misc

Urban Green

I've been meaning to post this article for a while.  Back in October, David Owen wrote this article 'Green Manhattan' in the New Yorker .  He delves into an idea that I've often thought made good sense--that living in a compact, pedestrian, urban environment is actually one of the most ecologically friendly ways to live on this earth.  To use a business term, it scales much better than suburban, tract house living.

The Election

I feel like this some days.

Josh Rushing

Lost in the rush and comotion of the election was this gem.  Josh Rushing who was one of the main people in the documentary Control Room was on Fresh Air.  You can see that Josh Rushing is a nice guy who's also a PR guy, but you can also see he's some who's always tried to do his job and yet stay true to himself and his moral values.  You'd be surprised what you can learn from a PR guy.

The Mind of Alan Keyes

A look at the debate between Barack Obama and Alan Keyes. It's depressing after you've stopped laughing at the obsurdity of it.

Faith without Wisdom

I know that some may say that they've heard this all before, but I thought this article 'Without a Doubt' by Ron Suskind laid out very succinctly what is wrong with this presidency.

Beyond promoting their priorities over those of their opponents, this administration seems determined to permanently damage the country in ways that will cause pain and hardship for many while the elite reap a windfall, and much more than before are able to pass it all on to their decedents.

What's Christopher Lydon been up to?

I was just wondering what Christopher Lydon had been up to recently, since I hadn't seen him posting on his audio blog. I did a search on Google and came across this article that he wrote in the Globe. It's a nice endorsement of John Kerry--not one-sided or employing the same old sound-bite phrases. He tries to say both how John Kerry can be lame sometimes and how he can be very good other times. Christopher Lydon seems to be appealing to the better angels of John Kerry's nature to come out and show people what he's really made of.

Political Sewage

We knew Rove's sewage was coming, yet the swiftboat attacks still hurt us. Did we fail to learn? Or was the damage less than it might have been? Well, here's more of what's coming -- to this election and perhaps to American politics -- I still can't believe is accepted in polite company.

Closing America's Doors

Ok, I know I'm probably violating some copyright law, but this article is just too important to let pass by. Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class, lets us know what will happen to the US as a center of innovation and creativity if we continue to close America's doors to the talent that wants to come here either as visitors or immigrants.

"America's Looming Creativity Crisis"

Walking to School

Liked this Salon article about walking to school. Talks about some of the weird boomerangs of trying to get more kids to walk to school.

Conservative but how?

I printed out this article 'Hero Worship' by Noam Scheiber and read it a couple of times. It's one of the best attempts to get under the skin of George W. Bush and understand how he reacts and comes to a given viewpoint on an issue. Though of course conservative, Bush has zigzagged around on issues like the build-up to war and the political solution for post-war Iraq that aren't consistent from either a traditional conservative, neo-conservative or Powellian viewpoint.