The gaming world lost one of its guiding lights last week as Gary Gygax passed away Mar. 4. Gygax is best known for his role as co-creator, with David Arneson, of the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons. Dungeons and Dragons, or D&D for short, is a game without winners and losers, played in the imaginations of those participating. Known in popular society for its many sided, multicolored die and its vast array of rulebooks, what started as a hobby has become a profitable industry, boasting over $1 billion in estimated sales. Similar estimates place the number of people who have played the game at over 20 million.

After featuring more than 1400 music acts over a five-day stretch in 2007, South by Southwest is back again in March 2008 as one of the premier music festivals in the world. Held in Austin, Texas, the festival gives the music industry a chance to bring all its constituents together in one huge event. Besides hundreds of bands, SXSW also includes a film festival and numerous music industry conferences that draw even more people into the heart of Texas.

With finals come the inescapable bouts of procrastination. Offering another excuse not to study is Double Dollar Feature Night, presented by the ASUCD Entertainment Council and Campus Cinema. The event will screen the filmsAcross the Universe at 6:15 p.m. and Shaun of the Dead at 9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Freeborn ticket office or at the door for $1. There will be an intermission between the movies, and free refreshments will be provided.

The Davis City Council is currently doing extensive research in an effort to establish a standard living wage for city employees. Many council members and concerned citizens have been pushing for a standard living wage policy for some time, and it has now become a main concern of the city council. A living wage is higher than minimum wage, reflecting the necessary income to live in a specific region and factoring in other needs such as health benefits from the employer. According to Jim Newman, superintendent of parks and general services, the living wage in this area is in the range of $9.50 to $11 per hour.

It was only a week after the new UC Davis emergency alert system was tested when it actually got put to use. After the bomb scare late on the night of Mar. 5, students, faculty and staff were sent e-mail notifications the next morning shortly after 8 a.m. – after the situation was under control. While some may criticize the administration for waiting so long before alerting the campus, the university made the right move in doing so. Since no immediate or apparent danger was present, there was no need to inform others outside of Tercero just yet. It is important that administrators first assess the severity of the present situation before alerting the masses. As stated in the police report, the materials possessed were not assembled, nor were the chemicals mixed when discovered by authorities. Therefore, a premature campuswide notification could have just resulted in unnecessary panic.

This past Saturday I was riding my bike on F Street toward downtown, wearing shorts and a T-shirt with the wind at my back, allowing my thoughts to wander aimlessly, and it hit me. It hit me like a wall of bricks. Only it wasn’t a wall of bricks. It was a pile of branches, […]

TODAY Dream discussion group Noon to 1 p.m. Moss Room, Memorial Union Share your dreams and learn how to record and interpret them in this workshop. Student Chamber Ensembles concert 12:05 p.m. 115 Music Spice up your lunch hour with this free concert featuring the music of various student chamber groups.

The conservatism President Bush has practiced in the past few years was one often based on an unyielding conviction, seemingly oblivious from any form of doubt. Yet that’s not what conservatism, as a philosophical thought, demands. Instead, [a]ll conservatism begins with loss, so declares Andrew Sullivan in his bookThe Conservative Soul. And it is: Conservatism is a natural response to loss, an approach that embraces the need to conserve and preserve in times of challenge.

Budget Workshop Finance Director Paul Navazio presented a workshop on the budget for fiscal year 2008/2009.Projected General Fund shortfall is $854,000.Unmet needs include funding for street maintenance, a fourth fire station, a youth sports complex and city retiree medical benefits.Expenditure reductions to cover General Fund shortfall may include reduced staffing for planning and building, reduced reserve level and a soft hiring freeze that would exclude public safety and revenue-generating positions. Revenue enhancements may include additional retail development and new ballot measures for taxes.

This Sunday Varsity Theatre will host Davis’ 4th annual United Nations Association Film Festival. This year’s theme, Camera as Witness, advocates the whole notion of the democratization of the camera, said Jesse Drew, a technocultural studies professor at UC Davis. It is a more authentic and realistic view of the world shot by everyday people.

Cherish this day, for tomorrow will be different, and today will be gone forever. As I have alluded to in previous columns, I run for the UC Davis Track and Field team. Because of two partial lung collapses my freshman year, and the resulting surgery and loss of fitness, this is only the third year out of my five-year college career that I am on the team. It is early in the season, but the season is also my last. This thought sticks with me often.

The Filipina Women’s Network named Davis councilmember Ruth Asmundson one of the 100 most influential Filipinas in the country. Asmundson was presented an award in Washington D.C. at a gala in October. The group’s goal is to double the number of Filipina leaders in five years by having all 100 influential women mentor a young Filipina. The Filipina Women’s Network will hold another event in 2012 for all the mentors and protégés.