October 7th, 2011 will be the tenth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan. In the beginning, there was a justifiable reason for the war: the Taliban allowed a safe haven for Al Qaeda. We have since moved from that initial goal of ousting Al Qaeda, into yet another case of nation building by the United States.

Regardless of how social and connected it makes us all feel, we have willingly signed our lives away to Facebook without realizing just how much power they have, and how irresponsibly they have been wielding/could potentially wield it.

Planned Parenthood is often overshadowed by the greater debate of abortion being right or wrong. But this is not that debate. It is about the health care and support this organization provides to women and couples who do not have the means to do so for themselves.

I highly doubt this new war is about ethics or social justice. Instead, as it always seems to be, we have launched ourselves into a third war – that we cannot win – for money.

Recently one of my friends from home was cheated on by his longtime girlfriend. He was devastated, and came to me to talk about the situation. While our conversation did not really help him come to a decision about what to do in his relationship, it did get me thinking:Why do people in relationships cheat?

Moammar Qadhafi's people are holding out in the capital with the guns and the money, but the dictator deserves to fall just as hard as the last guy — let's see if justice wins out.

I have come to realize that the more experience I have starting with a blank slate and without any crutches such as old friends or family to turn to, the better off I will be in each new endeavor.

The eclectic array of locally-owned businesses shaped the personality of Mendocino, reminding me just how important small businesses are to the life of a community.

Handling power tools, wood and construction equipment was an exercise in humiliation. While working, my dad and his carpenter friend had a field day with my incompetence. "Your college education can't help you here" and "all that money towards college and you can't _____" are temperate examples of what I had to endure.

The race for liberal democracy continues in the Middle East, and repressed voices are being heard—its anyone's guess what happens next.

In some ways, my journey towards living a life true to Santa Clara's values has seemed like a long one, but other times it feels like a crash-landing. I did not choose Santa Clara for its Jesuit values, but those values have become perhaps the most life-changing aspect of my time at the university.

Overall, Santa Clara, even as a Jesuit University, is an accepting place for its LGBTQ community. However, Santa Clara could do more. The LGBTQ community  remains relatively closeted and behind the scenes.

This week I asked fellow seniors and recent graduates to give advice to the current freshman class.

I put together the following responses as my way of giving back.

The 112th congress is off to a roaring and productive start.  A little over a month into the first session and so much is being accomplished — please note my sarcasm.

Revolution in Egypt. Regime change in Tunisia. Headlines and conversations highlight these events as the changes the Middle East has been waiting for, but it's possible that the concept of Egyptian liberal democracy  may deflate just as quickly as the hype that surrounded Iran's "Green Revolution" last year.

It has come to the attention of the Multicultural Center that there have been misunderstandings about the direction taken with Igwebuike's cultural show titled MLK Night 2011 – "Reclaiming Our Voice: The Journey of a Road Less Traveled." The purpose of a cultural show is for a specific cultural club to illuminate their traditions and struggles. There are nine cultural clubs that focus on the ethnicities they represent, and there will be eight more cultural shows throughout the year.

On Saturday night, approximately 450 Santa Clara students dressed in an array of plaid and neon filed onto seven buses parked off campus near Lafayette Apartments. A short bus ride to Palo Alto and the mob of buzzing people made their way into Club Illusions for a Leve1 experience. The occasion, Don't Bring Sand to the Beach II, is the second annual event put on by Leve1 Events, a self-described "off campus student organization founded by current Santa Clara University Students . . . dedicated to bringing unforgettable events with the most talented artists."