Doing the Harlem Shake

Viral video enthusiasts respond to latest internet meme

Written by HANNAH KRAMER
Aggie Features Writer
Published on March 4, 2013
Filed under Features

From cultural phenomena to unbelievable annoyance in a matter of days, most viral videos seem to suffer the same sudden and irreversible demise. A video is posted with an easy to follow formula — it’s hot, it’s new and then, suddenly, there are hundreds upon hundreds of versions and responses. For a time, the formula is embraced, the videos are modified and made extraordinary … and just as swiftly, the magic is gone. Parodies of “Call Me Maybe” and “Gangnam Style,” once so popular, now reside in Youtube purgatory. Internet fads are short-lived, and accruing likes or views is entirely dependent on the hour or minute in which the video is posted. What is cool one moment is dead the next. The latest fad to make waves online were dances done to Baauer’s “Harlem Shake.” The craze lived a life of just two weeks before being considered majorly overdone, but before that time, many residents of Davis were able to create and submit their own versions of the video. Each... ...

Six new ASUCD Senators sworn in Thursday

During Thursday’s ASUCD Senate meeting, Kabir Kapur, Beatriz Anguiano, Bradley Bottoms, Paul Min and Don Gilbert ended their terms as ASUCD senators. New Winter Quarter 2013 senators Pamela Nonga, Amrit Sahota, Miles Thomas, Reuben Torres, Ryan Wonder and Yee Xiong were sworn in shortly after. Carly Sandstrom and Bradley Bottoms from the NOW slate won the executive ticket and will take office during the last Senate meeting of this quarter. “Winning this election and having the chance to represent my fellow students is extremely humbling. It’s going to be a tough year, but I’m really excited to start my position and make this campus an even better place,” Sandstrom said. The NOW slate garnered 2,989 votes. “We look forward to working closely with all students, everyone within ASUCD and the administration to ensure that our campus grows, even in light of budgetary concerns and open positions throughout the university,” Bottoms said. Pamela Nonga, third-year communication and political science double major (NOW) Nonga plans to use this win to bring unity... ...

Senate Brief

ASUCD Senate meetings are scheduled to begin Thursdays at 6:10 p.m. Times listed are according to the clock at the February 28 meeting location, the Memorial Union’s Mee Room. The ASUCD president is not required to attend senate meetings. Meeting called to order at 6:10 p.m. Rebecca Sterling, ASUCD president, present Yena Bae, ASUCD vice president, present Liam Burke, ASUCD senator, present Armando Figueroa, ASUCD senator, present Maxwell Kappes, ASUCD senator, present Pamela Nonga, ASUCD senator, present Felicia Ong, ASUCD senator, present Alyson Sagala, ASUCD senator, present Amrit Sahota, ASUCD senator, present Miles Thomas, ASUCD senator, present Tal Topf, ASUCD senator, present Reuben Torres, ASUCD senator, present Ryan Wonders, ASUCD senator, present Yee Xiong, ASUCD senator, present Unit Director Reports Tessa Artale, director of the Campus Center of the Environment, said they will be expanding their zero-waste compostable program. She also said they will have a new website running next week. Karan Singh, director of Lobby Corps, said that the Lobby Corps will be focusing on the issue of student... ...

House of cards

The director of Fight Club, David Fincher, teamed up with the actor Kevin Spacey to bring you Netflix’s first original series, “House of Cards.” The upper echelons of America’s federal government serve as a playground where Spacey’s character, Frank Underwood, casually maneuvers his way to undisputed power. The first two episodes which set the tone for the development of Frank, an incredibly well-connected Democratic congressman, were directed by Fincher himself. There is a certain level of trail-blazing domination that characterizes the role of Frank within the American government. Be it closing a shipyard employing tens of thousands of people for the sake of getting the right person in the right political office, it would seem as though there is no horror too awful in the face of Frank’s will. There is a question in my mind as to the positive ends toward which someone can actively head within their social networks. About a week ago, I pulled myself away from the glare of my computer screen to speak with one... ...

ME/SA offers rare academic opportunity

Political events of the last decade have put the Middle East and South Asia firmly in American students’ minds. However, according to some, academics concerning these regions are surprisingly lacking, with UC Davis’ program only recently established and only one of four in the entire nation. Twelve years ago, there were barely a handful of Middle Eastern and South Asian courses at UC Davis. Now, after the founding of the Middle East/South Asia (ME/SA) studies program, the original two-member faculty and 300 students have grown to 22 and 2,000, respectively. With the leadership of founding director anthropology and women’s studies professor Suad Joseph, pressure from UC Davis student petitions and support from local Middle Eastern and South Asian communities, ME/SA has grown to offer both a major and a minor. It is also a resource for non-majors, as the program hosts two lecture series and many guest speakers throughout the year. The lectures are free, open to everyone and aim to offer richer understandings of Middle Eastern and South Asian... ...

Aggies split tough series away from home

The UC Davis women’s basketball team has had up-and-down results on the road this season, and in the final road series of the year, the Aggies once again came home with one win and one loss. The Aggies fought valiantly throughout the road trip. However, cold second-half shooting prevented the Aggies from walking away with two wins. The Aggies end this road trip 12-16 overall, and 7-10 in conference play. Thursday — UC Davis 47, UC Irvine 43 The Aggies left Irvine with a closely contested win. The victory was a result of efficient second-half scoring, consistent rebounding and stellar defense. After shooting just 26.1 percent from the floor in the first half, the Aggies found their groove and shot 39.1 percent from the field in the second half. This included a blistering 7-14 from beyond the arc. They were led by the duo of sophomore Sydnee Fipps and senior Cortney French, who had 19 and nine points, respectively. Fipps made a career high five three-pointers. French added three three-pointers,... ...

News in Brief: Students march on capitol today

Student advocates from across California are rallying in Sacramento today as part of the annual March for Higher Education. The march begins at 10 a.m. at Raley Field, leading to a rally at the 10th Street-facing steps of the Capitol from 11 a.m. to noon. After the rally, some students will attend scheduled meetings with legislators to discuss tuition, budget cuts and higher education. — Becky Peterson ...

Aggies struggle with road trip to Oklahoma State

After winning one of three games against Utah last weekend, the Aggies traveled to Stillwater, Okla. over this weekend’s series and dropped its first two games. UC Davis now holds a record of 5-6, after starting the season 4-1. UC Davis has yet to face a conference opponent and has gone up against strong competition from the Pac-12 and Big-12 Conferences. Going into the series, Oklahoma State sat second in its division with an impressive record of 7-1, behind Oklahoma. The Aggies came into the series 5-4. Friday — UC Davis 2, Oklahoma State 4 This game was knotted up at two until the Cowboys scored a run in the seventh and another one in the eighth. Sophomore John Williams led the Aggies with two hits and two RBI. Unlike the weather on the West Coast, the weather at first pitch was 38 degrees, giving Oklahoma State the true definition of home-field advantage. Junior Harry Stanwyck started on the mound for the Aggies and pitched seven innings. He allowed four... ...

News in Brief: Measure I election tomorrow

Ballots for the single-item Measure I election must be turned in by tomorrow, March 5, at 8 p.m. If approved, Measure I will impose an ordinance on the City of Davis to move forward with the Davis-Woodland Water Supply Project. According the the Yolo Elections voter guide, the project would provide 12 million gallons of water a day to residents of Davis. This would be surface water sourced from the Sacramento River. Presently, Davis relies only on groundwater wells. Total construction costs for the City of Davis are estimated to be under $120 million and will require a water rate increase to Davis water customers, the guide says. The water rate increase is unknown, though a rate calculator can be found at water.cityofdavis.org. Though it is too late to register for the election, voters who haven’t mailed in their ballots can drop off completed ballots at the Mary L. Stephens Branch Library at 315 E. 14th St. — Becky Peterson ...

Education reform

Earlier in the quarter, I wrote a column calling for the decommodification of education. I bemoaned the lecture format and compared our University to a bank in an attempt to make heard my discontent with the system. I received several responses from alumni and students that empathized with my position. As a follow-up, I would like to recommend some tangible changes that could address the issues of school reform. I wasn’t alive a century ago, but what I gather from all my lectures is that daily lives and interactions have greatly changed with the development of certain technologies and the arrival of new schools of thought. The generation before us attended school without laptops, without internet databases and without Facebook. Let’s take a moment to consider how their learning experience was different from ours. We need teaching practices that can address how vastly the way we learn has been altered. Here, we can take a lesson from ecology. Popular ecological thought returned to the United States starting in the 1960s... ...

Road sweepin’

UC Davis battled hard to earn two close wins this week. The team traveled down to Southern California to face off against Big West Conference rivals UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton. Thursday’s game against UC Riverside was an unusually low-scoring game. The Aggies managed to pull away with a 59-52 victory over the Highlanders, but UC Davis did not display the offensive dominance Aggie fans are accustomed to. To their credit, the Ags were without the Big West’s leading scorer, sophomore Corey Hawkins. In Hawkins’ absence, junior Ryan Sypkens picked up the torch and led the team in scoring, managing 16 points in the game. The Highlanders allowed Sypkens to take 13 attempts from beyond the arc and he converted on four of them. That brought his three-point season tally to a grand total of 95. Meanwhile, sophomore J.T. Adenrele continued to dominate the middle. He used his size to earn his fourth career double-double, scoring 13 points and snagging 10 rebounds. “J.T. played like a man. It is... ...

News in Brief: Sexual assault in South Davis

At around 10 p.m. on Friday, a sexual assault took place in South Davis, according to the Davis Police Department. A man grabbed the 17-year-old female victim from behind, who was walking west on Cowell Boulevard near Koso Street. A struggle ensued as the suspect grabbed the victim’s shirt and buttocks. The victim screamed and fought back, forcing the suspect to flee. The victim’s mother sent a message about the incident to The Aggie via Facebook. “It is important to inform women in Davis that there is a predator out there and to make sure they do NOT walk alone, not even for just a few blocks, like my daughter,” she said. The suspect is described as a Latino male, 25 to 35 years old, about 5’10” tall, stocky and with black buzzed hair. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and unknown colored pants. — Claire Tan ...

Multicultural Community Council holds Muslim, Sikh forum

Yolo County’s Multicultural Community Council (MCC) held a forum on Muslims and Sikhs on Thursday — the first in a series of public forums aimed to foster understanding and appreciation of local cultures. The forum was held at Woodland Community College from 7 to 8:30 p.m. National President of the American Muslim Voice Foundation Khalid Saeed spoke on behalf of the Muslim community, while Winty Singh and Harjit Kaur Grewal spoke on behalf of the Sikh Coalition about the Sikh community. “The primary thing we hope to accomplish in these type of forums is to continue to enhance inclusion and understanding of differences in Yolo County,” Saeed said. “Having a forum like the Muslim and Sikh one is a way to show that diversity and also to share the things we have in common that will bring us together.” Saeed said he sought to clear misconceptions and misinformation about Muslims and the Islamic faith, referencing the Quran and stating that Islam is a religion of peace. Additionally, he discussed the... ...

News in Brief: Armed robbery chase ends in arrests at UC Davis

On Friday at around 2:15 a.m., the Davis Police received a call about an armed robbery at Fifth and L streets. Police determined the suspect had displayed a handgun to two victims. The suspect took the victims’ property and fled in a vehicle. The victims obtained a description and partial license plate of the vehicle. At around 2:40 a.m., the Davis Police noticed a matching vehicle going westbound on I-80 from Mace Boulevard. The police attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver did not stop, leading the police on a chase through the UC Davis campus. The driver stopped at the 200 block of A Street and a male passenger fled from the vehicle. Officers took the driver, 25-year-old Sunnie Robertson of Woodland, into custody. The UC Davis Police and a CHP helicopter assisted the Davis Police in the search for the male passenger. An officer spotted a male riding a bicycle in the area and attempted to stop him. The male biked away and was able to temporarily... ...

Davis Farmers Market celebrates pigs

It was pig perfect on Saturday. From 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Davis Farmers Market at Central Park hosted the 22nd annual Pig Day. “The event is all pig-themed with pig crafts and food. Free kids crafts tables are held by volunteers from Davis Parent Nursery School, University Covenant Nursery School, Davis Community Church Nursery School and UC Davis [Rotaract] Club,” said Shelly Keller, market manager and executive director for the Davis Farmers Market. “They help kids make pig puppets, pig tails, pig masks and pig noses.” The food is also pig-related, ranging from pig cupcakes to pig popsicles to pigs in a blanket to pork ribs, provided by various Davis restaurants. “The food and pigs attract everyone so it’s really an event for the whole family. People are dying to get out by this time of year since the weather is now so nice,” Keller said. The pigs have been provided by Woodland pig farmer Jim Neilson for 20 years. Neilson started being a pig farmer because his... ...