Opinion

The dedication of the new Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. national memorial sculpture in Washington D.C. last week drew both reverent praise and ire. Martin Luther King III claims the statue is within his top three of 50 statues he’s seen of his father. If you’re like me and you’re wondering just how one ranks statues of his or her father, he claims it actually looks like his dad. But others are less impressed.

Since mid-October, Davis residents and students have been occupying Central Park to show solidarity with the global Occupy movement that originated on Wall Street. As a result, local activists have added Davis to the list of over 1,500 cities and towns worldwide that have similar demonstrations underway.

Tuesday morning marked the end of a long period of captivity for Israeli Seargent First Class Gilad Shalit. Shalit was taken captive on June 25, 2006 when his batallion was ambushed by a group of Palestinian militants in Kerem Shalom Israel, a few kilometers from Gaza and Egypt. One thousand nine hundred and forty two days after Shalit was taken captive, he finally returned home to Israel where he was warmly embraced by his family, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the rest of his country. The release of Gilad Shalit came at a very high cost though, as Israel released 1,027 Palestinian prisoners.

Yes, readers, it’s that time of year again. That spooky night is coming where you can see that girl in your psych class dressed up as a slutty nurse grinding with some guy dressed up in a makeshift bed-sheet toga. That’s some scary stuff. With the big weekend coming up, you might be wondering what or whom you can dress up as. If you’re at a loss for what to be for Halloween, I’ve compiled a list of relevant costume ideas below.

Let’s face it. We came to college to go to class and get a degree. The easiest question to ask a fellow student you’re first meeting is, “So, what’s your major?” Although the ensuing conversation is not usually very entertaining, it can at least lead to the occasional, “Oh, I had that professor, I swear no one ever went to that lecture,” or, “Yeah, no … I don’t really take any science classes…”

It’s amazing the funny things you’ll notice in an airport if you’re open to observation.

Since before the advent of the Air Buddies movies, people have recognized that tiny, fuzzy animals are really cute. So naturally when one of my friends got an adorable puppy, suddenly everyone needed a baby mammal.

A friend e-mailed me last week and complimented my column. Sort of. He said my environmental one bored him. He wanted to hear about three things: the European Union, soccer and waffles.

My favorite type of music isn’t a genre – it’s whatever the fewest people know. This statement is not to be confused for a hipster battle cry against all things “mainstream,” however. Unlike the many who celebrate music simply for its obscurity, I don’t boycott musicians who have ascended to higher levels of recognition, I don’t accuse one of my favorite lesser-known groups of selling out to the popular demand if they happen to score a hit, and I certainly don’t write off their artistic ability. Who says there has to be a distinction between what’s good and what’s mainstream?

On Oct. 5 the Dempsey Report was released. The university-sponsored evaluation was intended to show where UC Davis stands as an athletic program, and provide a blueprint for where the university could go from here.

Part of Yolo County Library’s eBook collection is now available for Kindle, Amazon.com’s digital reader. Library members can check out an eBook in the same way they would check out a real book – the book is available for three weeks, and then the content is disabled. This jump from paper to digital books is not uncommon in today’s marketplace. Seeing someone reading a digital book on the bus is equally as likely as seeing someone reading a real, paper book. This shift, while impressive, should be taken in stride and should be thought about critically. Books, which became prevalent after the printing press was invented around 1440, have shaped our culture into what it is today. While the advent of digital books is fascinating, we should realize that it has a direct effect on our culture and our lives. Just remember, the invention of the printing press helped the Protestant Reformation take form. The benefits of digital readers are clear. An eBook is much lighter than a normal book, and you can carry around as many books as you like in one tablet. Book prices are often cheaper on eBooks, and font size and brightness can be adjusted to the reader’s desire. And let’s face it, who doesn’t think they look cool carrying around a trendy, digital device? While these benefits clearly apply, the negatives of eBooks are also there. When a reader is reading an eBook, they lose the physical connection to what they are reading, along with the general experience of holding a book in their hand. While you can virtually dog-ear a page on an eBook, there is clearly a difference between a digital action and physical action. Spilling coffee on a paper book can be easily fixed with a hair dryer and some patience. However, spilling coffee on an eBook is an overall disaster.

A smooth-talking, very likable black man who promises stark economic change from his would-be predecessor is the current favorite to win the Presidential nomination … with the Republican party.