Issues

Schwarzenegger Reveals Budget Plan
Facing a projected budget shortfall of $11.2 billion, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called a special legislative session this morning to propose $4.5 billion in budget cuts and tax proposals to increase state revenues.

After Prop 8, Future of Gay Marriages Unclear
When UC Berkeley junior Ivan Sanz witnessed his brother's wedding in August, he didn't realize that the union may not legally stand the test of time.

Berkeley Celebrates Obama's Victory
Spontaneous street parties erupted throughout Berkeley Tuesday night in response to Sen. Barack Obama's victory in the presidential election.

'Impressive' Young Voter Turnout Seen in Tuesday's Election
As impromptu rallies commenced on college campuses across the nation, the power of the youth vote-whose potential is mentioned nearly every four years-appeared to finally materialize Tuesday.

After Prop 8, Future of Gay Marriages Unclear
When UC Berkeley junior Ivan Sanz witnessed his brother's wedding in August, he didn't realize that the union may not legally stand the test of time.

Berkeley Celebrates Obama's Victory
Spontaneous street parties erupted throughout Berkeley Tuesday night in response to Sen. Barack Obama's victory in the presidential election.

'Impressive' Young Voter Turnout Seen in Tuesday's Election
As impromptu rallies commenced on college campuses across the nation, the power of the youth vote-whose potential is mentioned nearly every four years-appeared to finally materialize Tuesday.

Bates to Serve Another Four Years in Third Mayoral Term
Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates was granted an unprecedented third term Tuesday, giving him four more years to continue making his mark on city politics.

Cross-Racial Friendships May Reduce Social Anxiety
One method to reduce social anxiety may lie in forging friendships with people of different races and ethnicities, according to a new study conducted by UC Berkeley researchers.

Schwarzenegger Reveals Budget Plan
Facing a projected budget shortfall of $11.2 billion, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called a special legislative session this morning to propose $4.5 billion in budget cuts and tax proposals to increase state revenues.

Nkech' Me if You Can
There are few people, if any, who can say that they took on Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett, one on one, and made them look silly.

Who's the Doss
As I exited the office of The Daily Californian late Tuesday night, I turned and, in true fashion, uttered a one-liner that was sure to make myself look like some sportswriter with no idea that there is some other world outside the arena.

Cal Party of Three Crashes National Indoor Singles Draw
Every year, a select 32 singles players in college tennis make it to the ITA National Indoor Championship.

Top Doubles Pair to Represent Bears at Indoor Championships
For players on the ATP tour, it's the US Open. In college tennis, it's the ITA National Indoor Championships.

Riley Cleared to Practice, Splits Reps With Longshore
Quarterback Kevin Riley returned to practice Wednesday afternoon, splitting reps with senior Nate Longshore. Riley had sat out Tuesday's practice with a concussion suffered in No. 21 Cal's 26-16 win over Oregon.

Bears Find Room for Improvement in Throttling of Chico State
It's hard to find flaws in a 40-point win, but coach Joanne Boyle and several members of the No. 9 Cal women's basketball team pointed out that their 95-51 victory over Chico State on Wednesday night at Haas Pavilion was far from dominant.

Bears Trounce Falcons 91-70 in Exhibition
Riding forward Theo Robertson's 29-point effort, the Cal men's basketball team ran away with a 91-70 win over Seattle Pacific in Thursday's exhibition at Haas Pavilion.

30 Years of Parties, Parades and Probation
It's been 30 years since John Belushi's world-record whiskey chug, the turtle dance to the tune of Otis Day's "Shout" and the advent of toga parties, but the place of "Animal House" among college comedies hasn't diminished. But how has this paradigmatic film affected real college life?

In Other Media
We've just passed through an election cycle packed with a surplus of change. We witnessed both the nomination of a black man to our nation's highest office and the selection of a female candidate near the top of the Republican Party ticket. And combined with the costliest campaign known to mankind (at least until the next one), many of us participated the largest voter turnout for a presidential election. Truly, it's been a momentous election.

Eternal Theater of the Tortured Mind
In "Synecdoche, New York," Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as Caden Cotard, an insecure but brilliant theater director who lives in the town of Schenectady, New York, where a paper called The Schenectadian is published. Are you sensing a theme here? It might help to know that synecdoche is a figure of speech, a special case of metaphor where a part takes the place of the whole. The trope echoes the film's principal theme, the peculiarity of sculpting art from the mold of life.

Thumb Wars
Does anyone remember the TV show "Freaks and Geeks"? The premise was simple: It basically followed the lives of a group of teenagers during the early '80s, chronicling everything from romances to band rehearsals to bong hits. What made "Freaks and Geeks" special is hard to say, but soon after it was cancelled from NBC, it developed a giant cult following of which I am an unabashed part.

Piano Prodigy Conrad Tao Dominates Hertz Hall
Sunday afternoon, Hertz Hall buzzed with the hushed voices of a predominantly adult audience. They were there to assess and critique as curious spectators or seasoned aficionados of music or to offer familial support like grandparents, encouraging their grandson at his annual piano recital. It seems appropriate, then, that 14-year-old Conrad Tao could fill Hertz to charm an audience with both his prowess and youth. The adolescent pianist and composer has been deemed a prodigy, a term wrought with implications that could become a burden. However, his Berkeley debut was enough to sweep aside doubts about his status and immerse listeners in a thoroughly enjoyable performance.