User:Andrewudstraw
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[edit] Andrew U. D. Straw User Page
A few vital stats to get acquainted: Born March 19, 1969 in North Carolina.
Political leanings: liberal
[edit] Education Trivia
Went to school in Middlebury, Indiana and attended Northridge High School. Was a National Merit Scholar (thank you to C-thru Ruler for the scholarship!) and a member of National Honor Society. Received a Bausch and Lomb award for science achievement, and received a gold medal and two silvers in the Science Olympiad in middle school.
H.S. Sports: wrestling, track and field
[edit] University
Attended Indiana University in Bloomington
Tests:
SAT 1410 (680V 730M)
GRE 2220 (700V 760A 760Q) (Qualified me for admittance to the Triple Nine Society).
LSAT 165
Degrees:
B.A. English and Philosophy (minor in Political Science)
M.S. Language Education (ESL/EFL)
J.D. IU School of Law
[edit] Work
Some of my Employers:
Mr. Donut (Elkhart, Indiana) -- baker
Oaklawn Hospital (Goshen, Indiana) -- mental health worker
Options for Better Living (Bloomington, Indiana) -- group home assistant manager
Indiana University -- computer lab consultant, library office work study
McConnell for Congress -- Internet director
Indiana Daily Student -- editorial board member and columnist
IU School of Law -- legal research assistant for the Dean
Alan Voorhees -- lawyer/assistant
Indiana Supreme Court -- statistical analyst
Indiana University School of Law -- Assistant Dean for International Programs
Medlicotts Barristers and Solicitors -- legal research assistant
Anja Klinkert -- legal research assistant
University of Otago -- research assistant (current job)
Blogmaster.co.nz -- my small business selling blogs to Kiwis
[edit] Community Service
Volunteer Work:
United Way program evaluator
Legal Services of Indiana intake evaluator and legal researcher
Democratic Party of Monroe County, Indiana -- elected precinct captain
Democrats Abroad
Green Party of Aotearoa/New Zealand
IU School of Law -- Educational Policy Committee student member
IU Student Association -- Law School's representative
Free Burma supporter
Virginia State Bar Task Force on Technology (Education of Bench and Bar Co-chair)
[edit] Relatives
My most (in)famous relative is bound to be Erich Raeder. He was a cousin on my mother's side (my grandmother's maiden name was Raeder). Fortunately, Wikipedia's entry on him treats him fairly nicely, but he certainly was on the wrong side! My earliest relatives that I can trace came to America around the year 1700, and were born in Switzerland (Bern). My Dad's side of the family includes English, Scottish, and Amish heritage, while my mother's includes Irish, Scottish, German, and Danish. My great-great grandfather came over from Denmark and was a violinist. Somewhere way back there is some indication that on my mother's father's side, someone fought in the American Revolutionary War--Daniel Castle. It was on this basis that I believe my mother was a member of the Indiana chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution. My mother's maternal grandfather was a soldier in World War I. On my mother's mother's side, (again way back), the King of England is said to have provided land to an ancestor in Virginia or North Carolina. I believe this reference is to the Lanier line of my family tree. I still have many relatives in North Carolina, and I have traced direct ancestors back to both North Carolina and Surrey County, Virginia.
All of my mom's uncles (two with last name Raeder) fought against the Nazis in Europe, and my grandfather fought against the Japanese during World War II; he was a member of the VFW in Elkhart for a time. Grandpa's brother was in the 82nd Airborne, a paratrooping unit. My grandfather was a Teamster and both of my maternal grandparents were New Deal Democrats. On Dad's side of the family, both grandparents were Republicans.
After a review of my family's genealogy as it exists on the web (thanks to James Stevens!), I can trace back roots to an ancestor born in 1504 who lived in Rouen, France (Lanier family tree) and a female ancestor obviously from Italy (Lucretia Bassano). The Bassano family were musicians who were recruited from Venice and played for Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and King James. The Lanier/Bassano connection makes me a cousin of author Tennessee Williams. Further research amongst the Amish side of the family goes back to the 1400s in Switzerland (Bern in particular).
Update: my brother Jason has taken the family genealogy back to a Scotsman who was born in 1110. This is on my mother's side.
Father was in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and repaired the electronics on helicopters--both the big banana ones with two rotors and the smaller Hueys. Dad was proud of the fact that those helicopters saved thousands of people during a particularly bad monsoon season.
My brother Jason is a first lieutenant in the United States Air Force, and previously served in the 82nd Airborne unit of the United States Army as a medic.
My wife teaches Chinese film and language at University of Otago. I strongly believe that New Zealand should make increased enrolments in Chinese courses a national priority. It will improve international trade and support the dramatic increases in Chinese tourism that are expected as China's economy expands.
My close relative network is quite large. My father's family included 4 brothers and 3 sisters, while my grandmother had 8 brothers and sisters. My mother had one sister and one brother.
[edit] Hobbies
I like to play chess and especially euchre on Yahoo games, and generally stay caught up with the news.
Wikipedia editing is a relatively new phenomenon for me, but I think I'll catch on fairly quickly with some friendly advice from more seasoned folks. Should be a lot of fun doing some work here.
I check www.nzherald.co.nz every day for the latest on broadband developments and other NZ news daily.
Telomerase.org is a hobby site of mine for discussions of this interesting cell-life-extension enzyme.
Occasionally I like to write an op-ed article or letter to the editor for the Otago Daily Times newspaper in Dunedin. I have always had an interest in politics because of its potential to improve people's lives.
[edit] Contact
You can leave information on my talk page if you like, or feel free to email me at andrewudstraw@yahoo.com
Thanks for dropping by!
