Opinion

It seems that nearly every day a politician or activist wags their finger at our generation and tells us we are the most promiscuous group of kids yet. From the way they speak, you would think that ripped condom wrappers fall from the sky like snowflakes as people plow their driveways. Personally, I believe the average middle-class teenager or young adult is living in one of the most sexually conservative generations in decades.

If the vice presidential debate was a game of expectations then Sarah Palin did well. However, how well she did is based solely on the fact that she did not literally collapse on the floor.

Foreign aid is not at the top of anyone's agenda at the moment. If anything, it is probably toward the bottom of the list since the American economy has feverishly imploded. However, now is as good a time as any to evaluate foreign aid and its impact. When money is short, necessity dictates that every dollar is spent wisely.

If you have ever walked on Ring Mall, chances are you've seen a fraternity or sorority. They're hard to miss. Innocent freshmen searching frantically for their next class can't help but feel the vast presence of Greek culture. While scattered signs taped to a brick wall have been sufficient for various clubs to advertise on campus, the flash of a frat may just render such persuasions unrecognizable.

ASUCI, along with UC Irvine in general, has undergone significant changes to meet the demands of our young and growing campus. One week into the 2008-2009 academic year, ASUCI has already established that it is nothing like past student governments.

Books in libraries and texts for writing courses can seem like fairly benign objects since they're just pages filled with words, bound in hard or soft covers, with occasional illustrations. They're just words, right? Who would think that words on a page could incite strong reactions or push people to keep some books out of others' hands?

The first presidential debate was tepid, which is worse for John McCain than Barack Obama. Compared to the fascinating forum at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church, this opening official battle was child's play.

Since November is just a few weeks away, the two opposing forces that will define the month are gathering their arsenals for the final onslaught. Republicans have begun to arm their TIE fighters and power up their Death Star. For them, it is the final stand to maintain a stranglehold on their waning powers. On the other side, Democrats train their youthful Orc hordes in an effort to overwhelm those in control. In the middle of it all stands a man with all of the grace and wisdom of a knight from "Monty Python." His name is Ralph Nader.

As most university students know, participation in some community service project or community service group during high school looks favorable on a college application. Even though community service is auspicious on a college transcript, it's not a requisite for graduation at most public high schools and most students are unenthusiastic about it. In spite of the lack of enthusiasm many high school students have for helping their communities, universities are continuing to encourage it. In fact, they are encouraging it to such a degree that it has become mandatory at some institutions.

If you have a tech-savvy friend, a pudgy, pimply little brother or know anyone else who fits the nerd mold, you might have heard them say this recently: "Dude, dude, the corporate machine is taking over, bro! They are limiting and controlling what we download, dude! It's suppression by the Man!"

The financial foundations of our nation are crumbling under the weight of mismanagement and the global fiscal crisis. Thank goodness for that college degree, right? Not so fast.

Imagine you're a healthy, actively dating woman in college. You've been dating this guy for a couple of weeks, and wouldn't you know it, it's going great. The two of you are beginning to get intimate, so like any rational, college-level woman actively dating, you go to your doctor for birth control pills. He says, "No, I won't give you any."