Breaking the bank

Once again, This American Life comes through for us all by taking another look at our faltering economy. Whereas the previous episodes focused on the buildup to the Wall Street meltdown, this episode tries to break down what’s going on with the banks and why they’re all in such trouble.

In order to provide clarity to financial laymen like myself, they make it an emphasis to explain things in as direct a manner as possible. The result is as enlightening as it is infuriating.

Basically, what you get out of it is that people have largely been irresponsible by taking out loans that they weren’t qualified for, the banks were greedy bastards by approving all these bad loans, everyone is looking to the government to bail them out, which means that honest, poor joes like you and I are going to get screwed no matter what. Wonderful.

President Barack Obama

The day is here! Everyone I know is ecstatic and amazingly hopeful about what we’re about to embark upon.

It’s still hard to believe that it’s happening. New York City is an amazing amalgamation of people, but politically it’s been largely pro-Obama. During the race, I heard so many people wonder aloud “How is Obama not going to win? There’s so much support for him!”

But I knew better. I know that not every American has the same mindset. So I’ve tried hard to keep a wider perspective and find out what people who differ from me are thinking.

This American Life has a great episode which attempts to do the same thing: take a cross-section of the country and hear the spectrum of viewpoints. It’s enlightening, frightening and somehow reassuring. Take a listen...

Beating around the Bush

The Bush Presidency is in its last days and I imagine there will be much reflection on GW’s legacy and where he stands historically. It’ll be interesting to see what the perception of Bush will be a decade or two from now. Will he still be as reviled? Or will he be vindicated? I imagine that time will most likely soften the anti-Bush sentiment. But the blunders of war and fraying of international relations will probably keep his presidency from being viewed as a successful one.

Perhaps it’s too soon to come to any conclusions, but NPR’s latest Intelligence Squared segment tries to tackle the legacy of Bush and where he stands in comparison to the accomplishments and perceptions of other presidents in the modern era of the U.S. I’m not sure if the debate ended up altering my thoughts on the man, but it’s an interesting session nonetheless.

I have to question the decision to include Karl Rove on the panel. I would’ve preferred a more objective expert rather than someone who is so close and biased to the subject of the debate. It didn’t help that Rove’s debate style grated on me immensely. He was very defensive, condescending and aggressive towards the other panelists. If there’s any personality type that pushes my buttons, it’s probably one like Rove’s.

It seems like most of the country (and the world) is itching for the transfer of power to Obama, which hopefully leads to a period of healing and upward progress for this country. The debate raised an interesting question of whether Obama has a tougher or easier time because of what Bush has left in his wake. It’s hard for me to view Bush in any positive light, but I can’t deny that his stubbornness on the troop surge probably left Iraq in a better state for Obama than if he’d consented to the strategy of an early draw-down as Obama had called for. Of course if he hadn’t invaded Iraq in the first place...

Check out the debate

Money talks

Continuing in the vein of the last post’s fact finding mission, This American Life has broadcasted a few episodes that focus on the financial crisis that we’re currently experiencing.

Other than giant, red numbers on the front pages, it’s hard to tell what exactly is going on and what the ramifications are to those of us outside of Wall Street.

The first episode was broadcasted before the crash of several banking institutions and delves into the mortgage crisis earlier this year. The second episode takes into account all of the recent events and attempts to illustrate the full story of why these stock giants are falling like dominos.

What these narratives do very well is connect all of the dots in ways that normally aren’t revealed on today’s mania-driven news channels. It becomes easy to see why things happened the way they did, but it also leads you to feel frustrated and outraged at the unabashed recklessness of these people’s greed.

I’m a lot angrier about this $700 billion bail-out since we’re essentially saving the asses of people who were keenly aware of the risks and fragility of their actions but were blinded by dollar signs. It doesn’t help that I’m reading stories about AIG’s executives partaking in a luxury retreat after being rescued by the government.

Obama’s proposals to instill more regulations resonate more with me now that I’ve seen what people do when left on their own.

Health hath no fury...

Although largely pushed aside due to other pressing matters such as the war and the crumbling economy, health care is a perennial topic in election debates. The merits and pitfalls of universal health care and government involvement is dissected in the latest Intelligence Squared session by NPR.

The format of the show is an Oxford-style debate between a panel of experts in the particular field who debate on the pros and cons of the subject. It’s a good way to absorb a lot of information from different sources. While there is a plethora of stat-spewing, the panelists do a good job of sifting through the numbers to define the meaning behind the research.

The entire broadcast is available as a podcast. While not the most uplifting thing to listen to on the subway commute, it’s certainly enlightening.

Um... McCain... WTF?

When I learned of McCain’s morning announcement of Palin as his running mate, I thought it was a pretty shrewd move to undercut some of the attention and support garnered on the Democrats’ side. Then I read up on her qualifications (or lack thereof).

Seriously, what the fuck is McCain thinking? What are the possible benefits of putting Palin on the GOP ticket?

A first time governor of Alaska with no foreign policy experience is not someone I want next in line for the role of Leader of the Free World, when that role would be occupied by a 72 year old with a history of cancer issues. In addition, her short tenure has already run into controversy.

So depth of experience wasn’t a selling factor, what about ideology? A pro-life, pro-drilling for oil in the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge (did I mention she’s governor of Alaska?), lifetime member of the NRA sounds right up the GOP’s alley. Except McCain was actually against the oil drilling. Unlike Biden, who helps round out the thin area’s of Obama’s resume, McCain picked someone that really contributes nothing to expanding his base. If anything, I could see Palin turning off many of the ultra-conservative voters who were probably in McCain’s favor to begin with.

Which leaves us with the most regrettable possibility: McCain picked Palin because she’s a woman. My initial reaction to the announcement was that he was vying for Hillary supporters. That was until I read past the headlines. How could any dedicated Hillary voter not look at this action as an insult? If this was in fact McCain’s strategy, then it is disturbingly shortsighted and off-target. A woman VP might initially seem like a good step towards gender equality, but a woefully unqualified one could do more harm than good.

If he wanted a woman to garner votes, then why not Kay Bailey Hutchinson, a Republican who has exponentially more respect and experience than Palin? The fact that he didn’t leaves me to think that he wanted not a viable running mate who happened to be female, but a female running mate who wouldn’t threaten his position of superiority. If that’s the case, then every intelligent, self-respecting American (man or woman) should be appalled that John McCain is even anywhere near Oval Office.

I can’t even begin to imagine what the VP debate is going to look like. How is she going to stack up against Biden? The seasoned Senator (who is chairman of the FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE) is going to eat her alive. Despite my Democratic leanings, I find myself actually scared for her.

Am I a sexist, anti-feminist for wondering whether or not this action is a sick joke? Palin’s gender isn’t even the problem for me. Anyone who is a stone’s throw away from the Presidency needs to be scrutinized for his or her qualifications. It’s never been an issue for me whether that person is a man or a woman, or black or white. But Senator, I have a sense that is very much an issue for you.

People are smart

Although instances such as Reality TV, the proliferation of people who talk like valley girls, and the Republican party cause me to fear the downfall of civilization, there are a few glimmers of ingenuity that truly impress me.

My morning NPR podcast was one such moment.

The story explores how a programmer who helped develop a common security measure for the web found a way to utilize it for an unexpected and beneficial secondary purpose.

If you’ve purchased concert tickets on the web (something I’ve done way too often) you’ll be familiar with the Word Verification System that requires you to type in a word that is displayed in order to prove that you’re not some inhuman, malicious ticket-hoarding program.

The programmer realized that the words being identified could be from scanned books set to be digitized but were too badly distorted or degraded for OCR programs to decipher. Thus allowing people like me to contribute to the collective knowledge of the internets albeit unknowingly.

I’m basically paraphrasing the article so go read for yourself and be impressed.

Wind wind scenario

I was intrigued by French designer Philippe Starck’s unveiling of the personal windmill earlier this year. Details and technical specifics are pretty sparse as of now but they’re set to go onto the consumer market as early as this September.

The design is unquestionably elegant, but again many people are wondering how exactly it works. The price tag is around $600 and is touted to provide as much as 60% of the energy needed in a typical household. At this point, anything that promotes green energy and frees consumers from overloaded electric companies is welcomed.

I wonder if it’s size will allow it to be applicable to urban dwellers or if it’ll require some serious yard/roof space to dedicate to this device. I would think that it has to be a progression from the giant wind farms consisting of fields of towering windmills. NPR produced an interesting story on the farms and their affects on the local population. I particularly sympathized with the elderly man proclaiming that he can’t sleep anymore due to the noise produced by the spinning blades of the 20 story tall structures.

Even if Starck’s machine fails to make an urban impact, NPR also reports on Chicago’s attempt to place wind turbines on top of its skyscrapers as a space-conserving solution to increasing power consumption issues.

I’m thankful that green energy has become a larger priority over the years. It certainly feels as if we’re working against the clock now.

Greener Gotham?

Over the years, I’ve become much more sensitive to and interested in the progress of energy sources and energy consumption.

Maybe it’s from using, and loving, the city’s mass transit system. Except when I have to sit next to one of the "crazies".

Or maybe it’s because I lived in the East Village and saw the neverending mounds of garbage as a depiction of how wasteful the city is.

Or maybe I’ve been working in several Manhattan design studios that don’t recycle and have seen how we rip through reams of paper so casually and thoughtlessly.

Or maybe it’s seeing how our dependance on archaic energy sources is shaping our governmental policy in horrible ways.

However this interest developed, it’s always heartening to find out that some people are very commited to finding alternative energy sources (as noted in several past posts) or just diligently doing their part by recycling and conserving.

Last week’s New York Magazine caught my attention with an article about the possibilities of urban farming (or skyfarming) as a way to maintain a metropolitan society while also reversing the trend of environmental degradation.

Imagining greener and cleaner buildings that could produce farm crops, purify waste and generate energy sounds like a far off utopian dream, but it’s nice to hear some optimism for once.

There was speculation that this might be the next version of Biodomes that everyone of us heard about far too often in elementary school. That reference helped pierce the illustion of skyfarming a bit. So it could possibly amount to nothing more than a scientist’s wet dream. After all, the technology, time and resources it would take to make a building like this a reality seems too daunting for anyone to invest in.

But it all starts with an idea, right?

Aaaaaaaaaand we’re back

I don’t think anyone wants to gloss over what South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson and his family are going through with his apparent stroke and surgery, but the political implications must be what’s really on everyone’s minds on Capital Hill.

After the Senate race, all the Democrats celebrated a great (albeit narrow) victory to wrestle control back from the GOP. Even President Bush came out to admit that it was a message from the citizens that the Administration needed to listen and cooperate with the Democrats.

Now I’m imagining (somewhat sarcastically) that Bush is thinking that this is a message from God that the Administration doesn’t need to change and that the Democrats need to die.

Alright, that was pretty bleak.

I’m just very disappointed in how this will likely play out. If Johnson is unable to resume office, then the Governor (a Republican) appoints his replacement. If there are ties in the Senate then the decision is differed to VP Cheney, the idea of which makes me oh so cheerful.

I bet walking into a bar full of Democrats this weekend in D.C. would be a sad, depressing sight.

Light up some grass (and burn some fat too)

Ever on the lookout for alternative energy sources, I discovered that switchgrass is becoming an interesting solution.

Biofuels have been looked into but have been largely problematic due to the fact that they can't output a rate of energy higher than the energy it takes to process it. Plus the amount of carbon produced isn't a significant improvement over fossil fuels.

Switchgrass on the other hand is a hearty crop that grows relatively easily in less than ideal conditions and actually absorbs more carbon than it produces (when converted to ethanol).

ABC had previously reported that ethanol could eventually account for a significant (though not majority) of the nation’s energy needs and that the economic adjustments wouldn’t be very drastic.

Switchgrass is also an attractive solution because it’s resources wouldn’t have to be divided between fuel creation and food consumption, unlike other crops able to convert to ethanol (like corn).

Other resources can be Googled or found here.

Another, less orthodox energy source is in the form of Philadelphia’s Fry-o-Diesel, which somehow converts oils, grease and other waste.

I can’t imagine this being a pleasant endeavor, but hey, if it brings us closer to a Utopian dream of clean, renewable energy, I’ll scarf down a few more Phillies for the cause.

Solar power, using grass, converting fat... It amazes me the ingenuity of people sometimes.

Now if only we could allow this technology to flourish without being hindered by politics and corporate greed.

Gassed

The recent discovery of a new oil resource off the U.S. Coast may have initially sounded like a relief to the country’s dependence on foreign fossil fuels, but analysts are already saying that the find will do little to stave off the diminishing resources at hand. What’s more, the impact of this deposit will be years away and will do little to put a dent in consumer demand.

Really, all it did was buy a little time, further feed our addiction to a non-renewable resource and extend our political agenda in the Middle East. And it probably just fed the fire to encourage more digging and disruption into our ecosystem in a hope that there’s more down there. I’m having a mental image of a political cartoon depicting the U.S. as a crack whore.

On a brighter note, NPR reports on an emerging renewable resource called Solar Thermal, which is capable of generating much more power than the more conventional solar power cells at a cheaper price. While still not able to match the price and output of fossil fuels, it signals a step in the right direction for our energy needs.

Whatever the source (be it solar, combustion or nuclear) it’s still amazing to me that what it all comes down to is a way to boil water and have the steam turn turbines to generate electricity. You’d think we’d have found a better way by now.

The empires strike back

As an antithesis of my last post on Google’s attempt to equalize the flow of information through the internet, NPR reports on how internet service providers are musing over the idea of creating tiered access to the internet, effectively providing slower and faster lanes for webpages to get to one’s computer. Large companies that would be willing to shell out a premium expense would get a higher priority and quicker load times to their consumers. A non-audio version of this topic can be found on the New Yorker.

Some may argue that offering newer, better features is a part of capitalism. If a company makes a better car, they should have the right to charge a higher price, and I agree with that. But abolishing the current "network neutrality" just doesn’t seem to fit in the same category as luxury cars. The proposed system would most likely give large corporations more power and allow the ISPs to exert too much influence. Libraries don’t offer better library cards that let you get more access to books than regular library card holders.

The revolutionary aspect of the internet is that is an open field. Anyone with a computer and internet access can (in most cases outside of China) get the same information as anyone else in the world. But broadband companies want to change that because they want more money. They try to justify it through other reasons, but their lust for more is so apparent that there’s no way to hide it. If they weren’t making any money then I could see the rationale that they need to be compensated for laying the pipelines and maintaining the servers, but everyone pays for the service already, and at monthly intervals. They’re creating a need solely so that they can provide the solution, which is despicable.

This is not a music blog

I loved hearing that several cities such as Philadelphia are taking on the ambitious and philanthropist goal of providing city-wide wi-fi in order to bridge the "gap on internet inequality". Imagine wanting to surf the internets on your laptop and not be constrained to your home or coffeeshops. I really enjoyed how Austin was virtually wi-fi everywhere and am a bit surprised at the lack of access in New York.

Now, true to its namesake, Google ups the ante exponentially by announcing Glo-fi which would provide free internet access all over the globe. Details are sketchy and scarce so I’m not sure how extensive or reliable their network would be. A lot of people are questioning how they plan to do this, but Google has pulled off some amazing feats before.

Aside from the logistical hurdles, I wonder how Google will pull this off politically. Opening the gates to free information is very utopian, but I see major resistance to come from established internet providers and countries like China, well known for its censorship of what its citizens can access.

Google is starting to look like a commercial juggernaut (hello, Microsoft?) but its programs have always been pretty top notch and its goals beneficial. I’ll cheer Glo-fi on for now, but I’ve got my eye on you, Google.

Out with the old, in with the news

I haven’t really had a chance to ponder much of what’s going on in the world lately, but here’s a stab:

Why is Bush so relentless in turning over several port operations to a Dubai company? Eyebrows are raising, especially when Republicans are starting to stand up in opposition to the proposal.

Meanwhile the talks to balk a nuclear capable Iran is not going well. The idea of a possibly antagonist nation aquiring nuclear power if definitely scary for the U.S. but it’s hard not to judge the U.S. critically as well. Like a bully who has a shiny toy but won’t let anyone else play with it, holding out on the rest of the world seems a bit selfish. But I guess it’s also a responsible approach. How could anyone realistically expect that everyone would not abuse this power? And if we’re so against the proliferation of nuclear technology then why openly assist another country in the matter? Eyebrows are raising a little more. I guess I don’t know enough of the details to completely condemn Bush for this matter but his track record hasn’t exactly been aligning in my favor.

Elsewhere, it didn’t take long for the issue of abortion to pop up after the realignment of the Supreme Court. South Dakota steps up to the plate to take the first swing at abolishing abortion. It’s a very obvious attempt at pushing the issue into the forefront of the Judiciary. I, for one, am very surprised at the blatant and bold maneuver of the South Dakota lawmakers. They’re definitely not fucking around. But if anyone thinks this is going to be swift and clean is delusional. I can see this as the first step in a long and painful journey for the whole country.

What scary and interesting times in which we live.

1000 lectures in your pocket

Apple ups the ante in the Information Age by providing free podcasts of lectures from Stanford University, and apparently with more content from other universities to come.

What’s amazing is that there was little to no fanfare for this occasion. The most recent MacWorld Conference was buzzing about the release of the Intel-powered Macs, but this new iTunes U seems to have the potential to affect a larger audience. After all, their great iTunes program is free and can be used on PCs and Macs.

The internet is an amazing resource so I guess this can be viewed as just another drop in the bucket. But something about this strikes me as much more special. After all, this is a highly regarded university providing it’s resources out to everyone for free. Much more respectable than those bloggers out there...

Sane on the brain

NPR covers Howard Dully’s effort to uncover the truth and reasons behind a transorbital or "ice-pick" lobotomy performed on him at the age of 12.

"If you saw me you'd never know I'd had a lobotomy," Dully says. "The only thing you'd notice is that I'm very tall and weigh about 350 pounds. But I've always felt different -- wondered if something's missing from my soul. I have no memory of the operation, and never had the courage to ask my family about it. So two years ago I set out on a journey to learn everything I could about my lobotomy."

Difficult at times to listen to, yet so compelling to hear, the story goes into the history of the transorbital lobotomy and its creator, William Freeman. The procedure started off as an attempt to cure debilitating mental illness but dissolved into a cure-all for a wide range of ailments. One woman went in to expel chronic migraines and left with the mentality of a 6 year old.

The most painful moment was when Dully, after some fifty years, finally confronted his father about why it happened and why Dully was never told that the procedure was even performed on him. His father was evasive about his role and remained detached even when a tearful Dully said that he still loved him.

Families would talk about how their loved ones were severely damaged by the procedure, while other victims questioned whether or not it scarred their souls.

The lobotomy was always something of a joke to people. I would laugh at Homer getting one in a fantasy on the Simpsons, but this was one of the most gut-wrenching things I’ve heard in a long time.

Here come the non-judge

While John Roberts was sworn in as the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Bush wastes little time in proposing another replacement to the bench in Harriet Miers. It’s still early to tell what, if anything, will impede her progress to the position, but the most glaring tidbit is the fact that she’s never been a judge. With her being a long-time White House confidant, I’m guessing the Democrats will have a few more alarm bells going off this time around.

Roberts was able to make a relatively smooth entrance into the Justice Chambers due to cleanliness and ambiguity. People didn’t have much to say for or against him mostly because Roberts refused to reveal his opinion on matters such as Roe v Wade. The optimist in me will hope that this virtue will carry on when he is in power, but the alarmist in me is wondering if he’s just smart enough to keep his mouth shut until it’s too late for us to do anything.

Fortunately, history has taught us that America’s forefathers masterfully arranged the terms of a Supreme Court Justices’ tenure in a way that would free him or her of any political ties and agendas. Most conservative appointees have veered more towards the ideologic center once on the bench, and it’s hopeful that Roberts will continue the trend.

So what about Miers? It may be too early to tell, but it seems she may be prudent enough to follow Roberts’ lead and claim to be nonpartisan and free of any political agenda. Or is she just faking it?

She won’t be the first non-judge appointee but more worrisome to me is the proximity of involvement and influence Bush will have on Miers. We’ll just have to wait for a clearer scenario.

Nuclear skies

NPR kicks off a series of examinations on nuclear proliferation with a story about the current status of the U.S. and what do to about its arsenal. The notion was brought up that there hasn’t been a lot of progress since the end of the Cold War. The U.S. still holds a sizeable stockpile that carries a lot of weight when dealing with other nations. As in poker, sometimes the size of your stack counts more than what cards you’re holding. (Sorry just watched Rounders the other night.)

The story casts some interesting perspectives on how and if the U.S. should disarm completely. The fact that the U.S. keeps a cache of nuclear weapons paradoxically keeps other countries from having to develop nuclear capabilities. Allies such as Japan have not needed to resort to investing in their own nuclear weapons because it relies on the protection of a nuclear United States. So what happens if we disarm as what most people think is best? Is it going to help with the gradual deduction of warheads in the world or just open the door for other countries to establish their own nuclear programs?

The U.S. is in a tough spot. It makes me wonder how effective our politicians and their diplomacy really are. Are we just viewed as bullies who others listen to just because they don’t want to get beat up? I’ve always felt that you get more by gaining people’s respect, not their fear. It’s seems that the U.S. keeps sliding out of the respect side and resorting to the fear side. So how do we reverse that trend?

Highly Evolved

How Magazine compares some of our cultural lifestyles as compared to 20 years ago:

THEN : NOW
ghetto blaster : iPod
low-fat : low-carb
New Coke : C2
Iran-Iraq War : Iraq War
Miami Vice : CSI:Miami
Star Search : American Idol
Spuds Mackenzie : Target dog
VP George H.W. Bush : Dubbya
Tic Tacs : Altoids
Donahue : Dr. Phil
Michael Jackson on fire : Michael Jackson under fire
"Return of the Jedi" : "Return of the Sith"
"Late Night" : "Late Show"
Air Jordans : Air Tunes
Andre the Giant : Andre 3000
Pole Position : Gran Turismo
Macintosh 128K : iMac G5
Aldus PageMaker : Adobe inDesign
Care Bears : Build-A-Bear