Ah, election season. The atmosphere and energy surrounding the ASUC elections pale in comparison to those of any school election I have yet lived through, and for good reason. Qualified candidates scatter themselves across campus, asking for votes and explaining their platforms to the lucky few of us plucked from Read More…
In the fifth season of NBC’s “30 Rock,” Liz Lemon recounts the one time she went to Los Angeles. She asked a passer-by, “How do I get to 10?,” at which he, a rioter for Rodney King, interrupted his hell-raising to deliver this disdainful line: “It’s the 10.” Every city Read More…
Upon returning to Berkeley after spring break, I came to an unfortunate realization: that it was that time of the semester again. Perhaps I’d survived the first two months of this term, but somehow, April still managed to loom ahead of me. That couldn’t be a good sign — in Read More…
Can we just agree that capitalization, like the rest of English grammar, is a fickle mistress? Yes? Good. To list things we should capitalize would be almost as complex as naming past participles (see my rant on this subject, as posted previously). Instead, I have compiled a partial list of Read More…
If the distinction between two words is clear, why is there confusion about such words’ use? While editing, I often ask myself this question, as writers often seem uncertain about whether to use “if” or “whether” in sentences. Admittedly, this mistake is somewhat understandable: The words’ usages are somewhat similar Read More…
As I write this, my friend Evelyn and I are supposed to be studying political science. But grammar nerds never rest, so Congress will just have to put its problems on hold while I address a more local issue. (From what I have heard about Congress, though, I don’t think Read More…
I fell in love this weekend. It wasn’t an adorable English accent or a set of mesmerizing blue eyes that got me; it was his perfect command of the use of who vs. whom. Each time he said “for whom” or “to whom,” I could not contain my smile. Read More…
I am a freshman living in Unit 3, so Cal sweatshirts, T-shirts and water bottles are part of my daily life. Walking down Telegraph on my way to campus, I see all kinds of spirit wear on display. Usually, the clothes I see on my way to class and around Read More…
Let’s face it: Stereotypes are usually based (at least somewhat) in truth. No one knows this better than me, an Asian girl studying math at UC Berkeley whose friends are mostly of Chinese or Taiwanese descent — and no one takes advantage of it more for the purposes of snarky Read More…
Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of returning to my hometown for an early spring break of sorts. By that, I actually mean I missed school for a week to recover from sudden illness by going home and developing very close relationships with my couch and my family’s Read More…