In November, Californians will have the opportunity to vote on a potential major change in the process of approving health insurance rates.

Proposition 45 moves small group and individual health insurance into the regulatory realm of automobile and homeowner's insurance while adding regulations for the latter two. If passed, Proposition 45 would require the approval of the insurance commissioner before health insurance companies can change their rates or other benefits for small-group and individual health insurance.

Legislators, civic leaders, and students came together for an afternoon of civil discussion Thursday at the University of California - San Diego's Great Hall. The 'E-T-C'  conference was divided into three panels: Ethics, Transparency, and Civility.

The second panel of the afternoon centered on Transparency and was moderated by Fonna Forman, associate professor of Political Science and co-director of the UCSD Center on Global Justice.

Americans are faced with an unpredictable virus that has been associated with the deaths of thousands of people and is being underscored by public officials -- no, I am not talking about Ebola. I am talking about influenza (the flu), which is far more contagious than the Ebola virus, and has been linked to more deaths.

The spat between Ben Affleck, Sam Harris, and Bill Maher on the HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher over Islam has become so heated and escalated that even 10 days hence, it has still managed to survive the erosive force of the 24-hour news cycle in a way unique among cable TV debates.

With the weeks closing in on the 2014 midterms, polls are tightening up, candidates are attempting to attract undecided voters, and specific issues are capturing headlines. Gone are the days that the primary arguments against Obama revolved around Obamacare. That was the battle-cry in 2010 and after a fiscal cliff that was delayed, a sequester, a partial government shutdown, and a national debt hike, the Affordable Care Act still took off like Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose.