CES Profile: PG Alum Cat Fish '08

Excerpt:

Cat Fish '08 Politics & Government Major

Cat is currently working in Adam Smith's DC office as a Scheduler/Legislative Correspondent: "DC is a very young and upcoming city. Within the last few years, there has been a huge influx of young people to DC who are politically active and passionate about what they are doing. It is very easy to adjust to living here, because people are social and there is so much to get involved in."

Read CES' interview with her here, and find out more about the Alumni Sharing Knowledge Network:

http://www.pugetsound.edu/about/offices--services/ces/students/connecting-with-alumni/alumni-interviews/legislative-correspondent/

PAID INTERNSHIP: 1/20 Deadline!

We've had several students do this internship in past and they have raved about it. Excellent experience and paid to boot--you can't do better...

2011 Bike Month Internship
City of Tacoma
January 24th-May 31st

The City of Tacoma is seeking a motivated, dependable, creative intern to help develop and implement events for Bike Month 2011. Our objectives include encouraging employees to bike to work and getting the community involved in activities as varied as the Tacoma Bike Swap, a bike art event at the Tacoma Art Museum, and a month-long Bicycle Commuter Challenge.

This internship pays $12/hour and the work schedule will be about 10-12 hours/week from mid-January to mid-April with flexible hours depending on your class schedule. From mid-April through the end of May, the workload will be more demanding and require a greater time commitment of about 20 hours/week, including some weekend and evening hours for events. Work will be done primarily at the Tacoma Municipal Building, with some off-site meetings and events.

The Bike Month intern will be given a great deal of responsibility and autonomy and must be self-motivated and well-organized. Interns must be able to interact professionally with public agencies, businesses, and the general public.

Skills necessary to successfully execute this work include:
• Independent thinking
• Good communication
• Outgoing personality
• Solid research and computer skills
• Investment in bike issues
• Event planning
• Strong work ethic

The intern must have a driver’s license and should also be a cyclist.

Please email a resume and letter stating your interest, skills and qualifications to by Thursday, January 20th at 5:00pm to:

Diane Wiatr, Mobility Coordinator
City of Tacoma
dwiatr@cityoftacoma.org
(253) 591-5380

P&G students at Puget Sound: earning a graduate degree, but not getting one?

I received a nice note from a former student enrolled in a good graduate program a few days ago. The message was similar to lots of feedback I've received over the years, so I thought I'd share this one:

"Professor Sousa,

I wanted to write to let you know that I made it through my first term as a grad student. I felt like it was easier than upper-level classes at UPS...."

We're working you hard now, but just think about it--graduate school will feel like a cool breeze!

ICPSR Summer Undergraduate Internship Program!

ICPSR Summer Undergraduate Internship Program -- 2011

The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), the world's largest archive of digital social science data, is now accepting applications for its annual summer internship program. ICPSR is a unit within the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. ICPSR's data are the foundation for thousands of research articles, reports, and books. Findings from these data are put to use by scholars, policy analysts, policy makers, the media, and the public.

Interns spend ten weeks from June 7 - August 13, 2011, at ICPSR (Ann Arbor, Michigan), during which they will:

· Work in small groups and with faculty mentors to complete research projects resulting in conference-ready posters

· Gain experience using statistical programs such as SAS, SPSS, and Stata to check data, working in both UNIX and Windows environments

· Attend courses in the ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research

· Participate in a weekly Lunch and Lecture series that covers topics related to social science research and professional development.

Compensation:
$3,000 - $5000* stipend, room and partial-board in university housing, and a scholarship covering the cost of fees, texts, and materials for coursework in the ICPSR Summer Program.

Application Procedure:
Interested individuals should submit a cover letter of interest, resume or CV, two letters of recommendation, list of relevant courses, and contact information for the required two professional or faculty references (that may be submitted under separate cover) to:

ICPSR Human Resources, Attn: Summer Internship Program, P.O.Box 1248, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106-1248

Email: careers@icpsr.umich.edu

Applications due by February 15, 2011.

* Stipend amount and citizenship requirement pending funding from the National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates program.

From NBR: Asia jobs and other goodies

About NBR:

The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institution that conducts advanced independent research on strategic, political, economic, globalization, health, and energy issues affecting U.S. relations with Asia. Drawing upon an extensive network of the world’s leading specialists, and leveraging the latest technology, NBR bridges the academic, business, and policy arenas. To learn more about NBR, please visit www.nbr.org.

Current Employment and Internship Opportunities

Program Coordinator, Political and Security Affairs (PSA) Group

Strategic Asia Internship - Winter 2011

Winter Internship - Washington, D.C.

Web Design/Development Interns

Publications Winter 2011 Internship

Archival Internship

Program Coordinator, Political and Security Affairs (PSA) Group
Seattle, WA

The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) is seeking a Program Coordinator to perform a wide variety of executive administrative duties and provide project-based support for the Political and Security Affairs (PSA) group at NBR. This includes providing logistical and administrative support for the PSA Strategic Asia program. This is a regular, full-time, hourly, non-exempt position reporting to the Vice President, Political and Security Affairs Group. Salary DOE.

Responsibilities

PSA Executive Support: (20%)

• Serving as the primary point of contact for PSA senior staff
• Scheduling complex meetings and special activities for PSA senior staff; arranging travel and accommodation for complex trips
• Tracking and compiling reimbursements
• Performing other administrative duties such as minute-taking, filing, faxing, mailing, misc. errands; providing general office phone support; participating in and supporting other NBR activities as needed

PSA Project Support: (40%)

• Providing support in preparation and maintenance of PSA-related materials, events, and web-pages
• Assisting PSA staff in developing and maintaining project budgets; tracking project expenses; tracking staff labor hours, preparing budget reports
• Coordinating Independent Contractor Agreements process; tracking PSA project consultants’ honoraria and deliverables; coordinating with appropriate NBR departments
• Assisting with PSA events and activities; coordinating travel and accommodation for PSA consultants, and relations with event vendors; coordinating and preparing materials; assisting with post-event follow up
• Assisting with writing and editing, and publications management and distribution for PSA initiatives
• Assisting with maintaining and updating PSA databases; entering data and gathering information for institutional and project databases
• Gathering background information and creating customized and targeted correspondence in support of PSA development efforts; researching and identifying potential new business development targets for PSA development outreach

Strategic Asia Program Support: (40%)

• Providing organizational, administrative, and event planning support for Strategic Asia program, including drafting agendas, coordinating invitations, assisting with travel and accommodations, arranging venues, working with vendors, note-taking, etc.
• Drafting, reviewing, fact-checking, proof-reading, and formatting documents related to the Strategic Asia program
• Supporting Strategic Asia Director in coordination and maintenance of program budgets, publications timeline, event calendar, and external consultants
• Updating the Strategic Asia program private website and working with the web outreach team to coordinate updates to NBR public website (including Strategic Asia database); drafting HTML announcements related to the program
• Conducting substantive research in support of Strategic Asia and/or other PSA initiatives, including gathering and interpreting information, summarizing research papers, and providing market research
• Serving as the liaison between the Strategic Asia program team and the NBR Publications team to coordinate Strategic Asia book publication and distribution

Qualifications

The Program Coordinator must possess superior organizational, written and verbal communication skills, and will be able to flexibly manage a wide range of disparate tasks and responsibilities with a high level of professionalism. Discretion, confidentiality, and attention to detail are critical for this position.

The ideal candidate will be experienced in handling a wide range of administrative and executive support related tasks, have prior substantive experience in information gathering and logistical-support related activities, and will be able to work independently with little or no supervision. This person must enjoy supporting a small team of diverse people and programs.

Required Skills:

• Excellent calendar management skills, including the coordination of complex meetings and travel
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills, especially in a diplomatic style while juggling tasks for multiple executives and team members
• Excellent proofreading and editing skills
• Creative information gathering and compiling skills and excellent ability to interpret and translate information based on project needs
• Highly organized, superb attention to detail, ability to work well under deadlines, flexible/adaptable to changing priorities
• Demonstrated experience using discretion and confidentiality
• Strong interpersonal skills; ability to work well in team setting with minimum supervision
• Excellent computer skills using MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and SharePoint; HTML knowledge is a plus
• Experience with budget management and knowledge of QuickBooks is a plus

Required Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• At least two (2) years experience in a similar role
• Must be computer literate and possess knowledge of principles and practices of basic office management and organization
• Interest in Asia/political and security issues a plus; willingness and ability to learn on the job (whether substantive or skills-related) is a plus

Application Process

This position will be open until filled. To apply, submit the following to NBR:

• Letter of interest
• Resume
• Application form
• Three (3) references with contact information (i.e., name, title, affiliation, phone number, and e-mail)
• A brief writing sample

Please email application materials to: Ms. Kailani Chin-Hidano, Director, Human Resources, employment@nbr.org. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Strategic Asia Internship - Winter 2011
Seattle, WA

Are you interested in the international politics of Asia? Do you want to learn how scholarly research on Asian politics gets shared with U.S. policymakers? The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) is recruiting an intern for its Strategic Asia program. This is an unpaid, part-time (10-15 hours per week), internship position mentored by the Director of the Strategic Asia program.

The experience of working on the Strategic Asia program will help prepare you for a future in the field of foreign policy. Students are encouraged to apply for credit and/or funding through their home institution, as this internship is unpaid.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Project Assistance: Drafting, reviewing, fact-checking, proof-reading, and formatting documents related to the Strategic Asia program, including but not limited to planning meetings and launch events; scholar and speaker invitees; key thematic issues; and related publications and/or other materials as appropriate
• Database Administration
: Managing information related to the Strategic Asia program, including tracking invitations, contract agreements, and chapter drafts; updating contact lists; managing filing systems
• Research Support: Providing substantive research support for Strategic Asia and/or other PSA initiatives, including and gathering and interpreting information and summarizing research papers
• Event Planning: providing administrative and logistical support for briefings, workshops, presentations, and conferences (drafting agendas; assisting with travel, accommodation, and venue arrangements; note-taking, etc.)
• Phone Support: Answering incoming calls to the organization
• Participating in and supporting other NBR activities as needed

Qualifications: Excellent written, oral, and research skills are required, as well as substantive expertise and interest in Asian politics and contemporary American foreign policy towards Asia. In addition, the ideal candidate should be a motivated self-starter who can work independently or as part of a team, pays acute attention to detail, is organized, and works well under pressure. Candidates who possess capabilities in an Asian language will be given particular consideration.

Application Process: This position will be open until filled. To apply, submit the following to NBR:

• letter of interest
• resume
• application form
• writing sample
• three references with contact information (i.e., name, title, affiliation, phone number, and e-mail)

Please email application materials to: Ms. Kailani Chin-Hidano, Director, Human Resources, employment@nbr.org. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Winter 2011 Internship
Washington, D.C.

Are you interested in the international politics of Asia? Do you want to learn how scholarly research on Asian politics gets shared with U.S. policymakers? The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) is recruiting interns for its Washington, D.C. office. These are paid, part-time (15-20 hours per week), winter internship positions.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Providing project support in preparation for the 2011 Pacific Energy Summit, which has a focus on the role of natural gas in emerging markets in Asia
• Research and administrative support to projects in the Political and Security Affairs group, including the Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies and Strategic Asia, research and related assistance in both English and Chinese with special emphasis on research for the PLA Conference
• Providing support for the Washington, DC-based activities of the National Asia Research Program, including event planning and attending to the administrative needs of Research Associates and Fellows
• Contribute to a “constituency map” of U.S. Government Asia-related policy leaders and of Asian policy think tanks
• Provide support on NBR DC public events, and support other office needs as necessary

Other responsibilities may include:

• Project Assistance: drafting and proof-reading project descriptions, concept papers, etc.; helping maintain project documentation, web-pages, and filing systems
• Research Support and Writing: providing substantive research assistance for project teams and scholars, providing market research, summarizing research papers, undertaking literature reviews, and performing other research and writing assignments as needed
• Publications Support: reviewing, fact-checking, proof-reading and formatting publications; assisting with publications distribution (including mailings), etc.
• Database Administration: maintaining and updating project databases; data entry and research for institutional and project databases
• Event Planning: providing administrative support to conferences, workshops, presentations, and briefings (drafting agendas; assisting with travel, accommodation, and venue arrangements; note-taking, etc.)
• Phone Support: Answering incoming calls to the organization and handling them appropriately
• Participating in and supporting other NBR activities as needed

Qualifications: Excellent written, oral, and research skills are required, as well as substantive expertise and interest in Asian politics and contemporary American foreign policy towards Asia. Successful candidates will possess the ability to conduct open source research using Washington, D.C.-area libraries and other public resources.

In addition, the ideal candidate should be a motivated self-starter who can work independently or as part of a team, pays acute attention to detail, is organized, and works well under pressure. Candidates who possess capabilities in an Asian language will be given particular consideration.

Application Process: This position will be open until filled. To apply, submit the following to NBR:

• letter of interest
• resume
• application form
• brief writing sample on a topic related to your field of study
• three references with name, title, affiliation, relationship to you, and phone number

Please email application materials to: Ms. Debbie Cooper, Assistant Director, Washington, D.C. Office, dcooper@nbr.org. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Web Design/Development Interns
Seattle, WA

The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) is looking for team players who are interested in applying and expanding their existing technical skills and who are familiar with best practices in Web design and user experience. We have a strong technical team, and this opportunity would allow for the individual to develop skills in leading edge technologies and gain on the job experience.

These are paid, part-time (10-15 hours per week) internships. The Intern will report either to the Director for Online Communications and Brand Development or to the Senior Project Manager for the Center for Health and Aging as his/her general supervisors, depending on the internship position. Web Design/Development interns will assist in accomplishing specific project objectives such as:

• designing and developing websites;
• developing and maintaining HTML/CSS templates;
• testing, tracking, and resolving bugs;
• converting Visio and Photoshop layouts to CSS/XHTML;
• making design edits;
• updating and maintaining website content;
• constructing HTML emails and newsletters; and
• providing technical support and coaching to other staff.

Qualifications

The successful internship candidate must have some or all of the following qualifications:

• substantive experience in hand-coding cross-browser CSS and XHTML;
• ability to work on database-driven sites, integrating front-end templates with back-end functionality;
• knowledge of WC3 standards such as XHTML and accessibility guidelines; and
• familiarity with analytics (e.g., Google Analytics, IIS log analyzers, etc) and SEO optimization.

Application Process

To apply, submit the following to NBR: a cover letter that details your interests and availability, a resume, an application form, and three references with contact information (i.e., name, title, affiliation, phone number, and e-mail). Please send applications by email to:

Ms. Kailani Chin-Hidano, Director, Human Resources, employment@nbr.org.

This position will be open until filled.

Publications Winter 2011 Internship
Seattle, WA

Are you interested in the international politics of Asia? Do you want to learn how scholarly research gets published in print or online? The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) is seeking a part-time intern to assist with NBR publications, including:

• Asia Policy, a peer-reviewed journal devoted to bridging the gap between academic research and policymaking on issues related to the Asia-Pacific region
• Strategic Asia, an annual edited volume presenting research that transcends traditional estimates of military balance by incorporating economic, political, and demographic data on the region and then asking what "strategic Asia" will look like in five years
• NBR Analysis, a policy essay series
• NBR Special Reports and other occasional papers

The experience of working on NBR publications will help prepare you for a future in the field of foreign policy research and publication. Students are encouraged to apply for credit and/or funding through their home institution, as the internship is unpaid.

Overall responsibilities:

• assisting in fact-checking, formatting, copyediting, and proofreading manuscripts
• assisting in the sales and distribution of publications
• supporting the Publications Department and NBR in other activities as needed

Qualifications: The ideal candidate will be a current BA or MA degree student with a strong interest in publishing, international relations, and the Asia-Pacific region. A successful applicant will demonstrate acute attention to detail, the ability to work both independently and as part of a group, and a commitment to providing intellectual public goods. Superior writing skills, a strong understanding of English grammar, and a passion for language are also required. Working knowledge of Microsoft Word is a requirement, and familiarity with Excel and SharePoint are a plus.

Application Process:

This position will be open until filled. To apply, submit the following to NBR:

• letter of interest
• resume
• application form
• writing sample
• three references with contact information (i.e., name, title, affiliation, phone number, and e-mail)

Please email application materials to: Ms. Kailani Chin-Hidano, Director, Human Resources, employment@nbr.org. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Archival Internship
Seattle, WA

Are you interested in Washington State and U.S. history? Do you want to learn to use your skills to build a historical archive of nationally important documents? The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) is seeking a fall intern to assist with archiving for the new Senator Slade Gorton History Center and John M. Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies, which contains:

• Historic, original source documents from the 9/11 Commission (The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States), political campaigns
974-2000 video footage and news coverage from around the state and U.S.
• Historic, original source documents from the career of General (ret.) John M. Shalikashvili, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

The experience of working on the NBR archives will help prepare you for a future in the field of archives and records management. Students are encouraged to apply for credit and/or funding through their home institution, as the internship is unpaid.

Key responsibilities include:

• Properly and securely storing historic documents, photos, film, and other medium

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will be a current, second-year student pursuing an M.A. in Archives and Records Management with a strong interest in archiving and organizing modern American History. A successful applicant will demonstrate acute attention to detail, the ability to work both independently and as part of a group, and strong initiative.

Application Process

This position will be open until filled. To apply, submit a completed application form, a cover letter that details your interests and availability, a resume, and three references (including name, title, affiliation, relationship to you, email, and phone numbers) to:

Ms. Kailani Chin-Hidano, Director for Human Resources, The National Bureau of Asian Research, email: employment@nbr.org, phone (206) 632-7370

About NBR:

The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institution that conducts advanced independent research on strategic, political, economic, globalization, health, and energy issues affecting U.S. relations with Asia. Drawing upon an extensive network of the world’s leading specialists, and leveraging the latest technology, NBR bridges the academic, business, and policy arenas. To learn more about NBR, please visit www.nbr.org.

Summer in Bulgaria!

ARCS SUMMER SESSION

The American Research Center in Sofia sponsors a three-week summer session on Bulgarian history and culture. The session consists of lectures at the American Research Center in Sofia with visit to sites in and near Sofia and historical and cultural excursions throughout Bulgaria. Lectures and site reports are given by leading experts from Bulgarian universities and museums.

The program is open to graduate and advanced undergraduate students, high-school and college teachers, and other scholars with a serious interest in Bulgarian history and culture. The total cost for participation not including international travel is $2,000 (full room and board, use of research facilities, local travel, and lectures). Applications may be downloaded here and should be returned by e-mail to Dr. Emil Nankov (ehn2@cornell.edu) no later than February 15. Applicants need to submit also a statement of interest (up to three pages), a CV, and, in the case of student applicants, two letters of recommendation (sent separately by e-mail). A limited number of grants to cover part of the participation fees will be available to the student applicants, to be awarded on the basis of merit. The approved participants will receive a notification by March 15. The participation fee and a photocopy of a valid medical insurance card will be due by April 15.

Congrats to Professor Veseth--WA Professor of the Year!

Congratulations to Professor Mike Veseth of the International Political Economy Program on being named Washington State's Professor of the Year. Read all about it on the IPE blog--
http://ipeatups.blogspot.com/2010/11/professor-veseth-named-washington.html

12/3: The Bomb! A talk

boom!

Five Minutes Walk from the Colosseum

This is where I found myself at this time last week, in fact at this time last week I was sitting in my favourite Italian Restaurant L'Orso 80, on the Via Dell' Orso in Rome, my lovely big sister Clare took me there for my birthday, the restaurant not Rome. We stayed in an apartment and have decided that this is the way to go, the apartment was five minutes literally from the Colosseum which is so central and it was beautifully dressed and decorated and even had it's own private terrace which was well used for lunch and an evening's glass of Prosecco before heading out to dinner.

Having been to Rome a couple of times now I am getting the hang of the public transport (Bus if you want to see the sites and have time on your hands; the metro if like us you are there for four days and time is of the essence), the site seeing (even got to see the Sistine chapel this time) and the food (try and stray off the beaten track for the best deals).

The first time I went to Rome was with the church for World Youth Day 2000 and I remember thinking what a beautiful city that Rome is and how clean etc. The city has never lost it's attraction to me and I find myself every so often wanting to return. When we entered the flat late on Saturday night the girl Francesca (who could not have been nicer) asked us if we had been to Rome before the usual chit chat and we advised that we have been a couple of times, when she asked why I quipped 'Because we keep throwing money in the Trevi' Francesca giggled as did my sister and I but it is one of the reasons I return to keep throwing that money in so that I guarantee that I come back.

I have included some of my photos below of the Vatican museums (although not the Sistine chapel as no talking or photos are allowed in the chapel itself), the gardens and the general surroundings of Rome, I have also detailed below a couple of my top tips for travelling in Rome.

Top travel tips in Rome

Queues are not a big thing in Europe so if like me this annoys you and you are flying with a budget airline get speedy boarding or priority boarding as this will allow you to not have to queue and get on the plane first.

If you have limited time get the Metro it does not show you the sites of the city but if you get the three day pass you can get on and off busses and all public transport in Rome so if you want to take in the long road to the Vatican (the number 62 bus from Termini goes down this road and stops just around the corner) then just jump on the bus instead.

Always get lost! Half the fun in places like Rome and Venice is the getting lost, stick to the streets around the main tourist sites and you should be able to find a nice reasonably priced restaurant with great food (just remember and visit the tourist information office and pick up a free booklet with a map as it has the bus routes in it and is really helpful)

If you can, go to a football game, we went to watch Roma versus FC Basel and although Roma got beat it was an excellent experience and I would definitely do it again especially since a ticket to see the Champions league game only cost 10 euro's from the club shop, despite being quoted 80 euro's online. Add to this we got a discount because we were female?!?


 
If you are going to see the Sistine chapel get your ticket online before you go that way you beat the crowd, the queue every time I have been to Rome the queue is consistently down the road round the corner, down the road again and round another corner it is really busy so book first online at http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html



Just outside Termini on the Terravision bus side of the building (at the platform one side) across the road there is a small shop that sells wine, food etc and this is open quite late (we got two bottles of prosecco and some food at the back of 11 at night) it is reasonably priced and a real wee find.

If it is all about style and PR

Debate Round-up

Having not watched the first leaders debate last week (I have it recorded just have not gotten round to watching it yet) I was surprised by the second in the series.  A few things jumped immediately to mind, it was too long, this could have been an hour comfortably and the last half hour dragged on.  Secondly the set up was a little strange, I don't mind that the audience are not allowed to contribute except for asking questions as this tends to stop the party hacks populating the audience so that their guys can boo at the others, a tactic regularly employed by the SNP, however, the leaders were very cramped on the stage and I would have liked to have seen a little more attention and pushing for substance in the answers.  I would also have liked to have seen a little more introduction and the Leaders being able to answer the question instead of the moderator summing up what the questions actually were as he then changed it into a sound-bite format for the ticker writer. 

Con-servatives

There were a few different issues discussed that David Cameron misled people on and I thought that I would point out a couple here.  How can he claim that he has a new team when the people the Conservatives put on the TV for the pre debate hype were Malcolm Rifkind and Ken Clarke?  Old policies coming through and old heads pulling relatively young strings.  Further to this the election leaflets that Mr. Cameron is so synthetically angry about were based on a election promise that the Conservatives refused to make until last night when Mr. Cameron decided to make up the policy on the hoof.  

Most importantly for me is the question of defence and Europe, there are a number of really important things that Cameron and EVERY Conservative candidate needs to answer....

1. Do you agree with the political ties that the Conservatives have in the European parliament.

2. Moving to immigration, if -as the Conservatives have advised on many previous occasions have admitted that they would- we moved out of Europe how would the Conservatives immigration policy work?  They seem to be tied to the EU for this?

3. Do you agree with the Conservative candidate in Scotland lying to the public about local business leaders being against the NI raise and using their names without authorisation on the election leaflets?  If not what action will you take against them?

Liberals

Again Nick Clegg has misled people on many occasions now and seems not to know basic history of the political system in the UK. The Liberals as a party are much older than the Labour party so when he talks about the two old parties he is really referring to his own and the Tory's.  He 'forgot' to mention his ties to big business and his lobbying jobs ad doesn't seem to want to answer the questions asked of him re funding, which rings alarm bells, I am sure there was no wrong doing but why not publish the details now rather than later?  

Questions for Clegg and EVERY Liberal candidate

1.  Religion and politics how do you feel about a Liberal candidate describing themselves in a Catholic newspaper as 'the closest thing to a pro life candidate' in  an election?  (Eileen McCartlin in the last election Scottish Catholic Observer)

2.  What will you replace Trident with and when would that decision be made?

Conclusion

From this mornings press conference Gordon Brown is right it is not a game show it is an election and all voters should be taking their vote seriously, today is a more important moment the recovery is under way and this campaign has already made clear that the Tories are a risk to the recovery.  Voters should not be expected to put their cross against a question mark and the questions regarding their policies are growing day by day.  We need to ensure that we are not making the mistakes of the 1980's and 90's.  We need to make sure that we are talking up Britain and that we are showing the positive side of the Labour Policies that we have, but it would be irresponsible NOT to point out the flaws and dangers in the other parties policies, ask yourself this if we don't who will?

On a personal note I used to live downstairs from a real live suffragette, someone ho was denied the vote simply based on her sex, someone who struggled to ensure that we lived in a fairer and safer society and someone who inspired me to join the Labour Party and remember that as a party we know we are better together than we are apart and we know that we are moving towards a fairer, stronger and safer society.

Vote Labour on May 6th

Ryanair

Take them to Court

Have a listen to the Ryanair stance on refunding their customers for their food and accommodation.  Keep in mind that Ryanair were one of the last companies to restore full service to their passengers (only tomorrow will it be fully back up to speed) and one of the companies who have been complaining to the EU about the regulations.  According to the Irish 'Rich List' for 2010 Mr. O'Leary is worth over £182,000,000, and yet Ryanair 'cannot afford' to re-inburse their customers under the EU legislation that as a European Airline they operate under.  This is Mr O'Leary's company deciding that they will pick and choose which laws apply to them and as such they should be taken to court and not only due compensation but damages rewarded to EVERY customer who has had to suffer because of this, personally I think that it should come out of his personal fortune.  They are suggesting that they will only compensate to the price of the ticket, my response to this is that they operate under European Law and are duty bound to compensate their customers they are not above the law.

The thing that really annoys me about this is that Mr. O'Leary is playing with emotions during an election period watch this space for him or a spokesperson (if he doesn't have the guts to do it himself) coming out and saying that if they were to compensate to the EU regulations that they would either go bust or have to lay off masses of people, this is his way of trying to bully ALL parties into supporting him and I for one hope that it fails miserably, call out to Ryanair and Mr. O'Leary - you knew the legislation when you started operating time to suck it up, think about your customers and their suffering and pay what is due to them.


Update - Michael O'Leary of Ryanair has advised he is going to sue the EU Government for compensation for the shut down for £30M losses ... Despite the Ryanair profits being in excess of £241M last year!!!!  Again O'Leary suck it up and take the money out of your own pocket if needs be!

Volcanic Ash

Living up to their Promises

Anyone who has flown over the past few years will no doubt have suffered some amount of disruption and delay in the flight plans and under EU law the airlines are supposed to look after their customers by providing food and shelter if needs be, I must admit that I for one have never been treated to such attention from ANY airline that I have travelled with.  We learn today that many of the airlines have now decided to abandon their passengers abroad and expect the Government to step in and fill their obligations.  I would expect to see more than a few court cases over expenses incurred and not covered by the airlines.

Pasenger Safety has to come first

I agree that passenger safety has to come first but someone should probably explain that to East Coast Rail who continued to sell tickets on the 2pm service from Lonon's Kings Cross to Aberdeen service on Friday.  Despite their being NO seats available the train company continued to sell tickets for the train and we had each carriage with passengers and their luggage littering the aisle's.  One member of staff was overheard saying that they were concerned about safety and asking why the company continued to sell tickets.  Add to this the lack of air conditioning and you have an unhealthy situation where the temperatures were soaring to almost 38 degress celcius at times - and before anyone asks I have an application on my phone that is a thermometer-.  Keeping your customers safe should apply to all methods of transport.  And to those airlines who are saying that it was safe to fly yet the airports stayed closed I would respond that the safety of passengers should always come first it only takes one plane to go down and the Government has ben neglegent in it's duty to protect the public.  Mr Walsh of BA would be best minded to remind himself of the BA near tragedy in 1982 due to the same issue and then answer why if it is so safe to fly has his airline not completely restored their services?

Who Should Pay?

This seems to be the big debate at the present time and to be honest my answer would be the airlines and the insurance companies that is why we pay for insurance and if the airlines do not have a contigency fund to cover such eventualities then they should really be looking at their business practises.  I would also go as far to suggest that the airports should be partially refunding the Taxi's some of the liscense fee that they pay in order to provide a service to the airports as they were also out of pocket at no fault of their own and many of these people are self employed and cannot afford the luxury of a contingency big enough to cover this.  

Who should not pay is the Government and by proxy the tax payer, why should we be paying to bail out a industry that bleeds its customers dry every chance it gets, example airlines like Ryanair who have now decided that they are considering bringing in charges for the airplane toilets!  They charge for using a card online and if you call the price is dearer so you pay that way anyway, they charge for baggage and weigh your hand luggage now as well to try and get more money out the unsuspecting tourist and refuse to provide onward transport if their plane breaks down leaving you out of pocket. 

Don't get me wrong Ryan Air are by no means the only airline who bleed their customers but they are one of the main perpetrators and should be paying to provide their customers the proper cover under EU legislation even if they are a low cost airline (which is a complete falicy in itself we flew to Venice cheaper on BA than on Ryanair and it was much more comfortable).

Anyway what do you think, who should pay?

Some Techno-babble

New Phone

One of the things that I love is new technology and I decided last week to update my phone, and even though I only got it today I am loving it. I upgraded to the HTC Hero otherwise known as the T-Mobile G2 and it is a fantastic phone, I must admit to being slightly annoyed that even though I was staying for an extra 18 months they would not give me it for free (cheap skates!) however, I have fully charged the phone -extremely important- put the sim in and started to use it.

One of the things that I like about the phone is the 'apps' and from what I can tell in contrast with the IPhone and it's applications most of those available for this phone are free to download! I have so far used the maps feature, the weather and the email feature and the etch a sketch (just a bit of fun) and I must admit to being pleasantly surprised.

So a couple of hints and tips on this and other 3G mobile phones...

3G handsets use more power to connect to the network so this will have an impact on the length of time your battery lasts.

When a handset says this is how long you should get out of the phone in terms of battery it means if you don't connect to the network and you don't use the phone, so you can usually cut this in half and get a more accurate picture -let's be honest who only uses their mobile for calls and texts anymore?-

If you are using multiple applications on the phone make sure that the applications are closed down after use as running them in the background depletes the battery power (for the HTC Hero/ T-Mobile G2 you can download an application called 'kill apps' it is free and it will show you what is running and allow you to close those applications you no longer need to keep running).

Check out the Internet forums and try the handset in a store before you buy it because once you have personalised the phone there are very few networks that will allow you to return it, and if it is an upgrade there is no 14 day money back guarantee once you walk out the shop with it that is it.

I hope this is helpful, really I am just trying to say I love my new phone!

American Health Care

I have been following the debate on the American health care system over the past few months and thinking about how good we have it in the UK. I know that this is not always a popular thing to say in fact one of our native Conservative MEP's disagrees with this sentiment entirely as shown through his appearances on American TV Daniel Hannan MEP.

At the moment I am sitting watching 'The Rainmaker' a film based on a book by John Grisham one of the story lines the young lawyer in the film/book follows is that of a young man called Donnie Ray Black who has Leukaemia, his insurance company refuses to pay for the life saving treatment because a bone marrow transplant is an 'experimental' procedure the case argues that this led to the death of the young man.

It does show a stark and albeit dramatised version of the American health care system in which insurance companies would decline and dismiss all claims as a first response. I understand the arguments against an NHS style system however, I cannot thank the NHS enough for the amount of money and time spent on treating members of my close family and cannot help but think had we been living in America these individuals in my family would have had a much harder time during their illness and half the treatments and drugs used would have been denied as experimental or too expensive.

I know we don't have a perfect system by any manner of means but it is clearly fairer and looks after those weakest in society where the US system does not, the elderly and poor are left behind. Surely the measure of a just society is how we treat those less fortunate than ourselves, how can we look someone in the eye and say I think it is fair and just for you to die because you dont have enough money to live?

Have your say here in the comments section and on the BBC website.