Versace

My updates are highly sporadic these days, owed to the fact that there is so much fun school work to be done! Also, I may have been busy having a little bit of some awesome times these past weeks. Nuvel.

Boston is walking briskly towards summer, some days the pace is so ferocious that the wind out here is unbearable. This is obviously no problem as jackets are meant to remedy such a thing. But I feel entitled to one weather-rant now and then. In other news, the Scandinavian labor movement does not exactly produce a ton of scholarly material: assignment proving difficult.

I do have a lot of stories from Philadelphia, some of them fun, some of them hilarious and some of them just...interesting. But it's getting late. So cross your fingers that I will remember to write something later this week.

Peace!

To vote or not to vote

Channeling my inner Shakespeare on what he would most certainly call a summer's day here in Connecticut: 20+ and sunny. I wish I brought some shorts with me for spring break.

As the informed reader will know, it is election year and season of the primary here in the U.S. and A. As my main man, Barack Obamadeus (borrowed that one from Munroe: XKCD), is currently stationed in the White House, he does not need to prove himself in a primary election this year. This amuses me, myself and political bloggers, reporters and informed people across the nation as there is nothing more entertaining than watching 4 old white men self-destruct through a series of debates, TV ads and interviews/press conferences. The 30-second run-down on the candidates, brought to you in part by Statens Lånekasse:

Newt Gingrich: this former Speaker of the House is one angry son of a bitch. He is famous, among other things, for having an affair with his then third wife to be while publicly berating President Clinton for having an affair with Monica Lewinsky. He is also willing to grant statehood to the moon, provided that 10,000 Americans live there. That's like flipping a huge middle finger at Washington, D.C. Moreover, Gingrich has proved unwilling to reason in debates and he comes off as a spoiled brat in terms of how he conducts himself in response to criticism.

Ron Paul: the self-proclaimed libertarian in the race, and someone who bears a resemblance to Gollum, mr. Paul has envisioned a highly protectionist policy for the United States should he be elected. He even talked about "building a wall around America", for some reason. While his protectionism-babble is the stuff of crazy people, Paul actually has some good, moderate ideas on his mind and he is not to idiotically conservative on social issues like some of the other candidates.

Rick Santorum: speaking of idiotically conservative, Santy baby! This devout conservative catholic has publicly stated that rape-babies are a blessing, on par with his anti-abortion campaign. However, he is also anti-contraception. He believes, per the bible (although I do not know where it says), that man and woman should not lay until married. Noble stance, and one that I can easily respect. The problem is, he should not be the one deciding this for people. But then again, he is not. In a country that prides itself on the separation of state and church, and has explicitly stated so in its constitution (the most sacred document to most Americans), mr. Santorum believes that Americans should answer to god when it comes to political decisions. Not only does this go against the constitution, but it also go against any form of reasoning: as soon as you involve your religion into politics, you are not making decisions based on rationale, logic or sanity any more. And that can be dangerous to a country. (I would have a religious discussion, but I just don't feel like it. It alienates people, makes them angry at me and ends with me getting angry and using bad words). This is all coming from a guy who has a JD and an MBA...you would think that smart people would be smarter.

Mitt Romney: the flip-flop master, former governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and a rich motherfucker, mr. Romney is perceived as the candidate that can take the most votes from Obama in a general election. The problem: he does not resonate well with Republicans. More problems: mr. Romney is one rich asshole. With a networth of around $250 million and a taxable income in 2011 of about $42 million, he does not exactly appeal to the blue-collar workers he so desperately wants. In recent weeks, he has stated that the auto industry is important to him personally because his wife drives "a couple Cadillacs" (paraphrased), and that he is not a huge fan of NASCAR but some of his "close friends are team owners". Not exactly something that is fathomable to the 99%.

If you want my advice, Obama is going to win the general election in November. The alternatives are ghastly, and frankly, they act stupid. As I have not visited the bible-belt I cannot say what the feel is for any of these four outside of the North-East. But it seems that Republicans are longing for the days of H.W. and McCain, just as much as I am.

This little house

It's been four weeks since the Super Bowl, and I'm still not over it. For someone who reads ESPN.com several times a day it's been quite a transformation not looking at that website at all.

Nuvel. The weather in Boston is equally messed up compared to Trondheim. We have snow and 10-15 degree days inbetween each other. Confusing as hell.

I have no ranting or yelling for you today, just wanted to check in and say hi!