Opinion

Breathe deeply. Do you feel that? It’s change. It’s not effluence from the air Obama used to make his inaugural address, nor is it pollution from Chinese refineries creeping its way across the Pacific. It’s evidence of a nascent social organism that we’re all helping daily to build. Change is coming on this day and every day from the goodness in all of our hearts.

Over150people attended the Jan.13Davis City Council meeting to take part in a public discussion of a resolution calling for peace in Gaza.The resolution called for “an immediate,durable,fully respected ceasefire” and a “lasting humanitarian truce.“ Dozens of community members who attended spoke their mind on the issue,some arguing for it and others arguing against it.This public comment session took almost four hours.

Washington,D.C.is smitten. Overtwomillion people from every imaginable walk of life have made the journey to the capital to witness the swearing-in of the first African-American president.America‘s cornucopia of current problems has left American morale teetering between hope and despair,but we finally found a reason to smile.

One of the most common issues I get from my friends when they complain about their significant other is how much they hate the group of friends that come along with their girlfriend or boyfriend.In all these stories I’m told,three very common characters show up that I’d like to say a few words about,just in case you guys didn’t know about them.So let your reading capabilities take it away!

Human beings,when faced with the unpleasant prospect of the truth,will often cling to feelings of cynicism and doubt rather than admitting that they are wrong.Such was the case when Galileo first claimed the sun was the center of our solar system,or when Columbus fought the notion that the earth was flat.Despite the ignorant opposition,these men stood by their beliefs,effectively showing that one stubborn man can change the minds of millions.

Beginning fall2009,the University Writing Program will offer a20-unit Expository Writing minor. The minor will consist of four upper division writing classes and a four-unit writing internship.Courses are organized into three categories – Writing in Academic Settings,Writing in the Professions and Theory,History and Design – students take one course in each area and an additional course of their choice.

uthor’s Note:This week’s column is written from the perspective of George W.Bush if he had his own video in the ‘Unforgivable‘ series on YouTube.If you haven’t seen it,go check it out or this column will make zero sense to you. I went to Washington yesterday to get the presidency for me and my fam.Ize gonna steal it.I ain’t have no votes.

What do Britney Spears, Facebook stalking, Girl Scout cookies and Perez Hilton all have in common? They are guilty pleasures – things you would rather not admit enjoying, yet can’t help but love. I was watching “The Bachelor” the other night when I realized that this show is my guilty pleasure. For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past 7 years, don’t own a TV or simply have good taste, let me explain to you the beauty of this show.

A strange event is happening. The most powerful person on the planet for the last eight years has seemed almost powerless for a while now. President George W. Bush is almost an afterthought. He has been conspicuous by his absence. In truth, he has become irrelevant.

Soldiers of war are notpsychopathickillers – they are victims of robbery,the robbery of a human quality called empathy. With certain external forces,we have the ability to lose this basic emotion. Analyzing the Israel and Gaza conflict,I realized that the loss of empathy is the underlying cause of the controversy.My objective in this column is not to prove which side is the victim or aggressor,but to share some of my thoughts on why I think there is such a polarization of opinions in the first place.

The Recording Industry Association of America,in an attempt to further expand its influence in the world of illegal file sharing,has decided not to file lawsuits en masse against illegal file sharers.Instead,the RIAA will work closely with Internet service providers and encourage them to increase their own role in protecting music copyrights.

Although I was dead-set on writing about butterflies and daisies this week,my Johnny-Depp-with-a-beard look-alike editor kindly pointed out that there is far more to a douchebag than the mere fact that they are a douchebag,as I had outlined last week. And that’s when my last two brain cells started thinking.What makes a douchebag such a douchebag? How do you deal with said douchebags?