Being a self-sustaining student can be difficult, especially in an area as expensive as Los Angeles. From the price of food to the price of rent, there aren't many things that are considered cheap in the Southern California area. On top of that, there aren't many high paying jobs out there for young students with little to no work experience.

On Nov. 4 voters approved Proposition 2 by a 63.2 to 36.8 percent margin. The proposition states that "calves raised for veal, egg-laying hens and pregnant pigs be confined only in ways that allow these animals to lie down, stand up, fully extend their limbs and turn around freely.

We live in a day and age where people not only eat right to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but they do so because it is fashionable. People are constantly buying foods packaged as "environmentally healthy," "steroids free," and of course the ever popular "organic.

A first glance of the food options around Santa Monica College is grim in terms of health offerings. Look within, and you find Carl's Jr. Look beyond the boundaries of SMC, and close by are the comparably healthy Subway and another fast food chain in Burger King.

For the first hours of dark on Nov. 12 the grass in front of Oviatt library at California State University Northridge was covered in people wearing white shirts with red letters that read a simple and heartfelt message: "Please Free Esha." The shirts, the event, and the emotions were all in support of Esha Momeni, a former Santa Monica College student and current grad student at CSUN who is being held in Iran on bail after she was arrested and kept at a political prison in Tehran.

A very important issue to tackle on college campuses around the country is the issue of eating disorders. There are a lot of unanswered questions and the mysteries that surround eating disorders may make it hard to acknowledge a problem developing in a friend or a fellow student.

Feel like making a few dollars off of your more gullible or competitive friends? Well here are some seemingly harmless ways to do so: Next time you are waiting for your food in a restaurant grab a pack of those saltine crackers that are handed out for no reason.

Many people probably don't realize that sheep have tails. That is because at the factory farms the tails are often cut off, without anesthesia, for "sanitary reasons" and lack of purpose. Many people don't realize that turkeys are not supposed to be white, and pigs are not supposed to be pink.

Santa Monica College's Corsair newspaper received major accolades last weekend at the Journalism Association of Community Colleges conference held at Cal State Fullerton. The paper was recognized among 31 colleges, and over 400 students competed. In total, The Corsair won 19 awards including 14 from the Spring 2008 semester under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Krystal Peak.

It is time to get realistic about where the food for metropolitan areas is grown. For years, grocery stores have had to import food from sources that are by no means local, and simply put; that is ridiculous. Considering that the population of Santa Monica has grown from 417 residents in 1880 to an estimation of around 100,000 to date, it is blatantly obvious that the rapid urbanization of the community would have had an important effect on the quality and quantity of food, as well as the way in which it is brought to the area.

In recent years, gas prices have soared and public knowledge of dangerous carbon emissions has grown dramatically. This has lead to many innovative solutions such as ethanol, natural gas, and even garbage as a replacement for petrol fuels. But what may be less well known is the use of deep fried vegetable oil or grease as fuel for many modified vehicles.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a legislation that Sen. Alex Padilla proposed to force all restaraunts in the state of California to post calorie counts for each item on a menu and provide informational brochures that include calories and grams of saturated fat.

Ever wonder why certain foods have that great aroma? Or why certain delectable delights look and taste so scrumptious? You'll find that the food in most fast food restaurants and famous brand named products contain chemicals that earn them the title of being "processed.

Nature is ruthless. Everyone's seen the Discovery Channel footage: a crocodile snapping its jaws against the tender flesh of an antelope, lions tearing a zebra to shreds, cadavers of innocent prey lying around, their bones licked to glossy perfection. As grim as it may be, this is what keeps the circle of life flowing.

Earlier this year, St. Vincent Meals on Wheels was being hit on two fronts with the rising gas and food prices. Today with gas prices decreasing to an average $2.53 a gallon in Los Angeles, increasing food costs in their primary concern especially in light of the recent economic downturn and impending recession.

Some call it a mixture of art and food others eat sushi for its health benefits. One of the tastiest of Japan's inventions, sushi is both visually stunning and delicious. In Los Angeles alone, there are countless sushi restaurants which anyone, whether they be new to this eclectic dish or expertly familiar with sushi, may visit and enjoy.

Every year the United States federal government gives billions of dollars to American farmers not to farm certain crops or not to farm at all. According to the Washington Post, these payments now account for nearly half of the nation's expanding Agricultural Subsidy system.

Due to lack of encouragement from the coaching staff and lack of school funding, more and more student athletes need to rely on their own "self-taught" healthy habits to keep fit and in tiptop shape in order to stay on that last, at times elusive, roster spot until the season's end.

Could it be that the development of the scrotum was responsible for making mammals so competitive and prominent in the animal kingdom? Surely, some people would like to believe that. But according to Dr. Ted Hsu, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University, it is possibly one of the reasons why with 99 percent of all species that ever lived extinct, mammal reproductive system is the way it is now.