The history of Valentine’s Day is about as boring as listening to your friend tell you what he got from his significant other as a gift on Valentine’s Day.

In a nutshell, of the three possible saints for whom the day could be named, the popular conception is that it’s a remembrance of a priest who defied an emperor and performed marriage ceremonies for young men and women around the third century.

You’re officially up to speed.

Now that the formalities are over with, I’ll jump right to my premise: Valentine’s Day is for saps.

If that statement offends you, it’s because you’ve been conditioned to believe that Feb. 14 holds some sort of mystical, romantic relevance above and beyond any other date on the calendar. You’ve let Hallmark and Russell Stover trick you into wasting what little money you’re currently earning on cardboard and high fructose corn syrup in an empty attempt to convince someone, whom you presumably already love, that you love them that much more.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, honey. Here are some words someone else wrote and a big, heart-shaped box full of dark chocolate ’make me fat’ pills.”

Nowadays you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who…» Read More

As the world turns, we see an ever- growing decrease in funding for college education. And a school’s decrease in funding simply means the students’ increase in tuition costs. In 2002, California voters allocated $265 million to Los Rios Community Colleges to be used for updated facilities, according to the CA Investment Advisory Commission: “Proposition 39 authorizes bonds for repair, construction or replacement of school facilities and classrooms.”

The measure allowed for recent multi-million dollar renovations to City College, including a $13 million dollar modernization of Hughes Stadium. City College has also spent millions on updated facilities, including the Performing Arts Center and the Fischbacher Fine Arts Building.

City College expects student-athletes to enroll in a full load of classes to go along with their extensive training regimens, and school administrators should reciprocate that level of investment to all its team members.

If you’ve been to a water polo game recently, however, you’d see that lack of reciprocation in the tiny broken pixels of the Hoos Pool scoreboard. If the school asks so much from these players, then it is also the school’s responsibility to make sure that all sports teams under the umbrella of…» Read More

This is the time of year when many people come together to enjoy the day Christ was born. Those who celebrate spend time going out and buying a Christmas tree and gifts for their loved ones. Seeing the look on someone’s face when a gift is opened is priceless.

Giving is important, along with bringing joy to your loved ones. But I think some people forget the meaning of Christmas. It’s about giving, not receiving. Giving and helping changes a lot of people’s lives.

Christmas giving is more than

…» Read More

In the mid 1980s, crack hit the streets harder than a Mike Tyson knock-out punch in the first round and quickly caught the attention of Americans—both young and old.

The outcome was that millions of Americans began flying  (getting high) and ultimately dying from this deadly drug.

According to Houghton Mifflin, crack is described as “chemically purified, very potent cocaine in pellet form that is smoked through a glass pipe and is considered highly and rapidly addictive.”

Born and raised in the south side of Sacramento, my neighborhood was considered poor.  I witnessed crack addicts walking the streets, talking to themselves and begging for money.

It was common to hear about robberies and killings on my block all in the name of crack. I’ve seen crack not only destroy the lives of its users, but the men and women who sell the drugs, and in some cases, the families of users.

“Crack messed up my life, made me drop out of school, mess up my scholarship, and made me an eight-time felon,” says a close friend of mine and one-time drug dealer, William Spotwood.

“I made unreal money, but it wasn’t worth the time I spent locked up,” says…» Read More

It was 5 a.m. and I couldn’t sleep. The wife wasn’t sleeping well either, and we both felt like we could eat a cow. We decided that an early morning breakfast at IHOP would have to suffice.

As we arrived inside the restaurant, we quickly noticed there was no one at the front stand. We waited, and shortly thereafter were seated by a bubbly young woman who politely explained to us that she was the manager and that her server hadn’t shown up that Friday morning.

…» Read More

The San Francisco Giants shocked the baseball world in 2010 when they won the World Series for the first time since they relocated from New York after their 1957 season. But in 2011 they failed to even make the playoffs to defend their title.

Well, it’s 2012 and here they are again. And just like in 2010, you can define these Giants as: Torture, which was the catchphrase fans used to describe the Giants’ offense that year. This year it was torture for fans again when the Giants fell behind in the early couple series of the playoffs.

…» Read More

This Nov. 6, America will find itself picking a side. The side who wins will lead the country for four years.

Barack Obama, current president and Democrat, faces challenger Mitt Romney, the Republican governor leading the voice of the right wing.

This is another year, and another battle generating more division among citizens.

Ignorance, bickering and frivolous accusations dominate the news circuit. Either way, these candidates have not demonstrated that they are capable of leading America.

…» Read More

If you’re an NHL fan, Sept. 15 had to be an especially tough day.

On that day, a collective bargaining agreement stemming from a player contract dispute expired and the National Hockey League announced to the world that it would enter into a lockout less than a month before the beginning of the 2012/2013 season.

That decision led to the entire pre-season being canceled as well. Now here we are, three weeks later. The chains are on, the lights are off in the arenas and 82 scheduled games have been canceled, as well as the purchase of my San Jose Sharks hat I wanted before the season.

To add to the frustration, the NHL lockout is becoming more and more severe with every passing day. It’s the fourth time in less than 20 years that the NHL has had regular season games canceled, with the last time coming when the entire 2004/2005 season was cancelled.

So what caused all of this unrest in the league?

Some key issues that the owners brought up have to do with the players’ contracts, setting a maximum five-year contract term on all new players, as well as wanting to eliminate signing bonuses, eliminate front-loaded…» Read More

Many people have misconceptions about the stereotypes surrounding motorcyclists. Between the gangs and the violence, people look at bikers with an air of caution, expecting that at any time, their helmet might peel open at the back and reveal a claymore.

Parents don’t want their daughters to date motorcyclists, and they don’t want their sons to ride them. Needless to say, I threw my parents for a loop by becoming a motorcyclist, but at the end of the day I honestly feel safer on my motorcycle than I ever have in a car.

The perks just don’t stop. I spend about 10 percent of what car drivers do on gas, even if they only have a 4-cylinder engine.

Additionally, I can split lanes through high-volume traffic and I don’t ever have to pay a mechanic. You heard right, maintenance is so simple on older bikes that anyone can do it—even a girl.

However, the world of two-wheels isn’t all about independence.

As a 10-year rider, I have seen many friends and family members killed in auto accidents purely from the negligence of third-party drivers. My father was nearly killed about a month before I was born in a motorcycle accident…» Read More

Gung-ho cowboys shoot from the hip with a freshly-rolled cigarette seeping from the corner of their mouths. Barrels are loaded and heads covered with a ten-gallon hat.

The lassoing of big business, Christian extremists screaming anti-gay remarks and fracking things up.

Children sit at the same podium preaching peace, love and progression. They sway back and forth with tambourines, flutes and ukuleles.

“Relent your guns,” they say, “and your 32 oz. sodas.”

This is in accordance with the New York ban on the 32 oz. soda, a staple of the American diet.

For years, I’ve regurgitated the same “vote or die” bulls— spiel to my mother.

“The founders of this country fought for our rights, you unpatriotic jerk,” I’ve told her.

However, at the all-knowing age of 19 and with a presidential election coming up, I’ve finally realized my lack of enthusiasm in democracy.

The democratic process may be filled with educated and intuitive voters, but I’ve met very few people in general who fit this description.

In reality—and to the demise of my sanity—the same people, who can’t get my order right at the drive-thru are also given the right to vote. People I wouldn’t trust with a turd…» Read More