As the great Groucho Marx said-oops, that came later! It all started with quotes from philosophical great Karl Marx and other pro-socialist propaganda that mysteriously appeared Wednesday morning all over the campus walkways.

"People have jokingly called [and] asked me if we are commies," said Alex Bloom '04. "We aren't, most of us prefer socialism."

The next day, an ongoing debate began between the socialists and the undercover teenyboppers lurking on campus. "Obviously we've managed to stir up some kind of interest in a controversial subject despite Amherst apathy," said Bloom. "That's a success."

"Some kind of interest" has varied from the customary Daily Jolt postings to intellectual discussions, but last week's sidewalk demonstration also transformed the campus floor into a new forum as cries of "Yay, boobies!" "Must be the money!" and "Shut the fuck up, Donny!" shouted from the paths.

"I know some members of our groups have received more offensive comments, on the Jolt forum mostly," said Bloom. "I don't think anyone's going to read 'hit me baby, one more time,' one of the many anonymous chalked responses to our chalkings and think, 'good point.'"

"It seems like an attention-getting thing more than about pushing an opinion," said Tristan Dewdney '04. "I don't think they're trying to get people thinking about what they're saying. They're just trying to get noticed."

The floor show then became a dinner show Thursday night when Kaushiki Rao '04, Jennifer Kaufman '03E and other students were "balancing books for socialism."

"That confirmed my suspicion about the attention-getting nature of this," said Dewdney. Others breezed past the chalkings, especially if they were busy enjoying the warm weather or if they happened to be walking in the opposite direction of the writing.

"I think it's a non-issue, not just because this is Amherst and we're in a bubble or something, but because it's just not a 'hot topic' these days, and for good reason," said Merril Shin '04. "It's over, at least in most people's opinions. If it had said something like, 'I love Osama,' then I would have felt something because that's more relevant to my current world."

Leit's eat

Hot sunny beaches. Clear blue waves. Tanned bodies. Surfing. Bikinis. Hawaii. Wouldn't it be lovely to travel to the islands right now?

That would certainly brighten up the bitter cold weather at Amherst. How about LauLau and Kaulua pig straight from the Big Island? If you were lucky enough to get a ticket this past Sunday, you were treated to traditional Hawaiian food as part of Jodie Rothschild's '03 Asian Culture House project.

"I wanted to show the school that my culture is not what they see on T.V. and … literally [to] give them a taste of my culture," Rothschild said.

With relaxing luau music playing in the background, approximately 60 to 70 guests dressed in Hawaiian attire sampled tasty family recipes such as poi, mashed taro root, haupia and coconut jello. The main dishes, LauLau, which is pork meat steamed in tea leaves, and Kaulua pig, which is roasted and steamed shredded pig, were actually shipped from Hawaii.

"I think it was a big hit. People really seemed to like the food. They were interested in whether or not it was traditional and how you make it," Rothschild said.

After all, the best way to a person's heart is through their stomachs. "I think it is a good way for Amherst students to experience a culture that is very underrepresented, in this kind of college setting," said Han Chen '03.