It was 2020. The pandemic was in full swing, and I, like many people, was cooped up in my room for far too long. I passed the time the same way many people did: by playing video games. I can’t remember the first time I heard about Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3), but I was old and nerdy enough to be immediately intrigued. The game, as the title suggests, is the third installment of the Baldur’s Gate series, a collection of computer role-playing games based on tabletop D&D.

The Fresno State women’s basketball team was soundly defeated 63-49 by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Saturday, Feb. 10, in an afternoon match-up at the Save Mart Center. It may be the only time the two teams face off this season, barring a potential meeting at the Mountain West Tournament. Bulldog freshman guard Taija Santa Maria led the ‘Dogs in scoring with 11 points, followed by forward Mia Jacobs with 6 points and guard Keeley Brown, who had four.

California is the most boozy state in the U.S. with the greatest number of craft breweries in operation in the nation. As the fifth most populous city in the state, Fresno is a key player in forwarding the state’s craft beer tourism, and nationally the craft brew scene is seeing an impressive revival from its pandemic-induced slump. To help our city’s beer enthusiasts do their part, here are our top four breweries and brewpubs, each with its own distinct brews and personality. 1. Mad Duck Craf

The first system-wide strike by California State University professors concluded after one day when a tentative agreement was reached on Monday, Jan. 22, between the CSU management and the California Faculty Association (CFA). Faculty members across all 23 CSU campuses resumed work on Tuesday, Jan. 23, following the tentative agreement. Students were urged to check their emails and Canvas pages for updates from professors.

In 2009, I snagged my first job — a cashier at Target. After passing drug tests and an interview, I and my fellow employees were corralled into the breakroom for training and an orientation video. It started innocently enough. We were welcomed to the Target family by smiling senior employees, Josh and Maria, donned in the signature red polo shirts and khakis. They pledged to make our time at the store a positive experience and emphasized our integral role in the store’s continued success.

Protests have broken out on seemingly every continent. The waves of powerlessness pervading through populations across the globe have finally broken, and the images of colorful violence are splashed across our screens. It may look like an age of anarchy may be upon us, but totalitarianism seems to be more popular than ever. There is a reason for that: authoritarians are excellent at appealing to the downtrodden and co-opting these movements, and we are still none the wiser.

Once undefeated at the start of the month, the Lancers suffered a terrible turn in fortune as they were delivered their worst home loss in the team’s history against Rio Hondo College on Tuesday and then fell to Cerritos College on Saturday.

A year ago, Nike unveiled its “Dream Crazy” ad. It featured former quarterback Colin Kaepernick, best known for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and racism. The message, printed over the image of Kaepernick staring back at the camera, told the viewers: “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt.”

The symbolic interactionist theory, in sociology, contends that people make sense of their world through the exchange of meaning through language and symbols. We interact with things based on meanings ascribed to those things. Unfortunately, nefarious groups have sought to change the intended meanings behind symbols they fancy, and recently they have claimed some victories.

“Your hand and your mouth agreed many years ago that, as far as chocolate is concerned, there is no need to involve your brain,” once wrote humor columnist Dave Barry, whose work has appeared in more than 500 newspapers in the United States and abroad. It turns out Dave Barry is wrong if attending the Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon is any indication. To truly appreciate artisan chocolate, you can’t simply stuff your face, regardless of what your instincts tell you.

The Pasadena City College women’s soccer team scored their biggest win in 20 years as they trounced the West Los Angeles Wildcats, 11-1, on Wednesday at Robinson Stadium. The rout came on the heels of a tough game against Oxnard College, where the evenly matched teams had to settle for a 3-3 tie. Smarted by their inability to pull off the victory, the Lancers returned home and worked hard to correct their mistakes – with spectacular results.

The line steadily grew as the sun set over Old Town Pasadena. Due to the growing sidewalk traffic, the ushers decided it would be wise to coax the crowd to the opposite side of the building. Indignant horns began to blare when an influx of young people suddenly began to crowd the already cramped alleyway.

Scorching temperatures failed to slow the Lancers as they blazed past Allan Hancock at Robinson Stadium on Friday, netting a 2-0 victory over the Bulldogs. The sweltering 102-degree heat made fans seek the shade provided by the trees overlooking the bleachers. A dangerous spike in the heat index delayed the start of the game by 80 minutes, but the anticipation led to a great start for the Lancers.

Few presidents have duped the American people as thoroughly as President Donald Trump. A son of a famous, powerful dynasty built on inherited wealth and dubious tax schemes managed to convince nearly half of American voters that he is a self-made billionaire businessman who is eager to look after the interests of everyday Americans.

For as long as the medium existed, yellow journalism and propaganda have been peddled to the unsuspecting masses. Unethical journalism is not a new phenomenon. Thankfully, the court of public opinion used to dictate whether or not these publications succeeded and survived; news outlets who crossed the line – no matter how powerful – eventually met their demise.

The Lancers suffered two bruising losses in their 3-game series against the East Los Angeles Huskies, endangering their first place position in the South Coast Conference North Division. In the series opener on April 3 at home, superior pitching culminated in a Huskies’ 5-3 win. Errors further hindered the Lancers chances at winning, particularly when shortstop Ryan Lewis botched a potential double play that led to a 2-RBI single in the sixth inning. The Lancers fared better on the road, where

Stellar pitching and dogged perseverance helped the Lancers add two more games to their impressive winning streak. In their last game before their South Coast Conference, Lancers pitcher Matt Orozco held the Fullerton Hornets in check for six innings and gave up his only run on a balk. The Lancers offense started in the third with 2 runs, and after a brief Hornet struggle in the seventh and eighth culminating in 2 runs of their own, the Lancers put them away with 4 more runs in the ninth. Relie

When Emmanuel Macron triumphed over his far-right opponent, Marine Le Pen, in the 2017 French presidential election, many were quick to declare it a victory over the upswell of populism that was enveloping various corners of the world. A pro-EU centrist, he proved that the French people had not completely lost their minds, and cooler heads were still capable of prevailing in the face of fear and ugly nativism. The embittered neocons who hadn’t joined the Trump train due to being actual conservatives – once hostile to France for being critical of the United States’ war in Iraq, to the point of supporting the renaming of french fries to “freedom fries” – were now charmed by what they saw. “Maybe the French should now, as suggested by Michael Tomasky, start calling steak well done with ketchup —Trump’s preference — bifteck a l’Americaine,” Max Boot wrote in an op-ed for the L.A. Times, cheekily titled “France’s election proves it — America is now an example of what not to do.”

The long-promised “blue wave” finally swept over the country, handing control over the House of Representatives to the Democratic Party in the 2018 U.S. midterm elections. In Orange County, once fondly referred to as “Reagan Country”, Democrats flipped all four congressional seats. Democrat Harley Rouda dethroned 15-term Rep. Dana Rohrabacher. Republicans maintained control of the Senate, but Democrats won most of the hotly contested seats. It was the first official referendum on the Trump presidency, and a rout in every sense of the word. But some Democrats are already stressing about potentially losing those coveted seats just as many Americans finished breathing a sigh of relief. They fear Nancy Pelosi will reclaim her gavel and the Republicans attacks that would inevitably follow. They fear they will not pass the legislation they are keen on if she is at the forefront.

In a space that once housed a recording studio, the Crack Shack is now open for business in bustling Old Town. The name alone prompts double-takes from passerby unfamiliar with the franchise, as they prowl the streets in search of Black Friday deals. If they’re hungry and curious, they stop to check it out, greeted by a giant chicken statue once they step into the restaurant. The Crack Shack offers a small but creative selection of sandwiches, bowls, half fried birds and full fried birds, sides and kids meals. The new twists to traditional fried chicken fare may make it a local favorite.