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Say wha?

“Watch out if you would meet an alien. You could be infected with a disease with which you have no resistance.”

–Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking speaking at George Washington University yesterday in honor of NASA’s 50th anniversary, as quoted by the Associated Press.

In case you were wondering …

Portland State has some … interesting people. For proof, search “Portland State” on www.youtube.com. What you find may bore you or it may make you laugh (not likely), but what seems more probable is that it will make you uncomfortable.

But who makes these videos? Legend has it that a cult of Portland underground dwellers crafting videos of all things PSU-related is behind the burgeoning number of clips on the video-sharing site.

OK, so maybe there isn’t really a secret underground cult … that we know of. But YouTube does offer some random videos of PSU-related tomfoolery, including a student talking about the demons that he thinks are invading the minds of liberals on campus, some masked guy fighting ninjas outside Shattuck Hall (with laser guns! Rawk!) and the sort-of-infamous pseudo-streaker still at large after running thong-clad through PGE Park last fall.

There are also some outtakes of PSU football coach Jerry Glanville’s commercial, and footage of the “RSWS Super Turbo Grand Final,” or in non-video game speak, videos of PSU video game club, Random Select, playing Super Street Fighter II Turbo.

Seriously, there is a wealth of madness to be found on YouTube, and watching it sure beats a long night of drinking at Paccini, destroying awnings at housing buildings or whatever else it is you do to avoid homework.

What the hell is that?

It’s the Earth stupid. And today is its day.

Yes, it is Earth Day, and for the environmentally minded, it’s kind of like Christmas. Only instead of unwrapping packages of cool toys, you get to plant a tree or something.

The April 22 world event started in 1970 as an environmental teach-in. Time magazine reported that 100,000 New Yorkers and others around the world marched in their streets picking up trash and bottles. Think RecycleMania, but on a massive scale.

The first Earth Day wasn’t just met with do-gooders eager to make a difference. The magazine also reported that some were critical of the event because of fear that Earth Day (which happens to be held on Vladimer Lenin’s birthday) was actually a communist trick. A trick to do what, you ask? We’re not sure.

To celebrate our supreme leader Lenin’s birthday … oops, we mean Earth Day. Here on campus, head out to the South Park Blocks from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a celebration. If you haven’t had your fill of Earth love by the end of tomorrow, you can volunteer Saturday at the 2008 Earth Day/Global Youth Service Day, sponsored by Student Leaders for Service and others. Check www.pdx.edu/cae/slsserviceday.html for more info.

Remember, as Al Gore likes to remind us, the Earth won’t be alive for long, so give it a hug while you still can.