Notes from the Field

While seafood choices at Crossroads and the other dining facilities on campus may not be completely up-to-par based on a 2006 study by the Defenders of Wildlife, there are many efforts underway to see that better options are made available to students in coming years.

Rather than offering students tuna, which may have “high mercury” levels, as cited by the Food and Drug Administration, chefs said they attempt to other types of fish that are caught from the wild.

“We’re not quite there yet, and it’s very difficult, based on our numbers,” said Crossroad Executive Chef Ida Shen.

Currently, Associate Director of Residential Dining Chuck Davies said he is planning a trip to Alaska this summer to participate in a conference of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute with the hope of bringing healthier and more sustainable seafood options to the dining commons.

Crossroads also tries to follow the recommendations of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program, an effort designed to present businesses and consumers with the information they need to make healthful seafood choices. In their Seafood Guide, fish are listed as either “best,” “good” or “avoid,” with each designation pertaining not only to levels of contaminants but also to sustainability.

Tim Fitzgerald, a marine biologist with the Oceans Program at the Environmental Defense Fund, said he believes that the best tactics for business and restaurants like Crossroads would be to increase consumer awareness of their seafood products, a business strategy that has been proven to increase sales by fostering a greater sense of trust between purveyor and consumer. He cites the examples of FishWise and Bon Appetit, two organizations with member stores in Northern California that help businesses to increase the sustainability of their products and also to increase consumer awareness of what they are purchasing and consuming. Bon Appetite in particular works with university cafeterias to promote various sustainable seafood practices.

“Fish is just inherently a little difficult for consumers to grasp because it comes from so many different places, there are so many different species, it’s caught it so many different ways and it’s farmed in so many ways,” Fitzgerald says. “Consumers are always going to feel a little bit less comfortable about seafood in that they just can’t know as much, and that’s where all these programs come in.”

-Zoe Carpou

Popularity: 39%

The viewing and funeral for UC Berkeley senior Chris Wootton, who was killed early Saturday morning outside Chi Omega sorority, will be held this weekend.

Viewing:

Friday 5-9-08 @ 6-9 p.m.
Rice Mortuary
5310 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90503

Funeral Service:

Saturday 5-10-08 @ 10 a.m.
Hope Chapel
2306 P.C.H.
Hermosa Bch, CA 90254
(310) 374-4673

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Mayfair Faculty Club c/o Chris Wootton Scholarship 6000 North Woodruff, Lakewood CA. 90713.

Popularity: 62%

After the crime scene tape and cop cars have left, students of UC Berkeley’s Greek community have left signs mourning the passing of a UC Berkeley fraternity member killed last night.

They are mourning the tragic death of 21-year-old Chris Wootton, a member of Sigma Pi who was fatally stabbed early this morning.

In a display of support, students have delivered flowers and chalked phrases such as “We Love You Chris” on the street near the parking lot Wootton was killed. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 100%

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%

Three Unit 1 male security monitors were robbed at gunpoint early Wednesday morning as they waited at a nearby bus stop.

Alex Cheng, 19, Jason Keller, 20, and Devin Koba, 19, were sitting at the bus stop between the Putnam and Freeborn halls, waiting for the Owl Line to come pick them up when the suspect approached them holding a handgun and took two cell phones and $182.

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Popularity: 81%

I didn’t know what to expect when I walked into a war tax resisters’ meeting Monday evening, but I was surprised to find that among these government-defiers were mild-mannered old ladies, farmers, school children and writers.

The gathering, which was held in a private residence, and the stories the speakers told gave me glimpses into how these people had come to feel so strongly about a cause that they were willing to illegally withhold money from the government.

An immigrant from El Salvador, Julio Serrao, told of how he became a pacifist when the civil war in his home country destroyed his life and left 31 of his family members dead.

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When interviewing members from city governments across different college towns, it was clear that there were differences in how students interact with city government, and the way in which city councils function. But one overarching shared problem across the towns was on housing crises.

Jesse Arreguin, recent Cal grad and Jason Overman, fifth year who ran for city council in 2006, both expressed that as members of the Rent Stabilization Board, they are able to work with both student and non-student residents over the need for affordable housing.

“Rents are very high, not enough student housing, co-op housing and affordable housing is an issue for the broader community,” Arreguin said.

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Popularity: 69%

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%

As I strolled down Telegraph Avenue last Sunday on my way to Moffitt Library with my backpack weighing down on me, I was almost jealous of the sidewalk vendors I passed by. They chatted idly with one another in the sun, as my shoulders sagged under the 20-pound economics textbook in my bag.

After I talked to long-time vendor Diana Yoshida though, I realized I was not the only one with this misconception.

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Popularity: 64%

Wednesday’s Olympic Torch relay in San Francisco was more about protest groups rallying for their cause than it was about the Olympic games.

Whether it was Pro-Tibet, Pro-China, activists against involvement in Darfur, activists for animal rights, or even for bringing back nudity in the Olympic games, everybody had an opinion.

Although thousands of people showed up on the Embarcadero Monday for the event, there was only one I met who was there just to watch the torch relay. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 65%