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Reaganomics: Yesterday marked the 100th birthday of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. As president, he is often remembered for telling people to tear down their walls (here’s looking at you, Mr. Gorbachev), and helping to end the Cold War by reaching out to the Soviets. Well, that combined with the pervasive idiocy with which the Soviets ran their government (put that in your glasnost and perestroika it). Reagan remains one of the most polarizing figures in politics, a hero to modern conservatism for his emphasis on curbing government spending and a pariah to liberals who say his policies were economically and socially regressive, and his movies sucked, too. But, in honor of his centennial, this one’s for the Gipper.
Balk like an Egyptian: Though embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has made several concessions to protestors in the country, including vowing not to run for reelection in September (like he did a few years back, but that’s neither here nor there), he has stopped short of the protestors’ ultimate goal, which is for him to, as they say in Egypt, kindly get the hell out. As protests in the country stretch into their second week, it remains to be seen if Mubarak, an important cog in U.S. foreign policy in the region, will take the next step so many apparently want him to.
The Green Bay Packers: With its fourth Super Bowl title, and its first in more than a decade, the Packers finally exorcized the specter of … oh, shoot, what was his name? Brent? Their old quarterback and have brought the Lombardi Trophy to Lambeau Field, an event as historic as it is alliterative. However, the team’s Super Bowl triumph will continue to be scrutinized over allegations of using performance-enhancing dairy products to make the players’ bones too strong for the Steelers to break.
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Temperatures: This one should be self-explanatory for anyone who had their gas or water service interrupted by last week’s cold snap, but it’s definitely fair to say that Tucson has been uncharacteristically brisk as of late. And not the good kind of brisk, like the tea or how you should walk around campus. It may never be said again, but here’s hoping that thermometer starts trending up soon.
Palo Alto: Facebook, which is currently headquartered in the city of Palo Alto, Calif., is expected to move to the Silicon Valley city of Menlo Park, Calif. I know what you’re thinking, and no, that is not the name of a 1970s era sitcom; it’s a real city. Apparently “”Palo Alto”” is Spanish for “”totally hosed.””
Super Bowled over: Recent health studies show that the combination of high-stress sporting entertainment and fatty foods that usually permeate the Super Bowl could lead to an increase in heart attacks suffered on the day of the event. This year is expected to be especially bad because, come on, have you seen the typical person from Green Bay or Pittsburgh?
