By the end of November,tens of thousands of writers around the world will be able to call themselves novelists.They are participants in the National Novel Writing Month,a nonprofit writing contest with the challenge to write a50,000-word novel in30days.

There is a profound sense of anticipation,fear even,at the new structure of our world order.This order exhibits a strange,unusual behavior because it has no behavior at all.We have entered a new era of postmodernism – a narrative defined by its absence of a grand ideal,devoid of an overarching meta-theme.In this construct,our truths are provisional,our comprehension transitory.

Jay Mechling has faith in our generation.“You’re really going to like this talk,because it’s about you,” Mechling told the audience,explaining that his lecture would focus on the Millennials,the current generation of youth born between1982and2000.

The UC Davis men’s soccer team’s season of achievement continues. The Aggies have been a top-15program in the nation since early October,having beaten the likesofNo.8Michigan State,Cal Poly and archrival UC Santa Barbara.

The average age of a UC Davis undergraduate is21.Four percent of undergrads are age25or older.

The amount of money students receive for financial aid will no longer be a surprise,as the University of California has developed a personalized tool that estimates the money each student will presumably receive from state funding. The web-based tool is available on the UC website and is personalized according to each campus,since each receives different funding.Before the tool,students did not know what they would receive until after they applied for a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or a Cal Grant.

Today “Infectious Diseases:Think Locally and Globally“ Campus Community Book Project Freeborn Hall,10a.m.tonoon Sponsored by Campus Community Relations,UC Davis School of Medicine,Student Health Services,International Education Week Resources Faire

UC Davis and Aldagen,a North Carolina biotechnology company specializing in regenerative medicine,will investigate the potential of Aldagen’s stem cell technology for the treatment of stroke. The collaboration was formalized in a memorandum of understanding earlier this month and represents the first time that researchers in the stem cell program at UC Davis will work with Aldagen.

If you ever wanted to stop your tennis match and challenge the referee’s last call,you probably should,said UC Davis associate professor David Whitney. Published in the Oct.28issue of the journalCurrent Biology,UC Davis researchers,led by Whitney,have shown that humans – even professional tennis referees – are hard-wired to misjudge balls when they are hit close to the line.

It‘spast three o‘clock in the morning.A combination of caffeine,prescription drugsand sheer willpower has kept me up until now.I have this creepy voice on my Mac that announces the time every hour on the hour.It‘slike Steven Hawking sneaks up on me every60minutes and,for lack of a better term,whispers in my ear.I shudder.

Heart transplants more successful when donor and recipient are same sex A Johns Hopkins University study found that heart transplant patients are25percent more likely to live if the donor and the recipient are of the same sex.

Biking around Davis,many students may not be affected by gasoline prices,but those driving and running businesses aroundCalifornia are. Gas pricesin Californiahavetumbled from an all-time high of$4.59in June to an average of$2.37currently,according to the California Energy Commission.Though the economy is taking a toll on businesses,the drop in gas prices has been a silver lining for some.