I hate mosquitoes.

I never see them coming until after they've lunched on my plasma, and then afterward I get unsightly red welts to deal with for the next week or so that, by their very existence, compel me to scratch them in the most socially inappropriate of situations.

Even worse, mosquitoes are huge carriers of diseases such as the dreaded West Nile virus, not to mention the perennially threatening malaria, the scarily named dengue fever and many more. [Read article]

Almost any student involved on campus has suffered through it: the embarrassingly under-attended car wash. It seems like such a good idea for a fundraiser when you're all fully clothed and dry during your club meeting.

But as you jump up and down on Speedway, wave a wrinkled and water-stained sign that begs (as opposed to announces) "car wash" and avert your eyes at your sponsor's awkward "beach wear," you ask yourself, "Isn't there a better way?" [Read article]

With a name like Yusra Ali Tekbali, it wasn't easy fitting in with the Sally Johnsons and John Smiths. Role call on the first day of school always meant I would be repeating my name three times and forcing a smile in reply to the "Oh, that's interesting" mumbling of Mrs. Robertson.

Even here at the UA, with initiatives aimed at honoring diversity (such as the Millennium Projects, which seek to "Enhance Campus Climate for Academic Excellence") and representation of over 30 multicultural clubs and events like Cultural Awareness Week and the Language Fair, ignorance and fear towards religious and cultural minorities is commonplace. [Read article]

As even casual fans can attest, UA football has fluctuated between mediocrity and disaster in recent seasons, long removed from the glory days of bowl games, Desert Swarm and pop-culture currency as the object of mumbled praise from Keanu Reeves in "Speed."

After Dick Tomey played out his last two undistinguished seasons, John Mackovic took control, leading a 34-month train wreck that, as casual fans know, included a player mutiny and Mackovic's midseason firing. [Read article]

Rehnquist kind, but no great jurist

Alan Eder writes correctly that the legacy of the Rehnquist era, while full of candor, was ultimately indecisive ("Rehnquist: Consistent decision-making?"). As a 26-year-old gay man, I look at Bowers v. Hardwick in 1986, the majority of which Rehnquist was a part of just before his elevation to chief, as the prime example of the curious approach taken by conservatives with the court toward privacy and the Constitution. [Read article]