Opinion

So the United States tortures.I guess what I’m trying to understand is why that’s even news.The United States tortures? Fuck yeah we torture! We’re the world’s lone super-power with the most expansive espionage apparatus the world has ever seen.

Super Senior, So I’ve gota date lined up this weekend,and she wants to watch a movie.The catch is that she’s making me pick one,but we haven’t been dating longand I’ve got no idea what to go with.Any suggestions? – Ghost of Siskel

There are tons of relationship tips lurking around in places like magazines, books, the Internetand just about everyone you know. With this overabundance of tips, it is no surprise that some of them aren’t really true. Below, I have listed four myths regarding what it takes to create a healthy relationship and what they should be instead.

Even in political asylum John Edwards cannot stop stealing the limelight.Earlier last week a federal investigation was launched against him for the potential abuse of public funds during his presidential election.His wife Elizabeth is currently promoting her bookResilience about the personal travails she underwent while her husband committed infidelity.For the man who seems almost politically irrelevant,the image of the smiling politician seems pretty alive in public consciousness. But perhaps the most surprising reaction to his infidelity is their very ferocity.

It’s hard not to get twitchy when all your jackass friends from high school are using theInternetto brag about the fact that they’re a final away from escaping the tyrannical government/heathens/potato famine of academia and making it across to the sweet statue of summer liberty,but if you want to look on the flipside,once you finish your midterms you can use the final weeks of school to enjoy Davis at its peak.Those pretty water polo boys are cruisin‘ on their cruisers,so it must be springtime.

To the average Californian,the package of propositions on the May19special election ballot may seem like a jumbled messof convoluted budget proposals. That’s because it is. The propositions are the result of months of intricate negotiations betweenthe governor andRepublicans and Democrats in the legislature.They are an attempt to address the state’s dire fiscal situation,and confusing as they may be,only the voters have the constitutional authority to approve these proposals. At this point,California’s future rests in the hands of voters.It is extremely important that voters not only vote,but take the time to research the potential impact of each of these proposals passing or failing.

Everyone welcome Linda Katehi,the first woman to hold the post as UC Davis‘ chancellor! I‘m all for feminism,and I‘m glad a woman is being recognized for the skills that she has,really.But what I’m not‘all for‘ is this lady being granted an$85,000ayear raise,that is$85,000a year more than our current chancellor,literally within hours of deciding on a9.7percent increase in fees for undergraduates in the UC system.

I’ve always been a big believer in making lists.When I was deciding which college to go to,I made a list.When I broke up with my first boyfriend,I made a list.When I go to the store,I make a list– but that’s just a given.Lists just make things so much more manageable.They add clarity to a situation that you just can’t get from contemplating,discussing or even ranting.Which is why,with my graduation and leaving Davis approaching,I have made a list.

Last weekend,while reveling in the newStar Trek movie‘s general awesomeness vision of a unified,space-faring humanity,I realized how little we are currently doing to make this vision a reality.

My father used to tell me ridiculously inaccurate “factoids” when I was a kid.When the mood striketh him,he told me stuff like:the Native Americans built the Statue of Liberty to scare white people away from their land; that people had four toes because a powerful earthquake can fuse two random toes together; and that those huge white windmills on the hills were actually depressed airplane propellers that did not get to live out their dreams of being part of a plane. (He also told me that communism was the world’s worst evil,but I don’t think he was joking with that one.)

Part of growing up means coming to the inevitable realization that,sometimes,things will not go the way you had hoped.Unfortunately,for those of us currently doing our growing up here at the University of California,Davis,it would appear that these unfortunate times occur more often than not.

Proposition1D is an attempt by state lawmakers to avoid cuts in general fund-supported state spending.It would overturn Proposition10,passed in1998,which earmarks tobacco tax revenue in California for First5early childhood programs throughout the state.Both proponents and opponents of Proposition1D will tell you one thing – look at the facts.The proposition would divert$268million in annual tobacco tax revenue and the$340million First5has in reserve away from First5and into the state’s general fund.The state will have to find$608million from somewhere else if1D does not pass.