Introducing the fall 2008 Daily Wildcat columnists – masters of the scathing bon mot, the penetrating analysis, the whimsical (rhetorical) shake of the head at the follies of man. Whether they make your blood boil or your funny bone itch, read their columns and let us know what you think of them.
Andi Berlin is a senior majoring in journalism, with minors in English and political science. She enjoys emulating the neurosis of Larry David in written form, but aspires to conquer high-minded topics such as cheese pasteurization and philosophy as well. Expect her columns to tackle both (with an emphasis on social issues). Andi has dabbled in several desks at the Daily Wildcat, such as Page 2 and Wildlife – and because of her long-running column “”The Berlin Wall,”” she considers herself a campus celebrity (she was once recognized while washing her hands). Her columns will run Mondays.
Justyn Dillingham is a history senior. His favorite things in the world include a tall glass of unsweetened iced tea, an English breakfast on a good drizzly morning, late-night quesadillas, restaurants or cafés where they don’t play music, the paintings of Auguste Renoir, the films of Jean Renoir, and the way Bob Dylan sings the words “”good luck.”” He will be serving as opinions editor.
Laura Donovan is a creative writing junior and proud northern Californian. She spent her summer interning full-time at a political Web site and magazine in Washington, D.C., but prefers the slower, friendlier lifestyle of the West. Laura loves being physically active, meeting new people, traveling and any challenge. Along with running, Laura cannot go a day without chocolate or ice cream. She may be one of the few students at UA that hates shopping more than anything. She hopes to study abroad in France to make use of her French minor. Her columns will run Wednesdays.
Jessica Fraser is a freshman majoring in political science and journalism. She hails from the San Francisco Bay Area and loves golden suspension bridges, ferries and large bodies of water. If asked any question about international affairs, she will turn a five minute chat into an hour-long discussion about world policies, typically involving the U.N. and the fate of developing countries in the modern world. Jessica loves to write fan fiction and poetry and records original music. Her columns will run Fridays.
Kate Harris is a sophomore majoring in journalism and Spanish. She enjoys men’s basketball games, breakfast for dinner, and spooning with her roommates. This summer she was unemployed, spent her time doing absolutely nothing, and became a dock bum down at Lake Washington. This year, she plans on traveling to Mexico for Habitat for Humanity, Africa for a journalism/volunteer internship, and blowing the minds of UA students with her amazing upcoming columns. Her other interests include Seattle summers, Mac Dre, and eating. Her columns will run Mondays.
Justin Huggins is a senior majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology. He thinks plants and prokaryotes are more interesting and more complex than most people. He spent his summer recovering from a serious and life-threatening addiction to hope. Barack Obama’s campaign triggers sudden relapses and thus poses a significant threat to his successful recovery. Justin’s frenzied life runs on Kool-Aid, CNN, baked Doritos, and honey lattes. He has one highly destructive dog and three equally destructive credit cards that own his soul. Justin resides in Bruges, Belgium, and commutes daily to campus. He’s very eco-friendly. His columns will run Thursdays.
Taylor Kessinger is a senior majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology, math, and physics. He is the Opinions Desk’s token conservative Christian and knows that the free market is the best solution to any problem. He will be bringing you up-to-date coverage of Barack Obama’s plan to turn the United States into a communist, Islamofascist, atheistic black liberation hellhole where whites and Christians are rounded up into gulags and labor camps. When he is not busy telling bold-faced lies about himself, he enjoys mathematical biology, practicing his Swedish, proving theorems, and listening to black metal. His favorite Pokémon is Magneton. His columns will run Fridays.
Isaac Mohr hates impersonal, formal introductions, so he’s going to avoid the awkward ‘Hello’ and attempt to be a little more interesting. He thoroughly enjoys bubblegum music and all questions that don’t have provable answers. He is a freshman to both the UA and the Daily Wildcat and anticipates that he will run out of adjectives before the end of first semester. He plans to major in journalism and, hopefully, minor in something creative. Before any of that, he is a musician and a very erratic individual. Orange is his favorite color, but half of the things he owns are blue. His columns will run Tuesdays.
Matt Wavrin is a long-term senior majoring in media arts. He originally hails from the cold north woods of Minnesota and considers the Kinks one of the greatest bands of all time. He probably knows more useless movie trivia than a person ought to and can speak, swear or spout phrases in German, French, Dutch, Polish, Bulgarian and Danish. He survived a post-communist life overseas and has since been converted to a full-blooded patriot that bleeds red, white and blue. Buy Mr. Wavrin a cup of hot black coffee and he’ll love you forever. Matt’s columns will run Wednesdays.
