In 2006, Massachusetts became the first state to mandate health care coverage for all residents. To make health insurance as affordable as possible, state-subsidized low cost plans are available for those who qualify financially. However, not everyone has access to these less expensive plans.

The 2008 year may be over, but the effects of last year's economic slowdown are still being felt. Boston University has been hit especially hard, as illustrated by the 24.1 percent decrease in the endowment and the recent prediction of a $10 million budget gap for the year 2010, which President Robert Brown announced in a letter to BU faculty and staff Monday.

Gaza: A recurring nightmare is haunting the inhabitants of this crammed, impoverished strip of land. For too long, the Palestinian people have suffered under the heel of a brutal oppressor that boasts one of the world's most technologically advanced and well-funded militaries.

Recently, medical students began circulating a petition to express, as the letter states, their 'outrage at the brutal Israeli attacks and subsequent humanitarian disaster that is occurring in Gaza.' This petition maintains that Israel is crushing the nearby Palestinians and causing a human rights crisis.

There is a piece of conventional wisdom by veterans of the Baby Boom generation '-'- spoken by many, but none more eloquent than speechwriter and columnist Peggy Noonan '-'- that the period known as 'the 1960s' did not begin on Jan. 1, 1960 and did not end on Dec. 31, 1969.

For all the time the staff here spends chronicling each day at Boston University, it's easy to lose track of time after stepping into the office of The Daily Free Press. We work, play and sometimes sleep near the heart of Kenmore Square, but inside the newsprint-covered walls of our cramped newsroom, night and day become a blur.

1. Garrett Brnger,' City Fact Checker 2. Mike O'Leary,' City Assignment Editor 3. Andrew Facini,' Editorial Page Editor 4. Abbie Ruzicka,' City Associate Editor 5. Angela M. Latona,' Managing Editor...

It has been a trying semester for Student Union President Matt Seidel and the rest of his administration. Since the fall, this year's Union suffered from the student apathy Seidel correctly attributed to the previous administration's unenthusiastic efforts to promote its initiatives to the students it served.

It may be the nearing the end of the 2000s, but for the United States, things look increasingly like the 1930s. With the economy suffering the largest downturn in recent history and a rash of political corruption scandals, a strong leadership from the next administration is absolutely key to restoring the public's faith in our leaders.

It's been a messy year for the Massachusetts Bay Transpiration Authority's Green Line. 2008 brought a number of Green Line accidents, including a fatal train-on-train collision early this summer, striking of a pedestrian near Boston College earlier this fall, and most recently, a train collision at the Copley Station that caused hours of delays in November.

The battle for equality and acceptance for gay people in the United States continues today under a new initiative known as 'Day Without a Gay,' which urges gay people to stay home from work as an act of solidarity and to raise public awareness about gay rights. Viewing the event in Massachusetts, it is easy to forget how much controversy this action will stir up across the rest of the nation.

Well, children of the Earth '-'- hey, be glad I saved that schtick for the end '- it's my grand finale. It's my last chance to sustainably mold the collective mind of FreeP readers, and scatter you like dandelion seeds in the wind to do my green biddings in all parts of the world.