Socialist Take Over - French National Assambly Ready to Support Hollande

On Sunday, June 17, 2012, France elected its new National Assembly. As expected by latest polls and first round of the elections on June 10, the Socialist party got an absolute majority. The Guardian notes that this is a "historic concentration of [left] power" as the Socialists now control Senate and Assembly. So for Hollande, the socialist President of France, it should be quite comfortable now to push through the reforms he announced already in his election campaign: fight the Euro debt crises by remodeling the current policies towards a more growth oriented strategy, help the poor in his country, take actions against unemployment, and raise taxes on the richest 

Interestingly, the socialists did not focus one those goals to mobilize voters but rather warned them of the political deadlock that would occur if the conservatives would win. However, this strategy turned out to be successful. The socialists were able to claim over 300 seats out of the 577 assembly seats. Thus, they can pretty much pass laws without having to turn to their allied parties, the Green and far-Left. Their allied the Green party hold 19 seats, which enables them to form to a parliament group for the first time in France. While the former leading party UMP, had internal struggles about posts, losing many voters, the far-right Front National won two seats and is therefore reelected into parliament for the first time since 1986. (See Guradian, June 17, 2012 and Washington Post, June 17, 2012)

French National Assembly, Photo: beatcrave, May 12, 2009

Many experts and also the New York times have argued, that the success of the socialists is more of a rejection of Sarkozy's policies. French people were frustrated with the way the UMP lead the country. It is said that, due to Sarkozy's inability to tackle the economic problems and due to his closeness to Merkel, France gave to much power away to Germany. Their idea of austerity for Europe, is disliked by many French voters.

“The French in general grew tired of Mr. Sarkozy and were anxious about the economy and unemployment, at its highest rate in 12 years. But neither were they passionate about Mr. Hollande, who has never served in government.” (New York Times, June 18, 2012)

I wonder if there would have been an other candidate, if he or she would have succeeded equally. Yet, France has given a clear signal with its voting results. Even if the motivation of voting socialists was mainly driven by dissatisfaction with the former government, the socialist now have to face great challenges.

"With a new, solid, large majority we can pass laws for change," said Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. "It gives us great responsibilities both in France and in Europe." (BBC, June 18, 2012)

France wants to have more say in the European dept crises, even if that means heavy debates with Germany, they call for reforms to secure and stabilize their own economy and jobs.

“Sooner than one might have expected he is shifting the tactical balance in eurozone politics away from Berlin. He has rallied the leaders of Italy and Spain and next week at a leaders' summit in Brussels he will present a 'Covenant for Growth', an 11-page proposal for 120bn euros of investment in the eurozone economy.” (BBC, June 18, 2012)

This power shift in France will have great impact on European politics, whether it will be positive depends on various factors. Yet, it might bring alternative solutions to the European dept crises.

Introducing an Undercover Agent: My Name is Bond - Euro Bond

Who is this Mr. Bond? Obviously, there are vivid discussions about Euro bonds, but what exactly are Eurobonds? Why are there so conflicting opinions about it? There is an easy way of explaining Eurobonds for instance in this video clip:

This gives us an idea of what a Euro bond is, what it is for, and even why there are opposing sides to it. Clearly, it would help those countries which desperately need money to work their way out of debt. However, it also would make countries, which have been quite thoughtful with their governmental spending, and worked hard for a functioning financial plan, accountable for other nations inability to handle their money.

Yet, the issue is much more complex. The last couple weeks have shown that European leaders have differing ideas on how to deal with the euro crises. Discussing Euro bonds as one possible tool of helping the Euro countries to become economically and financially stable, is therefor necessary. One of the main problems is, that there are only a few proposals, recommending how the Euro bonds should work. There needs to be a much better structured and organized debate. Also, there seems to be a lack of transparency. What does Francios Hollande mean when he talks about Euro bonds. Which ideas does he favor? Does he have a concrete plan on how Euro bonds should look like?

As mentioned, there are some proposals out there. Interestingly the most notable ones are crations of German and French experts. I wonder were the Greek, Italian and Spanish financial experts are?

One idea for Euro bonds comes from the German economist Jakob von Weizäcker and his college Jacques Delpla, working for the French Council of Economic Analysis. Those men, forming a think-tank, came up with a plan in which the Euro bond is divided into “blue” and “red bonds”. The blue bonds being covered by all Euro countries, while the red bonds represent the part of the credit for which each country has individual responsibility. So the bond would, in that sense, not be entirely joint. This would release some of the pressure from strong economies like Germany, and still force those countries needing additional red bonds to be responsible – at least in theory. (for more details on this proposal and others see: Reuters Sep 13, 2011)

But even Jakob von Weizecker admits that there needs to be a closer united Europe to make this plans work, better regulations and laws on national and European financing (ZEIT Online, Aug 25, 2011.) That is where Angele Merkel sees a major gap. As the New York Times stated in an article, Merkel is aware that:

"[...] Europe must become more economically and politically integrated before it could issue common debt. But the federal Europe she seems to have in mind could take years to build, by which time the euro could lay in ruins." 

(New York Times, May 27, 2012)

Plus, Germany is rather sceptical if those countries which would benefit from those bonds, would become more responible with ther spendings. It would become necessery that Euro countries watch over each others spendings much more cloesly. They would have to coordinate national finacial plans with each other. This entails a loos of control and suverigty and it is questionable if Europe is ready for such a step?

Bienvenue Francois Hollande - Welcome Change

French President Hollande (photo: dpa) via tagesschau.de

The political stage in France is clearly changing at the moment. Since May France has a new president; François Hollande, a socialist and a men who, opposed to his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, is viewed as a normal and rather pragmatic person. The French are currently electing their National Assembly, and it seems as if the Socialists would gain the majority of the 577 seats. After first calculations Hollande's left party could claim 275 to 315 seats, while Sarkozy's conservative party only got 230 to 270 seats (tagesschau.de, June 10, 2012). Yet, elections are not over. The 17th of June will bring the final numbers. If the Socialists win the legislative election, Hollande will have a much easier job pushing for his reforms. Should the Socialists fail to gain a majority, this means a divided French government and "would be a disaster for France and the eurozone, as Paris would be largely paralyzed." (CNN, May 15, 2012)

No matter how the National Assembly elections will turn out with François Hollande and a newly elected Assembly, France is facing a political change. This also means change for Europe. France being one of the leading, and economically strongest nations within the European Union, not just the French people have expectations of their new government, but so does the world. Barley a day in office, Hollande visited the German chancellor Angela Merkel. Obviously, Germany is an important partner for France. Those two countries have a leading role especially when it comes to matters concerning the European Union. The Euro crisis has become a task where Germany and France are expected to work closely together.

Nevertheless, the new French president also has new visions of how to deal with the financial situation of Europe, which contradict with those of Angela Merkel, who "was furious when Hollande announced in December that if elected, he will renegotiate the Fiscal Compact Treaty. She went as far as to refuse to receive him in Berlin, as is traditional for French presidential candidates, and to announce that she would campaign for Sarkozy -- which in the end she didn't, given Sarkozy's own U-turn on Europe." (CNN, May 15, 2012)

Merkel and Hollande discussing Eurobonds (photo: dpa) via B.Z. Berlin

Hollande has ideas; he pushes for economical growth, wants to introduce Eurobonds and direct credits from the European Bank to those countries which need loans (Süddeutsche.de, May 20, 2012). (See also CNN, May 16, 2012) With his growth-oriented policy Hollande might take a step away from Germany's approach of austerity. Interestingly, this seems to be much closer to the U.S. American idea of dealing with the economic crisis. As a New York Times article argued:

 "[Hollande] plans to renegotiate the fiscal pact Europe struck this winter to allow for more budgetary breathing room for countries that can still borrow money to support themselves at reasonable rates on the debt markets. He also supports measures to support growth by, for instance, bolstering infrastructure spending.

The Obama administration had pushed for such pro-growth policy changes even as Mr. Sarkozy joined Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany in calling for deep spending cuts." (New York Times, May 7, 2012) 

Hollande has a point, which might seem a bit more American in its motivation: to focus only on cutting government spending, implementing enormous belt-tightening measures is rather inefficient as it hits the wrong people. Exemplary is Greece; were the broad population faces unemployment and is frustrated. There needs to be economic growth to be able to pay of debts and deficits. Nevertheless, Hollande does not seem eager to overthrow all work done so far by the Euro states to counter the crisis. That Germany and France have completely opposing ideas of how to deal with Euro crisis is more a matter of medial dramatizing than reality. Of course there need to be discussions and a rethinking of the current policy but new ideas are not necessary bad ideas and might be worth a consideration. Thus, Hollande is a reasonable man who also knows how important spending cuts are is shown as he limits his own income to 13.552 Euro a month, which Sarkozy has even increased during his time in office to 19.331 Euro. His ministers and other high posts also face a reduction of their salary. (Spiegel Online, May 15, 2012)

How the renegotiation of European financial plans will look like is to be seen especially after the Assembly election. What is without question is that Hollande will play an essential role in forming Euro crisis politics, inserting his ideas of growth, working for a more stable European economy.

Here an additional Video commenting on the relationship of Merkel and Hollande.

Fracking policy

Many countries like the United States and Germany are starting to invest in alternative forms of energy and hydraulic fracturing commonly known as “Fracking,”which has become a popular technique used to find natural gas energy sources. While this drilling process is popular, it is also a point of concern for many citizens due to environmental and health trepidations. Fracking, which is a technique used to release natural gas (shale gas, tight gas and coal seam gas) by injecting gas drilling chemicals and water into the earth,  is  used in places where it is difficult to access natural gas substances.

The issue of hydraulic fracturing is of vital importance nowadays. The process has been in practice in the United States since 1947. Fracking is not a new drilling technique; a major area of concern is the impact the process will have on the environment and health of people. Opponents of the technique argue that many fracking chemicals are toxic to humans and wildlife, which can contaminate the water system during the drilling or flow back process. The process could also cause water shortage in the drilling area because of the large quantity of water needed in the drilling process. Another area of concern is that the drilling of unconventional natural gases could create air quality problems, such as increased ozone and smog levels. This process can cause health risks for people and wildlife. One key argument in some small counties especially in Ohio is that fracking will disrupt the landscape and habitat, and affect soil quality (local farm produce) and water quality. On the other side, supporters of hydraulic fracturing argue that the process creates more jobs opportunity and economic development especially in areas with high unemployment rates.

In the United States, issues like these are regulated by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) while in Germany, it's regulated by European Union and Ministry of Environment in Germany. In Germany because of uncertainties, the minister for economy and the minister for the environment banned fracking. Meanwhile in the United State research is being conducted by the EPA regarding the issue. Many landowners are selling their lands to the natural gas companies to drill. The difference in the regulation of fracking shows a difference in the way policy decisions in the United States and Germany are made. In Germany, both the economic and environment ministers make the decision regarding fracking while in the United States, the process will not only be regulated by the EPA but also the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which is responsible for protecting the health of all Americans and work related safety concerns. The difference in the process of policy making and regulation not only shows the difference in the political system, but also explains why certain policies are made in both countries despite the similarities. An example is the strict   regulation of genetically modified foods in Germany compared to the  United States.

The difference in the policy making process also shows that regardless of the similarities in issues, the policy making process in both countries will continue to create differences in the way issues such as the environment, immigration and  health are implemented and regulated. The question then is when it comes to hydraulic fracturing, do you think the  United States will start to learn from Germany in regards to environmental policy?


http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/germany-rejects-fracking-to-tap-natural-gas-a-831764.html

http://www.nwf.org/Global-Warming/Policy-Solutions/Drilling-and-Mining/Natural-Gas-Fracking.aspx

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/fracking-supporters-hopeful-for-better-economy-1300800.html

http://www.thejournal.ie/fracking-study-reveals-potential-impact-on-groundwater-and-earthquakes-447604-May2012/

Government Corruption... Or Lack Thereof?

Governments are pretty famous throughout history for having some level of corruption.  Though some are far better or worse than others, it is rare if not impossible to find a government completely free of at least some deceit. 

The good news for Germany is that its people and others throughout Europe see it as having low corruption in government, according to a recent Pew Research poll called "European Unity on the Rocks, Greeks and Germans at Polar Opposites."

The Pew Research Center poll surveyed participants in eight European countries and the United States.

The poll also found that Chancellor Merkel was the most well-respected leader in the European Union and Germany as a whole is the most admired country in the European Union. In 2011, Forbes named Merkel the fourth most powerful person in the world and the most powerful woman.  She is well known for pushing for strong fiscal responsibility, as well as for continued economic integration in Europe. 

Other countries who rated their governments as low on government corruption in the Pew Research Center's poll were France and Britain. 

An interesting thing to note is that Greece ranked itself as the hardest working nation in Europe, while every other surveyed country rated Germany the hardest working nation on the continent.  Greece was seen by Germany, France, and Britain as one of the most lazy and corrupt countries of those surveyed.

So a logical question to follow up these results might be: Is there a link between the level of government corruption and economic success?

The World Bank, a major organization aimed at reducing poverty, seems to think so.  It believes that corruption is "one of the single largest obstacles to economic and social development,"  according to the website.  It also notes that enforcement, international cooperation, technology, and prevention knowledge are important ways to stifle government corruption.

The International Monetary Fund states on its website that "since much public corruption can be traced to government intervention in the economy, policies aimed at liberalization, stabilization, deregulation, and privatization can sharply reduce the opportunities for rent-seeking behavior and corruption." It continues on, stating that when there is strong government intervention in economic policies, government officials have more discretion in spending and as a result there are more bribes to bend the rules.

The IMF has found that factors contributing to government corruption include trade restrictions, government subsidies, multiple exchange rate practices and foreign exchange allocation schemes, low wages in civil service relative to wages in the private sector, natural resource endowments, and certain sociological factors.

The IMF's first finding of the results of government corruption is that it "lowers investment and retards economic growth to a significant extent."  Some other results of corruption include a loss of tax revenue, adverse budgetary consequences, and lower quality of infrastructure and public services.

So how would you rate Germany and Greece?


Sources:

• http://live.worldbank.org/qa-innovations-fight-against-corruption?cid=GSN_EXT_WBLanticorruption
• http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/survey-shows-germans-admired-by-europe-for-honesty-and-hard-work-a-835689.html
• http://www.pewglobal.org/2012/05/29/european-unity-on-the-rocks/
• http://www.forbes.com/profile/angela-merkel/
• http://www.thelocal.de/national/20120529-42817.html
• http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/angela_merkel/index.html
• http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/issues6/index.htm

Photo Source:
http://www.nndb.com/people/057/000098760/

Mental Health?

There's no doubt that both the United States and Germany have healthy citizens, the average life expectancy in both nations far exceeds most other nations around the world, but are these two countries mentally healthy? Some studies say no, Bio Medical Center did a study on mental health in Germany, which concluded that more urbanized areas are more prone to have psychological disorders. Since 1997, the number of depression cases in Germany has increased by 70 percent. This has caused many experts to declare mental health the biggest medical challenge of the twenty-first century for many industrialized nations.     

Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy at Dresden's Technical University conducted the largest psychological study in Europe in 2011. The results concluded that nearly 38 percent of all Europeans will develop a mental illness at some point in his or her life. The three year study looked at 100 different mental illnesses and over 514 million people. The most popular disorders throughout Europe were depression, anxiety and insomnia. These findings are echoed across the Atlantic as the United States is battling the same problems. This made me wonder what was bringing on all of these different issues? I suspect that this trend could be the result of the demands of our society.

Many people who responded to this survey said they would rather be employed and be financially stable and unhappy, than be happy and unemployed. This caused the researchers to come to the conclusion that perhaps modern working culture has brought too much stress into the lives of many Germans and Americans alike. The younger generation seems to be success driven, as an whole they are a bunch of overachievers with the "all work and no play" mindset. These characteristics has its ups and downs. The young professionals in both Germany and the United States are bound to be successful, but in an economic downturn they often attribute much of their happiness to the accomplishments associated with their careers. Until people realize that their success does not define who they are, I think many of these people will battle the same mental problems.

In 2010 Princeton University did a study throughout the United States, that determined those who made $75,000 annually were the happiest of all those in the work force. Americans who earned lower were slightly less happy, along with those whose incomes exceeded $75,000. This suggests that there are two different types of happiness. There is a daily happiness that can be changed relatively easily and then there is the life satisfaction happiness. The later often plays into the overall feeling of success. When these feelings are low enough, mental disorders can come into play. This study suggest that the standard of $75,000, is enough to have a considerable amount of disposable income that can be used to improve mood. For instance a little retail-therapy or a night out with friends can do a world of good when it comes to mental health. On the other hand incomes that exceed $75,000 can add more life complications which can often increase the stress level. 

This makes me wonder, perhaps it isn't our brain chemistry that makes us unhappy, but our materialistic needs that bring out the worst in our mental health. With the stress of work and a status to maintain, it's easy to see why people get overwhelmed. I've always been taught that just because someone seems to have "everything" it does not mean that they are happy people. It seems as if the wealthy in both Germany and the United States seem to live a more complicated and often more stressful lifestyle. Then why do countries who are less industrialized, seem to be happier? Is it because there are not as many psychologists there to treat and diagnose them? Or could it be because their culture does not promote a lifestyle where people are focused on the wrong aspects of life. It seems as if the fast paced lifestyle of both Germans and Americans is affecting the mental health of it's citizens. After taking a psychology course here at Ohio University, I'm convinced that mental disorders is more about nurture rather than nature, and the studies associated with international mental health has reaffirmed that for me. If Germany and the U.S. could reassess the important things in life, I think they would find the general population to be happier.
 

Sources:
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/8/17
http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,15366141,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2019628,00.html
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/statistics/index.shtml

Land of the Free?

Although the US has only 5% of the worlds population, the country holds 25% of the worlds prisoners with by far the greatest number of inmates per capita in a single country. The high increase in incarceration in the U.S. started in the late 1970’s, partially as a result of former President Ronald Reagan’s tough on crime legislation and the start of former President Richard Nixon’s alleged War on Drugs. This is exemplified by looking at incarceration rates for drug related crimes 30 years ago versus today.

The incline in incarceration, partly due to intensive tough on crime legislation that extends the penalty for minor crimes, has led to overcrowding in federal prisons and an increase in budget proportion to the running of state penitentiaries. In 2011, the Supreme Court ruled that California must reduce its prison population. Some California prisons were housing twice as many inmates as they were initially intended to house.

Governor Jerry Brown of California has instituted a policy plan of “realignment” for prisoners and prison running. Under this realignment, the power from the states is shifted onto the county as new inmates who commit non-serious, non-violent, and non-sexual crime are put into county-run jails instead of federal and state prisons. By putting more offenders in county jails, counties have more discretion on how to personally deal with the individuals. Working with smaller numbers of inmates allows for more opportunity to recommend mental-health treatment, use house-arrest measures, encourage community service and work on vocational training. Rehabilitation services such as these are common in the German prison system.

Matthew Cate, California’s prison boss suggests a disparity between the European and American perspective on prison: “ America has seen prison as a place to throw people away. Eurpoeans see prison as a place people will return from.”  In 2007, a group of criminology experts from Germany visited correctional facilities in the American northeast to compare their own national prisons to that of the U.S. At the state penitentiary, they found that long-term sentencing was highly prevalent in the U.S. (35 years – life). However, in Germany, sentencing for more than 20 years is rare. There was also a striking difference in prison violence in the two nations. On average, 50 to 70 inmates are murdered in U.S. prisons annually. In Germany, usually around 5 are killed.  Another stark difference is the lack of federal prisons in Germany and the prominence of federal prisons in the U.S.

An apparent concern of the U.S. prison system is the disproportional racial makeup of inmates. Black and Hispanic men are drastically overrepresented in prison populations as compared to the general population, who make up two-thirds of the state prison population.  The War on Drugs has been highly contentious in it’s policies that ostracize poor minority communities, for example criminalizing crack cocaine – the form often used in these communities – more than the powder form, which is often used by the wealthier. Similarly, a modern issue in German prisons is the rising disproportionally of foreign immigrant populations.
It is striking to me that the self-proclaimed "Land of the Free" has by far the highest incarceration rates in the world. Does this mass-imprisonment ensure the freedom of other citizens to live crime-free or is this system of discarding criminals weaken the country as a whole?

Germany: the face of LGBT heroism

What is homophobia? According to avert.org, it is the "hostility towards or fear of gay people..." This socially-based fear exists not only in the United States, but "...continues to be prominent around the world," (avert.org). Verbal and physical violence and discrimination is aimed at homosexual and/or transgender people from hundreds of nations around the world. Unfortunately, this homophobia is often supported by anti-homosexual governments. For example, Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria, and Somalia actually implement the death penalty as punishment for homosexuality under the law.

Many efforts worldwide have begun to spring up in an attempt to put an end to the effects of homophobia. In Eastern Europe, for example, Germany's government and LGBT community, particularly the Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany (LSVD) are leading the way in demonstrations and protests of homophobic laws and actions. At the forefront of this particular effort is Germany's Green Party politician Volker Beck, who is also openly gay himself. Most recently, as highlighted in dw.de's article, "Germans Take Clear Stance on Homophobia in Eastern Europe," Beck led a number of anti-homophobic demonstrations in Moscow, Russia.

With openly anti-gay laws in place, Moscow's Mayor Yuri Luzhkov emphasized that, "...gays are a 'contamination' and said that Russia's morals 'are cleaner than that of the West," (dw.de). In an attempt to allow the LGBT community of Moscow, and even greater Russia, to have the equal human rights they deserve, Russian citizens and German gay-rights activists marched through the city. Unfortunately, this march ended in, "...a scuffle with gay rights activists - including Volker Beck - abused by Christian groups, attacked by neo-fascists, and detained by police," (dw.de). The picture below, featuring Volker Beck after a blow to the face during the march, surged around the world as a symbol of the homosexual struggle in Eastern Europe. Despite the violence of the march, "...there was agreement... that Beck's participation in the Moscow parade along with other high-profile politicians has helped draw international attention to an event that would usually not have attracted such coverage," (dw.de).

**NOTE: dw.de reported that only a number of months after the catastrophic gay rights march in Moscow, a peaceful and successful demonstration led by Volker Beck and the LSVD group occurred outside of the Russian embassy in Berlin, Germany.

Homophobia is a phenomenon that is not new to the global society. However, with progress for equal rights becoming a trend all around the world, it is curious how this illogical discriminatory hatred for and violence against the LGBT community exists. Public campaigning by influential persons, such as Germany's Volker Beck, is a step in the right direction to change outdated discrimination. Also, as avert.org explains, education, community-based organizations, and the repeal of anti-gay laws will aid in the fair treatment of the LGBT community worldwide. After all, "Eradicating homophobia is crucial for improving quality of life for LGBT people [and] providing fundamental human rights..."  

A New Form of Journalism?

Blogs have become an important source of information for both American and German internet users. Blogs emerged in the late 1990s, the term “blog” being an abbreviation of “weblog”. Blogs can have many different functions: the most prevalent probably is that it plays the role of a personal diary of a blogger. However there are also different forms, often corporations use blogs in order to create publicity for their products, and in addition educational institutions use blogs for pedagogical purposes. In the last months I have participated in two such blogs first this blog which is part of the initiative "Think Transatlantic: The United States & Germany in the 21st Century", additionally I have been writing about my experiences in Athens for another blog, which is hosted by my home university of Leipzig. These blogs both tried to further facilitate discussions between students and broader communities in both the US and Germany. There is however also a large array of further blogs on nearly every imaginable topic. There are for example blogs about food, pets, all kinds of political views, parenting, gender, all kinds of alternative and sub-cultures, basically anything you can think of. Blogs are widely popular with other 50% of American internet users, over 112 million people, utilizing them to gain access to the newest information on whatever topic they find interesting. Many believe the stereotypical blogger to be a nerdy youngster, writing out into the world, in contrast however it is true that:
“Exactly 61% of the blog readers that responded to the survey are over the age of 30, and 75% make more than $45,000 a year. In fact, nearly 30% of the respondents are between the ages of 31 and 40, and over 37% spanned the ages of 41 to 60. And nearly 40% have a household income of $90,000 or higher.”

Source: Wikipedia

An important German blogger is Sascha Lobo. This arguable blogger writes about various topics, but mainly about the future of communication and work in the age of the internet. During the last few years Lobo has become a very popular media figure, not only writing on various blogs, but also being invited to talk shows and meeting important politicians. He sees himself as a "digital Bohemian" and his chaotic style is emphasized by his bright red Mohawk haircut. Time and again he states that he does not believe in being employed for others, as it impedes his freedom and creativity. However Lobo not only has friends, some believe that he is simply annoying, while other disagree with his politics.

Source: http://trends.builtwith.com/cms/Blogger

Both in America and the US the issue of blogging also poses some more fundamental issues. One of the topics I already touched on in a former blog was the question of authorship. If everybody is allowed to post their text online how do you know who to trust? One could argue that while media outlets such as TV stations from time to time also spread false reports, there are institutionalized ways of checking the quality of these outlets and most journalists have undergone quite an extensive training. Blogs are additionally an interesting mirror of our society. This article for example studies how "mom blogging"  reflects certain notions of femininity. Others believe that blogs are too opinionated and that they write about trivial topics. What do you make of this? Do you regularly use blogs to keep updated? What are your favorite blogs?

Ah man, the power went out!!!!

This Memorial Day I stayed behind while all the festivities at Hilton Head Island were enjoyed by many OU students. The first part of my day started early as I went to work for a few hours in the morning. Not even ten minutes into my shift the electricity goes out. The heat started to move in and the complaints came soon after. I needed to get away from the irritable women in the corner and so I struck a conversation with a man from Morocco who had some insightful comments about the power outage. He explained that in parts of Europe, this type of incident would rarely occur because the power lines are built underground and power shortages are a uncommon occasion. I was intrigued and remembered an old friend from Germany said that was the first thing he noticed that was different in the US than back home. So I decided to explore this topic myself.

 What I discovered from research is that both overhead lines and underground cable serve as a benefit and a burden to their surrounding communities.

Both methods of power require high voltage installed in areas furthest away from people as possible to avoid disaster. With overhead lines that’s nearly impossible since they need to be set up near neighborhoods across the US for access. Damaged cable lines can cause fatal accidents if one comes in contact but according to Wire, “the median used for insulation is air” which I basically took to mean the flow of energy from these lines meets the air first before an inanimate or animate object. Those lines located near neighborhoods can generate other fatal causes such as cancer. The European Commission for Science for Environmental Policy concluded in 2007, “During the last century, there was an explosion of technological applications based on the use of electricity. High-voltage power lines, among other sources, generate different kinds of electromagnetic fields (EMF)... Indeed, people who lived less than 300m from a high-voltage power line during early childhood are up to five times more likely to develop cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma.”

That’s not to say that overhead lines are completely bad. For one, Wire admits that overhead installment of power lines are four to ten times cheaper than underground cable. Also, the costs that go into overhead installment are less of a burden than underground cable since underground requires digging up already established highways, neighborhood streets, etc.

 As stated above, underground cables are quite expensive, however, there isn’t as much maintenance required. Wire reports that Germany has the most stable power grid with an average of 21 minutes down time per year with their use of underground cables. Technology is most advanced with underground cables and in any case of emergency, power is never an issue for many popular cities located throughout Germany because of it.

 But underground cables come with their troubles as well. According to Wire, power installment underground comes with many risks since the voltage is closely surrounded by construction and streets and could potential harm someone. They also cannot come is such a high voltage in comparison because of their close proximity to the public.

Underground cables also come with ecological conflicts. One example of this includes a statement provided by 50hertz, “underground cables radiate heat. This has an effect on soil humidity, which, for example, can lead to drainage or drying out of marshes.” This may generate a lot of anger with environmentalists.

 So with all this information laid out, it seems that both run very dangerous risks to society. Overhead cables may be on their way out since technology vastly increases and protection with underground cables is bound to be discovered soon. Maybe with the support of other nations behind Germany, underground cables can expand and installment and protection will soon be a minor issue. In fact, jobs can be created since installment will require a lot of man power. Either way, we have to take the good with the bad and accept that our energy sources are a risky business.