Opinion

High textbook prices are nothing new to us college folk. Every quarter I drop by TextMania to suffer a barrage of blows to my bank account. If they don't have what I need, then I trek over to UC Irvine's bookstore and pay even more through the nose. Consider John E. McMurry's "Organic Chemistry." A new copy is listed for $209.95; discounted, it's bumped down to about $150; used copies run $110 and up. Sure, that's $100 in savings, but it's still $110 for a freakin' book.

I sure hope the anti-corporate forces of Barack Obama's campaign get nowhere near the White House. Why? Because of garbage like this...

A recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal by Andrew Klavan argues that the characterization of Batman in the blockbuster film "The Dark Knight" is representative of our Commander-in-Chief George W. Bush. While on the surface there may be similarities between the two, the conclusion that Batman somehow symbolizes conservative principles clearly misses the point of not only the film, but the mythos of Batman as well. For readers who have yet to see "The Dark Knight," be warned that spoilers are ahead.

At the age of 71, comedian George Carlin died from a heart attack. During his career, what differentiated him from other comics and contributed to his success was his willingness to make remarks that some of his contemporaries found controversial.

The federal government, the military, the media and the public have largely ignored the war in Afghanistan since the conflict began in 2002. By January of 2003, the Bush administration turned their attention to Iraq and became preoccupied with the logistical and financial aspects of that impending war. Since then, Afghanistan has taken a backseat in importance. Even the death of 500 American soldiers in the region earlier this year wasn't enough to rekindle media interest in the territory.

For more than a decade, the folks at Pixar have provided the world with the finest family entertainment. However, the label "family entertainment" has turned many people away from the Pixar brand. Too often, people say that Pixar's tales are only entertaining for children. There are also whispers that the latest Pixar film, "Wall-E," is too serious and political, but these are probably the same people who put "The Lion King" in slow motion to find hidden sexual messages.

The gender politics identified by Nathan Tumazi in "The Problem with Gender Identity" [published on July 14] would be less prominent if the media did its homework on domestic violence and rape instead of using sexist, men-are-bad/women-are-good language that "anti-sexists" like Jackson Katz use, which stigmatizes male victims and leaves half of the violence invisible.

While Sweden's national television channels stream an unusual amount of terrorism-themed films and series this summer, the Swedish parliament passed a controversial anti-terrorism law—strikingly similar in character to America's Patriot Act. The law legalizes government wire-tapping of international calls, faxes and emails without a court order. In the post-9/11 era, it is increasingly difficult to overlook the exportation of American laws, the modified concept of "democracy" and even the sanctions on civil liberties.

Largely due to a considerable discrepancy between the number of estimated soldiers needed to sustain the battles currently being fought in the Middle East and the actual number of new soldiers being recruited, the United States army has bulked up its number of soldiers "stop-lossed" in recent years.

On May 19, a campus assault alert was issued because someone was sexually battered on the UC Irvine campus. I started thinking about the "Take Back the Night" rally held a while ago to raise consciousness about sexual assault and rape, both of which are an epidemic in American society. I wondered if the event helped to raise consciousness about violence based upon the construction of gender. What does it mean to attend a rally to stop rape and violence while simultaneously 28,000 children, teens and adults view pornography based on scenarios involving rape?

California state lawmakers are putting our conversations on hold—well, sort of. If you're one of the unlucky ones stuck in Irvine for summer school or in California, then you've probably heard of the new cell phone policy officially enacted on July 1. According to the new law, drivers must use a hands-free device while on the road (now you have an excuse to use those highly-fashionable star-trek ear pieces). However, if you happen to be under the age of 18, the law states you cannot be on the phone at all.

Maybe this is overly optimistic, but in the midst of a war, an economic recession and the dollar's declining value, America still seems vital and the future auspicious. Despite price increases in everything from tuition to gas, Americans were once able to hold their heads high in at least one category, but not anymore. It was news from Australia that shattered the country's confidence...