Next Nobel Peace Prize Winner?

Malala Yousufzai for the next Nobel Peace Prize? Thoughts, anyone?

Simulations and Dominos

Today, we held our first Senate Committee simulation, in which students took turns advocating various positions regarding the situation in Mali. Learning about all of the nuances and angles of the conflict was fascinating.

In related news...

The Return of Potomac Fever

Potomac Faithful,

We are back. I'll try to keep this blog, the blog for Hamilton College's D.C. Program, updated as frequently as possible.

Today, we visited the National Archives. While we couldn't take any photos in the building, the material was still excellent, and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in the U.S.'s documentary history. The current exhibit on the Cuban Missile Crisis was also magnificent, though it only runs through the 4th. When visiting the section on the founding documents, take a look at the engraving on the ground while you're on the line to enter the area. I found it fascinating.

Georgetown to Offer MOOCs!!!!!

I saw this on the local news tonight. What I find most interesting is that Georgetown plans to offer MOOCs in the humanities, social sciences, and law fields, while most of the MOOCs I have seen and heard about tend to involve the math and science fields.

Article: Georgetown to offer MOOCs

University of Phoenix’ plot to corner the cheap education market

"The University of Phoenix played a key role in defeating legislation that would have allowed community colleges in Arizona to offer low-priced bachelor’s degree programs, interviews and state records show.

The for-profit college, which is one of the state’s biggest employers, provided research and political muscle for a multi-year lobbying campaign against 'community college baccalaureate degrees' – out of concern that those programs would undercut its business model."

It is maddening that an industry with such strong potential to serve working-class students is more focused on eliminating the competition than improving their own contribution to higher education. I would love to see for-profits disprove their terrible reputation.

University of Phoenix’ plot to corner the cheap education market

Debt Crisis Solved?

Apparently, under current law, the U.S. Treasury can make as many platinum coins as it wants and assign them any value... Crazy, right? Apparently, it's actually being considered, at least on some level

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/could-the-platinum-coin-option-solve-the-us-debt-crisis/2012/12/06/d6dc7956-3fe5-11e2-ae43-cf491b837f7b_story.html?hpid=z2

Al Gore still at it on global warming

http://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/al-gore-obama-must-get-moving-84728.html

According to him, law school is worth it, insider's point of view:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/opinion/law-school-is-worth-the-money.html?_r=0

The Future of Food Production?

I don't put a ton of faith in preditctions of the future, but I believe in data and statistics, so found this article very interesting. I didn't know phosphorus was so essential in the farming process, and that it's a resource we seem to need to keep up our food supply with population growth. My conclusion, though, is that if past doomsayers have taught us anything, it's that you really can't predict the future.

http://www.businessinsider.com/peak-phosphorus-and-food-production-2012-12

#HowToKeepARelationshipWithMe Tweets & Locations

Interesting and pretty darn funny

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2012/11/28/166112177/i-know-where-you-tweeted-last-summer

Saying No to College

Hey DC Crew,

As we all prepare to study for our finals, wrap up our Independent Projects and practice in front of the mirrors to shape up our oral presentations -- I have found this helpful -- maybe we should all throw down the books and call it quits.  I'm kidding of course, but I came across this rather intriguing article on a popular trend toward "Saying No to College."  The argument goes that the successful million and billionaires, Jobs and Zuckerberg, of silicon valley have reached status without a degree that college has lost its value -- so it feasible of course that we all do the same.

Notable Quotes:

“College puts a lot of constraints, a lot of limitations around what you can and can’t do,” Mr. Hagen said. “Some people, they want to stretch their arms, get out and create more, do more.”

“People are being conned into thinking that this credential is the one thing you need to do better in life,” he said on “60 Minutes” last spring, adding, “they typically are worse off, because they have amassed all this debt.”

“I think kids with a five-year head start on equally ambitious peers will be ahead in both education and income,” said Mr. Altucher, who regrets graduating from Cornell. “They could go to a library, read a book a day, take courses online. There are thousands of ways.”

This New York Times article is worth the read and it even makes reference to MOOCs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/fashion/saying-no-to-college.html?_r=1&

Calvert

Common Core Sparks War Over Words

Read the below article this morning and though it was interesting and kind of sad, especially because I'm a big fan of reading fiction.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/common-core-state-standards-in-english-spark-war-over-words/2012/12/02/4a9701b0-38e1-11e2-8a97-363b0f9a0ab3_story.html?hpid=z3

Yarmuth on Colbert!

Saw this and thought it was pretty funny! Thought you all might enjoy!

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/83995/march-08-2007/exclusive---better-know-a-district---kentucky-s-3rd---john-yarmuth-pt--2

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/the-colbert-report/videos/3816913/title/colbert-report-tip-wag-john-yarmuths-holiday-card 

Higher Ed in the Economist

In this week's issue of The Economist, there's an article about higher education. Most of it is very repetitive after all that we've learned this semester, but there are some numbers that stick out: in 1962, 1 cent of every dollar spent in America went to higher education, and today this has tripled. We spend more on higher education than any other country, but yet America has only the 15th largest proportion of college educated young adults. It's always interesting to think about where the money is going, and how we could be more efficient.

http://economist.com/news/united-states/21567373-american-universities-represent-declining-value-money-their-students-not-what-it

Interesting idea on sexual assualt awareness

Below is a campaign to raise sexual assualt awareness in cities and is being widely used in Canada. It seems that it is pretty effect. If Hamilton started a similar campaign to try and reduce the violence, would do think would be the potential reaction from perspective students and parents? We should absolutely use it for drinking and destructive behavior

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/12/01/edmonton-sexual-assault-awareness-campaign-dont-be-that-guy_n_2224228.html?utm_hp_ref=college&ir=College

Something to keep in mind as we approach the end...

612 may or may not be getting #1 in the near future...but actually....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/30/final-exam-stress-10-ways_n_2212729.html?utm_hp_ref=college&ir=College

How to compromise

Interesting review of a new Jefferson biography, from a favorite writer of mine, that, like the new Lincoln movie, may have some interesting lessons on compromise for our current President and Congress: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/books/review/thomas-jefferson-the-art-of-power-by-jon-meacham.html?ref=jonmeacham&gwh=8D7FCAEF6CE6396DD2C0B1170A04C5CD&_r=0

"The potty-talk pledge"

An amusing satire on Grover Nordquist and his no tax pledge, quite timely with the fiscal cliff and what not: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/shouts/2012/11/the-potty-talk-pledge.html

Quater Life Crisis Material

http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/but-this-what-you-wanted/

Sexiest Man Alive 2012

This is kind of hilarious...

The Onion Article Fooled China's State Newspaper

The War on Men, as perpetuated by Topanga.

Many thanks to the wonderful folks at Salon for responding to the Fox News opinion piece, "The War on Men," with an appropriate dose of sarcasm:

http://www.salon.com/2012/11/26/what_this_guy_needs_to_succeed_less_competition/

Children of illegal immigrants in Boston

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/19/in-state-tuition-immigrants-massachusetts_n_2158641.html?utm_hp_ref=college&ir=College

An interesting article about students of illegal immigrants who will now qualify to receive in state tuition.

well this is reassuring

http://politico.com/news/stories/1112/83751.html

Some Awesome Pictures of President Obama

This is really random and just for fun, but here are some cool pictures of Obama!

http://imgur.com/a/X6186#24

Yeesh

Want to get 3 credit hours in 10 days? Call Western Oklahoma State College! The cultural anthropology course expectations video is worth watching (about a quarter down the page).

http://chronicle.com/article/Need-3-Quick-Credits-to-Play/135690/

Is America Ready for a White, Male Secretary of State?

"In January, Hillary Clinton will be stepping down as President Obama's Secretary of State, and rumors are already swirling over who will replace her...While Huntsman and Kerry have both demonstrated that they have foreign policy chops, the US hasn't had a white male Secretary of State since 1997. Is America ready?"

http://jezebel.com/5959154/is-america-ready-for-a-white-male-secretary-of-state?utm_source=gawker.com&utm_medium=recirculation&utm_campaign=recirculation

For those following election results from their computers...

Pretty cool website, and its up dated every 30 seconds. Easy to follow as well.

http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/2012/results

A sobering account for election eve

http://nytimes.com/2012/11/04/magazine/amtrak-industrial-corridor.html?src=dayp

Washington and New York will be just fine no matter who wins. How everyone else will fare remains to be seen.

Should Science Majors Pay Less for College Than Art Majors?

Philosophy lovers, prepare to be outraged. 

Down in Florida, a task force commissioned by Governor Rick Scott is putting the finishing touches on a proposal that would allow the state's public universities to start charging undergraduates different tuition rates depending on their major. Students would get discounts for studying topics thought to be in high demand among Florida employers. Those would likely include science, technology, engineering, and math (aka, the STEM fields), among others. 

But Art History? Gender Studies? Classics? Sorry, but the fates are cruel. Unless a university could show that local companies were clamoring to hire humanities students, those undergrads would have to pay more for their diploma. The Atlantic

You Don't Own Me

Pretty cool video! yay women rights!

http://vimeo.com/51920265

Presidential civil disobedience?

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1012/83102.html

@HurricaneSandy

Hurricane Sandy

Join ScholarshipPoints.com and we could both win a scholarship!

Join ScholarshipPoints.com and we could both win a scholarship!

Boyfriend President: How Both Parties Try To Woo Women By Linking Voting To Sex

Twenty six year-old director Lena Dunham sparked a conservative backlash Friday with her new Obama campaign ad, “My First Time,” which plays on the idea of having sex for the first time to talk about voting for Obama in 2008.

Your first time shouldn’t be with just anybody. You want to do it with a great guy. It should be with a guy with beautiful…someone who really cares about and understands women. A guy who cares whether you get health insurance, and specifically whether you get birth control…My first time voting was amazing. It was this line in the sand. Before I was a girl, now I was a woman. I went to the polling station, pulled the curtain, I voted for Barack Obama.

Watch it:

 

The right-wing blogosphere erupted in outrage over Dunham’s coy sexualization of voting. Breitbart.com called Dunham’s video “astoundingly tasteless,” while the Right Scoop condemned it as “disgusting” and “a new low.” Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly questioned on Twitter whether it was “appropriate.” The National Review called it ”cringeworthy”.Minnesota Republican Party deputy chair went so far as to say the video was proof that Obama was being advised by Satan.

But Dunham’s president-boyfriend metaphor is hardly out of the ordinary; in fact, conservatives have been harping on essentially the same theme all election season, dodging direct references to sex but sexualizing the office of the presidency and a woman’s political life. Here are the top five examples: ThinkProgress

Interesting Man

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/26/arts/jacques-barzun-historian-and-scholar-dies-at-104.html?pagewanted=1&src=recg&adxnnlx=1351263886-z2OEaC4QWiFBOdHBSMn3QQ

This seems like a heavy read at first, but it's a great obit on an interesting guy: Jacques Barzun. Barzun devoted his life to Columbia and helped design its core curriculum. He also seems to have had some Delbanco-esque thoughts on the purpose of a university (though Delbanco probably had Barzun-esque thoughts as Barzun was 104 and definitely came first).

Of course this happened.

Pennsylvania lawmakers recently proposed a bill to reduce food stamp benefits for mothers who cannot prove their pregnancy resulted from rape or incest.

Because apparently denying assistance to low-income women and children while also perpetuating dubious attitudes toward survivors of sexual assault is a great way to move this country forward. 

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&sessYr=2011&sessInd=0&billBody=H&billTyp=B&billNbr=2718&pn=4295

On a brighter note, these things also happened:

1. http://vimeo.com/51920265 

2. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/president-obama-criticizes-mourdocks-rape-remarks-on-leno-show/2012/10/25/810f0a26-5444-43a5-b7e0-5caafdc505c7_video.html 
3. http://www.happynews.com/news/10192012/puppies-kept-lost-boy-warm-rescuer-says.htm

Women really do make less than men...

Interesting Post article... Women make only 82% of what men do. Usually people argue that men choose higher-paying jobs, but even when controlling for this factor there was still a 6.6 point gap. This makes repaying college debt harder for women than for men.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/one-year-out-of-college-women-already-paid-less-than-men-report-finds/2012/10/23/ece71cb0-1d3a-11e2-9cd5-b55c38388962_story.html

#bayonets

Remember this gem from last night's debate in Boca Raton? "You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military’s changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines." - President Obama

"Bayonets" seem to be the most talked about item from the debate! Here are some fun facts about them for anyone looking to get informed about one of the most pressing foreign policy issues of our time.

(Photo: Reuters)

College sweatshirts of the future

MOOCs!
http://coolmaterial.com/style/the-internet-sweatshirt/?utm_source=Cool+Material&utm_campaign=8e0b3e9697-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_DAILY&utm_medium=email

Educating technicians vs. Educating citizens?

Don't really like the fact that the emphasis is only on math and science.

Obama makes unexpected push for improved math and science education during final debate

President Obama brought up the importance of improving math and science education in the U.S. multiple times during Monday's final presidential debate, arguing that it would boost job growth and keep America competitive globally.

Near the beginning of the debate, Obama said he wanted to hire more math and science teachers because the U.S. has fallen behind in these two subject areas and additional teachers "can make a difference." He claimed that his GOP challenger Mitt Romney previously told teachers this wouldn't help grow the economy. The Hill