Opinion

Democracy is desirable in government. Most people would agree with that, especially in the United States. However, a democratic educational system is not as beneficial and could be harming America's future generations.

Beginning winter quarter 2012, UC Irvine will launch the Educational Technology Initiative (eTech@UCI) which, according to the eTech@UCI website, aims at “… funding the maintenance and improvement of education technology like EEE, classroom technology, and instructional computing labs.” Some of the proposals of eTech@UCI include a virtual computer lab, classroom course capture, expanded wireless (Wi-Fi) coverage across campus, charging stations for mobile devices and a student IT help desk.

Equality has always been one of the most fundamental of American ideals. In fact, this country was essentially birthed from the very premise that all men were created equal.

To Mac or to Amazon? It’s a truly difficult question when it comes to tablets.

Here’s a quick hypothetical question: if you cut yourself by accident and started bleeding badly, who would you go to for help? A medical professional with all the necessary training and years of experience? Or the guy next door whose medical expertise extends little farther than the application of Band-Aids and knowing how to dial 9-1-1? I don’t know about you, but there is no doubt that I would go with option number one. After all, who in their right mind would pass up the years of knowledge and experience possessed by a medical professional in favor of whatever Joe Shmoe picked up from watching TV and surfing the Web?

Last week, I was walking along Ring Road toward the Student Center, and I went around the Bookstore, instead of through it, like I usually do. In the small building adjacent to the bookstore, I spy a few people in line at some portable tables, and a sign that says “Freshmen Sweatshirts.”

Have you ever woken up early on a weekday morning, stared at your blaring alarm clock through bleary eyes, and wished that you didn’t have to go to school? You think to yourself, “I wish I could just take classes online, but an online degree pales in comparison to a degree from a reputed university.”

After seeing the drastic budget cuts and tuition hikes from the 2010-11 school year, any type of financial action taken by the University of California system shouldn’t come as a surprise anymore. However, recognizing the previous trends didn’t make the announcement to cut most of the LARC (Learning and Academic Resource Center) programs any easier to handle

Social Security. To me it used to mean more than knowing that I’ll be well off once I retire. It represented a sense of trust that through thick and thin, Uncle Sam would always be there for me. It meant that if I supported it now, it would support me when I needed it most.

It’s only taken three weeks, but the Occupy Wall Street movement is finally receiving the attention it deserves. Sure, a lot of this attention has to do with the harsh response of the New York police to the protestors, as well as some of the movement’s more outlandish costumes and behavior, but it’s better than being ignored (I myself did not even know it was happening until they had been camped out for a week).

Caught in the glare of flashy headlines, it seems that in the last few months the Irvine 11 case has been swept up in a whirlwind of sensationalism. Glamorized rhetoric either deifies the Irvine 11 or demonizes them, with little substance actually dedicated to any underlying issues.

Late last month the city council of West Hollywood passed a bill that made the sale of fur in their local businesses illegal. As usual in today’s day and age, what should have been a local stride for progress has turned into a maelstrom of opinion pieces and scathing articles in publications statewide.