Opinion

Proposition 215 of 1996 is perhaps the pivotal measure of national drug reform policy, catalyzing popular laws in many other states, impelling unprecedented adjustments to federal enforcement policy. Yet, due to legislative failures and various other factors, it remains largely unimplemented - despite being very widely popular.

Readers may have seen the fliers around campus last week screaming quizzically: "Can we have a revolution?" I did. I was tickled enough to attend a meeting by a group called the Socialist Organizer at Olson Hall last Thursday. Never say never, right? But this time, I don't mind the designation of general in the naysayers' army. A revolution, of any kind, is not going to happen in today's America. I'll tell you why.

Many people nowadays, myself included, are engaged in a process of soul searching - a quest to find our place in the world and to figure out the meaning of life in these modern times. For me the journey began with a trip back to my childhood hometown in Illinois, where the French-Canadian ancestors on my mother's side of the family settled in the 1800s.

"Ho-kay. So. Here's the Earth. Damn, that is a sweet Earth, you might say."

One of the most important measures on the California ballot this November is Proposition 19, which would legalize and regulate the possession and sale of marijuana.

The guest opinion published on Oct. 7 was truly appalling. To read that the Palestinian flag symbolizes "the murder and genocide of millions of innocent Jews and the ethnic cleansing of Judea" is offensive, tragically misleading and flat out wrong. Palestinians had no part in the Holocaust. Yes, Jews may be a minority, but by taking on the role of oppressor, it is difficult for Palestinians to sympathize with their past struggles.

There is no place for vandalism anywhere on our campus or on our beloved mural, period.

So a state budget is passed and signed into law, but California's future is no brighter.

College students learn a variety of coping mechanisms to deal with the everyday struggle we've chosen to endure.

The stigma created around female masturbation is a lot like the stigma set about female excrement. Basically, it just doesn't exist.

Chinese food. I love it. The moment I think about it, my mouth starts salivating, my eyes glaze over and I howl at the moon. I LOVE CHINESE FOOD. I swear I'm not crazy.

I am never playing Ultimate Frisbee again.

Last week, I sacrificed some practical advice in favor of narrating a story about the history of exercise in schools. This week, I won't be storytelling so much as putting some actionable tips to paper (cue collective sigh of relief). As I mentioned at the close of the previous column, exercise can help you in school. Not only does physical activity stimulate your brain by increasing blood-flow and oxygen, research shows active students are happier, have more energy and find it easier to concentrate on a task at hand.

Last week, I wrote a column on education. The intent? Create dialogue via this medium on an issue about which I feel strongly. I don't have the answers, and will not pretend such. However, the provocation of debate was willful and I managed to extract a commentary on my commentary from one of the saner, more knowledgeable Davisites. This guy cared enough to make his views known on national issues. Bingo! That is the plan. I have a fervent belief that your ignorance starts right where your knowledge ends. Let the feedback keep coming in, please!

With the price of higher education at an all-time high, CalPIRG and the UC Davis Bookstore have worked together to introduce two alternative methods to purchasing textbooks: a rental program and online open source texts.