Apparently, Mr. Arrillaga didn't think we had enough already...

Beloved Admits,

I'm sure you've read tons of material on picking a school that fits, but how can you be sure? Picking 'the right' school can be a terrifying decision, but now that you have Stanford as an option, rest assured that at this point, you're probably only picking from some pretty stellar options. Whether Stanford already sticks out, or if you have to decide from a list of many top-notch institutions, read on to hear the musings of one very content junior who headed out West instead of elsewhere, and maybe you'll get a better feel for Stanford's fit for you.

Use this interactive graphic from the Times-Picayune (the New Orleans area newspaper) to see.

Although New Orleans is below sea level, the city proper would not have flooded during a Category 5 hurricane had the levees held.

The breaches at the London Avenue, 17th St, and Industrial Canals were what caused most of the damage. These breaches were due to poor planning, execution, and construction materials. At the London Avenue Canal, for example, concrete floodwalls were put only 17' into the soil despite the fact that the canal...

I read a book review for the upcoming How Doctors Think.
Sounds like an interesting read - now that I've decided to go to med school, I see things about medicine all the time. Everyone makes mistakes - including doctors.

I'm getting knee surgery next week and I'm going to ask my anesthesiologist what he thinks about the study that says that while anesthesiologists make up 6% of all physicians, they account for 25% of all physician substance abuse? It's kind of scary and I just want to know what he/she will say. I figure if he's clean he'll just be annoyed and tell me he's clean. The guy who's not clean will probably also tell me he's clean, but be just a bit more alert when he/she is working on me, because of the guilt of screwing up after lying to me would be awful.

That's my hope.

12:01AM this morning marked the beginning of the week-long annual blitz known as the ASSU Elections. During the wee hours of the morning, candidates and slates were prepping their Birdcage banners, slapping up fliers, and opening up boxes of chalk to begin the traditionally intense week of campaigning.

One Week for the candidates to make themselves known and for you to get to know them. Voting is on Wednesday and Thursday, April 11th and 12th, and the results will be announced on Friday, April 13th at 5:00PM. Here are a couple of resources to help you get started:

List of Candidates and Slates
List of Special Fees Groups
Election Calendar
Campaign Week Special Events!

For complete descriptions of all of the candidates and special fees groups on the ballot, check out the ASSU's Elections Handbook. We'll be bringing you more from the candidates and groups throughout the week. Stay tuned!

For some reason, the name "Band Run" just never seems to suffice. Hence, I'm titling this entry "Band Explosion." The first Wednesday of Fall and Spring quarters (for those who don't know), the band runs to several dorms on campus and stops at each one to play a song, dance, and be merry. It's a fantastic celebration... one that left me feeling slightly weirded out my Freshman year, but that now leaves me feeling... happy. Very happy. Makes me wish I would have joined Band.

Feast on the photos on the entry page!

Today, Google Maps released a new tool called My Maps. It allows you to create and share personalized, annotated maps. You can mark your favorite places, as well as draw lines or shapes to highlight paths or specialized areas. There is a great HTML function that allows you to add your own text, photos, and even videos to points on your maps.

While mashups are nothing new, this is the first time this function has been truly accessible to Google's non-techie users. As usual, Google (aka Stanford) developers have designed an interface that makes it really easy to get started. I created a map for My Workouts as part of my Couch-to-5K Running Plan in less than ten minutes. It's only week one of my training, but I can tell this is going to be a great tool to help me track my progress.

The trailer for 300 is by far the best way to experience said film; one gets a montage of unconnected cool images. Problem is, once the filmmakers connect those images into a story, a much, much worse film emerges. In general, I rarely am vituperative towards films; I’m usually indifferent towards films I don’t like. 300 was different—I actively disliked it. The main debate for me is this: propaganda or not?

I’m going to answer affirmatively; 300 in plot and dialogue is trying to push something. It feels kind of weird to take the same position as the Islamic Republic of Iran, but there was a definite agenda being pushed. That agenda was not really pro-Iraq War, as some have speculated. Rather, it was one of the conservative worldview in general, specifically the neoconservative worldview.

Here’s why, with several spoilers:

We are Brett Hammon and Lakshmi Karra (aka Brett and Lakshmi) and we are running for ASSU Exec. We would like to be your President and Vice-President because we will make Stanford a great place next year. We have the experience and the ideas, but what truly sets us apart is our leadership skills. All the executive slates are promising a lot of similar things - things that two people cannot possibly accomplish on their own. And we feel our strength will be leading and motivating the ASSU to want to accomplish these goals. We will be visible Executives showing up at all campus events and many student group meetings so that you'll feel comfortable approaching us with an issue.

So check out our platform in detail as well as some fun media at www.brettandlakshmi.com. Voting is next Wednesday and Thursday online at ballot.stanford.edu. All grads and undergrads (including seniors) can vote. You'll be hearing more from us soon!

March Madness is over. Say that to a basketball fan, for the reaction. If said basketball fan expresses nothing but regret, well, let’s just say he and I aren’t on the same wavelength. If, on the other hand, that basketball fan says, “Yeah, and I can’t wait for the NBA playoffs,” then we’re in agreement. For basketball fans like me and this hypothetical fan, the NBA playoffs are pure—we don’t have the hype machine like with college basketball, and we don’t have to deal with the silliness of some basketball people insulting another.

Every season during March Madness, writers and broadcasters feel the need to reaffirm their brand of the sport over the professional version. The professional version, we hear, is populated by thugs and lazy bums. They’re all flashy showmen who only care about the dunk and can’t shoot the midrange jumper. They’re all disloyal assholes who are seeking to kill their coach. They’re unruly motherfuckers.

That’s why you always see columnists urging kids to stay in school! It’s the only place you can learn how to play the game, and perhaps something about life as well! The money can wait! Have fun now! Etc., etc.

Hello! My name is Anarghya Vardhana, and I am running for Undergraduate Senate. Why should you vote for me? I have fresh ideas and realistic plans. I spent this year as a regular student, and felt that the connection between ASSU and the Student Body is limited to non-existent. Do you know what ASSU does? Do you know what kind of change ASSU can create?

As a Senator, I hope to establish a strong relationship between these two sides of campus, so that students can know who to go to with doubts, questions, or concerns. I also hope to create more intermingling between student groups, and strengthen larger groups, while giving smaller groups more voice and funding so that they may grow. Stanford's diversity should not simply be limited to different races, but should incorporate diversity in ideas, interests, and thoughts.

More activities during Big Game week, and a stronger re-instatement of the Band would increase school spirit, and truly get us rallied up to beat Cal!
Wouldn't it be awesome if Jamba Juice accepted the Cardinal Dollars from our meal plan? I hope to work with administration to offer students more dining hall options.
And a longterm goal and childhood fantasy would be to install water slides in Avery ... we'll see if that happens!

Overall, I am ready to take action, am always willing to listen and speak for you, and would appreciate a vote for Senate. Remember, you can vote for up to 15 people, so please vote Anarghya Vardhana for Senate!

Through a friend of a friend of a sister, I heard about a very interesting project called A Minute In The Life: The Simultaneous Photograph Project. The goal is to get as many people as possible to all take pictures within the same minute. He will then collect all of these pictures and do with them as he pleases. The chosen day is Saturday, the June 2nd, between 2:00 and 2:01 PM Eastern Daylight Time (11:00 and 11:01 PM for us left-coasters). Put it on your calendar and spread the word. Additional details can be found by following the link at the top of the entry. This sounds really awesome. Now, what do I want to take a picture of and send to some random dude in Bethesda, Maryland?

Of course, I can never avoid a Stanford history lesson. A while back, Stanford Magazine had a great article about the Muybridge photograph sequence (pictured), often called A Horse in Motion. Not only did it prove that all four legs of a horse are airborne mid-gallop, but it also challenged the traditional artistic depiction of horses in gallop (with legs extended, as opposed to tucked under). This 1878 series, taken rapidly with multiple fixed cameras, is often considered one of the most important precursors to film.

You can vote for up to 15 Senators! You can make the difference!

With over three years of experience in student government and leadership, I know what it takes to be a successful student representative. I am extremely efficient, reliable and professional. As you may have witnessed at the 2007 Mid-Year Convocation, I am an enthusiastic and passionate public speaker. I promise to be very dedicated to my position in the Undergraduate Senate, just as I was to my Frosh Council Presidency.

Former Frosh Council President; Stanford Debate Society Member; Stanford Wind Ensemble; Stanford Student Enterprises; 2007 Mid-Year Convocation Speaker

My platform:

- Hold ASSU more accountable for providing efficient support and freedom to students and groups
- Better funding for student groups and activities
- Decrease bureaucracy and revise regulations of the OSA
- Expand Cardinal Dollars to more locations on campus
- Provide support for student publications, arts and free speech
- Uphold Stanford traditions including LSJUMB
- Push for International need-blind admissions
- Increase student awareness and participation in the events and opportunities on campus
- Connecting the student body to build a stronger Stanford community
- Listening to your ideas!

Vote for TOM! :)

Please feel free to contact me. I am here for YOU!

www.tomvacek.com

My name is Stuart Baimel and I am pleased to be running for Senate this year. I recognize that the ASSU cannot do everything, and promising policies that will never happen (despite student-government promises every year, Dead Week remains alive) is not the best way to go about this campaign. Instead, I want to focus on policy issues that have a significant and attainable impact on student life.

One of my primary objectives for next year's Senate is to promote the arts. I've spoken to the members of many arts groups, large and small, and the two complaints I hear over and over again are a lack of funding, and partially as a result of that, difficulty with publicity. I believe that the ASSU next year can do a far better job of funding the arts, a sphere of campus life that should not have the funding problems that it currently does. The ASSU, in addition, has a formidable publicity apparatus that could easily be used to promote arts events such as performances, SOCA's Art Affair, and ongoing exhibits.

In the midst of all the flyers and banners on campus, and all the other miscellaneous advertisements (indeed, this is the...5th post of a Senate candidate advertising on the Blog), you might be overwhelmed or increasingly indifferent to more publicity. But, still, I feel compelled to display my reasons for running and try to convey the type of person I am.
Now I know some of you simply might not care about the Senate, and don't want your blog polluted by these ad's. So I'm not going to say any more, on this main page.
If you are interested in my campaign, click the "view more" button below".

My name is Sarah Golabek-Goldman and I am running for Undergraduate Senate. As a Senate Associate on the Communications and Advocacy Committees this year, I investigated new ways to improve communication between ASSU and the student body. In addition, I met with Bing Overseas Studies Program to broaden international study opportunities. While serving on the ASSU, I have learned how important it is to create student policies and programs that are practical and have a positive impact on Stanford students.

As a senator, one of my top priorities will be to make books more accessible to the student body. Under the existing system at Green Library, a professor must pay the cost himself if he wants to put an additional textbook on reserve. As a result, there is an inadequate amount of books on reserve and students who rely on these textbooks are academically disadvantaged. Next year, I plan to work with Access Services at Green Library in order to help reform the reserve policy so that students who cannot afford textbooks do not have to compete for books on reserve during exam week and are able to check them out for more than two hours.

Next year, I will promote sustainability by encouraging Stanford Dining and additional row houses to adopt environmentally friendly programs. In addition, I will investigate gender-blind housing and educate student groups about funding opportunities.

I believe that students should have a strong voice on campus. If elected, I will push for the ASSU website to be updated on a regular basis. In addition, I will set up more suggestion boxes around campus so that students can share their concerns and ideas with the Undergraduate Senate.

I have been endorsed by the Stanford Democrats, JSA, QSA and Stanford Review.

Thank you so much for your support. Please contact me at goldman2@Stanford.edu with any comments or suggestions!

On April 10, American Studies will be a leading co-sponsor of an event organized by Stanford Beyond Bars, an organization dedicated to sparking dialogue and consciousness of the issues surrounding incarceration. The event will be organized by American Studies major Jacqueline Gauthier, who is the coordinator of Stanford Beyond Bars. Since SBB's official inception in the fall of 2004, they have started a tutoring program with the San Francisco County Jails in association with the Northern California Service League and volunteered with prison activist organizations such as the Prison Activist Resource Center in Oakland.

Please feel free to check out our website at: http://www.assuexecutive.com. Thanks!

We, Hershey Avula and Mondaire Jones, are immensely excited by the possibility of serving as your ASSU President and Vice President. We take the important responsibilities of advocating on behalf of students to Stanford’s Administration; hosting quality programming throughout the year that reaches out to and positively impacts the entire student body; and strengthening all branches of the ASSU through our proven management skills very seriously. More seriously, many have said, than others who have never shown a real interest in student advocacy or in certain campus organizations, until it was time to declare their candidacies.

Equally as important as our demonstrated commitment to students is another quality that elevates the Avula/Jones slate above the competition: experience that matters. Our involvement in the ASSU, which began in the very beginning of our respective freshman years, ranges from social sector organizations like Frosh Council to leadership positions in the more advocacy-oriented Undergraduate Senate. No other slate has this advocacy experience.

Our expert knowledge of and experience navigating through the internal workings of the ASSU does not hinder our ability to notice and to rectify the failures of the ASSU. Instead, we have the totally unique advantage of having worked alongside this year’s, and past, ASSU Executives with critical eyes over their failures and successes. The insights we have gained over this period have enabled us to think outside of the box, and to devise a number of original yet achievable proposals that you can read about in our platform. Simultaneously, the excellent working relationships we have established with Administrators over the past few years affords us greater leverage in advocating the interests of the student body with Administrators. One example of this is when we collaborated with other ASSU officials to pressure Administrators into re-instituting the original plans for Old Union, which included more student space.

I was innocently surfing along on my usual internet routine the other day when I stumbled upon a hair-raising HIV/AIDS awareness ad:

The text reads: "Without a condom you’re making love with AIDS. Protect yourself."

The ad was produced by a French NGO called AIDES ("aide" means "support" or "help" in French), which was founded by Daniel Defert in 1984 following the death of his partner, philosopher (and former Berkeley professor) Michel Foucault. AIDES now operates in over 70 small towns and villages within France, and is recognized as one of the most important European HIV/AIDS NGOs.

While I was googling around to find out more about AIDES, I also (not surprisingly) stumbled upon ads from other NGOs which, through YouTube's helpful "related" feature, led me to even more anti-AIDS ads -- some good, some great, some not so amazing. Continue reading this entry if you'd like to to see some of the best, in my humble opinion.

Notably, most of these ads were produced for broadcasting in the First World, where infection rates are low and AIDS is now considered a "manageable" disease. Some of the ads will make you laugh. Some will shock you. Some might even warm your heart. But after watching several ad spots clearly designed to shock and scare, I can't help but wonder, "Is there such a thing as overkill when it comes to AIDS awareness?" (Pun not intended.)

Say "Yes" to Nho for ASSU Senate. For more, check out his Facebook group.

Write to the Registrar at registrar@stanford.edu

It was my sneaking suspicion that the Registrar would not be releasing (and making readily available) the results of its new Online Course Evaluations. E-mails to the Registrar's Office last week were replied to with simply "You can find some information on our website." Genius.

Today, the Daily confirmed that the Registrar currently has no plans to make the results available to students. It was always inexcusable that it is so hard to find out how students rate their professors, but now that the Course Evaluations are online and sport a 90% completion rate, it's a shame. Transparency should be the University's default, not its exception.

The ASSU must insist that the full results of Course Evaluations be made available to students, including at least a random sampling of student written comments.

I recently spoke with one of my favorite professors, democracy and Iraq expert Larry Diamond, about this lack of transparency from the administration. I was venting about how, in my opinion, the teaching in the Economics department is mediocre but that, like the rational economists they are, they would never improve unless they were given proper incentives -- i.e. the possibility of embarrassment -- by the availability of student ratings of the courses.

Professor Diamond was surprised that this information on the performance of professors and departments was not already available due to his leading of the original effort at the ASSU to get courses evaluated in the first place. When the Daily published its article today, I wrote to Professor Diamond and asked him to comment. Here's what he said (this letter should also be published in tomorrow's Daily):

I was disturbed to read today that the results of the course evaluations are not routinely and systematically made available to the student body. The current policy (or lack thereof) is ill-considered and indefensible for a number of reasons. The most obvious one is that students and their families are paying over $30,000 a year in tuition (or as much of that as they can possibly afford) for the privilege of taking these classes. The least that Stanford could do—and the minimum I think it is morally required to do—is to make this most fundamental piece of consumer information available to students before they spend something like $3,000 on a class.

Related to this is the difficulty students have in making informed choices about classes and professors. Four years go by very quickly for a Stanford undergraduate. There are often painful opportunity costs to taking one course instead of another. In terms of maximizing the quality and richness of their undergraduate experience, students should have as much information at their disposal as possible.

This year's An Art Affair (Stanford's largest student-organized arts festival) will be taking place in White Plaza this weekend, Saturday April 14th (6pm-Midnight), and Sunday April 15th (10am-4pm). Check out the tents going up in White Plaza!

An Art Affair is now in it's 8th year, and is bigger than ever before. This year, the festival joined with Stanford Community Day (April 15th) as a celebration of the Stanford arts community.

Some new additions this year include:
A Workshop Stage for student groups to give workshops following their performance on the Main Stage, FREE gourmet FOOD for Stanford students from the Cooking Club, special guest performances by KENNY ENDO and STANFORD TAIKO and GAMO DA PAZ and KUUMBA AFRICAN DANCE AND DRUM ENSEMBLE, and an extended schedule spanning two days-- moving the Stanford Soundtrack CD Release Party to Saturday night, and the general festivities to Sunday to coincide with Community Day.

Here's what you can expect at An Art Affair:
Over 60 performances on three stages, over 200 peices of visual art and photography on display (in two tent galleries), 3,000 free copies of the Stanford Soundtrack CD, 11 workshops from student organizations, FREE FOOD (on both days!) for Stanford students with SUID, and tabling from arts groups -- all to showcase the Stanford arts community in this annual celebration.

The festival is organized each year by the Student Organizing Committee for the Arts (SOCA). It is one of the largest and most ambitious student-organized events on campus, and is the biggest arts event of the year. Do not miss it!

Full Art Affair Program Details

The Dailyhas three big articles on the ASSU elections today.

The centerpiece is Christian Torres' article on the SOCC endorsement process. He takes a look at the controversy surrounding SOCC, and the relationship between Brett and Lakshmi, one of the two leading slates for ASSU Executive and SOCC. They, like Avula/Jones, discuss diversity in their platform, but SOCC has endorsed Avula/Jones.

A second article is about the endorsement process for three of the major student groups: SOCC, Stanford Democrats and the Queer-Straight Alliance (QSA). [Full disclosure: I have been endorsed by the Dems and QSA for my Senate campaign]. The endorsement processes are very different.

A third article notes that the Senate will be voting on a controversial resolution endorsing divestment from Israel.

The Stanford Review's Elections Issue came out a couple of days ago. They endorsed candidates for Senate and Executive, and wrote blurbs about all the Special Fees groups, although interestingly, did not give a simple thumbs up/thumbs down for them. All of their coverage can be found at Stanfordreview.org.

I've participated in several voter registration and GOTV efforts on campus and elsewhere because I believe strongly that active participation in government is integral to the health of our democracy. It is vital that young people speak up and have their voices heard. The actions of our leaders today are going to greatly impact the actions we can take in the future, especially when it comes to the dire fiscal calamity that they are leaving behind (but that's a story for another day).

You may or may not have been following the recent uproar over the firing--"purging" if you want to use the more alarmist tone--of the US Attorneys. But you should be. It has implications for young people's ability to vote.

Online voting has begun. Visit http://ballot.stanford.edu/ to cast your votes!

Elections are today and tomorrow (the 11th and 12th), and results will be announced at 5:00PM on Friday. Check out the ASSU Elections website for more info.

And now for a break from ASSU stuff:

Stanford's Women's Water Polo team is on a role, winning its 17th consecutive game on Saturday with a blowout of Long Beach State. The #1-ranked Cardinal are now 19-1 overall and 8-0 in MPSF play, with the only loss coming to USC during the Stanford Invite. With strong leadership from seniors Alison Gregorka, Christina Hewko, Meridith McColl, and Katie Hansen, this team seems certain to make a run for the national championship.

Come cheer on the Cardinal as it hopes to continue its streak next Saturday, April 14th against No. 2 UCLA at the Avery Aquatics Center at 1:00 PM. This is a really important game--one of the last home games of the season--and I hope a lot of people are able to make it. Be loud, and bleed Cardinal.

Check out this hilarious freestyle track about the Stanford caterpillar epidemic. It's called "Catakilla," and is by the new group JAM'D. (Warning: It's expletive-laden.)

Last night, SOCA members helping to organize An Art Affair, Stanford's largest arts festival (happening THIS WEEKEND!), took initiative to set up ~60 pink lawn flamingos across campus, all marked with "SOCA" and Art Affair information.

"Guerrilla advertising" has become a new tactic on campus this year, with the installation in the intersection of death (by the clock tower), and the investigative effort of the d.school in viral marketing.

What can we expect next?

When some people ask themselves "What Would Jesus Do?" in this modern age, some respond, "He would certainly carry big signs that say 'God Hates Fags' to soldiers' funerals!" Others respond, "Jesus would drive to Stanford and tell the students that homosexuals are going to hell!"

The latter response is, in fact, what three older men decided to do today. They stood outside the Spring Career Fair with big signs that read "The sin and the sinner go straight to hell together," and "Warning: Pornicators, Drunkards, Thieves, Adulterers, God Haters, Liars, HOMOSEXUALS - JUDGMENT."

Fortunately, Stanford students wouldn't have any of it. While it would've been preferrable to have the men carried off by campus security, the students made the best of the situation by calling on the men to cite Bible verses to support their claims of God's hate and by cheering on two gay students who made out in front of the demonstrators.

Fortunately, this nice little scene was caught on video (makeout session is at the end).

In a decision with repercussions for the burgeoning number of Facebook-ing and MySpace-ing teens, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled this week that high school students' free speech is protected by both the U.S. and Indiana State Constitution, even if the students' words are expletive-ridden or against school policy.

This court decision has huge ramifications for student expression on the Web, including us bloggers. The case focuses around a student only referred to as A.B. in court papers who was originally sentenced to 9 months of probation on six counts of harassment stemming from comments she made on MySpace highly critical of the school principal, Shawn Gobert. Juvenile court went so far as to declare her to be "a delinquent child."

The comments were posted to the supposed profile of Gobert, a page actually created by a classmate of A.B.'s, something she knew when posting her comments. She said she was even "pretty sure" which student created the online effigy. In light of this, the Court of Appeals held that A.B.'s virtual diatribe was in fact a form of "political speech," and thus protected under the Bill of Rights.

We'll be blogging live tonight from the CoHo as the winners and losers of the ASSU Election are announced.

For now, the Daily reports that there was a record turnout of --- 40% (about 6,000 students out of our roughly 15,000 voted).

With the race behind them, some slates looked back on the challenges and highlights of an intense campaign week.

Brett Hammon ‘08 said his slate worked to shed a positive light on ASSU candidates.

“A lot of people assume that everyone involved in the ASSU is a tool,” he said. “And while this is a pretty safe assumption most of the time, there are a good 15 percent of us who are not.

“I’m glad that I don’t have to watch my mouth anymore,” he added. “When I would cuss around voters, Lakshmi [Karra ‘08] would snap at me, ‘Brett, you can’t say that shit in public.’”

"We weren't expecting this!"

Full election results at http://elections.stanford.edu/ when the ASSU gets around to posting them.

Students poring over results

5:12 - ASSU Executive (Run-off Results):

Round 1
Avula/Jones - 1867
Submit - 136
Smith/Ladewig - 339
Brett and Lakshmi - 1715
The Warm Weather Party - 440
Submit eliminated first round

Round 2
Avula/Jones - 1883
Smith/Ladewig - 351
Brett and Lakshmi - 1739
The Warm Weather Party - 484
Aaron Smith and Kyle Ladewig eliminated second round

Round 3
Avula/Jones - 1957
Brett and Lakshmi - 1845
Warm Weather Party - 517
The Warm Weather Party eliminated third round

Round 4
Avula/Jones - 2030
Brett and Lakshmi - 1992
Avula/Jones is declared the winner

5:09

Eugene Nho smiles broadly after hearing news of his victory. His awesome YouTube ad clearly paid huge dividends as he was the top vote-getter.

New Undergraduate Senators (top 15 vote-getters):

Eugene Nho - 1364
Patrick Cordova - 1102
Waddie CrazyHorse - 878
Jonathan Kass - 768
Luukas Ilves - 766
Tom Vacek - 743
Jose Benchimol - 699
Stuart Baimel - 696
Ré Phillips - 651
Priyanka Sharma - 638
Vanku Kang - 621
Sarah Golabek-Goldman - 601
Corinne Prudhomme - 587
Andy Lomeli - 569
Esosa Ozigbo - 564

5:08 - Measure A: Constitutional Amendment passes with 87.44%; Graduate GO Pass Measure fails with 61%

5:08 - All undergrad special fees passed!!

5:08 - Comedy Night failed with only 47% of Graduate votes

5:08 All Joint Special Fees pass except for Stanford News Readership Program which failed because too many abstained from voting on it, although it did receive 53.61% support from those who did vote on it.

5:07 - ASSU General Fees - 0% increase in fee in both areas

5:05 Graduate Student Council winners (top 15 vote-getters):
District Winners
Shireen Baday (Law)
Yana Emmy Hoy (Medicine)
Fen Zhao (Natural Sciences)
Melahn Parker (Engineering)
Marja Mullings (Engineering)
George Bloom (Humanities)
Euan Robertson (Social Sciences)
Rhyan Uy (Business)
Kyle Anderson (Earth Sciences)
Heather Hough (Education)

At-Large Winners
Maxim Afanasyev (Business)
Hanna Muenke (Social Sciences)
Kristina Keating (Earth Sciences)
Zen Fan (Engineering)
Lan Wei (Engineering)

5:05 - Class President Slates
Sophomore - after 4 rounds of voting - The Giving Tree
Junior - (no competitors) - The Professionals
Senior - The Office

5:04 - 5848 voters, a 10% increase over 2006. 40% of all students voted. (1072 Freshmen, 875 Sophomores, 1019 Juniors, 634 Seniors)

5:02

Announcements begin. Record turnout this year. Record number of candidates. Good job candidates. "None of the campaigns were egregiously unfair."

5:00

CoHo is packed as announcements begin

4:58

Lakshmi Karra (center) and friends anxious as announcements are about to begin

4:52

Luukas Ilves looking Senatorial. "Like my father before me, I always wear a bow tie on election nights."

4:47 - Candidates wandering in

As we mull over a possible federal shield law and in the wake of the jailing of Josh Wolf (who is now free after 226 days), the question of whether a “blogger” or a “citizen journalist” is actually a Journalist -- with a capital "J" -- has taken front and center.

I asked that question (via email) to Kevin Bankston, a staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He succinctly responded, “Yes. A blogger is a journalist if they are doing journalism.”

The answer is an interesting one in the context of defining a journalist either through statute or case law. Many have qualms about the very prospect of inviting the government to define who is or isn’t a journalist. To them, the act is a form of licensing and an affront to the First Amendment.

However, Bankston’s answer shifts the focus from who is a journalist, to what is journalism.

According to Stanford Journalism Professor Ted Glasser, defining what is journalism is the lesser of the two evils.