I’ve written over 200 articles and editorials for the
Daily Bruin, but when I sat down to write this column, I was
stumped. How could I possibly sum up four years of working for The
Bruin in less than 800 words?

Before I even begin, I need to make a full disclosure. I am not
a UCLA football fan. In fact, I’m rooting for the other team.

Millions of people go online every day to read the news. But
many online news sites do not adhere to strict journalistic and
editorial guidelines designed to keep reporters honest.

College is supposed to be about learning, hard work and a social
life. But if you are a gamer, you probably set aside some time this
week to check out two new mega-blockbuster video games ““
“Halo 2″ and “Half-Life 2.” But as long as
you didn’t sleep through your mid-terms or forget to call
your friends back, that’s OK.

“Cheap Offshore Viagra – Worldwide shipping.”
Thanks, but no thanks. Everyone gets it; no one wants it. Spam
floods just about every active e-mail inbox on the planet, and it
can range from a moderate annoyance to a serious security
threat.

The merger of AT&T Wireless and Cingular means Verizon is no
longer the easy bet when it comes to great cell phone coverage in
the UCLA area.

Electronic voting will play a pivotal role in this election, but
the technology is far from mature. Important questions remain
unanswered about the durability, design and security of the new
voting machines.

America was the birthplace of the Internet, but it has fallen
behind when it comes to getting its citizens hooked up. More
competition, and possibly Federal Communications Commission
intervention, is needed to bring the United States into the 21st
century.

Larry Flynt’s office looks as gaudy and flashy as you
would expect of a porn king ““ but the mahogany desks are real
wood, and the gold leaf isn’t spray-painted yellow.

“This report is not an ending, but a beginning.” So
concluded a sweeping new U.S. Department of Justice report on the
theft of intellectual property. The report, issued earlier this
month, lays out a Department of Justice strategy that will make
piracy punishable by criminal enforcement as well as civil
procedures.