aly_song.JPGWow, West Coasters really are self-involved jerks!

At ESDBS’ Charity Bowl, which is raising money for victims of the Myanmar cylcone and the China earthquake, fans of SEC and Big 10 schools have donated over $1,000, respectively, while fans of Pac-10 schools have donated zip. Nada. Zilch. The big zero. Well, actually, that now should be up to $50, since I donated to the Red Cross this morning.

True fact: in September 2005, some friends and I were all set to buy our tickets for the UW/Air Force game at Qwest when, with all the Hurricane Katrina relief drives going on, our consciences got the better of us. Instead of buying tickets, we watched the game on TV, and spent the money on making sanitation kits (toothpaste, shampoo, etc.) that some organization trucked down to New Orleans.

This was one of the more rewarding decisions I’ve ever made because it meant that I missed that awful Air Force game. Karma was clearly on my side. Here’s the particulars about the charity thing–you won’t regret it, I’m sure.

Meanwhile, the big news in Huskyland is, does the Huskies’ contest to write lyrics for a new school song mean that Bow Down to Washington will be replaced? ESDBS erroneously reported that it would (though it gave them an excuse for a spoof video). I asked the UW for clarification, here’s what I got back, from Connie Kravas, Vice President for Development & Alumni Relations:

“It isn’t our goal to replace any of the current UW songs. In fact, we hope that more effort will be made to teach the words to those songs to first-year students and alumni and friends who haven’t yet learned those words. Our band has been hoping to instill traditions and pride, not diminish them or be disrespectful in any way. Currently, their repertoire contains numerous songs that are not unique to the UW, such as Louis Louis [sic] (albeit fun for the fans, and that is important, too). It is precisely because there is a desire to honor traditions that an expanded repertoire is being considered. There is ample room for numerous musical pieces that are unique to our university. We are conceptualizing this additional ’song of Washington’ as something akin to ‘America the Beautiful,’ which isn’t the national anthem, but is one of several songs that heightens pride when it is sung. Of course, there is no guarantee that the contest will produce a song that is beloved like ‘America the Beautiful.’ That would be quite an outcome!”

So that should put that to rest. The song, incidentally, will be composed by Bill Conti, who wrote the Rocky training theme.

Meanwhile, at Wazzu, they are offering bone marrow transplants for pets.

As you can probably see, our priorities are a slight bit out of whack, but what can you do.

Photo of a Chinese couple grieving near the crushed body of their child by Aly Song of Reuters