Going Global

Princeton has a remarkable website, Mapping Globalization, which provides several tools for visualizing this concept.



From their site:

"With all the talk of globalization it is easy to forget that at the very core of the concept is a notion of geographical location. Globalization involves connections between at least two places and the first step in our understanding must be an appreciation of what this means in a concrete sense of space."

Check it out.

time to move on

so i've taken a new job which has altered my relationship with supposedly.
if anything, i recognize the need for a skeptical mindset now more than ever.

i will do my best to continue to relate to this space on a more regular basis.

the council on foreign relations' site has a number of quality resources available.

in particular, i appreciate the backgrounders. they serve as a touching off point for familiarizing yourself with a particular issue. here's a discussion of the role of evangelical christians in american foreign policy.

Foiled again

Check out Fred Kaplan's article on Slate: "Looking for Intel in All the Wrong Places: What Washington can learn from Britain's foiled terror plot."

Alive in Baghdad

Alive in Baghdad is an attempt by 25 year old journalist and filmmaker, Brian Conley, to give voice to people living in and through the current Iraqi crisis. His idea is that instead of having Americans, or other westerners, in Iraq to tell us what is going on, why not empower Iraqis themselves to tell their stories. A key component of this is the use of sound and video. By seeing the day to day goings on first hand, we are able to remove some of the element of abstraction that is inevitable as a westerner trying to make sense of the current situation in Iraq.

You can access Alive in Baghdad's videos either through their website or the Democracy Player.

They also have a set of photos available through flickr.

Democracy Player

"Want to see the future of Net video? Download the open source Democracy Player"
Wired Magazine, May 2006

Stop squinting at tiny web video. Instead, download and watch all the best internet TV shows in one powerful application: any video RSS feed, video podcast, video blog, or BitTorrent file. Fullscreen, high resolution, 100% free and open source. New channels arrive daily in the built-in Channel Guide.

Gentle Ben

Time magazine profiles new fed chair Ben Bernanke...

"The shift is about more than clearer communication and punch lines. What's really at stake is a plan to make the Fed a more transparent and accessible institution. When Bernanke first showed up at the Fed as a governor in 2002, he started eating in the cafeteria, much to the surprise of younger economists, who weren't used to governors joining them for lunch and talking shop. When he returned as chairman in February after an eight-month stint as head of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, he resumed his lunchtime habits, not locking himself away in the Fed's private dining rooms. He plays pickup basketball at the Fed gym, posted his minivan for sale on the Fed's electronic bulletin board and showed up at the Fed's July 4 barbecue with his wife, who teaches Spanish, and one of his two children, home from college for the summer."

A strategy for resolving the conflict in Lebanon

Former U.S. Ambassador Martin Indyk in today's Financial Times:

"Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state, will visit the Middle East this week, raising hopes of an American initiative to end the Lebanese-Israeli imbroglio. On the surface, a surprising consensus is forming about the necessary elements of that initiative: a comprehensive ceasefire; the Lebanese government’s authority extended to southern Lebanon; an effective international force to help the Lebanese army keep peace on the border with Israel and prevent Hizbollah’s rearming; a return to the 1949 Israel-Lebanon armistice agreement with a joint border demarcation committee to deal with outstanding territorial disputes; prisoner exchange negotiations between the Israeli and Lebanese governments; an international fund for reconstructing Lebanon; and implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 on disbanding and disarming all militias.

Most of these elements were outlined in the Group of Eight communiqué and statements by the Lebanese and Israeli prime ministers. It would not take much US diplomatic muscle to secure agreement among these parties. Missing from this framework, however, is any way to get Hizbollah – instigator of the crisis – to accept it. Hizbollah has been bloodied but not yet bowed. Why should it agree to cede its suzerainty in southern Lebanon as the precursor to its disarmament?"

Fight Club

Robin Wright of the Washington Post reports:

"Israel, with U.S. support, intends to resist calls for a cease-fire and continue a longer-term strategy of punishing Hezbollah, which is likely to include several weeks of precision bombing in Lebanon, according to senior Israeli and U.S. officials.

"For the United States, the broader goal is to strangle the axis of Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria and Iran, which the Bush administration believes is pooling resources to change the strategic playing field in the Middle East, U.S. officials say.

"Whatever the outrage on the Arab streets, Washington believes it has strong behind-the-scenes support among key Arab leaders also nervous about the populist militants -- with a tacit agreement that the timing is right to strike."

Go Bloogle!

Google plans to open an advertising center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

[photo courtesy of AP]

Calls for an Explanation

Robert Wright interviews John Polkinghorne on the anthropic principle on Slate's Meaning of Life TV. (The video's two and a half minutes long.)

Here are some of the other offerings:

"John Maynard Smith, one of the great figures in modern evolutionary biology, died in April of 2004. He was a scientist who tackled very big questions and yet maintained his intellectual humility--appreciating, for example, how mysterious is the very existence of human consciousness. He was also a scientist who anticipated his own death with impressive equanimity.

Is mysticism an enemy of rationalism? Omid Safi, speaking from a Muslim point of view, says no. (If you're wondering how a Muslim got to be an authority on mysticism: Don't forget about the Muslims known as Sufis).

Is consciousness a mystery--so mysterious as to suggest some higher purpose in the universe? Yes and no, says psychologist Steven Pinker (who more definitively solves the mystery of his hair).

Why are the world's religions sometimes at each other's throats? Huston Smith, who wrote the book on them, has an answer, and it's inspiring yet depressing."

Lost in America

New America Foundation fellow, Douglas McGray:

Speak two languages and you’re bilingual. Speak one? You must be American. So goes the old joke. But globalization means that students can no longer remain blissfully unaware. Can Americans open the classroom door, or will today’s youth be unprepared to lead tomorrow’s world?"

in the May Foreign Policy.

take a look at this

I went to see the Outwin Boochever 2006 Portrait Competition with my girlfriend this past Sunday.

It was amazing. They received over 4000 entries from each of the fifty states. Needless to say, the 51 finalists were outstanding. The works here are the first prize winner Sam and the Perfect World by
David Lenz and My Father in the Living Room of Our 10th House by James Seward.

The National Potrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum just reopened as The Reynolds Center.

Check it out.

And now for something completely different...

Here's a little Radiohead update from green plastic:

"Whew! What a last few days. Radiohead played a marathon set of 28 songs in front of 80,000 people at Bonnaroo last Saturday. According to the reviews sent to us, it was an awesome time. Bonnaroo grossed over $15 million making it the top-grossing festival in the world.

After leaving Tennessee, the band traveled North to Chicago where they played two sold out shows at the Auditorium Theatre. Reviews for the June 19th gig can be found here while last night's reviews can be found here. Many thanks to everyone that submitted!

Now Radiohead are on their way to California to play the final three stops on their North American tour. First stop will be in our neck of the woods at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley this Friday and Saturday. Hope to see you there!"

And here are some more photos of Thom and the boys that I took at last Saturday's Radiohead Show at Bonnaroo...


If you'd like to see more photos, please let me know. If you'd add a link to my blog from yours I'd be more than happy to reciprocate.

I really enjoyed hearing Big Ideas (Don't Get Any), it has always been one of my favorites. I appreciated the crowd's silence during Exit Music (I never saw a lighter light vigile quite like that) and How to Disappear. House of Cards really blew me away. I enjoyed Thom's sing-a-long to "this is what you'll get" and the crowd's spontaneous glow band light show to Everything in its Right Place. I wasn't sure what to expect with 80,000 festival fans at an outdoor venue in Tennessee. It turned out to be a spectacular event.

I hope you enjoy the photos. I'd appreciate any feedback.

50 cent in talks with Apple over low-cost computers

Mr. Negroponte, I'm afraid you have company. According to Apple Insider, hip-hop star, 50 Cent is in talks with Apple's Steve Jobs to help put affordable computers in the hand of less wealthy inner city residents.

"I'm creating a foundation that will be around for a long time, because fame can come and go or get lost in the lifestyle and the splurging," 50 Cent told Forbes Magazine. "I never got into it for the music. I got into it for the business."

From Apple Insider:

"The negotiations between the rapper and Apple are for a 'branding deal.'

50 Cent ranks amongst the world's richest celebrities, raking in over $67 million in 2005 from record sales and branding deals that include a line of sneakers, a video game and his G-Unit clothing line.

'[Jobs] is setting a new standard in the music business,' said 50's manager, Chris Lighty. 'Let's just say we get each other.'"

It will be interesting to see how this effort, both domestic and using Apple computers, compares to Nicholas Negroponte's initiative to put $100 laptops in the hands of children in lesser developed countries.

I am fascinated by the similarities and differences between poverty in the U.S. and abroad, and by what I see as the artificial separation between efforts to improve lives within the U.S. and in other parts of the world. Now that we have two independent efforts to address the growing digital divide, we may gain a better understanding of which strategies are more promising. We may also gain insight into the complexities of poverty that are country specific and those that are prevalent throughout the world.

They Call It Life

Have you seen the energy industry's response to concerns about global warming?

Well at least they're creative.

You Don't Say

Here are three things I'd like to highlight today:

Check out the World Bank's Private Sector Development Blog

It quoted Nobel Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu as saying,

"I’m of the attitude that, like in politics, development is local. You can have the grand view but if you don’t infuse the people at a grass roots level you’re playing marbles. I think what this shows is you’ve got the people, and if you just have enough confidence in them people are almost always amazing. And they’re amazing also in their resilience."

Also the Inter-American Development Bank's Mapping the Majority is a powerful tool for graphically representing development related phenomena.

Finally, I'm a big fan of google's customizable homepage. Mine includes my Gmail inbox, calendar, weather, news, etc. I'm excited about the new World Cup add-on Google has created. I'll get updated scores, standings, and highlights right from my main page. I like the sound of that.

John Mackey: Not Your Average Grocer

Whole Foods Market on 60 Minutes.

"Can you find virtue in a grocery store? John Mackey, the CEO and founder of Whole Foods Market, is convinced you can."

Watch the video

Benson Marathon June 2006

"Saturday June 3 & Sunday June 4, 2006 6am June 3 thru 6am June 5
TV Land welcomes Benson this quarter with a 48 hour marathon. Starring Robert Guillaume, this spin-off from Soap, begins as Jessica Tate sends her butler, Benson, to live with her widowed cousin, Governor James Gatling. In addition to performing his butler duties, Benson guides the governor on personal and political decisions. Watch as Benson trades barbs with Miss Krause, the no-nonsense housekeeper and Clayton Endicott III, the political aide, while showing his sensitive side to Katie, the governor’s daughter."

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."

Doha and Disparity

The Financial Times has two important editorials today.

The first one expresses the serious danger the world economy would face if the current Doha trade round fails. Recent stagnation in negotiations along with political calls for a more protectionist approach give cause for concern.

"Erosion of WTO principles and disciplines would replace the rule of law with the law of the jungle. Nations' use of trade policies as offensive political and economic weapons would no longer be restrained by multilateral rules, increasing the risk of economic conflict. And as rival trade deals proliferated, global markets would fragment.

The world has already been down that path: it led ultimately to economic depression, tyranny and war. It must not, and need not, risk repeating the same disastrous mistake. But avoiding it will take far stronger leadership and a much bigger commitment of political capital than has been apparent in the Doha talks so far."

The second editorial discusses increasing gap between America's super rich and the middle class.

"Since 1973, the income of the top 10 per cent of American earners has grown by 111 per cent, while the income of the middle fifth has grown by only 15 per cent. That trend has become more pronounced in the last few years. Between 1998 and 2004, the median income of American households fell by 3.8 per cent. This coincided with annual productivity growth in excess of 3 per cent in most of those years. You do not need to take a definitive stance on why America's high productivity growth has been so disproportionately captured by a small percentage of Americans to agree that it makes for a potentially volatile political scenario."

Also, Robert Rubin announced today the creation of the Hamilton Project, a new platform to develop market-based solutions to America's problems.

WTO warns US over protectionist sentiment

The Financial Times reports:

"The US needs to head off domestic protectionist sentiment that risks reducing the openness of the US economy and dampening growth," the World Trade Organisation warned on Wednesday.

In its latest report on US trade policies, written before the controversy over the sale of US port operations to a company based in the United Arab Emirates, the WTO secretariat says open US markets have helped fuel solid economic expansion by supporting a “continuous drive for change and efficiency”.

Death and Taxes

Check out this graphical representation of the U.S. budget on deviantart's website.

2004 Military Spending: 399 Billion
2004 Non-Military Spending: 383 Billion

Hanging out at Circuit City on the Weekends

Now here's an incredibly bizarre story:

Claude Allen's Mentor - Shoplifting and Bushonomics. By Jacob Weisberg

"Last week, Slate broke the news that Claude Allen, until recently the White House chief domestic-policy adviser, was arrested for theft in suburban Maryland. The president has expressed his shock and disappointment. How could one of his top appointees, a devout Christian who passed a series of FBI background checks, have been a common thief? But the more we hear about what Allen is accused of, the less it sounds like kleptomania and the more it sounds like an application of Bush economic policy.

"Allen's alleged scam was something called "refund fraud." According to the police in Montgomery County, he would purchase a home-theater system or a computer printer from a department store and put it in the trunk of his car. Then he would come back to the same store with his receipt, pull an identical item off the shelf, and take it to the return desk for a refund. Using this technique, a brazen perpetrator pays for the item once but derives value from it two times—he gets his money back and keeps the merch. Allen is alleged to have stolen more than $5,000 worth of merchandise over the past year in this way."

Cheney hunting mishap to be spoofed by hockey club

It has been a while since I posted something. Oops.

Enjoy the silence.

And maybe check this out from ESPN:

LAS VEGAS -- A minor league hockey team is spoofing Vice President Dick Cheney's recent hunting mishap with a plan to distribute bright orange hunting vests printed with the words, "Don't Shoot, I'm Human."

The Las Vegas Wranglers plan to distribute 1,000 vests to fans arriving for Friday's game as part of a promotion dubbed "Dick Cheney Hunting Vest Night" at the Orleans Arena.

"It was sort of too juicy not to do," said Billy Johnson, Wranglers president and chief operating officer. "It's one of those events in pop culture."

He referred to Cheney accidentally wounding a hunting partner while quail hunting Feb. 11 on a Texas ranch.

Cheney's office in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond Monday to requests for comment.

The Wranglers, of the East Coast Hockey League, are scheduled to play the Alaska Aces on Friday. The 7,000-seat arena is at the Orleans hotel-casino.

The sheik behind the port deal

Here's a thoughtful take on the recent uproar surrounding the aquisition of several U.S. ports by a firm owned by the UAE.

"The anxiety is that America is losing its place at the forefront of the global economy. We're suffering, experts say, from a bad case of economic insecurity that is rooted in America's long-standing inclination toward isolationism."

Genius

Do yourself a favor and watch this trailer:
Brokeback to the Future

Don't Despair Over Hamas Gains

Forbes has a summary of a meeting held yesterday at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars with the Israeli and Egyptian Ambassadors as well as the PLO representative to the U.S.

To me, the central issue for the United States is how to reconcile support for "free and fair" elections in Palestine--observed by the U.N. and the National Democratice Institute--with the coming to power of a political group the U.S. has labeled a terrorist organization. How do we allow citizens to choose their own leaders and then reject the outcome? If the U.S. chooses to decrease or cutoff aid to Palestine, which is currently being discussed on Capitol Hill, we are sending a hypocritical message to the Palestinian people. It would seem to me that in so doing we would only be fostering further resentment toward the U.S. and its foreign policy.

This brings me to another point. For all of Bush's talk on bringing democracy too the Middle East and focusing on U.S. national security, Iran's position continues to get stronger. First we took out their religious and political opposition in Iraq, then we facilitated the coming to power in Palestine of an organization whose stated objective--the destruction of Israel--coincides directly with President Ahmadinejad's own interests. Obviously, U.S. government officials had no way to predict the outcome of Palestinian elections, yet it's hard for me to see how these recent developments have furthered U.S. interests in the region.

Will Globalization Make Hatred More Lethal?

An interesting essay by Robert Wright, Schwartz Senior Fellow, discusses the implications of new developments in technology on the ability of terrorists to plan and carry out attacks.

Here's an excerpt (italics added):

"Why has terrorism become public enemy number one? The most common answer--the rise of a brand of radical Islam that uses terror as its weapon—-is true insofar as it goes. But the reason this weapon is so scary is that something deeper has changed: technology now makes it possible for clusters of intensely hateful people to cause thousands, even millions, of deaths without using the political or military machinery of a state. Yes, the hateful people most likely to exploit this fact today are radical Muslims, but even if this threat subsides, the generic threat will remain: hatred is more lethal than it used to be. And the underlying technological trends will persist over the next three decades, making it more lethal still."

Here we go Steelers

Michael Imbroscio has a great article in today's Post:

"Because of its proximity to Pittsburgh -- four hours by car-- Washington and its suburbs are a hotbed of transplanted "Yinz-ers" -- a name derived from a quirk of the Pittsburgh dialect in which other people are referred to not as "you" or even as "you all," but as "yinz." Thousands of Yinz-ers, now in their thirties and forties -- such as myself -- call the Washington area home."

Project Implicit

Project Implicit is a fascinating method for associating an individual's preference between two concepts. The test I just took was between imprisonment and capital punishment for example. The results of the test are often surprising.

The project was recently discussed on Slate and in Malcolm Gladwell's book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

Securing the Middle East with a Nuclear Iran?

The Globalist's Thomas P.M. Barnett suggests that a nuclear armed Iran may be a stabilizing force in the region. His "Blueprint for Action" presents a number of interesting possibilities in a development that has so brought about few new perspectives.

In the recent increase in tensions between Iran and the West it is important to distinguish between the Iranian government and the Iranian people. With this in mind, one can better analyze Iranian political maneuvering from a domestic and international perspective.

Current efforts by U.S. and E.U. officials to seek a referral of Iran to the U.N. Security Council provides little hope for an acceptable outcome. China's tremendous thirst for energy makes an oil and gas embargo improbable. It also remains to be seen if such an embargo would damage Iran or the world economy more. It seems officials are seeking a Security Council referral without plans for a successful end-game. With this in mind, one must be willing to consider alternative perspectives.

"In many ways, the Shiite revolutionary spirit died a long time ago in Iran, leaving behind a cynical political order where the mullahs pretend to rule, the citizens pretend to obey and the government pretends to reform.

Iran is a frightfully young society, full of ambition for a better life and chafing under what the majority of the population consider to be the rather idiotic rule of the religious fundamentalists, one that offers them no future worth pursuing in an increasingly globalized world that demands far more rational rule sets."

Rice Reshaping USAID

Condoleezza Rice recently remarked on the creation of the position of director of Foreign Assistance within the State Department. This new director will also serve as the USAID administrator.

Rice believes this will allow for the better coordination of U.S. development efforts while others are concerned that this will allow State Department concerns to subsume USAID objectives.

The creation of the Department of Homeland Security was also heralded as an important effort to allow various government entities to work more closely with one another, yet the failure of the U.S. government to respond adequately to the Hurricane Katrina disaster called into question such logic. It remains to be seen whether aligning agencies into one organizational structure produces a more effective system.

Alexander the Great

The future of hockey is here and his name is Alexander Ovechkin

Build, therefore, your own world

Here's a quote by Emerson I recently encountered:

"So shall we come to look at the world with new eyes. It shall answer the endless inquiry of the intellect, - What is truth? and of the affections,— What is good? by yielding itself passive to the educated Will. ... Build, therefore, your own world. As fast as you conform your life to the pure idea in your mind, that will unfold its great proportions. A correspondent revolution in things will attend the influx of the spirit."

Saving the world isn't easy

A new set of television ads by the Red Cross seems to suggest that since saving the world is so difficult we should just donate some blood instead. Curious.

Glenn Beck gets his own show on Headline News

FAIR reports that "CNN’s Headline News has hired radio talkshow host Glenn Beck to host a one-hour primetime show, according to a Daily Variety report (1/17/05). Variety quotes CNN Headline News president Ken Jautz's description of Beck: 'Glenn’s style is self-deprecating, cordial; he says he'd like to be able to disagree with guests and part as friends. It's conversational, not confrontational.'"

Beck's comments suggest a personality far more violent and incendiary than Jautz lets on.

In one instance, he explained his disdain for the relatives of the September 11 victims by saying, "'Oh shut up!' I'm so sick of them because they're always complaining. And we did our best for them."

He went on to vent his hatred for the victims of Hurricane Katrina:

"When you are rioting for these tickets, or these ATM cards, the second thing that came to mind was--and this is horrible to say, and I wonder if I'm alone in this--you know it took me about a year to start hating the 9/11 victims' families? Took me about a year.... But the second thought I had when I saw these people and they had to shut down the Astrodome and lock it down, I thought: I didn't think I could hate victims faster than the 9/11 victims.... And that's all we're hearing about, are the people in New Orleans. Those are the only ones we're seeing on television are the scumbags--and again, it's not all the people in New Orleans. Most of the people in New Orleans got out! It's just a small percentage of those who were left in New Orleans, or who decided to stay in New Orleans, and they're getting all the attention."

He also fantasized about killing Michael Moore:

"I'm thinking about killing Michael Moore, and I'm wondering if I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it. No, I think I could. I think he could be looking me in the eye, you know, and I could just be choking the life out--is this wrong?"

I wonder if these recent attempts by MSNBC and Headline News to appeal to the Fox News crowd will actually cause a backlash among more mainstream (and sensible) Americans. Do they realize the level of vulgarity being spread in the name of conservatism?

Broadband in the U.S. sucks

Sorry I've been a bit slow on the posts lately. I promise to pick things up as the new year gets going in fully swing.

Lawrence Lessig provides an apt critique of U.S. broadband policy and conveys the daunting proposition that we are slowly falling behind the rest of the world in internet infrastructure. If only policymakers could set aside special interests and develop an innovative policy to ensure America's youth will have access to cutting edge internet technologies.

This is no time to be complacent.

You know, I thought our 5 mbs for $50 was a decent deal. We did get that introductory $19.95 rate from Comcast for the first three months, but that's long gone. But then I find out that in France you get 20 mbs (four times as fast!) for $36 a month. What the hell is going on here?

"Today, in the world where the duopoly increasingly talks about returning us to the world where innovation is as the network owners says, broadband in the US sucks."

Let There Be Wi-Fi

"Broadband is the electricity of the 21st century--and much of America is being left in the dark."

An article from the Washington Monthly encourages American policy makers to close the digital divide in the U.S. or risk falling behind Asian innovators in technological expertise.

Should the UN control the internet?

A recent Foreign Policy interview with Lawrence Lessig expounds on the debate between U.S. and international interests on the future of the internet.

Top 10 List of Best Top 10 Lists of 2005!

At long last, here is my top ten list of best top ten lists for the end of 2005.

10. All Songs Considered Best Music of 2005

9. The Globalist Top Ten Books on Globalization in 2005

8. Top Ten Web 2.0 Moments of 2005

7. Top Ten Google Searches for 2005

6. Wired News Biggest Discoveries of 2005

5. National Geographic's Top Ten News Photos of 2005

4. The New Republic's Top Ten Overlooked Movies of the Year

3. Wired's 10 Best Tech Moments of 2005

2. NPR's Top 10 Public Opinion Trends of 2005

And the #1 Top 10 List of 2005:

1. America's Top Ten Pest Control Problems in 2005

The future is here - and it works

There's a thought-provoking editorial in today's Financial Times that addresses the impact technology has on multiple facets of our lives. In particular, it highlights the common human mistake to underestimate the power of the exponential advancement of technology.

"We tend to project the past on to the future. Yet accelerating rates of change are bringing the future racing towards us...Had it been around as recently as 1998, the latest Xbox games console, available for $399, would have ranked as the world's fastest supercomputer."

Gapminder

Check out this fantastic website.

"Gapminder is a non-profit venture for development and provision of free software that visualise human development. This is done in collaboration with universities, UN organisations, public agencies and non-governmental organisations. Gapminder is a Foundation registered at Stockholm county administration board (Länstyrelsen) (reg. nr. 802424-7721). It was founded by Ola Rosling, Anna Rosling Rönnlund and Hans Rosling on 25 February 2005, in Stockholm. Gapminder Foundation will advance software development that have been done earlier by the non-profit company Gapminder Ltd. Funding has been and is mainly by grants from Sida for the Trendalyzer project. Being a producer of global public goods Gapminder benefit from free and creative inputs from pilot-testers and other end-users in many institutions and organisations."

Very cool.

Early returns reveal that Shiites and Sunnis opted for religious parties.

It seems the Bush administration has been so focused on successful elections in Iraq that the consequences of an Islamist majority have not been fully considered.

A Christian Science Monitor article provides a preliminary assessment of the outcome.

"With more than three-quarters of the country giving a vote of confidence to Islamist parties, last Thursday's vote raises the prospect of Iraq being more overtly religious than ever before."

The future is already here, it's just not evenly distributed

An article in yesterday's Financial Times discusses the inevitability of the next five years of tech development. It all seems so matter of fact.

"In emerging markets, consumers can look forward to simple $100 or pay-as-you-go computing machines helping them access vital data. They might just need a weather forecast or the price of wheat, says Phil Hester, chief technology officer at AMD, whose 50x15 initiative aims to provide affordable internet access and computing capabilities for 50 per cent of the world's population by 2015. Only 15 per cent have access at present."

President Bush visits the Wilson Center

So I shook the president's hand today! President Bush was here at the Wilson Center today to give a speech on the war on 'terrer' and I worked as a volunteer. I assisted the White House with the press corps. My job was to make sure they didn't leave their cordoned off area. I was in the ballroom before all the guests entered, so I witnessed the whole process which was fascinating. Secret service everywhere, dogs, metal detectors, etc. At one point, the "diplomat corps" walked in. I've never experienced anything quite like having sixty or so ambassadors to the United States walk right by me. Just to recognize all the parts of the world from which they came...incredible.

Dealing with the press corps, there were writers from the Post, NYtimes, the Chicago Tribune, Reuters, AP, etc. There were also several senators and congressmen (women?) in the audience as well. You felt like you were seeing politics in action. The president and his entourage, the press, the scholars and diplomats, the security. The speech was quite good I think and most others I have spoken with agree. With Bush's approval ratings dipping back down again, Iraqi elections tomorrow, and U.S. elections right around the corner, he appears to be kicking it up a notch as far as the diplomacy is concerned.

I stood about forty feet away from the president while he spoke, photographers' cameras clicking over my shoulder frequently. I remember saying "oh my god" under my breath as rumsfeld and condi walked in before the speech. Michael Chertoff of Hurricane Katrina fame was there as well. After the speech the president walked along the front row to greet the audience. I managed to make my way up close to see him. I just wanted to see what he really looked like--in person. His face was a bit worn, his hair graying. I reached my hand out as he made his way by and got a brief shake.

The director of my program was further down the line from me. She managed to get the president's ear to tell him that we have been conducting training session in Jordan with female Iraqi politicians. She said she was concerned that Sharia Law will be adopted as family law, limiting substantially the rights of women in Iraq. "They need your help," she told him. He said he knew, he knew. She reemphasized her point. She said she thought he had really heard what she was saying and he wasn't simply paying lip service.

While I was near the center of the ballroom, some of my colleagues were sitting at the far end of the hall, maybe twenty rows back. They recalled seeing an intern sitting in the next to last seat in one of the far reaches of the room--not a very good place to see the president. This intern noticed someone had sat down next to them, taking the final seat. My colleague recollected the intern's shock and amazement when they realized it was Karl Rove.

Intel: Poor Want 'Real' Computers

It appears Mr. Negroponte's $100 laptop is causing quite a stir.

If nothing else, it is encouraging a lot of people to think about providing access to technology for children around the world.

In a recent article with Wired News, Craig Barrett, CEO of Intel, disparaged the $100 laptop as a "gadget," Saying what people want is a computer, not a gadget. Hmmm. Do I sense a hint of jealousy in Mr. Barrett's words? He seems to do a lot of name calling throughout his comments.

"'Mr. Negroponte has called it a $100 laptop -- I think a more realistic title should be 'the $100 gadget',' Barrett, chairman of the world's largest chipmaker, told a press conference in Sri Lanka on Friday. 'The problem is that gadgets have not been successful.'"

More on the $100 laptop

Here's a picture of Negroponte's $100 laptop.

Personal World Map

Pick a starting location, enter in time and monetary constraints, and personalworldmap.org will show you where you could travel. It's an interesting idea that could probably be expanded on in the future.

Chicago Bears Super Bowl Shuffle

I suppose I couldn't consider myself a true Chicago Bears fan if I didn't also include a link to the Super Bowl Shuffle

The Bears are doing quite well this year with some comparing this year's defense to the tenacious D of 1985...could there be a new Super Bowl Shuffle on its way?

You Can't Stop a Flame When It's Red Hot!

Ode to the 1987 Stanley Cup Champions Calgary Flames

D.C. Housing Prices--Ouch!

So D.C. residents not only pay an extraordinary share of the tax burdern, most of them can't afford a house too! So who's living in this town anyway?

More from the Economist:
"A typical family in the District of Columbia could not afford 80% of the properties sold in the city last year. According to the Urban Institute, a think-tank, costs rose across the city, especially in less affluent neighbourhoods, with the average DC home selling for $450,000. Rents have also escalated in recent years because of diminishing vacancies. In the first half of 2005, 2,500 apartments were turned into condominiums, three times as many as in all of 2004. As an example, the report showed how the buying power of typical teachers had dropped in recent years: in 2001, they could afford one in three houses sold, while in 2004 that figure was under one in five."

No commuter tax

Imagine what $30 Billion could do for this city!

From the Economist:
"A panel of federal judges—among them John Roberts, now Chief Justice of the Supreme Court—ruled in November that the District of Columbia cannot impose a commuter tax without an act of Congress. The tax would have been levied on income earned in the city by non-residents. The mayor, Anthony Williams, had brought the suit, along with the city council, the city and several residents, to try to overturn a provision of DC’s 1973 Home Rule act, which prohibits the city from imposing a tax on any non-District residents.

The plaintiffs argued that the law discriminated against District residents because it imposed a higher tax burden on them. They estimated that the commuter-tax ban deprives the District of $30 billion in taxable income, or roughly $1.4 billion in actual annual revenue according to current tax rates. Some 300,000 people commute to work in the city every day. The governments of Maryland and Virginia intervened against the suit, arguing that DC was a special case and that such a tax would hurt their economies. This argument was dismissed by a federal judge last year, when the case was initially brought."

Waiting for That $100 Laptop? - Don't hold your breath.

There's a rather cynical article over at Slate regarding Nicholas Negroponte's new $100 laptop. It remains to be seen whether this new endeavor will be more successful from previous attempts. It seems with the fervent pace with which computer technology advances and all of those formerly high end workstations sitting in a trash heap somewhere, that it would be possible to make a decent machine with mid-1990s specs for a reasonable price. There is also a huge untapped market for such a device. So why's it so difficult to fill that niche? And once somebody does, will things ever be the same?

"Negroponte promises that bringing cheap laptops to countries like Brazil, Thailand, and Egypt will help 'children to 'learn learning' through independent interaction and exploration.' That might be true, but this green machine won't be the computer to do it, no matter how much Kofi Annan and the international press fawn over it. The $100 laptop is a huckster's gambit--poorly thought out, overly ambitious, and too sexy to be true."

Climate Change as Number One?

From the Globalist:: "News of the War on Terror and high oil prices continue to dominate today's headlines. But as Ross Gelbspan points out in his book 'Boiling Point,' these issues pale in the face of the looming threat posed by global climate change. What's more, many of these issues have their roots in climate change, and a change for the better in this regard could render these other issues null."

The Chattering Classes

The chattering classes is a term often used in the media and by political commentators, particularly in the United Kingdom and Australia, to refer to a politically active, socially concerned and highly educated elite section of the middle class.

The term 'commentariat' is roughly synonymous with the 'chattering class', although it connotes more authoritarian manners.

* This group is assumed to have good connections with the politically powerful and the conclusion is made that its concerns can be quickly translated into political action. It is believed to have an influence on the political agenda out of proportion to its numbers.

* The term is often used in a derogatory sense, to suggest that those concerned have a soft-left agenda which is both unrealistic ('chattering' suggesting both a preoccupation with theory rather than practicality, and a lack of real experience of the problems under discussion) and unconcerned with the concerns and beliefs of the majority of ordinary, and hence by implication effectively disenfranchised, voters.

* The expression is first recorded by the OED in the writings of journalist Clive James in 1985."

Wired News: Negroponte: Laptop for Every Kid

"If tech luminary Nicholas Negroponte has his way, the pale light from rugged, hand-cranked $100 laptops will illuminate homes in villages and townships throughout the developing world, and give every child on the planet a computer of their own by 2010."

stephen's law:

when someone experiences something for the first time, they assume this is the first time this event has ever occurred.

Examples:

I get on a roller coaster. It's a thrill because it's a new experience and I subconciously consider the possibility that I am somehow in danger. To the guy running the roller coaster, it's not so thrilling because he's been working at the same damn amusement park for six years.

I'll post more examples when I think of them.

Some describe the current political circumstances in the United States as highly polarized. I would argue that we are living in highly unpolarized times, in fact. In a two party system, the most balanced circumstances that can arrive are those where the two parties appeal to half of the population. A fifty-fifty divide. While the distribution of powers among the three branches of federal government as well as on the state and local levels can result in various manifestations of this fifty-fifty distribution, the will of the people as a whole will reach a certain stasis. Contrast this with a ratio of 2-1. Let us imagine that 66% of the population support one party, while 33% support the other. This, in my opinion, would create the most polarized political environment. In the U.S., with roughly 300 million people, imagine 200 million members of one party and 100 million of the other. It seems to me, this would "cause to concentrate about two conflicting or contrasting positions" because the subsequent imbalance of political power would energize both parties to further entrench in their view.
While the U.S. today exhibits a viscious, unforgiving political environment, this is in fact a separate issue from "polarity." A political system can be at once viscious and balanced.

DCist:

"Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, took a rare swipe at the United States, saying he was puzzled why residents in the capital of the world's oldest democracy have no Congressional voting rights.

The Tibetan leader said it was 'quite strange' that people in Washington DC had no voting Representatives and no Senators, an issue that has dogged the United States for the last 200 years.

He said he wondered why a 'small pocket' of people living in the world's 'champion of democracy, liberty and freedom' lacked full voting rights and representation in Congress.

'Quite strange, quite strange,' he remarked, drawing further laughter."

Creating Transformations
WiMAX offers governments the opportunity to bring
broadband internet access cost-effectively to citizens and
business in the most remote areas where only a short time ago
it would not have been possible. WiMAX can impact the way
that businesses and government work, commerce is
conducted, and students learn.

A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age: Books:

"Just as information workers surpassed physical laborers in economic importance, Pink claims, the workplace terrain is changing yet again, and power will inevitably shift to people who possess strong right brain qualities. His advocacy of 'R-directed thinking' begins with a bit of neuroscience tourism to a brain lab that will be extremely familiar to those who read Steven Johnson's Mind Wide Open last year, but while Johnson was fascinated by the brain's internal processes, Pink is more concerned with how certain skill sets can be harnessed effectively in the dawning 'Conceptual Age.' The second half of the book details the six 'senses' Pink identifies as crucial to success in the new economy-design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning-while 'portfolio' sections offer practical (and sometimes whimsical) advice on how to cultivate these skills within oneself. Thought-provoking moments abound-from the results of an intensive drawing workshop to the claim that 'bad design' created the chaos of the 2000 presidential election-but the basic premise may still strike some as unproven. Furthermore, the warning that people who don't nurture their right brains 'may miss out, or worse, suffer' in the economy of tomorrow comes off as alarmist. But since Pink's last big idea (Free Agent Nation) has become a cornerstone of employee-management relations, expect just as much buzz around his latest theory."

FT.com: Persian chat:

"Today there are an estimated 75,000 Iranian blogs, and Farsi is the fourth most popular language in which to keep an online journal."

for those of you that know farsi:

Iranian blog

another Iranian blog

CNN.com - 'Can I quit now?' FEMA chief wrote as Katrina raged - Nov 3, 2005:

"'Can I quit now? Can I come home?' Brown wrote to Cindy Taylor, FEMA's deputy director of public affairs, the morning of the hurricane."

too bad we don't judge innocence or guilt based on whether or not the accused is smiling, then we wouldn't have to mess with all that evidence and testimony. it seems tom delay, scooter libby, and others have been instructed that above all else, if they smile they'll be fine.

American democracy is in the hands of hired guns:

"President George W. Bush famously brags that he does not need a poll to tell him how to think. And he does not. He has Karl Rove, a political savant who runs nightly surveys and deconstructs the results to find helpful issues and opinions. And then the president knows how to think."

Foreign Policy: Dangerously Unique :

"You are not normal. If you are reading these pages, you probably belong to the minority of the world's population that has a steady job, adequate access to social security, and enjoys substantial political freedoms. Moreover, you live on more than $2 a day, and, unlike 860 million others, you can read. The percentage of humanity that combines all of these attributes is minuscule."

memeorandum

And now for something completely different...

Information Society: The Next Steps - Special Report - Development Gateway:

"The Information Society has produced a tantalizing array of new information and communication technologies (ICT) that today have transformed the approach to global development. Access to these technologies is spreading rapidly. In 2005, the number of Internet users in developing countries will cross the 500 million mark, surpassing industrial nations for the first time. By some estimates, more than 75 percent of the world%u2019s population now lives within range of a mobile network. Yet the long-heralded promise of ICT remains out of reach for most of the developing world. For the information poor, economic and social gaps are in fact widening both within and between countries. "

"WorldChanging.com: works from a simple premise: that the tools, models and ideas for building a better future lie all around us. That plenty of people are working on tools for change, but the fields in which they work remain unconnected. That the motive, means and opportunity for profound positive change are already present. That another world is not just possible, it's here. We only need to put the pieces together."

west wing wisdom

it's kinda eery how the recent episode of the west wing mirrors the developments at the white house. what will mr. president do if one of his staff is endicted? mr. bush appears to have changed his position on the matter quite a bit.

http://www.pbs.org/kcet/globaltribe/voices/voi_kennedy.html

CommonCensus Map Project:

"The CommonCensus Map Project is redrawing the map of the United States based on your voting, to show how the country is organized culturally, as opposed to traditional political boundaries. It shows how the country is divided into 'spheres of influence' between different cities at the national, regional, and local levels."

This website offers information on the earthquake, personal accounts and all relief efforts to Pakistan by various organizations.

http://pakistan.wikicities.com/wiki/Earthquake_10-05

from joe trippi's blog (referring to an article on cnn.com)

JoeTrippi.com:
"At a press conference yesterday, Bush was asked about how the government is preparing for the avian flu. He thinks that this will be serious enough to possibly warrant military control of the situation:

“I’m concerned about what an avian flu outbreak could mean for the United States and the world,” he told reporters during a Rose Garden news conference on Tuesday.

“One option is the use of a military that’s able to plan and move,” he said. “So that’s why I put it on the table. I think it’s an important debate for Congress to have.”

While the press is focusing on the controversy of whether or not this could mean martial law, it’s important to realize that this by itself demonstrates the absolute seriousness of the consequences of an avian flu outbreak."

MIT Media Lab: $100 Laptop

fantastic!

Disappointed, Depressed and Demoralized:

Relieved, Renewed, Rejuvenated

Reading the Weekly Standard has never been so uplifting...

"Disappointed, Depressed and Demoralized
A reaction to the Harriet Miers nomination.
by William Kristol
10/03/2005 10:25:00 AM

I'M DISAPPOINTED, depressed and demoralized.

I'm disappointed because I expected President Bush to nominate someone with a visible and distinguished constitutionalist track record--someone like Maura Corrigan, Alice Batchelder, Edith Jones, Priscilla Owen, or Janice Rogers Brown--to say nothing of Michael Luttig, Michael McConnell, or Samuel Alito. Harriet Miers has an impressive record as a corporate attorney and Bush administration official. She has no constitutionalist credentials that I know of.

I'm depressed. Roberts for O'Connor was an unambiguous improvement. Roberts for Rehnquist was an appropriate replacement. But moving Roberts over to the Rehnquist seat meant everything rode on this nomination--and that the president had to be ready to fight on constitutional grounds for a strong nominee. Apparently, he wasn't. It is very hard to avoid the conclusion that President Bush flinched from a fight on constitutional philosophy. Miers is undoubtedly a decent and competent person. But her selection will unavoidably be judged as reflecting a combination of cronyism and capitulation on the part of the president.

I'm demoralized. What does this say about the next three years of the Bush administration--leaving aside for a moment the future of the Court? Surely this is a pick from weakness. Is the administration more broadly so weak? What are the prospects for a strong Bush second term? What are the prospects for holding solid GOP majorities in Congress in 2006 if conservatives are demoralized? And what elected officials will step forward to begin to lay the groundwork for conservative leadership after Bush?

William Kristol is editor of The
Weekly Standard."

Apollo Alliance : The Resurgence of Movement Politics:

"Right now, America is being held hostage by one very conservative movement, and there is not an equally strong alternative force to counter it. That means there is a genuine thirst in our country for a new grassroots political movement that doesn't use divisive social issues to pursue an elitist's economic agenda, but uses unifying economic issues to pursue truly populist policies. It is time for the critical pieces of the progressive coalition to reconnect with our movement history, to become comfortable embracing an ideological agenda and to focus on true grassroots progress, even if it means angering politicians from one party or another. Because the hard truth is this: We can only win with an ideological movement that captures Americans' hearts and minds, and we will never win if we just put our thumbs to the wind and pander for votes every four years."

Apollo Alliance : Bush's Waterlogged Halo: "If Mr. Bush wants to make anything of his second term, he'll have to do his own Nixon-to-China turnaround, reframe the debate and recast the priorities of his presidency. He seems to think that by offering to spend billions of dollars to rebuild one city, New Orleans, he'll get his leadership halo back. Wrong. Just throwing more borrowed money at New Orleans is not leadership. Mr. Bush needs to frame a new agenda for rebuilding all our cities and strengthening the nation as a whole. And what should be the centerpiece of a policy of American renewal is blindingly obvious: making a quest for energy independence the moon shot of our generation."

i saw ted koppel today.

Rita Upgraded to 'Monster' Category 5 Hurricane:

"'We hope and pray that Hurricane Rita will not be a devastating storm but we got to be ready for the worst,' Bush said in his speech to the Jewish group."

He certainly has a way with words.

Jon Udell: Accelerating Change 2005: "Vinge distinguishes between two scenarios he calls 'soft take-off' and 'hard take-off.' In a soft take-off, the singularity occurs gradually enough so that humanity has a chance to adjust to the changes. This, everyone agreed, is what we want. A hard take-off, by contrast, is a near-instantaneous and cataclysmic event, like Vonnegut's ice-nine or the awakening of SkyNet in Terminator. This, everyone agreed, is what we probably don't want -- not that we'll have a choice, mind you. In either case, life on the other side will make no sense to beings left behind. If you were to bring Mark Twain forward from the mid-1800s to the present day, Vinge said, you could explain the current situation to him in an afternoon, and he'd very much enjoy what he would learn. But nothing at all could be made intelligible to a goldfish. That's us: just goldfish to the post-human super-intelligences."

i thought george's speech last night was one of his better performances. to hear him utter the word poverty surprised me a bit. he spoke of grand ambitions, yet failed to mention where the money would come from. too bad he's allowed our deficit and debt to soar to historic numbers due to his irresponsible tax breaks and misguided war in iraq. remember when he arrived in office in 2001 with a $2 trillion surplus? too bad we hadn't fixed social security and dealt with our nation's poverty then.

AlterNet: Post-Katrina Talking Points: "Did the Dems learn nothing from 2004? Bush won because he had a double-digit lead on the question of who was going to keep us safer. Well, Katrina shoots that idea straight to hell, doesn't it? And Democrats should make clear once and for all just how illusory the president's purported strength, leadership, and steely-eyed resolve really are."

AlterNet: Post-Katrina Talking Points

In a stinging Wall Street Journal analysis of the administration's lethally slow response, the first two reasons given for "why the U.S. didn't adequately protect and rescue its citizens" were, 1) "the absorption of FEMA into the gargantuan -- and terrorism-focused -- Department of Homeland Security"; and 2) "a military stretched by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which made commanders reluctant to commit active-duty units nearby."

AlterNet: Start Making Sense: Start Making Sense: How To Talk To America

i originally posted a link to this article on 6/7/2005:

"We are living in the good old days. The century defining crises have yet to hit. The energy crunch, peak oil has yet to hit. The globalization; China, India coming on line and finally being able to come into their own; that has not yet hit and affected our economy. Global warming hasn't hit. The massive species extinctions haven't hit. We are in the good old days. Whatever movement prepares itself now not to protest but to govern. [Applause.] A movement that prepares itself to govern a broken country, a hurt country, a country that needs solutions, not issues, not critiques, not complaints, not kvetches but the country that needs strong people who are willing to take responsibility and bring forth solutions. That movement will be welcomed, beloved, accepted, celebrated and lauded at Thanksgiving tables in blue states and red states."

so the bush administration is now asking people to not take photos of the dead in new orleans. they claim that this out of respect for the dead. when eisenhower went to europe after wwii to inspect the concentration camps, he took camera crews with him so that generations later germans couldn't deny what had happened.

it seems to me that asking people not to take photos of the dead in new orleans is disrespectful. the bush administration is seeking to minimize the photographic record so that 20 years from now the atrocities of new orleans can be minimized. taking pictures of those who died ensures that americans will not forget what happened for decades to come.

Deeply difficult times for the Big Easy | Economist.com

so what affect did US involvement abroad have on the hurricane evacuation?

United for Peace:�September Mobilization

saturday sept. 24

march on washington

welcome everyone as i endeavor to expand this little project.

so far so good.

We are now posting from

We are now posting from cell phone text msgs.

Hi

Hi

is it just me or is george's response to everything:

"a lotta people doin' a lotta hard work"