On Oct.2,the Palin-Biden vice presidential debate drew in69.9million viewers – the most viewed debate since1992,when Bill Clinton,Ross Perot and George Bush went head to head (to head). Two days later,NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” ran their own version of the VP debate with comedian Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and SNL cast member Jason Sudeikis as Joe Biden.It helped earn NBC its highest overnight rating in seven years,accordingto apress release from the network.As of Tuesday night,the video of the skit posted on NBC’s website received over3.6million hits.

Student political advocacy groups are taking campus voter registration records to new heights as Election Day approaches. As of Tuesday,2,000students registered to vote since the quarter began thanks to the combined efforts of the UC Davis chapter of Students for Barack Obama (SFBO) along with Davis College Democrats. In the first eight days,UC Davis not only broke the previous California student registration record – held by Cal Poly,San Luis Obispo – but doubled it.Davis registered1,447students in eight days,surpassing Cal Poly’s record of450in a week.

Dozens of undergraduate and graduate students lined up for hours in order to take advantage of the Mondavi Center’s student ticket sale. In an effort to promote student attendance at Mondavi Center concert events,10percent of the total tickets available for each performance were reserved for UC Davis students at reduced prices. Students towards the front of the line arrived at9a.m.,three hours before the box office opened,in order to ensure they got a ticket to one of the major events due in the coming year.Some of the more popular performers who will be appearing at the Mondavi Center include Yo-Yo Ma and Ihtzak Perlman. The sale will end on Oct.29or when tickets are sold out.

It’s not as bad as somefeared,but the state budget signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger last month will have a negative impact on the city’s budget.The state budget for fiscal year2009will impact redevelopment funds,transportation money and grant funding for Davis law enforcement.The total impact on the city’s budget will be$760,000.

Student filmmaking may not appeal to everyone, but it’s hard to deny the appeal of a familiar on-campus setting – even such an infamous structure as Shields Library. At Whim’s End, a short independent film created by senior English major Randall Wilson, is scheduled to premiere on Friday in the Technocultural Studies Building.

A severe lack of funding may soon render Shields Library obsolete, according to a recent report by the UC Davis Library Task Force. The library is currently on a flat budget – it receives the same funding on a yearly basis despite economic inflation and rising book costs.

The UC Davis graduate department of performance studies will host the “Performance: Reading, Writing and Technology” symposium today at noon in the Technocultural Studies Building. Part of a year-long series on electronic media and writing, the all-day event features talks by several multidisciplinary artists and multimedia installations by UCD students. The event is free.

When I first went to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua, I was expecting a children’s Snakes on a Plane. This is to say, a movie that was so self-aware of its ridiculousness that it became a parody of the genre – a feat still possible in a PG-rated movie (see: Young Frankenstein). Sadly, this was not the case.

I recently read the Letter to the Editor dated Oct. 2, 2008, “Starbucks on campus not OK” and would like to provide some information regarding our ethical sourcing practices for coffee and cocoa. As North America’s largest purchaser of Fair Trade Certified™ coffee and among the largest worldwide, we share common goals with the Fair Trade movement. In 2007, we purchased almost a third of the Fair Trade Certified™ coffee imported into the U.S.

Davisites thirsty for live music should be well satiated when KDVS’s 8-hour outdoor music festival Operation: Restore Maximum Freedom returns this Saturday. The festival – which includes performances by 10 bands and an afternoon DJ set – takes place in the grassy backyard of Plainfield Station, a bar and restaurant nestled in the fields between Davis and Woodland. Scheduled bands include Davis locals San Francisco Water Cooler – who will get the live music started at 2 p.m. – and Sacramento acts Hexlove and Beware of the Knight. Headliners LSD And The Search For God will finish their closing set by 10 p.m.

It’s time for students to take action. The governor, legislature and Regents have shown year after year that they are not interested in stopping fee increases any time soon.

UC Davis is known for its advancements in environmental science. Now,it’s faced with cleaning up its own mess.