Want to know what your week has in store for you? Look no further! The Daily Clog is here with your weekly horoscope.

Aries — You might be a little bit stressed as your schoolwork piles up, but do not fret. You know how to manage your schedule well, and if you can give up an hour or two of sleep a night, you will find the time to study. Treat yourself to a nice coffee in the morning. You deserve it.

Taurus — You are probably feeling a little nostalgic as this semester seems to rush past. You miss the ease of talking to new people, taking simple intro classes or eating at Crossroads. But instead of dwelling on your freshman year, you should be proud of your accomplishments so far.

Gemini — You’re going to have a great week. You have been indecisive recently, unsure of whether you want to switch your major, commit to a new relationship or buy that new, expensive piece of clothing. Go for it.

Cancer — Your luck is about to change. You are about to find a new lucky charm, be it a rabbit’s foot, a helpful GSI or a new friend. Capitalize on this new opportunity.

Leo — You will miss the 51B by two minutes on Thursday. Make sure you have on your sneakers so you can make it to class.

Virgo — Watch out! You are about to fall ill. All those late nights (studying, obviously) are about to catch up with you as you catch your first cold of the season. Stock up on some Emergen-C and grab some extra honey for your tea, because you are going to need it.

Libra — Take the path less traveled to class on Tuesday. Turn on a different street or walk around Sproul in the other direction — even if you get lost, it will be worth it. You are about to make a new discovery that you would have otherwise missed.

Scorpio — You should call an old high school friend. There are some funny stories and some surprising news you have missed!

Sagittarius — You need a break. Take some time for yourself: Go for a walk on Northside, take BART into the city or nap on Memorial Glade. Do something to change up your routine, because you need some invigoration.

Capricorn — You might want to consider doing that extra assignment for class. That reading you never do is for sure going to turn up on your quiz this week. You’re welcome.

Aquarius — You are about to come upon some money. Save it for a rainy day.

Pisces — Wear pants on Thursday. Seriously. We can’t tell you why, but you will thank us later.

Image Sources: Remko van Dokkum under Creative Commons

Contact Holly Secon at hsecon@dailcal.org.

The post Calstrology: your weekly horoscope appeared first on The Daily Californian.

The government has shut down, but the world hasn’t ended. Yet. So what has changed? How will the government shutdown make a difference in your life?

Handouts

What does government shutdown mean?

A government shutdown is the name of the process the federal government must enter when Congress fails to pass legislation funding government operations and agencies. On Oct. 1, the U.S. government entered this shutdown after Congress failed to enact regular appropriations (a sum of money devoted to a special purpose) for the fiscal year 2014.

How could it affect me?

1. Your grants and research funding could be stalled: With federal programs being defunded, government subsidies for scientific research — like that at public universities such as ours — just might become inaccessible. Already granted awards are to be honored, but the government does not have the money or the initiative to provide new funds. With the Department of Education having neither a budget nor a full staff, ongoing and proposed scientific research are not a priority.

2. All research funding could be stalled: We may not always think about it, but government research, such as that at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has a profound impact on our lives. Not only has the annual surveillance of the flu virus has been halted, but food inspection facilities have been closed as well, leading to outbreaks in salmonella and hepatitis.

3. Academic resources will not be updated: Speaking of research, if you’re looking for federal data and information for a research paper, you might have to keep looking. The websites for the U.S. Census, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Education Resources Information Center, the National Archives and more have not been kept up to date since.

Going somewhere?

4. You might have to change your travel plans: Oh, you need a passport to study abroad next semester? Might want to get started on that application. No last-minute passports are being granted, and, in fact, you can expect delays in the process. You might be delayed at the airport, too, as the TSA has furloughed its “nonessential” employees. But even if you were thinking about driving down to Yosemite to go camping for the weekend, you’re going to have to change your plans. Many attractions run by the National Park Service have been closed. You’ll just have to wait until the government starts working again.

5. And what’s the deal with financial aid? Thankfully, federal student aid should go largely unaffected, at least for the time being. There is supposed to be a limited impact on both the administration of FAFSA and student loan repayment abilities, while direct loans, Pell Grants and other financial aid dollars will continue to be distributed. In the long term, however, a shutdown lasting awhile might curb funding to public universities, such as us here at UC Berkeley.

Has the government ever shut down before?

Yes. Technically, this is the 18th time since 1976 that the government has shut down. But only two other shutdowns have lasted longer than two weeks, as this year’s has — when Bill Clinton and congressional Republicans wrangled over budget matters from Dec. 16, 1995, to Jan. 5, 1996 (21 days), and during Jimmy Carter’s administration from Sept. 30, 1978, to Oct. 18, 1978 (18 days).

When does it end? 

It will end when Congress passes the bill(s) to fund the government and the president signs them.

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that a government shutdown during President Jimmy Carter’s tenure lasted from Sept. 20, 1978, to Oct. 18, 1978. In fact, that shutdown lasted from Sept. 30, 1978, to Oct. 18, 1978.

Image Sources: NPCA Photos, wanderingnebulaandadog, 401(K) 2013, Claus Rebler, Hash Milhan, Sean MacEntee, John-Morgan, sleeping-on-the-clouds, and motionlmags 

Contact Holly Secon and Sujin Shin at blog@dailycal.org.

The post How will the government shutdown affect you as a college student? appeared first on The Daily Californian.