Ghost Sign

A few weeks back UW Tacoma took down the "Dawg Shed," a rather sad and nondescript building on Pacific Avenue, to make way for a new assembly hall. The demolition revealed this nice ghost sign, along with a few others, that are now open to the sky until the new building hides them again for another half-century or so.

Big Darlin' Professor Share

Hot off them Internets, Professor Share's bluegrass band wins praise for its recent album, Big Darlin--

The Downtown Mountain Boys are Paul Elliott, Don Share, David Keenan, Terrence Enyeart and Tom Moran, the cream of Seattle-area pickers, top teachers, session musicians, and musicologists . . . so the release of their latest, Big Darlin’ comes with weighty expectations. Happily, they make it sound easy, as great musicians can. Big Darlin’ is a solid slice of real, straight-ahead Bluegrass, with only the faintest hints that the band members do some work outside the genre, too (banjoist Keenan, who made his name in rockabilly and sports Seattle’s most iconic haircut, can’t help singing like Lefty Frizzell.) The disc features a couple numbers by award-winning songwriter and former Seattleite Nancy Riccio, including the scorching opening cut, “Back in the Black,” which is about how payday means not just solvency but a general lifting of spirits. Most of the disc is wisely chosen material from a variety of County and Bluegrass sources, like Jesse Fuller’s “99 Years and One Dark Day” and “Till the End of the World Rolls Around.” The cuts are committed with the drive and verve Bluegrass needs, but just to be different, DTMB does the usually-hyper “Black Eyed Suzie” as a slow country lope. Fiddler Paul Elliott penned the title track, while Keenan contributes a fascinating, hilarious, philosophical piece of cornpone Zen, “Sometimes Dig for Taters.” Big Darlin’ is the big local Bluegrass release of the summer, and should go national. It’s big, darlin’.
–Tom Petersen, Victory Music Review, August 2007.

Tags:

• DonShare

Torey Holderith '09: USMMA Internship Update

Torey Holderith '09 checks in as his internship winds down--and he's off to do another at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies.
We hope to offer this internship again next summer, so if what you hear below sounds attractive, drop me a note or come by once the school year begins.

My internship at the United States Merchant Marine Academy is coming to close, and I wanted recap some of the highlights of my several months here. On June 18th 2007 the academy held its annual commencement exercises. This was really the big event of my internship, as I had been helping to assemble guest lists and in preparation of the logistical nightmare which is a graduation ceremony, but which is made even worse by the attendance of Senator John S. McCain, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters, and Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton. My primary task during this time was managing a guest list of about 700 VIPs who were invited to the ceremony and a luncheon following, but as an intern I was also given the opportunity to help with a large amount of random tasks.

The ceremony was a very successful and while there were a few hitches the critiques were overwhelmingly positive. The ceremony was moving, it is hard to go into detail, but Midshipmen wear the uniforms of the service into which they are entering (they have a choice between all services upon graduation) and during the ceremony those going into each service rose to take their respective oaths of service. Senator John McCain delivered an excellent commencement speech and the graduates threw their hats into the air. The only thing missing from the ceremony was the flyover by Navy Jets, which was unfortunately denied due to Navy disciplinary policy (pilot had apparently done an unauthorized flyover of a Mets game). I fear I have not done the ceremony justice in my description, but Midshipmen work with little break from the time they enter the academy to reach graduation, so to say that they were excited to graduate would be a gross understatement.



Following graduation there was a short break, and then on July 5th 2007 the freshmen (Plebe) class arrived. They were met with haircuts and drill instructors. Part of what makes this phase (indoctrination) remarkable is that the drill instructors are comprised entirely of upper-classmen with only limited Marine Corps supervision. Although my role in the indoctrination phase was small, witnessing it was certainly an experience. Parents drop their kids off, listen to a welcoming speech by the Superintendent of the academy and then are promptly escorted off campus. This two and a half week “orientation” phase is meant to instill discipline and etiquette into the plebe candidates and introduce them to the academy. I found myself invited to do PT with them in the mornings, but sadly only participated several times, primarily because waking up at 0530 was not on my schedule. To say the least it was not quite the same as I remember my first week of school at UPS.



My last day here at Kings Point is this Friday, and I will certainly miss this place. UPS has a beautiful campus, but its hard to beat this prime waterfront property here along the Long Island Sound. My final task during my stay here is to develop an intern succession plan, so it is my hope that this may be an annual experience for UPS students so that a closer relationship may be attained between the United States Merchant Marine Academy and the University of Puget Sound. In my short time here I have witnessed the end of one class’s time at Kings Point, and the beginning of another. It has been quite remarkable. That being said, I look forward to returning to UPS and the great Pacific Northwest, following several great months in Kings Point.



Cheers,

Torey Holderith
Class of 2009

Hanseatic Haltom

A few days back Bill Haltom travelled to Berlin for the Law and Society Conference, and was joined by Professor Ostrom from the English Department. Professor Haltom's paper, co-authored with Michael McCann (Political Science, University of Washington) was titled "Gunning for Justice and Pressing for Reform: How U. S. Newspapers Report Disputes over Firearms". Professor Ostrom's paper dealt with Langston Hughes' work as it related to issues of race, ethnicity, and rights. Read the abstracts here.

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that I think they had a good time at the conference. And I know that Berlin is not really Hanseatic. A bit of bloggy license for sake of alliteration.

Tags:

• BillHaltom
  

We Kiva

This summer the Politics and Government Department set up an account with Kiva. Kiva is a microlending organization that allows individuals to make small loans to businesses in less developed parts of the world.

The total amount that people want is rather small--around $1000--and usually toward creating or expanding a small family business, like a restaurant or auto repair shop. numerous individuals make small contributions toward any one loan, which both limits the risk and helps create more of a network of donors.

Politics and Government started our account with $100, and Professor Fields asked his summer students in Introduction to Comparative Politics to choose which country and applicant they wanted to support. You can find out about who they chose here.

What I like about Kiva is that while any interest on the loan goes to cover overhead, the principal itself is paid back to the original lender. So if all goes well, we'll have our hundred bucks back, and can reinvest it. To date, the repayment rate at Kiva is over 99%.

We'll look to grow our account in the near future, and Student Body President Hart Edmonson '08 and I have also talked about expanding this further across the student body. Stay tuned.

Constitutions Matter

You certainly wouldn't get any argument from me on that--standard introductory political science. But what's with all the billboards that have sprung up around town with nothing more than these two words?

Blogs at the News Tribune and our own Exit 133 (Derek Young '96) are suggesting that this is a statement by Clear Channel in response to Tacoma's decision to bring all billboards in town in compliance with regulations that limit their size and placement. Is Clear Channel saying that these restrictions are a limitation on free speech? It will be interesting to see how this battle shapes up--Clear Channel has deep pockets.

More on the story here.

Thanks to Exit 133 for the image.

Teach in Chile

CIEE proudly announces the opening of applications for our second Teach in Chile program: http://www.ciee.org/teach/choose_program/teach_chile.aspx.

Teach in Chile begins in late February 2008 for the Chilean academic year; the application deadline is September 1. Application information is available on the CIEE website http://www.ciee.org/teach/teach_chile/placement_chile.aspx.

CIEE is collaborating with several reputable institutions to host Americans as English teachers for the 2008 Chilean academic school year, starting in late February and ending in mid-December. These institutions include local private schools in Santiago, the Universidad de Chile in Santiago, and DuocUC, a non-profit private institution of higher education established in 1968 by the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

An exceptional opportunity for recent graduates, the CIEE Teach Chile program offers native English speakers with strong Spanish skills, who possess, at minimum, a bachelor's degree a unique and affordable opportunity to live and work in this fascinating country and to gain insight into the life and culture in a way no traveler could. Previous teaching experience is not necessary, although it's quite desirable.

CIEE program benefits include orientation by on-site CIEE staff and local experts in Santiago focused on cross-cultural issues and teaching methodologies, insurance coverage, 24 hour in-country emergency support services, pre-departure advice and support, teaching tools, and visa advising.

Please feel free to contact me with questions, or share my details with interested alums.

Kind regards,
Jennifer

Jennifer Atkinson
Manager, Teach Abroad Programs
CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange
7 Custom House Street, 3rd Floor
Portland, ME 04101-4739

T: 207/553-7639
F: 207/253-0639
E: jatkinson@ciee.org
W: www.ciee.org/teach

Tags:

• Employment
• Studyabroad
  

Fall Internship, World Trade Center Tacoma

From Colleen Gause '06:

I have been keeping busy at the Trade Center since we last saw each other in June. We’ve had several events and trade research projects, and I am developing some new publications for WTC Tacoma.

As summer is drawing to a close (sooner that I would hope!), our summer interns are kindly letting us know that they will be heading back to school and various ventures in the next few weeks. With that said, we would love to have folks apply for fall internships now. Would you mind posting the opening on the blog?

Here’s some verbiage:

The World Trade Center Tacoma is recruiting for fall interns. Interns are asked to work 15-20 hours per week, and are unpaid. We are flexible to work around student class and work schedules. There are positions available in event coordinating, international trade services, and website design. Interested students are asked to submit their resume, cover letter (indicate which intern position you are interested in and your schedule availability), a letter of recommendation, and also a school transcript if you are interested in receiving academic credit for your internship. For more information about intern positions, visit: http://www.wtcta.org/index.php?CURRENT_PAGE_ID=521.

All application materials and questions about internships can be sent to Colleen Gause at cgause@wtcta.org.

Thanks in advance for your assistance. I’d love seeing more Loggers down here at the Trade Center!

Need a Job in NYC? Alum's got one!

Megan Buscho 'o6 writes:

I wanted to see if you would post something about the non-profit I am working at New Visions for Public Schools. We are hiring for a couple of entry-level positions, and I would love to help out any Loggers that are looking for jobs in New York. The website is www.newvisions.org, so if you could post a small blurb, I would really appreciate it.

Check it out, and there's an older post on what Megan's been up to, including a discussion of New Visions, here.

Bet on it

I was thinking about the prediction markets today. I'm not much of a gambler, myself, but I'm interested in the ways in which markets can be used to predict certain outcomes--not just betting on sports, but things like elections. Online betting is illegal in the US, but in Ireland Tradesports and Intrade allow you to bet online on a range of things, including the outcome of the Russian presidential elections or whether there will be an airstrike by the US against Iran by the end of September. Many observers in political science and economics have argued that these kinds of markets, where there is real money involved, have a good track record at guessing future outcomes correctly. That being said, it's interesting to look at the Democratic candidates for president as viewed by the betting community. The number on the right can essentially be viewed as a percentage of likelihood of that person being nominated. You can click on the pictures for a larger size.

Here's the bet on Clinton becoming the presidential nominee:

And here's Obama:



Interesting to look through, even if you're not a gamer at heart.

Morgan O'Neal '06 is off to law school

Morgan writes:

I just wanted to give you a quick update on where I'm at and what's going on. I finished my contract at Microsoft in June and have been taking a vacation. I had applied to the Seattle University School of Law in January and found out in April that I was on the waitlist...I finally heard about 3 weeks ago that I've been admitted to the entering class of 2007. My first (full!) day of class is on August 27th...I'm thinking about blogging my experiences as a One L, so I'll let you know if that happens and you can pass the info to anyone you think might be interested.

Best of luck to Morgan and let's hope that for that One L blog to give us the inside scoop on life at law school.

The First Ninety Days

A short piece in the Wall Street Journal on how recent grads should approach their new job in its first ninety days. The main points:

• Find a mentor
• Get on people's radar
• Play up your tech skills
• Turn on spell check
• Keep your opinions to yourself.

Read the whole piece here.

Jennifer DeLury Ciplet '98: Amazon Watch to NISGUA

A ways back we profiled Jennifer DeLury Ciplet '98, who has been managing director of Amazon Watch. But time marches on and Jennifer has taken a new position as Executive Director of The Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA ). Congrats to her for the new job and all the best!

In related news, this leaves a vacancy at Amazon Watch. Interested in filling Jennifer's shoes and becoming their executive director? Deadline for applications is August 1; find the job posting here.

Tags:

• Alums

Julie Housh '06: DC Job, advice, and internship opportunity

Julie Housh '06 updates us with what she's been doing, her job in DC, weighs in on the value of doing an internship and offers one to boot. Make a note of it!

Hi Professor O'Neil,

Just another P&G alum note. I've been living in D.C. since graduating in May '06 and am presently working in Rep. Rick Larsen's office (WA-02) as a staff assistant. I'm happy to help anyone who is in D.C. - visiting, interning, relocating. - or just curious about working on the Hill, living in D.C., etc.

As staff assistant I am also the intern coordinator and we're currently looking for fall interns. If it's too late for students to commit to the fall, it might be useful to start thinking about spring or summer internships, we're always in need! While the internship is unpaid, we're happy to help with school credit to make coming all the way out to D.C. worthwhile. I've attached the internship information below.

I cannot recommend an internship in politics (or anywhere) enough. I interned in D.C. the summer before my senior year and loved it; I wrote a memo that ended up becoming my senior thesis. After graduating I took another internship and landed my current job. It really is a great way to find out how things really work and decide whether or not politics is the right field for you.

Thanks so much. I really love the department blog, it's great to see what's going on and where people are.

Julie Housh
Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02)
107 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202.225.2605

The Office of Rep. Rick Larsen (D­WA­02) is seeking to hire a fall intern in the Washington DC office. Candidates should have an interest in and knowledge of the legislative process, possess excellent writing and communication skills, and have an understanding of the American political system.

Interns will be responsible for projects such as writing congressional correspondence, working with federal agencies, fielding constituent phone calls and other requests. Other duties include leading Capitol building tours and providing staff with general office support. During their term, interns are encouraged to attend briefings and committee hearings of personal interest and complete individual and team goals.

If you would like to be considered for an internship, please fax your resume and cover letter to 202­225-4420 or email julie.housh@mail.house.gov. If you have questions about an internship, please contact Julie Housh by email or by phone at 202­225-2605.

Tags:

• Alums
• Internships

Eunice Lake

Monday I hiked up part of Mt Rainier with a friend who is a professor of political science at Corvinus University in Budapest. He'd just finished his first tour of the US as part of a larger international delegation of academics, journalists and parliamentarians, sponsored by the State Department, and wanted to see some mountains--something they don't really have in Hungary.

Luckily for us, Professor Sherman has been teaching a course on the mountain this summer, complete with regular hikes, and he recommended a trail that was not too strenuous for the non-athletic like myself. We were rewarded with some wonderful views and had the place almost entirely to ourselves (except the mosquitos). If you're in town, student or alum, a quick side trip to Rainier is worth it.

YourSpace in My Face in the Workplace

A piece in the Wall Street Journal on the complexities when your social network includes co-workers, including your boss. Social network software is more difficult to compartmentalize, I think, than, for example, blogs, since you can make them much more private or anonymous and only share with a few. With something like Facebook, there's just one "you" for everyone to see. Maybe we need multiple boundaries within these identities that grant levels of access, rather than the rather blunt option of simply calling everyone a "friend" (which they clearly aren't).

More confusion over the boundaries between public and private. Find the article here.

Melanie Choy '98 Changes Jobs

I just heard from Melanie Choy '98 that she's just taken a job with the California Endowment, whose mission is to "expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians." Melanie will be a program associate; Melanie says her job will be to review grant proposals related to "culturally competent health systems," which the Endowment defines as "ones that are engaged with and responsive to diverse individuals and communities." It sounds like a great career move and we wish her the best of luck in her new job. Another example of where a degree in political science can take you. Way to go, Melanie!

Tags:

• Alums

What's the Matter with College?

A lot, according to the New York Times. They've got an essay contest going in response to a piece penned with the title above. You can find it here. I think the essay smacks a bit too much of the notion that "college was great when I went in the (insert decade here), but now these new kids have thrown it all away"--which I think maybe every generation has felt. Compare the changes in the essay above to, for example, those that happened when the GI Bill turned colleges from institutions of elaborate rituals (like freshman hazing) into places dominated by war vets who wanted to get a degree and get on with their lives, with little patience for such "rules".

Or maybe I'm wrong. Read the essay and let me know what you think.

On a related note, I'd observe that the NYT essay itself and its connection to MTV is an attempt by the newspaper to capture a younger demographic, one that is turning away from newspaper reading. Maybe they are hoping that by provoking students they'll pique their interest, though that presumes they read about this essay in the NYT in the first place--a bit of a catch-22.

AWACS

The other day I was down on Ruston Way and saw an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) plane fly overhead. This is a Boeing product, and in past I used to watch them fly over Tacoma fairly often, but it's been a while since I'd seen one. If you want to know more about them, Boeing has a good bit of information here.

The Scoop

This was sent along by Josh Cole '09; rather than try to recap, I'll simply cut and paste. Pretty interesting idea; Josh wants to take a stab at contributing--you might want to, too.

The Scoop '08

Here, in the months to come, young people around the country are banding together to provide in-depth and engaging coverage of the unprecedented 2008 presidential race. Sign-up here.

Our Approach and Mission

Features will come in all styles, as well as in cutting-edge multimedia formats. And in addition to giving students a voice in the 2008 presidential election
and providing the world with impacting coverage of the race, we are also seeking to attempt a truly 'new kind of newspaper,' in which readers matter more than editors, in which stories come from the bottom-up, not the top-down, in which every word furthers our mission of satisfying the curiosity and real needs of our audience,
and in which innovation matters as much as, if not more than, convention.

Happy Fourth

Source: State Department's July 4th Photo Gallery

Happy July 4 to everyone out there in the blogosphere! Be careful with those firecrackers.

EUTube

The European Union has launched its own channel on YouTube, with all sorts of videos. What kinds of things would the EU post on YouTube? Videos on
Global Warming
US-Europe Relations
Naughty Bits

The last one has raised some hackles, not surprisingly.

The Presidential Past--Online

I was aware that for some time there has been access to recordings of presidential meetings going back to the Kennedy Administration (and earlier), but was not aware of what all was available online from the Miller Center of Public Affairs. Their Presidential Recordings Program has both audio and transcripts from the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administration. One interesting bit I saw is one of the first tape, where Kennedy discusses domestic politics in Brazil and whether to back a military coup if necessary (transcript; audio in mp3; big file and audio has a lot of background hiss). Really interesting look back into the not-so distant past.

Bitty Blog Break

No post to speak of for today or tomorrow. Tomorrow I'm off to Bellevue to present at their Advanced Placement workshop on teaching high school Advanced Placement comparative politics. A big conference for all AP teachers in all disciplines, where teachers from all over the country come together for one week to work on teaching their AP subjects. I always enjoy hearing about how comparative politics is being taught at the high school level, and I tell them about how I teach my own course. If you're interested, you can find more here. I'm always amazed at how big AP has become nationally and even internationally.

Streamy Affairs

Universities are embracing streaming video--for classes, for recruiting, for athletic events, all sorts of applications. Wave of the future or a fad? Read more about it here.

Laurel Bandy '07: Off to London

Back in April I blogged that Laurel Bandy '07 was a finalist for the Mountbatten Internship, "a carefully designed 12 month training program that provides an opportunity to learn about British and International business techniques, and to experience the rich cultural diversity of London. Successful completion of the Programme leads to the Certificate in International Business Practice". After a successful interview in SF she has been accepted into the program and writes:

Hello!
I hope this e-mail finds you enjoying your summer! I have some good news to share- I have just accepted a position through Mountbatten with Thomas Miller & Co ltd. in London. I'll be a Risk Management Project Assistant with the TT Club, which is a division that deals exclusively with marine transportation and commerce. I'm pretty excited, so something for you to blog! I'll be off August 20th. I'll keep you posted as I get more details!

Let's have more of our students do this internship. See me in the fall if you're interested.

Tags:

• Alums
• Internships
• Studyabroad
• Fellowships
• Employment
  

NYT on Salishan

A piece in the New York Times on Salishan, a public housing complex in Tacoma recently torn down and rebuilt as a mixture of market priced housing and subsidized apartments. It's been a pretty dramatic recreation of this area, and there's more to come.

Hat tip: Exit133 forum.

Musings in Thailand is Back in Action

Ashley Mills '05, currently on Peace Corps in Thailand, started--then stopped--a blog on her life there. A tough assignment, what with military coups and all. Ashley's restarted her blog, and leads off with a nice discussion of the differences between Americans' sense of space and privacy in comparison to Thais. Worth reading; find it at http://musingsinthailand.blogspot.com/

Graduation 2007 Slideshow

Created with Paul's flickrSLiDR.

Rank us not

A number of schools are balking at further participation in the US News and World Report college guides, arguing that it is not a valid survey of school quality. Read the article here; I haven't seen anything to indicate that UPS will follow their lead. Of course, the catch is that there isn't any comparable alternative.

Or rather, there is, but there's no public access to it. The National Survey of Student Engagement has been done for a number of years, asking students to assess such things as the level of academic challenge, interaction with faculty members, and the like. The surveys provide benchmarks against which colleges can compare themselves, but most schools do not share their own data on how their school stacks up against the average. This would be an easy way, it would seem, to bring an end to the US News rankings, but it would require schools to "expose" themselves to the public and each other, finding out where they fell--not a risk most schools want to take, and one that would be difficult to get a majority of schools to agree to at the same time.

To see how one school has posted their data, check out Elon College's NSSE overview here. And here's an older article about the sensitivity of the NSSE information. And US News has started posting NSSE data from those schools that would share it; find it here.

Your Tacoma Pictures for the Day

Ruston Way. Bollards along the Dickman Mill site have a poem to describe the place.

I like this old foundation of the sawdust burner because it seems like an ancient ruin.

Update: Torey Holderith '09 Internship, US Merchant Marine Academy

This email and pictures came my way. As Torey mentions at the end of the email, we are working to institutionalize this internship so that we'd have it available every year. If you're interested in what you hear, let me know and come see me in the fall.

Professor O'Neil:

I hope the semester ended well for you, and I apologize for not having written sooner. From the time my flight touched down in New York on Memorial Day the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA, or Kings Point) has treated me excellently and has easily surpassed my expectations.

It took me about a week to actually semi-fully understand Kings Point. Although Kings Point is a federal service academy and requires a senators nomination just as the other four federal academies do, it is the only one not operated by the Department of Defense. The United States Merchant Marine Academy is instead operated by the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD), which is of course a division of the Department of Transportation. At the same time though academy graduates have the option of becoming commissioned as officers in any of the branches of the military. The service obligation upon graduation is seven years in a military reserve service (most choose Navy as you may imagine), but it is also serving five years in the United States maritime industry. Despite MARAD technically operating the academy it is very much a federal service academy as Midshipmen are required to be in military style uniform throughout the day. Even when not in uniform they have matching workout and casual apparel (It makes fitting in rather difficult as you may imagine).

The reason I explain of all of this is because it makes Kings Point unique, as it is an environment in which Federal Bureaucracy, Military, and Academia meet with a unique result. The campus itself is located on Long Island, in a region once known as the "Gold Coast."

The building I work in was once Walter Chrysler's summer vacation home before it was purchased by the federal government in 1942. It is supposedly the inspiration for F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

The view outside of Torey's office--not bad.

As for actual responsibilities, in addition to learning a great deal about the Maritime industry (a vastly overlooked industry), and learning a great deal of acronyms for various federal institutions, I am primarily assisting the Public Affairs office in planning both Graduation and Indoctrination in July. I am currently primarily managing the VIP list for this Monday's graduation. As you know this year's speaker is Senator John McCain, and in attendance will be approximately 200 VIPs including the Secretary of Transportation, Generals and Admirals from all of the branches of the armed services. My experience here has given me not only an impression of logistics and planning for large events, but also (and more importantly in my mind) has shown me a great deal of how to conduct oneself in an environment with a heavy military influence. In just several weeks I have realized just how special Kings Point is.

I saw New York City for the first time aboard a 78 foot custom built Yacht with two Assistant Secretaries of the Air Force. Like a true Politics major I found myself nervous and giddy to be able to talk on a personal level with high ranking government officials for even just 15 minutes. The cruise was made possible by Secretary Billings '77, who I am looking forward to seeing this weekend at graduation as he was unable to make the yacht cruise around the Statues of Liberty last week. The trip was actually setup largely with his help, as USMMA sought to call the attention of the Secretary of the Air Force in charge of installations to our solar hydrogen house (USMMA is home to America's first entirely solar and hydrogen powered home). The idea was that the Air Force would be interested in the concept of sustainable energy as a money saving opportunity, and we were offering to develop closer ties with the USAF in exchange for personnel help from the Air Force. It was somewhat successful with follow up meetings between USMMA researchers, and the USAF.

Senator John McCain's advance man got here yesterday, and we so we are now tweaking and finalizing all aspects of the ceremony. As important as what I am doing is who I am meeting, and the contacts I am making are amazing. The last several mornings I have had breakfast with a nuclear propulsions expert. Since I have been here I have had a senior congressman's son tell me to let him know if I want his dad to help me out, a DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) employee offer to introduce me to people and show me around the DIA when I go down to DC later this summer. It has been pretty amazing.

Thank you very much for your recommendation for this internship. I am doing my best to set a great impression to try and solidify the connection between UPS and USMMA, and I think it is entirely possible. I feel that I really got lucky with an internship where I get to heavily refine my career aspirations at the same time as gaining an incredible number of contacts within the Federal Government. Hopefully this email, along with the attached pictures will prove sufficient blog fodder for a day, although from the sounds of the archives you were recently in you may have found some good blog material. When I return we will have to sit down and talk because I have so many experiences and thoughts from this internship after just two weeks that it is unbelievable. In addition to providing me with housing the internship is also paying an extremely competitive wage ($12.50/hr), it really is about as good as it gets.

Regards,
Torey Holderith

Tags:

• Internship
• Employment
  

More thoughts on money (and how to keep it)

PG Alum Trevor Anthony '02 has a three part series on saving for the short, medium, and long term. Thoughtful, and worth reading here, here and here.

Thanks, Trevor, to the link to the CNN retirement calculator--a nice "reverse engineered" bit of calculation that tells you what percent you should be saving, rather than giving you a fixed number or telling you if you'll miss your retirement mark. Find it here.

Professor Weinberger Returns and Reflects

Over at Security Dilemmas, Professor Weinberger reflects on some of the issues raised during his recent academic visit to Israel. Interesting thoughts on torture, Iran, Gaza and Hamas, Hezbollah, and some of the splits inside Israel over the future course of their foreign policy (sounds familiar, somehow). Worth reading.

Mrs. Zinchuk Comes Full Circle

If you've been following the adventures of Jen (Eidum) Zinchuk '03 on her blog--it's over there on the right--you'll know she's gone from Peace Corps in Ukraine to wedding bells to grad school in Hungary and now has relocated with her husband in Tacoma, of all places. And now to complete the loop, she's just been hired by Admissions at UPS, so she'll be scouring the highways and biways of Montana, Oregon and Washington in search of new fodder for the nefarious faculty. Best of luck in the new job and welcome back into the fold!

Death and Taxes

Professor Sousa emailed me this:
http://www.thebudgetgraph.com/poster/
Very nice. A must have for our department hallway, and for that especially wonky someone in your life!

PG , PG, Everywhere

Today I attended a luncheon sponsored by the World Trade Center Tacoma. The event was WTC Association Day, and representatives from the various businesses that belong were on hand, with a roundtable talk from academic heads or vice heads from UPS (Dean Bartanen), PLU, St. Martin's and UW Tacoma. The talk was quite interesting, with each participant talking about issues related to the topic "Different Pathways to Global Education". This included discussion of foreign students, of study abroad, and of integrating more of an international component into courses on campus. There was also an awards ceremony for student work (written and artistic) dealing with globalization. I was pleased that Dean Bartanen mentioned the department during her presentation, with a Powerpoint slide that featured several of Irene Lim's incredible department event posters.

Everywhere I turned there was someone connected to Politics and Government. En route I parked by the Tacoma Dome station, where Mayor Baarsma (PG alum from '64) was holding a press conference to announce that the Spirit of Washington dinner train, originally based in Renton, will now depart from Tacoma. Among the onlookers was Derek Young '96, who was covering the event for his ever-expanding Exit133 empire. More than a blog these days, they now sponsor KPLU radio and are hosting a candidate forum for the upcoming city council race.

When I arrived at the WTC talk, I was greeted at the door by Garrett Heilman '08, who had just started an internship there. Also present was Colleen (Woodrow) Gause '06 who is Communications and Membership Coordinator for the World Trade Center. We talked about colonizing the internship opportunities, which to date have been dominated by PLU students (shame, shame). So students, if want a good internship opportunity for the fall, keep the World Trade Center in mind.

Archives

Finally, I made my way over to the university archives with recent alums Chris Pohlad (who is currently interning with admissions) and Ryan Dumm (who is working on a local city council race). My time was short but what a interesting collection: photos, old banners, photographs going back to the first days of the college, and of course boxes and boxes of papers and other ephemera. I found that Politics and Government, once a track within the History Department (as I expected), split off around 1948-50, with one (new?) faculty member (Professor Hugh Tudor; BA Simpson College '26; taught in the department at least into the late 1950s). It wasn't clear to me why some of those in the History Department didn't join him, since that was pretty common back when the two disciplines weren't totally distinct, or why he appears to have come in as a new hire alongside the creation of the department. Anyone know anything more about Professor Tudor?

Lots to learn and digitize--expect to see it on the blog as the summer unfolds.

Julia Becker '05 at the State Department

Julia Becker '05, currently pursuing a MPA at Cornell's Institute of Public Affairs, is just starting an internship at the State Department. She writes:

I am starting my second week at the State Department and so far it has been a great experience. I am working in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Affairs in the Office of International Religious Freedom. Essentially what I am doing is acting as an editor for the Internation Religious Freedom Report, which by law must be submitted to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House International Affairs Committee every September 1st. I have been assigned to work in the South and Central Asia team; I am editing the reports from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Essentially what happens is that the Human Rights officer from the embassy post in that country writes the report, detailing government restrictions and abuses of religious freedom in addition to the overall situation of religious freedom among different groups. I edit the report, making sure that all of the instructions are followed in compliance with the law.

In addition, I have a lot of discussion with the embassy post with regards to wording, content, etc. The posts try to minimize some of these issues since they have to actually live and work with the governments of these countries, so we go back and forth about whether the situation is "deteriorating" or "eroding" (apparently the two words have significantly different connotations) and such. We do about four different drafts and then we submit the drafts to the higher ups for approval before the report gets published. Even though I have only been doing this for a week, I have learned not only about how the State Dept. does things but also a ton about the countries I have been working with. The cool thing is that I can also draft policy memos and white papers and if I get it approved by two people in the bureau, I can submit it to Condoleeza Rice to read. In addition, we can influence the strategic plan for a particular embassy, so there is at least a small chance of actually influencing policy in some way.

Pretty great stuff--I'd love to have that internship myself! Readers, let us know what you're up to this summer, whether work or play--we'd love to hear from you. Pictures are a nice addition as well...!

Tags:

• Alums
• Internships
  

Boxes, Boxes, Boxes

Students--and just about everyone else--find themselves scrounging for boxes when it's time to move. Here's a great new option:
http://usedcardboardboxes.com/

Get a pack of boxes--used, misprints, otherwise unloved--just for the project you have. For example, there's an "average joe" dorm/studio package of 17 boxes.

Great idea--check it out!

Congressman Smith on Comedy Central

Andrea Tull 02 sent along this snippet from Comedy Central where our own local congressman (and her current employer), Adam Smith, is interviewed by Stephen Colbert about such important issues as rhubarb and whether the military is developing shrink rays:



My favorite part actually precedes the interview, where he riffs on Pick Quick, one of the best burger places around these parts and a Pierce County institution.

Wanderlust

A piece in the Wall Street Journal on how some are using technology to start their own businesses overseas, thus avoiding the usual work visa difficulties in the process. Maybe a bit more difficult than the article implies? Still, an interesting discussion and worth the quick read, especially for those of you itching to go abroad for more than a week of vacation.

Seen Streets

Have you seen this? Google maps is now mapping at street level, which means you can click down to a street level view of a given block, turn about 360 degrees, and move along at that level--a pedestrian's eye view. Only available for a few cities, for now. Above is a screenshot of the World Trade Center site in NYC. Click on the image for a bigger view, and here to look around yourself.

(Un)Welcome Money Advice

From the New York Times, an article titled "More Advice Graduates Don't Want to Hear". Even if you don't agree with everything the author says, it's worth reading. The summary:

Never pay a real estate agent a 6 percent commission.

Buy used things, except maybe used tires.

Get on the do-not-call list and other do-not-solicit lists so you can’t be tempted.

Watch infomercials for their entertainment value only.

Know what your credit reports say, but don’t pay for that knowledge: go to www.annualcreditreport.com to get them.

Consolidate your cable, phone and Internet service to get the best deal.

Resist the lunacy of buying premium products like $2,000-a-pound chocolates.

Lose weight. Carrying extra pounds costs tens of thousands of dollars over a lifetime.

Do not use your home as a piggy bank if home prices are flat or going down or if interest rates are rising.

Enroll in a 401(k) at work immediately.

Postpone buying high-tech products like PCs, digital cameras and high-definition TVs for as long as possible. And then buy after the selling season or buy older technology just as a new technology comes along.

And, I’m sorry, I’m really serious about this last one: make your own coffee.

Boob Tube (Updated)

We've blogged about Elisabeth Squires '80 awhile back, author of a book, blog, and website that's all about boobs. This week she appeared on Good Morning America, so if you want to know more, there's a great article and video interview. Congrats on the national coverage, Elisabeth!

UPDATE: Elisabeth has had some major blog coverage, from big hitters Instapundit, Ann Althouse, and even political scientist and international relations blogger Dan Drezner. Nice!

What a huge time waster I am

So a few changes to the blog. First, all you IE users should find that the sidebar isn't getting squished to the bottom like it had been. I use Firefox and so was unaware of the problem that had been there for months (note to web designers--always preview your work in various browsers and screen sizes, like I didn't).

While messing around, I added a few things. On the right you'll see a random gathering of three pictures from our Flickr site; you can click on any one of them to find out more. Also, last year Professor Hansen was teasing me about my North American-centric logo; to that end, you'll now find that the logo at the top of blog rotates through three different versions that cover much of the world. Just hit F5 to get a new version (though it's random, so it may not change each time).

Enjoy, and if something isn't working or doesn't look right, please let me know--

Congratulations to Professors Sousa and Fields

...who have both been named "distinguished professors" by the university following their most recent faculty evaluation. The designation of distinguished (or "extinguished," as Professor Haltom would say) is awarded to those senior members of the faculty who stood out for their contributions to the university. Both Professor Fields and Sousa are exceptional colleagues, and we are happy that the university recognizes this as well. Congrats!

The Law Clerk Blog---is back!

Some time in our distant past we wrote about a blog set up by a number of law students who were blogging about their summer clerking experiences. One of the contributors is a former student in the department. Well, it's back and better than ever:

www.cafelawte.com (sorry, link was bad; fixed it now).

Many musings by seven students on life inside The Firm.

AAAIIIIEEEE!

I realized that the right hand column wasn't showing up in Internet Explorer very well.

I went to fix it.

I deleted most of the template settings that make this thing work. Bear with me as I try to restore everything to it (more or less) once was.

The School Year Waste

A recent piece in the media on all the items thrown out by students at the end of the year, and how schools are trying to deal with it. At UPS Politics and Government Professor Dan Sherman has been trying to encourage sustainability by finding ways to recycle, donate or otherwise re-use student castoffs. But as we all know, it's always easier to throw something in the trash than find a new home for it.

Medieval IT Support

Professor Fields forwarded this to me; a humorous reminder that all technologies were once new and odd. It's in Norwegian, so you'll have to squint at the subtitles.

Professor Fields in Japan

In all the hubbub before the end of the semester I never got a chance to blog Professor Fields' trip to Japan in April, where he led a group sponsored by UC Berkeley.

He brought back some great pictures; you can see the slideshow here.

Commencement Address 2007: Elizabeth Cousens '87

Elizabeth Cousens '87 gave this year's commencement address. A Rhodes Scholar and Vice President of the International Peace Academy, her speech was reprinted in full in Sunday's News Tribune. An excerpt:

"Let me start with a confession. When I was sitting where you are, at that time planning to head to Oxford University for graduate school, I didn’t begin to know what I wanted to do with my life.

I knew what I was interested in – politics, negotiation, the interplay between values and interests. I knew what grabbed me – anything international. And I knew a few things that made me angry – willful ignorance, hypocrisy, cruelty. I also knew that I had been fortunate enough to receive an exceptional education, and that it would somehow inform the choices I would make, but I wasn’t at all sure how.

Twenty years ago, we were also at what would soon become clear were the dwindling days of the Cold War, though we didn’t know it at the time. (Remember the Cold War?) People are now rather distressingly nostalgic about its stability, but it was an era with its own contradictions, its own uneasy reconciliation between principle and power, its own demonstrations of courage alongside bad faith, its own perils, its own possibilities."

Read the whole text here.

Spotty Summer Blogging

As grading winds down I recognize that I'll be posting less frequently this summer. Everyone gets a break from my nattering.

Here's something random: The Nine Biggest Myths of the Workplace. Worth a read-through.

2007 Graduation Recap

Haltom hams it up

Congratulations to all of our PG graduates this year. We had a great reception on Saturday before commencement, with a chance to meet family and send along our best wishes to all our newly minted alums. A few photos below; you'll find many more here, ora as a slideshow here. I've also listed the titles of our senior thesis, and marked those that were given awards for best in their field.

Best wishes to all of our graduates!

Senior Theses

PG 430 Seminar in International Relations, Professor Seth Weinberger

Kait Alley: The Consequences of Neglect: The International Security Implications of the HIV Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa

Jennifer Badewitz: Water Management for Developing Nations: A Framework for Addressing the Threats of Water Scarcity

Ryan Dumm: U.S. Foreign Aid and the Palestinian Authority: Evaluating Efforts to Destabilize Hamas

Lindsay Heppe: Getting U.S. Grand Strategy Right: The Role of Legitimacy and Multilateralism in the War on Terror

Chelsea Howes: Nixing NGO Niches: A Case for the African State (award for best paper in the seminar)

David Johnson: Genocide and the Media: Shaping Intervention

Helen MacDonald: Developing Sub-Saharan Africa

Emily Moody: Nuclear Terrorism

Christopher Pohlad: U.S. Engagement Policy and the Prospect of a Liberalized China

Jennifer Swift: Looking Forward Through Looking Back: An Economic Criticism of Democratic Peace

Jennifer Zimburean: The Environmental Catch-22: Developing in the Name of Sustainable Development

PG420 Seminar in Comparative Politics, Professor Karl Fields

Erik Connell: Giving the People What They Want: The Connection between Proportional Representation, Social Democracy, and Public Satisfaction" (award for best paper in the seminar)

Ingrid Greiser:

Brian Stewart, A Comparison of the European Union and the United States: Overcoming Obstacle to Allow Federalism

PG 411 Seminar in Public Law, Professor Bill Haltom

Brianne L. Adderley: Entitled and Engendered: The Effects and Results of Title IX

Sara Pasquariello: The Evolution From God to Designer: The U.S. Constitution v. Creationism
(award for best paper in the seminar)

Katherine Amelia Miller: Facing the Malpractice Fairytale

Lauren Elizabeth Miller Fat or Fiction: The Construction of Frivolous Lawsuits
Margaret E. Scully South Dakota’s Public Enemy Number One: Women Who Do Not Want To Be Barefoot and Pregnant

Courtney A. Williams : Turning the Page and Un-Reeling the Truth Behind Civil Litigation

Brian D. Bennett: The United States and Compensation Seeking: Relatively Litigious or Litigiously Relative

Robin Fay: Why Americans are Losing the Battle against Corporate Polluters: A Look at Toxic Tort Litigation through Asbestos and Silica Cases

Christopher A. Windsor: Why Lawyers Have no Friends

PG 440 Seminar in Political Theory, Professor Bill Haltom

Seminar in Political Theory, Professor Bill Haltom

Paula P. Patten: Founding Fathers and the Separation of Church and State: What type of Separation Did They Intend?

Mark Wilding: The Impact of Hannah Arendt’s Theory of Action, with Special Attention to Jurgen Habermas (award for best paper in the seminar)

Ronald Foster: Modern Trilecticism: Mortality, Action and the Body Politic

Peter James McAfee: Terrorism’s Effect on Political Equality in the United States: An Extension of Robert Dahl’s On Political Equality

Tags:

• Alums
• Campus
  

Out of touch

I've been busy with some things and fallen behind on the blog. Coming soon: Graduation recap and a trip to Mercy Corps in Portland...

Farewell, Professor Hansen

We are losing some great visiting colleagues this spring. Professor Hansen, who joined us this semester from the University of Passau, departs today for home. While here he offered courses in political theory and European politics, and provided an important European perspective on current international events. We have been pleased to have had Professor Hansen on campus several times as our guest in past, and we hope that he will grace our institution again in future. Best wishes, Professor Hansen! We will miss you.

Graduating Seniors--Can we help?

Hey PG majors and minors who are graduating, need some contacts? Folks to talk to about career opportunties, schooling, living in this or that part of the country or world?

Well, then, email me. We've got a huge repository of alums who are willing to share their experiences and give advice. Lots of this can be found on the delicious site; but you should also email me. Let us know how we can help smooth your transition into the real world.

Liz Perry '03 Offers Advice on Grad School

First, congrats to Liz Perry '03, who this fall will be starting graduate school at UCSD as a Masters student in Latin American Studies. She writes that in addition to classes, she'll be a Research Assistant for the Latin American Studies department and will be participating in the Mexican Migration Field Research and Training Program (MMFRP).

After getting that good news, I asked Liz if she'd mind my blogging her good news and maybe her thoughts about applying to grad school now that she's headed out. As with so many alums, she penned a thoughtful addition that is a must read for anyone thinking about going back to school. Thanks for everything, Liz, and keep us posted.

Congratulations to all ’07 graduates!

What I learned about applying to graduate school or choosing between them? As the class of 2007 gets ready to depart and other students move a year closer to completion, there are a few things that I learned when applying to grad school that may be helpful for others interested in applying to Masters programs down the road. I’ll spare the details, because by the time it comes to applying to grad school most everyone has developed their own style for success that is unique & time tested. However, these few things I consider to have contributed to my confidence in my final selection of schools and acceptance of UCSD’s offer.

1. Starting early. Starting early gave me the time needed to research programs, talk to students & professors, visit two schools (not necessary, but helpful in making my decision), and to research contributing faculty and recent publications (and read many). Interestingly, I added UCSD’s program at the last minute (after having spent months researching), a program I may not have considered if I had started the process later.

2. Keeping an open mind. I applied to seven different programs and, if asked, wouldn’t have said that UCSD was my top choice after applications were submitted. However, I now feel confident now that it is the right fit for me. Although I collected all the information I could on each program, some info wasn’t available until after acceptance: such as unique research opportunities (only offered after acceptance), the level of advocacy by contributing faculty for admitted students, or the support the program receives from the University (evident in financial aid opportunities).

3. Staying in touch. While I think each professor that helped me in the process would consider their contribution minimal, it was tremendously helpful to have their support and input when it came time to make choices. As I was making final decisions, I was bombarded with information from each program about why they were best. Professors at UPS were able to offer me unbiased information and opinions that were fully geared to what was in my best interest (even those that I didn’t take classes from). Beyond how Professors (and cohorts) can be helpful in future job and educational endeavors, it is great to stay connected to people who contribute to your growth, as many of my cohorts and professors did for me.

Liz Perry ‘03
lizbperry@hotmail.com

Tags:

• Alums
• Gradschool

Take the Folks Someplace New For Dinner

Family is coming into town for graduation, to help haul you away for summer, cut the six foot tall mess of a lawn you never mowed at your rental. Whatever the case, now it's time to be able to come up with something a bit more nuanced in your dinner offerings--by which I mean, when they offer to buy dinner, what options can you provide? There's lots new to choose from...

Masa for Mexican with flair?
Asado for the smoky steaks?
Matador so you can eye the over-21 set at play?
TwoKwoi for sushi in the shadow of UWT and the TAM?
Stadium Bistro for a refined and intimate atmosphere?

There's more than you find on Ruston Way; if you want to get the skinny, check out News Tribune critic Ed Murietta's blog, Ed's Diner. Lots of good talk and mean sniping back and forth in the comments to boot.

Getting that email juuuuust right

Ned Culhane '06 pointed to the recent publication of "Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home." A good interview with the authors here, with some discussion of the do's and don'ts.

One thing I don't see often mentioned is that students need to junk or sequester those email addresses they created before college if they crafted monikers that no longer look so cool. I personally feel funny answering emails from students who have addresses like "maxipimp" or "Soawesome". Or if you can't part with that hip part of your existence, don't use it for formal email, having your UPS email routed there (instead of vice versa).

And don't forget to send return emails to acknowledge the end of a communication if you've initiated it. Employers and others appreciate a final email, especially if it provides some sense of resolution and an expression of appreciation for their efforts on your behalf. If you're asking someone to do something for you, it's your job to wind up the conversation and thank them for their time.

Graduation Blues? Go to Scotland--

Just in, and just for the graduated---

Dear All,

Just a short note to let you know that the Hansard Society is now accepting applications for the exciting new postgraduate Hansard Society/University of Edinburgh Research Scholars Programme.

The Autumn 2007 Programme will run from 22 September – 15 December, 2007 and Scholars will be based in Edinburgh. Therefore, if any of your graduate (or recently graduated) students are interested in studying British politics at the University of Edinburgh, and doing an internship at the Scottish Parliament or in other prominent political organisations, please let us know.

This is the 300th anniversary of the Treaty of Union between the English and Scottish Parliaments, and the recent Scottish Parliament elections have resulted in a narrow win for the Scottish National Party. What could be more exciting for students of parliamentary democracy than to engage with a new Parliament – founded in 1999? And in one of the most beautiful northern European cities: birthplace of the Scottish Enlightenment, home to Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Ian Rankin and J.K.Rowling.

Full details about the Hansard Society /University of Edinburgh Research Scholars Programme can be found on our website at: www.hansardsociety.org.uk/programmes/hansard_society_scotland

Should you need any further details on the Hansard Society or the Hansard Scholars Programmes, please do not hesitate to ask.

All good wishes,
Angela Wrapson
Programme Director
Hansard Society Scotland
www.hansardsociety.org.uk/scotland

Tags:

• Gradschool
• Internships
• Studyabroad
  

Weinberger in the News Tribune

I've been under the weather, so in addition to not grading I've not been blogging much. But a quick shout out to Professor Weinberger, who published an editorial piece in The Tacoma News Tribune on questions of legality as they concern the Iraq war. You can find the piece here: "Tragic isn't the same as illegal."

Tags:

• SethWeinberger

Perils of Transparency

A couple of people have commented to me about the recent case of a student teacher who was set to graduate from Millersville’s School of Education--until they caught wind of a picture of her wearing a pirate hat and drinking from a plastic cup under the caption "drunken pirate". You can read about it here.

Two things:
First, a reminder to students that with an online presence, they are less opaque than they think--what happens in Las Vegas does not stay in Las Vegas, so to speak. Photos, blogs, anything else you might regret sharing in future, may well be there, not easily deleted.

Second, there are shifting and still unresolved questions about privacy and repercussions in a world with so much electronic data. As with anything, the norms (and legal precedents) will lag behind technological change.

More Congrats to Jon Roberts '10

I just heard that Jon Roberts '10 has been awarded not one, but two scholarships for next year: The Religious Leadership Award, which is "awarded to students interested in lifelong religious leadership" and Cyrus Ames Wright Ministry Scholarship, which is awarded "to students pursuing professional religious leadership." Given how important is the intersection of faith and politics, I'm pleased that Jon is pursuing a degree in Politics and Government. Way to go!

London US Embassy Internship, Fall 07

Don't come back in the fall, work in London instead:

The U.S. Commercial Service has an active internship program through the year, and we welcome applications from suitable candidates to work alongside our staff at the U.S. Embassy in London. We are currently seeking interested applicants for the Fall Semester 2007.

The U.S. Commercial Service is the export development arm of the United States government, and the office in the U.S. Embassy London is one of the most active in the world. Our work pursues two key objectives:

• To assist U.S. companies with their efforts to enter the U.K. market through representation, direct sales, licensing agreements, or joint ventures.
• To assist U.K. companies in forming business relationships with U.S. companies by representing U.S. products, importing goods, or through joint venture and licensing arrangements.

To support these objectives, the office counsels U.S. companies, analyzes information on the U.K. market, facilitates contacts with U.K. businesses, promotes U.S. products in the U.K. and European marketplace, and advocates U.S. business interests.

The intern's work assignments will provide exposure to our full range of activities and services, in which every attempt will be made to give hands-on experience where appropriate. It must be stressed however, that the immediate requirements of the mission program must take precedence over other considerations. Intern assignments may include:

• Collecting and analyzing formation for use in market research reports
• Responding to enquiries from U.S. companies
• Assisting our staff in the preparation of trade events and trade missions

We prefer interns with International Business, Business Administration or Marketing majors, but we will consider other appropriate students. If you have suitable students who would be interested in this opportunity, please ask them to send me their resume along with a cover letter, a writing sample, and two letters of recommendation to the address below. Should we wish to consider the candidate further, we will arrange to interview them either by telephone or in person. Once an intern has been accepted, we will ask him/her to complete a number of application forms, and to supply a photocopy of his/her passport. All acceptances are subject to a security clearance that generally takes about eight weeks to complete.

In order to qualify for an internship, potential candidates should be:

Available for a minimum of three months
Able to work for a minimum of four full days per week
Enrolled in an academic program
In possession of a U.S. or U.K. passport
Please note that interns do not receive any pay or expenses, and no housing or other financial assistance is provided.

If you would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. The enclosed flyer may be an additional useful resource for posting in your Career Center.

Sincerely,
Lisa Cogan
Commercial Assistant
U.S. Commercial Service
U.S. Embassy
24 Grosvenor Square
London W1A 1AE
Tel. +44 (0) 7894 0472
E-mail: lisa.cogan@mail.doc.gov

Rachel Martin '96 on Military Ethics

Rachel Martin '96, correspondent for National Public Radio, had an interesting piece this morning on how "West Point is putting new emphasis on teaching what's right and wrong on the battlefield". You can hear the report on NPR's website; the clip is here.

Tags:

• Alums

UKIP: Professor Share's Final Dispatch from London

A final dispatch from Professor Share before he returns to the States following his semester leading a study abroad program in London.

The UK and Europe: The UKIP view

Earlier in the semester I took my British Politics students here in London to the UK office of the European Parliament. Our speaker there vigorously defended the European Union and bemoaned the fact that Britons are the Europeans who are least supportive of the EU. The UK’s late entry, its refusal to accept the Euro, and numerous "opt-out" clauses had made many in Europe question the UK’s commitment to the EU. The European Parliament representative complained that the UK press regularly misinforms its readers about the EU.

In order to give my students a radically different perspective, I invited to my class a representative of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), which advocates the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. The press often unfairly lumps the UKIP with the racist British National Party (BNP), although the UKIP does support strict limits on immigration and the preservation of traditional "British" values. Our speaker, Del Young, a member of the UKIP executive committee, pointed out that as a Black he would not be allowed to join the BNP.

The UKIP argument about the EU reflects in many ways the popular British sentiment about the European Union. The UKIP opposes the idea of a single European "state" and views the EU as too remote, too costly, too bureaucratic, too undemocratic, and too ambitious. The UKIP flatly rejects the idea that the UK economy would be worse off without membership in the EU. It claims that the EU is destroying British sovereignty and cultural distinctiveness, and will eventually threaten its "special relationship" with the US and the Commonwealth. The UK views the major UK parties as essentially in agreement about continued membership in the EU. While closer to the Conservatives on most policy matters, Young (a former Tory himself) was bitterly critical of David Cameron’s attempt to emulate Tony Blair by abandoning traditional Conservative views. He viewed prime ministers from Heath to Blair as "traitors" to the UK.

The UKIP did surprisingly well in the EU elections of 2004, winning 16.8% of the vote and gaining 12 seats in the European Parliament, benefiting from the use of proportional representation in those elections. Ironically its only seats are in an institution it wishes to abandon! The UKIP recently picked up two seats in the House of Lords when two Conservatives peers jumped ship. The UKIP is hoping to win some local council seats in the May 3 elections (some of those elections use PR), and would like eventually to win seats in the Commons (although the single-member district electoral system makes that unlikely).

My students responded to Young’s presentation by asking some excellent and pointed questions. The first student noted that while Young accused the major parties of corruption, three of the 12 UKIP MEP’s (Members of European Parliament) had been forced to resign on corruption charges. Another student noted that if the EU hadn’t imposed on the UK PR voting for European Parliament elections the UKIP would not have won a single seat! A third question noted that the UKIP supports membership in the UN, but not the EU, but that both institutions compromise the UK’s sovereignty to some extent. In response to one excellent question about the UKIP’s prospects given the electoral system, Young admitted that some within the UKIP would be content to have the party act as a pressure group on the Conservatives, rather than as a serious contender for power. Young said he values the UK’s single-member district system as a successful British tradition, but also conceded that it pretty much guaranteed that his party would remain on the fringes.

For more information about the UKIP, see the party’s website at: http://www.ukip.org/

Tags:

• DonShare

Farewell, Professor Ross

As our semester draws to a close we bid a fond farewell to Professor Andrew Ross, who was a visiting faculty member in our department this year. Professor Ross is headed east: In 2007-08 he will be a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies at Ohio State University, and starting in fall 2008 he will join the faculty at Ohio University as an Assistant Professor of Political Science specializing in international relations.

Many thanks to Professor Ross for all his contributions to the department and we wish him the best of luck with his new job.

Zinchuk's back in town

Long ago I blogged about Jen Eidum Zinchuk '03, who went on Peace Corps to the Ukraine, got married, went to grad school in Budapest, grew unhappy being away from her husband, and brought him back to the States. Our bonus is that they decided to set up home here in Tacoma. A few days back they dropped by the office and I got to meet Sasha in person, who is rapidly mastering English and learning the ways of all things America. Jen is looking for work around town and they are setting up a videography business as well. Catch up on their lives at Jen's blog here.

From Social to Academic Networks

Academic Library 2.0 Concept Model, Detailed (final version), originally uploaded by habibmi.

This is pretty interesting--from Michael Habib's masters thesis, "Toward Academic Library 2.0: Development and Application of a Library 2.0 Methodology". What I like considering here is the way in which the boundaries between different modes of networking or communcation are permeable (to some extent) and overlap. All this is part of my recent interest in whether more student-oriented networks like Facebook can help facilitate contact between students, faculty, and alums. I know that the recent expansion of Facebook to the off-campus world has made some students upset, but also shows the levels of networks that can and do exist. The question remains to what extent these networks should interconnect.

Thanks again to Randy Thornton for the cite.

May Day

The balloon, originally uploaded by polbar.

Since it's May 1, I thought I'd link over to some beautiful photos of the Soviet Union taken in the 1960s and early 1970s, like this one of May Day 1973 in Moscow. Worth a look back into the past; see the whole set here.

Saturday: Voices of a People's History

The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice Presents

Voices of a People's History

Saturday, May 5th, 7 PM, the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice presents Voices of a People's History of the United States at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, in downtown Olympia. Dramatic readings celebrating the enduring spirit of dissent will feature true life narratives from American historical figures including Tecumseh, Sojourner Truth, Mark Twain, Susan B. Anthony, and Winona La Duke. Author Anthony Arnove, who co-edited the book Voices of a People’s History with Howard Zinn, will narrate the event. Readers include actor Brian Jones, actress and Associate Director of American Friends Service Committee’s Northwest Region Nina Laboy, President of the Iraq Veterans Against the War in Seattle Chanan Suarex-Diaz, local readers and performers Erica Lord, Nomy Lamm, Vaude deVille, Rachel Reclam, Holly Gwinn-Graham, Cindy Corrie, and, also, a surprise guest.

Popular Mexican music for Cinco de Mayo will be provided by Hugo Flores, Miguel Perez-Gibson, and Daniel Perez Gibson at 6:40 PM.

The event is part of the Foundation’s Peace Works Program and will benefit its Middle East scholarship program.

The program will be wheelchair accessible and ASL interpreted. Doors open at 6:15 PM. General Admission tickets are $10 at the Washington Center Box Office (360-753-8586), at Rainy Day Records (360-357-4755), and Orca Books (360-352-0123) in Olympia. They can be purchased online at http://www.washingtoncenter.org/

The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, continues the work Rachel Corrie began and hoped to accomplish. Peace Works is an annual memorial conference/event, now in its second year. Through it, the Foundation aims to provide a forum for exploring the meaning and practice of justice and peace as they affect the social, economic, political, environmental, and spiritual aspects of people’s lives. info@rachelcorriefoundation.org

Contact: Alice Zillah, Operations Manager
Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice
360-754-3998
info@rachelcorriefoundation.org