european union

From EU HQ in Brussels: America and Europe Need Each Other

Thursday, October 9th, 2008

Here in Brussels, the capital of the European world, 11 U.S. journalism graduate students are being hosted by the European Commission for week long conferences with European Union and NATO officials. The purpose of the press visit is to teach a new generation of journalists how to cover Europe for an American audience. It is clear that coverage problems of the EU are immense; most Europeans fail to understand the system, making it even more difficult to relate issues across the Atlantic.

Two of us hail from USC, with other graduates traversing from Northwest, Berkeley, Texas, Maryland and Missouri. On Monday, Research Fellow Sebastian Kurpas of the Center for European Policy Studies explained the political effects of an under-covered EU, including the difficulty of European policy makers to pass new legislation. Most notably, the recent Treaty of Lisbon—which was rejected by Ireland in June 2008 because the content was unclear to the general population (warranting campaign slogans such as: “If you don’t know, vote no”). Kurpas explained that a strong media presence is necessary in Brussels if convoluted political legislation is going to be translated to ground level.

But this is part of a much larger problem. Europeans across the continent view the EU as an elite and disconnected entity—not an overarching system of unity. The fundamental paradox at the heart of the system is a difficult one to grasp: maintaining nationalistic pride and conservative values while promoting the pooling of sovereign power and a shared European community. In practice, this means countries consult with the EU before making big decisions, and the recent financial mess proves that Europeans have not yet achieved this level of oneness. Rather than look for a continent-wide solution to the economy’s downturn, such as a European financial fund —a shared “pot” of emergency money to bail out banks across EU member countries, the sentiment has been “Every man for himself.” The UK began nationalizing banks, Germany pulled a surprise card, Ireland announced that it would guarantee all bank accounts, and everyone started clambering in different directions hoping to save themselves.

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Breakfast Bites: Daily News Roundup

Monday, October 6th, 2008

Sex in video games—it was inevitable, and it signals an even greater variety of digital sex in America to come. At least, that’s according to writer Damon Brown, whose book “Porn & Pong: How ‘Grand Theft Auto,’ ‘Tomb Raider’ and other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture” was released last month. Salon’s interview with Brown offers a taste of his historical tour of cybersex.

Europe’s four largest economic powers would not agree to a joint response to the financial crisis as it spread overseas. The lack of concert among the full 27-nation membership shows the European Union may still be a marriage only on paper. Leaders from France, Germany, Britain, and Italy announced that each nation would need to respond to the crisis individually, but “in a coordinated way,” according to the Washington Post. Leaders from other countries were miffed at not being invited to the talks.

Dems are set to gain new voters as registration deadlines loom in key swing states. The influx could tip the balance in favor of presidential candidate Barack Obama, but Republicans point out he still needs to get the new voters to the polls. Meanwhile, Karl Rove said Obama would win if the vote were held today.

Is Sarah Palin losing McCain the Jewish vote? A “small, unscientific sampling” of locals at a Florida shopping mall found that some Democratic-leaning Jewish voters who were drifting toward McCain changed their minds when he picked his running mate. One said he found Palin “offensive.” But maybe Salon shouldn’t lead stories with a “small, unscientific sampling.”

O.J.’s been found guilty, and (surprise!) the verdict has sparked debate over whether the jury was actually convicting him of murder. The defense has argued that the jury, mostly white, sought payback for the outcome of the hugely publicized 1995 trial in which a mostly black jury acquitted O.J. Simpson of the murder of his ex-wife and her friend. Jurors deny they were influenced in any way by the previous trial. As it stands, Simpson faces 15 years to life. Sentencing is set for Dec. 15.

Bulletproof leather jackets, here! Get your armored polo shirts! An increasingly popular store in Mexico City caters to politicians and celebrities by selling bullet-proof clothing. Apparently the clerks are required to take the bullet so they can personally vouch for the products. They probably shouldn’t market this line to tourists, though.

Coca-cola is a contraceptive, it turns out, but Diet Coke works best. The study that led to this conclusion (and another one that contradicted it) just earned the researchers an Ig Nobel, a prize for unusual or improbable research. Other prizewinning research found that armadillos can move archaeological artifacts and thereby alter the historical record and that female strippers make more money when they’re most fertile. I just hope none of these studies were government-funded.

Evening Nuggets: Daily News Roundup

Monday, September 1st, 2008

Another distraction for McCain? It was reported today the 17-year-old daughter of John McCain’s running mate, Alaska governor Sarah Palin, is five months pregnant and out of wedlock. The news came while many eyes were already focused on FEMA’s response to Hurricane Gustav along the Gulf Coast, pulling even more attention from the Republican National Convention, which began today. It also sparked a discussion in both camps over how much importance the media should place on it and whether it might affect Palin’s performance or McCain’s campaign for the presidency. McCain’s rival, Barack Obama, appeared on TV to agree that it was a private matter and should be left alone.

Iraq regains control of Anbar. The U.S. officially relinquished control of the region, which includes Fallujah, the site of the biggest battle in the 5-and-a-half year war. American troops will play backup and let Iraqi military and police lead the way, bringing the total to 11 of 18 provinces that the war-torn nation will take responsibility for securing. Anbar once held the grisly distinction of being the center of the Sunni insurgency and being the location for a quarter of the American death toll. Both Americans and Iraqis at a festival celebrating the handover expressed surprise at the turnaround, according to the New York Times.

Google is releasing its own Web browser. Google Chrome is supposed to be available on Tuesday and marks a new challenge to arch-rival Microsoft, which has attempted to usurp some of Google’s prominence on the Web by developing its own search engine and trying to buy Yahoo, Inc. With the expectation of a Google cell phone (gPhone or an iPhone, take your pick), the stakes are as high as ever as the digital titans duke it out. But with Google controlling about two thirds of the search market and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer being used by 75% of Web users (not to mention the market dominance of Microsoft’s Windows operating system), is anyone else wondering what’s happened to free-market competition? It’s still a relevant question: uniformity makes it easier on consumers but denies healthy competition.

E.U.: Watch it, Russia. Russia’s handling of a conflict with Georgia over South Ossetia, which wants independence from Georgia, drew a unanimous warning from 27 members of the European Union after a one-day emergency summit today. According to The Economist, the E.U. previously had threatened Russia with “decisions on the continuation of discussions on the future of relations”–an empty threat in mangled English that would have made George Orwell cringe. Whether the current threat has any bite remains to be seen.