsel Michelle Richardson. “Since this is a domestic issue, the NSA is more likely to get involved...and companies haven't provided concrete examples that they even need this legislation, especially when it's this broad.” With the implications of the Edward Snowden/NSA scandal still fresh in the minds of Americans, though, many are still skeptical of this latest revival making it out of Congress. At the moment, there is no set date to put the unfinished bill to a Senate vote.

Oculus Rift Aims to Revolutionize Virtual Reality Gaming

Illustration by Hector Lizarraga | The Bottom Line by Julian Levy Virtual reality gaming is back, and thanks to the Oculus Rift headset, it might be successful this time. Oculus Rift is a head-mounted display capable of producing an immersive virtual reality gaming environment. The device made its debut in August 2012 with a staggeringly successful Kickstarter campaign, raising over $2.4 million. Since then, it’s been steadily gaining recognition as a landmark piece of technology. It won the 2013 Game Critics award for best Hardware/ Peripheral and the 2013 Develop Awards Technical Innovation prize. Many titans of the gaming industry, such as Gabe Newell of Valve, and Dean Hall of DayZ, have endorsed the device as well. The Oculus Rift hardware currently exists as a developer’s kit, or devkit -- a solidly functioning prototype aimed to acclimate game programmers with the technology. A second generation of devkit with improved hardware is expected in the coming months and the consumer edition of the device is expected to launch near the end of 2014. The headset is currently in development by Oculus VR, an

Irvine based company founded by Palmer Luckey, a 20-yearold self-taught tinkerer who spent his teenage years collecting outdated virtual reality devices. According to Eurogamer, by dissecting his collection, Luckey realized that “...the only way to make something that was really good would be to throw out the design book that everyone else had used and start from scratch.” Oculus VR has grown well beyond the limits of a garage tinkerer’s expectations. The company recently gained $16 million in funding as well as the leadership of CTO John Carmack, one of the most well respected minds in video game hardware (and the mind behind the innovative “Doom” and “Quake” series). The Oculus Rift display works on the principle of stereoscopy, presenting two slightly offset images to each eye. The brain then blends these two images, creating an illusion of depth. The viewer receives a very wide field of view, so there’s almost no perceptible border to the image. To make the experience more dynamic, the headset is fitted with a set of motion sensors, coordinating the users’ head movements with what they see in the device -- turn left, see left, look down, see down, etc. With these basic principles the Oculus Rift is able to immerse the wearer in an unbounded virtual space.

One of the biggest obstacles that Oculus VR has yet to mount is the issue of motion sickness. In its current state of development, the display has been noted to cause nausea and disorientation in some users. This may be an inherent caveat of the technology, but Oculus VR CEO Brendan Iribe believes it’s simply a technical matter of upgrading the screen resolution and lowering image latency. “We are at the edge of bringing you no motion sickness content,” said Iribe at the 2013 Gamers Inside conference in San Francisco. It seems that the Oculus Rift will hit the ground running with a strong list of supported games. PC developers such as Valve and Mojang Studios have shown support for the headset with several titles, including “Team Fortress 2” and “Minecraft.” Epic Games has promised integrated support with its Unreal Engine, which could potentially open the doors for many other developers. Oculus has also released a software development kit to help more independent programmers create titles for the device. The Oculus Rift has been surround with praise and expectation since its introduction. Although the final product is expected to ship late next year, gamers are already salivating over the potential of true virtual reality.

Opinions

The Bottom Line | Oct. 30 - Nov. 5

How About Napolita-NO by Anumita Kaur The appointment of Janet Napolitano as the new University of California president has caused controversy and backlash across the state. During Napolitano’s time as the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, the U.S. experienced its largest number of deportations, with more than 1.5 million people being forced out of the country. Combine this with Napolitano’s lack of a background in education, and it makes sense that her appointment to head the UC system is widely contested by students across all the UC campuses. University of California, Santa Barbara students took action themselves, authoring and sponsoring a resolution to both state their demands of the new president and to express their collective “no confidence” in her. However, Associated Students Senate voted down this resolution to the dismay of many students, including myself. The appointment of Napolitano is not just an issue of who is able to fill the seat — she is now the face of a prestigious system. When this face has also been the architect behind mass deportations in recent years, we must be critical of the image and agenda she sets, as well as how it affects our communities of undocumented students. Linda Gonzales, a third-year and political science major and co-chair of IDEAS, an on-campus group offering resources and support for undocumented students, feels that Napolitano’s appointment signifies the UC system’s very values. “Is this what one of the greatest, most developed public school systems in the country has to offer its constituents? Is that what our Regents have to offer?” Gonzales said. “Appointing someone who stands for so much violence, separation, and pain; that’s what our school system validates apparently.” Placing someone that represents this “violence, separation, and pain” at the head of our schools sends a direct statement, even if it is unintentional, to the communities of undocumented students

PMDD Belongs in the DSM Julia Frazer STAFF WRITER

Illustration by Amanda Excell | The Bottom Line

Photo Courtesy | Flickr User The National Guard on this campus, and the other UC campuses. “Our tuition continues to rise, our scholarships continue to cover less and less of our charges,” Gonzalez said, “and now our own head of the UC, the person who is supposed to be the face of our population, is someone who has worked on devising ways to criminalize and deport us.” In this way, our own campus, meant to be conducive to learning and activism, becomes a battleground of hostility and uncertainty. UCSB students are not alone in feeling this way -- various other UC campuses, including UC San Diego, UC Irvine, and UC Berkeley, have expressed the same concerns and passed similar

bills in support of the undocumented community and in skepticism of Napolitano. However, even with the passing of resolutions on other campuses, the UC has a long way to go. If Napolitano is to be our UC President, we as students have a right to feel secure on our own campus, and we also have an obligation to support our marginalized peers. In the following month, Napolitano is making rounds to all the UC campuses. She plans to have visited all the campuses, including our own campus, by late November. Her visit to the UCSB campus is our chance to let our voices be heard.

Half of the population has probably been in this situation: laid up on the couch, chocolate ice cream in hand, probably crying from some touching TV commercial that involves a dog or maybe a baby. To make things worse, this pervasive phenomenon strikes the majority of women once a month for at least 30 years. Have you guessed what I’m talking about? Hint: it’s related to periods. For some women, the PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, symptoms that I described above seem like a cakewalk. The symptoms experienced by women with PMDD, or premenstrual dysphoric disorder, can cause significant impairment in their work life or home life. Luckily for these women, they no longer have to suffer in silence. PMDD has been oﬃcially recognized in the newest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The DSM is a tome compiled by experts in the field of psychology that sets out the standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders. In the previous version of the DSM, PMDD was categorized as provisional and placed in the appendix of the text due to a lack of adequate research. However, as the DSM-5 released a few months ago demonstrates, PMDD is now certifiably a mental disorder. The statistics here are staggering. According to various estimates, 5 to 8 percent of women suffer from PMDD, PMS’s meaner older cousin. To put the numbers in perspective, that’s between 15 and 25 million people in the United States alone who experience PMDD. Making this condition more visible and more treatable will improve the lives of millions of women. Sure, there will always be people who will take any excuse to talk down about women, but adding this to the DSM increases visibility to doctors, insurance companies, and peers. “It is complex to assess what the positive and negative outcomes for women may be with this diagnosis because women’s

experiences with menstrual health differ widely,” said Laury Oaks, a feminist studies professor at University of California, Santa Barbara. “For example, those women who have sought relief from extremely disruptive menstrual phrases, oﬃcial DSM-5 recognition and a diagnostic category acknowledges that the problem is ‘not all in her head.’” Women with PMDD are certainly not imagining their symptoms, or trying to garner sympathy for PMS, which affects 40 to 50 percent of women. The main distinguishing factor between PMDD and PMS is the involvement of a brain chemical called serotonin. Emotional symptoms include feelings of sadness or despair, anxiety, frequent mood swings, trouble focusing, and intense physical symptoms include bloating, headaches, and joint and muscle pain. At first glance, symptoms of PMDD appear remarkably similar to symptoms of depression. However, recent evidence conclusively demonstrates that PMDD a separate diagnostic entity that deserves its own diagnostic category. Prior to this recategorization, PMDD was treated simply as a low-level depression that got worse around a certain time of the month. Historically, women’s health issues have been marginalized. In a statement that echoes Oaks’, Alan Fridlund, a UCSB psychology professor, said that women with PMDD have been “sent to a psychiatrist as though the problem were illegitimate or imagined.” Though this diagnosis may be misused by people to rationalize their own opinions, making PMDD diagnosable legitimizes a problem that many women experience. And although every diagnosis is open to abuse, this disorder can be easily treated with common and safe SSRIs such as Zoloft, Lexapro, or Prozac. “The signs and symptoms of PMDD can make it especially challenging to maintain the roles of coworker, caretaker, partner, parent,” said Fridlund. “The new legitimacy of the diagnosis may give women the courage to seek the help they need.”

‘Frankenfood’: T h e r e I s N o E s c a p e by Cindy Chan

Los Angeles Daily News recently covered a new measure looking to ban the cultivation and sale of genetically modified organisms. City councilmen Paul Koretz and Mitch O’Farrell said the proposal seeks to protect local farms and homegrown food from GMO contamination. However, there would be no effect on food sales containing GMO ingredients. Proponents of the measure state that the significance of the measure lies in serving as a symbol to relay the message of necessary change. The devastating truth of the matter is that we do have to start this small. A simple citywide implementation that pushes for the tiniest bit of control in the matter is the only option left. We live in one of the only developed nations in the world that refuses to acknowledge the danger of GMOs. Nationwide and statewide attempts at regulating the GMO presence in our food and environment have all been fruitless. Whether it is attributed to the lack of public knowledge about GMO presence and harm or to the government’s continuing assurance that GMOs are safe for consumption and the environment, the fact exists that there is no fed-

eral regulation whatsoever that requires labeling of GMO in our foods or products. Due to the lack of extensive research and unknown depths of GMO presence, there is no definitive answer as to whether or not GMOs are harmful for consumption or the environment. The latest concerns, in addition to the widely publicized research on organ failure and cancerous tumors in rats, fall upon the worldwide 40 to 50 percent decline of honeybees in the past year. A Huﬃngton Post article relays researchers’ worries about the powerful breed of pesticides actually being integrated into the plants themselves. GMOs also continue to be the common thread in current agricultural woes: “superbug” insects that have grown immune to the pesticides and “seed drift” of GMOs contaminating other areas. If the measure passes, there may not be any immediate, very noticeable changes. David King, head of Learning Garden and Seed Library of LA told Huﬃngton Post that because Los Angeles does not run any large-scale farming operations, the main purpose of the measure would be to protect home-grown food. So, it would seem that the GMO ban would seem to have less than grand, immediate effects. However, the impact again would lie in what the movement suggests. Los Angeles has always been a model for innovation and revolution. With this in mind,

along with other successful implementations in similar citywide communities, hope exists that an approval of this measure will domino and kick-start a widespread movement for the issue. Another object of concern is the availability of the diversity in the farmlands. There are entire communities dedicated to the protection of heirloom, or pure, seeds. Joanne Poyourow, executive director of Environmental Changemakers of LA, purports that within smaller cities, it is less daunting to try to attack this issue, and it is more feasible to work within these smaller areas. Now starting small seems to be the lone, most hopeful option left. By slowly reintroducing the forgotten honesty of our food, one community at a time, these small local measures can hopefully contribute to tangible progress and instill in this generation a concern for our food and environment’s culture, safety, and security. This could lead to a possible higher price ceiling and demand for organic foods, although within this market alone these characteristics already are prevalent. An even more pressing issue would relay from the growing consciousness of the GMO presence and consumption, and the obvious division between those who can afford to avoid GMOs and those for whom it is unavoidable. For those who just do not have the income level or devotion for all it takes to support an all-organic, “pure” diet, this measure being passed can stir up economical turmoil. If these types of measures are to reach other student communities like our own, how can affordability and actual possibility meet?

OLE WANTS YOU!

Like writing? Love photography? Does AP Style get you hot and bothered? Maybe typography tickles your fancy. Then come check out our weekly staff meetings, Tuesdays at 7pm in the AS Annex building and show us what you got!