Illustration by HINGYI KHONG/Daily Bruin By Kristen Lara Daily Bruin Contributor The practice of swapping ““ trading goods for other goods ““ was one of the earliest forms of commerce. Read more...

BOOK INFORMATION   Title: White Rose: Una Rosa Blanca Author: Amy Ephron Publisher: The Ballantine Publishing Group Price: $12 Pages: 259 By Kristen Lara Daily Bruin Contributor Long before the story of Elian Gonzales captured the attention of the global community, the story of a young Cuban woman proved to be just as politically and emotionally divisive. Read more...

  MINDY ROSS/Daily Bruin Senior Staff No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani keeps the crowd under control at KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas at the Universal Amphitheatre. By Chris Moriates Daily Bruin Contributor There was very little that was acoustic or Christmas about it, but KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas delivered big names and a full-blown rock show for the 11th year in a row. Read more...

NBC Michael Richards evokes memories of Seinfeld’s Kramer in his new sitcom “The Michael Richards Show” . The program leads NBC’s Tuesday prime time lineup and blends comedy with crime for laughs. Read more...

  Members of the UCLA Jazz Ensemble practice for their concert taking place tonight at Schoenberg Hall. Both Jazz Ensemble I, directed by Garnett Brown and Llew Matthews, and Jazz Ensemble II, directed by Gordon Henderson, will be in performance. Read more...

  New Line Cinema (Left to right) Kevin Costner, Bruce Greenwood, and Steven Culp star in the political drama "Thirteen Days". “˜Tis the season for hot buttery popcorn and cool darkened movie theaters. Read more...

  COURTNEY STEWART Awaken A Cappella sings some holiday tunes inside the Westwood Brewing Company for customers. The group, consisting of 15 members, will be caroling in Westwood Village for the next two weekends. Read more...