As California continues to reel during this economic downturn, the University of California has been one of the biggest victims of this financial debacle. Once again, higher education has been hit with budget cuts. In response, those who run one of the best public school systems in the country recently got together and discussed in length (read: desperately) the different solutions they could possibly enact, such as retooling UC admissions policies, in order to meet Governor Terminator's budget cuts.

The United States military is an honorable institution with a long tradition of pride, honor and distinction. However, within the walls of this institution lies a darker legacy, one dealing with the unfair treatment of its gay and lesbian soldiers. Its current "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy forces many soldiers to hide their sexual orientation, or face being ejected from serving their country. While promoted as a "compromise," this policy has seen the dismissal of nearly 13,000 soldiers for acknowledging – or outing – their homosexuality.

SPIRIT: Athletics pulling out tricks to increase school spirit and publicity for rising UCI sports programs.

BASKETBALL: Lady Anteaters drop a couple games to UCSB and Cal Poly in Big West action at home.

BASKETBALL: UCI falls to UCSB but rallies to defeat Cal Poly. UCI hosts UC Davis in the Game of the Week.

THE FRESHNESS: This past week I had to miss the New University's weekly meeting (which any aspiring writers should attend on Wednesdays) because I traveled out to Riverside to cover the men's volleyball match against California Baptists University. It was interesting, to say the least. The team swept Cal Baptists, but that is not really the story considering they were expected to do just that. The story is about how they rose to the occasion when faced with a challenge. That challenge was named Adiel Tiedjop.

THE SWAGGER: Many of you are probably wondering how we got that awesome shot of the men's volleyball players on the back page. Not to toot my own horn, but you only see this kind of stuff in Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine. And that was my inspiration.

VOLLEYBALL: Men's volleyball opened its season last week and came out of busy schedule with a winning record.

VOLLEYBALL: Loaded with talent, the UCI men's volleyball team looks to bring the title back to the West.

Clint Eastwood has been on the Hollywood shortlist for directing quality films since directing Sean Penn and Tim Robbins to Oscar acclaim in 2003's "Mystic River," winning the Best Director Oscar for 2004's "Million Dollar Baby" and weathering the lukewarm reception to "Changeling" earlier this year. But that doesn't excuse movie studios from throwing money at Clint and blindly accepting whatever stained package he gives them in return. This unchecked power has given us "Gran Torino."

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is currently presenting "Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913–2008," the first major exhibition bringing together the magazine's historic archive of rare vintage photographs and magazine covers with its contemporary photos. The exhibition, which opened Oct. 28, 2008, explores the ways in which photography and celebrity have interacted and changed, with portraits from the magazine's early period (1913–1936) and the contemporary Vanity Fair period (1983–present) as well as behind-the-scenes videos from key Vanity Fair shoots.

One of the most anticipated dramas of the season, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" illustrates delightfully rich storytelling. Benjamin Button's (Brad Pitt) journey is presented in a wistful, melancholic manner, emphasizing the rawness of loss, death and looming mortality. Director David Fincher's haunting fable is unlike many other dramas of its kind. This epic tale is about a man who ages backwards, coming into the world as an infant suffering from all the infirmities of an 80-year-old man. As each year passes, Benjamin becomes younger and younger until he achieves infancy at the end of his life.

Review of Animal Collective's "Merriweather Post Pavilion".

Lonely robots, rambunctious villains and curious children were all part of the cinema stew in 2008, as Hollywood recovers from a whirlwind year of record-shattering ticket sales, heated writers' strikes and the passing of a few wonderful actors. With the Oscar race in its final lap, here's a look back at the year's best, by category.