Opinion

Turning COVID-19 briefings into tools of political campaigning are not beneficial to nation or president  The 2020 presidential election is like none before it. The fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has left the two remaining major candidates scrambling for ways to appeal to the public. Both campaigns have moved online. Both use media surrogates. But […]

The rise of Soviet nostalgia signals a lack of closure On Dec. 26, 1991, the infamous hammer and sickle flag lowered, and the red, white and blue Russian flag took its place. In just one night, a new nation was established alongside 14 others. Twenty-eight years since the fall of the Soviet Union, and its […]

Sampling is more than just an artistic choice A little birdie by the name of Mark Twain imposed an idea about originality on us all. Maybe you’ve heard it uttered as you walk through the Quad, unintentionally eavesdropping on the debates of impassioned college students: There is “no such thing” as an original idea.  Many […]

We shouldn’t wait for things to get worse in order for them to get better  There are few smooth ways to mention your therapy appointment during casual conversations. At the mere mention of the phrase, people will immediately question your sanity, look at you sympathetically or simply awkwardly or just silently stare at you. For […]

Today’s “Rant and Rave” column RANT: To all the doctors. Doctors these days, am I right? What’s the deal with them, anyway? I went to the hospital recently to see if they could check out these symptoms I’ve been having that have been driving me crazy for a week or so now. My doctor was […]

The Editorial Board shares one small thing that makes them happy Inspired by the recent article in The New York Times titled “14 Ways We’re Finding Joy (in Spite of Everything),” the members of The California Aggie’s Editorial Board each shared one small thing that brings them joy. Kaelyn Tuermer-Lee, Editor-in-Chief — The Joy of […]

Students deserve to see their government conduct business in the open, not behind closed doors Journalists fight for transparency as part of their ethical code. Good journalists demand that governments do business in the open so that the public can hold elected and appointed officials accountable. During the COVID-19 pandemic, transparency is more essential than […]

The label doesn’t always mean ethical  I am a lifelong vegetarian and have never known the taste of meat, so when products like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods made their way to the market, I was eager to see what fake meat had to offer. Of course, I was just one of many. Impossible Foods […]

The Aggie’s tribute to Bill Withers acknowledges his struggle with stuttering  To the Editor:  Re “Bill Withers: remembering a laid-back legend in soul” by Andrew Williams (arts, May 8):  Your article on Bill Withers was an excellent tribute piece to the great singer-songwriter. The piece mentioned that Withers struggled with stuttering early in his life, […]

And all of them are bad Eric and Tim erupted into laughter.  “I love when you tell that story man,” Eric said. “You know what, we’re smart and funny people! We should make a podcast!” Tim replied. “You’re right. In fact…” Eric rifles through his backpack. “Let’s just do it now.” He pulls out his […]

COVID-19 pandemic reveals America’s slow push toward regionalism Another day, another coronavirus article. These days, it seems as though every aspect of life is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. And while it’s true that social distancing has had a tremendous impact on the everyday lives of all American citizens, the influence of the crisis on […]

There has never been a worse time to develop video games Video games can be a vital distraction from the monotony of quarantine life, but for the developers that worked hard to crunch these games out, the near-future landscape of games looks bleak. Video game sales are near an all-time high. “Animal Crossing” is breaking […]