Features

Sara Farsakh frantically scribbles notes on the sides of her paper, adding names and places as they come to mind. Behind her, a friend massages her shoulders like she would a boxer about to enter the ring with her toughest yet most anticipated opponent. Farsakh just spent most of the previous day and half the night debating whether she will be able to share this story in public and dreading the path her emotions might take should she choose to do so. Her decision made, all she can do now is stare at the floor and focus intently on keeping her intentions and emotions in check as she waits for the introduction to her first public speech in years. With a few deep breaths and a couple mutters of "bismillahi rahmani rahim" (I begin in the name of Allah, most beneficent, most merciful) under her breath, she begins...

Mad, Bad, & Dangerous to Know: Audrina from "The Hills" is smiling her fake, toothy smile on the red carpet as the paparazzi cameras flash and click like machine guns. It's still difficult for me to wrap my head around the name "Audrina," which sounds like the unfortunate union of the names Christina and Audrey. I suppose it's better than the alternative, "Chrudrey."

Battle Series: All-American Pie vs. The Birthday Cake

President-elect Barack Obama dips a hand into the past when appointing non-Cabinet officials.

SUBURBAN OUTFITTER: Back home in the Bay Area, I never thought about shopping for spring and summer clothing until March when, if I were lucky, the temperature would slowly climb to the cool mid-60s. Here in Irvine, however, it's mid-January and a ridiculous 85 degrees. Even though I'm wearing denim cutoffs, I feel like I'm about to pass out as I trudge up a slight slope in Aldrich Park. What does this tell me (besides that I'm ludicrously out of shape)? It's time to shop for the new season.

Looking to "go green" without actually making the strenuous effort to carpool or ride a bike? If you haven't made a New Year's resolution yet, going green can be as easy as driving to a car wash. Here are 10 easy ways to help out the environment that should only take a few minutes of your day.

Irvine Planeteers: Over winter break, I went on a full moon hike in Bommer Canyon. Bommer Canyon is a remnant of the Irvine Company's property, originally obtained by James Irvine in 1867. Sold to the city of Irvine in the 80s, it has been set aside to remain open space. The area is only a few minutes from UC Irvine's campus, located next to gorgeous Shady Canyon.

Members of the jazz sextet performing at Anthill Pub's "Interactions," held the first Thursday of every month, take a break from performing to catch a glimpse of a football game.

A student represents the pro-Gaza half of Thursday's rallies regarding Israel's bombing and military invasion of the region. UCIPD officers casually surveyed the spirited, but peaceful demonstrations.

Elizabeth Loftus, psychologist and distinguished professor of Social Ecology, is interviewed for the news program 60 minutes. Loftus is ranked among the top 100 psychologists of the 20th century.

In his youth, Professor Lindon Barrett loved fuzzy wool sweaters. His friend Jackie Popplestone remembers that he bought nearly every sweater in Dapper Dan's, the clothing store where she and Barrett worked. Popplestone recalls that one night, while she and Barrett were working together, Barrett said he wanted to expose her to a new kind of music and blared the song "Fuck You Symphony" by Millie Jackson over the store's PA system. Barrett believed that brilliance wasn't limited to the university community, and often told his students that bright people could be found anywhere, from a college campus to the streets of Long Beach to a 24-hour donut shop. He regaled his students with stories of his conversations with the homeless people he befriended at Dunkin' Donuts.

THE SOCIAList: After the reaction I got from my "Gossip Guy" article in the features section last week, the New University features staff, for some odd reason, awarded me a column in their section with the free rein to speak about whatever I want.