VIRGINIA: Belle Boggs joins the list of affiliates brought to UCI for the Bookstore’s Author Series.

GREEN: UC Irvine’s Real Food Challenge group asks: what can you do to reduce your carbon footprint?

NEW: The ball in Times Square has dropped, but according to the Lunar calendar, the year has just begun.

FRAUD: Chase bank experiences problems with identity theft, victimized UCI students.

INVESTIGATION: Jesse Cheng is currently being investigated by UCI for an alleged sexual assault.

I was shocked when I woke up on Jan. 24 and read news headlines reporting that Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport had descended into chaos when a suicide bomber reportedly screamed “I will kill you all” and detonated his vest in the midst of a busy crowd. The subsequent explosion ripped through the building, killing 35 people and wounding over 100 others. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev slammed the airport for lax security.

Every once in awhile, it is important to take some time away from all of the hard-hitting political and social banter, and focus on the things that are really important in life. You know, like Girl Scout cookies.

This article isn’t about legislation; I want to start off by saying that. This article is about freedom, the freedom that is given to us by our government and the freedom that can just as easily be taken away by this same government, if we allow them to do so.

Imagine you are attending a banquet where thousands of people come to eat and drink to their desire. A waiter then crashes the mood of the scene and holds up a bill. Not surprisingly, some of the diners begin to deny that it is their bill and one diner even suggests that the man may not be a waiter and is only trying to get attention for himself or to raise money for his own projects. Finally, the group concludes that if they simply ignore the waiter, he will go away.

Compiled by Charles Hicks.

For those who still do not believe that we are entering a hyper-partisan age where literally no issue is safe from being turned into a political battle, look no further than the increasingly ridiculous backlash against Michelle Obama’s campaign for healthy eating. To be fair, conservatives have long made fun of “health nuts” and people who champion diets and better food choices, but this is definitely a step too far.

As a dabbler of history, I’d like to dedicate this column to Charlie Sheen — the cocaine-overdosing, prostitute-juggling, hotel room-wrecking and rehab-hopping star of “Two and a Half Men” — for, if only by accident, setting a precedent in the history of our public sphere.

Compiled by the Editorial Board.

It’s not every day you get the chance to meet the Backstreet Boys, the once infamous boy band of heart throbs from your childhood. UC Irvine’s Best Buddies club gives students the opportunity to do just that.