Unity 08

Unity 08 presents an alternative to the current US political landscape.

From their website:

"What We Believe

Unity08 believes that neither of today’s major parties reflects the aspirations, fears or will of the majority of Americans. Both have polarized and alienated the people. Both are unduly influenced by single-issue groups. Both are excessively dominated by money.

For most of the 20th Century, the contest for the U.S. presidency was waged over those “in the middle.” Recent Presidential elections, however, have not been focused on the middle but on the turnout of each party’s special interest groups – with each party’s “base” representing barely ten percent of the American people.

We believe that, while the leaders of both major parties are well intentioned people, they are trapped in a flawed system – and that the two major parties are today simply neither relevant to the issues and challenges of the 21st Century nor effective in addressing them.

As a result, most Americans have not been enthusiastic about the choices for President in recent elections, the key issues they ran on, or the manner in which the campaigns were conducted.

Therefore Unity08 will act to assure that an alternative ticket is presented to the American voters in 2008.

Local Yokels

A NY Times article about the lives of the Clintons notes that the former president frequents a local restaurant:

"They decided later that dinner would not work, so Mr. Clinton did what he often does: He rounded up some familiar faces — former aides including Joe Lockhart and Mike McCurry — and went out for a late bite at Lauriol Plaza, the bustling Tex-Mex restaurant in Dupont Circle."

Dell drops exclusive chip deal with Intel

From the Financial Times:
"Dell Computer signalled a shift in alliances in the personal computer world yesterday, saying that it would end its exclusive use of Intel microprocessors and begin buying from Advanced Micro Devices."

Western civilization faces a stark choice

In today's Financial Times, Richard Koch and Chris Smith argue that five factors: Christianity, Optimism, Science, Growth, and Individualism have led to "enormous strides in economic, military, political, and social terms."

Yet, confidence in these concepts is diminishing in some respects. If western civilization is to continue on a successful path, they argue, society must reconcile its current difficulties with this foundation.

"We have stopped believing in the ideas that drove earlier generations to improve the world. Six main ideas made the west, century after century, progressively successful, powerful, and attractive - Christianity, optimism, science, economic growth, individualism and liberalism. Are these ideas past their sell-by date?"

In adversity lies opportunity

It seems to me that the public debates regarding immigration policy and the future of social security aren't mutually exclusive. Wouldn't a thoughtful approach to both dilemmas consider the ways a reformed immigration policy can help to address concerns about mass baby-boomer retirement and the strains this will put on the U.S. economy? For that matter, isn't the immigration issue also closely related to sky-rocketing health care costs?

Incorporating current illegal workers into the formal economy would expand the tax base, reduce corruption, and enhance accountability. It would also provide a path to sustained economic growth in the US for decades to come.

I wish I was special

From Joel Achenbach's column in yesterday's Washington Post:

"The Copernican Principle states that I should not be in a special position in regard to all the people who might or might not have a parking space. The likely fate of a human being is to be, in most respects, ordinary -- not as a matter of good or bad luck, but merely as a statistical probability in a universe that is deeply probabilistic."

Oh, Canada...

ESPN.com reports that San Jose fans booed the Canadian national anthem Sunday night before Game 5 of their team's second-round playoff series with the Edmonton Oilers.

It's kind of funny how they only play the national anthems of the teams participating. Most of the players--on both U.S. and Canadian teams--are from Canada and Europe. It must have been strange for the Canadians on the San Jose team who heard their own fans booing their national anthem.

Big Macs and Yoga

Fast Company's Danielle Sacks discusses the irony of fast-food chains pedalling wares for enhanced mindfulness and health. It's crazy enough it just might work. Sigh.

"The pristine white packaging engraved with shiny gold lettering was enough to make me suspicious. When I realized the gold lettering was actually Mickey D's iconic 'M' (with modern urban twist 'I'm lovin it') hanging above the phrase 'Yourself Fitness' I knew I was in trouble. The kicker was when I opened McDonald's latest PR schwag to discover burger-branded yoga and cardio videos. Ugh.

Okay, if fast food cattle houses want to peddle mandarin-accented salads and bottled water, great. But to try and spin your cause to health, the message is so unnatural it's like showing up at church to find out the priest is trying to convince you to convert to Judaism.

The new ploy is a cobranded effort with a videogame company that has created 'Maya,' an attractive Latino personal trainer who can be channeled through PlayStation2 and XBox consoles. Maya can take you through 'yoga for relaxation and rejuvination, cardio for burning calories and boosting metabolism, core for strengthening the abs and spine, and strength for toning and tightening.' All this inside the new 'Go Active! Happy Meal for Adults!'

Listen, I'm all for companies encouraging healthy living. But to come from the source of clogged arteries, heart attacks and the super-sizing of America is just plain disingenuious, if not insulting. I'm just waiting for the press release announcing that McDonald's and Krispy Kreme have partnered to launch a new chain of gyms...is there no shame -- or common sense -- in the branding world?"

Coming of age in America

Anthropologists Go Native in the Corporate Village

American companies are realizing that an anthropologist can provide useful insight into the strengths and weaknesses of their organizations. Maybe our government should consider such an approach.

"Briody is a pioneer in a growing and influential field -- corporate anthropology. What began as an experiment in a handful of companies such as GM has become an explosion. In recent years, some of the biggest names in business have recruited highly trained anthropologists to understand their workers and customers better, and to help design products that better reflect emerging cultural trends. These companies are convinced that the tools of ethnographic research -- minute observation, subtle interviewing, systematic documentation -- can answer questions about organizations and markets that traditional research tools can't."