Week of August 23 International

Students of the Beijing Opera Academy are keeping traditions alive by practicing and preserving the ancient songs in a "modest and slightly shabby theatre". However, commercialism and modernization of China pose a threat to the support of theatre. Traditional music and dance have also been rejected by many younger Chinese in favor of Western music and modern dancing thanks to the Cultural Revolution. I really encourage these performers to keep up with their tradition, even the most pathetic plays have some value, if only to prevent the tradition from dying out completely. Apparently though, plenty of students show up for various reasons, whether they were encouraged by their parents or decided on their own. As a result, the real threat seems to be industrialization in general, the expansion of malls and the like. I really hope China rediscover's its roots so that beautiful traditions like the operas can be preserved.

Article Referenced:

Bernstein, Richard. "Beijing Opera, a Historical Treasure in Fragile Condition". NYTimes. New York Times. 29 August 2010. Web. 29 August 2010.

Week of August 23 National

Designed for "shaping the inchoate anger of the Tea Party with its libertarian ideology and leftist organizing tactics", recent talks are teaching Tea Party members how to recurit and advertize politicians of their party and win over the people "one vote at a time". Should the Tea Party accomplish this feat of complete organization in such a limited amount of time, I will be thorougly impressed and suggest that opposing parties take their impact into consideration while formating their own campaigns for the upcomming elections. However, these this may just be another third party, doomed to fade away or blend one of the other two major parties like every other third party in American history. Their ability to unionize under specific leaders and recruit supporters en masse will determine whether this party will sink or swim. A clear picture of what it is exactly they are endorsing would be nice though.

Article Referenced:

Zernike, Kate. "Shaping Tea Party Passion Into Campaign Force". NYTimes. New York Times. 25 August 2010. 29 August 2010.

Week of August 23 Economic

Taxpayers, and the government, appear to be focusting the vast majority of their attention on larger banks rather than smaller, more localized ones. However this only hurts smaller banks as, "larger banks percieved as "too big to fail" have a lower cost of capital, putting smaller banks at a competative disadvantage". On the other hand, should a massive bank fail, far more damage and loss would occur for the economy and individual consumers than if a smaller local bank collapsed. I really think that any and all banks should stay afloat at all costs, if one falls, then others tend to fall down with it, or at least lose the trust of potential consumers and investors. Perhaps another of FDR's policies should be employed here, a shut down and reevaluation of all banks to check for safe practices and proper conduct. However, it may be too extreme of a measure nowadays due to the size of companies and the chaos that would ensue if a major bank should be shut down even for a day.

Article Referenced:

Reuters. "Taxpayers to Rescue the Largest Banks". NYTimes. New York Times. 23 August 2010. Web. 29 August 2010.

Week of August 16 International

Good news for the anxious families of miners in northern Chilie, 33 of them are still alive. The miners were able to send up a message on paper declaring, "the 33 of us in the shelter are well". Unfortunately, it will take a long time to reach the miners trapped 2,300 feet below ground. However, knowledge of a "happy ending" seems to be worth waiting for. The discovery of the note resulted in an exuberant uproar from listeners who honked their car horns and cheered in restaurants. The mine is unstable though, so the focus now is to construct a new shaft to allow the miners to escape, possibly taking 120 days to complete. Mining accidents this severe are rare for Chile, however, this particular company seems to have had quite a few problems over the past few years with 16 workers killed. I really think mining should be converted to complete mechanical control as soon as possible to avoid future accidents like this one where human lives are threatened in addition to raising safety standards in the meantime.

Article Referenced:

Reuters. "Trapped Chilean Miners Send Message". NYTimes. New York Times. 22 August. Web. 29 August.

Week of August 16 National

While President Obama appears to support Islamic rights, declaring that "Muslims enjoy freedom of religion in America and have the right to build a mosque and community center in lower Manhattan", he refuses to comment on the construction of a mosque yards away from ground zero of 9/11. There are already two mosques in the vicinity; one 4 blocks away, the other 12 blocks. I am completely support freedom of religion and the rights of everyone to practice as they wish, however, I do think it very insensitive to construct a mosque so close to ground zero as many affected families still associate Islam with the fear from 9/11. Besides, with two other mosques in the area, why does a third one need to be constructed? I find it hard to believe that there are enough Muslims in the area to completely fill two mosques so close to each other. However, the war "against terrorists is not a war against Islam", though Islam cannot be removed completely from the equation because it is the primary reason for terrorists acting the way they do: to spread and uphold the teachings of Islam. Overall, I say don't build the mosque, just find another location, its not worth all the fuss and controversy.

Article Referenced:

Dowd, Maureen. "Our Mosque Madness". NYTimes. New York Times. 17 August 2010. Web. 29 August.

Week of August 16 Economic

Three decades of "spectacular growth" resulted in China's passing Japan and landing in second as the world's largest economy just behind the United States. This display of improvement in China means the "world will have to reckon with a new economic superpower". Japan's economy, in contrast, has been "stagnating for more than a decade", although in years past it was believed that Japan had the potential to sometake overtake the United States in the economic rankings. Japan's economy seems to be, "mature and its population quickly aging" while China, "is in the throes of urbanization and is far from developed". I think it would be very wise for the United States to remain on good terms with China as it has great influence over countries such as Russia, India, Australia, and Latin America, and increasingly so due to its dominating economy.

Article Referenced:

Barboza, David. "China Passes Japan as Second-Largest Economy". NYTimes. New York Times. 16 August 2010. Web. 29 August 2010.

Week of August 9 International

The Prime Minister of Japan, Naoto Kan apologized again to South Korea for Japan's "brutal colonial rule". However, unfortunately "anger still runs deep across the region" towards Japan. Apparently, rightfully so as the brutality of the Japanese surpassed even the, "documented atrocities during World War II", including experimentations on humans and massacres of civilians. Kan hoped to "address the past and build a more forward-looking relationship with South Korea", however, it appears this will take longer than he intended. Nonetheless, I appreciate Mr. Kan's attempts to make amends with the nation's former colony, despite angry civilians in nboth countries. However, it seems it will take just as long, or longer for Korea to forgive their former ruler compared to how "quickly" Germany was forgiven after the death of Hitler and Neuremburg Trials; or even how relatively soon the United States became close allies with Britain after colonization, revolution, and other wars.

Article Referenced:

Fackler, Martin. "Japan Apologizes to South Korea on Colonization". NYTimes. New York Times. 10 August 2010. Web. 29 August 2010.

Week of August 9 National

Parents protested a decline in test scores in New York City at a citywide panel, resulting in the departure of the chancellor and the rest of his staff and a rescheduling of the meeting. The uproar was due to a raising of standards for the tests, resulting in the decline of in the number of passing students and pronouncing racial and ethnic gaps more clearly. However, rather than waiting for their chance and actually holding a meeting, a small group of parents through such an uproar with bullhorns and shouting that those who had waited patienly for their chance to speak and voice their opinions to the panel. I think it was completely inappropriate for that group of parents to respond the way they had towards the dropping test scores. It should have displayed issues in the way students are taught and how they study, rather than being seen as a deliberate attempt to force students to fail (as over half failed the English section).

Article Referenced:

Zraick, Karen. "As Parents Protest, Chancellor and Panel Leave". NYTimes. New York Times. 15 August 2010. Web. 29 August 2010.

Week of August 9 Economic

Unfortunately, despite the encouraging decline in jobless claims a few weeks ago, a sudden leap in claims has driven the numbers to their highest since February. The Federal Reserve declared the, "economy's recovery was likely to be more modest than expected and that it would take additional steps to support growth". Fear of a redoubled recession and the possibility of deflation are the possible results of the dying job market as incomes decrease and prices are altered. Hopefully though, some tactic of the Obama Administration will jumpstart the economy a little bit, if only to prevent it from complete collapse as a result of the dying job market. Perhaps one of FDR's favorite tactics, making up pointles organizations to give jobless workers some purpose and money to take home to their familes, should be employed to keep the economy in motion.

Article Referenced:

Reuters. "New Jobless Claims Highest Since February". NYTimes. New York Times. 12 August 2010. Web. 29 August 2010.

Week of August 2 Economic

Employers, both governmental and commercial, are pushing their workers to work the same hours for less money as a "last-ditch effort to avoid layoffs" for fear of an economy at risk of deflation. This occurs primarily in state and local governments, cracking under the pressure of budgets already slim after other rescue attempts such as fuloughs for workers. If this type of struggle is occuring at a govenrmental level, I can only imagine the damage to everyday workers and companies. I think any future stimulus plans should be motivated towards cities and states like those trapped attempting to avoid layoffs and at the risk of collapse. If they don't recieve some type of federal aid, I don's see how these local/state governments are going to survive as the economy continues to weaken.

Article Referenced:

Greenhouse, Steven. "More Workers Face Pay Cuts, Not Furloughs". NYTimes. New York Times. 3 August 2010. Web. 29 August 2010.

Week of August 2 International

Leaders of Britain and Pakistan met to reaffirm friendship between the two nations and "smooth over frictions in talks". David Cameron, Britains Prime Minister, fell under fire for accusing Pakistan of "looking 'two ways' in its relations with the Taliban". Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari on the other hand criticized the "coalition forces", including the United States and Britain for depending on military action alone instead of economic development as well. However, the visit was declared as one of "amity and cooperation": Cameron declaring Pakistan as a "vital area of combating terrorism" and Zardari stating that "Pakistant and Britain will stand together and face all their difficulties with dignity. Later, though, Zardari declared little hope for the success of the war as a whole. I would have to agree with Zardari on this matter, the United States won't have much more luck. However, improvements of foreign relations are key and I applaud the efforts of Britain and Pakistan to keep their friendship.

Article Referenced:

Burns, John. "Leaders of Britain and Pakistan Smooth Over Frictions". NYTimes. New York Times. 6 August 2010. Web. 29 August 2010.

Week of August 2 National

Contrary to the planned date, the National Guard did not arrive on August 1st to help protect the boarder. Apparently, "it will take weeks longer to select, screen and train the 1,200 National Guard troops". In response, the Administration declared that, "the announced date was always a starting point". The troops will gradually be added to aid Boarder control but, "not carry out direct law enforcement functions". So the Guard will be acting as scouts and lookouts, relaying intelligence with a focus on ending drug trafficking and illegal immigration. However, critics are not too impressed with these measures as 1,200 troops is only a small number to cover such a large region. I would like to know why the Administration did not explain that the 1st was only a "starting point" as this is an important piece of information for people living in the region still plagued by drug dealers/traffickers and illegal immigrants.

Article Referenced:

Lacey, Marc. "Boarder Deployment Will Take Weeks". NYTimes. New York Times. 2 August. Web. 29 August 2010.

Week of July 26 International

China seems angered towards the United States for showing interest in the, initially regional, dispute over, "roughly 200 islands, islets and coral outcroppings that are claimed by China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, and the Philipines". The foreign minister of China states that it will just make the situation worse if the United States gets involved and makes the matter an international affair. The reason for interest by the United States outwardly involves the rights for self sovereignity for the people living on these little islands, however, the area also seems rich in deposits of oil and natural gas in addition to key trade routes. However, I think the United States should mind its own business on this one and avoid angering China in any way, especially due to its growing military strength and powerful ally in North Korea. It is high time we stopped playing referee everytime their is a dispute among foreign nations.

Article Referenced:
Jacobs, Andrew. "China Warns U.S. to Stay Out of Islands Dispute". NYTimes. New York Times.
26 July 2010. Web. 29 August 2010.

Week of July 26 National

A new offshore-drilling safety standards bill has been approved by the House to increase standards, end the policy of a federal cap on economic liabilty for companies responsible, and clarify new fees for oil and gas production. In addition, companies with safety violations within the past 7 years (in the workplace or in equipment), will be unable to aquire new drilling permits offshore. Most Democrats heartily approve of the measure believing that the bill will, "increase drilling safety and crack down on oil companies like BP". Republicans (and oil-state Democrats) on the other hand, view the bill as a, "federal power grab that would raise energy prices and kill thousands of American jobs. While I agree that safety regulations for oil rigs and their companies needed a complete overhaul, I think it is a bit much to increase taxes and fees on the production of oil and gas at the moment because that will only further damage the economy as companies raise their prices to keep profits up.

Article Referenced

The Associated Press. "House Passes Drilling Bill with Feature on Safety". NYTimes. New York Times. 30 July 2010. Web. 29 Aug 2010.

Week of July 26 Economic

Difficulty finding and keeping jobs seems to be the most fundamental problem facing today's economy. However a slight drop in demands for unemployment benefits are "offering some hope for the anemic labor market recovery". As people find jobs, more money can circulate through the economy, preventing a total collapse. However this current lack of jobs prevents the economy from recovering, "from its longest and deepest recession since the 1930s. Hopefully, with the plans and stimulus packages the Obama Administration plans on fueling into the economy, conditions will improve within the next few months.


Article Referenced:

Reuters. "Weekly Jobless Claims in U.S. Decline". NYTimes. New York Times. 29 July 2010. Web. 29 August 2010.

Week of July 19 Economic

Wars, like everything else, seem more expensive as the years go by. So far the War on Terror has cost "a staggering $1 trillion to date", second only to the $4 trillion of World War II. Technology poses the primary problem, though transportation over a terrain in a landlocked country is also an issue. Expensive, sometimes fragile, equiptment and specialized training (resulting in highter pay) for soldiers have increased the financial price of war considerably. Unfortunately, "the army is at war, but the country is not". American society has been largely unaffected by the war, no increase in taxes, no rationing of food. In contrast to our, "seemingly endless credit[...] as compared to the sacrifice and unity required to wring $4 trillion from a much smaller economy to wage the earlier war". It would seem that America has lost its sense of pride and unity, usually binding together wholeheartedly in times of war, such as when women took over men's jobs in factories to keep production going. Then again, the uproar from the public if their taxes increased to fund the war effort might not be worth it.

Article Referenced:

Bumiller, Elisabeth. "The War; A Trillion Can Be Cheap". NYTimes. New York Times. 24 July 2010. Web. 29 August 2010.

Week of July 19 International

The Obama Administration has decided to "impose further economic sanctions against North Korea", focusing on ending counterfeiting and other malicious economic practices utilized by the North Korean government to maintain power. The administration's focus on controlling North Korea appears to focus mainly on a financial plane due to disputes in Washington over "how harshly to confront the Kim government". However, this focus on damaging North Korea's economy depends on the cooperation of other countries, with China (its biggest ally) unlikely to aid in any way. Others have questioned the effectiveness of these measures as North Korea is already so isolated. Previously, the Bush Administration attempted to back off on sanctions against North Korea, "in an effort to lure North Korea back to negotiations over its nuclear program". This strategy proved futile and the Obama Administration has maintained that it will do nothing of the like throughout this term. I am sensing a central problem at the root of countries like North Korea and China: communism. Brilliant on paper, terrible in practice as proven time and time again. However, if either of these countries spontaneously turned democratic, the inital collapse of order in the country might be more detrimental and devastating than anticipated. For now, I think the United States should work on keeping on good terms with both China and North Korea while continuing to place pressure on the governments for reform.

Article Referenced:

Lander, Mark and Elisabeth Bumiller. "U. S. to Add Sanctions on N. Korea". NYTimes. New York Times. 21 July 2010. Web. 29 Aug 2010.

Week of July 19 National

National Guard troops are bring sent to the U.S.- Mexico border to help step up security and "stem the flow of weapons, cash and people into the United States". This measure most likely resulted from pressure on the White House by Arizona's new immigration law, pushing the government to improve its policies on illegal immigration. The Guard will aid the police and other agents, "disrupt criminal organizations seeking to move people and goods illegally across the southwest boarder". Hopefully these measures will take effect quickly, or at least alarm smugglers to the point where they will cut down on their practices. However, technology such as heat-sensitive binoculars should severely damage the prospects of would-be criminals and convicts. Then again, if it wasn't so difficult to become a citizen of the U. S. in the first place, this might not be so severe of an issue.

Article Referenced:

Frosch, Dan. "Aug 1. Set as Date for Troops to Go to Boarder". NYTimes. New York Times. 20 July 2010. Web. 29 Aug 2010.

Week of July 12 Economic

Banks are attempting to make up for lost profits after the expensive "overhaul" of the nation's financial regulatory system. The biggest change for banks will prevent them from betting with their own money (circumvented by allowing traders to make wagers as long as they work with clients). Banks are getting a jump star on the anticipated losses of revenue due to these changes and are raising the prices of fees and services accordingly. Consumers, on the other hand, may hope to avoid these changes by, "maintaining the minimum balance or by using other banking services", such as acting on line. I am not going to pretend I understand anything about economics, but if a law is put in place to prevent banks from making bets, shouldn't they follow the spirit of the law as well as the letter and instead of making attempts to circumvent it?

Article Referenced:

Dash, Erik and Nelson D. Schwartz. "Banks Seek to Keep Profits as New Oversigt Rules Loom". NYTimes. New York Times. 15 July 2010. Web. 28 Aug. 2010.

Week of July 12 International

A new center built in Pakistan just 20 miles from Afghanistan's boarder is designed by the U. S. to train up to 2,000 soldiers at once. However, Pakistan is, "fearful of being identified too closely with the unpopular United States" and remains suspicious of all its motives and actions despite massive amounts of aid. The United Stats continues to help nonetheless with the war effort by providing Pakistan, "with a wide array of weapons, shares intelligence about the militants, and has given it more than 10 billion toward the cost of deployin nearly 150,000 troops". The three primare skills taught at the camp include, "how to shoot straight, how to administer battlefield first aid, and how to provide covering fire for advancing troops", all eccential to survival on the front lines. I think its great that we are trying to aid Pakistan and teach it how to defend itself, however, if we don't find a way to gain the trust of the people, we won't get very far in establishing a strong relationship in the long run.

Article Referenced:

Schmitt, Eric. "Distrust Slows U.S. Training of Pakistanis". NYTimes. New York Times. 12 July 2010. Web. 28 Aug. 2010.

Week of July 12 National

The controvercial Arizona immigration law finally reached the U. S. Supreme court, and it still provokes just as much anger as when first introduced. The laws are considered unjust primarily due to the fact that it allows police to check the immigration status of anyone they stop or arrest and believe to have entered the country illegally. Even some Arizona police officers are against the laws seeing "the true evil, that its divisive", as the law would require the officers to raciall profile anyone stopped or arrested. I agree that racial profiling is wrong and unfair when taken into account in some cases, Mexicans who have come across the boarder illegally are not the only illegal immigrants in America. I also think it is still important that the police have some authority to check the citizen ship of people living in a given area, if only to prevent illegal immigrants from slipping under the radar, however, I do not like the way Arizon has gone about this.

Article Referenced:
Archibold, Randal. "Debate Over Arizona Immigration Law Comes to U.S. Court". NYTimes. New York Times. 15 July 2010. Web. 28 August 2010.

Week of July 5 Econcomic

Debates over how to control debt occur naturally during any time of financial crisis. However, debates among a party worried about elections in the fall should find a stable platform before it's too late. Debates among the Democratic party "represents the churning of a cultural faut line that has defined and destabilized democratic politics pretty much since the onset of the Great Society". So far, arguments involve primarily the development of short term and long term repars to control government debt. The majority of Democrats are relatively unconcerned with the governmental debt due to historically low interest rates, however, a growing number fear for the future of the economy if Washington doesn't cut back on spending. Obama, unfortunately trapped in the middle of the squabbling factions, is attempting to mollify both, always a dangerous decision. These debates could completely tear the Democratic party if the Congress isn't careful.

Article Referenced:

Bai, Mat. "For Democrats, Debt Debate and Familiar Ring of Disunity." NYTimes. New York Times, 7 July 2010. Web. 28 Aug. 2010

Week of July 5 International

President Obama appears hopeful towards the peace negotiations between Israeli and Palestian leaders through "one-on-one" sessions in the Oval Office. The talk consisted of much more than peace issues though, as the group touched on "a wide variety of contentious issuses, including Iran's nuclear ambitions and Israel's udeclared nuclear weapon's program". The president persisted, encouraging the creation of "a climate in which everybody feels a greater investment in success". However, Palestinians seem to cling to the idea of actions speaking louder than words stating, "we need to see deeds" even after discussions of peace. While I applaud President Obama for taking steps towards a more stable peace between these three nations, I see little hope for it in the near future. These countries (Israel and Palestine), have plenty of experience loathing and fighting each other over the past few centuries and a discussion in a foreign land with a leader completely removed from the lasting tensions of the East will not settle anything soon.

Article Referenced:

Stolberg, Sheryl G., and Mark Lander. "U.S. and Israel Shift Attentioni to Peace Process." NYTimes. New York Times, 6 July 2010. Web. 28 Aug. 2010

Week of July 5 National

Educators seem disappointed with the steps the Obama administration have put in place to aid and reform the educational system in the U. S. stating, "this is not the change [we] hoped for". The Obama Administration hoped for increased financial aid to schools to prevent layoffs and the removal of ineffective teachers to prevent declining of standards in public schools. The results included new teacher evaluation systems "with the collaboration of teachers' unions". Teachers however, claim that they are still being held responsible for issues in public schools. In addition, variations in ideals among educators unions prevent consensus among differing states as the groups respond to various stimulus packages differently. While I agree with the reevaluation of schools and teachers, I still have not seen any of the positive results hoped for in the stimulus plans. Educators still fear for their jobs and improvements in public schools themselves seem to move rather slowly. I sincerely hope that conditions improve soon or the quality of education in the U. S. may begin to drop.

Article Referenced:
Dillion, Sam. "Teachers' Union Shuns Obama Aides at Convention." NYTimes. New York Times, 4 July 2010. Web. 28 Aug. 2010