Bravo to the 70s (the weather, that is). Not only does it feel great to not see the mercury maxing out on our thermometers, but it also makes everyone just a little less on-edge. Face it; everyone around here is just a bit nicer when the weather is less temperamental. Plus, we all like pulling out those beloved sweaters for walking to our morning and night classes and being able to still enjoy some moderate sunshine for lunch. Right now, Phoenix is paradise.
Boo to homicide levels in Tempe being the highest in 10 years. With two months left in 2010 and only one homicide short of the rate in 2000, it’s unsettling to think this could be the most violent streak our campus has seen in a while. Last year, there were only two homicides in Tempe — a 20-year low. But with ASU and Tempe police patrolling our campus and its surrounding area, it brings into question what went wrong in the past year? The numbers seem pretty disconnected from year to year, but to jump from lowest to highest in such a short time is certainly nothing to be overlooked. Each crime has an impact in our community, and the noticeable trend specific to Tempe has already shaken us up too much.
Bravo to Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott for making the forthcoming transition to the Pac-12 Conference a smooth, efficient process that benefits every institution in the conference. With the North-South split, schools in both divisions gain a recruiting edge within their region and with equal revenue sharing, each school stands to make substantial money when the conference renegotiates its TV deal. Above all though, Scott was able to maintain the conference’s tradition by keeping rivalries intact. The future of the Pac-10/12 has never been brighter.
Boo to the NFL for increasing punishments for hard/illegal hits. Football is a game of violence. Athletes with unmatched size and speed are constantly launching themselves at each other, and the concept of hard hits has been a staple in advertising throughout the NFL’s history. Adding to the punishment for violent hits contradict what defensive players were taught since they started playing as children. Obviously, cheap shots to the head should be heavily punished but, with the speed of the game, accidents happen.
Bravo to Intel bringing a kilo of jobs to Phoenix. The tech company crushed a piggy bank worth between $6 billion and $8 billion in the name of upgrading four plants in Arizona and Oregon that will be tasked with making the latest generation of technology. According to an Arizona Republic article, the upgrades will create about 6,000 to 8,000 construction jobs and up to 1,000 permanent high-tech ones. Take that, 10 percent unemployment rate.
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