As a Boalt Hall School of Law student and singer-songwriter, Josh Keesan thinks about law and rock music a lot–often at the same time. Last year he combined his passions on the self-produced record The Law of Rock, Vol. 1, setting lyrics about contributory negligence and promissory estoppel to catchy folk-pop.

When the 24-year-old wants to find new music, he said he usually turns to the Internet. But as a student studying music copyright law, Keesan added that he is conflicted about the phenomenon of online file-sharing.

“I think (illegal file-sharing) is sort of a necessary evil at this point,” Keesan said. “I think (subscription) services like Rhapsody are going to become increasingly prominent as just a way of, ‘I want access to everything new that comes out all the time.’ File-sharing provides a way for that to happen because record labels haven’t provided a way for me to get that.”

Keesan’s songs can be heard on his Web site and MySpace. His biography reads: “While the rest of his Boalt classmates are surfing the Internet and killing time on google chat, Josh is tirelessly working to distill legal doctrine into digestible three-minute musical gems.”

Popularity: 63%

When UC Berkeley journalism graduate student James Buck flew into Egypt late last month, he was there to observe how the nation’s emerging blogosphere serves as an alternative to the mainstream press.

But when police detained the freelance photographer in a town outside Cairo, his research trip quickly became a real-life lesson in the powers of the Web.

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Popularity: 60%

Next month’s commencement convocation at the Hearst Greek Theatre is expected to draw record audiences, according to ceremony officials.

1,400 graduating students are currently set to attend the May 13 event, while roughly 700 came to last spring’s ceremony, said Katherine Nguyen, the Californians’ vice president for May commencement. Each student is allotted 10 tickets for relatives and friends, yet the venue’s Web site indicates it can only seat about 6,000.

Nguyen did not know what has compelled so many students to attend this year, but said they and their guests will likely be able to attend if they reserved their tickets by April 1.

This year’s keynote speaker is Craigslist.org founder Craig Newmark, who said his undergraduate years at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio were enjoyable — if somewhat introverted.

“I got a good education, but I should have gotten out more and had a little bit of fun,” said Newmark, who majored in computer science. “I was very much in my ‘nerd years’ then — let’s say I was bad at interacting with people.”

Newmark, who has also given commencement speeches at USC and Stanford University in recent years, hinted that he may soon collaborate with a popular cable TV comedian.

“I’ll also be speaking the following week at Montclair State University in New Jersey, and that’s where Stephen Colbert lives, so there may be mischief in store,” he said. “I don’t know (what), but I’ll think of something.”

Popularity: 58%

When the U.S. News & World Report ranks the nation’s educational institutions–most recently, the top graduate programs–the lists often stir debate.

But first-year Haas School of Business student Buzz Buzko, who earned his undergraduate degree in Ukraine, said that a school’s reputation carries more weight than its exact ranking for people outside the U.S. This year, the U.S. News & World Report listed Haas as tied at No. 7 with Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business Administration.

“Both employers and employees in Ukraine are not aware of anything but Harvard (University) and Stanford (University)–they don’t know what Berkeley is,” he said. “In this respect, there is a problem for students who want to come back to Ukraine and search for a job. The power of Haas is enormous here in the U.S., but it’s basically zero in Ukraine because they don’t know who Haas is.”

Popularity: 51%

Lt. Col. Brad Jensen, who teaches UC Berkeley’s Air Force ROTC program, plans to soon retire after 26 years of military service. His job has taken him all over the country, including Louisiana, Utah, Guam, California, Virginia and North Dakota. Berkeley marks his last stop.

When he enlisted in 1982, the Gulf War was underway. “We sat alert, we had our airplanes, aircraft and missiles on alert and Russia was the big threat,” Jensen said. “We thought the world might end in a nuclear holocaust.”

He nodded to the dozens of Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force members doing training exercises in the middle of North Field. “We send cadets around the world for language training and cultural immersion to try and get them prepared to go work in the Balkans or the Middle East or Asia,” said Jensen, who speaks Dutch, Spanish and French. “They’re going to be stationed anywhere in the world.”

What has changed most about the military between then and now, he said, is a greater understanding of the enemy.

“In some ways, it’s a much harder threat to defend against than the Russians were during the Cold War,” Jensen said. “You know what their missiles were, you knew if we didn’t threaten them they wouldn’t hurt us. But we don’t know that with the terrorists–they want to destroy us and we don’t know where they are.”

Popularity: 35%

As John Garamendi spoke to a packed student audience at Wheeler Auditorium yesterday, the lieutenant governor’s old image of UC Berkeley–where he attended in the 1960s–sometimes seemed to be at odds with the new.

“Last night was pure Berkeley–fun stuff,” he said, referring to the Berkeley City Council meeting that drew protesters and media outlets from all over the nation. Then he asked how many in the audience had attended.

None of the attendees of Political Science 179 raised their hands.

Later, Garamendi encouraged his listeners to peacefully protest against potential student fee increases. The UC Board of Regents had discussed in January the possibility of raising student fees in response to proposed university budget cuts following California’s budget crisis.

“Do you know what marching is?” Garamendi asked. “Do you do that anymore here?”

Popularity: 34%

Thirteen floating home owners may be forced to pay more than $35,000 in back rent that marina officials illegally waived for seven months, according to a recommendation passed by the Berkeley Waterfront Commission Wednesday.

Construction on marina docks H and I that began in March pushed more than a dozen floating homes normally stationed there to other docks. Until September, marina officials excused the homeowners’ rent and other living fees without the City Council’s approval, a violation of local law that city officials say cost the marina almost $60,000.

The commission’s recommendation, which the council will vote on next month, would back-bill the 13 floating home owners the majority of the unpaid fees, via an 18-month interest-free payment plan. Each resident could be required to pay as much as an additional $286 per month under the recommendation.

Every month residents pay a regular berth charge–ranging from $396 to $1,086–and a $140 live aboard fee, not including additional storage and utility expenses.

Former harbormaster Cliff Marchetti, who stepped down earlier this year, initially waived the homeowners’ rent to compensate for any utility services forgone during construction, said William Rogers, director of the city’s Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Department. In fact, while the deteriorating docks were replaced, the residents had electricity and phone service, as well as sewage pump-out service at their own expense.

After stepping into Marchetti’s position, acting waterfront manager Ann Hardinger said she did not notice the violation until around August.

“It’s extremely unfortunate that it didn’t go through the process it should have, and will not happen again,” Hardinger said. “I should have looked for a council resolution … I am going to scrutinize my staff and myself.”

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Popularity: 32%