On February 10 I went up to Los Angeles to observe the Project Chanology protests against the Church of Scientology. My photos are up on Flickr.

I attended. It was dull. Most of my photographs came out blurry. The photos are from me; the video clips are from around the Internet.

UCI police were well-represented. Alan Dershowitz was wrapping up his talk elsewhere in the building, though, so who knows how much security Pipes alone would have attracted.

The head of the UCI College Republicans, the head of the UCI Objectivist Club (Eric Brunner), and Reut Cohen each gave separate preambles. Cohen was introduced as working for the David Project. Another Young Republican then led the attendees (some of them) in the Pledge of Allegiance, “under god” and all.

It’s difficult to make out in this video clip, but students from the Muslim Student Union arrived wearing duct tape over their mouths. On the duct tape gags were written phrases such as “no censorship” and “free speech”. Soon after Pipes started speaking, they stood up, held up signs facing the lectern, and filed out of the room. Since the signs weren’t facing the audience, it was near-impossible to make out any of the slogans.

This cleared out about half of the room. Starting at -0:25 in the clip, notice the unaffiliated undergrads rushing in to grub better seats. Go go Anteater decorum.

The MSU released a statement and a video statement.

This clip is remarkable only for the dueling inanity.

Pipes talked only for about 35 minutes. Chancellor Drake and one of UCI’s communications officials (I think) dropped in for a few minutes, partway through. Pipes then took about 45 minutes in Q&A giving inane answers to mostly-inane student questions. Several students, including Brunner (twice) if I recall correctly, and one of his friends (who slapped him a congratulatory five after one attempt), tried vainly to get Pipes to agree with them that all of Islam, not just militant Islamism, is the enemy.

See also assorted juvenilia from Chuck DeVore and divers hands.

More throughout the day if I run across anything interesting.

New slogans have appeared on the University Center bridge.

The Paulites at UCI have been chalking Ron Paul slogans on sidewalks all over campus. This is by no means a representative sample.

Jesus loves Ron Paul, evidently.

Freedom! Forever! Fuck, yeah!

V is for winning! In case you didn’t hear, the Paulite crew have been appropriating anarchist manifesto V for Vendetta for their personality cult’s fundraising. This makes no sense.

The University Center bridge has a couple of anti-Ron slogans. To this one, someone later chalked on “… the competition”.

This is my favorite.

I found this flyer at the UC Irvine bus stop.

In case you aren’t catching the creepy vibe, skim the Wikipedia article about Walsch through to the bit about “indigo children”, and look at this interview:

NDW: They’re an antenna for the highest energy, at any time and under any circumstance. So, naturally they’re impatient when their thick-headed parents are trying to keep them out of harm’s way. There is no harm, when you follow Divine wisdom. It’s just that most human people can’t feel the magic carpet.

Ick.

The scamps were busy over the weekend.

It has come to this. I’m posting about food.

Mr. Miyaki (any resemblance to okonomiyaki is mostly thematic)

Heat in a non-stick skillet over medium heat 1-1/2 tbsp of oil, 4 tsp of assorted warm spices, 1 minced clove of garlic, a dash of ground sea salt, and 3 sliced green onions.

Add 1/4 cup water (and, optionally, 1/2 to 1 cup frozen spinach), then let the liquid come to a simmer. (Optionally, then add a heap of chopped cabbage.)

Add 1+ cups chopped broccoli, 1+ cups chopped cauliflower, 1 chopped carrot, and 3-4 oz of precooked meat (canned salmon or shrimp) or firm tofu. Top with cooked whole wheat spaghetti (3 oz dry), and sprinkle generously with aji nori furikake and Worcestershire sauce.

Cook uncovered until the vegetables are steamed and the liquid is mostly evaporated.

It’s what’s for dinner. Or breakfast, without the cabbage.

Christian proselytizing is a weekly feature of the UC Irvine campus. Here, several Muslim students debate the reliability and transmission of religious texts with a determined, middle-aged evangelical. The student in the white T-shirt, and the student behind him in the red T-shirt, were bystanders, I think. Thursday afternoon.

These two posters were placed on opposite sides of a wide outdoor walkway on the UC Irvine campus.

This Wednesday, May 30, the University of California, Irvine administration will try to form a human chain around the big park in the center of campus. Another closeup of the poster.

The administration engages in damage control. Closeup of a poster on the University of California, Irvine campus, 2007 May 25.

The Muslim Student Union (MSU) at the University of California, Irvine held “Israel: Apartheid Resurrected” this week, May 14-17. I took some photographs.

Part 1: The running of the Jew
Part 2: Establishing shots
Part 3: Support our troops
Part 4: Two ring sideshow
Part 5: Lost in the shuffle
Part 6: What what what?
Part 7: He is The Great Cornholio
Part 8: Throwing stones
Part 9: Throwing rocks

Anteaters for Israel set up a booth across the square from the MSU’s wall. Here it is Tuesday, next to a booth from the California College Republicans.

Yes, that’s a cardboard standup of Ronald Reagan at the College Republicans booth.

The Anteaters for Israel booth expanded a bit Wednesday…

… and again Thursday, the day of the Amir Abdel Malik Ali talk.