Last week, the UC Board Of Regents took a historic step by confirming the first Muslim student regent-designate, Sadia Saifuddin. Despite Saifuddin’s tremendous record of accomplishment, in the weeks leading up to the meeting, dozens of groups slandered Saifuddin with baseless claims. They sent messages to the board, urging it Read More…
While Americans don’t seem to agree on much these days, there has been a growing public consensus on the issue of reforming public employee pensions. Virtually no one thinks “public servants” should be receiving taxpayer-subsidized payouts as large as $300,000 per year for life when they are no longer working. Read More…
If someone gave you 140 characters to share one message with the world, what would you tell people? Really — think about that for a second. Would it be a message of hope, of freedom? Would you share your words of wisdom or maybe give caution to the coming generation? Read More…
Because I’ve just graduated, I know that I should be ecstatic. I’ve had a break from the seemingly endless schoolwork and the pressure to get good grades. Finally, too, I’ve gotten some sleep. And, fellow UC graduates, we’ve received a college degree from a system that “once again scored very Read More…
As a child, my favorite drink in the whole world was orange soda. The color, taste, and sensation of carbonated bubbles rushing to my nose were all very appealing to my 8-year-old self. At the time, I didn’t consider how harmful it was to gulp down 160 calories and 44 Read More…
Janet Napolitano, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, has been nominated for the role of the next president of the University of California system. As a proud undocumented UC Berkeley alumnus, I am appalled by the decision and am strongly against the appointment of Napolitano as the next president of Read More…
Electrostatic effects on nature are so ubiquitous that they commonly play tricks on us: restyling our hair like a porcupine’s, emitting “firefly” flashes while we put on clothes, dusting our computer screens, sticking book pages and even producing a painful electric shock after a handshake. These amusing experiences, however, can Read More…
Twelve of the warmest years on record have come in the last 15 years, and while 97 percent of climate scientists agree that this trend is a direct result of human activities, progress on comprehensive national climate legislation has long been stalled. In a speech at Georgetown University in June, Read More…
Two years ago, I was in the market for an environmentally friendly toothbrush. I already used natural toothpaste and figured that some type of alternative to a daily use product like the plastic toothbrush had to exist. I was disappointed when I couldn’t find a good one. In the process, Read More…
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences report on the state of the humanities and social sciences, “The Heart of the Matter,” has the ring of a familiar lament, one that has reverberated at least since the 1960s. The boom experienced in the postwar era, which lifted many traditional ships Read More…