UCI Scientists Funded to Develop Device to Facilitate Stem Cell Research; Lindon Barrett Murder Case Set to Begin Jan. 6; iPod Keeps Jobs Afloat in Horrible Economy; Study Finds Link Between Obesity and Proximity to Fast Food; California Woman Oldest in the World at 114

Rick Stein adds his signature to a crowded I-Beam at the Media Arts Center Beam-Topping Ceremony.

ENVIRONMENT: UCI awarded for cutting energy consumption, but also prompted by falling economy.

COPYRIGHT: The RIAA unveils its latest attempt to curb illegal downloading of copyrighted material.

STUDY: A 19-year collaborative study finds racial identity to result from social factors, not from birth.

The UC Irvine men's swim team won the UCI/Ayres Invitional this past weekend at the Anteater pool.

RECOGNITION: More UCI professors were inducted this year than any other American institution.

The Year in Review: Kaba Modern; financial collapse; Erwin Chemerinsky; Heath Ledger; UCI Men's Soccer; Blago, Spitzer, Edwards, Stevens and Company

Alberto Gonzales; Christmas miracle for gay rights; how much alcohol is too much?

While the poor state of our current economy is obvious, the extent to which it has further exacerbated California's budget crisis is becoming all the more apparent. Last month, the California Pooled Money Investment Board, a committee that manages state spending, voted to stop spending on the construction of public works. This will delay projects authorized by voters and supported by Gov. Schwarzenegger in 2006.

I was first consciously aware of our newfound dependence on computers in middle school, when a teacher of mine yammered, "What's wrong with you kids? Does no one teach you how to spell anymore? Why can't you spell?" I retorted with, "Spell check."

Since when did innocent civilians, fuel storages, mosques, police and universities become military targets? And how do incessant attacks make any room for compromise and negotiations? The numbers continue to rise as 507 people have been killed and 2,400 injured since the Israeli bombardment over the tiny 360 square-kilometers of the Gaza strip that started on Dec. 27 in Palestine. In the same period of time, Palestinian rockets killed four Israelis.

Claiborne Pell, the former senator who helped create government loans for students to go to college, died on Thursday at age 90. His vision of affordable education for all, however, didn't last quite as long. Private loans with hidden fees, little disclosure of total cost and packages designed to look just like government-subsidized direct loans have turned education loans from a social good into a banking bonanza and our educational institutions into profit centers for predatory lenders.

Since taking the helm of the UC Irvine School of Law, Erwin Chemerinsky, the school's founding dean, has worked to provide full three-year scholarships for the school's 2009 inaugural class. While this goal may appear idealistic on the surface, by looking underneath this exterior, one can see that Chemerinsky has successfully made this feat both understandable and practical.