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THE SOCIAList: Most of us weren't good enough to get into UCLA or UC Berkeley. Most of us had no shot at schools like Stanford University or Yale University. Some of us have boyfriends or girlfriends that attend those schools. Some of us grew up diehard fans of the University of Southern California or UCLA sports. I don't care. Quit representing them on campus.

Real Life Confessionals Series: My parents got divorced shortly after Sept.11. It happened, like the coup de grace of a one-two punch. So every time I think back to that October afternoon when they sat my brother and me down in the guest bedroom, I involuntarily think of burning and collapsing buildings. I don't think I need to explain the symbolism any further. I was in seventh grade, my middle brother in fifth and my youngest in pre-school.

Irvine Planeteers: During a meeting of the UC Irvine Environmental Law Society a few weeks ago, we were having a discussion about getting involved with an environmental cause. While the currently popular subject of polar bears came up, I was surprised that nobody knew about the local species that are in need of our help.

‘Spiderman' Writers Attend Book Signing for Inauguration Edition of the Popular Comic Book

The UC Irvine Track and Field team kicked off the year with the Blue and Gold track meet at Anteater Stadium. Lauren Collins looks to improve on her NCAA championship apperance from last season in the decathlon.

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.

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.