Inexperience, Not a Problem

The “inexperienced” argument hasn’t worked against Barack Obama so far, and it definitely didn’t work against John Tyler Hammons. Hammons, a 19 year-old freshman at the University of Oklahoma, easily beat his 70 year-old opponent, Hershel McBride, to become the mayor of Muskogee, Oklahoma. Hammons, one of the youngest mayors in American history, has the added distinction of being the first “gamer” to hold mayoral office. He is a big fan of the video game Halo 3, but he plans on spending less time in front of his television and more time running Muskogee, population 38,000. His priorities include setting up an ethics commission and enforcing campaign finance reforms. Despite his age (or severe lack of it), the city residents are generally enthusiastic about Hammons’ upcoming term, saying they are “tired of the same old political shenanigans.” Time will tell if Hammons is in fact a capable politician, but even if he turn out to be horrible at the job, the Muskogee townsfolk can at least find solace in the knowledge that their mayor could kick any other mayor’s butt on Xbox.

Rachel Ray and Terrorist Fashion

Rachel Ray, a cookbook author, tv host, and spokesperson, was recently featured in an ad for Dunkin' Donuts. However that ad was pulled off the air after columnist Michelle Malkin wrote that the scarf the Ray wore in the ad is similar to the ones Muslim terrorists are seen wearing in hostage-taking videos.

The lightweight scarf has been a popular accessory this season, however it is criticized for resembling a kiffiyeh, which is considered Middle Eastern garb. Even though it is just an accessory that was picked by the set's stylist, it was noticed by several political junkies, thus becoming the subject of a few blogs and columns.

With the ad pulled from the air, this becomes an example of how the internet has affected media and politics. Because several people were able to connect the scarf to a kiffiyeh and make it known on the internet, the ad was removed from the air.

Kids Today Work Harder, But Not Smarter

The college application process is a demanding one. Top universities are receiving an overwhelming amount of application for a few coveted spots. The applicants are more competitive than ever; many are talented musicians, athletes, and scholars, taking 15 AP classes while volunteering in third world countries during their spare time with perfect SAT scores. Nowadays, a 5.0 and and 2400 on the SAT is not enough to get into one of the Ivy League schools or other top ranked colleges.

This has had a negative effect on many high school students, working to get into their dream school. Studies have reported that students today are more stressed out than their parents generation, and are as stressed out as most adults. Schools have been requiring their students to eat lunch and not use the lunch period to study or do homework. Some schools have gone as far as to making their students take yoga classes in order to relieve stress.

Although it is apparent that students have been working hard and have had many accomplishments, their scores don't match their applications. Currently many high school students are scoring "Below" on basic proficiency tests in Science and Geography. The focus seems to have moved from understanding to accomplishments.

Laughter Helps Your Health

More evidence that laughter really is the best medicine, or at least one of the best: A University of Maryland study which exposed two groups of test subjects to film clips from the comedy Kingpin and the war drama Saving Private Ryan found that after watching the former, the subjects’ blood vessels dilated by 22 percent, and constricted by 35 percent after watching the latter. When blood dilates, it is able to “move through the vessels with ease, taking strain off the heart and arteries.” More simply, laughter helps reduce blood pressure and actually acts as a substitute for aerobic exercise (during light exercise, there is a similar level of blood dilation). The study’s lead researcher, Dr. Michael Miller, recommends laughing “heartily” for 15 minutes per day to improve long-term heart health. The idea that laughter is good for your health isn’t anything new, but hearing it again it is pleasantly reassuring nonetheless. Perhaps someday, if real medication gets too expensive, doctors will start prescribing Netflix for high blood pressure?

McCain Releases Medical Records

John McCain took the unusual step this week of making over 1,000 pages of his personal medical records public. Past presidents and presidential candidates have been famously secretive about their health histories, going to great lengths to hide illnesses and other medical conditions. The most well-known example is Franklin D. Roosevelt’s hiding of his polio (many people in the press did know about it, but FDR was respected enough by the media to ensure their silence). Most infamously, 1972 Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Thomas Eagleton kept mum about his history of depression and electro-shock therapy; when it finally became public, a scandal ensued and Eagleton resigned from the campaign in disgrace (and running mate George McGovern got destroyed by Nixon in the general election).

McCain’s willingness to release his medical records is a good move. Due to his age, many voters and media members have been questioning his ability to perform the duties of the Oval Office—Is he going to go senile? Does he have enough energy? Will he die before his term runs out? McCain’s decision to go public regarding his health will prevent any Eagleton-like scandals from developing in the coming months, and (hopefully) end all the speculation about his ability to hold up in office, both physically and mentally. Since his presumptive opponent, Barack Obama, is about 25 years younger than him, reassuring people about his health is vital to McCain’s campaign. Also, doing so further enhances McCain’s “straight talker” image, which both the press and the voters love. It is a very good tactical decision that increases the chances of McCain’s trademark Straight Talk Express rolling all the way to the White House

Presidents' Hidden Illnesses

Presidents have had a history of hiding their medical problems in order to uphold a certain image for the public. President Dwight Eisenhower once suffered from a stroke in 1957. Although one is able to recover from a stroke, one is often unable to speak properly because his speech is affected by the attack. This is gives White House advisors reason to keep the President's condition hidden because the inability to speak properly makes the American public believe that the President isn't able to communicate effectively with others, despite how sympathetic one may be towards the situation.

Depression also has a stigma which can affect one's presidency. For example in 1924, Calvin Coolidge's son passed away, Coolidge was begining his second term. During this term he didn't have any major accomplishments or policies, which may have been due to the depression that one experiences after losing a loved one. Today, there is still a stigma associated with the use of anti-depressants and how stable a person who uses them is. Thus it is difficult for Presidents or candidates to reveal their medical history.

Franklin Roosevelt is the most famous example of a president who was able to conceal his illness. Because he suffered from polio, a disease that was well known at time, he seemed more human to his constituents. Also the press was very respectful and did not publish stories that would harm his image or print pictures of him in his wheelchair.

Presently is it difficult to gauge how the public will receive information about their President suffering from an illness. The press is far more vicious than the past, and with the widespread use of the internet, more information is available to the public.

Soaring Food Costs Affect Food Banks

With the recent rise in the cost of food, the average American family has had to buckle down and budget in order to accomodate the new high prices. However as more people have been seeking aid at local food banks and charities, the amount of donations has significantly diminished. According to an article featured on MSN, a survey of 180 different food banks indicated a 99% increase in the number of clients served compared to last year. The current ecomomic woes have brought a new "clientele" to food banks. Many have recently lost their jobs or have been struggling to pay their morgages. Senior citizens have also been greatly affected; many depend on weekly grocery deliveries as a substantial part of their diets.

As the number of donations has been decreasing, the demand has been quickly rising. Food banks are begining to have to turn away people in need simply because there's not enough food for everyone.

Ann Coulter Visits UCI

Ann Coulter, a Republican political commenter and author, visited the University of California-Irvine last Thursday to give a speech on the upcoming election, the War on Terror, and the political status quo. Her speech began with a number of jokes, poking fun at the three Presidential Candidates: John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama. She made fun of Barack's name, McCain's age, and Hillary's attitude and appearance. The audience was dramatically divided; some of her comments were received with appluase and laughter, whereas some members in the audience booed and shouted back responses. During the Q and A, Coulter talked about who she is planning on voting for this November. In her opinion, her vote isn't for McCain but instead, against Obama. Surprisingly she preferred Hillary as a Democratic candidate, but argued that she isn't liberal enough for the voters, similar to the experience with Liberman in 2004.

Overall, the evening was humorous. Coulter delivered sharp wit and agitated a few people in the audience as a number walked out after some of her more offensive comments. If there was anything to be gained from the evening, it's that Coulter certainly keeps things interesting.

McDonald's Gets Rid of Trans-Fat

As if we all needed another excuse to indulge in fast food, McDonalds announced today that its famous French fries are now completely trans-fat free. According to McDonalds CEO Jim Skinner, the fast food chain’s fries have been cooked without trans fat for “a few months”, and the restaurant will be phasing out trans fat in all of its menu items by the end of the year. McDonalds pies, cookies, and other baked items still contain trans fat at the moment, but no longer will in the months to come. According to this article, McDonalds has “lagged behind” other American fast food chains in dropping the use of trans fat in its recipes, due to concerns that doing so would have a negative effect on taste. The change was finally made, due in part to pressure from “consumer advocates and some public officials.”

What effect will the dropping of trans fat have on McDonalds’ business and the demand for fast food in general? Probably none at all. Yes, it’s very unhealthy, but most people are willing to accept a few blood pressure points along with that Big Mac and large fries, so long as they continue to taste good. In the past few months, since McDonalds supposedly stopped using trans fat in their French fries, nobody seems to have noticed a difference in taste. Almost everyone knows that trans fat is bad (though not as many know what, exactly, it is), and McDonalds’ public announcement might actually encourage people to eat more French fries. After all, they’re much healthier now … right?

Life Back at Home

Everybody knows life is hard for soldiers, airmen, and Marines serving overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq right now. But what about their children? While not exactly in the line of fire on a daily basis, children of deployed military personnel struggle to deal with their parents’ prolonged absences. At Fort Campbell High School, the largest on-base high school in the country, every student has at least one parent in the military, many of whom are currently deployed to the Middle East. Most of Fort Campbell’s students remark that while not having their dad or mom around for important coming-of-age events like birthdays, proms, and graduations is difficult, the fact that most of their peers are – or have been – in the same situation makes coping easier. Children of deployed parents countrywide generally deal with the situation well, but do suffer higher rates of depression and drops in academic performance. However, most are proud of their parents’ service, and refuse to use dad or mom’s absence as an excuse for poor behavior or bad grades. “My father doesn’t do an everyday job,” one student said. “And that’s going to help me along in life. I wouldn’t want to change it, to tell you the truth. It’s something different. I’m proud of it.”

With no more military draft, and the Middle East literally half a world away, many Americans have no first-hand experience with the Iraq War. For most, it is something watched nightly on television for updates, like a sports highlight show. But for the students at Fort Campbell and thousands of other people nationwide with family members in the military, the war is something deeply personal, even if they don’t wear a uniform.

Gas Complaints

According to this Slate editorial, Americans should quit complaining about high gas prices, for several reasons. First, gas is only about 20% more expensive than it was in 1922, when demand was much, much lower. Secondly, it is still much cheaper than in other industrialized countries: In Great Britain, for example, a gallon of gas costs an average of $8.38. Thirdly, an increase in gas prices is the only proven cause of reduced oil consumption, a fact which should make the people in the “Go Green” movement cheer for the prices to keep going up. Throw in the huge spike in demand for oil in recent years (caused by the fast industrialization of China and other countries) and the instability in major oil-exporting regions of the Middle East, and the question people should be asking is not “why is gas so expensive now?” but rather “why is gas still so cheap?”. Americans seem to have been spoiled by low gas prices in recent years, and are overreacting to the cost increases because they are unaware of how good they’ve had it … and still do have it.

Donations Become Tiresome

Too much of a bad thing: The relatively small amount of money Americans have donated to disaster relief efforts in Myanmar and China may be due to “disaster fatigue.” So far, about $12 million have been donated by Americans to help the victims of the cyclone in Myanmar, which killed nearly 100,000 people and left millions homeless. This is a tiny sum compared to the amounts donated in the wake of the Asian tsunami in 2004 ($1.92 billion) and Hurricane Katrina in Fall 2005 ($5.3 billion). The reason? After one too many disasters like these, people are less inclined to offer assistance for further relief efforts, either because they can’t afford it or are no longer as emotionally affected by that kind of devastation. Said one psychology professor, "It's too much pain, too much tragedy for someone to process, and so we tend to pull ourselves away from it and … close off from it out of psychological defense.” Also, people tend to instinctively fear for their own safety after witnessing many disasters in quick succession, making them save up their extra money in case a disaster affects them personally, rather than give it away to those already hit. Lastly, at some point people become “overwhelmed” and start believing that any money they do give will not make a significant difference, because “the world’s problems seem impossibly large.” The lack of monetary aid offered by Americans to the victims in Myanmar and China is not due to American apathy and material self-absorption, as some critics would suggest. Americans have simply been exposed to too much bad news.

Economic Woes Affect the Bridal Industry

Typically one would imagine that nothing would get in the way of having one's dream wedding with the perfect dress, cake, location, and flowers. But today in the admist of a recession, the bridal industry, which was once thought to be untouched by the economy's problems, has experienced a decline in sales. With the average wedding costing around $28,700, a slight drop from last year, couples and their families are faced with the decision whether to have their wedding of their dreams or pay their morgage.

Designer boutiques have beem the most affected by the economy. With dresses costing an average of $1,300, most brides are starting to look at discount stores for that designer dress. Since the cost of food has been inflating, there has also been a rising price in the amount spent for the wedding receptions, which is where a bulk of the wedding budget is put towards. Some couples are deciding where to go on their honeymoon based on how strong the dollar is there, thus there has been a smaller number of European honeymoons.

As this years wedding season approaches, many couples will forego their dream wedding and work hard to budget their money wisely. However there are still a few upper-class couples that are spending whatever it takes to perfect their dream day.

Ever Rising Gas Prices

When will gas prices finally level off? Today, Alaska became the first state in the U.S. where the average price of gasoline reached $4.00 per gallon. Last year at this time, a gallon of gas in Alaska cost an average of $2.94, meaning the price has risen by over a dollar in Alaska during that span. Nationwide, the average price per gallon is $3.75, up from $3.35 a year ago. Analysts are predicting the price in Alaska and across the country will continue to rise at least through Memorial Day weekend, traditionally considered one of the biggest driving weekends of the year and when gas prices often reach their peak due to heavy demand. “Memorial Day is a little to the gasoline industry what Christmas is to retailers,” one analyst remarked.

Another increase in gas prices of a few more cents at the pump will likely not have any effect on people’s willingness to pay. While everybody likes to complain about the price of gas, everybody also will continue to buy it. Americans (and people in other industrialized countries) are completely dependent on oil and need it to function on a daily basis. Given this fact, it is actually surprising that the price of gasoline is not much higher than it already is. The world’s major oil exporters could probably double the price without causing any significant decrease in demand. Unless there is a real breakthrough in “alternative energy” research, people will keep filling up their tanks no matter how much it costs, because they will have no other choice.

A New Candidate

Bob Barr, a former Republican member of the House of Representatives, has announced his intention to run for president as the nominee of the Libertarian party. Barr represented a district in Georgia from 1995 to 2003, when he lost his seat to another Republican due to redistricting. Barr has been highly critical of President Bush’s administration, saying that he and the Republican Party have not done enough to decrease the size of the federal government. He is also a strong opponent of the Iraq War and is angered by a perceived lack of respect for civil liberties that has gone along with the wider war on terror. He left the GOP two years ago due to these philosophical and practical differences.

The 2004 Libertarian presidential nominee, Michael Badnarik, received less than one percent of the nationwide popular vote. But since then, Republican voters have become more and more disenchanted with their party’s direction, resulting in the party’s loss of Senate and House majorities in 2006 and President Bush’s historically low approval rating. Also, the Libertarian ideals of drastically reduced government, respect for civil liberties, and isolationism were put on full display in the media recently thanks to the surprising success of Ron Paul’s presidential campaign. Barr shares many of the same views as does Paul, who didn’t come close to winning the Republican nomination but still won enough favorable media coverage and votes to play spoiler and make the other GOP candidates nervous. If Barr is able to attract Paul’s supporters away from John McCain, he could potentially play a pivotal role in the general election by luring away disaffected Republican voters. Of course, Barack Obama (the likely Dem nominee) might have to worry about Ralph Nader doing similar damage to his own numbers.

Earthquake Hits China

A massive earthquake hit China on Monday, registering 7.8 on the Richter scale. 9,000 people are already confirmed dead, and many more are trapped in the rubble, including at least 900 students.

The earthquake was concentrated in central China, so the country’s biggest cities, like Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, were not affected, although tremors there were definitely felt. However, China’s state-run news agency, Xinhua, reported that over 80 percent of the buildings in the region directly hit by the earthquake had collapsed, including a toxic chemicals plant. Apparently, over 80 tons of toxic chemicals have leaked from the damaged plant into the ground and atmosphere.

This is more bad news for China, which has gotten a lot of negative press lately regarding its handling of Tibet and its overall human rights record. The Olympic Games, which China was hoping would improve the country’s worldwide image, have brought nothing but trouble so far. Monday’s earthquake has nothing to do with the Olympics, of course, but China’s rescue and humanitarian efforts dealing with the quake’s aftermath will probably be scrutinized heavily by the international media. Another public relations disaster would be very bad for the Chinese government and may convince some countries to boycott the upcoming Olympics.

Natural Disaster

The cyclone that hit the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar a couple days ago may have killed as many as 100,000 people. Reports describe dead bodies floating face-down in the water, and up to 1,000,000 people in the country are now homeless as a result of the storm. 95 percent of the buildings affected area were demolished. However, despite the increasingly bad conditions there, the ruling Myanmar military junta is allegedly restricting access to the area, preventing aid and relief organizations from delivering much-needed supplies and medical care. The junta has purposely isolated the area affected by the cyclone for decades in order to maintain its “iron-fisted control.” Many countries, including the United States, have offered help and support, and are standing by awaiting permission from the junta to enter the country and begin relief work. The U.S. has put several military planes and personnel into position to provide aid quickly, but there is skepticism about the chances of Myanmar accepting American help. In the event that the junta continues to restrict access, the United Nations might invoke a special “responsibility to protect clause” as justification for entering the country anyway without the junta’s permission

Jenna Bush's Wedding

This Saturday, Jenna Bush is getting married in a low-key ceremony at the Bush Family Ranch in Crawford, Texas. The first family is occupied with the arrangements for the big event. Jenna opted out of having a large White House wedding stating that, she was raised in Texas and having a White House wedding just wasn't her style". Although it may not be as glamourous as a White House wedding, Jenna will be wearing an Oscar de la Renta gown, surrounded by 14 bridemaids, at the foot of a limestone cross. The outdoor ceremony is expected to have more than 200 guests. President Bush joked about being excluded from the wedding plans, which have been made mostly by his daughters and wife.

This outdoor Texas wedding is being contrasted with that of Alice Roosevelt, the daughter of former President Theodore Roosevelt. The Roosevelt wedding was a glamourous during a time of prosperity and during a popular presidency. The Bush family is far more private and the country is experiening war and economic strife.

The Candidates' Word Choice

With the internet anything the candidates say or do is online and available to the masses in a matter of seconds. Bloggers are able to go through and meticulously pick apart the candidates message word by word. This makes their agruments vulnerable to the hands of bloggers. At this crucial time in the primary elections, the candidates have to be careful about what they say. In a Slate article the author makes that argument that Catholics prefer Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama and supports this argument with example from the candidates stance on abortion.

Clinton described "every abortion as a tragedy", while Obama, when asked about telling his daughters about sex stated, "I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby." Obama's statement angered some of his religious supporters and it was all over a number of blogs. The word "punishment" pushed away some supporters, whereas "tragedy" appealed to others. Their word choice greatly affects how one feels about the candidate, even though in the end both support abortion.

President Bush and the Truman Comparison

George W. Bush may be a very unpopular president, but he is at least not the most unpopular president in presidential history. Bush’s current approval rating of 28 percent is still significantly higher than Harry Truman’s approval rating in 1952, which was just 22 percent. Back then, the Korean War greatly hurt Truman’s popularity, like how the Iraq War currently is hurting Bush’s. Truman also had rapid inflation, ineffective price controls, the shadow of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the firing of the legendary General MacArthur dragging down his poll numbers. Things got to be so bad for Truman that he decided to not run for re-election, rather than run and be humiliated (Dwight Eisenhower became the next president). History has vindicated Truman, who is now generally ranked by historians and political scientists as one of the better presidents of the 20th century – not at the level of FDR or John F. Kennedy, but on a respectable second tier. George W. Bush is an extremely unpopular president at the moment, but like Truman, only time will tell for sure just how bad – or not so bad – his presidency has really been.

Activism on Campus

At UC Irvine, its difficult to walk to classes without seeing some group on campus protesting whatever issue is on the menu for the week. Students are constantly getting handed flyers or pamphlets that get thrown into the nearest trash can. The everyday solicting can lead to desensitizing the students. It becomes more bothersome that one begins to ignore solitors regardless to the issue or event at hand.

A major issue with solitciting on campus is that groups tend to falsely advertise their purpose. Last Fall quarter there was an exhibit in the MSTB parking lot advertised as a glimpse into the life of an African child with AIDS. Students partipcated in an interactive experience in which they were given a role as a poor child affected by AIDS. They were shown where the child sleeps, weapons they were forced to use, and what they ate. Although it appeared that the purpose of this exhibit was to emphasize the hardship that African children had to endure and the liklihood of any child in the country contracting AIDS. However, at the end of the exhibit students were met with representatives from a Christian club on campus to reflect upon the exhibit and discuss its connection to religion. They proposed that the solution to this problem was religion.

Some religious groups on campus are missleading in the sense that they use different tatics to attract an audience and then reveal their true intentions once students are already baited.

A Reflection on the Pope's Visit

Pope Benedict’s historic visit last month has caused many people to wonder what the future now holds for Catholicism in the United States. The Church’s standing in this country was hurt badly by the sexual abuse scandal, a situation which the Pope addressed directly and contritely during his stay. So where does American Catholicism go from here? A recent piece in Time Magazine suggests that the positive reaction to the Pope’s visit may signal the death of liberal Catholicism, a movement that started in the aftermath of the Vatican II reforms of the early 1960’s and has remained an influential presence in the American Church ever since. Liberal Catholics since Vatican II have challenged the Vatican’s doctrinal authority over issues such as birth control, celibacy, abortion, and women in the clergy, butting heads along the way with leading Church figures like Pope John Paul II and, most recently, Pope Benedict XVI. At the same time, church attendance and Catholic identification have decreased as older Catholics have become disillusioned with the Church’s post-Vatican II reforms and younger Catholics have increasingly questioned and/or rejected its conservative stances and central authority. But there is the possibility that Benedict’s successful trip, during which he spoke empathetically and penitently about the Church’s recent missteps, has stopped the bleeding and persuaded many disaffected liberal Catholics that it is still a viable institution capable of acknowledging its errors and operating in the modern world, while staying true to its core principles.

Obama and Rev. Wright

Much has been made recently in the media regarding Barack Obama’s ex-pastor, Jeremiah Wright. Wright has sparked controversy with his off-the-wall rhetoric, which includes praise for Louis Farrakhan, curses against the United States, and a suggestion that the U.S. government invented the AIDS virus to exterminate African-Americans. Members of the media have been tripping over themselves talking about how badly Wright will affect Obama’s candidacy for president. But do the voters themselves really care? A report in the New York Times today suggests that Obama will actually not be hurt very much by his past relationship with Wright. While almost all people asked by the Times expressed bewilderment and/or anger over Wright’s wild accusations and assertions, none said that they will no longer vote for Obama because of his connection to the retired pastor. A few in Indianapolis voiced concern that voters in more rural areas of Indiana might use the situation as “an excuse not to vote for” a black candidate, but not one of the people interviewed for the report said their personal vote would be at all affected. If these voters are representative of the larger voting population, it looks like members of the media might have—as usual—made a big issue out of a minor one in order to have something interesting to talk about on television and radio.