There are few things in life more embarrassing than being called out for a grammatical error. Scratch that. There are few things in life more embarrassing than being called out for a grammatical error. By your friend’s parents. When you are 13 and want nothing more than to impress everyone Read More…
I had never listened to a single song by the Lonely Island until my sophomore year at UC Berkeley — no, not even “I’m on a Boat.” My roommate Gabby was the one to open my eyes — rather, my ears — to the hilarity of the band’s music. After watching a Read More…
A popular Vampire Weekend song begins with a rather blunt question: “Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?” In the same vein, it’s been said that “nobody notices that stuff” — with “stuff” referring to punctuation, capitalization and other supposedly trivial matters. A certain former Daily Cal sports editor Read More…
Joining The Daily Californian as a copy editor involved something between slight ethical qualms and a full-scale moral dilemma. You see, I knew from the second I submitted my application that if I were accepted, I’d be breaking one of the most integral parts of my personal code. Ladies and Read More…
As the effects of the government shutdown surround us and remind us how truly frustrating American politics can be, I thought it would be a good time to bring up an error often seen in discussions of politics: the difference between “capital” and “capitol.” The oft-mistaken “capital” and “capitol” are Read More…
“Mean Girls” is an excellent movie in my book. And Gretchen Wieners is one smart gal. She understands that you can’t just ask people why they’re white, she knows that cousins and first cousins are the same thing and she will never forget that in girl world, you can only Read More…
I’ve always thought of “forthcoming” and “forthright” as two commonly mistaken words with two very different meanings: “Forthcoming” meaning “on the way” or “about to happen” and “forthright” meaning “frank” or “candid.” With these definitions in mind, imagine my surprise when, on a recent episode of “Mad Men,” Betty Draper Read More…
Vladimir Nabokov, a lepidopterist, composer of chess strategies, lecturer at Wellesley, professor at Cornell and Russian-American novelist, was born 114 years ago today. So imagine my disappointment when, upon receiving my copy of Nabokov’s “Lolita” in the mail, I found this: Read More…
In early December 2012, I awoke to a phone call informing me I would be working on the Washington Post’s copy desk in the summer. I was elated. I had wanted to intern for a major newspaper for years, and, with the Post’s offer, my dream appeared to finally be Read More…
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…