Opinion

After 60 years, I would venture that the situation in Israel and the Middle East is nigh insoluble. As our own campus microcosm suggests, this issue is a tinderbox, to put it lightly. The stalemate is enervating and the tension is palpable.

Why are we surprised when we hear about school shootings, domestic abuse and rape? Jackson Katz, an anti-sexist male speaker, writer and film producer, says that considering how we socialize people according to gender, we should expect these problems.

Over the past two weeks, we have seen both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Let's clear up one misconception right now: Whatever the Muslim Student Union wanted to call last week's event, it was not "Palestine Awareness Week."

Happy birthday, Israel! You turn 60 years-old this week and my, have you grown!

Clinton/Obama; Fox News; Bill Owens and gambling; Charles Rangel.

Tony Zirkle; rabid fundamentalist pastors; Ron Paul, please save us from your supporters.

Norman Finkelstein at the Student Center on Wednesday night? Oh, you know I wouldn't miss this. Anyone who came to Alan Dershowitz's speech earlier this year will remember that the amused speaker held up a political cartoon that Finkelstein had allegedly commissioned.

However, how relevant is growth and placement on snooty lists to the UC's undergraduate community?

The Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks drastically changed American society. National security became the foremost political issue, a new war was started and the nation's consciousness was forever altered. As with all great changes in society, the world of entertainment was also affected.

In his 2008 book "Guilty: Hollywood's Verdict on Arabs after 9/11," author Jack Shaheen argues that despite some recent films depicting Arabs in a more sympathetic light, Hollywood's overall portrayal of Arabs has become increasingly vindictive and detrimental. However, Hollywood's track record in depicting Arabs prior to 9/11 is also cringe-worthy.

According to Time.com, the primary audience obsessed with surgically altering its physical appearance is young adults, particularly in the 18- to 24-year-old range.