Three down, two to go; two down, two to go

BANKSIDE, LONDON, UK -- Does that make any sense to anybody? Allow me to explain...

First up, exams! I had my first three exams Wednesday, Thursday, and yesterday (Friday). Wednesday was a two-hour Statistics final worth 100% of the grade. I studied long and hard for it, and it paid off... I am extremely pleased with how the exam went, and frankly, I would be surprised if i did not get a distinction on that exam (and thus for that course).

Thursday was a three-hour exam, my longest, in my core course, Issues and Approaches in Public Policy and Administration, worth 75% of the grade. We were told it would be fair to expect 12 specific topics on the exam, with us expected to write 3 essays out of the 12 options. Well, just to be safe, I prepared 4 topics, and boy am I glad that I did, since one of them ended up not being on the exam! Alas, it was no big deal... I memorized and utilized 20 different authors over the three different essays, and I was able to incorporate some class-related metaphors that should surely please the professors. The Iceland Volcano, pit bulls, badger culls, and most importantly of course, polar bears all made an appearance. Overall I was also very pleased with how this exam went, and when combined with the other 25% of my grade that was one of the two essays due a month ago, I am expecting a merit for the course. Agenda-setting, interest groups, and reward.

Yesterday, Friday, was a two-hour exam in my most difficult course, Policy-Making in the European Union, worth 100% of the grade. It is never a good feeling going into an exam that is worth 100% of the grade when you know that it is not your strongest subject. As if that would not have been bad enough, to have to do it without having much feeling in my hand as a result of the 5 hours of exam writing from the previous day and a half, and it was certainly going to be a bit of a battle. A little perspective... after my exam on Wednesday, I immediately came back to start crash-studying for my exam on Thursday. After about 6 hours of this, I slept for 3 hours, woke up at 1am for the Blackhawks game, went back to sleep at 4am, slept another 3 hours, and then spent the entire morning preparing for my exam that afternoon. When the Thursday exam let out it was already 530pm, and I had essentially been up constantly save for a couple of long naps, so I passed out immediately. Friday morning I woke up at 2am, and studied straight through the night and into the morning for the 10am exam. You know, no big deal! But alas, the exam came, I managed to stay awake throughout it, and my hand did not actually physically fall off. Though that said by the end of it, I had permanent indentations to the bones on my fingers, which even now, almost 36 hours later, are still quite present. The exam itself was fine... one of the questions was word-for-word one of the ones I practiced for, so I wrote that first. The second that I chose had ambiguous wording, but I was able to specifically manipulate and tailor the argument to what I wanted to write about. EU implementation rates and the EU budget.

There you have it! Three exams down, and two more to go. Next up is GV4F4, also known as "The Politics of Policy Advice," this coming Thursday June 10. That exam is 2 hours and is worth 50% of the grade, the other 50% coming from the second of the two essays I wrote about a month ago. Then, after that, my last exam is not until June 22, a 2 hour exam for DV415, aka Global Environmental Governance. That exam is worth 80% of the grade, the other 20% coming from an essay I wrote back in January, that I got a merit on. So yeah... 7 hours of exams completed, 4 to go. I took today off from studying (I needed a break), but tomorrow the preparation for Thursday gets started!

Now, for the second set, what else could I be talking about besides some playoff hockey?! When I last posted, the Hawks were up 1-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals against Philadelphia, winning a high-scoring affair 6-5 at the United Center. In Game 2, they beat Philadelphia again to take what seemed like a commanding 2-0 lead. However, Game 3 did not go our way, and we lost in overtime to make it a 2-1 series lead. Then, most heart-wrenching, the Hawks blew Game 4 by a 5-3 final, and the series is now all tied up 2-2. Thus, it is a brand-new, Best-of-Three series for the Cup. Game 5 is in Chicago, Game 6 is in Philadelphia, and if need be, Game 7 would be back in Chicago. Without any question, the next two games (and possibly three) will be the most important hockey games in my life's worth of Chicago hockey. Winning at home is essential tomorrow night. If the teams split Game 5 and Game 6, and force a Game 7, it would be Friday June 11. With my exam on the 10th, I would be heading home for that game, and a chance, with a win, to lift Lord Stanley's Cup for the first time in 49 long Chicago years.

First up, Game 5, tomorrow night at the United Center. 7pm Central, 1am London.

Two down, two to go.

Stanley Cup Finals

CHICAGO, IL (by way of LONDON, UK) -- Can you believe it?

In February 2004, ESPN named the Chicago Blackhawks as the worst franchise in all of professional sports. Dead-last. Not just in hockey, but in all of sports.

To be honest, it isn't that surprising. Home games weren't on TV. This was in 2004, not 1984, and seriously, home games weren't on TV. We sold out three games per season... the three against the rival Detroit Red Wings, and the only reason those games were sold out was because there were more Detroit fans than Hawks fans.

Yet year after year, February shit-storm sleet after January blizzard, only a few thousand fans showed up. We, however, were among that incredibly small group, as anybody who we have ever taken to a game can attest. Empty train rides to empty parking lots. An Eric Daze, Alex Zhamnov, Steve Sullivan, and even a Michael Hanzus jersey. A Boris Mirinov goal from his own blue line. The famous T-BO sign (that's Jocelyn Thibaut for those of you who aren't in-the-know), which made it to a road game in Phoenix, but never returned. Two measly playoff games. The first one, on my birthday, we got absolutely smoked by the St. Louis Blues. It was so bad, that we didn't even sell out the second home playoff game, and sure enough we were run out of our own building. When nobody else would even take a free ticket, we were always at the games. When nobody from my generation had ever even seen a Blackhawks jersey, we were wearing ours to school.

In October 2007 it all started to turn around. On the 19th, it was only the third or fourth home game of the season for the Blackhawks. The building was a little over half full. Two new players, in the first couple of weeks of their professional careers, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, were on the ice. Kane took a pass and held up in his own zone, right in front of our seats. He deked towards his own slot and fed a no-look pass to a streaking Toews, in front of the Blackhawks bench, just to our right. Toews beat the Colorado Avalanche's third-man back by the time he crossed the Colorado blue line, and used his body position to shield him off the puck. Toews deked the Colorado left defenseman out of his skates at the top of the left circle. Then, in one motion, he pulled the puck from behind him, through his legs forward, around the third and final defenseman, pulled the puck to his left around the Colorado goalie, and shoved it into the goal.

Did I mention that all of the above happened in exactly 4 seconds?

That was, for the past eight years, the loudest I had ever heard the United Center get, even if it was only slightly more than half full. The Hawks ended up winning the game, and just weeks later, after the death of longtime Hawks owner Bill Wirtz, home games began airing on local TV. The following April, in 2008, the Blackhawks missed out on the playoffs by 1 game with the youngest team in the NHL. In their final home game, they absolutely dominated Nashville in a 3-1 game that they knew was meaningless, but it was abundantly clear that this was a team not to be messed with.

Last year, in the 2008-2009 season, the Hawks began to break through. They finished second in the division, and in the playoffs knocked out Calgary in the first round in 6 games. In the second round against Vancouver, the Hawks won the famous "Game 6" by a ridiculous score of 7-5 at the United Center to advance to the Western Conference Finals. The Hawks were down 5-4 with just minutes remaining in the game, but they scored 3 goals in just a few minutes, including the last of a Patrick Kane hat trick, and the UC simply exploded. In the press conference after the game, Roberto Lunongo, considered by most to be the best goaltender in the world, was reduced to tears, lacking an ability to explain what the Blackhawks and the Chicago fans just did to him. The Hawks lost the conference finals to the hated Red Wings in a hard-fought 5 game series.

This year, the expectation has been from the outset for the Blackhawks to make the Stanley Cup Finals. Last year, the goal was to make the playoffs, and when they reached the Conference Finals, it was an unexpected triumph. This year, nothing short of absolute victory would be considered successful. Throughout the season, for the most part, the Hawks lived up to the billing. They shattered record after record, and finished the regular season by winning the division for the first time in decades, and came in 2nd in the Western Conference by all of 1 measly point. In the playoffs, they struggled against a mentally tough and system-oriented Nashville Predators, but they managed to pull off an improbable Game 5 victory at the United Center. Down 4-3 with a mere 60 seconds left, Marian Hossa took a ridiculous 5 minute major penalty. The Hawks pulled their goalie regardless, to even up the skaters at 5 on 5. With 13 seconds left in regulation, Patrick Kane scored a shorthanded goal to tie the game at 4-4 and force overtime. In OT, after killing off the final 4 minutes of the Hossa penalty, he came out of the box, skated straight to the Nashville crease, and deflected in a Brent Sopel pass from the half-boards to win the game. Just seconds from being down 3-2 in the series going to Nashville, instead they were up 3-2, and they took Nashville out on the road to advance to the next round.

Ever since the intense spectacle that was the second round of the 2009 playoffs, the Vancouver Canucks have been preaching their desire for revenge against the Hawks. They wanted us. They demanded it. And they would prove that they were the better team. Expect, well, they proved that the Hawks were the better team. Aside from a couple of careless losses by the Hawks, they simply out-skated, out-smarted, and out-played Vancouver. They won all three games in Vancouver, and this time eliminated them in British Columbia to send them to the golf course. Good riddance, Canuck-dom. The Blackhawks, who simply knew they would win that Game 6, packed for over a week, and flew straight down to San Jose, where they were up against the highest ranked team in the Western Conference, the #1 seed. Behind a 44-save performance by Hawks goalie Antti Niemi, the Finnish Fortress, the Hawks won Game 1 by a 2-1 final score. In Game 2, the Hawks thoroughly dominated the game in a 4-2 win, which tied the NHL all-time record for consecutive road victories at 7. That had happened three previous times, and twice that team won the Cup. By the time Game 3 ended, the series was effectively over. The game went to overtime, but the Hawks won 3-2, and went on in Game 4 to sweep the San Jose Sharks back to California for the summer, behind another solid performance by Captain Jonathan Toews, who set the Blackhawks franchise-record for 13 games in a row with at least 1 point.

Which brings us to... now. The Stanley Cup Finals. The greatest trophy in the world, Lord Stanley's Cup, is up for grabs, and the Chicago Blackhawks are up against the Philadelphia Flyers. Within the next one to two weeks, one of these teams will lift the trophy and have their names etched into it for eternal glory. The first team to win four games wins it all.

Game 1 was last night at the United Center in Chicago. For the first time since 1992, the Hawks skated in a Cup Finals game. However, for the first time since May 8, 1973, the Hawks WON a Stanley Cup Finals game, and on home ice no less. With decibel readings raging from "sandblasting" to "power saw at 3 feet" to the equivalent to standing in front of 120 speakers in the front row of a rock concert, the Hawks and Flyers essentially beat the crap out of each other on the ice. All kinds of blood drawn, and a ridiculous amount of scoring later, and the Hawks emerged victorious. The final score was 6-5, and the Hawks take a 1-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Flyers goalie, ex-Hawk Michael Leighton, was pulled just midway through the 2nd period after giving up 5 goals on 20 shots. This game was definitely NOT what either team designed up, but it proves once again that no matter the style, the Hawks can win. All week before the series started, the Flyers talked about how they did not want to get into a shootout with the Blackhawks. Well, they did, and they lost it, just like San Jose and Vancouver before them. It will be interesting to see what happens in Game 2 - who does Philadelphia start in goal? Do they try a low-scoring, trap-style of hockey? A more physical game (hard to imagine but I'm sure it could happen)? Or do they stare this in the face and try the same up-tempo fast-paced style, and try to goad the Hawks into taking more penalties?

There is good news for the Hawks. First, the Hawks top line of Toews, Kane, and Dustin "Big Buff" Byfuglien, combined for all of zero points and a brutal minus-9 ranking. Yet the Hawks still won. I can guarantee you that this line will not perform that poorly again, which makes it considerably more difficult for Philadelphia to win. Likewise, Niemi has responded to every game in which he has given up 5 goals by allowing all of no more than 2. Finally, the Hawks were just killed by the officials, who blew a number of incredibly obvious calls and gave the Hawks zero power plays. The NHL will look into this, and you can expect the Hawks to get a few make-up calls in the next game. Thus, the Hawks will get to display their lethal powerplay. For all of these reasons, the Hawks look to be in good shape. If you win a game when you have 0 PP's, your top line produces nothing and is -9, and your goalie gives up 5 goals... yeah, things are looking up.

Game 2 is set for tomorrow, Monday, night. 7PM CT, 8PM ET, 1AM BST. The Hawks look to take a strong 2-0 series lead. It's the first team to four. One down, three to go.

Scout Perlow 1995-2010

Scout Perlow December 31, 1995 - May 24, 2010

LONDON, UK -- As many of you have already heard, but as many of you may not have as of yet, this past Monday my family had to put down our beloved dog Scout. While there was definitely a degree of expectation that this point was coming, it always seemed to be relatively far off. Last June, she got sick, and the vet gave her 2 weeks to live. Needless to say we were all quite upset then. But two weeks came... and she was fine. Two months came... and she was fine. A few months later, and as the weather started to cool, and then get cold, and Scout was happier and more energetic than she had been all year. What was that doctor thinking?!

Well, on the reverse end of that, now that the last of the snow has melted, and the days of cool nights are not as common at home, and of course an entire year more has passed, and this past weekend it became clear that it was her time. For me, because of the somewhat advanced warning last year, coupled with my crazy travel schedule, I had the opportunity to give several goodbyes. Every time I left for any extended trip last summer... a few days or more, I made sure to give an extra goodbye. When I left at the end of September to come to London I did the same. By a miracle, it seemed, I got to spend a week with her walking her through the snow at home, shoveling, wrestling in the yard when I was home this past December. I left to come back to school, and, well, that was the last time I ever got to see her in person.

The very first picture at the top is the oldest picture I have of Scout. And yes, that huge mass of blonde hair is yours truly. I'm not sure if she was mimicking me, or if I was mimicking her, but either way, I do remember when she was a tiny puppy after we first got her, and I was still a little 8 year old kid, we would both actually fit literally in that table you see on the left in the picture. Beyond the first two days she was home, of which I remember vividly - petting her late at night the first night, and then the next day wondering aloud how long it would take before she wasn't sad to be missing her genetic dog family - this is the oldest memory I have with Scout.

The second picture above was taken from Skype just two months ago. As you can tell she was clearly healthy, and happy too - she could hear my voice, and maybe even register that she was "seeing" me on the screen anyway. But yeah, that's the last picture I have of her, and I thought I might share it... it is quite the change in technology that Scout (as well as the rest of us) witnessed. Just think... that first picture was taken on film (what's that), and last summer I took a picture of the print out on my phone, which I was just able to upload direct to my computer and now this blog. By contrast, the second picture was a click I made into an instant file on my computer while utilizing a webcam from 4,000 miles away. Things sure change in 14+ years.

The picture above is from November 2004. Just an ordinary Fall day in our backyard... windy and chilly, the colorful leaves on the ground. My favorite pictures of Scout are always outside, and this is one of them. The picture below is the next year, November 2005, outside again.

And, of course, outside in the snow...

...and perhaps best of all, the "I'm staying out here no matter what you say" look:

We love you and miss you and always will Scout... thanks for a great 14 1/2 years, and we hope there are lots of kisses and there is lots of snow in Dog heaven!

Scout Perlow December 31, 1995 - May 24, 2010

More Chelsea, More Blackhawks, UK Election, Studying

BANKSIDE, LONDON, UK -- Good afternoon from an overcast London. The FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Portsmouth begins in 15 minutes and so I figured I would write this entry as the game kicks off. I suppose I will get to Chelsea last then and update as the game gets underway.

In the political world, last Thursday May 6 the UK had a general election for the first time in about 5 years. The way the system works here is a Prime Minister can call an election at any time he or she chooses, but must do so within 5 years. Then-PM Gordon Brown's 5 years were to end sometime in June, so he called the election for May 6. From a campaign system, I am a big fan of the British system. In the US, as most of you are aware, the campaigning season never really ends. Within a matter of months (and sometimes days) after an election, candidates are already fundraising and scheming for the next election. This is a product of the fact that we have general or mid-term elections every 2 years, in which the entire House of Representatives, 1/3 of the Senate, about 1/3 of the Governors, and in the general elections, the Presidency are all up for grabs. As if that wasn't confusing enough, states hold primary elections months in advance in order to decide who will even be on the ballot, and in all seriousness, the campaign never really ends. In the UK, the Prime Minister gives 30 days notice of an election. Once that happens, Parliament is dissolved, and the campaign jumps into full-speed chaos mode for all 30 days before the election is held. The three main party leaders held three election debates, and for the most part they traveled all over the UK soliciting support and so on.

Now, there are many arguments against this being applied in the US. First, the idea that someone could cross the United States in 30 days is obviously not possible. From a sheer geographic standpoint, you just couldn't do it. Also, another major problem is that because the US has fixed term limits, we know years in advance exactly when the elections will be held, and candidates position themselves and plan accordingly. The cost of elections in the US is also staggering, and it simply wouldn't be possible to raise the money needed to spread a major candidate's message nationwide in such a short time frame. But what about, say, a 4 month limit? The election will be held say November 2nd. Why not restrict a candidate's ability to raise money and travel around, well, campaigning, to starting on July 2? Surely the four months from July 2-November 2 offers plenty of time to raise money, travel across the country (and surely an individual state or a district), debate the other candidates, and inform the electorate of their choices. Personally, I think four months is more than enough time, and the major benefit to this is that for the year and a half a Congressman is in office from the time of the previous election until July 2, they actually GOVERN, instead of concentrate so hard on politics and election cycles.

But what about party politics? Surely there has to be a primary election, right? You can't possibly be advocating for switching to a Parliamentary system of government?

To answer the last question first, no, I do not think a Parliamentary system would work well in the US. That said, I think another solution is increasing term limits. Representatives should have 3 year terms, the President a 6 year term, and the Senate can remain a 6 year term. Governors should also have 6 year terms. I think in this way, we spread out the elections more, allowing once again more time for actual GOVERNMENT and less time for campaigning and pandering. If we allow a 4 month cycle for campaigning before a general or mid-term election, then how about a 3 month cycle for campaigning before a primary election? If the primary election is March 2, then campaigning starts on December 2 at the absolute earliest. I think our government would be much more effective and responsive if the campaign season lasted an absolute maximum of 7 months every 3 years. Instead, it's currently more like 18 months out of every 24 months. This is something we can definitely learn from the Brits.

Regarding the actual election hear, it has been quite historical, that's for sure. PM Gordon Brown's Labour Party was utterly defeated, and lost the right to govern. The Conservative Party won the most seats by far, but ended up short by about 20 seats from an outright majority. As such, after 5 days of negotiations, they formed a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats (the UK's "third party"), and David Cameron became Prime Minister a few days ago. But what of the five days when there was essentially nobody running the country? Well, PM Brown was still technically PM, and he won his seat, so he is still a Member of Parliament. But interestingly enough, it is the Queen who accepts the outgoing PM's resignation and then invites the incoming PM to take power. Thus, while the monarch generally takes a ceremonial role, the Queen had much more power last week during this "Hung Parliament" in which no single party was able to form a government. In any case, while I was hoping for a Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition with Ed Miliband as Prime Minister, best wishes to PM Cameron and the coalition to form a stable government. Perhaps regardless of all of this, the BNP didn't win a single seat, and to me, that's honestly the most important thing - keep the racist bastards out of any sort of power.

The FA Cup Final has started, and Chelsea is pressuring early...

In the NHL, the 30 teams were reduced to 16, then 8, and now only 4 remain, just 8 wins away from capturing the Stanley Cup. The Blackhawks, of course, are one of them, after absolutely destroying Vancouver 5-1 in Game 6, which was in Vancouver, and the Hawks open their next series against the San Jose Sharks in San Jose tomorrow. The game is a matinée, at 12pm pacific time, so 2pm central in Chicago, and 8pm BST here in London. Hallelujah! A reasonable start time! As such I will be sporting my Hawks apparel in a pub tomorrow night rooting for a huge Hawks victory! Out East, Montreal won an epic Game 7 against Pittsburgh. In this post-season, Montreal knocked out the President's Cup-winners Washington and defending Stanley Cup-champions Pittsburgh, both in Game 7's, on the road! Just amazing. Philadelphia, to their credit, also pulled off a major feat. Down 3-0 in their series against Boston, they won the final 4 games in a row to become the 3rd team in NHL history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit to win. The winners of the Chicago-San Jose and Montreal-Philadelphia series will meet each other in the Stanley Cup Finals. Obviously I desperately want Chicago to win, and if they do, I wouldn't be so picky as to say that I only want to play one team, but if I could pick, a series against Montreal would be incredible. Two original 6 teams. The Montreal heartbreak from the 1970's. USA vs. Canada. Canada vs. Quebec. So much history. In any case, let's win this Game 1 tomorrow out in San Jose, take back home ice advantage, and take it from there!

School and studying have been picking up the last few days. Yesterday I had a long review session all morning on Environmental governance, and then for 4 hours worked on the 2009 exam with some classmates. I literally stared at statistics for 4 straight hours yesterday afternoon. Anyway after getting up dizzy I called it a day, came back after lunch, and then...

Yesterday was the final scheduled launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis, on STS-132 to the International Space Station to deliver a Russian-made module to expand the research capacity of the station. The shuttle launched at 2:20pm eastern time, so 7:20pm here in London, and it sure looked like a beautiful day on the Florida coast! Just less than two years ago I was on the coast, watching Shuttle Discovery launch on STS-124 delivering Japanese-made Kibo to the ISS on another glorious day, and I will never forget how bright the flame was, and feeling the earth shake in the moments after the launch. Just incredible, and it makes me sad to think that after Atlantis gets home in a couple of weeks, there are only two more flights ever scheduled to launch. That said, I do understand retiring the Shuttle. It is the most complex machine ever built by humans, designed in the late-1970s, and the technology at present is so much more simple and yet more powerful than it was at that time. In truth, we need a new launch vehicle. The sad part is not really the fact that the Shuttle is being retired to the museums, but that we don't have a replacement vehicle ready to launch a few months later. The ARES-I test launch was a huge success several months ago, but President Obama scrapped the program when he released his budget, and as of yet, NASA and nobody else really knows anything that is going on, beyond wrapping up the shuttle program by the end of this year. The second-to-last launch is scheduled for September, and the final launch, which I am hoping to be at, for sometime in November.

Last week I got to see Kate, a friend of mine from the States who I have worked with a bunch of times with People to People. She took a week off of work to check out London and Edinburgh, and we got to grab dinner one night, and then we went to the Victoria & Albert Museum which was very cool. I had never been there before and it was one of the few I still had to get to. Like most of the museums here, it was free, and what impressed me the most were the Renaissance collection of plaster casts on display. Back in the 19th century, traveling from London to Florence to see Michelangelo's David wasn't as simple as hopping on a 2 hour flight or taking the train, like I did just a few weeks ago, and so the vast majority of people weren't able to see most of the magnificent sculptures and paintings that Europe had to offer. As such, there is a cast of David, one of Trajan's Column from Rome, a replica of Raphael's School of Athens, and many many other artworks that I was lucky enough to see the original's of just a few weeks ago. In fact, it was just 1 month ago today I was wandering around Rome, looking up at the Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel, dipping my hand in the Trevi fountain, and staring in wonder at the Pantheon. Roma, Roma, Roma... what a city! Other great exhibits in the Victoria & Albert Museum... Venician glass, global model architecture, and South Asian pottery.

The FA Cup Final ended up being crazy... in the first half, Chelsea hit FIVE posts but weren't able to score, and the half ended tied 0-0. In the second, Portsmouth attacked off the kick-off, and forced Chelsea to take a penalty. On the penalty kick, the Chelsea keeper made the save, and then just minutes later down at the other end Drogba finally put one in to put Chelsea up 1-0. Lampard later missed a Chelsea penalty opportunity, but Chelsea was able to preserve the 1-0 lead to win the final by a 1-0 final. As such, Chelsea won the double - what a season to become a Chelsea fan... a Premier League title and the FA Cup champions. Just awesome!

Well, that's a wrap for now... I'm off to a friend's tonight for some Apples to Apples (fun card game... look it up if you haven't heard of it). Tomorrow I'm off to a pub to see the Hawks game. Monday is my last day of revision classes! After that I literally have nothing formally scheduled until my first exam on June 2.

Essays, Chelsea, Blackhawks

BANKSIDE, LONDON, UK -- Before anything else, a very Happy Mother's Day to my mom and all of the other mothers out there! Thank you for all that you do!

My apologies for not having updated in a few weeks. As mentioned in my last post, I had to wrap up that assessed 3,000 word essay, which I did, and then in the past week I had to write another assessed 2,500 word essay, worth 50% of one of my grades. The essays went well (on bureaucratic responsiveness to citizens and EU fish stocks and scientific policy advice), and I am happy they are handed in. Can you believe it? With the exception of my dissertation, I am done writing essays at LSE! Crazy!

Besides the lack of essays, I also only have 3 more days of class left. Tomorrow, Friday, and next Monday, and then that's it! Essays are done, classes are pretty much done... that leaves one thing: FINALS! You think final exams at UW or anywhere else in the US were intense? Final exams at LSE account for anywhere from 50% to 100% of a grade (most of them trending to the latter), some of them covering classes that ENDED in December. Thus, for the next month or so, beyond going to those 3 days of classes, I shall be in full-blown study-mode! Exams are June 2, 3, 4, 10, and 22. Dissertation is then due September 2, and then that is an LSE wrap!

As the semester is clearly starting to wrap up, I have been doing some general cleaning and organizing. The weather (minus the last 2 days anyway) has been getting better, so I also packed away my winter coat, gloves, hats. I have come to realize that bringing 4 suitcases, plus another suitcase-load of clothes in September and December to London... it's going to be hard to fit all of that, PLUS what I have bought here AND with what I have been sent here into only 3 suitcases heading back. I guess I will worry more about that as we get closer.

Travel plans are coming into gear. June 25 (3 days after my last final) I am on a bus out of London to Wales, then a ferry to Ireland, and bus up to Northern Ireland over the course of a week and a half. The night of July 4 I fly from Belfast back to London Gatwick, spend one last night here, and then the morning of July 5 I'm off to Heathrow to fly back to O'Hare via Philadelphia on US Airways. After a week or so at home, I am road tripping it out to Arizona to write my dissertation from the desert.

In the sports world, today has been quite the day! First up, Chelsea kicked off at home in Stamford Bridge against Wigan, needing a victory to win the Premier League. Well, they did that, and frankly, they did more! They won 8-0, which is the largest margin of victory in Chelsea's 105 year history. They had won 7-0 a few other times this year and in previous years, but never by an 8-score. With the 8 goals, they ended up with a total of 103, which tops the 97 scored by Manchester United in 1999-2000 to set a new record for the most goals scored in the history of the Premier League. In English top-flight football, the 103 goals are the most since 1962 when Tottenham put up 111. ALSO, as if all of the above wasn't enough, Didier Drogba scored a hat trick (3 goals), to finish with 29 for the season and win the Premier League's golden boot, the trophy given to the player who scores the most goals in the league. Finally, when I was in Vegas back in August, I put down a little money on Chelsea to win the league, and with their victory today and league win, I have won the bet! Not much money, but I'll take it, and it's an excuse to head back to Vegas to claim it! MGM sports book, here I come! Up next for Chelsea... the FA Cup Final, next weekend, against Portsmouth. If they win, it will be the first time in team history that they won both the Premier League AND the FA Cup. One game left to play!

In the hockey world, things have progressed a lot since my last post. In the first round, Detroit took out Phoenix in Game 7, while Montreal came all the way up to post a HUGE upset by winning Game 7 in Washington to knock them out. Thus, the second-round series looked like this:

East:
Boston vs. Philadelphia

Pittsburgh vs. Montreal

West:
San Jose vs. Detroit
Chicago vs. Vancouver

Well, last night San Jose beat Detroit 2-1 in Game 5 to win their series 4-1, so they move on to the Western Conference Finals. Out East, Boston is beating Philadelphia 3-1 in that series, while Pittsburgh is up 3-2 over Montreal.

In our series, the Blackhawks got absolutely destroyed at home in Game 1 by a 5-1 score that was just plain embarrassing. Then, in Game 2, Vancouver was up 2-0 in the first 5 minutes of the game, before the Hawks started to turn it around. They came back, took the lead, and ended up winning by a final of 4-2 to tie the series at 1-1 heading back to Vancouver. Then, in Game 3, the Hawks went to the net, and just dominated. Dustin Byfuglien scored a hat trick to lead the Hawks to a resounding 5-2 victory to take a 2-1 series lead. In Game 4, Vancouver basically imploded, and the Hawks won by a final score of 7-4 to take the 3-1 series lead. Tonight, in Game 5, the Canucks put up 3 goals to take a 3-0 lead through the first 2 periods, and ended up winning 4-1, so now the Hawks are leading the series 3-2 going back to Vancouver for Tuesday night's Game 6.

With that, I am off to bed... have a great week everyone!

Lee in Haiti; Hawks vs. Vancouver

BANKSIDE, LONDON, UK -- Hello again from London!

Before anything else, I want to share a friend's blog with you. My friend Lee Malfar, who was at Stevenson with me, just arrived last week in Haiti, and in the last day or two set up a blog. It is very powerful and provides a great first-hand account of what is happening there. A few general disclaimers before providing you with the link. First, the blog is of her personal opinions, and should not be taken as anything more than that. Second, some of what is covered is very disturbing, which while should be expected, can nonetheless be shocking. Finally, due to extremely limited power supplies, internet, and "free time," the entries will be rather erratic, and will not always come off with the expert prose you may otherwise expect.

With all of that said, again, I just read her first two posts, and already I can say I have learned a few things. As the media attention has really died down, and the money has really started to stop trickling in, and with the rainy season beginning and the Hurricane season looming only 2 months away, these are really the dire months in Haiti. The cleanup is probably only at about 5-10%, where most major roads have opened and the airport and port are undertaking limited access, but beyond that, hardly any of the buildings have been taken apart/cleaned up/rebuilt. The vast majority of the population is living in tent cities, which with the rain starting really poses a huge risk for disease or other catastrophes. With all of that said, kudos to Lee and her team out there trying (and unquestionably) making a difference. In the last two days she told me personally that she had delivered medical assistance to 200 Haitians. That's right, while you and I are sitting on our ass writing and reading my blog entry, someone is out there helping hundreds of Haitians in a single day, people who would otherwise go untreated.

Here is the link to her blog: http://leeinhaiti.blogspot.com/. Or, if you prefer, CLICK HERE.

--

In other news, while feeling far inferior to my ass-kicking friend, yesterday was without a doubt the most productive day I have had academically in months. I was up early, had a review class from 9-10am, then went straight to the library and really put a huge dent in this essay I have to write. I had another class 12-1pm, then a quick lunch (some pretty decent fish and chips, believe it or not), and was back in the library. A few hours later, I actually finished up my 3,000 word essay. In a single day. In between classes. I had yet another class from 4-530pm, and then came back to Bankside. I had my first burrito in a solid month or so, and then intentionally went to sleep quite early.

After a 4 hour nap, I woke myself up at 130am and got things running! ESPN score tracker, twitter updates, and two different radio broadcasts all steaming at once. What could the occasion be? You guessed it, PLAYOFF HOCKEY! Game 6 in Nashville, the Blackhawks won a crazy game by a 5-3 final to close out the series 4 games to 2. That said, the Hawks 5th goal was an empty netter with 7 seconds left, and the score at the end of the 1st was 4-3... probably the most stressful 40 minutes of play over the course of almost 2 hours I have ever heard on the radio or watched, that's for sure. But at the end of the day, a ridiculous penalty kill, timely goaltending, and timely scoring (the Preds tied the game at 3-3 with under 1 minute left in the 1st... 7 seconds into a powerplay with under 30 seconds left, Toews got what ended up being the game-winner to make it 4-3), all combined to a great road victory to close out the series.

Up next... what will surely be an extremely passioned and violent series against the Vancouver Canucks. For those who are not in-tune, last year, the Hawks and Canucks battled in an epic 6-game series, also in the second round, which the Hawks ultimately won 4-2. The final game in that series, Game 6, was the single best hockey game I have ever seen. Given that I've literally been to hundreds over the years, that says a lot! The game, like the series, was constantly back-and-forth, and with about 8 minutes left in the game, the Hawks were scored on to make it 5-4 in favor of the Canucks. Within the next 6 minutes, the Hawks scored 3 goals, including the 3rd by Patrick Kane for his first-ever hat trick, and the United Center absolutely exploded. I'm talking, lights shaking at the top exploded. Roberto Luongo, the Vancouver goalie, was in full-blown tears exploded. For the first time in decades (literally decades), the Hawks were in the Western Conference Finals, after a truly epic comeback in the game and in the series.

This time, the roles are reversed. The Hawks have home ice, and will be the favorite to win this series. Vancouver, as if they did not want to win badly enough anyway, is going to be blood-thirsty for revenge. Unlike the endurance test that a game (and two weeks of games) against Nashville was, this is going to be more of the end-to-end, amazing saves, and then incredible scoring plays style of a series. Hard-hitting, fast-paced, lots of action. Even if the score is low, neither team plays a trap, and it will be because goalies are making great saves, not because you've been bored to death. And so it is... Round 2, Game 1, United Center, Chicago. The game will either be Thursday or Friday, but the day/time has not been announced yet.

In other hockey news... tonight Phoenix is playing Detroit, in Phoenix, in Game 7. Winner plays San Jose in the other Western Conference 2nd round series; loser is playing golf tomorrow. In the Eastern Conference, Montreal beat Washington last night to take them to a Game 7 tomorrow night. Winner of that will face either Pittsburgh or Philadelphia (depending on whether it's Washington or Montreal), and the loser will also be hitting the tee box. Boston also beat Buffalo last night to close out their series, and will play either Pittsburgh or Philadelphia.

Eastern Conference:
EITHER Washington OR Montreal

Pittsburgh

Boston

Philadelphia

Western Conference:
San Jose

Chicago

Vancouver

EITHER Phoenix OR Detroit

That's all from here - happy playoff hockey, please read Lee's blog, and updates to come!

ITALIA 2010

ROMA, ITALIA & LONDON, UK -- What a trip!!!

I don't really even know what else to say.

Observations:

-There is no word in Italian for "organized."

-The food and wine are world-class and super-cheap, everywhere you go. This is law in Italy.

-There is no such thing as a "scenic point" in Capri - the entire Island is an enormous scenic point.

-Firenze is the Italian word for Florence. Pisa = Pisa, Roma = Rome, Napoli = Naples, Capri = Capri, Pompei = Pompeii, Italia = Italy. These all are obvious. Firenze = Florence is not so much.

-Public transportation, like in all of Europe, is superb.

-The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the most expensive thing in the country. Climbing fee is 15Euros. Don't think twice - the pictures are cheesy, yes, but it is SO WORTH CLIMBING! Ever climbed a castle or a dome or anything with the small winding staircases? Imagine that, but on a sideways angle... feels like you've had too much to drink, but you haven't. The views from the top are just as good as the fun you'll have getting there.

-Italian and Spanish are by far the most similar of all Italic/Germanic based languages. I didn't have any trouble picking it up, without a phrasebook, in only a week. Plenty of English-speakers too.

-Always bargain in markets. This is a global rule.

-When the line at the Uffizi Gallery is all the way to the river, it won't take 1 hour. Nor 2. More like 2-3. Instead of waiting, for 4 Euros, go wait in the much shorter line at Door 1, and you will get a timed ticket for later. We waited for 2 1/2 hours, and after a line that long, it was hard to appreciate the Gallery for what it is worth.

-Go to La Galleria dell'Academia (Firenze, Michelangelo's "David"), the Vatican Museums (Sistine Chapel), and the Colosseum & Forum (Roma, next to each other) at the opening. Everything in Italy opens at 9am. The lines will be ridiculously short, and the sites are far more powerful when not packed deep with people. We did all of these within an hour of them opening and had a great time.

-If you see a Pizzeria charging 10+ Euros, keep walking.

-Don't go to Naples. Seriously. Just don't go. Reminded me more of Cairo than anywhere else in Italy. The best part about Naples is that from there you have access to both Pompeii and Capri. If you want to keep your budget cheaper, the hostels are great in Naples, but find a cheaper hotel in Sorrento and stay there. Sorrento is in between Pompeii and Capri (better access to both), is a destination in and of itself, and you also have access to Positano and the Almafi Coast. But yeah, Naples sucks. Avoid it.

-If you INSIST on staying in the hostel in Naples, and you're into the stench and pollution the city offers, then the one thing worth doing is checking out the Pizzerias. By far the best in Italy. Pizza is famous in Naples (more than the rest of Italy), and rightfully so. That said, still not even close to being worth a visit. The pizza is great everywhere else too.

-There is no such thing as too much pizza in Italy.

-There is no such thing as too much gelato in Italy.

-There is no such thing as too much wine in Italy. Okay, that's a lie, but my point remains the same.

-Get gnocci gorgonzola in Rome.

-Get ravioli in Firenze.

-Get fresh mozzarella in Capri.

-Take the cable car to Capri Town from Marina Grande in Capri.

Okay I think I am going to cut the list off there. I could go on for ages but in sum, we had a phenomenal week, saw everything we wanted to really (except for the Blue Grotto in Capri - it was closed the day we were there). Weather was great, and our timing could not have been better. We left London about 12 hours before European airspace was closed, and we got back into London about 24 hours after it was re-opened. Couldn't really have planned that better (though obviously it was pure luck).

ALSO, we were in Italy during their annual "cultural week." In essence, their tourism takes a hit after the Easter break, and before summer really kicks off, so they have a "cultural week" (which is really 2-3 weeks), and ALL of the cultural sights are FREE! That's right - we paid all of nothing to see the Colosseum, Pompeii, the Medici Chapels, Firenze Gardens, the Forum... the list goes on. The only things we paid for were the Vatican Museums (8Euros with student ID), Leaning Tower of Pisa (15Euros), Il Duomo in Florence (free to enter, but 6Euros to climb to the top), and the Great Synagogue of Florence (3Euros with student ID). Not sure if we paid for anything else that could be considered cultural. We probably saved 100Euros per person in total. Lesson: visit Italy a few weeks after Easter!

In non-Italy related news, the Blackhawks have started to turn it around. Down in their series 2-1, they outworked Nashville and were rewarded with a 3-0 win in Nashville on Thursday night to tie up the series 2-2. Then, last night, despite blowing a 3-1 lead late in the 2nd period at the United Center, they pulled off the improbable. Down 4-3 with 1 minute left in the 3rd period, Marian Hossa made a stupid move and took a 5 minute major penalty. Despite this, with 13.6 seconds left in the 3rd, Patrick Kane scored on a rebound from Toews and Seabrook on what was a shorthanded AND empty net goal. The Hawks pulled Niemi, but were shorthanded, so it was 5 on 5 with an empty net, and somehow they got the game tying goal. Then, to start overtime, the Hawks still had to kill off the final 4 minutes of Hossa's major penalty. Between some great Sopel and Madden shifts, and a few phenomenal saves by Niemi, the Hawks killed it off. In one play, Hossa joined the shorthanded rush out of the box, and deflected in a Sopel shot for the game-winning goal just seconds after the penalty ended. Final score: Hawks 5, Preds 4, in OT. Currently the series is 3-2 Hawks with Game 6 set for tomorrow (Monday) night in Nashville.

In the English Premier League, Chelsea just wrapped up their game today with a resounding 7-0 victory... completely dominated in every facet of the game, and now they are back at the top of the table, 1 point clear of Manchester United, with only 2 games left to play. Chelsea plays in Liverpool on May 2, then at home against Wigan to close out on May 9. Man U is at Sunderland on the 2nd and closes at home against Stoke. If the Blues win out, we win the Premier League (and I win a nice chunk of change from a bet I placed in Vegas back in August - no pressure!).

That's all for now. Back to classes tomorrow for the next month before finals.

Pictures are all uploaded on Facebook, from Italy.

Album 1: Rome, Vatican City, Pisa, Florence: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2707289&id=8623973&l=0c5130d956

Album 2: Florence, Naples, Capri, Pompeii: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2707687&id=8623973&l=b7cd4165de

Have a great week!

Greetings from Italia!

FIRENZE, ITALIA -- Bonjourno! Boker tov! Buenos dias! Good morning from Florence! Not much time to update, but the short of it is...

Rome was incredible. Saw the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's Adam, and Raphael's School of Athens. Did St. Peter's Basilica. Walked by and through the Castle of St. Angelo, Piazza della Minerva, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza del Rotunda, Campo de Furi, Spanish Steps, Piazza Bernini, the Colosseum, the Forum, Constantinte's Triumphal Arch, Trajan's Column, and a whole ton more...

Two days ago took the train up to Pisa and saw the Piazza del Miracles, and climbed the Leaning Tower to the top - what a view!

Came over to Florence, and yesterday saw Michelangelo's David at La Galleria dell'Academia, as well as the Rape of the Sabines, and then in the Uffizi Galleries saw the Birth of Venus. After that we went to Il Duomo and climbed 497 steps all the way to the top - the mountains around Florence, WOW!

Now we are off to the Medici Chapels and then another day in Florence, tomorrow to Naples, then Capri and Pompeii.

Have a great week everyone, and LET'S GO HAWKS!!!

Apollo 13

On a completely different note, since this week is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission to the Moon, and today specifically is the 40th anniversary of the explosion on the aircraft (April 13, 1970), I wanted to share a few links that the BBC has posted of their coverage from the event.

BBC's Reg Turnill - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8616751.stm

BBC Apollo 13 Astronauts in Danger - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8145427.stm

BBC Interview with Jim Lovell - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8612007.stm

Youtube video of the explosion in the movie Apollo 13 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ9qdGAE8L8

Off to Italy

BANKSIDE, LONDON, UK -- Cheers from a sunny London-town! I wanted to give a quick update before I head off yet again, this time to Italy tomorrow!

The last couple of weeks I have stayed in London and generally tried to cross a few more things off my list, catch up on sleep, get into somewhat of a routine of working out, and I suppose most importantly I've actually started to get some work done again.

First, I crossed off the last of my primary museums off my list. Last Sunday and Monday we had major internet issues at Bankside, so a few of us decided to check out the London Sports Cafe, which is between Trafalgar and Piccadilly. I have been asked how it was a number of times, and the best way I can describe it is as London's best attempt at an American-style sports bar. We checked out the ATP Miami 1000 finals, which Andy Roddick won, which was pretty cool, especially given that it was in the US, so he had a home crowd behind him which is always that much more exciting.

The next day we set off for the National Portrait Gallery, which is actually in the same building as the National Gallery off Trafalgar, though kind of hidden on the other side. In any case, it was a phenomenal museum. For starters, it was free (like most of the major UK museums - I'm going to miss this when I get back to the US). Beyond that though, the collection was superb - from the Tudor Dynasty all the way into modern British portraitures. The layout was nice, the casual tourist traffic was minimal (except for a couple of rooms, which is fine... I just don't like the insane crowds for 2 hours straight). A few interesting observations... first, I was surprised and a bit impressed that they had a nice portrait of George Washington intermixed with those from King George III's era (he was King during the American Revolution). That said, it was an interesting placement for sure... the Washington portrait was one of only two American portraits, and it was in a far corner of the room (and the museum) where very few people would actually see it. Plus, it was surrounded by portraits of double and some times triple the size of all of the British Generals (Howe, Gage, Clinton, Cornwallis, etc.) who fought in the Revolutionary War. Now, that's somewhat understandable, except for the part where all of these guys got their asses absolutely handed to them by Washington & co. at the end of the day. So yeah I thought that was an interesting feature. Then, in the next room, there was a portrait of the American writer Thomas Paine which was larger than any of those in the previous room! He is the writer of Common Sense, the pamphlet which provided the justification to the American colonists (who were actually largely against independence originally) for joining the fight against the British.

In any case the museum was superb and I would easily go back to spend more time there. With that, I want to go through a list of the museums I have seen and then the London museums and sights I still want to get to, neither in any particular order:

Museums visited:
1) National Gallery

2) National Portrait Gallery

3) Tate Modern

4) Tate Britain

5) Imperial War Museum

6) Natural History Museum

Still to go:

1) Victoria & Albert Museum

2) Monument

3) Kew Gardens

4) Wimbledon

5) Westminster

6) St. Paul's Observatory

7) Greenwich

8) Canary Wharf

Obviously there are tons more places I've been to as far as historical sites and whatnot, but it would be impossible (or take a very long time) to list, so for now that's what I'm sticking to. If I could get to those last 8 places though (which shouldn't be terribly difficult - none of them would take more than half a day) before leaving in July I would be very happy.

Besides all of this, the sports update... the Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey team made the Frozen Four this year, and won the semi-final game over RIT by a commanding 8-1. Then, in the National Championship Game, they skated in a defensive duel the first 40 minutes only to be down by 1-0 to Boston College. In the third period, however, it all went to hell, and they ended up losing by a final 5-0. That said, they had a phenomenal season. Nobody, and I mean nobody, picked them to make the final game, and despite the loss, they had a great year and it was fun to see them get some national recognition. Next time I'll have to make sure I'm in the building like in 2006 to ensure they bring home the trophy! In NHL-land, the regular season has come to a close! The Blackhawks finished as the 2nd seed in the Western Conference, and set franchise records in wins (52), away wins (23), points (112), and many other things. This really was an unprecedented season in so many ways. All of that is moot, however, if this doesn't materialize in the playoffs now. As the 2nd seed, we draw the 7th seed, Nashville. While the consensus is that it would take some sort of a miracle for Nashville to actually take 4 games from the Hawks in a 7 game series, that does not mean it will not be a physically demanding and intense series. The Hawks have home ice, and the best thing they can do is come out on Friday and absolutely destroy the Predators in front of what is sure to be a rocking United Center. Take care of game 1 - maybe a 5-1 final? Close out game 2, and then you seek a split in Nashville and win it on home ice in game 5. A lot of people are upset that the Hawks don't start until Friday night, but it works for me. I'll be in Italy and generally unable to follow the first few games, and this way I only miss 3 games, and can catch games 4 and beyond from London when I get back. Here's hoping the Hawks are up 2-1 or even 3-0 by the time I get caught up to speed!

In football, Chelsea is on a roll as of late. They won their FA Cup semifinal draw against Aston Villa 3-0, and now face Cinderella story Portsmouth in the FA Cup Final in May. Before that, however, we have 5 more games remaining in the Premier League. The Blues face off against Bolton in a late start tonight, 8pm, and this is their game at hand over second-place Manchester United. Chelsea is already up by 1 point, and a win tonight will give us a commanding lead with only 4 more games to play for each side. COME ON YOU BLUES!!!!!!

On the weather note, things are FINALLY looking up! The sun is seemingly out for at least a part of every day, and we're back to being consistently in the 50F degree range. Right now I think it's 52, but yesterday 59, etc. So cheers to that!

Academically, as promised, I am actually getting some work done. I have formally submitted my dissertation proposal, which is due at the end of the month, and am waiting to hear back from my Advisor about that. Regarding these assessed essays, I have picked my questions for each and started constructing my actual argument for the first one due - I think I have a pretty good idea and argument on my side.

Next up - ITALY! Itinerary as follows:

Wednesday April 14, Day 1 - Fly to Rome

Thursday April 15, Day 2 - Rome

Friday April 16, Day 3 - AM Rome, train to Pisa for the late afternoon, night in Florence

Saturday April 17, Day 4 - Florence

Sunday April 18, Day 5 - Florence

Monday April 19, Day 6 - AM Florence, PM train to Naples

Tuesday April 20, Day 7 - Ferry to Capri

Wednesday April 21, Day 8 - Happy Birthday to ME! AM Pompeii, PM Rome, fly back to London

That is the plan! Hopefully at some point I'll get to update from Pizza-land, but no promises.

Have a great week everyone, I'll catch ya on the flip side!