National Zoo!

The National Zoo in DC was, by far, one of the most amazing zoos I have ever seen.

And it was FREE!

For one thing, this zoo has pandas. Instantly remarkable.

Secondly, two litters of lion cubs were born at the zoo late last year! It was adorable watching little children talking about the "big happy lion family. Daddy and mommy and so many babies."

Truly though, there were two main aspects of The National Zoo (DC) that made it stand out from most others I have seen.

1.) Animal Enrichment Exercises. The zoo workers were very actively attempting to stimulate the minds of the smarter animals at the zoo. The workers informed me that they put so much effort into enriching the minds of the animals in order to encourage natural behaviors and also to keep the animals as happy as possible. The enrichment activities are scheduled and publicized, so that families may come watch the animals when they are at their most active. I was personally lucky enough to witness the giant octopus enrichment game, which that day consisted of a clear box with a hole in it. There was a large shrimp inside the box. The box sank slowly to the bottom of the cage (due to the placement of the hole in the box), and the crowd watched in amazement as the octopus began to sense the box and react to it. It suctioned around the box and played with it, to the enjoyment of the entire crowd.

2.) Free Range Orangutans! No joke, there are 3-4 orangutan houses throughout the park, all connected by a series of poles and high wires that look quite a bit like telephone poles. There are no cages surrounding the wires, they just hang high above the park walkways. You look up, and there are orangutans above you! Just climbing along, back and forth between their many houses across the park. It was an absolutely amazing sight. And it was wonderful to know that these apes were living with so much space in which to climb and move around.

I highly recommend the National Zoo (DC) as a day trip for everyone!

Rachel

Perfect First Day of Summer (And Internship!)

I ended up going out to a congressman’s dinner party with Mr. Kinghorn, of Kinghorn, Hilbert & Associates, the lobbying firm at which I have just begun working. Amid the old school shag band, a throng of yuppies and various important people, shrimp and grits with breaded catfish, and my glass of chardonnay, I found myself enjoying the company of the politicians I had only previously heard about in the news. I appreciated Mr. Kinghorn introducing me to a blur of men in suits as “his intern, who has only been on the job for one day!” Overall, the shrimp and grits were good (as well as the “nanner” pudding—oh, you Southerners), but not exactly worth the $250 it cost for me to be there. Luckily, Mr. Kinghorn covered that charge. I figure he’s in a better financial situation than I am. It was definitely a new experience, being at a cocktail party with a bunch of politicians. It’s something I think I can get used to it…

My first day at KHA Consultants was surprisingly good. By the end of the day, I felt right at home with the small crowd of warm, sociable employees. The first person I met was Grace, a young associate who originated from London. She’s a charming, pretty girl with the most adorable British accent. I then talked at length with Christine, the personable woman who is mainly in charge of the interns. She’s friendly, open, and very helpful—definitely someone I can see myself working for. Both Kinghorn and Hilbert were welcoming—in fact, Hilbert and Chris, another employee, are both OSU alumni and instantly decided that they liked me. Jake, who I did not have the pleasure of meeting, is a Georgetown grad and Michael, another employee for whom I did a memo, has his J.D. and was a practicing lawyer.

I definitely got along really well with the other intern, Cameron. Cool guy. We apparently like to tease each other a lot, but I can live with that. His best friend actually went to my high school, which is strange because he knows him through his college in Pennsylvania. Together, we spent hours putting together the most tedious memos on TATRC and research grants for PTSD/PCS/TBI/fitness programs/military-related distress. I never thought I’d get sick of Googling, but… I’m sick of Googling. It’s all good, though. Client research is just part of the job for us interns and I don’t think anyone in the WAIP program has managed to get out of doing it, regardless of the organization he/she is working for. At least I got plenty of coffee and Chipotle (at Union Station, of all places… my favorite!), which kept me pretty wired.

Overall, I literally can’t believe how easygoing and friendly everyone is around here. Washington D.C., unlike some other East Coast cities, is definitely livable, in my opinion. It’s like the suburbia of the urban world. There are little to no skyscrapers—just pleasant 4 or 5 story buildings (think the Supreme Court) that allow the sun to shine over the city. There’s green all around! Parks, trees, stretches of lawn that allow the city to keep a natural, refreshing element. There isn’t terrible traffic (although it isn’t great either). It’s not that populated—at least not anywhere near as bad as NYC. It’s just beautiful and fast-paced and professional and invigorating. As of now, I’m entirely smitten. I can definitely see myself living here for at least a few years upon graduation.

The Washington Intern Student Housing (WISH), where I live, is located in the absolute perfect place. It’s on Constitution Ave., right at the intersection of Massachusetts Ave. All I have to do is leave my apartment, make a left turn, walk a hundred feet or so, and turn right onto 2nd Street, NE. Five minutes down the street on 2nd, I pass Union Station, which not only has the metro, but also delicious food and an amazing shopping mall. Another ten minutes down 2nd brings me to my workplace, which is conveniently located within walking distance. I feel like I am on a college campus that just may be slightly more lovable than OSU. In fact, Capitol Hill is literally like OSU: the yuppie version. I can’t even walk two blocks without spotting a swarm of young professionals and frantic interns. I love it. I feel as if I am constantly surrounded by charismatic, intelligent, and passionate individuals.

Speaking of such people, the students in my internship program are great. My roommate is smart, put together, and easy to get along with. Oh, and she suggested that we watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 the weekend it comes out, so obviously she’s someone I adore living with. I was already friends with another girl in the program, and had a good time last night at dinner with her, my roommate, and some other bright albeit fun people. I can tell that the nightlife and dining here is fantastic, just based on last night and the previous two days in the city with my family. If I had an endless supply of money, I would definitely eat out at a new D.C. restaurant for every single meal and get fat. Well, that wouldn’t really happen due to the fact that I have to walk several miles every day. So hey, it all works out.

-B.C.

What's More American than DC on Memorial Day?

As our time in DC comes to a close, we realized that there was so many more things to experience in DC that had yet to do, and what better time than Memorial Day Weekend. On Friday, we traveled with Glenn School Learning Community to both the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetary. For many of us, it was our first time seeing the Pentagon Memorial, dedicated to those who had lost their lives in the September 11th terrorist attacks both inside the Pentagon and on American Airlines Flight 77. As we walked through the Memorial, it was sombering to see the hundreds of benches, lined up chronologically based on birth, representing those who lost their lives. Small children who were on the plane to seasoned veterans who were working for the government in the building had their names engraved on each bench, facing either the sky or the building based on where they were at the time of the attack. All of the fellows could remember exactly where they were on that September day, and spent an extra moment acknowledging the victims who shared the same year of birth as us who were killed.

We then traveled to Arlington National Cemetary, another place for rememberance and respect for those who had lost their lives serving our country. It may have been one of the hotest days in the year, but we trekked through the cemetary to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where we made it just in time to see the changing of the guard. We were amazed by the precision and control all of the soliders displayed, especially in the 90 degree weather dressed in their full uniforms! Their dedication to honoring the tombs of the WWI, WWII, and Korean War unknown soldiers caused another moment to pause and reflect on their sacrifices.

I was particularly interested in seeing the Kennedy Grave Site during this trip to Arlington. I had seen the Eternal Flame and the resting place of JFK and his family as well as that of his brother Robert, but new to me was the grave of Edward "Ted" Kennedy. This was important to me because it was the only gravesite in this area of someone who I could remember living. I was born far after the deaths of JFK and RFK and have only thought of them as great public servants who were already deceased, but I was 18 when Ted Kennedy passed away, and can vividly remember watching some of his speeches on the Senate floor and public appearances. I saw his funeral and memorial on television, but it was a new and somber experience to see his grave after watching him when he was alive.

On Sunday, the other fellows and I walked along the National Mall to visit the Monuments and War Memorials. There were hundreds of flowers and tokens at each memorial to remember those who had made the ultimate sacrifice. It was important for us to stop and pay a tribute to the World War II and Vietnam Memorials- after all, isn't that what Memorial Day is about?

To finish our patriotic weekend, the four other fellows and I made our way to the Nationals Ballpark to see the Washington Nationals take on the Philadelphia Phillies on Memorial Dat. Being a Phillies fan myself, the group quickly divided into factions as some of the other fellows decided to root for the Nationals. Fittingly enough, both teams colors happened to be a combination of red, white, and blue! The teams took multiple moments to honor current members of the armed forces and their families throughout the game as well as remember those who had lost their lives. God Bless America was sung during the Seventh-inning Stretch, and we left the game feeling a strong sense of pride for our country (an in some of our cases, the Phillies!).

ED

My DC Bucket List

Although I had been to DC multiple times, I had never experienced much of the city outside the National Mall. When the other fellows and I came to DC, we made a "Bucket List" of things we wanted to do before our quarter here was over. With the WAIP Program Director and Coordinator urging us to experience the city on the weekends, the five of us were able to complete many things in the first few weeks we were here- visiting Eastern Market for breakfast and shopping on Saturday and Sunday Mornings, attending Congressional hearings (easy for those of us on the Hill), visiting the Library of Congress, and walking along the Mall to see the war memorials. I was able to explore the the Natural History Museum, one of the many Smithsonians, and see the gorgeous Hope Diamond (left).





The other fellows soon realized that I am not the most adventurous person, especially when it comes to food. When we went to Chinatown our second week here to see the National Portrait Gallery, one of the fellows decided it would a good time to experience suishi in DC. He recommended a restaurant named Sei just down 7th Street, and we all followed his lead. Little did we know that while Sei is one of the best suishi restaurants in DC, it it also one of the most upscale. Needless to say that one particular fellow was in the dog house for a few days, as we showed up in tshirts and jeans. Some of the other fellows, who were not suishi rookies as I was, promptly ordered their favorites while I picked a random sashimi dish off of the menu, which turned out to be raw scallops- ew. A few weekends later I decided to be adventourous again when we went to a different suishi bar just next to the Verizon Center, and had a much better suishi experience!





We also ventured to Georgetown to pay a visit to the Famous Georgetown Cupcakes, featured on the TLC show DC Cupcakes! Instead of waiting in line for hours, we ordered online the night before and were able to jump right to the front and enjoy our delicious cupcakes. Georgetown was a beautiful place, right off the water with many shops and restaurants, but found myself with a pang in my heart for High Street...

A few weeks later, two of the other law school hopeful fellows and I decided to visit the Supreme Court for oral arguments. We arrived at the Court at 8 am, only to find that were were 118th in line! The police officers let us go home with our place markers, and we returned at 8:45 to wait to be let into the Courtroom for the hearing at 10 am. As we waited, we saw several school groups bypass our line and walk in ahead of us, as well as a group of men and women from the Navy. By the time these groups made their way into the courtroom, the police announced there would only be room for 50 more observers, which sadly did not include us. We were offered 5 minute tickets, which meant that we could walk into the courtroom and sit in temporary seating behind a set of drapes for a five minutes before leaving and allowing the group behind us to get their moment before the highest court in the country. We did not anticipate the high demand for the arguments- the poor 51st person in line had been waiting since 6:45 am!- but were happy to be able to go into the courtroom for just a few moments. We went through security, had to check all of our belongings into lockers, and then go though another metal detector before lining up quietly outside the room. We were ushered in, and lucklily I was seated with a good view of Justice Scalia, although of no one else. We heard five minutes of argument from the case William H. Sorrell, Attorney General of Vermont, et al. v. IMS Health, Inc., et al. The attorneys were able to get in a few words, but were quickly interrupted by the Justices who wanted to have their own opinions expressed and points proven to the rest of the Court. Sometimes they bring new logic to light, and sometimes they point out weaknesses in the attorney's previous arguments and written briefs. In a prior trip to the Supreme Court, Justice Scalia revealed that he almost always has his mind made up before oral arguments, and that it is rarely ever changed by what is said that day, which is interesting to me. Attorneys spend months and even years leading up to their 30 minutes before the court, and often they are arguing a lost cause to a court that has already been decided.


ED

Washington D.C.: A Few Words, Many Sights

Part One

Well I guess it’s time that I share what I have seen, learned and experienced here in D.C. I have less than two weeks left here in Washington. This post is “better late than never, but never late is better,” so it’s good that I had all the time in DC to create this post. J

This Part One, this be the first few weeks in Washington…

"Somethings speak for themselves..."

New York: Our Nation's Capitol?

This weekend, our team, or 5-man wolf pack, traveled from the capitol of the United States to the “capitol of the world,” New York City. The others and I talked a lot about how different New York was from D.C., and some even said that they may prefer Washington over the Big Apple (myself included). I still love NY and could even live there one day if given the opportunity (and the money, of course :-) ). Of course, as a native of the state, I think I am predisposed to love the city, even if my hometown of Rochester, NY is almost as far away from NYC as Washington, D.C. (It’s only a difference of 40 miles.) While taking pictures of Federal Hall on Wall Street, I had a thought. What if Washington, D.C. was not chosen to be the nation’s capitol? What if, perhaps, New York, the capitol of the United States from 1785 to 1790, was chosen instead? What would a New York capitol city be like?

As I walked down Constitution Avenue on my way to work today, I was enjoying the wonderful weather and scenery. The Capitol Hill neighborhood is definitely one of my favorites because of its beauty and awe-inspiring views of the Capitol, Supreme Court, and the Washington Monument. The green space and trees accompanying the sidewalk provide an atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re not necessarily in a “real” city when in reality, you are. Juxtaposed against scene is midtown Manhattan. It’s loud, smelly, and dirty. There are a few trees and green space here and there, but nothing compared to the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The sounds of car horns and screams for taxis, accompanied by the smells from food carts, known as “street meet” to New Yorkers, fill the air. Occasionally, a person who may very well be crazy will approach you for money or food, as Dara knows all too well. Instead of monuments and green space, there are towers and skyscrapers. Instead of flower boxes filled with tulips and pansies, there are street vendors selling the latest knock-off handbags, watches, and sunglasses.

While some might characterize my depiction of Manhattan as skewed because I pointed out what some might call “negative” aspects of the city, I would have to disagree. While it is true that New York is not as aesthetically pleasing as Washington, I think that is what makes New York so distinctive. I would also point out that there are many places around Washington that are not as pretty as Capitol Hill. The Southeast quadrant of Washington is known for having a high crime rate and the city in general has one of the highest rates of homelessness in the United States. There are many things about New York that make it truly amazing, which is why it is a destination spot for tourists from all over the world. The amount of diversity and culture in the city is astounding. You may here 6 or 7 different languages spoken a day in Manhattan, or in any of the other Burroughs for that matter. Because of the cultural diversity, the city has so many things to offer in terms of restaurants, things to do or see, or places to visit. Of course Washington, being a major metropolitan city in its own right, offers a similar experience, but New York surpasses it, in my opinion, because of its massive population.

My point is that both cities are different and distinctive in their own right. New York has its culture, its reputation for being the capitol of the world, the center of business and economy, and the center for the arts. Washington has its politics and law, its ambitious people, its impressive monuments, memorials, and buildings, and its surplus of interns. I love both cities simply for these reasons: they are so vastly different. So what of New York as the nation’s capitol? I think that it could have been a great capitol. It had the population, the location, and in the future, the reputation for being the capitol of the world, and as the greatest nation in the world, why not have an amazing capitol like the Big Apple? The city would have developed differently, of course, to include the sites that are necessary in running the federal government. Perhaps Central Park would have been the National Mall, the Federal Hall would have been part of the Capitol building, Times Square would have been home to monuments and memorials instead of MTV, Toys R Us, and Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Co, and Park Avenue would have been the home of the Supreme Court. This is pure speculation, of course, and interesting to think about how that may have changed the future of our nation. But the fact is New York was not chosen to be the capitol, and I think it’s probably for good reason. Aside from the fact that Manhattan Island and the surrounding Burroughs would have been too sprawling for practicality sake, a city founded solely for the purpose of a national capitol makes sense. It is the people’s city. The mall, the monuments, even the Capitol building, is for the people. That doesn’t mean New York is not a “people’s city,” it just means they’re different.

I have loved my time living in Washington, and I was happy to be back in the District this morning. But New York is amazing, too. I guess this is my chance to stick up for my fellow New Yorkers everywhere to say that yes, New York is loud, smelly, dirty, and crowded. Maybe some New Yorkers are rude and angry. But really, we’re just misunderstood, and I would be proud to call myself a “New Yorker” if I ever lived in the city one day. Maybe you’re crammed into a small apartment with no yard, but that’s what central park is there for. Perhaps Washington is more “livable” than New York, but what does “livable” really mean anyway? Maybe Washington is too obsessed with politics. And perhaps Washington is a bit “uppity,” aren’t most major metropolitan cities? Maybe there are too many lawyers, bureaucrats, and politicians in Washington. But I know many people that would say there are too many of these types of people anyway, regardless of where they come from. Honestly, I wouldn’t have New York be any other way. And honestly, I wouldn’t have our nation’s capitol be other place than Washington, either.

-Katie Contino

"How Firm Thy Friendship..."

The Washington Academic Internship Program provides students with an incredible opportunity to do things not possible in a traditional classroom setting. For example, I walk by both the Capitol and the Supreme Court every day to and from work, pay a visit to “Abe” (the Lincoln Memorial) on an almost daily basis, sang Carmen Ohio with the “Archie” (two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin) in front of a host of Ohio congressmen, met the Australian Ambassador to the United States, and met “John” (Speaker of the House John Boehner). Although each of the experiences listed above is tremendous, the most rewarding aspect of WAIP is the bonds the participants form with one another. Despite having been complete strangers just four weeks ago, four of us spent last Sunday—Easter Sunday—together. (The fifth understandably went home to share the holiday weekend with loved ones). For many of us, it was the first time we had spent Easter away from our families, so we decided to have our own dinner with our new “family”—our WAIP family (or team or wolf pack).

As pictured below, the four of us colored eggs together.

While waiting on the eggs to dry, a couple of us played an Easter memory matching game. As some can attest, this game further exemplified the time-tested truism that life is not always fair. Some people just happen to be better at certain things—things like Easter memory matching games.

After numerous failed attempts to at least win one game, one person suggested we move on to something more suitable to the group’s skill set: cooking. The four of us—yes, FOUR—made steaks, oven-roasted potatoes, green bean casserole, and brownies. Contrary to popular belief, we did not almost burn down the building in which we are living. The food turned out amazing. The best part about the dinner was not the tastiness of the food; rather, it was the cooking process itself. After studying the relatively new field of managerial science, we decided to put it to the test in our cooking operation. As the lead dog in our four-person wolf pack (again, we were down a person last weekend), I volunteered for the role of supervisor of Operation Easter Dinner. I find that I learn best by doing, so after studying management science last week, I thought it appropriate to attempt to apply Dr. Kolson’s teachings in a real world setting. With each young lady handling a different dish, it was important that I ensure high quality across the board. If just one dish failed to turn out correctly, the entire meal could have been compromised. I’m not usually one to take credit, but I was able to take three—how should I say this—“inexperienced” cooks and create an Easter dinner that would have made Spike Mendelsohn proud.

Unfortunately, the feel-good evening came to an abrupt end when it came time to settle on a movie for us to watch as the evening came to a close. I guess you could say there was a mutiny of sorts, as the three girls insisted that we watch a romantic comedy called Definitely, Maybe. Naturally, these were the first 25 movies on my list: http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2010/08/top_25_manliest_movies_of_all_time.php#the_terminator_1984

Living in “The District,” it is impossible not to be reminded on a daily basis of the democracy in which we live. There is strength in numbers, and in this case—much to James Madison’s chagrin—the three girl majority outnumbered my brave, lonely soul. Perhaps this suggests I’m not quite the leader I previously thought. Maybe that is why management science is such a difficult subject. In theory, it is rather straightforward and makes perfect sense. The trouble comes in its application. Theories are often constructed in a vacuum, and whenever humans are involved, “opinions, passions, and interests” can interfere with the decision-making process. The girls’ majority opinion outweighed my dissent, so I had to “muddle through” a chick-flick.

We love Dr. Kolson.

Despite the discoloration, "John" loves him some Mike McCandlish.

THE Ohio State University!

Pink sparkles!

Smiles all around!

The Ideal Lawyer: Is it a Realistic Goal for Future Lawyers of America?

“When you think of the ideal lawyer, whom do you think of?” This was the question that 5 panelists, comprised of lawyers, authors, professors, and former state Supreme Court justices sought to answer at a program held by the American Bar Association. The program was called, “The American Lawyer Ideal: from John Adams to Atticus Finch to …” and was put on as a part of the Leon Jaworski Public Program Series at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Thanks to Leah’s boss at AFJ, we attended the event together after a long day of work.

The panelists were incredibly interesting and came from a variety of backgrounds in the legal field. All had different “ideal lawyers” in their heads. President Lincoln, Thurgood Marshall, John Adams, Abigail Adams, Atticus Finch, and Sandra Day O’Connor were all mentioned and discussed, idealized for the way they sought through adversity, their strong legal minds, and their integrity as attorneys. The panelists discussed many other attorneys, both contemporary and historical that were not as well known. Overwhelmingly, these attorneys were ones who worked as public defenders, in legal aid, or in relative obscurity until they “made it big” when they argued in front of the Supreme Court.

There were so many thoughts that were popping into my head while I was listening to the panelists. One was who I would say is my “lawyer ideal.” First I thought, Justice Antonin Scalia. I feel like I have a particular connection to Justice Scalia, first for the fact that he is an Italian-American like myself. Second, his way of being brutally honest with the way he views the law and not being afraid to say it is also extremely admirable to me. Then I thought, Sandra Day O’Connor. I’ve always enjoyed reading her Supreme Court opinions because of the way she reasons. I feel as though I will be more like her when I’m on the bench because I believe she sees the merits of both sides of an argument and weighs them thoughtfully in a way that brings law to the forefront, rather than person opinion (it’s good to have lofty ambitions, right?).

However, I had a hard time listening to the panelists at the same time I enjoyed their discussion. Every panelist had graduated from an Ivy League law school, and many of the “lawyer ideals” that were discussed were also Ivy League educated. I couldn’t help but wonder: what about your average, everyday lawyer? What about the lawyer that couldn’t afford an Ivy League education or didn’t have the right credentials that would admit him or her to such a school? As a student that may not be able to get in to one of these schools, this fact bothered me. Perhaps this is my “quarter life crisis” speaking. With law school applications looming in the near future, I could feel myself stressing out.

The other thought that I couldn’t get out of my head was the fact that all of these lawyers were not lawyers in big law firms or in corporations. They were public defenders and attorneys working with legal aid and non-profit organizations. These lawyers are some of the worst paid lawyers in the business. What struck me is that the discussion left out an entire class of lawyers that many aspiring attorneys long to be. Apparently I wasn’t the only one thinking of this, because a lawyer in the audience asked a question that dealt with this subject to the panelists. It is a tough reality for me to try and grapple with: I would love to work in the public sector, or as a public defender or legal aid, but I’m going to have tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars in debt for law school, in addition to undergraduate loans.

While the discussion left me with some heavy questions about the “logistics” of my future legal education, I still felt inspired and remembered why I wanted to be a lawyer in the first place. President-elect of the American Bar Association, Stephen N. Zack, put it best. He described his own experience in growing up in Cuba. He remembers how the old Cuban Constitution was extremely similar to that of the United States and how so quickly the liberties it described was taken away in the communist revolution. He reminded us that if there are not lawyers defending these liberties how quickly they could be taken away. Lawyers and judges are the defenders of liberty, and the champions of justice. This is why I want to be a lawyer.

House Ways & Means

I realize I'm a little late posting this, but during the first week of my internship on the Hill, I was fortunate enough to observe a mark-up of a piece of legislation in the House Ways and Means Committee, of which my Congressman is a member. This committee handles all legislation concerning taxes and other revenue-raising methods, and also handles issues like Social Security, Medicare reform, trade agreements, etc. For those of you not familiar with a mark-up, it is the hearing during which the members debate and propose amendment to various pieces of legislation. The hearing I attended was a mark-up of H.R. 3, which would prohibit the use of tax-payer dollars to fund abortions. Chairman Camp was quick to point out to the entire committee and to the observers that this piece of legislation was something that would be controversial and that as a committee, Ways & Means is always hesitant to discuss and review legislation concerning social issues, since it usually focuses solely on issues of taxes and revenue. He instructed the committee to view H.R. 3 from a revenue standpoint and avoid including their social beliefs about abortions into the debate. However, I noticed that just a few minutes into the hearing that this would not be the case, and the debate turned from the issue of taxpayer funds for abortions to just the issue of abortion, making it obvious where the party lines fell.

During the debate and amendment process, I was able to observe how the format and seating arrangements of the Committee. The Chairman sat in the highest row in the exact center, with the most senior Republican committee members to his right and the most senior Democrat members to his left. The members sat in order of seniority spanning outward, with the most junior members sitting in the lower row. I thought it was interesting to see how here, much like at the Supreme Court, the seating was based on seniority (although it did not alternate sides, sticking straight to party lines).

I was reminded of this experience (and to blog about it!) after reading the first few chapters of this week's assignment, The Broken Branch: How Congress is Failing America and How to Get it Back on Track by Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein. The authors discussed the histories of both the House and the Senate, and I was drawn to a section detailing the various reforms made to committees during the 1970's, focusing my attention to the reforms made specifically to the Ways & Means committee. Several freshmen members targeted Ways & Means because it was extremely powerfull and had a jurisdiction over very important policies, even extending to social issues (H.R. 3) if they involved revenue. The Democratic caucus expanded the committee from twenty-five to thirty-seven members, spreading out the power and giving the majority ten more positions on the committee. Ways & Means was also forced to create subcommittees, again diluting the concentration of the power of the committee, effectively reducing its status as a "super-committee." However, after observing the committee in action last week, Ways & Means still appeared to me as a one of the most powerful committees in the House.

ED

Oil Spill? That look is SO last year...

I have always been deeply touched by the rally of American support and patriotism after a disaster, man-made or natural, in the spirit of helping fellow citizens in need. We saw it after 9/11 shook not only New York City, Pennsylvania and, Virginia, but our entire nation: we saw it after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast: and we saw it yet again after the catastrophe that was "Bottle-Gate 2011". Okay, so maybe not "Bottle-Gate" but if that incident would have occurred at a national level than I imagine fellow citizens would provide similar support to those affected by such a disaster. Or at least buy them a drink.

One year and one day ago the nation rallied once again in support of the Gulf Coast during the tragedy that is now known as the BP oil spill. Unleashing around 80,0000 barrels a day of oil into the Gulf the BP oil spill quickly became the largest oil spill in our history. Support came pouring in to help those along the Gulf Coast, but once the spilling stopped so did large spread cover and support. Was this because all is well along the Gulf Coast? Was it because those affected by the spill don't need our help? Was it the Obama's Florida vacation that convinced us that everything is okay now? We may think everything is squeaky clean along the coast, but the truth is it is far from it.

With new issues arising everyday it is easy to forget about things that don't directly affect us in places like Washington D.C. or Columbus, Ohio. This doesn't make the problem any less real. There are ongoing efforts to help clean up the Gulf Coast and restore the lives and businesses of its residents- it just isn't enough. I'm not asking you to quit your job, jump in your car, and skip over every BP station between here and the Coast. On the one year anniversary of the spill I just ask you to remember that clean-up is a continuing effort- one that deserves our attention.

Check out AFJ's First Monday award winning film Crude Justice about the effects of the spill on the Gulf Coast.