The United Nations Population Fund declared family planning a universal right for the very first time in its annual report last week. To avoid the usual mad free-for-all that generally follows any discussion of reproductive rights, it is important to note the UN does not include abortion among methods of birth control.
Our history has seen 28 Chancellors and Presidents come and go at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Among them include some of the most forward thinkers of our time and many of this state’s best public servants. Among them also include the forgettable and the forgotten—those whose impact left little to be remembered.
Since 2007, the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian controlled territory southwest of Israel, has been ruled by the terrorist organization Hamas. During this span, Hamas has launched a relentless campaign of rockets into the south of Israel. Temporary ceasefires between Israel and Hamas have intermittently been in play over these years; however, they are always followed by a new barrage of rockets fired from Gaza. These perpetual shellings have obstructed many Israelis from going about their normal lives and have been so terrorizing that President Barack Obama has greatly assisted in the institution of Israel’s Iron Dome, a defense system that intercepts and destroys incoming missiles.
It’s been a long week and Thursday night finally rolls around. Going out to the bars and slugging down some Glenlivet on the rocks (if you’re like me and awesome) is just about a necessity. What you don’t expect is walking back home and finding a stranger there. This crazy situation turned into a nightmare after the cops saw Paul Heenan fighting with the homeowner of the house he mistook for his own. Paul Heenan—an intoxicated new neighbor—was fatally shot by Officer Stephen Heimsness after he reported to the scene.
We live in an age where we are constantly being bombarded with political media. In this past presidential election, for example, many news organizations used social media like Facebook and Twitter to connect with readers. In addition, many networks created election teams to cover political news across the country, while many cable news networks increasingly promoted their shows featuring pundits and talk show hosts giving their own take on a candidate or an issue. Thus, with a seemingly endless supply of constantly available political information, one would think we would be more informed on the issues and understand the important problems facing our politicians every day. But are we really? Sure, media is important, but more political media outlets in no way guarantees better quality.
Job Creation:
This is the final installment of a three-part series I've written on a single meeting held Monday night. I've used this meeting as an opportunity to delve pretty deeply into the tensions and issues surrounding the tent city of Occupy Madison as it moves from neighborhood to neighborhood. Things have happened since Monday; developments in this story are ongoing, and for timely updates I urge you to check the news section of this paper, which has had the best coverage of any traditional media in Madison, or a blog called "Forward Lookout" written by Brenda Konkel, about whom we will learn more shortly. Despite the fact that this meeting occurred Monday, over the past three days I have used it as a snapshot to provide insights into the escalating breakdown in communication between the homeless and, apparently, the whole rest of the world.
Yesterday I wrote about a municipal listening session held for the Northport community about homeless people who had set up tents in a county park in their neighborhood. A brief recap: The neighbors, while surely compassionate people in their private lives and upstanding citizens in their public ones, didn’t understand why the homeless people had come and why they couldn’t go elsewhere. The city and county officials, notably including Lynn Green, the director of the Dane County Department of Human Services, felt put-upon, frustrated and incredulous that the needs of homeless people living at the encampment could not be met through existing, legal channels. And the homeless in attendance and their allies felt weary, stigmatized and misunderstood.
Just a few days ago, the subject of the most recent high-profile adultery scandal, this time involving David Petraeus, came up in discussion amongst some friends of mine. I had been largely apathetic to this news, since this sort of thing has been known to happen on about a yearly basis to various important people. Interestingly enough, the conversation skewed in the direction of not particularly caring about adultery in politics at all. This made me think a bit and has resulted in a bit of confusion. Why is it that America demands that its politicians resign or be impeached over an act that is perfectly legal?
People have a hard time equating the Occupy movement with the tent city for the homeless that Occupy Madison has become. Denizens of Madison, particularly residents of the various neighborhoods where the Occupy encampment has moved, have adopted a not-in-my-backyard approach to the issue. On the other hand, the movement has picked up allies everywhere it has gone. Everyone wants to know why these people are still on the street.
The race is over; the ads are gone; the smoke has cleared. Obama has come out on top with 332 electoral votes and over half of the popular vote to boot. I thought the election was going to be much closer than it was but I guess that the general public is still capable of separating the nuts from the berries; my belief in the people is restored. While this election was a clean call there have been years when the statistics did not line up. In the presidential election between former President George W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000, the results were decidedly split. The race had been close, with Gore winning the popular vote but Bush winning the presidency through a victory in the Electoral College. How is that right? How is that democratic? HOW IS THAT AMERICAN?
A fundamental tenet of economics is that humans are generally rational, self-interested actors. It’s no surprise, then, that many of America’s best and brightest students are choosing to study disciplines and pursue careers in industries that will move them forward on a path of financial independence and success. In fact, many students are willing to major in subjects just for the very chance of making the big bucks.
While civil rights issues in the 2012 presidential election were doomed from the start due to the two candidates being Bush 2.0 (President Barack Obama) and Bush 2.5 (former Gov. Mitt Romney), a few state initiatives were passed that lit up the gloomy aura hanging over our country (pun intended). In both Colorado and Washington, ballot initiatives called for the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. In Massachusetts marijuana was legalized for medical use. Colorado also has decriminalized the personal cultivation of marijuana.
Is it just me, or does the Republican party make no sense?
Rental season has just begun and Madison’s thousands of students are all searching for the best deal on next year’s housing.
Some have called this 2012 election historic, reasoning that it has ushered in the most female senators in U.S. history and had the highest turnout of Latino voters in any election thus far. While this is certainly significant, this past election was particularly historic in the fact that presidential campaign spending reached its highest level in American history, with collective spending between President Barack Obama and former Gov. Mitt Romney nearly reaching two billion dollars. This increase in spending wasn’t limited to the presidential race, however. Congressional races around the country also experienced large increases in campaign spending, with some outside groups spending more than the candidates themselves.
When UW-Madison students arrive on campus, they are greeted with a wide array of resources to make their time at the university as productive and comfortable as possible. Arguably, some of the most helpful yet underutilized of these resources are the Madison city alders. When this editorial board met with alder Scott Resnick recently, we were welcomed with a wealth of knowledge about the inner workings of the city. Resnick exemplifies many characteristics that foster a productive relationship between the city and its constituents. Students and the city alike would benefit from more involvement from individuals with Resnick’s dedication and initiative in city politics.
It’s not a new story, but it seems as though there is no escaping the constant struggle for money. And the question of whether college athletes should be paid is about one story away from being as burned out as Ryan Leaf. Seeing as how there has been an article in The Daily Cardinal this year addressing the issue already, I feel it’s my responsibility to test just how close we are to beating the question to a pulp.
I would like to consider myself an independent voter. In truth, I am probably more of a moderate Democrat than an Independent, but I have always disliked labels because most things factoring into them are contingent and malleable. Tuesday, Nov. 6, I was forced to do something that I hope I never have to do again: vote straight democrat. It isn’t that I will never again vote straight Democrat or that I never again want to vote straight Democrat. Rather, I hope with all of my heart that I never again feel it absolutely necessary to do so. In fact, I sincerely want to be able to one day endorse a Republican candidate.
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