Opinions Blog

Affirmative action demonstration met with counterprotest at UC Berkeley


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In a protest against a bill that would allow affirmative action in California, Republicans from University of California, Berkeley hosted a “Diversity Bake Sale” on Tuesday that priced cupcakes and cookies based on the race of the purchaser. Sparking controversy and several opposing protests from groups on campus, the baked goods were sold for $2 […]

Texas prisons scrap ‘last meal’ tradition for death-row inmates


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Texas prisons recently abolished the “last meal” tradition for inmates facing execution. This decision was made after death-row inmate Lawrence Russell Brewer requested a large meal and then did not eat any of it, saying he wasn’t hungry. John Whitmire, state senator of Texas responds by saying of Brewer, “He didn’t give his victim any comfort or choice […]

Obama eliminates No Child Left Behind


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The Obama administration this week announced its plan to relieve states from the difficult plans outlined in the Bush-era “No Child Left Behind” law. Calling it an admirable but flawed system, Obama’s plan to eliminate NCLB will nonetheless keep its basic features in effect. NCLB is designed to assess the success and quality of school […]

Cigarette sales to California teens drop to record low


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The results of the 2011 Youth Tobacco Purchase Survey released this Sept. 22 showed cigarette sales to minors have reached a new low in California. For the study, 15- and 16-year-old teens were hired to purchase cigarettes at a random sample of 800 tobacco retailers throughout the state. Only 5.6 percent of stores illegally sold […]

Intel tests solar-powered microchip


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A trial processor debuted this week from Intel researchers that performs with notably lower energy consumption. Demonstrated at Intel’s annual developer conference in San Francisco, the processor took the first steps toward low-powered microchips of the future. The experimental low-processor was demonstrated on a PC that ran off a solar powered microchip. The chip — […]

Interfaith plays a part in hikers’ release


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After nearly a year of appeals for the two American hikers still held in custody after their arrest in July 2009, interfaith was the key to bringing Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal home. Thanks in part to efforts from an American delegation of religious leaders from Washington and the prominent Council on American Islamic Relations […]

Holland expected to ban the burqa


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Holland is to be the third European country to ban the burqa. Following France and Belgium, Holland plans to introduce fines for women wearing burqas in public, on streets, while using public transportation, in schools and in hospitals. Proponents of such legislation argue that cloth, such as the burqa, that completely or almost entirely cover the […]

NASA discovers ‘Star Wars’-like planet that orbits two suns


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A team of NASA scientists recently discovered a unique planet in outer space that orbits two different suns. Kepler-16b, named after NASA’s Kepler mission, is located within the western part of the Cynus constellation (more commonly known as the swan). The planet has garnered instant Star Wars comparisons due to a scene with Luke Skywalker […]

No happy ending for Phone Story app


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This week Apple banned from its store the iPhone application Phone Story just three days after its release. The game depicts a cartoon character working through the realistic and often unpleasant processes of creating Apple merchandise, highlighting the uglier side of electronics production. Players of the app can take of the role of an employee […]

Marine receives highest honor


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A U.S. soldier from Columbia, KY. will receive a Medal of Honor for saving 36 soldiers while on duty in Afghanistan; he will be first Marine since the Vietnam War to be awarded the military’s highest decoration. Dakota Meyer, 23, requested a beer with President Barack Obama on Wednesday before his ceremony Thursday. The two […]