Opinion

With news of LGBT victories such as the recent overturning of California Proposition 8 and the nearly ratified gay marriage bill in the state of Washington, it is easy to forget that there are still strides to be made and issues to address on behalf of the gay community nationwide. For several years, the focus of gay rights has been primarily centered on adults; whether it is pushing for marriage laws, healthcare protections or adoption rules. Though these legal decrees in regards to the LGBT community are of the utmost importance on a political scale — as they should be — the protection of the younger gay population deserves national attention.

When one thinks of McDonald’s, quality and health are not exactly the first terms that come to mind. However, we knowingly consume their food on a level at which even the likes of Jabba the Hutt would be incapable of surpassing. We are all guilty. We choose to eat McDonald’s despite our understanding of the consequences.

If employment is supposed to be free of all discrimination (against race, color, gender and so on), then how is it fair that people can be fired from their jobs just because they are pregnant? If a woman is in the final months of her pregnancy, she can be fired or forced to go on leave solely because of the fact that, in a matter of weeks, she will be giving birth.

Our world today seems like a never-ending assault on the senses, perpetrated by multi-million dollar advertising firms and marketing companies intent, at best, on “educating” you about their product in the name of “brand awareness,” and at worst, beating you into sensory submission until you succumb and purchase their product. One would hope that the one safe haven from this relentless multi-media onslaught would be here on campus; you know, the place you and/or your parents are paying tens of thousands of dollars to attend in pursuit of higher education? Unfortunately, one would be wrong.

UC Irvine is a pretty good school, right? Hell, scratch that. We’re great. We’ve got high-ranking programs all around, from biology to engineering to social science, but our greatest strengths lie within our humanities departments. In fact, our graduate program for literary criticism is number 1! All over the board, when it comes to theories on gender studies, literary theory, minority issues, we can generally be said to kick some serious ass.

George Bush hates black people, Congress hates vegetables (but loves pizza!), and Mitt Romney hates poor people. True story. After his recent Florida primary victory over his opponent, Newt “The Angry Pillsbury Doughboy” Gingrich, Romney made a true-to-heart Republican comment, “I’m not concerned about the very poor …” When asked to clarify, he went on to say, “They have a safety net for them.” Brilliant, Romney. Just brilliant. My favorite part is when he says that, in our country, the very poor are doing just as well as the very rich. You know, since the poor have government safety nets, and the rich have … swimming pools filled with gold bullion. I think it’s fair to say that those two groups are evenly matched.

When I saw the trailer for Liam Neeson’s latest film, “The Grey,” I was immediately enraged by what I saw. Wolves in the wild, tearing people limb from limb in the snow? Are you kidding me? Do filmmakers not have an ounce of compassion in their bodies these days?

Much like Venus rising out of the sea foam in a half shell, miss Lana Del Rey arrived on the music scene in a flurry of hype and over-eager buzz, the creation of music industry gods and magicians.

In most articles, I try to write with a certain audience in mind. That being said, I usually carefully craft what I say, as to elicit the best response. In the case of this article though, I’m not going to sugar coat things. I’m just going to be brutally honest. I really don’t feel bad for ex-convicts who can’t find jobs.

In the wake of Steve Jobs’ passing, Apple’s venture into new technological territory was inevitable. This exploration of new frontiers comes in the form of the iBooks Author, a new (and free) app designed to aid the populace in creating and self-publishing their own material via Apple eBooks. This new app comes with the multi-faceted capability of editing various aspects of the design and overall appearance of a soon-to-be-published work including the ability to display and rotate 3-D diagrams, for example. The two foremost areas iBooks Author could arguably impact in the foreseeable future are in education and in the community of budding authors.

By Jamie Rogers and Tets Namba Hello again, Vice Chancellor Parham,   We hope you remember us; we are some of the students who set up...

If you have something to say about bonfires on Corona Del Mar beach, it’s best if you say it now because soon, people might not have a single idea about what you’re talking about. The Newport Beach Parks, Beaches and Recreation Committee will be discussing possible options for the future of the fire rings that we all know and emote about this Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the council chambers.