TWENTY-FOUR hours a day, seven days a week. Two weeks of vacation per year. Consumption-obsessed workaholics.
OVER THE past few weeks, demagogic political figures have threatened America's economic future by parroting tired lines about energy independence and the threat of a rising China. The source of these cries stems from the attempted purchase of the American oil firm, Unocal, by the Chinese state-run petroleum corporation, China National Offshore Oil Company.
DESPITE Washington D.C.'s ongoing battle with violent crime, several Republicans in Congress are spearheading a plan to reverse the city's handgun restrictions.
EVERY day, 30,000 or so children die across the world from easily preventable poverty. According to the National Victim Center, approximately 1,871 rapes occur everyday in the United States alone.
"I NEVER wanted to make widgets like everyone else. I wanted to do something that mattered," Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor told a group of high school students a couple years ago.
THE NATION'S capital is still reeling from Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement announcement.
AS THE summer has gotten underway, the American political landscape is, as has become normal of late, red hot.
FROM White House advisor Karl Rove's attack on liberals last week to Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean's slur against Republicans earlier this month, the punditocracy has been busy bemoaning the purported incivility of politics.
IMAGINE that your whole life you've aspired to live on the waterfront. You work hard, save money, and after many years you can finally afford to move into a small house you've always wanted.
THE UNIVERSITY'S Jeffersonian image took a hit this month when The New York Times reported that only eight percent of students come from families in the bottom half of the national income distribution.
DURING both of his presi-dential campaigns, George W. Bush successfully played the part of a simplistic straight shooter.
THE INK of the headlines declaring that French voters had rejected the European Union constitution was not yet dry before the chattering classes of the world began their recriminations.
AFTER THE 2004 election, many political analysts blamed the failure of the Democrats on the lack of a single clear, consistent message.
SOON AFTER Howard Dean locked up the nomination for chair of the Democratic National Committee, most observers agreed that his tenure would be, if nothing else, interesting to watch.
AS WE prepare for beach vacations and blockbuster films, the American news media, too, has surrendered to the summer heat.
NOTHING says summertime in America like a juicy hamburger right off the grill. Particularly if that hamburger is being handled by a scantily clad blonde gyrating against a sports car.
LAST WEEK, President Bush pledged to allocate a paltry $674 million in foreign aid to Africa. While this is a positive step towards funding development, the amount offered falls woefully short of potential. British Prime Minister Tony Blair met with President Bush over the last week to discuss progressive action towards eradicating poverty on the world's poorest continent.
CHINA'S position in the modern world is an incredible paradox. On one hand, China is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, an organization devoted to maintaining peaceful relations between countries, promoting justice and progress and ensuring human rights.
IN THE tranquil dog days of summer, the oasis of exciting political news often dries up to resemble a desert, but this year, have no fear, Howard Dean is here.
