Category Archives: Uncategorized

UCLA alumna Sayeda Fazel recently returned to Afghanistan for the first time in 15 years. Fazel has pre-med ambitions, so she volunteered at a hospital near her home. Eventually the clinic asked her to deliver babies and suture patients on her own because of lack of resources and manpower. Fazel reflects on her time there and her experiences in the obstetric ward. [6:49]

Saturday, the UCLA United Afghan Club held its annual fundraiser. What makes this event so successful, and what does it mean to the Southern California Afghan community? Also, Andrea Wang talks to Sayeda Fazel about her experience volunteering in a clinic in her homeland of Afghanistan.

Lady Gaga may have copied Madonna in her newest single “Born This Way.” But how important is originality in music these days? Melissa Chiong reports.

And move over, vinyl records are making a comeback. Reporter Alex Goodman suggests novel things you can do with a record player.

Create your own tunes and beats at Andre Michelle Labratory and Director Ron Winter’s Website. E-mail us your creations at dailybruinradio@media.ucla.edu, and we’ll play them on next week’s show.

Long Story Short airs Mondays at 6:30 p.m. on UCLAradio.com.

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I am not built to handle the cold. I lived in Southern California all my life, so I’m equipped to survive in sunny 70-degree weather. The 40-degree weather I encountered Saturday night while waiting outside the Roxy to see Young the Giant headline a show was nothing short of torture for me, so by the time I got to the door, I was more than willing to pay the extra $3 I was charged because I do not meet this country’s ridiculous standard of drinking age.

I got into the show just in time to defrost to the sounds of the first opener: Kitten, a young Los Angeles-based quintet led by 16-year-old singer/guitarist Chloe Chaidez. There’s nothing quite like seeing a girl who is three years younger than I am rock the stage at The Roxy to remind me how little I have accomplished in life.

My first impression of Kitten was that it would make a perfect American Apparel or Urban Outfitters advertisement. After it launched into the first two gritty and powerful songs of its set, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was nothing more than a Yeah Yeah Yeahs cover band. However, Chaidez went on to prove that she could channel not only the screeching of Karen O but also the sultry vocals of Cat Power and the raw intensity of Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna. When combined with her spastic and somewhat terrifying stage presence, she made for a pretty good front woman. Kitten’s hard-hitting dirty rock was balanced by the constant presence of synth lines, creating a sound that was both energetically driving and undeniably catchy. The highlight of its set was a stellar cover of The Cure’s “Boys Don’t Cry,” which I liked just as much, if not more, than the original.

In my “Pop Psychology” column this week, I discuss new music from two of the world’s biggest musical acts: Lady Gaga and Radiohead.

Long known for her offensive prowess as a striker on the UCLA women’s soccer team, Sydney Leroux will evidently try her hand at another trade during the soccer offseason.