Fountains, palm trees, and new walkways now decorate the quad that stretches across main campus. With some more construction that has yet to be completed, this $9 million project is part of the school's 1998 Master Plan, reports Gregory Brown, SMC's director of facilities.

The construction, which began after the SMC commencement ceremony in June and was funded from the 2004 bond Measure S, includes the installation of artificial turf, as well as upgrade of bleachers, lighting and various facilities. Although the completion is definitely near, the exact date remains ambiguous.

It's the beginning of the semester and it's easy to get caught up in the various expenses of school. There are so many things to worry about: parking, gas, class registration fees and for some of us the cost of renting an apartment. But one thing you won't have to worry about any longer is the looming expense related to textbooks and school supplies.

REAL TALK JUST LISTEN " Politics " This episode was shot on location at the LA Independent Film Festival 2008 / Time Warner Studios in Santa Monica ,California

The California budget situation is out of control. As of September 2, the state's budget is 64 days late and no apparent solution for the $15 billion deficit has yet emerged. The state has set a new record for the longest time it takes to approve its budget.

To attend school in a beach city like Santa Monica - a city alive with the shopping, film and model industries and extending its long, well-manicured fingers over the hills of Hollywood and out across Los Angeles - is to feel that one is competing for a starring role on a movie set, with clothing as the weapon of choice.

On most days it is hard to justify sitting in traffic for nearly two hours just to see a show in Hollywood. However, if the King King Club's "L'effluer des Sens" is at the end of your journey you will soon have a change of heart. This is no ordinary venue.

At the end of the first week of play, the team felt confident as their record now stands at 1-0-1. Santa Monica College displayed outstanding effort in each contest versus the visitors at Santa Monica Airport Park at 3171 S. Bundy Drive. On Wednesday in the first game of the year against Taft, the lady Corsairs came out with tons of energy that lasted throughout the entire contest.

With the summer Olympics over and the Michael Phelps mania becoming yesterday's news, China will once again get the opportunity to serve as gracious hosts and keep the international spotlight as Santa Monica College has been extended the privilege to take part in a cultural exchange with Shandong University of Arts in the Jinan Province in October.

Like any coach before her, Nicole Ryan has the will to improve the SMC women's volleyball program to better standings, but it is her determination to do so that speaks volumes. But it doesn't stop there. Born in Inglewood, Calif., and raised in El Segundo, Calif.

With the Democratic and Republican conventions behind us, the time has come to look at what's ahead and what we can expect in the next 55 days with the ever-so-changing Nov. 4 election. "For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy - give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else.

By David Escobar-Cambay Corsair Staff Writer Many of you don't really know much about Santa Monica College's football team. You see the players hanging out around campus, and never really bother to even find out who they are, or what they are about. These young men could potentially have one of the best seasons in a rich football tradition here at SMC.

Changes are coming to the Bundy Campus. The 1.5 Million Dollar demolition and renovations is scheduled to be completed by May 2009. Roobik Delanian, 56, the Superintendant, believes the project will be completed early.

In the 1960s, the American public had to choose between two perfectly qualified candidates to be the next president of the United States, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Those who lived back then, regardless of political views, see the 2008 election as a type of repeat of that election.

The desire of an average Santa Monica College student for waiting in three lines to buy textbooks can only be coupled by the equal desire to pay hundreds of dollars for books they will use for three months and then never open again. Returning to SMC for a new semester has a different purpose for many, but one common denominator held by most Corsairs is the necessity to purchase textbooks for classes.

"The last fiscal year was an extraordinary one for the school," as reported the in Santa Monica College Annual Report for 2007-2008. The college accomplished developments such as the "Any Life, Any Time" program, where students and employees with an Santa Monica College ID can ride the Big Blue Bus for free.

The Russia-Georgia conflict over South Ossetia has been met with a media assault in the United States which has framed the issue as a blatant act of Russian "aggression." Threats and speculations of a new Cold War are ripe, while Cold War sentiments can be found across party lines.

As the summer draws to a conclusion many of you are probably regretting not getting your body in shape for bathing suit season. Don't give up yet. This is the perfect time to start for next summer. I am not claiming to be a trained fitness instructor or a certified dietician.

To attend school in a beach city like Santa Monica - a city alive with the shopping, film and model industries and extending its long, well-manicured fingers over the hills of Hollywood and out across Los Angeles - is to feel that one is competing for a starring role on a movie set, with clothing as the weapon of choice.