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volume 131, number 83
monday, august 27, 2012
UC Davis law student to participate in Climate Ride California In the process of raising $2,400 in donations
By CLAIRE TAN Aggie City Editor
Beginning from the Redwood Empire near Eureka, UC Davis third-year law student Michael Murza will endure a five-day, 320-mile bike tour from Sept. 9 to 13 before crossing the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge in the final leg of Climate Ride California. “I have chosen to participate in Climate Ride California because it is one of the best opportunities to raise money and awareness for the important issues of sustainability and renewable energy,” Murza said in an e-mail. “Furthermore, I have joined the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) team, to whom 60 percent of my donations will go, because I truly believe in their mission.” EDF’s mission, according to Murza, is to focus on market-based solutions to societal and environmental issues. EDF’s site mentions the organization is guided by science and economics when it comes to discovering long-term solutions to protecting the environment. “By using market forces to drive responsible environmental policy and behavior, EDF is dedicated to growing our economy while concurrently protecting our Earth,” Murza said. As a law student geared toward environmental law, pro bono work and public interest, Murza said he heard about Climate Ride while interning at EDF this summer. “I was a legal intern with the Climate and Air program, focusing mainly on the smooth implementation of California’s Cap & Trade program and other aspects of Brian Nguyen / Aggie
Michael Murza will begin his 320-mile Climate Ride California journey starting Sept. 9 in Eureka.
See MURZA, page 2
Talking with the stars
News iN Brief
UC Davis Police Association censures police chief’s decision to fire Pike An Aug. 21 letter from the Executive Board of the UC Davis Police Officer Association to the UC Board of Regents asserted that former campus police officer Lt. John Pike should not have been fired. Pike, who was involved in the Nov. 18 pepper spraying of UC Davis protesters, was dismissed July 31 by newly appointed police chief, Matthew Carmichael, according to documents obtained by The Sacramento Bee. The documents show that Carmichael disregarded an internal affairs investigation, which found that Pike acted within reason during the protest. The open letter explains that
while the the regents support Carmichael, they believe he should have complied with the investigation findings, which recommended no more than a demotion or suspension for Pike. It also states that the Board is in agreement with the Reynoso, KROLL and Robinson-Edley reports, which alleged mistakes were made “at the administrative level.” “To this day, not one University Administrator has been demoted or terminated due to their decisions, which placed our police officers and the students of this university into an unnecessary and foreseeable confrontation,” it stated.
The Board explained in the letter that it was “ironic” that Pike tried “harder than anyone” to prevent the confrontation between police and student protesters and that the pepper spraying incident proves itself to be a learning experience for campus police. “This Board looks forward to intelligent, productive change as we all learn from what occurred on [Nov. 18] and the events in its wake. Addressing the injustices associated with the events that day would be an excellent start towards not letting this portion of history repeat itself,” the letter stated.
Former Davis resident e-mails Jay-Z
— Muna Sadek
Local winery raises money for ag community families Hopes for foundation’s expansion David Johnson
By CLAIRE TAN Aggie City Editor
Founded by Chip and Lynne Sundstrom in 2007, the Esperanza Rising Foundation has given hope to families of farmworkers living in subpar conditions by donating all of its profits to the agriculture community in the Delano School District outside Bakersfield. “My dad has always loved agriculture,” said Marketing Director Molly Sundstrom. “He got his bachelors degree [in plant science] from UC Davis back in the ‘70s, and went on to get a Ph.D. and was a professor.” After teaching at Louisiana State University for a period of time, Chip relocated to Davis in the ‘90s, working at the state seed certification center at UC Davis. “He ended up leaving Davis and started his own consulting firm, doing a lot of work in the Central Valley,” Molly said. “That’s when he basically began to realize a lot of the agriculture workers weren’t receiving any benefits.” Molly said it bothered Chip to see the living conditions that some of the
Today’s weather Sunny High 89 Low 56
courtesy
By DOMINICK COSTABILE
Aggie Features Writer
courtesy
Sundstrom Hill Winery hosts events every other Thursday and on the first Saturday of every month, with 10 percent of its profits going to its Esperanza Rising Foundation. migrant agriculture workers were in. “So we thought it’d be really nice to give back to the ag community because he felt that’s why our family is secure,” she said. “He felt like if it
weren’t for the agriculture community, he wouldn’t have a job or be financially stable.”
Forecast It’s almost September! Fall days are slowly approaching and hopefully, the weather will start becoming more bearable here in Davis. Written by Amanda Nguyen Weather report courtesy of www.weather.com
See WINERY, page 3 Tuesday
Wednesday
Sunny
Sunny
High 89 Low 54
High 91 Low 56
If you go to former Davis resident David Johnson’s Twitter page, everything looks normal, apart from one thing. His occupation is listed as “Jay-Z’s Penpal,” in reference to the superstar rapper. “People just want to be heard and understood,” Johnson said. “I just wanted validation that what I was doing was on the right track.” After networking with various people, including his wife and celebrity photographer Jessica Johnson, Johnson found Jay’s e-mail address. Using a legal email tracker, Johnson can see if and when his e-mails have been opened. Johnson has been emailing the celebrity since 2010 and the tracker con-
firms that Jay has opened Johnson’s messages. He has not only opened the e-mails, but re-opened them, quite possibly due to the material he has sent. Johnson does not forward chain letters, send cute cat videos, or even try to ask the celebrity questions. Rather, he sends poems, song lyrics and essays on race. “I think it’s pretty inspirational that this guy can be persistent and influence Jay-Z,” said Chris Lagrossa, a first-year law student. “[It’s] extremely impressive.” During one of Jay’s recent tours, Johnson found poems being opened from places all over the world. “What’s also kind of weird is that my wife and Beyoncé were pregnant at the same time,” Johnson said. “I wrote to Jay, telling
See PUBLISH, page 2
A special tribute to Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. We’ll never forget the man who made “one giant leap for mankind.” Amanda Nguyen
page two
2 Monday, august 27, 2012
Steve Wozniak to appear at Mondavi Center
daily calendar dailycal@theaggie.org
TODAY
Pacific in A Salute to Heroes.
FRIDAY
Field Hockey 2 to 3 p.m. Aggie Stadium Watch the UC Davis field hockey team play against La Salle.
TUESDAY ASUCD Summer Blood and Marrow Drive 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. West Quad near Hart Hall Go to the blood and marrow drive and receive a coupon for a free pint of Baskin-Robbins ice cream by signing up for MyBloodSource. Prospective donors are advised to bring photo ID, and to drink plenty of fluids and to eat before donating. For more information or to volunteer, contact Leon at (916) 416-9459 or brie. leon@bloodsource.org.
What’s Up Seminar Series Noon to 1 p.m. California National Primate Research Center Seminar Hall Listen to Dr. Jesse Engelberg in this seminar, from Discord to Harmony: A Critical Look at UC Cancer Center Histology and Pathology, sponsored by the Center of Comparative Medicine.
THURSDAY Football Game 6 to 9 p.m. Aggie Stadium Watch the Aggies play against Azusa
Folk Music Jam Session Noon to 1 p.m. Wyatt Deck, Old Davis Road, UC Davis Folk musicians are invited to play together informally during an acoustic jam session. Pull out your fiddles, guitars, mandolins, penny whistles, pipes, flutes, squeezeboxes (you name it) and join your fellow musicians for a little bluegrass, old-time, blues, Celtic, klezmer and world music over the lunch hour. All skill levels and listeners welcome. Parking is available for $7 in Visitor Lot 5, at Old Davis Road and A Street. For more information, call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum. ucdavis.edu.
7 to 8 p.m. The Pavilion Watch women’s against Utah.
volleyball
compete
Aggie Open All Day Putah Creek Reserve Cross Country Course Watch UC Davis cross country compete in the Aggie Open. To receive placement in the AGGIE DAILY CALENDAR, e-mail dailycal@theaggie. org or stop by 25 Lower Freeborn by noon the day prior to your event. Due to space constraints, all event descriptions are subject to editing and priority will be given to events that are free of charge and geared toward the campus community.
Flew off the handle Someone tried to pull off a door handle on Albany Avenue.
Parkour and recreation Someone was running through the neighborhood jumping over fences yardto-yard and yelling on Cork Place.
FRIDAY But the show must go on Someone has been coming into a business asking to live in the “showroom” on Pena Drive.
Weeding Rainbow A person was riding a bike through the neighborhood saying he was working with the schools to plant dandelions on Menlo Drive.
SATURDAY
MURZA
Informal ‘conversation’ to cover topics including education reform
Aggie Invitational
police briefs WEDNESDAY
SUNDAY Took the name literally Several people have been urinating, turning off the power switch and loitering throughout the night at the rear of Our House Restaurant on Second Street.
Steve Wozniak
courtesy
By BRIAN RILEY Aggie Science Writer
Steve Wozniak, legendary Apple co-founder and personal computer guru, virtually single-handedly designed the hardware system for the world’s first userfriendly home computer, the Apple I, and later the Apple II. Wozniak is coming to speak at the Mondavi Center at UC Davis at 8 p.m. on Oct. 29, 2012. Wozniak has been invited to come as part of the UC Davis College of Engineering’s 50th Anniversary celebrations. “Wozniak's record – past achievement and future anticipation, innovation and entrepreneurism, application of theory and practice – meshes very well with the College of Engineering's mission and character,” said
A woman was having a problem with her male roommates watching her from outside her bedroom on Drew Circle. Police briefs are compiled from the City of Davis daily crime bulletins. Contact EINAT GILBOA at city@theaggie.org.
Hudson Lofchie
lying heavily on exhaustible resources to the point the supply of fuel is being diminished each day. He said converting natural renewable resources into the energy that powers society allows people to innovate without being concerned about exhausting such resources. “The Climate Ride raises money for organizations that want to see our economy grow through sustainable and responsible behavior,” Murza said. “Organizations like EDF, Natural Resources Defense Council, etc. strive to encourage these behavioral changes through sound science and economic data.” To support Murza, search for rider Michael Murza at www.climateride. org/rides/california.
The legitimate rape
A
ccording to Todd Akin, Republican representative from Missouri, rape does not result in pregnancy. He also says that his views are different from those of his opponent who “supports abortion.” Mr. Akin, not only have your statements offended the vast majority of the population of this country, but you have flaunted your ignorance and embodied everything that is wrong with religiously based political campaigns. This is a science column, not a political column, so instead of filling the lines with political rants and party favoritism, this column will use science and fact to, in essence, show everyone why Akin is wrong. Akin is wrong about rape and pregnancy, and he is wrong about abortion. In a reality-based world where scientific inquiry means progress and knowledge, it is just as important to prove what is wrong as it is to prove what is right. Our society puts up with a fair amount of conspiracy theories, supernatural beliefs and outdated ways of thinking. With the abundance of papers being published and research being done, it is often difficult to parse the
Publish accuracy The California Aggie strives to ensure that all of its facts and details are accurate. Please bring any corrections to our attention by calling (530) 752-0208.
Matthew Yuen Sports Editor
Hannah Strumwasser Managing Editor
Hudson Lofchie Science Editor
Jonathan Wester Business Manager
Dylan Gallagher Opinion Editor
Caelum Shove Advertising Manager Muna Sadek Campus Editor Claire Tan City Editor Elizabeth Orpina Arts Editor Devon Bohart Features Editor
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Enrique Lavernia, the dean of the UC Davis College of Engineering. After the initial intensive period of developing Apple, first as a start-up venture and then as a burgeoning corporation, Wozniak shifted his attention to volunteering in schools in his local community of Los Gatos, Calif. in Silicon Valley. He has become critical of many aspects of today’s formal K-12 education system. “We define intelligence almost as being non-creative in many ways,” said Wozniak, referring to educational theory. “Basically, intelligence is very much defined as having a lot of right answers on a test, and the right answers tend to be the same answers as everyone else. We try to teach everybody there’s a right answer, same answer as everyone else, but it’s not
Roommate screening
Cont. from front page A.B. 32, California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006,” Murza said. “One of my supervisors put together an EDF Climate Ride Team and I was ecstatic to be able to do all that I could toward reaching the goals of EDF and the Climate Ride.” According to Climate Ride’s site, its mission is to inspire and empower citizens to work toward a new energy future. Each rider is expected to raise a minimum of $2,400 for the fiveday event. To date, Murza has raised $446. In preparation for the tour, Murza has been exercising daily by running two to five miles a day and doing weight training. Participants will have to ride 40 to 60 miles per day. CLAIRE TAN can be reached at city@ Murza said society is re- theaggie.org.
Janelle Bitker Editor in Chief
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Cont. from front page him the name of my child, Aqua. A week later, they announce the name of their child, Blue. Weird coincidence? Possibly.” Despite such a major accomplishment, and such an interesting coincidence, Johnson is more than a hardcore Jay-Z fan; he’s a prolific writer trying to reach out to someone that has the ability to influence millions of people. He not only e-mails Jay-Z, but also Oprah, Spike Lee and Tyler Perry. “As an African American, I want to write them my thoughts on how black
your answer.” Lee Felsenstein, who was involved in the Homebrew Computer Club with Wozniak from the very inception of the group in 1975, agrees. Felsenstein was the moderator of the group, which met biweekly. “I assisted Wozniak in his informal education,” he explained. “A great deal of what is learned is learned in an informal environment. This just happens as part of the human condition.” Members of the Homebrew Club were independent people who worked on their own electronics projects in their free time. Wozniak stresses how focusing on such projects outside of school helped him to become the person that he is. “Try to come up with personal projects for yourself,” Wozniak recommends. “It might be just to learn a certain thing. It might be just to get good at a certain game.” Wozniak criticizes the way memorization is stressed in today’s formal education systems. “The person who has the most handle on the memorized information [in today’s schools] is the most intelligent rather than the one that sticks his hand up and says: ‘Why isn’t it something else?’ or ‘What about this?’” Wozniak laments the way
such children are called “disruptive” or are even sometimes misclassified as being learning-disabled. After examining model programs throughout the world, Wozniak has come to praise schools that use “mixed curricula,” which allow kids to go in “different directions on different subjects at different paces.” Felsenstein praises Wozniak as being part of a trend of engineers who have taken up educating kids about electronics and engineering as a “second career.” He stresses that ages 12 and 13 are critical years in a child’s development. “A kid develops some interests and pursues those interests and very often that will be their focus in life,” Felsenstein said. “I consider Steve Wozniak to be perhaps the greatest all-around ‘athlete’ of computer technology. He’s like a pentathlete. He can cover a wide range of things and demonstrated that in his masterworks.” This article is Part 1 in a multi-part series focusing on Steve Wozniak’s career and ideas. Next in the series: democracy and the state of society, and Wozniak’s take on how society could or should be transformed. BRIAN RILEY can be reached at science@ theaggie.org.
wheat from the chaff. In this case howcy. This is a bogus, pseudo-scientifever, just 10 minutes of homework could ic claim that has been debunked over have saved Akin from all the embarrass- and over again. The argument is that ment he is now enduring. making abortion and contraception legal will only lead to promiscuous be Akin made his statement based on havior. That is akin to saying that life“what [he] understand[s] from docjackets should be illegal because they tors,” but it turns out that the only lead to dangerous behavior in water, “doctor” he is referencing is the auor seat belts should be illegal because thor of an extremely controversial they make people drive recklessly. paper from 1972, The Indications for Induced Abortion: A Physician’s Akin’s other major mistake was claimPerspective, which used research coning that his opponent was “pro-aborducted at Nazi death camps in the tion.” I can say with near complete late 1940s. According to the most recertainty that no one is pro-abortion. cent research, however, between 5 and People are pro-choice, as in, they may 6 percent of rape victims in the United not support the act of abortion itself, States become pregnant, resulting in but they believe in the right for a womnearly 32,000 pregnancies every year. an to choose her own course of action. It Furthermore, many prominent phywould be a rare occurrence that somesicians state that rape-induced pregone would actively support abortion as nancy is close to twice a practice. as likely as pregnan What many peo... it is just as important to prove ple fail to realize is that cy from consensual sex. Let me repeat that: what is wrong as it is to prove freedom of religion also Rape is almost twice as implies freedom from what is right likely to result in pregreligion. A non-relinancy as consensugious individual should al sex. So not only are Akin’s statements have no obligation to obey a religiously misogynistic and insulting, but they are based law, just as no one would expect a completely opposite to accepted medi- Christian to obey Jewish laws, or a Jew to cal fact. obey Islamic laws, and so on. Another fantastical claim made dur It is totally fine to have religious being this same speech was that if womliefs. It is totally fine to have strong relien wanted to, they could “shut down gious beliefs. It is not totally fine when the whole process,” as in, shut down the an individual or group tries to force pregnancy process at will. Pregnancy those beliefs onto others, especialoccurs when a woman is ovulating, and ly when those beliefs consist of archaic sperm fertilize an egg. If sperm are pres- laws and practices. The extreme evanent, whether through consent or by gelism and bigotry endemic in many of rape, a woman has no more control over these beliefs are not only a violation of the physiological process than any of us our country’s laws, but flaunt the blahave over the beat of our heart. tant ignorance of the beliefs’ adherents. Every year, let us ask the 32,000 women Now let’s explore the anti-aborpregnant from rape whether that rape tion and anti-contraception debacle. Akin’s entire basis for making abortion was legitimate. See how that goes. illegal is that it is not necessary because rapes do not result in pregnanHUDSON LOFCHIE can be reached at science@theaggie.org.
people should be treated,” Johnson said. “I believe that throughout black history, we are the only race that doesn’t take pride in helping each other and I think money is part of it.” He added that Jay-Z is a prominent voice for the black community exemplified by his lyrics, which is one reason why e-mailing him and actually having his e-mails read by him is such an achievement toward the goal of open-mindedness. “Minds are like parachutes; they only function when they’re open,” Johnson said. One of Jay-Z’s recent songs, “Run this Town,” uses the lyrics “Pledge your al-
legiance/Get your fatigues on, all black everything/ Black cards, black cars, all black everything.” The rapper has also been in various interviews, such as one with the Hip-Hop Cosign where he talks about racism, violence and the n-word. Aside from being somewhat of a celebrity correspondent, Johnson created his own publishing company, Davis Boy Publishing. He has written and published six books for Davis Boy Publishing so far to help disperse his message in another medium. His first book, “Lost and Found,” is about his life in Davis. Johnson moved 26 times while he was in Davis and
lived a tough time through poverty and struggle in a town where those two words are often missing. And while his name is attached to Jay-Z in various Google searches, the writer has made an impression on others as well. Diego Silva, a fifth-year mechanical and aerospace engineering major, commented on the magnitude of Johnson’s work and the message he tries to put across. “It’s good to be persistent with a goal in mind,” Silva said. “I would keep going at it, especially with that message.” DOMINICK COSTABILE can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 2012 3
The california aggie
Men’s soccer season kicks off UC Davis steals victory in first season game
Shazib Haq / Aggie
Alex Aguiar’s goal lifted the Aggies to victory in their first season game.
By VEENA BANSAL Aggie Sports Writer
The UC Davis men’s soccer team kicked off their season to a solid start last Saturday against Chico State. The Aggies tied Chico State 1-1 in double overtime in an exhibition match. Sophomore Ramon Martin del Campo put away the Aggies' only goal of the game while freshman Kris Schultz came up with three saves as the UC Davis men's soccer team fought Chico State to a 1-1 draw on Saturday at Aggie Soccer Field. The Wildcats struck first in the double overtime draw when Tyson Crim's header off a cross from Micah Miranda found the upper left corner of the goal to give Chico State a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute.
In the 78th minute, the Wildcats almost scored the go-ahead goal, but freshman Kirk Kappelhoff came up with a huge save for UC Davis. Tyson Crim's attempt was wide and cleared out by an Aggie defender. As the first overtime period came to an end, Aguiar fired a shot from 25 yards out and nearly found the upper right corner, but the Chico State goalkeeper knocked it up and over the crossbar and out of play. On the corner kick, del Campo's had a header that went high and the teams headed to a second overtime period. Chico State was awarded a free kick in the 107th minute of action and were very close to getting the winning goal, but Schultz came out and tipped the ball over the crossbar to close out the 1-1 draw.
“Even though that game didn’t count,” said coach Dwayne Shaffer, “It was a fierce and exciting match to watch.” The Aggies hosted a tremendous team, University of Nevada at Las Vegas, this past Friday and came away with a 1-0 victory. Sophomore Matt Sheldon set up junior captain Alex Aguiar to score in the 85th minute and break a scoreless draw. UC Davis outshot UNLV by a 7-0 margin in the first half, but could not find the back of the net. Del Campo had a header attempt off of a long throwin from freshman Ryan Gross, but the header was just wide of the goal. UC Davis nearly had its first goal of the game in the 72nd minute. Junior Elliott Hord crossed a ball into the box and UNLV goalkeeper Joe Vitale came out to grab the cross, but mishandled the ball. Matt Sheldon made a pass back to Kevin Schulte who was waiting at the top of the six-yard box, but his shot on the ground was easily cleared away by a UNLV defender. “Our players have been playing very well,” Shaffer said. “This was Schulte’s best performance of his college career.” Aguiar's goal finally came in the 85th minute after Sheldon passed a ball in to the junior team captain. Aguiar one-touched the shot into the lower left corner to send UC Davis to victory. “I am very excited for the rest of the season,” said Shaffer. “We are off to a great start.” UC Davis will travel to CSU Bakersfield for a matchup on Monday at 7 p.m.
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8/20/2012 Puzzle Solved
VEENA BANSAL can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
In review: ‘Pitch Perfect’ Yet another addition to the growing world of hilarious female-led films
By ELIZABETH ORPINA Aggie Arts Editor
All it took was 10 seconds into the trailer for me to immediately know I would have to see “Pitch Perfect.” It’s in my nature to watch anything that revolves around singing and competition, or is led by funny women. But after “Bridesmaids” this year, I didn’t know if comical genius could even be reproduced — especially when one Rebel Wilson, the ridiculous roommate to Kristen Wiig, plays a similarly outrageous character. With leads such as Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow, this movie could easily pass off as a funny but unmemorable flick. It isn’t until the full cast list is completely explored that special talents are revealed. One of the supporting actresses actually wrote Katy Perry’s “Firework,” as well as songs for Britney Spears and Kelly Clarkson. The main man was part of the original Broadway cast of “Spring Awakening” with Lea Michele from “Glee.” And for the less peppy, Adam DeVine from “Workaholics” plays a similarly crude character. Scroll a little bit more into the IMDb.com page and you learn that one of the writers of “30 Rock” wrote the screenplay for this movie. Although the plot line lacks originality or meaning, something
clearly went right in the comedy department. The trailer itself provides the viewer with memorable scenes and repeatable lines. Wilson plays Fat Amy, “so skinny bitches like you two don’t do it behind [her] back.” Fat Amy characterizes the favorite parts of our personalities, as at one point she participates in what she calls “horizontal running,” where she just moves her legs in a cycling motion while on her side. She even admits to DeVine’s character when he suggests that they kiss that “sometimes [she] thinks [she] could try crystal meth but then realizes, eh, maybe not.” The story makes fun of the traditional and safe women’s a cappella song choices, breaking away to show the commentators, played by Banks and John Michael Higgins, making misogynistic and crude jokes about the performers. Everything about this script is quick-witted and smart — think “Mean Girls,” “Bridesmaids,” “30 Rock” and “Happy Endings” combined. And you can’t have a movie about a cappella groups without good music. Even the embarrassing “safe” songs are classics to our generation, but in combination with the music of 2011 (for some reason most of the music isn’t super updated) the soundtrack will provide some entertaining
tracks. Naturally, every predictable comedy has some sort of teen romance — but I swear, this time the guy is legitimately swoon-worthy. And not just due to his looks. Maybe it’s just me, but when a guy can sing and be witty — is there anything else to want? Of course the main group of girls featured in this film feature some of the most ridiculous personalities. Fat Amy has a running joke with another character throughout the film about the “obvious lesbian” in the group, there’s a psychotic Asian girl with darting eyes and close-ups that legitimately will scare you, and the token mean girl has a nasty habit that will bring you back to some of the most memorable scenes from any comedy based on physical humor. Kendrick plays the main character, a rebel first-year college girl whose daddy teaches at the university, blah, blah, blah. Whatever. She represents what essentially all of us thought of ourselves when entering college: unique, better than everyone else and with secret dreams of making it big as a DJ. Fans of all genres of humor will find multiple reasons to laugh out loud – snort, even – at this feel-good funny movie. Go get pitch-slapped Oct. 5.
Sudoku
ELIZABETH ORPINA can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.
Medium
winery Cont. from front page Molly explained the foundation’s name took inspiration from a book her mother and Birch Lane Elementary librarian Lynne had read called “Esperanza Rising.” The children’s book details the migrant farm communities and their living conditions. “Now every year before the holidays in December, my family has partnered with a school district down in Delano, and we go down and give away money,” Molly said. “It can be used for anything; the only qualification to get the money is you have to have a family member working in the ag community.” Molly said the Delano School District has been supportive of the process. She said members help pick and collect applications and verify the students that have family members working in agriculture. “A lot of kids will write thank-you letters and it’s absolutely heartbreaking,”
Molly said. “They will write back and say that they were able to get Christmas presents, and they’ve never had that before.” Esperanza Rising Foundation has raised a total of $40,000 — $10,000 a year for the past four years. Sundstrom said they normally take the total number of kids who ask for money and divide that into $10,000 to give each child an equal amount. So far, the foundation has promoted itself by word of mouth, through Facebook and through its Sundstrom Hill Winery located in Davis. Sundstrom Hill Winery was founded by Chip and Lynne in 2008. Sundstrom said after her father took an extension course through UC Davis on winemaking, he gained a knack for making wine, with family and friends encouraging him to sell it. “My parents run the winery and 10 percent of what they make goes back to the foundation,” Molly said. Recently, Nugget Markets and Downtown Davis res-
taurant Seasons have decided to sell Sundstrom Hill’s wine. “We haven’t really hit the streets in terms of fundraising efforts,” Molly said. “But we try to go to any community event that we can partner with.” Regarding expansion, Molly said it could happen; however it is all contingent on how much money is raised. “We value our partnership down in Delano very much, and would love to create a similar partnership with an organization in Yolo County,” Chip said in an email. “Our goal is to raise enough funds to support both communities, and the agriculture community as a whole.” In another attempt to raise awareness about the Esperanza Rising Foundation, Sundstrom Hill Winery will host an event on Sept. 1 that will kick off the new school year in an effort to get the community to donate school supplies to the Davis School District. Any teacher or school staff member
can receive a 15 percent discount off every bottle of wine purchased and the community will receive the same discount if they donate school supplies. “Teachers don’t want to see any child go without the tools they need to be successful in school and they often will purchase supplies out of their own pocket,” Lynne said in an e-mail. “Our backto-school supplies drive hopes to gather many supplies as possible and help teachers make sure that students in our community start the school year out on the right foot.” Molly said they would love to partner with anyone who’d work with them as well as with similar charities. “We’re not really aware of charities that operate the exact same way as we do, but if there are, we’d love to work with them because obviously you can’t do too much charity work,” Molly said. CLAIRE TAN can be reached at city@ theaggie.org.
Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square. Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing.
News iN Brief
Measure seeks to reduce student-police confrontation for CSU Assembly member Marty Block has introduced a measure that would mandate California State University (CSU) Trustees to designate a senior administrator as a liaison between students exercising rights guaranteed by the First Amendment and campus officials to improve safety and communication. This would, in turn, reduce the likelihood of violent confrontation, according to a statement by Block. The bill stems from recommendations like the Reynoso and Robinson-Edley Reports, which investigated the Nov. 18 pepper spraying of student demonstrators and UC campus administrative and police policies, respectively. The measure was ap-
proved on a 72-1 vote on Aug. 22 and will be added to the Education Code. According to the act, subsequent to its amendment on June 21, existing law prohibits UC Regents, CSU Trustees and the governing board of a community college district from creating or enforcing rules that subject students to disciplinary action based solely on speech or communication that is protected by United States and California Constitutional rights. The bill was drafted for purposes of promoting peaceful campus demonstrations, according to Block. However, it does not apply to the University of California. — Gheed Saeed
4 monday, August 27, 2012
The california Aggie
Farmers Market Vendor of the Week: Lloyd’s Organic Produce Tomato enthusiast reaches lifelong farming goal By MICHELLE RUAN Aggie Features Writer
Lloyd Johnson of Lloyd’s Organic Produce has been part of the local Davis Farmers Market for the past 16 years, regardless of the pouring rains and ovenlike summer heat that Davis is famous for. Local residents refer to him as Lloyd the Farmer. Though he sells a variety of organic produce, Johnson’s specialty is tomatoes. Originally from Illinois, Johnson’s childhood dream was to be a farmer. He admitted that a major reason for why he wanted to be a farmer at such a young age was because he was inspired by the scenes of real-life farmers working on their fields near where he lived. He liked how dedicated they were but he wasn’t able to cultivate his dream into reality until his forties. “It’s hard to get started as a farmer right away,” Johnson said. The Aggie was able to get a quick interview from Johnson as he interacted with the numerous customers that flocked to his stand.
Lloyd of Lloyd’s Organic Produce shares his passion for farming tomatoes and other produce.
Aggie: What did you do before you became a farmer? Lloyd: I did a bunch of different things. I once worked in an oil field and I was also a full-time dad. I have a B.A. in Arts Studio from UC Davis. My specialty is water colors. Besides being a farmer, the arts are my other person. I also teach an art class during the year for developmentally challenged adults. Aggie: What’s it like fulfilling your dream of being a farmer? Lloyd: It’s amazing. I feel more in tune with nature in a way. I feel more connected with the rotation of the earth. I’m more careful with what I eat these days and I prefer to
eat farm-fresh produce now. Aggie: Where is your farm located? Lloyd: I rent a five-acre piece of land in Winters. I have lived in Davis for nearly 28 years. I feel if you live at the farm, it’s like you can never leave it so that’s mainly why I rent land instead. I like going home after working the fields. It’s less stressful and doesn’t make it feel like a 24-hour job if I were to live on a farm. Aggie: What kind of produce do you grow? Lloyd: I focus especially on vegetables: summer vegetables and herbs. I grow basil and tomatoes, as well as everything else that goes with tomatoes, like garlic for ex-
Brian Nguyen / Aggie
ample. Tomatoes are my specialty and they’re also my absolute favorite thing to eat. I currently grow 14 different varieties of tomatoes. Growing tomatoes is a yearround process so it keeps me occupied. Sometimes I even use my produce as subjects of my paintings. Aggie: What’s it like being a farmer in these areas? Lloyd: This area is a gardening paradise. This is a very rare place on the planet because it has such a long growing season. We really need to take care of it and realize how lucky we are. Aggie: What are some difficulties that
you’ve encountered as a farmer? Lloyd: Recently, there’s been a big drought in the Midwest, which has been severely affecting corn crops. Aggie: Have you come across any similar obstacles? Lloyd: The drought hasn’t really affected production here. The farm has a well so there isn’t as big a demand for rain all the time. But what really affects the well supply is if there isn’t a huge snowfall to recharge the aquifer. The last few years, snowfall hasn’t been great, just okay. But every farmer has problems like this so even though I’m not worried about a drought problem like the Midwest, I am worried about snowfall. Aggie: Besides coming out to the Davis Farmers Market, where else can one find your produce? Lloyd: The local Nugget Market buys tomatoes from me. They’re listed as Lloyd’s Tomatoes. I’m also at the Davis Farmers Market Wednesdays and Saturdays. My wife Sara is my partner and she often helps me at the stand. Aggie: Why do you keep coming back to the Davis Farmers Market? Lloyd: It has a great atmosphere. Families and students come to buy groceries here. On Wednesdays, there is even a band playing and people are just having fun. The people who most likely came for the band wander over to see the produce and they often browse and even sometimes end up buying some things to take home. It’s all very friendly. Lloyd’s Organic Produce can be found at the Davis Farmers Market Wednesdays and Saturdays. It can also be found at one’s local Nugget Market. MICHELLE RUAN can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
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SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES DO NOT WORK