Ahmed Mousa grew up hearing about Palestine every day. The soft-spoken second-year religious studies major is a half-Palestinian Muslim who, until recently, had never set foot in his father’s home country.

“Growing up as a Palestinian living in Diaspora, the idea of Palestine and its meaning is embedded in you,” Mousa said. “I hadn’t been there until this summer, but it is still referred to as home. It is just always around you.”

On August 29, 2011, Mousa and his friends Timna Medovoy, Rojon Atapour, and Mike Schwartz left Los Angeles International Airport with the Olive Tree Initiative — an organization devoted to establishing a student dialogue on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

During the 18 days they spent in Washington D.C., Israel and Jordan the delegation of 29 students and six faculty members and administrators met with over 80 speakers, interacting with government officials and taking tours of sacred sites for all three of the region’s major religions.

At the end of each day, the group came together for “Reflections,” an open discussion of the ideas and points of view they had seen. For many students, this was one of the most educational parts of the day.

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Oren Ofer and Timna Medovoy both carry dual citizenship to the United States and Israel. Rojon Atapour is a first-generation Iranian American; Ahmed Mousa is a half-Palestinian Muslim.

All five are alumni of The Olive Tree Initiative, an organization that sends UC students abroad to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The program strives to forego advocacy for either side, seeking only to provide civil discourse and education by encompassing a diverse group of students from many nationalities and backgrounds — something that some voices on either side of the conflict have seen as a threat to their viewpoints.

In the winter of 2004, Ofer, a dual American and Israeli citizen, left his studies in biochemistry behind and volunteered for the Israeli Defense Forces—spending the next next two-and-a-half years as a tank commander.

When he returned to campus in the fall of 2008, Ofer said he desperately wanted to find a way to allow students to establish an educational dialogue about the conflict.

“I had this really strong connection to Israel … What I saw in the region was not reflected in the attitudes that I saw on campus,” Ofer said. “It really made me want people to explore a culture to more depth, and I wanted to create something that would serve as that forum, to really learn about the issues.”

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“Our goal is to go on the trip and learn and meet people with different perspectives and open our own eyes,” graduate advisor for the Olive Tree Initiative, Mike Schwartz, said. “But we also can do a service for the people that we are meeting with just by showing that we come from such different backgrounds, but we can come together and learn together and be friends — like actually be friends.”

Crammed into a small room in the Daily Nexus office beside Schwartz were fellow UCSB students Rojon Atapour, Timna Medovoy and Ahmed Mousa, who flew from Washington, D.C. to Tel Aviv this summer and spent 18 days traveling across Israel, Palestine and Jordan listening to testimony on the current conflict from various points of view.

Schwartz, Atapour, Medovoy and Mousa are members of the Olive Tree Initiative, a program that sends UC students abroad to learn from and listen to every perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. OTI is hosting a “Welcome Back” event today at 3:30 p.m. in the MultiCultural Center, where the four most recent UCSB participants will recount their experiences abroad and discuss the program’s impact on its alumni.

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In 2006, Oprah Winfrey sent suburban mothers across the nation into frenzy with her exposé on the oral sex epidemic unique to America’s youth. Oprah — in her infinite wisdom and grace — broached the subject with a dramatic and weighted, “Parents, brace yourself.” I never saw the full episode, but can only assume Oprah proceeded to depict a scene in which sixteen-year-old girls, such as myself at the time, were gobbling penises by the dozen. Within a week of the program, my two best friends and I had all received the “you-aren’t-doing-this-are-you?” confrontation from our respective mothers.

I now realize conversations of this nature must have been as uncomfortable for my poor mother as they were for me. The moments before beginning this sort of conversation must be like standing at a precipice, filled with dread and butterflies. Finally, she would garner enough courage and dive right into the topic with what came off as little tact or consideration.

“So, tell me what you know about oral sex.” What? Shit. Where is this coming from? Blindsided! What is the right answer? Should I come clean? Shit. Shit.

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1. We want you to pay attention to other parts of our bodies — not just the exciting parts.

We like when you explore the skin on our bodies. There are plenty of spots that get us riled up that you tend to glaze over. Neck, ears, spine and even arms can get us feeling all tingly; you might be surprised how much it turns you on when we do the same to you. But seriously, do the ear thing.

 

2. We want you to pay a lot of attention to the exciting parts.

Women are capable of having more than one orgasm in a short amount of time, and we are more than willing to prove this to you. Don’t save the big moment for sex, that’s just the finale. Especially after we’ve gone down on you and you’ve made the mistake of either bouncing our heads like a basketball or trying to read Morse code on our scalps, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea for you to return the favor.

 

3. We want you to respect us.

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1. We want women who are on birth control.

Seriously, your mastery of foreplay or the kama sutra won’t make up for the awkward tension of a broken condom. I’m not suggesting you use it as an excuse to ride bareback in every rodeo, but it’s a hell of a lot better than asking a stranger for Plan B.

 

2. There’s something about nature that really gets my blood flowing.

Whether it’s the fresh air and blue skies or the thrill of being caught pants-down in public, getting buck-wild in the great outdoors is guaranteed to bring out your inner animal.

 

3. Usher isn’t the only one who wants a lady in the street but a freak in the bed.

Pain and pleasure are two sides of the same coin, so get loud, get dirty and don’t hesitate to rough us up a bit.

 

4. Toys aren’t just for kids — especially the ones you can find in your local sex shop.

From anal beads to vibrator sleeves, these XXX Toys “R” Us are bound (and gagged) to have something for everyone. Bring your man along and peruse the adult store’s various cuffs, lubes, stimulators, rings and molds together to stimulate each others’ minds and bodies.

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What we think and what’s true, based on information from UCSB professor John Baldwin, sexuality specialist, and http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/sexinfo, the website created by Baldwin and his wife as a comprehensive source of sex education.

1. Penis size matters

Interestingly, if given the choice, most women would actually pick a smaller penis. Women are considerably more likely to experience painful intercourse. And essentially, the first two inches are what matters … that’s the most sensitive part of the vagina.

2. “Pulling out” works

The “pull-out method” is not a good form of birth control. There is a high risk of pregnancy, since a man may unknowingly release sperm inside the vagina before his orgasm. Sperm can also find their way into the vagina from outside the opening if the male is slow to pull out and starts to ejaculate before he has completely removed his penis from the vaginal area. However, recent studies show that this actually works better than perceived. If you absolutely NEED to have sex, it’s better than nothing.

3. Women want multiple orgasms

A lot of women just want ONE orgasm. Multiple orgasms don’t usually occur in the 20-24 age group. It takes time to understand a woman’s body and what it wants on both partners’ account.

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“Mean Girls” said it best: “Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.”

And almost every girl takes full advantage of it here at UCSB, Thursday through Monday.

But who said Halloween only has to last five nights?

To be honest, the costumes we love the most are essentially lingerie with a few characteristic accessories and makeup touches — “I’m a mouse, DUH.”

After spending $62.95 to prance around I.V. as a sultry first mate, you might as well get the literal bang for your buck. I’m not saying you should regularly run around looking like a slut, because I will judge you then. But to do so in the privacy of your room? You go, Glenn Coco.

We’ve all fantasized about being the sexy librarian, naughty schoolgirl, busty nurse, elusive Playboy bunny … the list goes on, and I guarantee your study buddy is dying to help you work your way down it. And up it. And through it … in the projection room above the auditorium.

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As a Gaucho, you’re probably aware of UCSB’s notorious reputation, namely that of a high STI rate among the general student population. Alongside “U Can Study Buzzed,” we’re boasting the nicknames “University of Casual Sex and Beer” and “UCSTD.” As soon as I got accepted, the rumors of one in four STI-infected students plagued me.

However, according to Malek Guerbaoui, Sex and Relationships liaison at the office of Student Health, the rates for UCSB “are right on par with the national average … going to UCSB results in no higher likelihood of contracting an STI.”

While waiting in the office of Student Health for an STI test, a few unnerving thoughts come to mind. The first one comes from a story my friend told me about an archaic method of STI testing that involves the insertion of an umbrella-like object into unmentionable parts, only for it to be to pried open and scraped to collect God knows what. The second thought: “What if I actually have something?” I mean, I haven’t had the most active year, mind you, but these test results could change my life in grave and unpredictable ways. I guess HPV wouldn’t be so bad for me, and I know chlamydia can be taken care of easily, but the big ones? I shudder to think…

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Among a few other, more profound lessons, my time in college has taught me an inevitable fact about hookups: The phrase “It couldn’t get more awkward than this” is always false, and continues to be proven every weekend. It can and will get more awkward than that, especially if you’re a member of the “Fuck me, right?” population that could fill an encyclopedia-sized novel full of horrifying hookup stories.

So, if you are a confident, sexy, go-getter of a human being who has game like Kobe and a magnetism that puts, well, actual magnets to shame, you will in no way relate to this.

Instead, I’d like to propose a toast to those of you who consider the worst-case-scenario more of a lifestyle than an extreme, who walk around campus expecting an uncomfortable run-in because, let’s be real — the list of people you can no longer make direct eye contact with is starting to outnumber the other one.

Despite being competent in most areas of social contact, some of us are destined for hilariously ungraceful hookup situations. You can be a firecracker in the sheets, a sensual god(dess), a carnal connoisseur or, to put it bluntly, just damn good at sex — but that by no means prepares you for the dreaded small talk as you’re both waking up and becoming intensely aware of just how naked you are.

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Good ne

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Lloyd Christmas: “I’m ready for commitment, Harry! The first time I set eyes on Mary Swanson, I just got that old fashioned romantic feeling…where I’d do anything to bone her.”

Harry Dunne: “That’s a special feeling Lloyd.”

It sure is. And this is (more or less) how I feel about the return of football. All the time, I find myself longing for Sunday, daydreaming about fantasy in class just eager to get through the week.

The 2011-2012 NFL season has not disappointed so far, starting off with a bang. There has been some killer games and moments, plenty of action and surprises, as well as record-breaking performances.

Thus far, the league’s quarterbacks — and some of their unstoppable offenses — have emphatically stolen the show through three games this season, carnivorously feasting on opposing defenses.

In week one alone, Tom Brady and Chad Henne combined for 906 passing yards, an NFL single-game record, and quarterbacks combined for 7,842 yards, more than in any other week in NFL history. Even more astounding, 14 quarterbacks passed for 300 or more yards more than in any week, and there were five games, the most in history, with two 300-yard passers.

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If you have ever lived in or simply visited Santa Barbara, there is a good chance you have drivendown Storke Road, picked up a copy of a local newspaper and stood beside — or squinted at the distant shape of — Storke Tower, the tallest structure in the county. Unbeknownst to most, these iconic attributes share a common link: the man who would come to be known as “Mr. Santa Barbara,” who was just 24 years old when he bought the Daily Independent and over80 when he won the Pulitzer Prize for journalism.

Throughout his life, Thomas More Storke served as a vital benefactor to the future of Santa Barbara,shaping the city’s character while cementing his ownwithin its framework. As Walker A. Tompkins noted in the foreword to Storke’s first autobiography, “He is revered by many, hatedby some, but respected by all.”

Early Life

Storke was a seventh-generation Californian, born in Santa Barbara on November 23, 1876 as the only son of Charles and Martha Storke.

Storke attended Stanford University a year early and just one year after the college officially opened. After graduating at the age of 22, he returned to Santa Barbara.

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Associated Students is looking to invest over $300,000 of student money in Isla Vista expansion with a community center and a restaurant.

Of 10 people randomly interviewed on campus, nine knew nothing about the projects. One person had heard of the plans, but knew no additional information.

The respective projects both have running starts, but do they have what it takes to get off the ground?

 

The Associated Students’ Sustainable Restaurant

 

Associated Students plans to invest a quarter of a million dollars of student money to establish an organic, local food operation at 6521 Pardall Rd.

The restaurant — which would take over the space of the now-defunct On The Side — would produce approximately 35 to 50 student jobs and, while it would create revenue, would not be run on a strictly profit-generating platform. Legislative Council representatives Fabian Gallardo and Stanley Tzankov, an A.S. presidential candidate, started pushing the enterprise last quarter.

While delegates indicated that the $250,000 is being loaned out for the plan from a reserve account under the control of Business Services, as of press time, student representatives have given the Daily Nexus conflicting reports about the money’s source.

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“About 10,000 people were in Tahrir Square,” Jeremy Hodge, a fourth-year Middle Eastern studies major, said. “I eventually got drawn into the front and got exposed to tear gas. A friend of mine got hit with rubber bullets. That was the first time I saw police brutality. I remember one guy in particular had been running away from the cops and had been badly bruised, had collapsed right next to me and several other [people] helped escort him away and get him water. After that, police brutality became routine.”

Hodge and four other UCSB students studying abroad in Egypt found themselves swept into the turmoil last month when 18 days of unraveling political conflict ended President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year dictatorship. Following the release of a U.S. State Dept. travel advisory for the area, the students had their studies cut short and were relocated temporarily to Barcelona on Feb. 1. They were a semester into their year-long program at the American University in Cairo — located about 45 minutes by car from Tahrir Square. Since their evacuation, three of the students returned to California, while two opted to transfer to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

This is their story:

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