Quick Takes: NFL Referee Lockout

Oct 1, 2012

On Sept. 26, the National Football League and the NFL Referees Association reached an agreement to end a three-month lockout that used replacements for the official referees.

A Lot on Your Plate

Oct 1, 2012

OceanView Terrace is the first UCSD dining hall to become all-you-can-eat, and while it won’t be practical for all diets, it will be an economical option for students with big appetites.                

Quick Takes: Under Control

Jun 4, 2012

Effective August 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is requiring all new health insurance plans to cover women’s health services such as birth control, emergency contraceptives and abortion medications.

Not a Fair Share

May 29, 2012

The Cyber Intellegence and Sharing Protection Act (CISPA) is a threat to online privacy and First Amendment rights due to its vague terms that grant unrestricted power for government investigations. 

Quick Takes: Holistic Admissions Process

May 29, 2012

In Fall 2011, UCSD followed UC Berkeley and UCLA in using a holistic admissions process that grants a single score from 1 (recommend admission) to 5 (recommend deny) to an applicant’s file.

Keep it Brief

May 21, 2012

The UC system should follow the example of other schools across the country and provide monetary incentives to students who graduate early, which would benefit both students and the state economy. 

Quick Takes: Ticketing For Walking While Texting

May 21, 2012

Since March 2012, a New Jersey town began handing out $85 tickets to pedestrians who text while crossing the street in response to three deaths that occurred while walking and texting.

Gay Marriage, Hypocrites and Bristol Palin’s Big Mouth

May 20, 2012

In light of his recent support for gay marriage, President Barack Obama has been called a flip-flopper, an evolver, a hesitator. Newsweek is honoring Obama’s statements on its cover, featuring a dramatic picture of the president with a rainbow halo around his head and the statement “Our First Gay President.” And because of the historical nature of Obama’s decision to (finally) back gay marriage, political pundits from both the right and left are stepping up on their soapboxes to shine a light on Obama’s decision. Seasoned political reporters from the New York Times to the Washington Post to the Christian Science Monitor have all weighed in — and so has Bristol Palin.

Some may remember Bristol Palin from her momma’s disastrous first stint with big girl politics, when she single-handedly helped John McCain lose the 2008 election. Others may remember her through Levi Johnston, her baby daddy who, despite impregnating Palin and tattooing her name on his ring finger, ditched her to become a model and an actor in Hollywood. 

In any case, Palin responded to Obama’s decision to change his stance of same sex marriage on the religious blog Patheos.com, stating that in general, children grow up better in a household with both a mother and a father. Of course, the first response to this frankly narrow-minded statement is that Bristol Palin is a gigantic hypocrite. A single mother at 17, abandoned by her douchey baby daddy — what gives her the right to open her big Alaskan mouth and say these things? And people, from the thousands of comments that her blog post has already garnered, to JWOWW, the perennially orange one from the cast of Jersey Shore, have all responded in kind. 

But the thing is, Palin has responded to these comments about her hypocrisy. 

And dare I say it — she makes a good point:

 “I find it strange that the culture rightfully applauds former drug addicts who warn children of the dangers of drug use. They are happy to listen to former alcoholics talk about how they finally are living a clean life. But when it comes to me talking about waiting until marriage for sex, it’s almost like people want me to slink away in shame…unable to show my face in public again because of my past mistakes.”

I may not agree with Palin’s view on mixed-sex marriage or her mother’s views on, well, anything. But she’s right — blindly attacking Palin for being a hypocrite is like criticizing a smoker turned lung cancer patient for talking about the dangers of smoking. Perhaps we were the hypocrites after all.

That being said, Obama’s support of gay marriage, though a bit late and could only have happened with Biden’s prior statements, was a huge and historic event. I support it.

Guest Commentary: Students Should Stay Safe to Keep Sun God Tradition Alive

May 20, 2012

BY OLIVER ZHANG
Associate Vice President
ASUCSD Concerts & Events

Another year, another Sun God! For us at A.S. Concerts & Events, it’s been a challenging but extremely rewarding process just to get to this point. Needless to say, we’re very excited for tomorrow and can’t wait to see you all on RIMAC Field.

Losing Our Minds

May 13, 2012

The UC system continues to increase out-of-state student admissions, when California should instead focus on retaining and developing a strong workforce to sustain its economy.  

Quick Takes: NY Ban on Social Media Interaction Between Teachers and Students

May 13, 2012

On May 1, the New York City Department of Education passed a policy banning the city’s public school teachers from interacting with students through personal social media accounts.

A Post-Grad Story: Not All Who Wander Are Losers

May 10, 2012

Before joining the working world all of six weeks ago, I teased my mom for her nightly ritual. With few variables, her 6 o’clock routine goes something like this: change into sweatpants and slippers; pop open diet Mountain Dew; after dinner, take unabashed pleasure in “Glee.” On Wednesdays and Fridays, she subs “sweatpants” and “Mountain Dew” for “pajamas” and “wine coolers.” (Sorry, ma — promise there’s a point.)