Opinion

Approximately half the students on this campus skip meals because they cannot afford food, according to an Aggie article that quoted Student Assistant to the Chancellor Justin Gold. In an effort to feed hungry students, ASUCD opened the doors to UC Davis' very own food bank on Jan. 13. Any student can receive three items per day. Sounds great, right?

I've grown up reading science fiction, staying up late at night as a teenager entrusting in confidants such as Asimov and Bradbury to whisk me away to Bantam and Penguin fields as an escape from the various family turmoils that were all too frequent during my childhood. I daydreamed of rocketmen and galaxies, and yes, when I discovered Star Trek, Lieutenant Uhura.

I love Valentine's Day. I love the chocolates, the excuse to use cheesy pick up lines on my housemates, the flowers … I enjoy it so much, I've made personalized Valentines for all my friends and passed them out every year since I was five years old. Being single never stopped me from celebrating.

It's the day of the year that evokes either cutesy doodles of hearts on notebook margins or just feelings of plain disgust. Or maybe something in the middle.

The most recent tweets from Egypt are chronicling the Tahrir Square protest ("People now in #Tahrir are about 1.5 million #Jan25"), and taking jabs at the government ("A government that is scared from #Facebook and #Twitter should govern a city in Farmville but not a country like #Egypt #Jan25").

California has some of the highest taxes in the nation, but a major part of Gov. Jerry Brown's solution is to expend great effort this year to make sure they stay that way.

I was at the café in Borders the other day, where I saw two girls at a table discussing life over a cup of coffee. One girl firmly clutched her coffee between both hands, leaning over the table and looking intently into the eyes of her female companion.

For the first time in over a decade, the ASUCD president and vice president will take office without official competition.

Of all the terrors plaguing the earth, this might seem to be of little importance, but I feel it needs to be discussed. Signal the sirens, for there is a great lack of appreciation for poetry afoot.

At this point in the quarter I would like to address the age-old question, what do your shoes say about you? Everybody from Seventeen to GQ has reflected on this fashion inquiry, and all seem to report different opinions. There are a lot of different footwear options roaming the streets, but some of the most interesting shoes lie on the feet of college boys.

Love is in the air. Romance can be seen on the quad. Candy sales are up. The back corner of Target has turned some violent shades of pink and red. What does this mean? Oh yes, Valentine's Day is around the corner.

As I reflect on my blur of a childhood, there are few things that stand out. However, I will never forget the countless trips the Makker clan made to the grand city of San Francisco for some good 'ole children's theater. My parents were dedicated to exposing their kids to the arts, and for that I am thankful. A note to future parents: start taking your kids to the theater before they can speak. Shakespeare, Disney on Ice, whatever. It's necessary.

G Street Pub is renovating, and it's about time.

Next week, students will elect another round of senators to represent them in ASUCD. Voting starts Feb. 16 at 8 a.m. and ends Feb. 18 at 8 a.m. Results will be announced at noon that Friday.

From social networking sites to radio stations, news programs to blogs, the sounds and images of protests in Egypt have been prominent and gripping. The message is clear: Egyptians want new leadership, and they want it now.