Life isn't so bad.

This season is going really well for the Giants and I can’t help but be excited because they’ve exceeded any expectations anyone had for them. It’s really refreshing to see all the young players out there having fun and just playing the game—even Randy Johnson can be seen smiling and having a good time with the kids. No one, including myself, thought that they would be leading the wild card race. To tell the truth, I thought they’d be dead last in the weak NL West. Things are starting to look up for the post-Bonds Giants and I really hope that it continues and I also really hope that they don’t decide to trade away any of our young prospects for the big time hitter that we need at the moment. I think they can afford to be patient with hitting prospects like Buster Posey and Angel Villalona coming through the system. Watch out MLB, the Giants are coming back!

“San Francisco Giants’ Jonathan Sanchez tips his hat at the end of a baseball game after pitching a no hitter against the San Diego Padres Friday, July 10, 2009, in San Francisco. Sanchez returned to the starting rotation and throws first no-hitter of the MLB season beating the Padres 8-0 using 110 pitches with 11 strikeouts and 0 walks. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) ( Ben Margot )”

San Francisco Giants’ Jonathan Sanchez is mobbed by teammates at the end of a baseball game after pitching a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres Friday, July 10, 2009, in San Francisco. It was the Giants’ 13th no-hitter and first since John Montefusco did it on Sept. 29, 1976, at Atlanta. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) ( Ben Margot )

First no-hitter since 1976 for the Giants… Last person on the staff that I thought would get it haha his season was looking TERRIBLE… Hopefully this means that things are turning around. Makes our pitching staff sofaking good. I’d like to say that our playoff chances are looking realllllllly good.

OAKLAND — The University of California unveiled a major plan on Friday to cope with an anticipated $813 million reduction in state support.

A broad range of measures — from program cuts, employee furloughs and major reductions in faculty recruitment — will close the budget gap, said UC President Mark Yudof. And after increasing tuition by more than 9 percent for the current school year, more fee hikes may be needed next year.

“There will be real pain on every campus,” Yudof said at a press briefing at the Office of the President. His proposal will be presented next Wednesday to the Board of Regents, which has final authority on the matter.

“No way will we be able to look every student
in the eye and say ‘the University of California is just the way it was yesterday,”’ said Yudof. “There will be program cuts, job losses and virtually everyone will be affected.”

For example, UC-Berkeley anticipates reducing new faculty hires from 100 positions to 10. A “poison center” at UC-San Francisco is closing. UC-Irvine has halted admission to its doctoral program in education. UC-Davis has eliminated its School of Medicine liver transplant program.

In the long term, more profound structural changes in UC will be needed, said Yudof.

A new commission, led by UC Regents chair Russell Gould, has been created to study the university’s future size and shape, find new sources of non-state funding and build new “delivery
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models,” such as online education.

“We can’t keep limping along like this, from budget cycle to budget cycle,” said Gould, former state director of finance. The Commission On The Future will “forge a new path for the university — one that addresses stubborn fiscal realities but also allows us to preserve and nurture our world-class research system.”

Said Yudof: “The funding model is broken and it doesn’t appear likely that anytime soon will be fixed. In some ways, you might describe this as ‘the anti-stimulus package’.”

The proposal to close the $813 million budget gap includes:

# Tuition hikes. So-called student fees, previously approved by the Regents, increased 9.3 percent for the ‘09-10 school year. Although no more fee increases are planned for September, it may be necessary to raise fees again in January, said Yudof. This closes 25 percent of the budget gap.

# Employee furloughs. The furlough will be progressively scaled so that the lowest paid workers will take 11 days, the equivalent of a 4 percent salary reduction; the highest paid workers will take 26 days, the equivalent of a 10 percent salary reduction. This will close another 25 percent of the gap. Researchers supported by federal grants are exempted.

# A variety of cuts across the university’s campuses, to be decided by individual chancellors. Most campuses are deferring at least 50 percent of faculty hires. Already 724 staff members have been laid off systemwide. This closes 40 percent of the gap.

# Refinancing of debt and further administrative cost controls. This closes 10 percent of the gap.

“Everyone is sharing the pain,” said Yudof.

- Lisa Krieger

What really bothers me is the increase in tuition… They’ve increased it every year and people at UC Irvine aren’t really doing anything about it… Whereas the other UC campuses across the state have seen student lobbyists make their voices known. I guess no one really wants to take the lead in saying anything… But then again even if someone does, will the rest of the campus really listen? One more year at UCI, more money being poured into it. Joy.