Cyrus Farivar

I got a C in Econ 100A. I’ll say it one last time. Fuck Econ. I have a perfect C average with my Econ courses here at Berkeley (C+ in Econ 1, C- in Econ 100B) — good riddance. Without you I could have had honors.Oh well, it’s over now.

I was informed by my major advisor that I’m not getting honors, even though I went through all the motions and what not (I didn’t make the GPA requirement). Oh well. I’m still glad I did it. So over here at my new digs at B2, I have a colleague called Todd Lappin, who apparently is a big fan of international music as I am. I traded him some Tarkan, MC Solaar, Positive Black Soul and others for some Mandarin…

Right Hook, Salon.com May 19, 2004 The sentiments speak for themselves, but what is perhaps most disturbing is their reach. “Savage Nation’s” syndicated radio host Michael Savage, already infamous for telling a gay caller to “get AIDS and die” (MSNBC fired him for that), boasts 6 million American listeners per week, according to the nonprofit watchdog group Media Matters.org. On May 11, while repeatedly calling Abu Ghraib “Grab-an-Arab” prison, he launched into this little tirade: “I think there should be…

So far, Business 2.0 is great. Factchecking stories have become my duties, and that’s well — you can imagine how that is. But I’m liking it so far, and I have two postings in the B2Day blog here and here. There are loads of bananas and apricots in the kitchen for the staff today, so that was cool. Last night I volunteered for the pledge drive at KQED which was fairly straightforward. In the volunteer raffle I won a CD…

Wow, two in a row. The Gray Zone. The roots of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal lie not in the criminal inclinations of a few Army reservists but in a decision, approved last year by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, to expand a highly secret operation, which had been focussed on the hunt for Al Qaeda, to the interrogation of prisoners in Iraq. RumsfeldÕs decision embittered the American intelligence community, damaged the effectiveness of Žlite combat units, and hurt AmericaÕs…

Thanks to those of you who came all the way up to Glen Ellen for helping celebrate graduation. It’s just now dawned on me that I really don’t have anything hanging over my head. Well, except for that annoying stop-sign ticket that I have to do traffic school for, but other than that, it’s all over. I’m ready to fall asleep. The chili was great (thanks Nate!) and the pies were great (thanks Rachel!) and everything else was great (thanks…

It’s funny. I can look back on a life of achievement, on challenges met, competitors bested, obstacles overcome. I’ve accomplished more than most men, and without the use of my legs. — The Big Lebowski Well I actually do have legs, but today is something of a milestone. Graduation and all that jazz. My last day at Macworld. (I got told by one of the editors that if they had the money that they would hire me — they all…

The Bush campaign has repeatedly accused the senator of “politicizing” Iraq. Bush-Cheney chairman Marc Racicot told reporters Wednesday that Kerry is relentlessly “playing politics” and exploiting tragedy for political gain. Racicot, for instance, told reporters that Kerry suggested that 150,000 or so U.S. troops are “somehow universally responsible” for the misdeeds of a small number of American soldiers and contractors. Racicot made several variations of this charge. But Kerry never said this, or anything like it. As evidence, Racicot pointed…

Wow, my phone is among the coolest gadgets that I’ve owned yet so far. And did I mention that it has a camera on it too? Today was my last day of class at Berkeley. It feels rather anti-climactic. See y’all at the Hotsy later on.

Now while all this nonsense about questioning the leadership somehow “endangers” the troops, (a charge I’ve yet to see proven or even explained) is one thing, but this takes it to a whole new level. As in last Friday’s questioning of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, most of the Senators on the committee roundly condemned the prisoner abuse. But one committee member, Senator James M. Inhofe, Republican from Oklahoma, lashed out at the outrage itself. “I’m probably not the only…