Opinion

If you’re a vegetarian or a vegan, I must ask that you do not take this article personally. It is in no way aimed at your lifestyle or political preference. This article is a critique of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and the continual hypocrisy and absurd political goose chases over the years that they have been responsible for.

Smart leadership: It’s what student government should be about, right? Putting the money where it needs to be and advocating for what the people want. However, in light of recent events, it’s hard to be sure whether student fees at UC Irvine are going toward the right institutions, and whether the guidance of our Associated Students is really what it was promised to be.

When I read Spencer Grimes’ opinion piece in last week’s paper, titled “Keep Our Campus Free of the Homeless,” I couldn’t help but be slightly horrified at the level of ignorance purveyed in my fellow English major’s words.

For the last couple of weeks, thousands of Orange County citizens have been making their way to the Irvine Civic Center to be a part of Occupy Orange County CA, a branch of the Occupy Wall Street movement that began in New York City.

Recently I’ve noticed a strange rise in the number of homeless people plaguing our campus. During my first year here at UC Irvine, I never noticed anything out of the ordinary as far as the presence of the homeless is concerned. Sure, there would be the occasional weird-looking guy at the bus stop, but that is to be expected. In the past month of class, however, I’ve witnessed at least two homeless people on campus.

Google decided to take it one step further. Now they announced that they will make TV-like channels on YouTube to watch shows. I mean real channels, not user accounts with segments of shows. It should be like watching TV without watching it through a TV set.

An 18-year-old girl was captured, put in prison, tortured and eventually her family found her mutilated dead body. “Zeinab al-Hosni” is a case reported by the United Nations and only one of the 5,000 victims who were silenced by the Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad.

Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations are entitled, under the First Amendment, to the freedom of speech. If you heard of this from any media outlet, it is likely that what you heard was blown out of proportion. To convince myself, I read the opinion of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.

Facebook, like Steve Jobs’ Apple, is constantly coming up with new features and improvements. But unlike Apple, some of Facebook’s are not as secure.

I know what some of you may be thinking already: this guy is here to condemn people that eat meat and wear fur in the Opinion section of his campus publication. Someone trying to convince you that “animals are people too,” or whatever the other stereotypes that the general population may have about vegetarians and vegans.

In the middle of the night, I awoke to a siren blaring in my ear drums. The deafening alarm echoed throughout the apartment. I had heard it before. Instead of panicking or following suit, I made my way into the living room and sat on the couch, where the noise was more bearable. For 10 minutes I sat there as I became conditioned to the pounding noises after springing out of bed enraged. It was 3 a.m. and it was the second time in a week that I had been awoken by a false alarm.

Google has started donating lots of money to conservative causes after years of donating mostly to left-wing groups and candidates. This change in political behavior has prompted an interesting question: Why?