Articles by Zachery Abramson

Credit: Human Events According to a recent Gallup poll American opposition to government provided healthcare has continued to rise steadily since 2007. Compared to a 2000 number of 64% in favor of making healthcare a responsibility of the federal government, the recent poll results of 44% in favor represent a distinct shift in the mentality of the American public. Healthcare reform has been pushed into the limelight in the past two election cycles, particularly given the recent controversy sur...

Photo: Mohammed Dabbous On Wednesday, Libya swore in its newly elected government, with 19 new cabinet ministers under Prime Minister Ali Zeidan. The ceremony was held under heightened security due to lingering unrest between rival militias that ousted the former dictator, Muammar Gaddafi. The ministers swore to uphold the goals and constitution of the 17th of February Revolution. Eight cabinet ministers were absent from the ceremony, accenting the disorder in the wake of the newly elected gov...

Photo: Mohammed Dabbous On Wednesday, Libya swore in its newly elected government, with 19 new cabinet ministers under Prime Minister Ali Zeidan. The ceremony was held under heightened security due to lingering unrest between rival militias that ousted the former dictator, Muammar Gaddafi. The ministers swore to uphold the goals and constitution of the 17th of February Revolution. Eight cabinet ministers were absent from the ceremony, accenting the disorder in the wake of the newly elected gov...

Credit: The Athenaeum Balboa Park's San Diego Museum of Art is hosting an exhibit presenting the works of Charles Reiffel (1862-1942). Showing now until February 10, the exhibit celebrates the Post-Impressionist nature of his work, (in the same vein as Paul Cezanne and Vincent van Gogh) while acknowledging his leadership of California plein-air painting. The plein-air, outdoor aspect of working in the midst of the pastoral subject would be the driving inspiration for Reiffel's artwork. The exh...

While states throughout the nation passed reforms and enacted new laws on Tuesday, the people of Puerto Rico voted on whether they would like to seek statehood. The island passed a two-part referendum, with 54 percent of the island affirming they would like to change their 114-year relationship with the United States, which began after the Spanish-American war, and potentially become the 51st state.The unincorporated US territory has granted residents American citizenship since 1917. However, ci...

Credit: Dave Granlund As the final day of the 2012 election cycle works American politics into a heated frenzy, a final Gallup poll (tracking opinions from November 1-4) finds the American public divided between Romney's plans for the economy and Obama's Medicare plans, as well as his ability to handle foreign diplomacy. The poll results remain close - even, in fact - and reflect the tense, competitive atmosphere this election has had in its entirety. President Obama: The poll finds Obama, le...

Credit: rodderzw A recent Gallup poll reports thirty-eight percent of Americans feel they are better off financially today than they were a year ago. Compared to the thirty-four percent who claimed to be worse off, this represents a slight improvement in the public's perception of the economy. During President Obama's first year in office a majority of Americans, fifty-four percent, said they were worse off than the previous year. The economy has been recovering slowly, but polls are showing th...

Credit: blog.americanhistory.si.edu The presidential debates have become a staple of our current electoral process, featuring the candidates of the two major parties in a showdown regulated by a single moderator. However, the substance of presidential debates has deteriorated and this familiar format has changed dramatically since the first televised debate between Nixon and Kennedy in 1960. It would be another sixteen years before presidential candidates agreed to confront each other on natio...

Credit: Communicating Ideas Combining traditional Chinese hot teas, a wide variety of boba, and Taiwanese Xiaochi (literally "small eats"), Tea Station provides a laid-back atmosphere to pick up a quick drink or sit and enjoy a taste of Taiwanese cuisine. Xiaochi is the Chinese equivalent to the Spanish Tapa, food that isn't typically made at home but served at street markets or small restaurants. The rising importance of this type of meal in Taiwan represents the mix of cultural influences fo...