What's News?

So done. So very done. Just turned in my last paper of 2L year. Huzzah! Now, I get to spend a few days hanging out in D.C., and then I fly home to CA on Saturday! Beautiful.

My last final exam was on Saturday, for Refugee Law and Policy. It was a very fair exam, the sort where the professor presents opportunities for you to demonstrate your knowledge, without any tricks. That's how all exams should be.

After my exam, I went to the Newseum, which is a very modern and interactive museum devoted to the history of news. The exhibits appealed to me both as the former editor-in-chief of my high school's newspaper, and as a hardcore news junkie.

You start on the 6th floor (after taking a ride on one of the world's largest glass hydraulic elevators), where you can walk along the outdoor terrace for an excellent view of Pennsylvania Avenue and the Capitol.  I went to the Newseum on a whim (and left my cellphone in my checked backpack), so I apologize for the lack of photographs. Inside, there is a long hallway with the day's front pages from around the country and the world. It reminded me of the newspapers on display in front of the Free Speech Cafe at Berkeley.

The 5th floor was devoted to the history of news. I spent a lot of time reading about the various phases of news, including the origin of eyewitness reports, the beginnings of female and minority reporters, and even satirical news sources like The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and The Onion! There was also a timeline featuring actual newspapers, so that you could get a feel for the major events of each year. They even had a copy of the San Francisco Chronicle from 1989 about the Loma Prieta earthquake.

The museum emphasizes the freedoms of the First Amendment throughout the exhibits, but the 4th floor had a gallery specifically devoted to each of the five freedoms (religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition). There are computers all over the place with games for children, and, I don't mind telling you, I rocked the First Amendment game. I knew two semesters of Constitutional Law would be good for something. The 4th floor also had a gallery devoted to 9/11, which included front pages from around the world about the event, and a large, mangled piece of the broadcasting antenna that had been at the top of the North Tower.

As I walked through and looked at those photos from the attacks, I couldn't help but to think back to 2001. I was a freshman sophomore in high school, getting ready for the day. We didn't really know what was going on when the first plane crashed--I thought it must have been a terrible accident--but, when I watched the second plane hit on TV, it was clear that this was deliberate. My first class of the day was Journalism, and we rigged up a television in our computer lab so that we could watch the news coverage. We spent English class journaling about how we felt about the attack. It was amazing how, instantaneously, things had changed.

The 3rd floor had some great information about the freedom of the press internationally, and a memorial for journalists who died on the job, in the pursuit of truth. There was a wonderful exhibit devoted to radio, television, and the Internet. I was very impressed by how up-to-date the exhibit was, with information about Twitter and even the iPad. I was amused by an old editorial cartoon they had displayed, in which a bunch of people are standing on a subway, reading the newspaper, except for the guy at the end of the car, who is carrying a massive personal computer in order to read the newspaper online. I wonder what marvelous things the future will bring.

The 2nd floor had a ton of computers with games for children to grapple with journalistic ethics. I played a couple of the games out of curiosity, and thought they did a good job of covering a wide array of issues--manipulation of photographs for dramatic effect, taking a photo of a person who needs help, going undercover at an insane asylum to get the inside scoop, and others. There was also a bank of video cameras and green screens where you could try your hand at reporting. I kind of wanted to do it, but not alone. Oh, well, next time.

The 1st floor was basically just the lobby, though they did have a little gallery with Pulitzer Prize photographs, which were all incredible. I especially loved the photographs of Barack Obama's presidential campaign by Damon Winter. There was also an absurd "4-D" theatre with 3-D glasses and moving seats, which showed a 20-minute film about important reporters in history, including Edward R. Murrow and Nellie Bly. Don't get me wrong--the film was great, but I just don't think that a film about the history of news needs to be in 3-D with moving chairs. Then again, perhaps I overestimate the attention span of middle schoolers.

Finally, on the Concourse level, there were eight sections of the Berlin Wall and one of the East German guard towers on display. It was strange to see in a museum. Part of me was grappling with the historical significance, but another part of me was appreciating the graffiti as art. There were also a couple of temporary exhibits, one on sports photography, and one on "g-men" (the FBI). And, for what it's worth, they have a very nice food court, if a bit pricey. (Then again, I have yet to find a museum in D.C. that serves reasonably priced food.)

The building design is very aesthetically pleasing, both inside and out. I have always loved the text of the First Amendment on the outside of the building. All told, I spent over three hours at the Newseum. I highly recommend it, even though it's one of the few museums in D.C. where you have to pay to get in ($20, ouch).

Diversions

In no particular order, the following are topics about which I wish to know more:

• Classical music
• Wine
• Jazz
• Religions other than Christianity
• Plant names
• Geography
• Saints
• Sight reading
• Latin phrases
• Culinary techniques
• Visual art movements (esp. in painting)

Perhaps this list will serve as inspiration for some of my summer reading. With luck, perhaps it will prompt some summer adventures! Do you have any suggestions as to how I should educate myself about any of these topics? Do you have topics about which you wish you knew more?

Personal Day Off

I had my International Law II final exam on Monday, the third exam in the course of a grueling six days. As my next exam, Refugee Law and Policy, does not take place until Saturday, I decided that I would take yesterday as a "personal day." After having a lovely lunch at Five Guys (D.C.'s attempt at In-N-Out, minus milkshakes, plus peanuts) with my friend Brad, I decided to check off a couple of locations from my D.C. to-do list: the National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Castle.

The Natural History Museum is pretty cool. I really enjoyed walking through the Mammal Hall, which had a great number of wonderful specimens. I found the minimalism of the displays to be particularly striking; rather than surrounding the animals with recreated approximations of their natural environments, the animals are displayed in plain settings with only a branch or flower or prey, so you can focus on the specimen itself.

I also enjoyed the Insect Zoo, which had some living insects, including some awesome camouflaged stick bugs. Stick bugs hold a special place in my heart, as my mother has been raising them for ages for her classroom. Alas, there was a very long line to get into the butterfly pavilion (darn middle school tour groups), so I'll have to go back another time.

The Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals was, well, sparkly. Everyone was crowded around the Hope Diamond, but I found the other displays to be far more interesting. I amassed a fairly decent rock collection when I was younger, so seeing the various rocks and gems and minerals was delightfully reminiscent. I was surprised by the incredible collection of meteorites.

All of the children in the museum were obsessed with the dinosaurs exhibit, but I found it to be a bit overwhelming, and quickly escaped into the adjacent fossil plants exhibit. I cannot believe that we can dig up the preserved remains of plants from tens of thousands of years ago... Science is so cool.

After the Natural History Museum, I walked across the National Mall to the Smithsonian Castle. I have been intrigued by the building for a while, as its turrets are such a compelling addition to the skyline of the Mall. Unfortunately, there isn't really anything of interest inside the castle, other than information about the Smithsonian museums, a theatre that shows a video about the museums, and a cafe. I was not terribly impressed, and only spent about ten minutes wandering around. I imagine the castle is a wonderful resource for tourists, but it does not do much for an experienced local such as myself. Oh, well, at least it's pretty.

Today, I am back to my studies. In addition to Saturday's exam, I also have a paper due next Tuesday for my Negotiations seminar. I am hoping to finish it sooner than that, though, so I can spend my time having fun next week! If I get very ambitious, I believe I may have to add some more locations to my to-do list.

Summer Preview

Whilst I am in the middle of final exams, I cannot help but to daydream about this summer. My internship with the Fair Housing Law Project (a part of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley) begins on June 1st. I'm so glad it's only in San Jose, as opposed to my insane commute to San Francisco last summer.

Speaking of commuting, I'm still figuring out the best way to get from Sunnyvale to San Jose by public transit. I think the fastest method--I'm guessing 45 minutes or so--will be to bike to the Lawrence Caltrain Station, take Caltrain to the San Jose Station, and then bike to my office. I suppose I could attempt to take a combination of buses (probably the 32 to the 522) but VTA is so much less reliable than the train. Plus, biking is more fun and healthful.

I have some goals and projects lined up for this summer:

• Read for pleasure
• Begin to learn Spanish
• Research and apply for fellowships and clerkships for after graduation
• Write On journal competition grading (~25 10-page case comments)
• Spend quality time with friends, preferably on short Bay Area adventures
• Visit my grandmother as often as possible

I have some other ideas to which I have not yet committed... For instance, I am considering taking a martial arts class, maybe Judo or Taekwondo. I also am brainstorming some sort of spiritual devotion for the summer (ideas?). I really want to make the most of this summer. What with studying for the bar exam next summer, this is my last truly free summer as a student. Sheer madness.

Any suggestions for my summer reading list? So far, I know I want to read:

• Traveling with Pomegranates, by Sue Monk Kidd & Ann Kidd Taylor
• The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life, by Fr. James Martin
• Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages, by Ammon Shea

Lovely as this summer daydreaming is, I must come back to the present. Final exams tomorrow, Friday, Monday, then one more exam the following Saturday and paper due the following Tuesday, whew! I am not flying back to CA until May 22nd, so I'll have a few days to hang out as a tourist in DC and tidy up my apartment for my lovely sublessee. I hope I'll be able to check off a few more things from my DC To-Do List (see column, at right), as my pace has stagnated considerably this semester.

Journaling

Last night, the Poverty Journal had our end-of-the-year banquet. It was on the rooftop of Tabaq Bistro on U St., and the weather was perfectly gorgeous. I had a mesclun salad, salmon with lobster sauce and mashed potatoes, and chocolate cake. Quite delicious!

It was great to honor Hasa, our outgoing editor-in-chief, for all of the hard work he has put in this year. I hope that we can continue lead the journal in a good direction next year. I think my managing editor position will be a lot of work, but well worth it.

I was very surprised during the banquet when I was given a trophy for all of the community service I've done for the journal this year! Ha ha, I don't think I've received a trophy since high school. It has my name on it and everything:

A bunch of us went out after the banquet to the lounge downstairs at Saint-Ex. At first, it was a pretty empty bar, but it rapidly turned into a dance party, which was fun. It was nice to relax with friends for the evening, what with next week being the last week of school, and final exams starting up on the 5th. Madness! There is much work to be done over the next few weeks, but it'll be fine. It's just a matter of pacing myself.

My last final is a paper due on the 18th, but I'm not flying out to California until the 22nd--so, D.C. kids, let's hang out! It'll be fun to pretend to be a tourist for a few days, and maybe even check off a few more things from my to-do list...

Wonderful Wednesday

Two really cool things happened yesterday. First off, my journal made the front page of the Georgetown Law Weekly for our Relay for Life team! Click on the article to see a larger version (I'm the one kneeling with a baseball cap on):

Secondly, I was offered (and accepted) a spot on the Human Rights Institute/Georgetown Human Rights Action 2010-2011 fact-finding mission! In brief, it's a five credit, year-long course in which a team of students will research and produce a report on a human rights issue—next year's issue will be the repatriation of persons with mental disabilities. This is a huge opportunity for me, as it will be my first real foray into international human rights. And, we get to travel abroad to conduct interviews (it sounds like we'll be traveling to Mexico in January). Here's the full description:

This year-long experiential seminar is designed to support students participating in the Human Rights Institute/Georgetown Human Rights Action fact-finding project. These projects give students an opportunity to work as human rights investigators—researching a human rights problem in depth, conducting extensive interviews on the subject, drafting a comprehensive report on their findings, and engaging in related advocacy. Through this course, students will gain the substantive background and skills needed to carry out this work. Each year, Georgetown Human Rights Action and the Human Rights Institute identify a new topic on which to work. In 2010-2011, the selected topic is Safe Repatriation for Persons with Mental Disabilities. In the fall, the weekly seminar will cover relevant substantive law and policy on this subject, as well as fact-finding skills and methodology. In January 2011, we will travel as a group to conduct interviews on this subject. In the spring, students will draft a final report and engage in advocacy surrounding their findings; there will be seven 2-hour class sessions to guide students through these processes. Over the year, students will be expected to devote an additional 110 hours outside of class time to this project; all students must submit a record of this time. Grading for all credits will occur at the end of the spring semester. The letter grade will be based on individual memos and advocacy assignments, a joint pre-mission memo, co-teaching a class session, and a joint final report.

My heart is filled with joy about this opportunity. Thank you, Lord!

Celebrity

Relay for Life was a lot of fun last night! In sum, I raised $365, and my team raised close to $2,500--thanks to everyone for your support! The Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy was out in force, handing out pamphlets to educate students on the connections between cancer and poverty. We even met President DeGioia, and gave him a copy of the journal. Heh, we also "met" Scruff McGruff the Crime Dog. And, while wearing my Cal baseball cap, I discovered that there are a lot of people on main campus who are Bear fans for one reason or another. Go Bears!

Matt and Bryan (two of my GJPLP teammates) and I decided to attempt to walk a marathon while at Relay! The event was on the football field, so we didn't have the benefit of an actual track, but we figured that six laps around the field at 300 yards per lap is a mile (300 yds x 6 laps = 1,800 yds; 1 mile = 1,760 yds).

By the end of the event, we had to revise our goal to 20 miles, which we completed! There were several factors that contributed to our inability to finish the full marathon:

• Interruptions for ceremonies (the event was only 12 hours long)
• A narrow and crowded pseudo-track
• A thunderstorm with 25-mph winds
• Lack of energy from staying up all night
• Blisters on our feet and aching knees
• No actual preparation or training

I had a big blister on my right foot, so I ended up walking the last 10 miles barefoot, which was actually kind of nice on the AstroTurf. Unfortunately, it rained pretty much the entire time, but at least that kept us from getting too hot while speed-walking. 20 miles is definitely the farthest I've ever walked, and gives me a new appreciation for the sheer madness of people who run marathons.

The other neat thing about Relay was that I came home with a goldfish! Matt won the fish, but realized that it wouldn't be very compatible with his cat, so Jess and I have adopted it for now. The journal decided to name the fish Tracy Chapman (a reference to a song played at our journal's orientation). If it survives the summer, maybe we'll keep it in the journal office this fall?!

Anyhow, after Relay, I got home around 6 am, slept for some of the day, and spent the rest of the day hobbling around the apartment (my legs are so stiff!) and studying for finals (two weeks away, eek!). This evening, Jess and I headed to the law school to watch a Georgetown Gilbert and Sullivan Society production of H.M.S. Pinafore, which was excellent! I had a bunch of friends in the show, and laughed so much.

Before the show started, I happened to notice a man sitting four rows in front of me who looked somewhat familiar to me. "No way," I thought to myself. "Why would he even be here?" I looked up a photo of him on my iPhone, just to make sure, and then turned to Jess excitedly and said, "Look! It's the Chairman of the Fed! It's Bernanke!" And, indeed, it was:

Do you see the back of his head? Balding, blue shirt, center of the photograph. I'm sorry for the terrible quality, but it was very dark in the auditorium. It was definitely him, though! He did turn around at one point, and I caught sight of his distinctive beard. I have determined that people like Bernanke are my celebrities. I may know nothing about pop culture, but I absolutely freak out when I spot the people who run the government. D.C. is my Hollywood.

Speaking of D.C. "celebrity" sightings, I failed to mention that when David visited a couple of weeks ago, we saw Nancy Pelosi during our tour of--where else?--Congress. We were in Statutory Hall when, unannounced, Pelosi and a bunch of staffers walked right by us! David and I gawked at her, mere feet away, and she smiled at us. I was unable to respond, and just continued to stare at her, slack-jawed. Once she had exited the room, I was very frustrated by the rest of our tour group for not even noticing her, but I suppose most middle schoolers wouldn't recognize the Speaker of the House. Sadness.