• The Cal State University faculty authorized a strike this week due to stalled contract negotiations. Contract negotiations have been ongoing for over twenty months. CSU faculty, on average, are paid less than community college professors and in some cases less than high school teachers. Their salaries have been rising at a rate lower than inflation. Not to worry, CSU executive salaries continue to rise; in some cases, they are paid as they leave. Want the breakdown? The CSU faculty strike will be the first CSU strike ever and the largest university strike in US history.
• In similar education news, we forgot to tell you last week that the UC Regents voted to raise student fees in accordance with the UC Compact. Remember four years ago when fees were almost half of what they will be next year?
• John Edwards’ wife’s cancer has returned. Edwards is staying in the race.
• Al Gore lobbies Congress to take action to prevent (further?) global warming. Rep. Joe Burton remains convinced that global warming does not exist.
• Karl Rove, among others, has been subpoenaed.
• In more important news, it seems that the key to success is a British accent.

Has anyone noticed the recent trend of backlash directed at those fighting global warming politically, but not in their actions?

Both before and after the Oscars, Al Gore was criticized for his documentary An Inconvenient Truth—not merely for content, but for the way he raced around the globe in his jet in what can only be classified as environmentally unsustainable.

Similarly, during the elections last year, California Gov. Schwarzenegger was criticized for driving a Hummer while simultaneously supporting anti-emissions policies.

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Last Friday, Senator Dianne Feinstein graced our very own Cal campus with her glorious presence as part of a conference put on by Boalt to address climate change policy. Feinstein presented the conference attendees with five bills, all of which are designed to lower both future greenhouse gas emissions and the country’s dependency on fossil fuels. In between emphasizing the value of a moderate bill that can be strengthened and recognizing the fact that policy isn’t always perfect, DJ DiFi dropped some mad-crazy metaphors, declaring that “we are looking for the access ramp to the freeway for change,” and warning that global warming may be approaching a “tipping point;” sounds to me like the cow of the ozone layer is in some serious trouble! It’s great to hear that concerns about climate change are transforming into tangible policy changes, and that our campus can be the catalyst for these discussions and plans to be made!

The Daily Cal has more.