Renaissance Human

The Cincinnatus Oath (like a Hypocratic Oath for Politicians)

2011-05-02T17:35:00.003-04:00

I promise to seek limited power and, like George Washington the American Cincinnatus, give power up when it seems others invest too much in me,

I promise to put general interest over special interest.

I promise to put what's best for all over what's best for my career.

I promise to risk my political status for what I think is right and best.

I promise to always keep in mind that there are multiple perspectives on every issue.

I promise to respect and honor what others believe, even if it differs from my own view.

I promise to engage in debate and compromise rather than dismissal and refusal.

I promise to always check my own opinions by consulting those of others, especially those with expertise or directly affected by the issue.

I promise to make all my decisions reversible.

I promise to honestly consider reversing my position when presented with good reasons.

I promise to pray about, meditate about, and/or deeply contemplate my decisions.

I promise to think 20 years in the future, within the limits of today.

I promise to love others, as every religion and spirituality requires.

I promise to forgive, whenever possible.

I promise to build and grow, whenever possible.

I promise to educate and cultivate, whenever possible.

I promise to stay engaged, stay informed, never quit, and always hope.

It's the Inequality, Stupid | Mother Jones

2011-02-27T22:14:00.001-05:00

http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/income-inequality-in-america-chart-graph

Brad Balfour: A Dual Oscar Nominee, Toy Story 3's Director Muses on Childhood and the Future

2011-02-22T21:43:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-balfour/a-dual-oscar-nominee-itoy_b_826266.html

[what] - The Walt Disney World Resort - weather.com

2011-02-05T15:39:00.001-05:00

Latest Translation of the American Dream

http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/destination-guides/usfl0615/Disney-Dream

McLuhan Galaxy

2011-01-28T18:57:00.001-05:00

http://mcluhangalaxy.wordpress.com

Marshall McLuhan Speaks - Centennial 2011

2011-01-28T18:56:00.001-05:00

http://www2.marshallmcluhanspeaks.com/?video=0

Website Challenges You To 'Do Nothing For 2 Minutes'

2011-01-23T22:26:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/23/do-nothing-for-2-minutes_n_812745.html

Clay Shirky: How social media can make history | Video on TED.com

2011-01-11T22:56:00.003-05:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/clay_shirky_how_cellphones_twitter_facebook_can_make_history.html

Stefana Broadbent: How the Internet enables intimacy | Video on TED.com

2011-01-11T22:56:00.001-05:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/stefana_broadbent_how_the_internet_enables_intimacy.html

Wade Davis on the worldwide web of belief and ritual | Video on TED.com

2011-01-11T22:53:00.001-05:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/wade_davis_on_the_worldwide_web_of_belief_and_ritual.html

The LXD: In the Internet age, dance evolves ... | Video on TED.com

2011-01-11T22:52:00.001-05:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/the_lxd_in_the_internet_age_dance_evolves.html

Sebastian Seung: I am my connectome | Video on TED.com

2011-01-11T22:50:00.001-05:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/sebastian_seung.html

Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world | Video on TED.com

2011-01-11T22:43:00.001-05:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html

Jesse Schell: When games invade real life | Video on TED.com

2011-01-11T22:42:00.001-05:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/jesse_schell_when_games_invade_real_life.html

Christopher

2011-01-11T22:40:00.001-05:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/christopher_m00t_poole_the_case_for_anonymity_online.html

Clay Shirky: How cognitive surplus will change the world | Video on TED.com

2011-01-11T22:39:00.001-05:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/clay_shirky_how_cognitive_surplus_will_change_the_world.html

Matt Ridley: When ideas have sex | Video on TED.com

2011-01-11T22:38:00.001-05:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_ridley_when_ideas_have_sex.html

Jeremy Rifkin on

2011-01-11T22:37:00.001-05:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/jeremy_rifkin_on_the_empathic_civilization.html

Fabian Hemmert: The shape-shifting future of the mobile phone | Video on TED.com

2011-01-11T22:36:00.001-05:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/fabian_hemmert_the_shape_shifting_future_of_the_mobile_phone.html

Patrick Chappatte: The power of cartoons | Video on TED.com

2011-01-11T22:34:00.001-05:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/patrick_chappatte_the_power_of_cartoons.html

Ken Robinson: Changing education paradigms | Video on TED.com

2011-01-11T22:29:00.001-05:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms.html

Tom Chatfield: 7 ways games reward the brain | Video on TED.com

2011-01-11T22:28:00.001-05:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/tom_chatfield_7_ways_games_reward_the_brain.html

Rachel Botsman: The case for collaborative consumption | Video on TED.com

2011-01-11T22:27:00.001-05:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/rachel_botsman_the_case_for_collaborative_consumption.html

Amber Case: We are all cyborgs now | Video on TED.com

2011-01-11T22:26:00.001-05:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/amber_case_we_are_all_cyborgs_now.html

YouTube - RSA Animate - Crises of Capitalism

2011-01-11T20:06:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOP2V_np2c0&feature=player_embedded

8pen Android Typing App Reinvents The Keyboard (VIDEO)

2011-01-09T19:59:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/05/8pen-android-typing-app_n_804782.html

Anonymity and the Dark Side of the Internet - NYTimes.com

2011-01-05T13:03:00.001-05:00

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/anonymity-and-the-dark-side-of-the-internet/?emc=eta1

Fear and Climate Change

2011-01-04T22:00:00.002-05:00

I've read a lot about climate change, most of it years ago.

But back then, everything was predicting that by 2010 at the earliest and 2020 at the latest, we would have to act or be screwed. By everything, I mean everyone -- like a huge and overwhelming consensus of climate scientists. So just stop with the denial.

Thing is, I think we are seeing the effects everyday now. Crazy blizzards, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes. Record high years every year. Dying species, especially bees (that's really scary). Rising food prices. Droughts. Weather records everywhere we turn. Massive specie extinction. Ice caps melting dramatically year in and year out.

It may be too late to act, and even if it's not, there is no sign of the kind of concerted effort it would take to change the circumstances. Most climate scientists say that above 350 ppm, the earth may no longer be habitable. We are now at 388 and rising. It's the highest ever on the planet.

So, here we sit, like the proverbial frog in the water, heating, nearly boiling, and time is really short at best. Problem is, the effects of warming can always be blamed on something else. Food shortage is because of big corporations or greedy Chinese. Bad economy is because of Obama or the GOP (take your pick). Floods are because of the Corps of Engineers. Dead Birds in droves are because of fireworks. Dead bees because of cell phones or fungi.

The cumulative effect seems undeniable, but we are not good as a people at looking cumulatively, looking long-term. We are short-term. On-demand. Instant satisfaction.

We have created an amazingly powerful and advanced economy where EVERYONE IS DEPENDENT ON EVERYONE ELSE. Yet, in the meantime, we have potentially undermined the very foundation of that system (our planet).

And, meanwhile because of this great interdependence, we can blame each other for the failure while missing the forest for the trees.

I'm scared, really scared, and you should be too.

Larry Magid: My 2011 Wish for Technology Is for It to Slow Down a Bit

2011-01-03T12:07:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-magid/my-wish-for-technology-fo_b_803259.html

Russell Poldrack: ADHD: Is Our Information Culture The Cause?

2010-12-27T10:10:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/russell-poldrack/adhd-cause-information_b_797213.html

IPhone and Android Apps Breach Privacy - WSJ.com

2010-12-20T17:15:00.001-05:00

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704694004576020083703574602.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories

David Meerman Scott: What Time Magazine Can Learn From Facebook

2010-12-15T21:53:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-meerman-scott/what-time-magazine-can-le_b_797034.html

Umberto Eco on Wikileaks -- Technology progressing like a crab?

2010-12-07T14:45:00.001-05:00

http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/414871-not-such-wicked-leaks

Tim Chambers: Who Owns the Digital You?

2010-11-30T21:31:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tim-chambers/who-owns-the-digital-you_b_789348.html

How Investigative Journalism Is Prospering in the Age of Social Media

2010-11-29T22:20:00.001-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/11/24/investigative-journalism-social-web

The Wealth Divide in Internet Usage [STATS]

2010-11-29T22:19:00.001-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/11/25/income-internet-use

Untitled

2010-11-29T22:18:00.001-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/11/25/haiti-virtual-classrooms

We Hold These Tweets To Be Self-Evident [COMIC]

2010-11-29T22:17:00.001-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/11/26/founding-fathers-twitter-comic

Untitled

2010-11-29T22:15:00.001-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/11/28/world-aids-day-digital-deaths

How Social Media Is Changing the Way Movies are Promoted

2010-11-29T22:10:00.001-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/11/29/social-media-movie-marketing

Don Tapscott: New York Times Cover Story on

2010-11-23T20:20:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/don-tapscott/whats-wrong-with-the-new-_b_787819.html?page=1

Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction - NYTimes.com

2010-11-23T20:14:00.001-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/technology/21brain.html?_r=1

Could Facebook Become the Basis for Artificial Intelligence?

2010-11-22T19:02:00.001-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/11/16/could-facebook-become-the-basis-for-artificial-intelligence

Ben Huh: Cats Are Always at the Center of Internet Culture [VIDEO]

2010-11-22T19:01:00.001-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/11/17/ben-huh-cats-web-2-0

5 Ways Facebook Changed Dating (For the Worse)

2010-11-22T18:56:00.001-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/04/10/facebook-dating

Boy Meets Girl: How Facebook Functions in Modern Romance

2010-11-22T18:55:00.001-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/11/19/seventeen-facebook-study

THUS SPOKE THE SPECTACLE

2010-11-20T13:38:00.001-05:00

http://www.thespectacle.net/index.html

Marie Pasinski, M.D.: How to Stay Sharp as Your Brain Ages

2010-11-18T17:09:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marie-pasinski-md/putting-your-best-brain-f_b_784144.html

The Story of Stuff

2010-11-18T14:01:00.001-05:00

http://www.storyofstuff.org

The Story of Electronics

2010-11-18T14:00:00.001-05:00

http://storyofstuff.org/electronics

Top Trends of 2010: Social Shopping

2010-11-16T19:09:00.001-05:00

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_trends_of_2010_social_shopping.php

Buzzword Watch: The Gamification of Work

2010-11-16T19:08:00.001-05:00

http://www.readwriteweb.com/enterprise/2010/11/buzzword-watch-the-gamificatio.php

Schmidt: Android Phones Will Be Credit Cards - NYTimes.com

2010-11-16T19:03:00.001-05:00

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/schmidt-android-phones-will-be-credit-cards/

RIM Is Not App-Happy - NYTimes.com

2010-11-16T19:02:00.001-05:00

Again, an attack on apps

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/16/rim-is-not-app-happy/#more-53977

The kids are all right « BuzzMachine

2010-11-16T19:01:00.001-05:00

http://www.buzzmachine.com/2010/11/13/the-kids-are-all-right

Gorillaz Record New Album on an iPad

2010-11-16T18:54:00.001-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/11/12/gorillaz-album-ipad

35 New Social Media Resources You May Have Missed

2010-11-16T18:52:00.001-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/11/14/new-social-media-resources-7

Checkins for Charity: The Rise of Geo-Social Good

2010-11-16T18:43:00.001-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/11/16/charity-checkins

How the Network Will Make Our Cities Smart and Transform the World [VIDEO]

2010-11-16T18:40:00.003-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/11/16/wim-elfrink

RIM CEO: You don't need an APP for the Web

2010-11-16T18:40:00.001-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/11/16/rim-ceo-on-apps

Attacks Apple for trying to end open web with apps

Dr. Irene S. Levine: Path: The

2010-11-16T18:37:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/irene-s-levine/path-the-less-social-appr_b_783521.html

David Segal: The Secret Plot to Censor the Internet -- And How You Can Stop It

2010-11-16T18:36:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-segal/fight-back-against-big-bu_b_782422.html?ir=Technology

Christine Egan: When Your Laptop Becomes the Third Wheel

2010-11-16T18:33:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-egan/my-husband-and-i-communic_b_779692.html?ir=Technology

Kathleen Reardon: Technology Actually Can Rot Your Teenager's Brain - And Maybe Yours Too

2010-11-15T20:29:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathleen-reardon/technology-actually-can-r_b_783940.html

Gender and Programming

2010-11-12T17:50:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kiki-prottsman/post_1193_b_777316.html

Smule Magic Fiddle App Turns iPad Into Virtual Violin (VIDEO)

2010-11-10T22:38:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/10/magic-fiddle-app-turns-ipad-into-virtual-violin_n_781816.html

James Elkins: How Long Does it Take To Look at a Painting?

2010-11-10T09:00:00.001-05:00

James Elkins: How Long Does it Take To Look at a Painting?

tags: painting mode looking gaze stare

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Smart Mobs » Blog Archive » Flashmob during pope’s visit to Spain

2010-11-09T19:46:00.001-05:00

http://www.smartmobs.com/2010/11/06/massive-flashmob-announced-during-popes-visit-to-spain

Google CEO Eric Schmidt's Most Controversial Quotes About Privacy

2010-11-09T19:38:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/04/google-ceo-eric-schmidt-privacy_n_776924.html

Texting Teens: Sex And Drug Use More Common In Hyper-Texting Teens

2010-11-09T19:36:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/09/texting-teens-sex-and-dru_n_780863.html?ir=Technology

Claire Gordon: Am I Better Than Facebook? -- race divide

2010-11-09T19:23:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/claire-gordon/am-i-better-than-facebook_b_780188.html

The 19 Strangest Social Networks On The Web: Zombies, Hamsters, Implants And More (PICTURES)

2010-11-09T19:21:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/09/craziest-social-networks_n_774286.html

HOW TO: Become a YouTube Sensation

2010-11-09T19:16:00.001-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/11/09/become-youtube-sensation

For Employees, Facebook Counts as Free Speech

2010-11-09T19:10:00.001-05:00

http://mashable.com/2010/11/09/facebook-free-speech

Linotype: The Film - Boing Boing

2010-11-09T19:08:00.001-05:00

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/11/08/linotype-the-film.html

Bob Marley music has drug-like effect on babies, YouTube videos suggest - Boing Boing

2010-11-09T19:04:00.001-05:00

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/11/09/youtube-videos-sugge.html

every issue realist online

2010-11-09T19:02:00.001-05:00

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/11/09/the-realist-every-is.html

National Gaming Day at your library: US libraries invite patrons to get their game on - Boing Boing

2010-11-09T19:00:00.001-05:00

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/11/09/national-gaming-day-1.html

Don Tapscott: Macrowikinomics: Time to Stop Tinkering, Time for Collaborative Health Care

2010-11-08T21:49:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/don-tapscott/macrowikinomics-time-to-s_b_780540.html

Michael Brenner: Shut-Up Wednesdays: A Plea

2010-11-08T21:46:00.001-05:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-brenner/shut-up-wednesdays_b_780273.html

mediatedcultures.net @ kansas state university

2010-11-08T16:03:00.001-05:00

mediatedcultures.net @ kansas state university - Annotated

tags: Michael Wesch Youtube Anthropology
- Presentation at the Library of Congress, June 23rd 2008. This was tons of fun to present. I decided to forgo the PowerPoint and instead worked with students to prepare over 40 minutes of video for the 55 minute presentation.
- nt characteristics of students today - how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what th

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Another Nightmare on Wall Street

2010-05-06T21:34:00.007-04:00

As if Wall Street hasn't had us all running for cover enough recently:

First, the bailout and too big to fail.

Then, we learn about derivatives trading where companies make billions by instantaneously buying and selling currency. Live by the sword die by the sword.

And today, the stock market plunges 1000 points within minutes. In fact, T-shirts have already been printed that say, "I survived the collapse of 2:45 pm." Fortunately, the stock market mostly rebounded within minutes as well. The whole crisis was sparked because of some errors in typing and computing, apparently.

My interest in this story is related to digital media. Computers sparked today's crisis. Auto-trading systems kicked into overdrive when a circuit-breaker was tripped. An erroneous price reported by Citi Bank triggered this circuit breaker. When Citi mistakenly reported that the P&G stock dropped 10% suddenly, all the computer auto-trading programs started selling.

That's right, today computers panicked in mass!The programs freaked out because they were programmed to freak out. So, one typo can trigger a major run.

The scary thing is that humans interpreted this crisis as based in reality, not error. When I was working out this afternoon, the cable news opinionaters predicted another similar collapse tomorrow. They pontificated that some serious flaws in the economy caused a run on stocks.

No, guess again ya'll, an accounting error fed by panicking computers caused the crisis. Tomorrow might be crazy, but the fundamentals of the economy did not change over the course of minutes. Did you forget that the trend has been stock market growth?

In fact, computers remain major culprits in the whole derivatives trading scam, too. Before the Internet and computers, the ability to instantaneously track, buy, and sell did not exist. Only after the speed of computers could investors make billions by simultaneously buying yen (for instance) valued at 1.554 to the dollar in Tokyo and selling them at 1.559 in New York City. That's right, fractions of a penny turn into billions of dollars IN SECONDS when the speed of computers and the vast resources of capital are marshaled.

So, today should issue another cautionary tale about the radical transformation of everything from relationships to politics, entertainment to economics due to the digital revolution. The sheer speed and massive analytic power of computers exceeds all previously known and easily understandable human scales. In comparison, we humans remain slow and meager intellectual beings. And when, as happened today, we turn emotional functions (like panic circuit-breakers) over to these machines, do not be surprised at the terrible speed and magnitude of the e-wake.

Perhaps more incidents like today can help slow our horses, to use an old media-metaphor. Maybe we can learn to set limits on the ways computers run, control, and program human functions. Of course, with the neoliberalist, techno-utopic ideology so prevalent in our culture, where any advance in technology is greeted as panacea and with a new Steve Jobs' speech on our amazing digital future, such cautionary rhetoric and such necessary limitations seem an unlikely outcome.

Meatless Mondays

2010-05-03T21:07:00.005-04:00

The oil spill is just too depressing to talk about. Even when you know that such disasters are not just possible but INEVITABLE, the reality still hits so hard.

So, let's talk about something cheery for a change (BTW, how can people watch the world around them and still feel ok about having children?).

Apparently, the Meatless Mondays movement is gaining some steam!

Just today, Mario Batali, impeccable chef-extraordinaire from Iron Chef fame, announced that his restaurants will be participating in Meatless Mondays, cutting all meat from their Monday menus.

This is great news for a few reasons. First, it shows the movement is gaining some steam Second, Batali is sure to attract some publicity. Finally, it illustrates that you do not have to be a complete vegan or even an animal rights extremist to see the value of reducing our meat intake. Batali is definitely known to love him some meat.

Why does this make me so happy? Well, it is some good news in a veritable sea of bad.

Why is Meatless Mondays good news?
For our fitness--America suffers from an extreme obesity crisis, fueled by an over-eating of fatty meat.
For our health--every study I read says that the best way you can maintain good health is by eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables.
For disease prevention--swine flu, bird flu, mad cow, the spread of food poisoning, how many more signs do we need that our meet eating is spreading disease?
For starving people the world over--it takes 8 pounds of grain to make one pound of beef. If we simply stopped eating beef, we could feed the entire world with that grain.
For health care costs--Red meat is a major contributer to cancer, which is one of the major reasons for our spiraling health care costs.
For our environment--factory produced meat leads to massive disposal of chemicals in our water, tons of wasted energy, erosion of soil, clear cutting of forests, and other stark environmental costs.
For animal rights--The treatment of animals in factory farms is something that no caring person should ever support.

Here's picture proof for that last one:

The reasons for cutting meat consumption jump off the page. The facts must be faced.

But RH, that seemed depressing, too? Why did this story make you happy?

Why? Cause if a famous chef can do it in his restaurant, anyone can. Stop with the manly-man excuses and the "I'm the top of the food chain" crap. Stop with the excuses. When faced rationally, there is only one decision. We can all do this. Easily. And it will help us and the world around us immensely. Unlike the problems of corporate corruption, climate change, bank bailouts, election reform, a sensationalist news media, and massive oil spills, there is something we can do as individuals. Just cut back your meat consumption. Start with Meatless Mondays. Be the change you want to see in the world. Then, maybe, just maybe, we can start to talk about these other issues (and, for me, start to think again about having kids).

The Weekend Surf

2010-05-01T20:01:00.004-04:00

We're starting a regular feature called the Daily Surf that will simply feature links to interesting stories from our daily browse through the series of tubes. I've been saving a few articles recently, so to launch the Daily Surf series, here are some of the highlights of recent weeks.

1) A Link to NPR discussing the rise of the App Economy. This is the future of my research, too, so this is one to definitely check out.

2) A little sign of the times: Business Professionals say that cannot live without 2 things -- sex and their smartphones.

3) An article on why the iPad is evil. Seriously, the iPad turns us all into consumers by eliminating much of the freedom and functionality of computers. Apple will use the iPad to control not just what you see but how as well.

4) An article on how online incivility is due to anonymity. This is just one of the reasons for incivility online imo.

Plus, enjoy this picture:

5) More on why the iPad is stupid, not revolutionary. You can't print, it doesn't have a file system, a camera, multi-tasking. Just buy a netbook. It's cheaper, too!

6) A video and article advocating the establishment of a discipline devoted to the Inter-webs! Sorry to say but this is happening with or without a discipline. Discipline's are so 20th century.

7) Neuroscience says facebook kills children's brains. I coulda told you that just from failbook.

8) Computers are also apparently making us fat. Sorry, that's been happening for a long time, and it seems like TV and McDonalds deserve more of the blame.

9) More on Susan Greenfield, the neuroscientist who insists computers are rotting our brains. Plus, she invented a new word, Yaka-Wow!

10) BBC video on Susan Greenfield...

11) There have been more rumors and more false rumors, BY FAR, about Obama already than 8 years of Bush. My question: Is this the Internet and Social Media, or the result of racism. Best bet is on both.

12) How the Internet leads to the censoring of history. It's just too easy to delete and disappear.

Fuck You, Rush

2010-04-30T20:08:00.003-04:00

So, Rush Limbaugh suggests the possibility that the Gulf oil spill was caused by environmentalists.

Never mind the logic (isn't it way more likely that it was an explosion, since these have happened many times before--40 spills greater than 1,000 barrels since 1964, including 13 in the last 10 years, according to data from the U.S. Minerals Management Service).
Never mind the credulity (why would they destroy the very ocean which they love enough to sacrifice their time and lives).
Never mind the feasibility (the environmentalists would have to have a submarine to accomplish this feat, not to mention lots of funds and the ability to evade security).
Never mind the complete lack of evidence. Rush only offered "timing" as proof, and even he was scared to make it a full blown claim.

What deserves the big FUCK YOU, Rush, is your spewing of such conspiratorial claims simply for ratings. We all know it's true. You don't really believe this. You can't possibly, even if you only have the one brain cell left after all those years of drugs. There is absolutely nothing even remotely true or factual or credible or compelling about your accusation.

You said it for ratings, pure and simply, You knew it would piss off the left. You knew it would get people talking about you. You know there is no such thing as bad publicity, so they say.

And if that doesn't prove to your listeners that you are a lying, manipulative jack ass who will say anything for ratings and hence can never be trusted, then they are as dumb as you look.

Gotta love conspiracy hounds. Even when clear evidence is presented to them against their insane theories, they can always say, "THEY (whoever they are, as if there's some secret cabal who always moves in lockstep and without being exposed) did this to throw you off their trail. THEY want you to believe there was an oil spill so THEY can get their way. It's all a big part of THEIR grand plan."

Rush has proven that even in the face of a horrible tragedy for the economy and the environment, he only cares about ratings. And that means NO MATTER WHAT, he will not change his opinion that THEY (the left) are evil and wrong about everything.

Any person who considers themselves intelligent and free-minded must at least reconsider their stance on offshore drilling in the face of this disaster. Refusal to reconsider shows either complete stupidity or an ulterior motive. Like ratings (read: money). So, for all you intelligent and free-thinking listeners of Rush, you only have one option now. He's been exposed once and for all as a fraud, as a conspiracy hound, not as a free-thinker or even a semi-rational human being.

Your only choice now? Take away what he wants the most. Tune out your dial and turn off his ratings.

Oh, Mr. Beck

2010-04-30T00:21:00.002-04:00

This from Glenn Beck recently:

"Arizona is really putting the AZ in Nazi, aren't they?

I hate to rain on the hate parade here, but can we please slow down for just a minute and, I don't know, think?

You are comparing the systematic, cold-blooded, extermination of millions of Jews to America making sure people are here legally. The parallels are... nonexistent. It's like deja vu. I can envision some sort of equivalent to the Holocaust museums already in the works to document the horrors of Arizona's immigration law. I'm sure Abe Foxman at the Anti-Defamation League is working on a press release right now, to make sure that he commends Jared Polis for pointing out how much illegal immigration is like the extermination of 6 million Jews."

I actually commend him for questioning false analogies and hyperbole. Sure, this comparison is a bit of a stretch.

But damn the hypocrisy! This guy dares say there is no comparison to Nazis when he has been comparing the Obama admin, the health care bill, and everything liberal to Nazis and fascism for years now.

In fact, asking for people's papers and systematically using the police to interrogate people because of their racial or ethnic background IS way closer to Nazism than anything you will find in the health care bill or anything ever advocated by Obama.

It was the same when Bush was President. When we discovered that he maintained multiple, secret prisons across the world where prisoners were held without trial or without any knowledge, one liberal dared compare it to Nazism. The media scoffed. They dismissed it as ridiculous and made him look like a fool. Today, Beck can constantly make the comparison of fascism and Obama yet the media treats it as a legitimate debate.

Sorry, Mr. Beck. The Nazi comparison indicts the right in this country WAY MORE than the left. Hate (of immigrants, of gays, of progressives, of minorities) is the name of your game, just like Hitler. Secret prisons, illegal wire-tapping, legislation against being a certain identity, propaganda, misinformation, walls, massive police forces, illegal military invasions, overcrowded prisons, sabotage of political opponents-- all of these acts have happened very recently by the right and all of them were staples of Nazism and fascism alike.

But I tell you what, let's all agree to drop the fascism labels. I will if you will. Then maybe we can have a legitimate debate. I dare you.

Be careful what you wish for...

2010-04-29T17:06:00.003-04:00

Because you might just get it. And in this instance, not get what you want but "get it," as in punishment from an angry God.

What am I talking about? The Facebook group that prays for Obama's death.

Obviously, this is sick and disgusting. It continues a trend of "mainstream"-terrorism that I discussed in yesterday's post. It also stands as a stark sign of growing incivility and anger in this country. Finally, it is more evidence that our digital media encourage such hate and divisiveness through their brevity, anonymity, and the ease with which we can sling hate speech.

The connection between incivility and digital media is a topic near and dear to my scholarly research interests, and one I plan to address on this blog in the near future. Here, all you have to do is click "like," and very quickly you can join a group of over one million people praying for the death of a major public figure. It is particularly sad that this group has more members than the group that is asking facebook to remove the Obama-death praying group.

Good thing is, there is no God, in any of the religions, who would ever listen to these evil bastards. No moral or ethical system can be based on hate for your enemy and the active spreading of ill-will. In fact, the notion of karma holds that when you spread such hate, hate is sure to return to you. Karma is not like an automatic spiritual force with an instant feedback. You don't cuss someone out and then immediately stub your toe. Karma is a very simple and imminently rational principle that proves true time and again. When you live your life full of hate, you end up hating your life because most people hate you. And vice-versa, spread love and expect love in return.

So for those members of this facebook group, be on the lookout. If not God then at least Karma is coming for your ass. Have a nice life.

The New Face of Terrorism

2010-04-28T21:56:00.005-04:00

Believe it or not, terrorism is a notoriously difficult thing to define, for scholars and governments alike.

One problem is that the distinction between war and terrorism is blurry. What's the difference between dropping a bomb from 8000 feet that will definitely kill civilians and driving a bomb into a government building?

Another problem is one of ideological perspective. It seems that whoever you are, whatever you do is NOT terrorism. And whatever those you do not like do is terrorism. In the scholarly literature on terrorism, the famous and oft-quoted phrase for this is "One person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter."

This second issue has jumped out to me in the news recently. Meet the new face of terrorism:

This is Derek Stansberry, a former Air Force intelligence officer who today made a bomb threat on an airplane and caused a diversion of a flight from Paris to Atlanta. Now Standberry may not be a terrorist, since the details of the case are vague at this time. But bomb threats on airplanes sure raise some questions.

His story caught my attention because he was trained in San Angelo, TX (my current residence) and because he seems to be part of a trend of recent terrorists who do not fit that stereotype of brown, Muslim, towel-head. The trend of white, American terrorists includes gun-rights advocates picking the tenth anniversary of Timothy McVeigh killing hundreds in Oklahoma City as the day to hold a national protest (scary!), the Hutaree militia raided by the FBI and found to be heavily armed and insisting their members "be ready to kill" government officials, people showing up at Tea Party rallies with assault rifles and saying democracy requires bloodshed, a massive surge in militia membership and gun purchases since Obama has been elected, and a man crashing a plane into the Austin, TX IRS building as a protest against taxes.

Andrew Stack, the plane pilot, made such statements as “I have had all I can stand. I choose not to keep looking over my shoulder at ‘Big Brother’ while he strips my carcass.” And, “Nothing changes unless there is a body count.”

Once again, all of these examples come from predominately white American citizens. They engage in the same tactics (crashing planes into buildings, making threats for political reasons, organizing against the official government) that most of the scholars and government officials use as definitions of terrorism. They stand out as examples of why it is so hard to define terrorism. Indeed, many in the media, especially on the right, are very reticent to call these people terrorists.

The media deserves some of the blame for this trend. These acts are certainly signs of an overheated and ridiculous atmosphere of anger and fear. An atmosphere perpetuated by so-called 'freedom-fighters" and terrorists" alike. In fact, Stack's act was not called terrorism and was actually justified by many on the right in this country. Indeed, the right-wing media deserves much of the blame, and to me it is no surprise that the new face of terrorism is the same as the face of the right--middle class, white males with just enough education to be dangerous because their brains are really driven by hate and fear.

Indeed, the new face of terrorism is the old face of freedom fighters. Muslim radicals and right-wing fundamentalists share a lot more than they will ever admit. Sure, the differences are there, and they matter. But what they share is more enlightening.

And what do they share, you might ask?

They share a certain totalizing frame, very different ideologies, of course, but the same frame. Each side:
1) Sees the other as complete evil.
2) Excludes any possible compromise or discourse.
3) Subscribes to a "you are with us or against us mentality"
4) Justifies violence as a response to the evil other.
5) Fuels their followers with a hefty dose of fear and anger.
6) Insists on conspiracy theories over logic.
7) Promotes terrorism as the solution when their side loses.

This is a classic case of the cycle of violence. Jesus, Buddha, and Ghandi all warned us that violence begets violence. Jesus saw that the only solution was forgiveness, was the refusal to judge, was turning the other cheek. If the other side is pure evil and violence is a must, then those violent acts will cause those others to think the same about us. (scholars often call it blowback). Under such conditions the cycle will never stop.

In short, those freedom fighters will keep generating more terrorists, and those terrorists will keep generating more freedom fighters. Until we can't distinguish the freedom from the terror for all the blood and guts. In fact, the new (white) face of terror isn't so new. It's a cycle that has been going on for too long now. We really need to stop the anger, stop the fear, stop the cycle, and begin the healing, begin the forgiveness, and begin the peace.

Give me your tired, your poor...

2010-04-26T17:27:00.001-04:00

With the recent events in Arizona, I thought that something I wrote a couple of years ago, at the height of the 2006 immigration rallies, would be a great way to relaunch Renaissance Human. I hope you like it:

Would you be outraged if...

People of another race came to your country in waves.
Spoke another language.
Followed different beliefs.
Multiplied at an exponential rate.
Lied to you.
Threatened your livelihood.
Stole your property.
Raped your women.
Even went as far as to make war against your culture?

Probably outraged, disgusted, appalled.
You would probably demand justice...

Well, guess what? It happened.
This is not a hypothetical.
It's not the fabric of a fictional tale.
And it is not about “Illegal Immigrants.”

It's about us...This country, the one you were thinking about, was founded on these very acts, amounting to essentially genocide against Native American peoples. We did much worse than take some low-paying jobs and strain some public resources.

Yet this is not about blame but redemption.
What made this country great, what began to repay our previous sins, is the fact that this nation held itself, through fits and starts, to the ideals of freedom and equality – for all people. That is what justice demanded. We could only make up for our violent, genocidal, hate-filled past by trying our damndest to adhere to the ideals of freedom, equality, diversity, mutual respect and acceptance.

The campaign against immigration is, on the other hand, all about blame and hate and scapegoatting. Sure, times are dubious. But, what all the recent political events such as Katrina and Iraq have shown is that straying further from our ideals is not the answer.

For me, give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

---June 15, 2006

Michael Larson, Analog Hero

2009-04-19T18:57:00.003-04:00

I just heard this incredible story about Michael Larson, a self described unemployed ice cream truck driver, who in 1984 cracked the patterns of the famous game show Press Your Luck and won $110,000.

I remember fondly watching Press Your Luck. It was a good mix of trivia (you answered questions to earn spins), gambling (whether to spin or pass), animation (the strikes were called Whammies, and an animated whammy would take your money in various ways when you landed on one), and seemingly insane contestants screaming things like "Big Bucks, No Whammies!" and "Whammy you can drop dead."

Of the seemingly insane contestants, Michael Larson takes the cake, though. Watch him just a little on this clip and you'll see what I mean:

To boot, it turns out that Michael Larson invested most of the winnings in a real estate ponzi scheme, leaving him angry, alcoholic, and eventually divorced. Later, he participated in another fraud investment scheme and finally fled into hiding when the Feds took up pursuit. He died at age 50 of throat cancer.

So, why is Michael Larson an Analog Hero?

The man went through the painstaking and patient process of recording and watching over 50 episodes of Press Your Luck so he could crack the patterns. He figured out two special squares that, if always stopped on, would yield money and a spin. He memorized the patterns so he could always stop on those squares. And then he executed it on national TV an astonishing 45+ times in a row without a whammy.

The host was practically begging him to stop by the time he reached $30,000 and broke the previous record. As if mad, Michael pressed on all the way to over 110,000$. In the aftermath, CBS tried to withold the winnings by accusing him of cheating. They finally conceded because there was nothing in the contract prohibiting memorizing the patterns.

So, Michael Larson beat the system. He couldn't exist today, not in the age of digital encryption which would make reading the patterns hard for some computers, much less an unemployed ice cream truck driver.

Sure, he blew it all. But he must be lauded for seeing a way out of the nine-to-five grind and going for it. Today, chances for people like him are much slimmer. His kind would be carefully screened out of most game shows looking for likable, attractive, and TV-friendly faces. If he did sneak by screening, the contract would be written differently to give the corporation a way out. But that would all be unnecessary since the computational powers of digital computing would go well beyond the brain powers of this old analog model named Michael Larson.

We gain so much power and information with the digital revolution, we should at times stop and think about what we lose, too. We've lost Michael Larson and numerous other potential analog heroes. May they rest in peace.

Snooze Review: The Wackness

2009-04-15T10:02:00.004-04:00

The Jonathan Levine film's signature line, "It's like I always see the dopeness in life and you always see the wackness," really spoke to me. Sometimes I feel like there are two kins of people in the world, who see everything through different frames -- the dopeness and the wackness. Me, I tend to see the dopeness. The main character, Luke (played by Josh Peck), only sees the wackness. So, despite being a high school drug dealer who listens to all the hottest hip hop of 1994 New York City, Luke has no friends and scares off most women despite his deep desire otherwise. He befriends his shrink Dr. Squires (Ben Kingsley), paying him in weed for the therapy. Eventually, we learn the good Doctor is also afflicted with the wackness, and the two of them go on a rampage looking to pick up women all across New York (this is when Mary Kate Olson makes her appearance as a young slut who nearly sleeps with the old doctor). The Doctor's wife decides to divorce him and he attempts to drown himself in the ocean.

Squires and Luke maintain a friendship even though Luke begins dating his daughter Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby). Stephanie seems to enjoy Luke, but we soon discover she viewed the encounter as a summer fling, and she breaks up with him by saying the film's signature line.

Enough summary, I really enjoyed this movie. The soundtrack brimming with mid-1990s hip-hop constantly kept bringing me back to my own early days of becoming a hip-hop head. Plus, I could easily identify with the socially awkward main character, and even though his pessimism is foreign to my general attitude, I know people like this and can easily see how my life could have taken this turn.

All in all, the movie is a very well done time-piece, so perfectly set in the mid 1990s. Anyone who came of age around this time (as does Luke and the director) will immediately relate and probably really dig the soundtrack.

The Wackness gets a Two Beer Review from Renaissance Human.

Obama's not that cool

2009-04-08T10:22:00.001-04:00

There has been some recent talk about a cult of Obama, and I can't help but notice that some people truly do think Obama walks on water.

I am here today to tell you--he's not that cool. In fact, he's more than likely an arrogant, prick asshole.

Let me explain. I like Obama. I think he is a powerful symbol, a good leader, a great speaker, and he is getting some practical reform accomplished that I support.

BUT, he not only wanted to be President of the United States, he actually followed through with it. And that, because of the requirements of our celebrity-machine fueled statist-corporate system, necessarily makes you an arrogant prick asshole.

His arrogance has been well-documented. Even people on the inside of his campaign admit he has a rather large ego. You have to be rather cocky to run for President, to be able to shake so many hands and give so many speeches without making yourself sick. As President, you are a celebrity. And therefore you have to relish the limelight and desire having (in the immortal words of Tupac) all-eyes-on-me.

Now, why is he a prick-asshole, you may ask? For similar reasons, in order to be a President-celebrity one has to be willing to compromise, to shift your beliefs, to sell out. Obama clearly demonstrated his willingness to do this when he a) sold out his pastor of 20 plus years, the man he claimed help him find his spirituality and b) he ponied up for Wall Street but told GM to take a hike.

These actions make him an opportunist, not necessarily an asshole (although the pastor thing is pretty harsh). The reason he is a prick-asshole is that he wanted to be and succeeded at becoming President. Yes, the President is the leader of "the freest country on earth." But he is also the leader of the largest military-state and corporate institution on earth. He is basically the biggest General and CEO of the biggest army and multinational corporation in the world. Those guys (mostly, they are men)are all assholes. You have to be willing to sacrifice millions for your own interests, to oppress people the world over, to treat people as numbered cogs in the machine, to favor the rich over the poor, to give the orders to kill and imprison, and to do whatever else it takes to maintain and increase your institution's power. Obama does all this on a daily basis.

In my opinion, this makes Obama not that cool. Certainly not cool enough for a cult, and certainly not cool enough for the pass that most of the left gives him. If we had a real left in this country, Obama would be on the right, defending the military and corporate interests that helped get him in office and that he now controls. Sure, he seems cool under fire. Sure, he's attractive AND intelligent (unlike our previous arrogant prick asshole). Sure, he's a great speaker. Sure, he's a great symbol. But let's not get carried away. He's still a power-hungry, money-grubbing, oppression-inducing, and violence-perpetuating arrogant prick asshole in my book. And that goes for anyone who wants to be President, especially if they actually become one. The celebrity-corporate-militarist-statist system ensures that they will become an even bigger a-p-a over the course of their term.

I'll bet some of you are saying, "No, Cheney-Rove-Bush were the arrogant prick assholes." I couldn't agree more. But Obama is closer to Bush ideologically and politically than to my beliefs. Is it really cool to be that close to Bush? In my tally, I think not.

I only hope that, for the sake of ethics, Obama remembers that he is responsible for so much death, destruction, and deception. If so, then maybe his political pragmatism will actually mean two steps forward without the (all too common) four steps back.

Taking Our Toys and Going Home

2009-03-27T14:38:00.000-04:00

Perhaps you have heard that Rep. Michele Bachmann has been calling for armed revolution to overthrow the Marxist Obama regime.

To me, and I am sure most Americans, this seems completely ridiculous. Yet the trope of revolution, whether armed or in the form of not paying taxes or not accepting stimulus money, has been growing more and more in the conservative right camp. There is even a growing movement of protests imitating the Boston Tea Party.

I am here today to call "Nanny-nanny Boo-Boo" on these cry babies. Their party is in shambles, along with the economy thanks to their former leader. Now that their corporate cronies can't run free without oversight, aren't completely free of scrutiny and regulation, the Republicans want to go home and take their toys with them. Listen to Bachmann:

Bachmann: Do we get into an inner tube and float 90 miles to some free country? There is no free country for us to repair to. That's why it's up to us now. The founders gave everything they had to give us this freedom. Now it's up to us to give everything we can to make sure that our kids are free, too. It's that serious. I hate to be dramatic, but--

So, the silly argument that "If you don't love this country go live somewhere else" has been reversed. Now, Republicans no longer love the direction this country is headed and are looking for boats to begin fleeing.

This is such a childish and ignorant response, just like the kid who goes home and cries to mommy when things don't go their way in the neighborhood basketball game. Have the Republicans really become Eric Cartmann? I certainly think Cartmann's penchant for fascism is a closer and more likely result from the conservative right control of the country than Marxism is from Obama.

Think about it: The Supreme Court stole an election for Bush in 2000. No one on the left seriously called for armed revolution.
Ohio voter fraud stole another election in 2004. Again, no calls for revolution.
Bush enters a war on false pretenses. Not only is there no revolution, no impeachment, but we can't even bring him to trial now that he isn't President.
Bush fumbles Hurricane Katrina. No calls for revolution.
We have the worst economy since the Great Depression because of an unbridled and arrogant Republican administration. So, what happens? The Democrats offer a solution and the GOP complains about socialism. They start calling for a revolution.

In what world does this make sense? And, why is this not treason? Why haven't Hannity and Bachmann been arrested? I guarantee if either you or I made similar threats, we would be arrested. So, why are we allowing this trope to continue?

There are socialist democracies (see most of Europe). What there are not are fascist democracies, democracies where one side engages in armed revolution when they do not get their way. Democracy requires accepting defeat, working through the tough times even when your ideas are not the most popular. It is respectable for any party to be the voice of opposition. This voice is crucial to democracy. Crying foul and running away, however, is childish and dangerous. It is one thing to criticize proposals for being too socialist. It is another to call for armed revolution. I wish Bachmann and Hannity would put their money where their mouth is and pick up a gun. Then, we could see them all for what they really are: hate-mongering, fear-inducing blowhards acting like children when the country desperately needs mature, responsible collaboration.

USPS update

2009-03-21T20:35:00.000-04:00

I received a memo today that stated USPS will be cutting 18,000 management jobs. We will also be closing many branches--I can't remember how many. Keep these employees in your thoughts and prayers because these are all people with degrees and they're probably the main bread winners for their families. Props to my union--the National Rural Letter Carrier's Association--for maintaining a contract that specifies no carriers will be laid off. We have been offered early retirement and many of us have had our hours cut back. It sucks, but at least we've downsized incrementally as the situation demanded so that we don't lose so much we need a bailout or something. (Don't forget--we're not subsidized.) Support a responsible company and mail something this week.

Postal power! to the rescue!

2009-03-19T12:58:00.000-04:00

(Tues.)
While some of us are more worried with multitasking and efficiency than anything else, Jackie Jefferson of the U.S. Postal Service saved an elderly woman's life AND completed delivering her route. All in a day's work. While on her route, Jefferson was the first person to notice a house on fire and her bravery paid off. From the door of the blazing home, she could see an 83 year-old wheelchair-bound woman trapped by the flames. She rescued the woman, saw her to the hospital and then finished her route! Go Jackie!

A St. Patty's Day Story

2009-03-17T14:14:00.000-04:00

About six years ago, I was drinking at a hotel bar in Kansas City on St. Patty's. I was out of town, so I couldn't really party it up. But what happened turned out to be a fun time and one of those, wow, the world is really small moments.

After a few beers, I started chatting with a couple of Irish fellows at the bar who were getting loaded. They were quite proud of their country and their holiday, so they decided to lead us in a round of Irish folk songs. Pretty soon, the whole bar was singing along and the Jameson's shots started really flowing.

After the singing died down, I was sitting next to one of the mates. We started talking about where he was from, what he was doing in KC, etc. Turns out, he is from Ireland and now lives in Iceland since his wife is from there. He filled me in on the secret that Iceland is green and Greenland is ice. He was in KC because he was a pilot for Icelandic Air (or something like that), headed home tomorrow.

I thought this was all very cool, but here's where it gets interesting. He asks me where I am from and I tell him Dallas. He says he spent a few years in Dallas going to Dallas Baptist University and studying in the ESL program. (I guess Irish English is not the same--and judging from my difficulties understanding his drunken, accented-slur, I totally understand). I am amazed at this since my Dad co-founded the DBU ESL program. I mention my father's name and it turns out that my dad recruited him to the program, although my dad left before he actually arrived.

It's a small world after all. An Irishman pilot who lives in Iceland meets a born-and-bred Texan living in Virginia in a hotel bar in Kansas City, and it just so turns out that the Irishman was recruited by and went to the Texan's father's ESL program in Dallas. Wrap your head around that one for a while.

Sorry, I don't remember any of the Irish folksongs. I can, however, still sing the "Yellow Rose of Texas" and "Deep in the Heart of Texas," in case you're wondering.

Birth Control for Dummies

2009-03-12T17:05:00.000-04:00

As part of our ongoing anti-children campaign, I thought I would talk about birth control today.

I know it's risky since this is a woman's birth control and I am a man. But, my wife and I both love the Nuva Ring (info from Planned Parenthood).

It's a once a month insertion of a small ring, it works just like the pill and with the same hormones, and it is not noticeable in any way. Just insert and forget it. Pull it out three weeks later, and waa-lah, a period. That is, 99% of the time...

The great part is not having to remember taking pills at the same time of day and you know, remembering that condom after we come home from the bar.

They have a really cheesy commercial, but I don't think many people know about it yet. So I wanted to spread the word.

Perhaps it is weird coming from a person who studies consumerism and tends to critique the negative effects of capitalism to be promoting a product. But, I figure every Western child consumes mountains of products every week that leak into landfills, cause global warming, etc. So, really, it's consumerism against the spread of consumers. At least, of the baby variety.

So, down with children and up with Nuva Ring!

Here's another opinion from a satisfied user. I always encourage you to do your own research:

What do you mean I can't drink the water?!

2009-03-09T11:17:00.001-04:00

Come July, Eric and I will be moving to San Angelo, TX. It's basically smack in the middle of the state. The thing is, you cannot drink the water there. It's not like some people are just water snobs--you literally cannot drink a whole glass of this stuff. For one thing, it's apparently salty as heck.

San Angelo gets a whopping 20 inches of rain per year. This makes for stagnant, foul smelling, silty tap water. I'm not very excited about even showering in this stuff. Most homes in the area have installed expensive tap water treatment systems. So instead of investing in municipal water treatment, these people are forced to install these things just so that they can shower.

This kind of thing is only supposed to happen in third world countries. Coming from a family who has lived in either NY or VA for most of their lives, this problem is new to me. I'm pretty sure Aquafina, Deer Park and other bottling companies actually take a lot of their water from VA.

Some of the water quality problems are caused by over draining area aquifers, which causes higher density salt water to enter those spaces. In my opinion, municipalities have the responsibility to supply useable water to their residents. We should not have to rely on having individually operated water purification systems. They're wasteful and more expensive than if they would just invest in municipal water treatment.

Obviously, there's not a lot of water to be had in this area. However, that has not stopped other areas of the world from providing drinkable water to their residents. For example, the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean do not get enough rain to cover their water needs, so they also use desalination of sea water. While this method requires a large initial investment, at least it guarantees usable, healthy water to everyone with a tap. While their water bills are higher than the $20/month a lot of us spend on this precious resource, this method is still more efficient than the alternative. The cost of a usable glass of water in the Cayman Islands is still going to run less than if you were to use home water purification.

What this does is encourages residents in dry areas to use municipal water for it's most important uses, like cooking, drinking and bathing. People get creative and develop solutions for keeping plants alive in these areas. Since there is no large scale farming in the San Angelo area, individuals should be responsible for developing sustainable landscapes by using drought tolerant plants and storing rain water on their property. When one can't even bathe in municipal water, people have no business planting non-indigenous plants that require 400% more water than local species.

As an avid gardener, I'm not saying your yard should be a pile of dirt. What I am saying is that municipal water should be of decent quality and its use should be prioritized. If one wants to use water for non-essential purposes, then they should be responsible for either paying the higher price or gathering and storing it themselves.

Better to have smaller quantities of good water than larger quantities of totally unusable water.

Snooze Review: Choke

2009-03-09T10:21:00.000-04:00

Choke (2008), Director Clark Greg.

I was excited to watch this movie since the preview cracked me up and since it was written by Chuck Palahniuk, one of my favorite authors (writer of Fight Club). The movie did not disappoint, although I have not read the book, so maybe if you have you will have a different reaction.

That said, the movie is chock-full of dark humor, as you can tell by the description. It's a story about a sex addict who goes around and scams people by choking in restaurants and having them save him. Apparently, if you save a person's life, they feel a deep bond with you... and he uses that to extort them. But he's a nice guy, really, except for the extortion and oh yeah the incessant, meaningless sex with mostly strangers.

My only complaint is that it gets a little sappy with the girl he actually likes and his dying mom. But hey, it may have gone off the darkness deep end without it. The movie made me laugh out loud quite a few times (I love the feauz-rape scene and the first scene at the strip club!). It moves quickly and keeps the interests piqued.

Choke gets a Two Beer Review

(Scale, as a reminder, goes from Three Beers as High to Three Snoozes as Low)

Bang for your Buck?

2009-03-04T13:13:00.000-05:00

With all the talk of earmarks, pork projects, and budget deficits, I think it is important to get a sense of perspective. Most Americans cannot grasp how large a trillion dollar budget is, so when they hear about 2 million going to research honey bees, they think it is much larger than the drop in the enormous bucket it really represents.

The fact is that from the discretionary budget, 51% of the money goes to the military. Ben And Jerry's (yes, the ice cream guys) have launched a campaign to promote awareness of this figure. Of every tax dollar you spend, outside of social security, half of it goes to the military!

On top of it all, the US spends more yearly on the military than every other country in the world combined! We have enough nuclear weapons to destroy the entire planet ten times over!

I think that any revitalized America and revitalized left in America needs to make this fact more well-known. Military spending does not create jobs the way other spending does, according to not one but two recent studies. Not to mention that when we bomb other countries, it hurts the entire global economy. Plus, the military is one of the largest producers of toxic and nuclear waste, another huge drain on the economy from health impacts.

If we cut the military budget in half, the country could easily afford universal health care and a massive increase in infrastructure, renewable energy and education--all without raising taxes. The GOP for too long has controlled the debate by controlling the taxes argument. Now is the time to make them defend spending money for war and destruction vs spending money for peace and justice. Just ask the American people would they rather have a massive increase in spending for health, the environment, energy, and education plus lower taxes. Or, would they rather keep the status quo, with a struggling economy but a huge military.

This could and should be the game changer which can land the death blow to the Republican party as we know it. The country is already shifting left, just without the economic means to do so. The left needs to challenge these outdated, Cold War military funding priorities. If we really want a small government and less taxes, cutting the military is the only path to take.