Opinion

Oh, it has been an interesting seven years at the top, hasn't it? However, seven years is not a direct reference to the Bush administration's two terms in power, but to Fox News' reign as the number one cable news channel — a title that has absolutely everything to do with the outgoing president and the coverage he received by the so-called "fair and balanced" network. It seems as if Sept. 11 was the push that Fox News needed to get its slimy head completely out of the womb and into the ass of Bush Jr. Ever since, the two entities have enjoyed an effortless, co-dependent and totally platonic romance that went something like this...

The world witnessed twin milestones last year. Barack Obama was elected the first African-American president in the history of the United States and, for the first time, over one-half of the world's population lived in the city.

If all goes according to plan, Elizabeth Watkins will graduate at the end of spring quarter with a degree in studio art. It will have been her fourth year as a transfer student at UC Irvine and her seventh as an undergraduate. Along with her degree, Watkins will also walk off stage with a $6,000 student loan. In many ways, at first glance, she is lucky...

If you drove to a local elementary school, the kids you would be staring at are the first generation of children expected to die at a younger age than their parents. Medical technology is quickly advancing every year, but remains unable to counteract the growth in American waistbands. Rising trends in obesity and a lack of exercise are predicted to decrease the American lifespan.

Interrogations, temporary detainment or warm welcomes. Sometimes you can decide your form of reception, though it often comes down to repressing one identity in favor of another. The selective use of a passport from multiple choices, for those able to obtain more than one, may be a matter of self-identification, depending on the circumstance and the location. For many living in the era of transnational terrorism, the process of traveling has become as much a matter of security as racial profiling. In some places, they are one and the same.

Fox News scores douchebag of the week; United States to begin pursuing foreign policy involving actual diplomacy?

It's tax season, so it's once again time to try and cook the books enough to get a little extra beer money from that return. Some of the most important tools that students have in their tax arsenal are the various educational deductions and tax credits, capable of wiping out most of the tax liabilities that we impoverished academicians carry around.

A report released on Jan. 14 by the multi-organizational Internet Safety Technical Task Force, whose formation was spearheaded by MySpace Inc., shows a surprisingly benevolent picture of the online security and privacy threats faced by children. However, the report's conclusion that "bullying among children, both online and offline, poses a far more serious threat" than the sexual solicitation of children online is drawing some sharp criticism from people throughout the country.

Ann Coulter; Russian gas; Czechs.

Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III is full of win; California Legislature full of fail; English bulldogs to get makeover?; Spike.com impales self; American voters finally not full of fail.

Is California the golden paradise it once was? Would the state that at one time had the eighth largest economy in the world be lucky to have just the eighth largest state economy in the United States? Should you even be living here anymore?

When I look into the eyes of a dog dressed in a princess outfit complete with tiara and who calls Paris Hilton's handbag a home, all I can think of is how desperately that animal must seek the sweet embrace of death. Sure, it is supremely groomed and fed on a budget the common working-class citizen cannot make in a year, but money never brings happiness. A dressed pooch is essentially the most miserable breed of dog. Finally, our British friends across the pond are setting an excellent example for how to conduct ourselves.