Education - Math & Science v. Humanities

Here's a pretty powerful quote from an article sent from a friend this afternoon:

The real problem, he explains, is the SAT writing exam, which “hardly resembles the kinds of writing people encounter in business or academic settings.” An accountant, he argues, needs to write “about content related to the company and the work in which she’s steeped.” It’s unlikely that she’ll “need to drop everything and give the boss 25 minutes on the Peloponnesian War or her most meaningful quotation.”

What’s depressing here is that this is precisely the argument heard at parent-teacher meetings across the land. When is the boss ever going to ask my Johnny about the Peloponnesian War? As if Johnny had agreed to have no existence outside his cubicle of choice. As if he wasn’t going to inherit the holy right of gun ownership and the power of the vote.

Get it? It's about the power of learning and understanding of history and current events, arguably called "education," because life shouldn't be about a wage but about human rights; information and awareness; language and activism.

The author goes says this later on:

[T]he problem today is disequilibrium. Why is every Crisis in American Education cast as an economic threat and never a civic one? In part, because we don’t have the language for it. Our focus is on the usual economic indicators. There are no corresponding “civic indicators,” no generally agreed-upon warning signs of political vulnerability, even though the inability of more than two thirds of our college graduates to read a text and draw rational inferences could be seen as the political equivalent of runaway inflation or soaring unemployment.

Original article: "Dehumanized: When Math and Science Rule the School" by Mark Slouka, Harper's Magazine online.

NPP

I was pretty surprised to hear Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this morning. While I'm often really pumped on our new President,  I was in agreement with a lot of others who felt like he hadn't yet done anything to earn it. After a day of letting the news ruminate, and reading his humble acceptance of the award, I've decided maybe this will force Obama to earn the Peace Prize. Perhaps it will be an instigator or motivator...

Heavy thoughts

Health, science

I haven't had much to say lately. I read all "my blogs" (kinda like watching "my stories"), which have actually become a bit boring. I even scan through the blog-rolls of those blogs. I flip through the lists of bikes on Craigslists between Cincinnati and Cleveland. Sometimes I peek at Pittsburgh and Indianapolis.

Otherwise, work has been pretty busy lately and will continue to be busy for the rest of the summer. Allergy season has begun and I already feel the start of a sinus infection. Dammit.

Meanwhile, the one thing that has been fluttering around my headspace has been health care reform. What a nightmare. Right when I think I understand what's going on, I realize I have no clue. Meanwhile, I've managed to absorb some of the noise from the far-right Republicans, and insofar as I associate with leftish Democrats, I tend to let it really bother me. I've got this tendency to take shit so personally and get bent out of shape about stupid things. And usually it's just stupid, petty, trivialities.

The big stuff? I just don't get it. Policies and economics aren't my forte. That's why I dove into science and biology. It's all about facts. Facts and laws of nature. Indisputable (I guess, theoretically, haha). For the most part, opinions are left out of it. Of course, you can use it to justify opinions about stuff like climate change and vegetarianism. Overall, I deal really well with science and it makes beautiful, harmonious sense in my head.

So, I guess until I feel like I understand political theories and economic philosophy, I'll try to avoid it and be cautious to form opinions.

As for now, I'm assuming universal, public-option health care sounds pretty respectable, reform seems essential, and people worried about government spending should focus attention on ending our wars [tip of the hat to Only One Manda for making that point]. In the meantime I'll try to follow what's going on, beneath the shouting and soundbites. If there's one thing I don't trust, it is the lot of insurance companies. I've heard enough horror stories about getting shafted or getting dropped at times when insurance should step up.

Movie: Taken

Spoiler Alert! (kinda)

Saturday night we rented Taken. I'd say it's a cross between True Lies (father = spy, daughter = kidnapped), Dark Knight (outrageous violence), any of the "Bourne" movies (impressive fighting skills), and Slum Dog Millionaire (a window into the depressing state of the world, including corrupt officials, human trafficking, and mobs).

Overall I'd say the whole thing is like one big trick question, in light of America's role on the world's stage. There's a point in which the protagonist (name? I don't remember) is torturing a "bad guy" for information--an effort to find his daughter and get her back. I was pretty sure that at some point Dick Cheney was going to pop into the screen and be all "See? You, too, can believe torture is justified! Gotcha!"

I guess C's aversion to violent movies had me questioning every fight scene where it was obvious that every karate chop to the neck and every bullet to the heart of a "bad guy" was supposed to rouse the audience with adrenaline and a sense of victory for the good guy. The fighting scenes are numerous and relatively brief. The writers just speed through a lot of violence to resolve the plot. Granted, they need to figure out how to get our hero from Point A to B, so there's a lot to get done in an hour and a half. Whatshisname's history is also revealed early--a government "prevent-er" (?) which means he is basically a G.I. Joe (think Jason Bourne, Steven Segal, Chuck Norris).

I couldn't help but feel like perhaps it was military propaganda in many parts. I will admit, I share that awe for the "do anything to protect my family" sort of attitude that leads so many action-movie heroes to annihilate bad guys and aliens and robots and countries...

Anyway, I'm left here feeling guilty about the pleasure I found in this guy seeking (and getting) vengeance to save his daughter from the grip of straight up evil. All I could say to placate C after she was so disturbed by the violence was "I would do that for you."
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In case you've seen Taken, I suggest immediately watching "What Happens In Vegas" or checking out these Chuck Norris facts:
- Superman owns a pair of Chuck Norris pajamas.
- Chuck Norris can slam revolving doors.
- When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.
- Death once had a near-Chuck-Norris experience.
- Chuck Norris once had a heart attack; his heart lost.
- The quickest way to a man's heart is with Chuck Norris's fist.

More on climate change & controversy

So, I'm a proponent of both environmentalism and science. I also promote a "proceed with caution" approach when it comes to accepting facts about Climate Change and Global Warming. That said, I believe Climate Change threatens life as we know it--perhaps human existence--and has been influenced in unprecedented ways by human activities.

Enter Australian geologist, Ian Pilmer. This article introduces Pilmer's view "that man-made climate change is a con trick perpetuated by environmentalists." It continues:

While environmentalists for the most part draw their conclusions based on climate information gathered in the last few hundred years, geologists, Plimer says, have a time frame stretching back many thousands of millions of years.

The dynamic and changing character of the Earth's climate has always been known by geologists. These changes are cyclical and random, he says. They are not caused or significantly affected by human behaviour.

Polar ice, for example, has been present on the Earth for less than 20 per cent of geological time, Plimer writes. Plus, animal extinctions are an entirely normal part of the Earth's evolution.

...He says atmospheric carbon dioxide is now at the lowest levels it has been for 500 million years, and that atmospheric carbon dioxide is only 0.001 per cent of the total amount of the chemical held in the oceans, surface rocks, soils and various life forms. Indeed, Plimer says carbon dioxide is not a pollutant, but a plant food. Plants eat carbon dioxide and excrete oxygen. Human activity, he says, contributes only the tiniest fraction to even the atmospheric presence of carbon dioxide.

There is no problem with global warming, Plimer says repeatedly. He points out that for humans periods of global warming have been times of abundance when civilization made leaps forward. Ice ages, in contrast, have been times when human development slowed or even declined.

So global warming, says Plimer, is something humans should welcome and embrace as a harbinger of good times to come.

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Enter evolution and Homo sapiens, 400,000 years ago.
Our species has been present through one ice-age (20,000 years ago when ~5 million people inhabited Earth), and as far as I can tell, it was far less impressive than the "Snowball Earth" of 635 million years ago. We are currently riding the tail end of the latest ice-age ("glacial retreat").

Soo... to say that global warming is pretty rad and totally natural, Pilmer is basing his argument on lots of time before humans existed. Flowing further down this stream of thought, if we are to accept Global Warming, we are to accept lots of extinction (which has been predicted... by environmentalists) and possibly the end of Human existence... sorry, that was redundant. Yeah, the end of Homo sapiens as well as nearly everything else that currently exists is pretty inevitable--just look back in history. Sure, climate changes naturally, up and down, which is also evident.

I haven't read this guy's literature, but based on this article, I've read nothing that provides evidence that humans aren't speeding up the process through Industrialism, etc.

And when you start charging environmentalism as a conspiracy by "urban elites" you've pretty much surrendered yourself as a conniving douche-bag.

Done.
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Sorry these last few posts have been fueled with so much negativity!

Hahahahahahahaha

Just caught this bit o'news (as reported by the AP):

[Glenn] Beck made the statement during a guest appearance Tuesday on the "Fox & Friends" morning show. He said Obama has exposed himself as a person with "a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture."

Glad I don't have to worry any more about what Glenn Beck says. I can cast him away in the same mental trash bin where I've put Rush Limbaugh and other popular extreme-Right radio/talk-show hosts.
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And what is "white culture"? Somebody let me know if "white culture" isn't just stewing in racism and a history rich in imperialism and slavery.
(found at GetBuck)
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While we're on the subject, I'll mention that yesterday I was listening to NPR's Talk of the Nation on the radio and the subject was "This American Moment for Black Men." (Listen here).

(Climate) Change we can believe in

Just cruising through good ol' Facebook and getting incensed over small quips making fun of President Obama.

Okay, okay, okay. Karma, right? I did my share of taking jabs at Dubya over the past eight years. Now my pride is on the receiving end.

But I realize, it's not about Obama. Things I'm reading are attacks at Obama because these people don't believe or understand Climate Change and Global Warming. What?! Are you kidding me?! They are protesting undeniable scientific evidence and concern for our future.

"Wednesday's 65-degree high the coolest July 8 in 118 years in Chicago... Isn't that Obama's city??? How's your global warming?"

"The cool temperature is directly proportional to the amount of hell thats freezing over as the socialist "change" continues under the name of liberalism. So see our fearless leader really is doing something to halt climate change. Ha."

"Changing the light bulbs in the White House has really improved the climate!....His cap and trade bill will cost the average family of 4 an extra $3000 a year. Do you think American families can afford this???"

WHAT?!!! Wow. WOW.

I guess it's not surprising as lots of people still refute evolution. Evolution!

I'm not prepared to argue that cap-and-trade is a good solution, but f*ck it--how are we going to control the emissions that are unquestionably polluting our air, warming the globe, driving plants and animals toward extinction, and altering our way of life in irreversible ways? isn't this is a relatively market-friendly solution towards alleviating one of the problems? Maybe not. Maybe we're realizing there is no market-friendly solution that will curb our carbon emissions when we can't count on other countries to do the same, save for adopting new, cleaner technologies at home and assigning true costs to things like pollution and waste.

There will be no easy answers, that's the one sure thing. But denying the problem is only making the situation worse. Denial. These people are the alcoholics of carbon emissions I guess. And there needs to be a 12 step program for that addiction.

Fourth of July (amended)

This day comes around every year, full of spectacle and national pride. That's right: the day of Nathan's Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Now, I'm not too cynical to think that all of America is really invested in such an event. It symbolizes a gluttonous and bored society. Granted, these competitive eaters are in "traditional athletic condition" (or something to that effect) and have found a job at which they are successful and can apparently make a lot of money. That's the good part about capitalism, for them. What about us? It's hard to believe this gets much support but I guess there is a whole circuit of competitive eating: funnel cakes, ice cream, deep fried asparagus, clams... the list is as long as people are stupid. And these people make a LOT of money!

Well today a skinny white American male won for the third year in a row by eating a record-shattering 68 hotdogs in ten minutes. Awesome. And he looked an appropriate amount of miserable afterwards. I know where he's coming from though. In weaker moments, I have eaten inordinate amounts of bad food from a few cheap Chinese-food buffets, and I will probably do it again. But no one celebrates me for it.

I guess as long as people are finding reasons to be proud to be American, and no one is getting hurt, it's alright by me.

On the other end of the spectrum however, is the recent rise of domestic terrorism--something that was recently reported on NPR. The collision of a shitty economy and election of a half-black Democrat is just a lot for some crazy people to handle. This trend is up mainly within extreme right-wing circles, as unsurprising as that is to hear. So, groups of people that are generally characterized by nationalism and pride are going nuts because they feel like everything to which they have an inherent claim--perhaps instilled by God--is being threatened or has been stolen. The most chilling thing to realize is that white supremacy is alive and well in America. I'm not ignoring all the other racism, etc., that plagues other nations, but I'm reflecting on the U.S. of A.

Ok, sorry about the little tangent. Be safe this weekend. Happy Independence Day. Go be independent!

OMG-WTF

Holy F balls--what is up with Gov. Mark Sanford sneaking to Argentina to meet with his mistress... without telling anyone he was going anywhere...? What a douche bag.

Bill Clinton, John Edwards, that one guy from New York who paid lots and lots of money to prostitutes... These guys are clueless. Public figures. Like, my mind is blown right now about this Sanford guy. I don't even know--or care--who he governs over. It doesn't matter. A freaking idiot. Beyond the basic poor judgment involved in cheating on your wife, leaving the country, for a week!, on tax-payers' dime, without telling someone?!
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Meanwhile, President Ahmadinjead is boo-hoo'ing about Obama, and that makes me want to laugh, cause it seems like he might very well be a corrupt guy and then he gets bent out of shape about Obama talking about the violence against protesters?
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And if things didn't seem any crazier, Farrah Fawcett AND Michael Jackson died today. What?! I wish I knew what was up with that crazy dude, Michael Jackson. Like, crazy mystery of the universe.
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I'm gonna go shrink away from this crazy world and into a bowl of Velveeta cheese-smothered chicken and a glass of wine.

"In the year two-thousand..."

Surely, every generation finds itself in the middle of some pretty huge changes that gives that generation an identity in history.

Despite the inherent vagueness of the definition of "generation", everyone believes and understands they are part of some sort of generational bond with those around them.

In my (our?) case, the newest change might include this recession. Despite it's temporary nature, it could likely affect how the global community interacts from here on out. I'm not even going to get on with Information Technology. The speed of the expansion of modern technologies makes me want to laugh and puke at the same time--kind of like being on one of those carnival rides that demonstrates centrifugal force. I'm proud to say I almost got through high school without the internet or cell phones. Currently I'm getting along fine without an iPhone.

What might be a bigger phenomenon defining this generation is climate change and how we respond to it.

I just read this strange article about the future of farming (published by The Columbus Dispatch; found at Columbus Community Gardening). Is it possible that farms of the future will in fact be massive, self-contained greenhouses? My gut reaction at the end of the third paragraph was that this was a total environmental catastrophe waiting to happen. Apparently it's not: energy-neutral, sustainable, water conserving, fertilizer reducing, production-increasing, worker-friendly future farms... It is Biodome come to life.

Currently, family farms seem to be disappearing--not due to the climate, but other problems. At best, big, trend-conscious cities are experiencing a spurt of small farms peddling organic, heirloom, free-range goodies--which is sort of a throw-back to pre-War agriculture. But these hip farmsteads, especially, won't survive severe climate changes that scientists are predicting.

Farming (or "raw food production") can't die, but it's apparently possible that farms and Agri-Culture as we know them might. Obviously farms have changed a lot over the years, and I'm not a big fan of what are known as "conventional" mega-farms that, collectively, are the monster of the Industrial Agriculture Revolution. (Fun fact: agriculture developed roughly 10,000 years ago.)

So, it occurred to me that the end of farming might be impressed upon my (our!) generation. I can't really say how the disappearance of a farm might affect my daily life other than I pass them on the highway and I appreciate the aesthetics of their seasonal variation; I take comfort in the fact that farms have a potentially positive ecological relationship with the surrounding natural environment as they might benefit animals and watersheds, to say the least. Also, while I've decided to not pursue a life in the Country, I care about the preservation of Rural America which is part of my identity in many ways.

And consider this: if farms are being replaced by greenhouses because of the climate, how soon will neighborhoods turn into big, climate-controlled bubbles?

(Photo Source)

Witness

Mark Cuban (American billionaire entrepreneur & owner of the Dallas Mavericks) wrote this inspiring post on his blog, Blog Maverick, on November 5, 2008:

I voted for President Elect Obama.

The rest of my votes went almost exclusively to Republicans , Libertarians and Independents. In looking at the Democratic platform, there are a few things I agree with, but on the economic side... there isn’t a lot of his economic policy that I do agree with him on. So why did I vote for him ?

Its simple. Having an elected black President will do more to energize this country than any economic or social policy ever could. In a single day of voting, our amazing country once again reinvigorated the dream that any child in this country, no matter what circumstances they are born into, can grow up to be anything they want, including President of the United States.

That dream, staying viable, being reinvigorated, will do more for this country than any economic policy or any legislation that could ever be passed

...The election of Barack Obama is a shot of adrenaline for those who felt they could never participate in the American Dream.

How do you stimulate and turn around the economy in this day and age ? Motivate those who in the past couldn’t , wouldn’t or didn’t, into those who can and do. Motivate those who can and do, to continue to innovate and increase productivity.

As any successful CEO will tell you, leadership, vision and motivation has far more impact on results than any tax cut or increase. While I prefer lower taxes, I can tell you that no entrepreneur or CEO worth a damn in this country gives up or works less because of a change in tax policy. In this country you work harder to achieve your dreams and goals.

...I’m incredibly proud and excited to be part of this moment in our history. I believe that the election of President Obama will energize many, many more of our fellow citizens to work harder to achieve our goals.
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Overlooking the fact that he's diminishing Obama to a token black figurehead, and the fact I believe Obama's policies may change this country a great deal and for the better, I hope he's right. I hope the campaign we witnessed last year is only the beginning of a synergy yet unseen in American history. Could be awesome.
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Speaking of biking, I made a terrible decision today: to bike to work without regard to the temperature outside. I'm looking at the current temps, and currently we are experiencing 9 degrees above zero that "feels like" 2-below. This means that an hour and a half ago, it was much colder. I've never been so unhappy to be on my bike. I missed the morning forecast as the Today show was hell-bent on catching a glimpse of the Obama family entering a limo... in fact, I didn't even get to see that. Oh well, I have 6 more hours to decide if I want to bike home in steamy 14 degrees, or ask my boss for a ride. Oh yeah, and a semi-truck ran me off the road. Fortunately, my tires cut right through the snow piled alongside the curb and I was able to quickly turn into a parking lot.

Prop h8

Here's a funny video called "Prop 8 - The Musical." It features a plethora of funny comedians including Jack Black, the Walk Hard/Stepbrothers guy, the Doogie Howser/How I Met Your Mother dude, the dude from The Office, a woman from SNL, and the tatt-ed up comedian chick, and more people I recognize but can't name who's past roles I can't place...

I think it is an abomination ("Obama-nation!") that Proposition 8 passed, restricting the rights of many Californians and further entwining Church & State.
The video does a good job of highlighting several hypocrisies of those who translate the Bible literally. Unfortunately the people who produced the video didn't think of this until after the election...
I don't know enough to understand if the amendment can be re-amended through a vote in the future, or perhaps by some sort of federal action. I did hear an interesting comment on NPR a few weeks ago that stuck with me, though. I need to paraphrase here, but the comment was along the lines that overturning the amendment (by way of all the protesting) would signal the failure or undermining of democracy.

Weekend Update

One of the top stories since last Wednesday has been the record-setting sales of guns across the U.S. following the election of Barack Obama. The Columbus Dispatch reported this morning that one gun shop near Salt Lake City sold nine "assault weapons" on the day following the election. A young mother in Virginia was interviewed while buying one of five guns she has plans to purchase before Obama takes office in January (article). I can appreciate the fact that her "family relies on game for food," but suspect that an additional five guns, on top of the guns they've been using for their subsistence, might suggest something greater. It seems that paranoid radicals are quickly building an arsenal of weapons--and this might be the most important part--of the semiautomatic variety.

Do they know something that we latte-sipping urban elitists don't know? I think a revolution is brewing.

I can empathize with the gun enthusiasts. I was enthralled with the anthems of punk bands that were warning of the police state of a corrupt government that was manipulated by a wealthy upper class. These politi-punk kids dreamed of peaceful anarchy but seemed ready to fight (ideally with a Molotov cocktail) to "smash the state." Similarly, pro-gun activists want to be able to protect themselves from the government, should an occasion arise. It makes sense in a paranoid kind of way.

But when we're talking about an AK-47, we're not talking about hunting for game or protecting one's family from an intruder. We're talking about an apocalypse. We're talking about an all-out war against the un-dead.

That's right: Zombies. I don't know much about them, so I'll wrap up my dissertation, but let us all take a moment to not only reflect on the charmed life we've led until this point but also the impending zombie war and the revolution that might just end it.
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In other news, I was interested to learn that getting the NRA to endorse McCain was like pulling teeth. This has me wondering if the paranoid radical conservatives would have been spurred to buy more guns had the election gone the other way. Then I remember the zombie war--which causes me to forget the previous thought--and I am comforted that a few brave men and women, and their children, will save the earth from tyranny after all.
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Also, over the weekend I witnessed a parked car with a license plate that read "NO OBAMA." I suspect the man or woman has a pretty impressive tattoo on his/her forehead that says "No Clinton" from the election in 1992 or something else that was temporally relevant and will forever after be out-dated. It has me wondering if "NOBAMA" was already taken. I'm not sure this person supports McCain--or Hillary Clinton or Ralph Nader for that matter. Although we can all agree he/she is definitely an Obama-hater. Either way, I was floored at the hilarity of the choice. I mean, I am stupid enough to wear bright blue shoes, knicker-length shorts, and a beanie-like cap every now and again, but the next day I could be naked as a blue jay.
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I still have shingles. It sucks and I have some blisters on my hand. I feel like Quasimodo.

+ Happy Birthday to Sue Love who came to celebrate in Columbus this weekend! Woop woop!

Reflection 08

Senator McCain's concession speech really touched my heart last night. His words were eloquent and gracious and he captured the historical importance--for all of America--of this election of Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States of America. It grounded my perspective, which had until that moment been so partisan and divisive.

This morning C and I turned to Facebook to see how our peers were reacting to the news. I was a bit shocked to hear the response of a few "Republicans." Words included referring to the "U.S.S.A." and a bitter declaration that the outcome was an excuse to not get a job after college and feed off the government. It is cynicism like this that I would expect out of a Democrat. In fact, during the past 8 years (which is the extent to which I've had any interest in politics, or an ability to participate), words similar to these characterized the sour sentiments of all Democrats regarding our Republican President. For that reason, Democrats had been characterized as Anti-American and unpatriotic. I'm not free of this charge. I have been very displeased with President Bush and am guilty of participating in the slandering and caustic rhetoric. Until now, most Republicans have been "proud to be American" and have proudly touted their "Country First" slogan. But now, following the election of Barack Obama, the tables are turning, and I'm hearing for the first time some Republicans expressing Anti-American thoughts. Granted, this is based on a couple Facebook statuses, but I expect the sentiment is more widespread.

While I am currently ecstatic about the historical importance of Barack Obama's election to the Presidency, I know the excitement among us will eventually subside and our expectations will challenge President Obama to hold true to promises, reach across the aisle to bring together our two major parties, and be the transformative President that we all should hope he will be.

Today is Halloween?

I just heard a sound bite of "Joe, Plumber" giving his surprise, out-of-left-field endorsement for "real American, John McCain." I've not been following Republican rhetoric too closely over the past week or so, but I've heard enough to piece together that Republicans have revived the lies that Obama is a terrorist and not a "real American."

On Wednesday, C and I watched Obama's prime-time television spot or uninterrupted "infomercial" of sorts. The best part--which C pointed out when it was over--was that there was not one mention of McCain. It was all very forward-looking and positive and full of solutions. I have a strong suspicion that a spotlight on McCain would have been very different, and focused on Obama.
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And apparently, today is Halloween. I'm disappointed that I'm not prepared at all. I've been out of town all week, I have no costume, no candy to pass out, and no pumpkin! I have to even stop handing out candy early to get to my soccer game this evening. It's all quite a bummer. Hopefully I'll find some time this weekend to eat candy, carve a pumpkin, cook some seeds, and dress-up Alden. Maybe I'll make an Obama pumpkin...

Voting happens on Tuesday, for those of us who have not voted early. Coincidentally I am taking a "personal day" on Wednesday, and was pleased to realize I might be able to use the day to either (1) recover from a long night of celebrating or (2) pack and move to Canada. Ha. Just kidding America, I love you.

Signing off,
Dave The Scientist

Cam-pain

Apparently John McCain has launched his "Joe The Plumber Tour"--which is ironic for many reasons that surfaced after "Joe" Wurzelbacher's fifteen minutes of fame during the last Presidential debate. It is another example of how the McCain/Palin campaign is relying on the beat-a-dead-horse tactic, hoping to win votes by repeating lies and untruths so many times that some people actually believe them. The RNC is taking up any slack by suggesting Obama is a terrorist, for example.

Meanwhile, Alan Greenspan just admitted "the free market ideology that had guided his life and dominated world capitalism for a generation did not work the way he thought it would" (source).

I have great hope that Obama will be elected President, but feel bad that I haven't done much to help promote him, outside of this blog. I'm not convinced that setting up a yard sign will make a difference, but I don't want to go door-to-door or intrude on peoples' personal time by making phone calls on behalf of the campaign. It's a shame to feel so useless at a time when I feel so passionate about this candidate.

I am proud to say that C and I just cast our votes, through the power of our wallets, for our new favorite radio station WOSU, 820AM Columbus--the local NPR broadcast station. I'll add a link on the right. Internet radio, especially NPR, has been a great source of music and news, as well as interesting stories and other great information.

Ok--I just sent off a pair of vintage eyeglasses to have lenses installed. That's about all the news that is news... Enjoy the weekend

Bore of the Same

I've been largely uninspired to post recently. When I'm not working, my mind has been occupied with Alden, C, or the competition for the White House. Unfortunately, this Presidential Circus is getting boring. While I heartily (and sadistically) enjoyed the Vice Presidential debate last week, and really enjoyed Saturday Night Live's spin on the event, I've been getting weary of all the malarkey--especially of that coming from the Republican camp. Anyways, I'm sure many others feel that way about Democrats, and all-in-all, it's exhausting, frustrating, deflating, and lame.

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In the face of my writers' block, I decided that I might begin an on-going series of biographical posts introducing cool people that have made an important impact on my life or generally inspire me. I would feature a photo of the person and a description. I could even include a little interview or questionnaire completed by that person. Maybe if I exhaust the seemingly endless list of cool people I know personally, I could extend my series to people who I've never met but of whom I know. So, get excited. This ish is about to get crazy good.

The distance

In just a matter of time, A Day in the Good Life has shattered the 2000 mark and is plodding its way towards 2030 visitors. I feel like life has been packed full of eventful happenings and the internet has taken a backseat to more urgent matters. The most massive of these priorities has been Alden's flea problem. Fortunately, it's not a huge infestation-size problem--but it is a persistent one and we're going insane trying to find a remedy.

On a positive note, the fleas have kept our minds off the looming financial crisis. Other than our (fixed-rate) mortgage, we don't hold much (if any) debt and all our other assets are cash. I wish I understood better the pro's and con's of the governmental "bail-out." Supposedly it would be bandage the expanding wound that is the collective of our economic problems. Probably, it would be more of a tourniquet. As little as I make sense of it all, I suspect there is some irony in the whole situation. Capitalism is looking for a socialist solution; Wall Street is the new family on Welfare; stocks are the new food stamps; republican economic solutions are the new democrats' massive government. I know these formulas are over-simplified. I also understand that a lot of Republicans are opposed to the proposed bail-out--but I don't know why. The proposal doesn't appear to be a partisan issue. Why are people opposing the bail-out? Are they holding on to laissez-faires economic ideology? Or is it that they just want the bail-out restructured in some other way? What would that plan look like?

I am resisting the urge to get panicked. Carlyn's car is about to kick the bucket, as they say. I've been wondering if, in the name of simplicity, we should trade-in both of our cars for one new one, and learn to live as a one-car household. The question would be, would we get enough in trade to minimize our cost and save enough by eliminating car insurance, that we could afford a car with little to no debt and in fact save money in the long run? Thoughts?
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In other news:
1. The glasses I ordered (pictured below) were too small so will be returned, just as I will return to search for the perfect pair of vintage frames! Wish me luck...
2. Carlyn's parents invited us to join them in Hocking Hills over the weekend. They rented a chalet with a beautiful hilltop view. We hiked the ~6 mile loop between Cedar Falls and Old Man's Cave--which is at least three times longer than the longest walk Alden has ever completed. He made it the whole way with no complaint! I was super excited and proud of him. Overall, the retreat was much needed and really appreciated.
3. This weekend, Carlyn's mom brought down another shipment of plants from her garden to get us started on our lawn-less landscape. Hopefully by this time next year, our front yard will be exploding with biomass/habitat/food/color!

Probama

RNC speech

In light of the most recent post of my brother's blog, I've deleted almost the entire entry that I started composing last night during the RNC. This morning I added a lot of cynical interpretations of the party's stances on certain issues including marriage, social conservatism, and "real energy independence." While I disagree with Ryan that he should refrain from inserting his personal beliefs in his blog, I was inspired by his desire to "withdraw myself from the political mudslinging that permeates the television, newspaper, online news sites and blogs." I realized that everything I had written was as negative as the attacks that were making me so angry and that it would be best to try to write with a positive outlook.

However, I had already quoted a part of Mike Huckabee's speech from last night (which, coincidentally, inspired the title of Ryan's post), and I want to keep it:

"I'm not a Republican because I grew up rich; I'm a Republican because I didn't want to spend the rest of my life poor, waiting for the government to rescue me. John McCain doesn't want the kind of change that allows the government to reach even deeper into your paycheck; pick your pocket, your doctor, your child's school, or even the kind of car you drive, or tell you how much you have to inflate your tires."

This really made me angry. It really trivializes social services and care for the environment. The last few words say to me, "Don't worry about making technologies more efficient--that's laughably unimportant and has nothing to do with the 'Real Energy Independence' that only involves drilling." I think it also unfairly polarizes the working poor from their government. I agree that one's ability to keep themselves above poverty is admirable, but can't stand that others would be against developing government programs aimed at providing service to help pull others out of poverty. Is it not true that poverty in our society has the potential to send one into a downward spiral and entrench them in that poverty? Health care and education are tools that might help those people. I can't reconcile the claims made by Republicans that Democrats are seeking to "redistribute wealth." Certainly that is at odds with Capitalism and I have trouble seeing any fairness in that context. I suspect there are better ways of social organization that diminish poverty, while remaining fair...

All said, I can only rely on my own actions and hope that other individuals will be charitable and compassionate.