BUZZURRO

In UCLA different groups graduate at different times.

The university (UCLA) now has so many separate identity-group graduations that scheduling them not to conflict with one another is a challenge.
The women’s studies graduation and the Chicana/Chicano studies graduation are both set for 10 AM Saturday.
The broader Hispanic graduation, “Raza,” is in near-conflict with the black graduation, which starts just an hour later.

Planning was easier before a new crop of ethnic groups pushed for inclusion.
Students of Asian heritage were once content with the Asian–Pacific Islanders ceremony.
But now there are separate Filipino and Vietnamese commencements, and some talk of a Cambodian one in the future.
Years ago, UCLA sponsored an Iranian graduation, but the school’s commencement office couldn’t tell me if the event was still around.
The entire Middle East may yet be a fertile source for UCLA commencements.

In the words of the 1990s LA Riot Victim Rodney King, “Why can’t we all just get along?” (or at least graduate together.)

When I was in college there was one commencement ceremony.
Just one. It worked very well.
Hispanics sat next to Asians and Blacks and Whites.
Nobody felt intimidated to be graduating with another ethnic group.
We all listened intently for our names and once called went on stage excitedly to get our diplomas.
Some fraternity groups taped the letters of their fraternities to their caps, but other than that everyone wore the same graduation gown, except for magna cum laude and other people graduating with honors (based on educational merits-not race) No purple sashes for Vietnamese members or pink triangles for Lesbian and Gay people as Adolph Hitler would have them do.

Now, graduates (at UCLA) usually wear identity-group markers—a Filipino stole or a Vietnamese sash, for instance, or a rainbow tassel at the Lavender event.
Promoters of ethnic and racial graduations often talk about the strong sense of community that they favor.
But it is a sense of community based on blood, a dubious and historically dangerous organizing principle.

Now how are we supposed to exist in a country if everyone runs to their own groups to graduate from college of all things ?
College educated people should be able to live with diversity-no run from it.
One can identify strongly with a racial or ethnic group and still graduate in the mainstream graduation.
When I graduated with the mainstream population at my college my ethnicity didn’t change.
Neither did that of any Black, Asian, or Hispanic.
Gays did not become straight, Heterosexuals did not become homosexual, everyone was just happy to graduate.

I think this segregated graduation is a bad idea, something that would make all the civil rights leaders from the 1960s turn in their graves, but unfortunately many don’t think so.
If you read the article, the tragedy according to UCLA officials is not that separate graduations exist, but that they cant schedule them all.

My enthusiasm towards all things American is at risk, if this is true.

As you probably know, Paris Hilton was sentenced by a California court to 45 days in jail for violating multiple times a probation after being convicted for DWI.
She drove with a suspended license at 70 mph in a 35 mph zone, with her headlights off, and she failed to enroll a mandatory alcohol education class.

Today I learned that her parents, Kathy and Rick Hilton, thanks to their political influence, are trying to have her daughter pardoned by Ca. Governor Schwarzenegger.

“Kathy and Rick are exploring ways to try to get her sentence reduced,” a source said. “That includes approaching politicians, including Gov. [Arnold] Schwarzenegger.”

DWI is a quite hateful crime, because it puts other people’s lives in jeopardy. Drunk drivers are losers, post-adolescential losers, biologically but not psychologically mature losers, 30-40-50+ years old losers that never grew up… Many are the reasons why a person gets behind the wheel under the influence. In any of those cases, we are talking about human trash. We, in NM, have a big problem with many of those drunk scumbags out there who think getting drunk and then driving is socially acceptable, is cool.

The arrogant spoiled PH was given a chance when she went under probation, and she screwed it up when she repeatedly and severely violated street laws, so let her spend 45 days behind the bars.

I strongly hope she won’t be pardoned: that would be very un-American.

…as you can see from all cases of bloggers arrested, or threatened from the police.
My (obvious) advice to them is: quit blogging, move to a free country (like USA), and resume blogging from there.
Good luck, Sandmonkey.

Many people know the name of the shooter at Virginia Tech. And many of those will also know some details about his days in high school and college, but what about the victims ? Some heroes were created that day. This post is written in tribute to one of them, Professor Liviu Librescu. Following is an article found at globeandmail.com:

In a letter addressed to Prof. Librescu’s wife Marlena, one student described how he climbed out the window, but paused on the ledge to look back.

“I saw your husband still standing there. He was holding the door closed and looking over his shoulder to make sure everybody else was safe. It was the bravest thing I have ever seen and I will always remember his courage,” the student wrote.

Another simply wrote: “I think he saved my life.”

He will be missed.

I watched this on TV a few days ago.
In this clip, Bill O’Reilly is called racist by journalist Joanne Ostrow because he calls illegal aliens illegal aliens and not “undocumented immigrants”. PC at its extreme…

By now pretty much everybody has heard of the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech.

Today many people, both in the United States and abroad, have been saying that the awful incident was caused because there is no gun control in the US.
The tragedy in Virginia Tech has been used by many calling for a complete ban on handguns in the US. I think they are all wrong.

What happened in Virginia was caused by one completely deranged lunatic. If he were not around there would be no tragedy. He is the cause, not the guns. The guns did not shoot themselves. Therefore
banning guns won’t do anything to stop the next tragedy. The crazy lunatics who want to kill will still be free. If that person wants to murder a lot of people and then commit suicide after he/she will do it regardless of whether guns are available or not.
I don’t know if there is a right solution to use to avoid tragedies like this, but I do know that it is not a ban on all guns.

Having said that, I send my deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the victims.

Was This Study Done By A Man ?

Housework cuts breast cancer risk

Women who exercise by doing the housework can reduce their risk of breast cancer, a study suggests.
(…)
The research on more than 200,000 women from nine European countries found doing household chores was far more cancer protective than playing sport.
(…)
Dusting, mopping and vacuuming was also better than having a physical job.

Read the rest here.
Now a man can tell his wife ” Honey, I really care about your health, so clean the entire house while I sit in front of the TV.”