‘National/International’ Archives
USSC puts Arizona’s voter ID law on trial »
The Supreme Court will evaluate this week the constitutionality of an anti-immigrant measure put forth by Arizona that requires all voters to prove their citizenship in order to vote in national elections. But while the Justices, activists and reporters will focus on how the law affects immigrants, a different minority will probably go ignored: [...]
You’re a mean one, reality: Not giving to PIRG »
Does being an economics students make you a grinch, or are those inclined to the field born wicked? In a column by a researcher from the University of Washington, the New York Times editorial page tackles this eternal question and concludes the latter. The basis for this conclusion is executed with the grace and sound rhetoric we've come to expect [...]
Lower tuition, get fired: Hats off to former OU »
When rising education costs make even instant noodles seem like a splurge, students might assume higher education leaders are trying every innovation to keep quality high and college expense low. But unconventional ideas aren't always rewarded: University of Oregon President Richard Lariviere was fired in late November for, in part, his ideas [...]
Obama administration in favor of affirmative action, »
Today in backwards progress, the Obama administration has issued a guidance asserting the importance of affirmative action in education, including college admissions decisions. The guidance is a reversal in White House policy from a 2008 letter issued by President Bush that called admissions decisions based on race "highly suspect" and noted [...]
Liberal Arts: Only for the 1% »
If there is one certain result of the Occupy Wall Street movement and its many metastases, it is the increasing smugness of its opponents. Whether or not you agree with the one or any of the many divergent cardboard signs or shouted epithets of the movement, this -- like any articulation of discontent -- deserves a respectful, well-reasoned [...]
Monday Links, 23 May 2011 »
Apologies for the hiatus. On we go: -- A belated congratulations to the 2011 graduates, including ASUA President Emily Fritze and ASA Chair Elma Delic. Though this site avoids the stickier bits of sentiment, we do try to give credit where credit is due: One of the Lamp's earliest readers and commenters, President (or first Senator, then [...]
Osama bin Laden’s Death is Meaningless »
Osama bin Laden is dead. This is today's unavoidable news story, and every news outlet has jumped on the opportunity to provide its asinine opinion. Accordingly, the Desert Lamp offers this asinine opinion by its most asinine writer. Osama bin Laden is dead. Geraldo Rivera, whose mustache mesmerized me for several minutes this evening, [...]
“Life, the Universe and Everything”: the »
It is often said that the sub-continent only has two religions: cricket and cinema. After watching the semifinal World Cup match between India and Pakistan, one would be hard pressed to offer a convincing retort. The roads emptied; several states declared holidays, and those that didn't might as well have done so; plane and train fares to [...]
Monday Links, 21 March 2011 »
-- Some games are sweet, but the tuition game always seems to be bitter: President Shelton has released his tuition recommendations for the 2012 fiscal year, as Becky Pallack and Luke Money reported. The UA administration will present their proposal of a $1,500 tuition increase for in-state students and a $300 increase in mandatory fees for [...]
Monday Links, 7 March 2011 »
-- Today is the start of ASUA general elections, both graduate and undergraduate students can vote here through Wednesday at 8pm. (Let's hope there are no glitches this time.) The campaign is the usual sound-bite montage of banal platitudes, and this site classically refrains from endorsements; information on candidate platforms can be found at [...]
Minnows no longer, reflections on a famous win »
Although the impetus for this trip was first and foremost the cricket World Cup, my enthusiasm was not so much a product of the event itself as much as it was borne from the prospect of watching Sachin Tendulkar, the greatest batsman of the modern era, bat. The general consensus regarding formats of cricket is that as the match becomes longer, [...]
The war on local government »
An interviewer's most sacred task is to poke and prod a powerful person until he or she tells us what we need to know. Jim Nintzel, interviewing Arizona's Sen. Frank Antenori in this week's Tucson Weekly, provoked the senator into inadvertently ripping the mask from his movement. The mask is conservatism and Constitutional fidelity. The [...]