Yet one difference arises in the fact that America’s use of the death penalty seems to blatantly violate its own rules. The United States of America executes its citizens in clear violation of its moral and legal backbone: the Constitution.

The owner of the once-great San Francisco 49ers has been revealed to be nothing but a dim-witted, egotistical and criminally spoiled little brat clinging to the coattails of his parents while buffoonishly bumbling every personnel decision and dragging the prize of the Bay Area to the bleak and frigid depths of mediocrity.

Unless you spend your days living under a rock, you are likely well aware that California is currently wallowing in one of the worst droughts in recent memory. That is, of course, only if you live somewhere other than Santa Clara.

Santa Clara does not have a good basketball team and hasn’t in decades.

This weekend’s revelation that the conservative billionaire Koch Brothers have given over $1.25 million to a foremost climate change denier does little to dispel the notion that “money can’t buy happiness.” It does suggest, however, that wealth can buy power, influence and integrity.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he disgraced “NBC Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams embellished a 2003 helicopter crash in Iraq. This sparked widespread scrutiny of the claims made during his decade-long career and cul­minated in his six month unpaid suspension from the network last Tuesday.

Is the Jesuit Pope Francis receives worldwide sup- aport for his progressive and accepting nature, a conservative archbishop in San Francisco is emphatically taking a different path.

Last Sunday, filmmaker Michael Moore faced massive backlash when he tweeted that his uncle was killed by a sniper during World War Two. He then mentioned that he was taught snipers were cowards that would shoot you in the back.

A brief glance at Twitter this week hinted at where our society’s true passions lie. The upcoming Whitney Houston movie was most trending, as was “Beliebers Day". Far less discussed was Boko Haram’s kidnapping of 80 people in Northern Cameroon on Sunday. There was practically no mention of the fact that over 200 of the abducted young women are still missing.

In plastering their works with grossly offensive images of the Prophet Muhammad, an act explicitly prohibited in the Hadith, or supplemental teachings of Islam, the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo crosses the line.

Casual viewers of this weekend’s NFL playoff matchups may be surprised to see fans braving the frigid Green Bay weather not in their team colors, but in bright pink jackets, scarves, hats and even jerseys.

The History Channel is not the only “educational” channel that has abandoned its message for ratings. Once celebrated for its science-based programing, the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet are similarly chasing viewers.

Daylight savings is an archaic system used to regulate our sleep patterns that does more harm than good.

Few things are more refreshing than seeing a problem and doing something about it. Voting gives us that opportunity.

Nearly 1 in 5 women in the United States have either been raped or suffered an attempted rape, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. One. In. Five.

Sir Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, is the news once more, this time regarding an issue that could see Santa Clara students tossing sunscreen into backpacks and dusting off their passports.

By padding the pockets of publishers, Santa Clara is not supporting its students. Tuition is almost $44,000 this year. With two more quarters of books left to purchase, we have paid enough.

Standing at 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing in at 261 pounds, a defensive end out of Missouri will go down as the most significant pick of 2014. His name is Michael Sam, and he is openly gay.