First Supreme Court Oral Argument

On January 11th, I attended the Supreme Court’s oral argument on the J. McIntyre Machinery, LTD v. Nicastro case. This was my first oral argument, although I had toured the Supreme Court before. I heard that attending arguments is sometimes quite difficult, but there was no problem getting in.

I didn’t really know what to expect. Since the Supreme Court is not televised, one most resort to the print industry to keep abreast on current opinions. However, I quickly became fascinated with the judiciary.

According to the Cornell University Law School’s website, the issue presented in the case read, “Where a foreign manufacturer has an exclusive distribution agreement with an independent company in the United States, does national distribution provide sufficient contacts to subject that manufacturer to personal jurisdiction in a products liability suit in a state the defendant does not explicitly target as a market for its products?” I did no research on the case prior to attending, and in hindsight, it probably would have been beneficial. I immediately became lost as the court started its proceedings.

What I will comment on are my reactions while observing. I thought Justice Breyer asked the most pointed questions. Justices Sotomayor and Kagan also contributed substantially in the questioning. I was particularly interested in hearing what Justice Alito had to ask, and he did pose a question toward the end of the argument. However, noticeably silent was Justice Thomas. I kid you not, he appeared to be sleeping most of the time! Subsequent research has found that Justice Thomas has not asked a question in several years.

I can’t back this up with much reasoning, but I thought the defendants presented their arguments better. Attending this oral argument has increased my curiosity toward the judicial branch. Until now, my entire focus has been solely on the legislative branch. It is now time to learn more about the United States Courts. And I’ll be eagerly awaiting the court’s opinion on J. McIntyre Machinery, LTD v. Nicastro!

---JGY

Restaurant Week, Georgetown, Gallavanting

This weekend, my fellow partners in crime did a little D.C. exploring--namely, to Georgetown, and the Spanish restaurant, Jaleo. Both excursions allowed us to understand a bit more about the diversity of D.C., in terms of food at least.

Miss Meghan Gannon introduced me to Georgetown on Saturday, and I am thankful that she did. It is such a cute little town! And it has a J.Crew store! I own a hat from there, and it is my pride and joy. However, the highlight of our Friday afternoon was not J.Crew, but going to D.C. cupcakes. That place is so stinking cute. We each ordered a cupcake. Mine was delicious, but Meghan wouldn't let me have any of hers. ;) After going to D.C. cupcakes, I have made a promise with myself to try at least two more dessert stores. I am thinking a crepe place, and Hello, Cupcake. I am open to any suggestions.

At work last week, I asked a couple people at work who live in D.C. about their favorite places to eat. As luck would have it, my supervisor is a restaurant connoisseur. Score! She suggested Jaleo for some Spanish cuisine, and so Jaleo it was. "Jaleo" is a Spanish term that speaks to all WAIP fellows, anyway. It means "A celebratory racket." So fitting. Our party of eight enjoyed a four-course lunch meal for $20 on Saturday, courtesy of Restaurant Week. I think everyone who came with us can agree, that was $20 well spent.

Yet again, another fun weekend in D.C. Now, bed. G'night! -JDC

Middle East Policy with Meghan and Joe: An Adventure

On Wednesday, January 12th we attended a think tank discussion held by the World Affairs Council of Washington, DC. This discussion was a part of the "FOREIGN POLICY SERIES" the council has been holding throughout the year. The topic was Formulating a New Security Environment: US Engagement in the Middle East. The three distinguished panelists provided very informative insight on the future of American grand strategy in the Middle East. First was Matthew Hoh, a director at the Afghan study group and retired combat veteran of the Afghan War. Next, was Hon. Robert E Hunter, former NATO Ambassador and expert American diplomat. Finally, our favorite panelist, Steven Clemens (a.k.a. Steve) founder of the American Strategy Program at The New America Foundation. The talk was very educational and thought provoking. It gave us much new insight on the "sexy" Middle East/US relationship.

Meg: I was very interested in the discussion because of a class I had taken previously at OSU. I, personally, feel that the U.S.'s foreign policy in the future will greatly determine how we are perceived globally. EVERYONE should learn more about this region and what we are doing there. One of the most interesting topics was the problem with Iran. Clemens stated that the reason why we are in this situation today is because of our invasion into Iraq. I completely believe this claim and agree that we did not have a real reason to go into Iraq. He also talked how we will not be able to "fix" the Israel problem until we resolve our issues with Iran. In a foreign policy simulation, I represented the US and I can attest to the many complicated problems in resolving the Israel issue and Iran was one we had to overcome to succeed. Finally, he said that we couldn't live with a nuclear Iran. I disagreed with this because of the theory called Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). This says that if everyone (or the most influential countries) has a nuclear weapon, no one will use it due to retaliation. I really enjoyed this discussion and look forward to others like it.

Joe: Similar to Meghan, I really enjoyed this panel discussion. All three of the panelists gave a lot of great insight and policy suggestions for the US. The overall consensus was American grand strategy needs to change and adapt. Their critiques were very thoughtful and well delivered. I particularly enjoyed Steve's discussion, and after the discussion I approached Steve. I introduced myself because I'd be working for the same think tank department that he founded. He was very approachable and told me to call him Steve, rather than Mr. Clemens. I hope to attend more think tanks sessions in the future and I look forward to working with Steve more!

Much Love from WAIP,

Meghan Gannon and Joe Sadek

A new me ... scary!!!

Washington D.C., oh where do I start? As I sit here after our Friday morning class, still in my dress apparel - which is all still an adaptation within itself, I am finding time to reflect back on the last two weeks and how in just such a short period of time I Mark Hudak may for the first time in my life have grown up a little bit. Oh how that last drawn out sentence would make my mother smile.

The reality of it all did not honestly hit me until day 1 of the internship. The flight into D.C. from Columbus, the train ride from BWI to Union Station, the hike from Union Station to the John Glenn WAIP office in an unknown city dragging along my fully stuffed suitcase, packed full bookbag, and rather heavy garment bag; until I finally stumbled across a familiar face from our WAIP orientation earlier on in the quarter, Jake Giovonni Young - and then ... relief. I had finally made it. I had some how managed to get myself to D.C. in one piece and with all my belongings and the brilliant smile that greeted me on the face of Jake Giovonni Young was the first bit of comfort I felt in this new city.

Still, even with the meetings and greetings of what would soon come to be, my D.C. family, my mind could not wrap itself around everything. Here I was, living in a glorified dormitory with a bunch of people that are indeed strangers. 22 years old and I feel like an 18 year old freshman in college all over again. Move in day trucked along and everyone eventually appeared out of the fog, all except for my roommate. "Doug" was all I knew. His name would tell me nothing. Was my shared living experience going to be an enjoyable one, or did I get paired with a kid that I would have to put up with for ten weeks. Then, after everyone had already been bonding for quite some time, the mysterious man presented himself. That was when the thought hit me, "Oh man, why am I worried, this kid is in for one heck of a grandiose time living with me!"

Monday came along as well as our first class meeting and first class tour. Friendships blossomed. Our first metro trip, our first family photos, the construction of a seven foot arch, and our first voyage around D.C. The history, architecture, and art were nothing short of inspiration for us.

Then it came, the first day of the internship. Tuesday, January 4th. My nerves were on edge. Thanks to my mother and brother for helping me out with an entirely new dress wardrobe, I at least knew I looked good which stirred up enough confidence to get me through the first day. The first work week ended and we reflected back on it in our Friday morning session. Mine went rather well. the people in my office were all extremely nice, helpful, encouraging, and young!

Getting use to the 6 hour desk job days is still a bit of a hassle for me, but I am trucking along. I was able to release some of the pent up energy of that first week once it was over. The Eastern Market and the D.C. Zoo made last weekend one worthy of memory. Not to leave out the friends we all made through out the Congressional. Everyone from the Aussies to the Irish seem to have came to D.C. with us, which made for a good night of karaoke.

I promised I would not steal Kelsey Poole's thunder about the D.C. Zoo - so here I will reference a blog of hers that will surely be coming soon about the zoo. So stay tuned, it will be a heartfelt diary about the finding of a little girls love.

The second week went by rather smoothly and now we are back to where I am now, Friday morning, still in my dress apparel and about to head out to give my fellow Glenn mates a tour of the Capitol and tour some more of D.C. Until next time my friend Blog, I hope the other Glenn mates are able to keep you busy and full of exciting new posts.

-Mark H

My First Day Wearing Business Professional

No, Head of the EPA, Lisa Jackson, did not come to visit the DfE. Actually, I wore business professional because I attended the 7th Annual State of the Energy Industry Forum at the National Press Club. I took a day off from my unpaid internship to listen to representatives from various private-sector energy companies, as they hoo-hah'ed and boasted their respective energy sources. I heard from the natural gas, oil, nuclear, wind, and solar energy industries throughout the afternoon. I was especially interested and enlightened by the natural gas industry.

Renewable energy was mentioned quite frequently as well, but their disadvantage in terms of energy output and competition against existing energy fuels (i.e., coal, oil, and natural gas), was made quite obvious. Most representatives from the latter industries acknowledged the importance of renewable energy, and were willing to see the advancement of newer technologies. Mostly all energy sectors realized that a cleaner energy future relies on feeding off, instead of competing against, each other. I personally look forward to a future of energy diversification, instead of energy monopolization.

I am really looking forward to attending the next energy forum, which focuses on clean coal, in early February. I do not know much about it, but always see billboards for it on Insterstate-80.

Week 1 at the EPA

First week at the EPA: done! I must admit, I thought that my co-workers and advisor would be a lot sterner than they actually were. They are all very warm and personable, which has made asking questions easy.

A lot of my first week with Design for the Environment (DfE), the department I work for within the EPA, involved learning about its responsibilities and how it conducts business. Operating under the umbrella of Pollution Prevention and Control, the DfE works with stakeholders in and outside of the government to identify chemicals that exist in household items (cleaning supplies, flame retardants, furniture) that may be dangerous to the environment and human health, and promote safer alternatives through research in "green chemistry." My job this week has been to learn about some of these dangerous chemicals that the team of toxicologists and chemists from the DfE are researching. This background knowledge will help me with upcoming projects (which have yet to be decided).

Until next week!