Winter Olympics 2

LONDON, UK -- Just a quick update from Vancouver...

All of the sports have heated up. Did you see the men's Ski Cross? "Carnage on the course" was the way the BBC described it, and that was accurate. Shaun White won a gold medal for the US in the men's Snowboard halfpipe, with a 1260 MacTwist. Don't know what that is? Basically a double-backflip combined with three full rotations (plus an extra half rotation, but you get that automatically on a halfpipe). The curling has been intense (I'm not kidding), even though the US teams have been awful. The British on the other hand are much better at this and much more entertaining. Speaking of which, Amy Williams won a gold medal for Great Britain, their first and only medal so far at the games, in the women's Skeleton. Lindsey Vonn in the downhill. Bode Miller in the combined. Ice dancing, cross-country, luge. I could watch the Winter Olympics all day!

BUT, much more than all of the sports above, for most Canadians, and for most of the hardcore fans in the US as well, the Winter Olympics is about the ice hockey. The vast majority of Canadians will tell you that a gold medal in the ice hockey is more important than having the greatest number of golds, and for the US, I feel the same way. Sure, it's nice to have the most golds overall, but gold in ice hockey just seems to mean so much more, given my interest in the game and as anybody who knows me, I've been going to Blackhawks games, Badger men's and Badger women's, Chicago Wolves, Rockford IceHogs, plenty of other NHL games in Montreal, Phoenix, LA, NCAA championships, and I'm sure a whole host of games I've somehow forgotten about (Winter Classic) for the past 8 years or so now.

And so, the USA men, which as noted in my previous blog entry, needed to win against Switzerland and Norway, did just that. They beat Switzerland 3-1 and then Norway 5-1 last week. However, the reason why they were "must win" games proved to be unfounded. Last night, in the biggest US Olympic ice hockey upset since the 1980 Miracle on Ice, and for the first time since the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics of 1960, Team USA beat Canada. Except this time it was IN CANADA! Sure, it wasn't for a medal, but the game was one of the most exciting hockey games I have ever seen, and the 5-3 win was well-earned and very satisfying. Neither team is guaranteed anything yet (well, the US did earn itself a bye to the quarterfinal round with the win), and every game from here on out is a must-win. Canada plays Germany tomorrow, and the winner of that gets to play Russia (widely considered to be the second-best team in the world, only after the Canadians themselves). Team USA, on the other hand, will play in the quarterfinals on Wednesday against either Switzerland or Belarus (they play each other tomorrow night). Win on Wednesday, and you're in the semifinals.

In the women's tournament, the action has been incredibly one-sided. Canada and Team USA have been destroying all opponents. In the preliminary round, USA beat China, Russia, and Finland by a combined 31-1. Canada beat Sweden, Switzerland, and Slovakia by a combined 41-2. You can't really argue with that. The women's semifinals were tonight, and Team USA beat Sweden 9-1 to ensure at least a Silver medal, and barring the biggest upset in the history of women's hockey, Canada will beat Finland later tonight and it will be USA vs. Canada for the gold on Thursday.

That's about all for now! GO USA!

Enjoy the games!

Winter Olympics

BANKSIDE, LONDON, UK -- Well it's day 5 of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and in about 6 hours the USA men's hockey team takes the ice for the first time, facing off against Switzerland. The qualifying round is only 3 games, and the USA got seeded in the same group as Canada. Given that we stand very little chance of taking Canada down in the preliminary round, this first game against Switzerland and Thursday's game against Norway is absolutely essential. Win them both, and we could make the medal round regardless of what happens against Canada.

In women's hockey, I am thoroughly enjoying watching current and former Wisconsin Badgers take the ice for both Canada and the USA teams, and destroy their opponents. When I say destroy, I mean DESTROY! Canada beat Slovakia 18-0 in their first game. The next night, USA beat China 12-1. Last night Canada beat Switzerland 10-1. Tonight, immediately after the USA men's game, the USA women take on Russia. Double digits would be nice, but a simple win will do. It is very cool to see these girls on TV at the Olympics on the national teams - Erika Lawler, Jessie Vetter, Carla MacLeod, Meaghan Mikkelson, Jinelle Zaug... we used to see all these girls at the Kohl Center in Madison. They would destroy opponents in the form of other schools (Ohio State, Minnesota, Bemidji State) then... now they're still destroying opponents, but in the form of other countries. Pretty wild!

Besides the hockey, everything else has been impressive to me, with the exception of course to the tragedy on the luge track the afternoon before the opening ceremonies. Georgian Olympian Nodar Kumaritashvili, a 21 year old slider, crashed at 89.7mph into the wall during a practice run. His sled flipped over after hitting the wall at the finish line (usually the fastest part of the track), and it sent him flying through the air. Dangerous enough, he almost certainly would have survived given his helmet and other safety equipment. Instead, whoever designed the track left a series of steel beams unprotected next to the wall. He hit one of the beams at full speed and died. Pretty haunting, and definitely tragic... I was surprised to see CNN had actually posted a video of the crash. If you are interested to see exactly what happened, here is the link: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/02/15/winter.sports.dangerous/index.html

In other news, thanks to Sarah for sending me an interesting article from the New York Times regarding high fructose corn syrup and soda/pop as a leading cause for children obesity in America. There are some interesting comparisons between the industry lobby and the tobacco lobby, and some interesting proposals to tax pop, and then use the money to subsidize the prices of fruits and vegetables, along with public service announcements and education for children so that they understand that contrary to popular belief, pop is not a healthy or harmless thing to be drinking. Check out the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/weekinreview/14bittman.html?emc=eta1

Finally, there has been a lot of talk of snow across the US in the last few weeks (no talk of it here in London - we have received a grand total of 'trace' accumulation of snow this entire winter - zero inches). Most people at home seem to think everyone else has been freaking out for no reason. Turns out there is some justification to Chicago's supremacy when it comes to snow removal... in an AP report, Chicago ranks at the top for snow removal: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jJ-tYDWorch1YAU1EkgWBnCu145QD9DT7S300

That's all for now - have a good day, and GO TEAM USA!!!

LOVE

BANKSIDE, LONDON, UK -- Greetings from a dark and dreary London! Low clouds, fast-moving, wind whipping. It's not raining, but it looks as if it will burst at any moment. Such is winter in London. But get this - we have received exactly 0, that's right - ZERO, inches of snow all winter long. Sure, almost the entire rest of the UK has gotten their fair share of snow, but here in temperate London town, zilch zip nada. Just some flurries and the occasional dusting, but no actual accumulation at all. Temperatures in general are in the 40s, so not terrible on that front either, even if the average is already the low 50s (it has been a "colder than average" winter here - seems warm to me!). Also, it's no longer super-depressing darkness, which is a welcome change. Daylight extends to around 5:30pm, and the extra few hours make a huge difference from a mental and Vitamin D standpoint.

Besides this, I've actually received a grade that counts, which I am very happy with. I also have been receiving good feedback that is right in line with what I want and what I've been expecting, which is also good news. It's nice to know where I stand, and to know that where I stand is where I want to stand. Also on the academic circuit, I have come up with a dissertation proposal! I'm meeting with my advisor this coming Friday, so we'll see what she says, but for now my proposed title: "Do Politicians Listen to Public Opinion? Lessons from the Copenhagen Climate Summit." What do you think? It's original because it's current, it's a simple and easy-to-understand question (you know what the purpose of the dissertation is), and it integrates my interests (environmental policy) with my degree (public policy and administration). I think I can definitely come up with 10,000 words on the subject as well. Let me know what you think and I will keep you posted after I meet with my advisor.

Can you believe that my second term is already halfway over? Week 5 ended yesterday, which means I only have 5 more weeks of actual instruction to go. WOW does time fly! Also, I have booked two trips in the last week and a half! So I now have an itinerary, which is awesome! I finish my last class March 18, then March 22-26 I'll be in Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt! After a few weeks back in London, I'm off to Rome, Florence, Pisa, Naples, Pompeii, and Capri in Italy April 14-21! The Giza Pyramids and The Vatican, the Library at Alexandria and the Colosseum. Should be an amazing spring break! I'm going with other students in my program at LSE, who have never been before. We got cheap fares too - $400 return to Cairo, and $130 return to Rome (not too shabby!). Hostels in Egypt are so cheap that it makes up for the relatively higher airfare cost. Any suggestions on things to see in Egypt and Italy are much appreciated. Obviously we're seeing the pyramids - but any other suggestions?

Besides the mad travel circuit (and I'm trying to book a trip in between those two, depending on my budget and progress with my studies - currently in the mix are Athens, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Dublin, Istanbul, Lisbon, Madrid, or Prague), the music scene is heating up. Angels & Airwaves just released their third studio album, LOVE, yesterday. And get this - they released the entire album for free - how incredible is that? Rich musicians releasing a free album, and if you like it, then you can make a donation. If not, no pressure - you get the same 11 tracks clocking in at over 53 minutes for free like everyone else. Check it out here if you are interested in downloading it: http://www.fuel.tv/ava. I would highly recommend it - I'm listening to it for the 3rd or 4th time right now already!

The Winter Olympics started last night in Vancouver. I was actually recommended to help manage the logistics of the games, and had I not gotten into LSE there is actually a pretty decent chance that is where I would be right now. Alas, I will watch from an Ocean and a Continent away. The opening video was really impressive - I tried to find it on youtube but they don't have it on copyright grounds. I have it here in the UK on BBC, but that link will only work with a UK IP address. If you want to check it out it's probably on the NBC website in the US. The US men's hockey team plays at 2pm CT (12pm PT and 8pm GMT) on Tuesday for their first game and I'm planning on watching that here.

Well that is all for now - just keeping up on all my readings, starting to plan ahead both academically with my dissertation and travel-wise with my time off.

OH! Mark Kirk smoked the GOP primary - so thank you to all who voted for him. It is going to be an incredibly close race into November, but I do think he is the best candidate and should win for the reasons already stated. We will see as the campaign goes along!

Lastly, an early Happy Valentine's Day to everyone, but most specifically to you Sarah! I love you! :)

Have a nice week everyone!

Happy February/Primary Tuesday!

LONDON, UK -- Well, I don't exactly have a ton of time, but I just wanted to wish you all a Happy February, Happy Groundhog Day, and Happy Primary Tuesday!

If any of you are considering whether or not to vote today, the answer is simple: VOTE! If you are wondering who to vote for, lucky for us, in Illinois you can decide during primary elections if you want a Democratic or Republican ballot. If you choose the former, I would advise you to vote for Carol Sente in the 59th district for the Illinois House of Representatives. If you choose the latter, please vote for my man on the Hill, MARK KIRK for the U.S. Senate. He is the ONLY politician in Washington D.C. with a 100% approval rating both by AIPAC for voting with Israel, AND a 100% approval rating for environmental advocacy (he was one of only 9 Republicans in the House to vote for binding emissions cuts in June 2009).

That's all for now - been busy writing essays and I still have more to do. Classes are great, still have a love crush on London, and trying to plan my break in March/April to get to Italy, Spain, and Portugal (and maybe the Netherlands for kicks as well). Saw the National Gallery last Friday, and the Natural History Museum the Friday before (pictures on Facebook!), and am trying to get to the National Portrait Gallery this Friday, but before any of that I'm off to an SSLC meeting with the Department of Government at LSE to try and straighten them out. Is it really that hard to post minutes on the website from October? Come on - get your act together!

Great road trip by the Blackhawks (5-3), Chelsea is still on top of the table (and if they win tonight, they'll be 3 or 4 clear with an even number of games played), and Roger Federer absolutely destroyed the Australian Open field to win major 16.

Have a great week everyone!