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Oh, UMBC.

Image courtesy of the Huffington Post.

President Obama managed to spark a firestorm of criticism with a recent “open mike” moment.

The Prez was quietly sharing an aside with outgoing Russian President Dmitri Medvedev when his words were picked up by the microphones of reporters without his knowledge.

The comments, during a visit to a nuclear summit in South Korea, pertained to the delicate issue of a European based US missile shield… a particularly objectionable program to the Russians.

The Guardian reports Obama stated,

” On all these issues, but particularly missile defence, this, this can be solved – but it’s important for him (incoming Russian President Putin) to give me space.’

Medvedev replied:

‘Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you.’

Obama then elaborated:

‘This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.’

Medvedev responded:

‘I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir (Putin).’ ”

Although the comments may read like a bad break up speech (”I’m sorry I just…need my space.” *cue tears*) Republican pundits argue that the comments are an alarming indication of Obama’s future plans.

Mitt Romney criticized the comment in a tweet reading, “Fill in the blank. @BarackObama: I’ll have more flexibility to _______ after the election. #ObamaFlexibility.” Mike Turner, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, sent a terse memo demanding immediate explanation of the comments, stating,

“Congress has made exquisitely clear to your Administration and to other nations that it will block all attempts to weaken U.S. missile defenses.”

(Ouch. Read the rest of the written take down here.)

The White House, initially mute on the topic later released a statement defending the realities of election year limitations. Deputy National Security advisor Ben Rhodes said,

“Since 2012 is an election year in both countries, with an election and leadership transition in Russia and an election in the United States, it is clearly not a year in which we are going to achieve a breakthrough.”

Good thing we went to law school! Now we know how to beat the system!

More and more law students are graduating and passing the bar in the U.S.

But over the last few years there have been too many law graduates for the number of open positions at law firms.

Meanwhile, some law schools are actually increasing admittance rates.

So when a group of disappointed, legally knowledgeable lawyers have no jobs,what do they do?  Sue the law school they attended, of course!

Unfortunately for the unemployed alums, the New York courts dismissed these mangy kids.

Still, considering the hefty sums paid out in tuition for graduate schools, is it unreasonable for unemployed graduates to be peeved??

We here at USDemocrazy recently discussed the questionable investment of a college education.

Since tuition costs are only increasing, are we entitled to know the outcomes (average entry level salariesfor graduates) before we make our first school payment? Is this a deal we need to shake on first… or do these crybabies need to knock it off?

Of course if unemployed law school graduates are frustrated with the system, they can always take another tack:

Be sure not to miss CSEE alumnus Delali Dzirasa speak during the Raymond V. Haysbert, Sr. Entrepreneurship Lecture tomorrow, March 28, at noon in Commons 329.

After graduating from UMBC with a B.S. in Computer Engineering in 2004, Dzirasa went on to found Fearless Solutions, LLC, a team of software engineers and web developers that help clients solve problems through Data Visualization, Web Application Development, Software Engineering, and Rapid Prototyping.

Located in UMBC’s cybersecurity incubator at Bwtech, Fearless Solutions functions according to the values of “The “Fearless 5”: Passion, Excellence, Integrity, Improvement, and Innovation. The company currently employs UMBC alumni and students. In 2011, Dzirasa’s success earned him the Alumni Association’s Young Alumni Rising Star award.

Another speaker of note is Ryan Bricklemyer, co-founder of BeerGivr.com. Bricklemyer graduated from UMBC in 2006 after receiving a B.S. and M.S. in Information Systems. Last October, he and business partner Sean Kennedy launched the website BeerGivr.com, which allows you to virtually buy your friends a drink.

If you owe your pal a drink but can't join him at the bar, BeerGivr sends him a text message with a gift code that can be redeemed for a frothy brew. BeerGivr currency is already accepted at sixteen local haunts, including Alewife and Bond Street Social in Baltimore and Frisco Taphouse & Brewery in Columbia.

Sponsored by UMBC’s Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship, the Raymond V. Haysbert, Sr. Entrepreneurship lecture also features Dr. Sheldon Broedel (Ph.D. and M.S., Microbial and Molecular Genetics, ’90), Chief Executive and Science Officer of Athena Environmental Sciences, Inc. and Nancy Krebs (B.A. Theatre, ’72), founder of The Voiceworks Studio.

For more information, see the event flyer.

photo via politico.com

It looks like everyone should just shut the heck up about Rick Santorum leaving the Republican presidential race, because the boy is on fire.

On Saturday he topped Mitt Romney in the Louisiana primary, where his conservative credentials played well.

On Sunday in Wisconsin he slapped down a New York Times reporter who asked him to clarify his statement calling Mitt Romney “the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama.”

Whoa! HEY! Wait a minute! Time out! BULL HOCKEY!

What he said, Jeff Zeleny — you idiot — is that Mitt Romney is the worst Republican to run against the president on the issue of healthcare. Okay? Rick Santorum still believes the likely nominee Mitt Romney is the worst Republican in that respect, but you have no right to distort his words by asking him — with your greedy questions — if he meant the worst Republican to run in general or the worst Republican to run on that super-huge issue. I mean, really. In the words of Rick Santorum: “Come on man, what are you doing?”

Opponents from the Romney campaign and elsewhere have seized on this “tantorum” as evidence of the candidate’s not-ready-for-primetime demeanor, but we believe that any doubts about the presidential-ness of Santorum’s outrage ought to be put aside.

Surely we all remember this famous exchange between the recently-inaugurated President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and a reporter from the New York Times who took one of his remarks out of context:

NYT: President Roosevelt, do you really think we have nothing to fear?

FDR: . . . What? What did you just say?

NYT: You said that we have nothing to fear. You said–

FDR: –What speech did you listen to?

NYT: Are you saying we don’t have to fear poison ivy and black widow spiders and eating raw cookie dough and slivers and–

FDR: NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FEAR ITSELF YOU MORON. Stop. Distorting. My words. It’s bull#@$%. . . . C’mon man, what are you doing?

Photo Courtesy www.bwtechumbc.com

Potential good news for internship and job seekers. The Baltimore Sun reported that four tech-focused companies have just taken up shop at bwtech@UMBC. The companies are:

Communications Scientific International, a communications systems and technologies company. Communications Scientific International “provides communications and information systems for satelliete, airbone and ground applications to the Department of Defense,” says the Sun.

Tech Edge USA, an IT solutions company.

Assured Information Security (AIS), a small business that specializes in Information Operations, including Network Operations, Electronic Warfare, and Computer Network Operations. AIS works closely with the Department of Defense.

Clovis Group, a technology staffing and consulting services firm.

Luke 13:10-17 (NIV)

¹⁰ On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, ¹¹ and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” ¹³ Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

¹⁴ Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”

¹⁵ The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? ¹⁶ Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

¹⁷ When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

Reflection:

The world is not as it should be. The bent over woman illustrates for us how crippled the world really is without God. But because of His love, God sent His Son, Jesus, to come to us in His compassion. In His compassion, Jesus saw this bent over woman in the crowd and took the initiative by calling her to the center of the synagogue hall where he was actively teaching.In those days, this act broke the rules of propriety as women were usually confined to one side of the room where they could only watch the worship service as spectators.Only men were allowed to worship in the central hall of the synagogue. However, Jesus disregarded all of this as His heart was focused on setting this woman free; and when this woman was healed, she worshipped God and praised Him! Even though we were once “bent over” under the power of sin, Jesus saw us and then came to us to set us free.Yes, we have been set free!How compassionate the Lord is to us!

Responding to the Transmission:

Let’s spend time praising and thanking God for coming to us to set us free.Let’s ask Him for His compassion and empowerment for those around us who are “bent over” and are in need to be set free.