Archway Frescos

These frescos from the Library of Congress represent chaos and order. The first fresco depicts a chaotic state that neglects reason. The second fresco shows how an organized government effectively combines democracy and knowledge, thus producing an organized state. Our tour guide, Eugene, emphasized that the youth are the future of our world, and that we must follow an eternal quest for knowledge. Eugene took the time to shake one of our Glenn Fellows' hand, Jeff Riester, (featured below), commenting, "YOU are the future." We are all very confident that Jeff will create a marvelous future for everyone.

-Allison

Random

Ok so you can all get a good laugh at this one, the first time I ever went to DC was in August 2008 and my aunt took this picture of me and I thought it was kind of cool. Haha enjoy!
-Joanna

Putti Figures

These sculptures depicting puttis are located along the stairways in the front atrium of the Library of Congress. Putti was a term for young boys in Italian Renaissance art. Each sculpture represents a different country. The puttis representing European countries are each touching the globe in their respective geographic location. The putti representing America is looking forward in the distance to signify progress and the pursuit for knowledge and innovation.

-Allison

LOC

I might just be a huge hater of procrastination but after going to the LOC today I am really excited to start researching my topic. I like to get things out of the way and done early so I would like to get a lot of book sources reserved this week, especially since I am not quite sure what my main thesis will be yet. It will also be cool to say that I have studied in the Library of Congress =)...however, I could have gone without the incredibly long winded Leroy haha
-Joanna

My First Blog!

So to keep Mike from being the complete overachiever (still love you Mike!) I thought I would write a bog about my lovely internship! Back in the cbus, I was very spoiled at my internship; I worked very closely and became good friends with the senior prosecuting attorney for the domestic violence unit in the City Attorney's office as well as domestic violence advocates. I prepared DV cases for trial, listened to 911 calls, attended victim intake interviews, and followed the cases I prepared to trial assisting the attorneys and advocates. I figured once I got to DC I would have an internship as a coffee runner and paper pusher; luckily I was wrong! Even though I was only there one day, I already attened 2 important conference meetings with our offices in NYC. Once President Obama announced he was suspending transporting GTMO detainees to Yemen, I was able to see how our office handled this news and responded to it. I was amazed how much work and colaboration went into writing a short paragraph press release in respone to current events. The main responsibility I have thus far is to read all of the articles that Human Rights First is mentioned in, in numerous journals and newspapers, and classify them for the upcoming quarterly board meeting. This is extremely informative; not does this give me the opportunity to catch myself up on what has been happening the past few months but it also gives me the chance to research sources for my paper and sharpen my thesis. I am extremely excited to head into work tomorrow to continue my research.
-Joanna

The "Rate Buster" strikes again..........LOC

This afternoon after class we visited the Library Of Congress and went on a tour led by an older volunteer tour guide named Eugene Rowe. It was very obvious Eugene loved doing this and his love manifested itself in the way he conducted the tour; it was both brilliant and informative. We also received Library Of Congress research cards that allow access to the materials held by the library, which contains the largest amount of published material in the world. The pictures above are just a few of many items I found to be interesting. 1. Note what facet of society is at the top compared to the one at the bottom. 2. One of the many paintings in a room dedicated to family. Eugene highlighted the importance of the role of family in education and learning among many other aspects of life. It was evident in the way he talked about this room that the role of family in today's society was a concern of his. Mom and Dad, if I don't tell you enough, thank you for your love, support and continued guidance over the years. 3. A great quote.

Mike

Winter Glenn fellows at the National Building Museum

LONG LIVE PIGOU!

The first time I went to the grocery store the woman behind the counter asked me if I wanted a bag to put my stuff in. I was bewildered as I had purchased alot of groceries. It turns out the state of Virginia charges 5 cents per bag! To read more about Pigovian Taxes go here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigovian_tax

Mike

Today we went on our first study tour to the National Building Museum. Dr. Kolson mentioned the importance of the old Pension Building where it is located, and how at the time it was built in 1887 it was recognized for cutting edge heating and cooling systems. These systems happen to be nothing more than strategically placed windows throughout the building. This struck me because a revival of these practices is currently occuring to reduce energy consumption in new homes and buildings. So much for expensive air conditioning and natural gas that impose costs to society beyond costs to the consumer (externalities). This highlights an instance where technology has, in some respects, failed to deliver the least costly solution to a problem in the long run.

Mike

This goes along with Jessica's presentation yesterday.