The UC Davis Aggies football team will have their hands full when they open the 2010 season against the California Golden Bears. But don’t expect an upset according to long-time Cal radio play-by-play voice, Joe Starkey, who appeared this week in an episode of the Davis Sports Deli Podcast. “I don’t see anything like it did with Stanford five years ago,” Starkey said, referencing UCD’s improbable 20-17 victory over the Cardinal in 2006. “I just think you’re talking apples and oranges,” he continued. “Stanford at that time was a very, very bad football team with poor coaching. Everything about the program was in trouble. This is not the Cal football team.” Indeed, the Aggies will have a

 OK guys and gals, get out your favorite college team colors and jerseys or an old lettermen insignia as this is the time of year that has those of us who are passionate about college football ready for the start of a new season. The 2010 season officially kicks off with an opening round of games starting on Thursday night. Whether or not if you enjoy big time college football or cheering for one of the smaller schools, if you are like me you will enjoy a host of games to choose from. Since I am a fan and blogger of college football I intend to be glued to my TV for most of Saturday afternoon. For local teams Sac St. and U.C. Davis they will look to impress more people other than their d

Outgoing Sacramento City Councilman Robbie Waters is backing candidate Darrell Fong in the runoff election for the District 7 seat that covers the Pocket/Greenhaven and Valley Hi neighborhoods. Waters, who has served as the District 7 council member since 1994, lost the race in June to opponents Darrell Fong and Ryan Chin. Waters came in third place out of four candidates, with 27 percent of the vote. Chin led the group in the June election with 37 percent of the vote. He is now competing in a runoff campaign against Fong, who garnered 32 percent of votes cast. The two candidates must face off again because the city’s rules say that a council candidate needs at least 50 percent of the vo

(Photo: © 2010 World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved) Monday Night Raw comes to the ARCO Arena on August 9. This will be the last Monday Night Raw before the "Biggest Event of the Summer" the much-anticipated Summer Slam on August 15 that will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Monday’s main event at ARCO Arena will feature John Cena and Bret “The Hitman” Hart going up against The Edge and Chris Jericho. Other WWE Superstars scheduled to appear are Rando Orton, Sheamus, The Miz, Mark Henry, R-Truth, Evan Bourne, Ted Dibiase, John Morrison and many others. On Thursday I was able to talk to John Morrison about his participation in Monday Night Raw and to fin

Dozens of people showed up today in a peaceful demonstration to protest the police shooting of a pregnant cow at the California State Fair. Many say that this tragic incident could have been avoided and in fact should never have happened at all. The cow was shot 11 times and killed Tuesday just before gates were to open in front of vendors like Carolyn Hadin, who videotaped the entire incident on her cell phone. Hadin said she has likely been permanently traumatized by the shooting and fears she will have trouble sleeping for some time. The cow was scheduled to give birth to her calf in public view, but Jennifer Fearing, the California senior state director for the Humane Society, said

California nurses represented by the California Nurses Association are holding rallies today in response to a recent court injuntion against a proposed strike. Nurses are upset over staffing ratios in the UC system and are saying they are not providing the quality of care to their patients that should be expected. Carol Robinson, the chief nursing officer for the UC Davis Medical Center, said the nurses' claims are unsafe and "untrue." But nurses disagree, instead stating they are looking for safe staffing, continuity of care and patient safety. Jody Ramos, a UC Davis Med Center nurse of three years, said she has foregone her lunch and breaks in order to provide quality patient care,

It would be easy for many loyal concert-going aficionados to have a beef with what Band of Horses does not do when it plays live – and that beef might be legitimate. A Band of Horses concert is a little like going to a gourmet restaurant and ordering a meal made entirely of ingredients you have in your own fridge. It’s hard to shake that little snarky voice in the back of your head that’s reminding you that you already have all this stuff. But the reality is, you’re going to have it simmered and served up better than you could get it left to your own devices. Band of Horses’ sonic feast of a set Thursday night at UC Davis’ Freeborn Hall was heavy on familiarity, but equally heavy on refi

How to be a saxophone legend, step one: When you walk onto the stage with a five-inch afro, beard and dark sunglasses, don't even introduce yourself. Just start playing and let that do the talking. At age 79, Sonny Rollins is perhaps the greatest saxophone player around, and he proved it Thursday at the Mondavi Center in Davis. He treated the nearly full 1,800-seat Jackson Hall to an almost three-hour performance of jazz flecked with Caribbean and Latin vibes. After finishing his opener, a 10-minute cover of Noël Coward's "Someday I'll Find You," Rollins introduced his four backing musicians: guitarist Russell Malone, percussionist Victor See-Yuen, bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Kobie

For more than two hours, the full sounds of the University of California, Davis, Jazz Bands swelled through the Vanderhoef Studio Theatre in the Mondavi Center Wednesday night. Approximately 200 people attended the event, including family and friends of the student musicians. The audience sat in the cool, dim theater holding black seats, steps and floorboards. Soft fuchsia and blue lighting came down from the two-story-high ceiling. The performances were directed by Delbert Bump, jazz band and combo director. The night started with an organ trio consisting of Bump on organ, Steve Homan on guitar and Thomas "T" Moran on drums. The organ trio began with "F Blues," "Road Song" and "Enroll G

It's been said that saxophone legend Sonny Rollins is just as good as jazz greats John Coltrane and Charlie Parker were. It's a reputation he pretty much holds alone because at age 79, Rollins has outlived nearly all the jazz musicians of his era. The "saxophone colossus" will return Wednesday to the Mondavi Center in Davis, which he said has "very good acoustics we (musicians) salivate at." He'll bring to Jackson Hall some of his classics as well as new material from an album expected to debut next year. Born in New York City, Rollins picked up a saxophone as a teenager. By the time he was 20, he had played with jazz legends Thelonious Monk, J.J. Johnson and Bud Powell. In the decade t

University of California and UC Davis officials announced in a press conference Thursday morning that UC Davis will take over operating the UC Center in Sacramento (UCCS). Initiated in 2003 and funded by the UC Office of the President, the center served UC students system-wide until it closed after the 2009 fall term due to lack of state funding. From now on, students at the UC Center in Sacramento will be enrolled as UC Davis students and receive benefits like health care and access to other UC Davis campus services and teachers. It will continue to offer two programs: an internship program offered year-round, pairing students with another organization, and a summer public policy intern

There's a buzz going on around town and it's all about The Bee's Second Saturday. This year, come celebrate all things Bee with Scoopy - the newspaper's mascot - and amazing artwork by 60 local artists. All of the art depicts "the Bee" and will be for sale during the show. On Saturday, May 8, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Bee is turning its courtyard over to the local artists, musicians, and representatives from U.C. Davis for the show. The idea is to educate the public on the plight of the Honey Bee and raise awareness. It's also a benefit for the U.C. Davis Department of Entomology and the Honey Bee Haven, which will open on Sept. 11, 2010. The Bee has organized the event with the help of

The first bicycle was used as a replacement for a horse, required a saddle and was propelled like Fred Flinstone's car. According to University of California, Davis, Bicycle Program Coordinator David Takemoto-Weerts, an early bicycle-like invention was a "Draisine," a 19th-century invention of German forest ranger Karl Von Drais, for whom the the proto-bike is named. Similar machines were tweaked by engineers until bikes evolved into what we use today. Takemoto-Weerts helped facilitate the purchase of a Draisine, part of the Pierce Miller collection that U.C. Davis bought in 2000 for a little under $400,000. It is now one of the dozens of historic and modern bikes displayed at the U.S. B

A youth mentor for a local educational program said he used poetry to see himself through a difficult past. Coon, a 15-year-old high school sophomore, was walking home when he was shot three times. One bullet hit his spine and ricocheted into his lung. "I was hanging out with somebody who really wasn't my friend, and I pretty much took on their beef, their issues, and I was guilty by association," he said. "I've never been in a gang or anything like that. You don't have to be (involved) in a gang for something bad to happen to you." Asking to be referred to only by his last name (and stage name), Coon channeled the pain from his wounds and started taking his writing and poetry seriously

More than 1,200 fans attended the sold-out Passion Pit show Wednesday at UC Davis Freeborn Hall and were ready to get their groove on. An hour before the event kids were lined up, dressed to impress with glow stick and all, ready to stake their spot close to the stage. It was a spectacle to see such an interactive audience harmonizing, chanting and singing along. Passion Pit received quick success from its introductory ep "Chunk of Change," which was released in September 2008. Since the ep's release, the band has released a full-length album, "Manners," and is currently making its way south to play at this weekend's Coachella Festival in Indio Valley. The Southern California desert festi

Citizens advocacy group Friends of the Swainson's Hawk on Saturday hosted "Return of the Swainson's Hawk," presented by the California Raptor Center. People at Sutter Landing Park were treated to an up-close encounter with Swainson's hawks Grasshopper and Evie. The event was held at the park because members of Friends of the River discovered a Swainson's hawk nesting site close by. After a presentation by the California Raptor Center, people were led on a nature walk along the American River during which relevant nature sites were pointed out and discussed. Swainson's hawks are "listed as threatened by the state," said Judith Lamare, president of Friends of the Swainson's Hawk. "The Sacr

32 years after his first US tour brought him to UC Davis' tiny Coffeehouse, Elvis Costello returned to the campus. But this time, he was no longer the angry young "punk" fronting the Attractions and battling audience members. Instead, he is something of an elder, in his mid-50s and playing a stage that more often features orchestras and jazz greats. When he played Davis in 1978, the "real" Elvis (Presley) was not yet dead a year, and this young upstart was actively hated by some traditionalists who resented his tongue-in-cheek name (he was born Declan McManus) and resented his short, sharp pop. At that UC Davis Coffeehouse show, someone in the audience was antagonistic enough to push a mi

A México with bundles of tassels. A Mexico that is tame, quiet, wild, incongruous, strident, lighthearted.-Amalia Hernandez A Mexico that is a pure expression of roots, that convert themselves into reality though emotional sentiment Ballet Folklorico de Amalia Hernandez

 In an Access Sacramento office full of high-tech video equipment, timelines circulated Friday morning among representatives of local community organizations working toward Sacramento's first Youth Media Forum For Social Change. The project is aimed at showcasing and supporting the use of digital tools for advocacy and social change as well as establishing a regional network of youth and adults to share and create them. The upcoming forum is supported by The Healthy Youth/Healthy Regions initiative, a partnership between the University of California at Davis Center for Regional Change, Sierra Health Foundation and The California Endowment. Research obtained through the initiative will dic

Huffington Post founder Ariana Huffington spoke last night at the Mondavi Center at UC Davis, as part of its Distinguished Speakers Series.  Her lecture was a free-flowing, spontaneous take on a variety of topics that fit loosely under the evening’s theme, “The brave new world of the new media: how technology is changing the way we think, learn, play, work, and vote.” As founder and editor of one of the most highly trafficked news aggregating/blog sites on the internet, Huffington has developed strong opinions about the direction journalism will take in the future.  Citing ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus, she told the audience that because things are always in a state of flux, “you c