Senior Relfection #3

This summer: I'll be working part time at Jerry's 3 days a way for minimum wage.  Not the most fulfilling thing, but it gets me some spending money, and it's 2 minutes from my house.  Taking up more of my time, I'll be working 5 days/week in Amtrak's Government Affairs Department at Union Station in DC.  It's an unpaid internship, but the perks include some free travel and valuable connections in an industry I plan on pursuing a career in, the value of which is not to be underestimated.  Other than that, with what little time I have left, I plan to travel and watch a lot of baseball.  I'm going to Nationals, Red Sox, Yankees, and Blue Jays games, and have trips planned to NY, Boston, Montreal, Toronto, and Niagara Falls.  It's gonna be a busy summer, but it should be fun.

Senior Reflecton #2

More advice to underclassmen:  time management.  Do yourselves a favor and learn it now.  I still struggle with it.  It will behoove you mightily to be able to effectively manage your time during your upperclassmen years, and more importantly, during your college years.  Out of all the things I didn't learn in high school, I think better time management is the most important one.  I'm going to have to teach myself to do it at college and there are probably going to be times when I end up getting screwed because I'm not doing a good enough job of it.  It's like learning a foreign language; the younger you learn it and get into the habit, the better off you are.

Senior Reflection #1

Some advice to high school freshmen: work hard your freshman and sophomore years.  It opens up all sorts of opportunities for you during your junior and senior year if you can make people think that you're responsible/motivated.  Also, the classes when you're an upperclassmen will be much harder.  Want that GPA that's going to get you into UVA?  Most of the work for that needs to be done your first two years, when classes are fairly easy and there's less pressure on you from other sources.  Grab the low hanging fruit.  Not to say you can't have fun during your underclassmen years, because you absolutely can, but you need to keep your eyes on the prize and remember what you're ultimately there for and what you're working towards.

Devils avoid elimination, beat Kings on late goals Read

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/gameflash/2012/06/06/30231_recap.html#?sct=hp_t2_a2&eref=sihp

The New Jersey Devils staved off elimination on Wednesday night, beating the LA Kings 3-1 on two third period goals.  The Devils took a 1-0 lead in the third period, only to have the Kings tie the game moments later.  But Adam Henrique then scored to break the tie and put the Devils up for good.  The Devils and Kings now return to New Jersey for game 5 at the Prudential Center.  The Kings took a 3-0 lead into game 4 and did not close out the series for the third time this postseason, an NHL record.

I chose this article because I'd already done one about what was at stake in game 4, so it seemed fitting to do one updating the outcome.  I think it's a well written article, and I definitely enjoyed reading it; it is talking about how my team won after all.

Human remains sent to schools in Canada

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/05/world/americas/canada-body-parts-investigation/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

Luke Magnotta, a 29 year old Canadian man is suspected of killing and dismembering the body of Jun Lin, a college student from China.  Magnotta is accused of mailing body parts to politicians.  Political offices have recently discovered a hand a and a foot in packages mailed to them.  DNA tests have confirmed that both of these belonged to Jun Lin.  Magnotta is currently living overseas in Berlin and would be returned to Canada for trial.

I chose this article because of the recent trend we seem to be having about cannibalism/dismemberment stories being picked up by the media.  Sure enough, this one is just as messed up as any of them.  I wouldn't say I enjoy this article, given the subject matter, but do think that it's fairly well written.

Kings Defeat Devils, 4-0, In Game 3 Of 2012 Stanley Cup Final

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/04/los-angeles-kings-devils-game-3-stanley-cup-final_n_1569627.html

The LA Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils Monday night to take a 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals.  The Devils have played well this series, but have been unable to beat Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick.  The Kings narrowly won games 1 and 2 in overtime in Newark, and had to fight hard early in game 3 before opening the game up as the Devils seemed to wear down.  This is the 4th consecutive playoff series in which the Kings have taken a 3-0 lead, an NHL first.  In order to win, the Devils must pull off only the third 0-3 deficit comeback in NHL playoff history.  The Kings have a track record of weak performances in game 4s, having failed to close out Vancouver and Phoenix in game 4 this postseason.  If the Kings can win game 4 Wednesday night, it would be the first Stanley Cup Finals sweep since Detroit swept the Capitals in 1998.

Overall, this was a fairly well written article, although it shot off on tangents at times.  I chose it because I started following the Devils this season after going to one of their games at the Prudential Center, and I think it's pretty cool that they made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals the first year I followed the team.  Much better than the first year I followed the Yankees, which was 2004, when the blew a 3-0 lead in the ALCS against the Red Sox.  Did I enjoy the article?  Not as much as I would have if it were about the Devils being up 3-0, but yeah, I did.

Walker's Wisconsin win big blow to unions, smaller one to Obama

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/05/politics/wisconsin-recall-vote/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Scott Walker won his recall election last night over democratic challenger and Milwaukee Mayor, Tom Barrett.  Walker won the election by a 53-46 margin.  This was a crushing blow to unions in Wisconsin.  The recall effort began in 2011 over Gov. Walker taking away public employees collective bargaining rights in an effort to close the state's budget gap.  It was a disappointing end for unions and democrats, especially after the recall effort got off to such a strong start, collecting 400,000 more signatures than necessary for a recall.  In response to the victory, Walker stated that this reaffirms his policies and that people want politicians who will make tough decisions.  Democratic groups called the sources of Walker's campaign funding into question. Walker outspent Barrett 7-1, and 70% of Walker's funding came from out of state, while only 25% of Barrett's funding came from out of state.  Although this is a defeat for democrats, it may not hurt Obama's chances in Wisconsin.  Exit polls of voters favored Obama in the general election 51-44% over Romney, and Obama had higher marks in handling the economy and aiding the middle class.

Although this wasn't the best written article (there were several typos and one paragraph that made it into the article twice), I still thought it was quite interesting.  I chose it because had Walker lost, he would have been only the third governor ever recalled, and given the current political climate, something of that magnitude is kind of a big deal.

Current Event #6

There is reason to believe that Iran may be looking for a way out of its current situation. Despite tough talk on both sides recently, several developments make it seem like this conflict is much closer to a resolution than political leaders would have us believe. Western diplomats have recently proposed to resume suspended negotiations with Iran, and Iran has backed down from it's refusal to let UN inspectors into it's nuclear sites.  It appears that economic sanctions on Iran are also beginning to take effect, as evidenced by Iran recently importing large amounts of grain, indicating that they may be anticipating food shortages.  More sanctions are coming soon: international electronic transfers of money to or from Iranian banks will soon be blocked, and Asian nations that import Iranian oil are finding other providers, and the EU will stop importing Iranian oil entirely beginning in July.  What Iran may be looking for is a way to back down while still saving face.  Iran has pointed to elections recently held as a sign that their government is legitimate and people approve of its recent actions, although these elections are largely rigged, and carry very little meaning.

Current Event #5

Britain is trying to pass immigration reform. Prime Minister David Cameron says the goal is to reduce the number of immigrants coming into Britain from 250k to under 100k. Britain plans to do this by increasing the requirements for foreign workers and students to get visas to live in the country, and by imposing a 6-ear limit on those granted visas, with exceptions being made for those in difficult to fill positions, doing high level research,  having PhDs, etc. Opponents point to the guest worker program in West Germany during the 1970s and 1980s, which ultimately did little more than increase tensions between ethnic groups. Opponents also point to the fact that it will be difficult to get immigrants who have established themselves as a part of British society, married, had children, etc. to leave after 6 years.  These proposed changes are scheduled to take place in 2016, which is the year after the next election in 2015.

Current Event #4

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has been criticized for campaigning for his National Action Party’s (PAN) candidate to be his successor, which is forbidden prior to March 30 of this year under Mexican law.  Calderon is also being criticized for his pursuit of three Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) governors for corruption charges.  Calderon is viewed as being uneven handed in his pursuit of corruption, targeting PRI officials far more often than members of his own party.  Some speculate that the targeting of the PRI officials at this time on charges of accepting bribes from drug lords is to try to paint the PRI as being inseparable from the drug cartels.  People fear that election watchdog agencies within the government are being compromised as well.  An official who refused to overturn the results of an election narrowly lost by President Calderon’s sister was recently removed from his position in one such agency.

http://www.economist.com/node/21549994

Current Event #3

Labor costs in China are rising.  Workers are demanding higher pay, and are getting it.  One would think that manufacturers would be scrambling to find poorer countries with cheaper labor available, but this is not the case.  Although in the long term, China will have to find alternatives to cheap labor to keep manufacturers from leaving, in the short term, China has many other factors that are keeping manufacturers in place.  Despite the higher labor costs, China has very advanced supply chains, and can add thousands of workers to a production line for a particular product should demand warrant within a matter of hours.  In the long term, to combat the economic ramifications of rising labor costs, China will need more innovation.  Currently, most of the profits for goods made in China go overseas to companies such as California based Apple.  The Chinese government is spending huge amounts of money on research to try to spark the kind of innovation that is found in many western countries that will be able to take the place of manufacturing in the economy when manufacturers do eventually start moving.  These efforts have proved mostly futile so far.  To achieve greater innovation, China’s government must give greater freedom to innovators rather than try to pick hand pick what the next big innovation will be.

http://www.economist.com/node/21549938

Current Event #2

The British parliament is trying to bring about reforms that would make the House of Lords an elected body.  Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats is pushing hard for these reforms, and Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron is willing to cooperate.  The plan would reduce the number of Lords to 300 from over 800, and at least 240 of these would be elected, with the remainder still being appointed or inheriting their seats. But there are many obstacles standing in the way.  Many within the conservative party to not want to see the changes made, fearing that this would result in the kind of legislative gridlock that is found in the United States.  Lords obviously aren’t in favor for the most part, because it would cost many of them their jobs.  The British public is largely indifferent to the reforms.

  http://www.economist.com/node/21548956

Current Event #1

This article from the economist is written sarcastically from the perspective of Ayatollah Khomeni.  It’s an analysis of what Iran should be making of what the United States and Israel have been saying about the prospects of war.  The article points out that Obama says he will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and that military options are on the table, but he would clearly prefer to proceed with diplomacy and economic sanctions.  Israel on the other hand, is talking about potentially going to war with Iran on its own, although that does not seem like it could possibly end well for Israel without the US backing it up.  So the question is whether or not Israel is brash enough to go to war on its own, and if that happened, whether or not the US would come to their aid.  Only time will tell.  For the time being, Iran’s nuclear program seems safe from bombing.

http://www.economist.com/node/21549935

Cartoon

Here we have a fine piece of work from David Fitzsimmons of the Arizona Star.  In the background, we have the cruise ship Concordia, representing the United States, with lots of Americans onboard.  The ship is capsized in the water, with American citizens in trouble and drowning.  In the foreground, we have the captains, Wall Street and the Banks, wading safely to shore, and taking comfort in the fact that Washington won't discipline them.  The joke is that Washington lets the Wall Street fat cats get away with whatever, even when they screw over thousands of Americans.

First Semester In Review

First semester has gone well. I got into college (Northwestern!), got a job (minimum wage!) and, most importantly, have managed to be fairly lazy without failing any classes.  On the other side of that coin, I'm one of two Poli Sci kids in the whole school who still don't have an internship.  With only 7 days left to get something lined up, Graney must be feeling the pressure.  But I have faith in him.

Looking towards the second semester, I hope to maintain good enough grades that Northwestern doesn't rescind my admission offer, while putting forth minimal effort. In my new-found free time, I plan to rekindle my long neglected love affair with sleeping, as well as diversify my stock portfolio, and assemble a championship caliber fantasy baseball team.

A Political Cartoon: Romney Can Relate to Us

The message here is pretty simple: Pat Bagley of the Salt Lake Tribune is using sarcasm and mockery to make the point that Mitt Romney is not like us at all and can't relate to Americans who have been out of work for extended periods of time due to the economy.  We have a rather bewildered looking man who is dressed rather shabbily, and is holding up a sign saying that he needs work.  Meanwhile, Mitt Romney is offering his words of encouragement.  Ironically, Mitt Romeny's future employment may depend on this man and other's like him remaining unemployed (see last post).

Question of the Week #5

At this point, the Republican nominee has to be Mitt Romney.  The Republicans are going to face an uphill battle even with Romney running (which is rather pitiful, they really should run away with this election given Obama's lack of leadership), but they're essentially casting votes for Obama if they nominate anyone besides Romney.  Their other options are a far right conservative lunatics (Santorum), a man who is unrealistic at best, possibly insane at worst (Paul), or a pompous jackass named Newt (doesn't really have that presidential ring to it, does it?).  Oh, and there's Perry and Huntsman. As far as they go: thanks for playing.  In short, anyone besides Mitt Romney is just too extreme, and will scare away the moderate and independent voters.  The Republicans best hope is that the economy stays sluggish, and enough people are angry with Obama that they go out and vote for Romney whether they like him or not.  If the current trend of economic recovery continues (200,000 jobs created last month, unemployment down to 8.5%) the Republicans should probably give up on the White House and try not to get hosed in Congress, where the militant Tea Party Republicans who often won't even cooperate with their leader John Boehner have earned the 112th Congress an approval rating that hovers just above single digits.