The George W. Bush administration first launched America’s secret aerial warfare on Oct. 7, 2001, a month after the tragic devastation of the Twin Towers on Sept. 11. Since then, the drone program has slowly grown and the number of strikes has increased from 50 under President Bush to 400 under President Barack Obama. The CIA, military and Obama...
The California Senate has been considering a statewide ban on the use of plastic bags in grocery stores and pharmacies. The Jan. 2015 ban could prove to be beneficial since the effects that plastic products have on the environment have been said to be detrimental for years. Plastic is commonly associated with the unsafe chemical component bisphenol-A (BPA) and...
Unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAV), known commonly as drones, are arguably the most dangerous technological advancement of the 21st century. The involvement of drones in America’s continued war on terror has resulted in the death of over 178 innocent children in the Middle East—only 13% of those killed by drone strikes are militants or insurgents.
U.S. drone use abroad represents...
Thanks to the tireless efforts of the UC system, UCR students’ health care premiums are going up.
During the 2010-2011 academic year, UCOP took it upon itself to implement a UC-wide health insurance program that individual campuses could opt into called UC SHIP (Student Health Insurance Program). The reasoning behind this decision seemed straightforward enough: the UC system would keep...
“You are smarter than a calculator,” elementary school teachers often tell their students. “The human mind is a wonderful tool.” But as academic technology improves over the years, the first statement might not remain true. Recently, the New York Times announced that Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are developing software that would allow a computer to evaluate...
This week students get to have their say over who represents them on the ASUCR Senate. The decisions we make can have huge implications over the way our student fees are allocated, how we’re reflected as a student body on and off campus, and what changes are made to general student life. For these reasons, the decision of who...
It was July 20, 2012: the opening night of the world-renowned film “The Dark Knight Rises.” An event that should have been a fun-filled Friday night turned into a blood-soaked nightmare that will forever live in infamy. 12 innocent lives were taken, and 58 individuals suffered injuries at the hands of James Holmes on that grisly, horrifying night in...
It’s not a secret that cities are trying to become more sustainable, not only to better the environment, but to avoid the continuing instability of gas prices. Improving on the infrastructure cities already have might be the best starting tactic, as opposed to converting all of the country’s machines into water-fueled vehicles and spending millions of dollars on implementing...
One thing you learn by growing up in California, besides where to get the best Mexican food, is that living in the state with the largest population means that water is a scarce resource. Since California is the leading agricultural center of the United States, farmers are especially concerned about their water supply because there is simply just not...
The state of California is well known for working to ensure the public health of its citizens. Before the United States passed the Clean Air Act of 1970, California had already acted to curb the smog enveloping the state by creating the California Air Resources Board in 1967. California voters approved Proposition 65 in 1986, which requires businesses to...