Common Sense

My Friend Kristen

2009-02-08T22:44:00.000-05:00

She writes a great blog about the Washington Nationals. The baseball team. In Washington DC. One day they'll be good. Right now, they are not. But she's an excellent writer and covers a bunch of topics connected to baseball. Read this:

http://wevegotheart.com/2009/02/05/women-in-baseball-jane-heller/

Until soon.

BD

Bailout

2009-02-03T13:19:00.002-05:00

Today's paper had a one page abstract of what the bailout includes. 435 Representatives in the House. 100 Member of the Senate. 15 Cabinet Members. 7 Cabinet Level positions in the White House. The President of the United State. If each of these, conservatively, has a staff of 10, that is 6,138 people that have been working on this stimulus package. And it takes one 25 year old barely college educated business owner in a farm town in CT 4 minutes to read it in the poorly written local daily newpaper to tell you that it is a waste of $880,000,000,000.00.

Throughout his campaign, Obama spoke about how small businesses are the heartbeat of this country's economy, and that his support of small business owners will be what drags us out of this recession (depression?). Amount allocated to small business: $1billion. Amount allocated to the Parks Department: $18billion. At least the jobless will have nice parks to sit in.

The investment in the energy grid is minimal. There is heavy focus on transpotation infrastructure improvement, which is probably necessay, unless there is a fuel crisis and no one can drive on our newly improved highways.

I genuinely think our political leaders have zero concept of what it is to live in the real world. This package makes no sense. The old package that went to Wall St has disappeared almost without a trace, except for the billions that went to absurd employee bonuses. But don't worry, it created some senior level jobs to help turn things around. Americans right? **BUZZER NOISE** Wrongo. They hire a majority of foreigners. We borrowed $700billion from the Chinese only to hire, who? Some Chinese People!

If you are reading this blog, there's a chance you're an educated American, probably in their 20's and obviously with an interest in politics and current events. So I ask you, have you ever written a letter to your Senator/State Rep? Why? Why not put together a well-written e-mail and blast it off so that at least your opinion is heard.

Senator's info found here.
House of Reps found here.

Until Soon...

BD

Phil the Groundhog

2009-02-02T13:28:00.002-05:00

Phil the Groundhog saw his shadow this morning, and according to tradition, scurried back into his hole to prep for 6 more weeks of winter. This may similar to the spin wheel that meteorologists use to predict the weather on a daily basis. And can't they name the replacement groundhog something new when he dies? Why is it always Phil? At least make it Phil XIV so there is a distinguishing factor.

In other news, Matt Lauer is obsessed with Blackberry, and Barack Obama says "look" a lot. But, he pointed out that Jessica Simpson's fat ass beat him out on the cover of US Weekly, so I'll get past it.

This week could be very telling for how the presidency is going to go. The stimulus bill heads to the Senate, where history would suggest it will be shredded until it definitely won't work and then be passed. But Obama swears that Change is now. This bill could tell whether he can pull it off.

Until soon.

BD

Banks and Twitter

2009-01-28T13:42:00.002-05:00

I just joined twitter, per a blog that Davey wrote. I don't fully understand it yet. At all. But Dave is not the first person this week who has told me to join Twitter. He's actually the 5th person. But for some strange reason, I trust David's social networking skills. Mostly because his skills have gotten him far. I don't know if I'll ever understand why. But I'm proud of him nonetheless. He also frightened me a little, because when I asked him personally if I should join, he simply responded "probably not. you'll run into a lot of people you would probably rather forget." He knows me well. Which brings me to the People You May Know tool on the more popular Facebook. Why does that exist? And why does it haunt me with people that I do know, but wished that I didn't? (As I'm typing this, I received this email: maggie shea is now following you on twitter. I love Maggie, and I'm afraid. The day that the overweight girl that used to work at Fordham's Student Activities desk, but struggled working the telephone and a stapler at the same time, "follows" me, is the day that I will remove myself from Twitter.)

On a less personal note, the AP had an article on the front page of my local newspaper this morning where they interviewed a mom that was laid off from Bank of America and is worried about losing her house. She was a human resources coordinator. For those of you who have had the good fortune to have never participated in corporate America, coordinator is 2 steps above the mail room. Shecan't figure out why the CEO of BOA and all of the other greed mongers who are too important to answer their own phones have not had to answer for any of this turmoil. And she's right. I can't find a web version of the article, but you get the idea. How is no one in upper management being held responsible for the downfall of banking. Just hand them 700billion and hope for the best while they blame the Human Resources Coordinators.

Until soon.

BD

Caylee

2009-01-27T12:34:00.002-05:00

So this is fucked 6 ways from Sunday:

http://www.cayleedoll.com/

A company is actually making a profit selling these dolls. 18" tall, press the stomach and it sings you are my sunshine. Audio taken from the tape of Caylee singing the song. They're selling the dolls for $29.99 each. But don't feel bad, $3 will be donated to charity. Which charity? To Be Determined. Ya, ok. Psychos. I genuinely hope one actually purchases one. I'm already questioning society enough, if people actually make a living off of this, I swear to god I'll move. Feel free to send these lunatics a hate ridden e-mail.

UPDATE: Sales suspended. Apparently I'm not the only who thinks this is ridiculous. Thank God. There is hope.

Until Soon.

BD

Clean Air

2009-01-26T11:29:00.002-05:00

Here's a NY Times article on Obama smacking George W. again. This time, the subject matter is clean air, specifically emissions and fuel efficiency. It doesn't take a lot of work to make Bush look like an a-hole, but Obama is doing an excellent job of doing so in the first week of his Presidency. Everything that he has done in week one has come with the subtext "Reversing Bush Policies." Not saying its a bad thing by any means;our former President, although I truly believe his intentions were good, wasn't very good at his job. And on Barack's part, it shows, if nothing else, he's trying hard to do good for us, more than our previous administration can say. The Bush admin still stands by time revealing that his presidency was no where near as bad as we make it out to be. But until time proves us all wrong, Obama is taking every step he can to prove us right. I love politics.

Also, here's an Obama Timeline, creatively labeled the "Obameter" keeping track of over 500 campaign promises and their status. Pretty cool to look at from time to time and see how he's doing...

Until soon.

BD

No More Gitmo

2009-01-22T13:17:00.003-05:00

Big news today is Obama closing down Guantanamo Bay's terrorist torturing facility. My only commentary on this is, I wonder what Bush and Cheney are feeling? Do they look back and say, man, we really were fucked up for 8 years. Or do the arrogant bastards still think their ways are the only ways to keep America safe. I guess only time will be able to tell us for sure, but still, I wonder what they are thinking right now...

That's it for today. Until soon.

BD

Obamania

2009-01-21T14:46:00.003-05:00

I have been in the fetal position for 5 days fighting off what I thought was death but the doctor insists is a small case of bronchitis. Barack Obama was everywhere. Flipping through the channels, it was impossible to find something non-Obama. The Disney Channel has Obama specials. So by the time inauguration came around, I was pretty done with the new president. And there was so much coverage, it is impossible to have any kind of review or thought that I could consider original. So I'll keep it brief. I loved his address. I think that he has genuine intentions and I think if anyone can fix it, Barack is the best option we have right now. The man has some work to do. My biggest concern is how separated our government is. I do not mean divided. I mean separated. There is a car czar, an energy secretary, a secretary of state, homeland security. And I would argue that they all go hand in hand. And none of these secretaries work out of the same office. Do you think they'll get together on Tuesday's for conversations over breakfast? I bet no. But maybe Obama's new Washington will surprise me, and there will be some meetings of people that should be meeting. To discuss things that need discussing.

Ok, back to my fetal position. Bronchitis. Blows.

Until soon...

BD

What the Hell Happened?

2009-01-15T15:45:00.003-05:00

This is one of the best written articles I have read, maybe ever. It's written by Tom Junod and published in this month's Esquire. This is the first time I have seen the mainstream media blame us. And he's 100% right. The intro is below, if it catches you as it caught me, the whole article (with a really cool drawing by Dominic McGill) can be found here

"There is this thing we do. It's a small thing. It's a formality, at worst an annoyance. We do it every time we buy a computer or a device requiring software. We do it when we download software online, and then when the software is updated. We do it in order to buy things. We do it in order to sell or share things. We do it in order to find dates and to expand the universe of friendship. We do it in order to express ourselves in writing or film or song, and then we do it in order to read and to watch and to listen. It is the act of everyone, and it involves everything. And what it is — what we do — is this: We agree. We agree to the terms and conditions of service. We agree to use a product that is not our own — that is licensed, not sold. We agree to entrust and, if our trust is broken, to forgive. In what might be called the opposite of the moment of truth, we are given a choice, to accept or to decline, and we accept. We are in the habit of assent, and so the world we live in is the world we have helped bring into being. It is the power of our powerlessness. Our virtual signatures are everywhere, and yet we lost track of them long ago and have no idea what liabilities they might entail — what we've given up and to whom we've given it." -Tom Junod, Esquire Magazine, January 2009.

Until soon.

BD

Ejecting From Economic Troubles

2009-01-14T12:39:00.002-05:00

I find this humorous, but it could just be my sick sense of humor:

A guy in Indiana found a way out of economic trouble: Apparent Death. The financial advisor that is going through a divorce and about to lose his license to operate his business flew his jet to Florida, reported his windshield broken, then pressed the eject button. When military jets were dispatched to guide the plane down, there was no sign of damage to the windshield. The guy put his plane on autopilot to land somewhere in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico and got a head start on his new life. Police found him yesterday in a Motel, still using his old drivers license and credit card. His plan obviously wasn't too thought out.

Maybe this is the answer to all of our problems. Just claim death and start from scratch. Wouldn't it be funny if this clown became a metaphor for our making it out of bad times?

Until soon...

BD

In Today's News

2009-01-13T13:23:00.002-05:00

Not a ton. Hillary is going through her hearings. Israel is at war, again. There's a party in Washington, D.C. next week, and way too many people are invited. A guy on death row in Texas pulled out his eyeball and ate it (to make this one worse, it was his "other eye." He popped the first one out in '04). And a baby was born with a foot growing in his brain.

I'd have commentary on all of that, but most of it is its own commentary.

I went to see the dance company Momix at the Warner Theater in Torrington this weekend. It was really incredible, unique and creative, literally like nothing I have ever seen before. My father came with me, who has the patience and attention span of a non-medicated ADD-ridden 6 year old, and he actually sat through all 2 hours without complaint. I was going to put a link to dates and cities, but their website hasn't been updated since 2005, so check your local listings.

My girlfriend also dragged me to see Marley & Me, which I was dreading, but loved. If you're a dog person, definitely worth the $10.

And in music news, Butch Walker's newest album "Sycamore Meadows" is being played for the first time by me and I love it. Also have become an instant fan of Griffin House.

Until Soon...

BD

The Death of the Album

2009-01-12T12:38:00.002-05:00

Let's begin by defining "album." Webster's defines it simply as a collection. In terms of this post, we are talking about music. Also known as a record, a CD, LP, EP. It is a collection of songs. Again for this post, we're talking about songs by one artist.

My favorite album is "Before These Crowded Streets." Dave Matthews Band's best studio effort to date. It is 50 minutes of musical bliss. Melody lines are unique but soothing, lyrics are brilliantly poetic, and full band jam sessions are just long enough to transition you perfectly to the next song. It has such a flow from beginning to end that you almost forget that the tracks change.

The sad thing? It was the first album I listened to from beginning to end with no interruptions in as long as I can remember. Why? The iPod. I bought my first iPod in 2003 when I was a freshman at Fordham. I had just started in the music business and was consumed by music. Plus, for anyone that lives in New York City, its one of the only ways to keep the crazy people from talking to you. Sorry, can't hear you, I'm listening to my iPod. You probably can tell by the white wires hanging down from my ears.

The beauty of the iPod is the playlist. The ability to be selective in the tunes you listen to. To create a list of songs that will get you from point a to point b with the perfect soundtrack. Going to the gym? Throw on the "workout" playlist. Writing your first fiction novel in Starbucks? "Indie" is your choice. Smoking pot with white people? "Hippy." Smoking pot with black people? "50Cent and Friends." Hanging out on a boat in the middle of summer and unexpectedly need a perfect mix? "On-The-Go-2." Phew, close one.

And if you are craving music, but no particular kind, just Shuffle All and hope for the best. Fuck, when did I download Rihanna? Skip. Griffin House. Sweet.

So then why are artists still creating an album's length of material? 12 tracks, 45 minutes, created to be listened to from beginning to end. But it never is. The album captures an artist in a period of time. The album has a theme. The music flows. A lot of thought is put into that flow. The songs are written for that flow. It is part of the art. But we aren't experiencing it in that way anymore. We are taking our favorite moments of that time and mixing it with our other favorite moments to create our own piece of art. Our perfect album.

If Patty Griffin was going to collaborate with Marc Cohn, don't you think she would do that on her own? Who are we to put them together? My point is this: Don't lose track of the entire album. Experiment with tracks, and if you like them, complete your album. The $8.99 you spend is a thank you to the artist, and might introduce you to something you never would have given a chance to in the first place. Turn the shuffle feature off. Listen to the music as it was designed to be delivered. It may completely change your experience with the songs. Listen to the album. Love the album. Send the album to your friends. Repeat.

Until soon.

BD

No Child Left Behind

2009-01-09T15:09:00.003-05:00

In a speech yesterday, as part of his "Thank God I'm Almost Done With This Shit" Tour, President George W. Bush asked President-Elect Obama and his team to see through the No Child Left Behind Act.

And my immediate reaction: Fuck No. Eliminate it immediately. To Do List: 1.) Get Inaugurated. 2.) Have sex in the East Wing. (If you arePresident-Elect, and you walk into the White House for the first night and you don't have sex, hire some cute interns) 3.) Eliminate the No Child Left Behind Act.

The idea behind No Child Left Behind is that everyone will be on an equal playing field in the Public Education System. A couple of flaws.

-Seems good in writing, but if little Jimmy has a behavioral disorder and can't sit in a classroom for more than 30seconds without throwing a toy or a pen or scissors at one of his classmates, he shouldn't be in the classroom. Don't like it mom? Send him to private school.

-You can't quantify education. Test scores are not an accurate indicator of knowledge or intelligence. I scored a 1250 on my SAT's and I can say that I'm a lot smarter than a few people I know that scored in the 1400's. And having a 4th grader take these tests? That is miserable.

-When you teach to a national test, every kid in the nation ends up with the same education. This destroys everything America stands for. Diversity. Acceptance of different cultures and beliefs. It's already bad enough that every kid in the country eats hamburgers from McDonalds, buys clothes at Abercrombie and goes to Wal Mart for everything else. Now you're going to give everyone the same education? How is someone supposed to develop an individual identity?

-Eliminating funding for schools with low test scores is COUNTER PRODUCTIVE. It is almost as backwards as paying teachers equal pay for non-equal work. This school really isn't doing well in standardized testing. Better give them less resources.

-I forget the exact saying, but basically if everyone was beautiful, there would be no beautiful. Same goes for education. If everyone is smart, there is no smart. There's just people.

We strive for equality for some reason, but our country can't exist with equality. Our responsibility is to offer the opportunity for people to succeed. It is their responsibility to take that opportunity. And if they don't, they have no one to blame but themselves. Government isn't good at politics, which is their job. If they aren't good at their own job, why do we continue to allow them to effect every aspect of our day to day lives that they have little to no experience in and zero business being a part of. Education needs to be reformed, but it needs to be done locally, and it needs to be done without No Child Left Behind.

Have a great weekend.

BD

Money Grows on Trees

2009-01-08T10:33:00.002-05:00

Where was the government 10 years ago, which is when I think this downfall started happening? 9/11 is often cited as the major turning point in the economy, but I think it is before that. The problem with the capitalistic model that this country was built on is that growth is necessary for success. Growth in and of itself is not the problem. It is everyone's fear of shrinkage. Of going backwards for a moment. But if going backwards for a moment sets the table for more growth, is it a bad thing? The George W. Bush era of economic politics should be remembered as 8 years of faking it. Massive debt was created and allowed to make it appear that our economy was growing. It was all fake. No growth occurred. In his time as president, how much advancement have we seen in technology? A smaller iPod with a color screen?

Globally, we can't even be considered competitive in development and advancement of new things anymore. And there is so much opportunity out there. Transportation, Communication, the Media, computers and technology, retail, GOVERNMENT. In today's world, there is zero reason for our government to be operating in almost the same way as it did in the 90's. John McCain said during his campaign for, you know, the highest elected office on the planet, that he struggles with using e-mail. AND HE'S A SENIOR SENATOR!

And now we are seeing the effects of faking it. There is no end in sight to this economic madness. But I'm ok with that. It is necessary for this downward spiral to balance out where we actually are so that we can get stability back and resume growth. Stability not only in our economy, but in our morals, values and every day lives. Greed and Deceit should not be welcomed in this society anymore.

All that being said, here's an article that actually show's the government moving in a positive direction. Updates and Upgrades to our infrastructure that will create jobs, advancements in education AND might even develop an energy product that we could SELL to other nations. Have an excellent Thursday. Until soon.

BD

Pretty Quiet News Day

2009-01-06T13:30:00.002-05:00

12 states in the Northeast have formed an energy coalition to try to lower the carbon footprint of the region. An excellent idea, we'll see if they can actually get it done. I have learned that putting a group of intelligent people in a room to make decisions almost always sounds better in theory than it looks in practice. Everyone brings their own ideas to the table, and when one seems no better than the other, it makes a decision next to impossible to make.

Roland Burris went to take oath as the Senator from Illinois today, and got turned away at the door. What a mess. And for those of you who didn't vote in 2008 because "my vote doesn't matter anyway," take a look at Minnesota where soon to be Senator Al Franken won by 200 votes, 2 months after the election.

I went to the gym last night at 5:30pm like I do every weekday night, and couldn't find a parking space. Everyone in America has apparently chosen fitness as their New Years' Resolutions.

My friend Dave has a blog that I think is brilliant, because I think he is brilliant. In a very different way than I think I am brilliant. He has knowledge of things like syntax and grammar and spelling that I generally just create my own rules for. Give it a read though.

Until soon.

BD

Happy Birthday Common Sense

2009-01-05T13:03:00.002-05:00

It was one year ago this week that I started this little blogging project with a New Year's Resolution. One Year and 120 blog posts later, I have come to a crossroads. Spare time has been a rarity as of late, and the news is so depressing that taking it in every day is almost never a good way to start the day. We are in a difficult time, and 2009 will prove to be the most difficult year in the lifetimes of anyone born after 1945. The economy continues to get crushed, without an end in site, and our country is faced with moral challenges stemming from corporate and political leaders that can't keep their hands out of the cookie jar or their penises in their pants.

But, I love being informed. And I have grown to love writing. This blog keeps my brain from cobwebbing and forces me to think about what is going on in the world, even if I don't want to. It is too easy to ignore the difficulties; but pretending they don't exist does not make them disappear. It is going to take strong, intelligent and creative people to stand up to these challenges and solve them. Without these people, our democracy in this country will fail, and a global meltdown of unimaginable proportions will forever change the way our lives are lived.

So I am going to continue my New Year's Resolution for a second year. I will read the newspaper everyday and use this forum to comment on what is going on out there. Hopefully it helps the readers stay more informed and offers ideas that may not have otherwise crossed your minds. If you read something you like, I hope you share it. If you read something you don't like, I hope you comment on it. 2009 should be a year of debate and discussion in an effort to move us as a society to a better place than the one we are currently in. Ahhh the American Dream.

Until soon...

BD

Senate Seats for Sale

2008-12-11T20:28:00.004-05:00

Well, isn't this politics in a nut shell? This right here is why every elected official in the nation should fired and not allowed to run again. They can all go find gigs rebuilding the auto industry or the banking industry or the real estate industry, and we should start from scratch. Its the only way that this Democracy will work in the long term. In the short term, the gentleman from Illinois should be made the poster child of what can happen when you are just a genuine A-Hole. Put him through so much hell in hopes that a few other d-bags for no reason see him and say, hey, maybe I should be a nice person.

I found this funny. I was watching the AM news where they were (of course) discussing the auto bailout. "The senate has made it clear that they will work during the weekend if they have to..." I wish I could properly portray her tone, but it was that of "this is so bad, someone might have to get up early on a SUNDAY!" Umm, it's the United States Senate. They only work about 25 weeks a year. They should work EVERY WEEKEND.

Finally, if you know someone that has more than 2 kids, blame them for traffic and for not being able to find a parking space. There are just too many people in the world. And, this might just be me, but I feel like the space around me is filling up with more and more genuinely stupid people. Ignorant, not nice, no common courtesy and no moral foundation to stand on stupid people.

I'm in a shitty mood.

BD

Recession

2008-12-08T19:59:00.003-05:00

This is a really great post from "Gail the Actuary" on The Oil Drum. (If you are interested in the world of Energy, especially the business of energy, its the best blog I have come across for up to date information.) This is an explanation in simple English of the credit crisis and why the economy is the way it is. If you are afraid of the way the world is heading, I wouldn't suggest reading this, because her basic conclusion is that we're all slowly being flushed down life's toilet. I, personally, disagree with the conclusions. But her explanation of debt is the best I have seen without needing a doctorate of economics to translate.

Click HERE to read.

Until soon.

BD

Plex/Billary/Autoworkers/Recession

2008-12-02T20:57:00.002-05:00

I have seen a few different sports talk shows debating the Plexico Burress debacle. For those of you living on a different planet, the Giants Wide Receiver shot himself in the leg at a night club. And it gets better. The night club knew he had the gun, and allowed it, as long as one of the night club's security guards stays with him. And then the dumbass gets shipped off to the hospital and convinces the doctors and nurses not to report the gunshot wound to the police. Anyway, Karl Malone (Forward for the Utah Jazz during the 80's and 90's), a lifetime member of the NRA and an avid hunter of all things wildlife goes on ESPN and gives a pretty great interview about professional athletes being targets of the scum of the earth. It is broadcast over every major news source (national, local or otherwise) how much money they make, and they live a luxurious lifestyle. People can be jealous of that. People can want that. So, athletes are targets. And then Karl Malone makes his point: if you feel you have so much money that you are a target, you have enough money to pay a body guard to do the shooting for you. And my follow up point is this: Don't be a fucking idiot. Just because you make $54million for 5 years of playing whatever you play, you do not have to walk around with a wad of cash, cars, chains and clothes that say, hey, here I am, I make a ton of money, and oh hey, did you see my touchdown dance? Yup, I'm a real doosh.

In other news, Hillary Clinton is going to be the Secretary of State (a decision that I kind of like), and a few news networks (cough, CNN), are saying that New Yorkers should be preparing for Senator Bill Clinton. And at least one blogger (cough, me) thinks that anyone who thinks that President Clinton is going to become Senator Clinton needs to put the pipe down. The guy makes $100,000 just to show up and wave his hat, and the price goes up if he actually opens his mouth and says something, and he answers to no one. There will be no Senator Bill Clinton.

The CEO of Ford is driving from Detroit to Washington DC in a Hybrid. And he's also taking the $1/year paycut. Looks like somebody at the Ford Motor Company reads a certain blog that you are also currently reading. Smart people. Still, I hope the government tells them to take a hike.

The front page of my local paper in CT, The Waterbury Republican-American, had the following headline "It's Official: Recession."

Until soon...

BD

An Observation About Facebook

2008-11-30T19:45:00.002-05:00

I graduated from Woodbury Middle School in Woodbury CT in 1998. That was my last experience with the public school system, and most of the kids that I had grown to be good friends with. It happened over time, but by the time I graduated from high school, I had lost touch with everyone. Middle School friends aren't the same as high school friends. My best friends in the world are the friends I made between the ages of 14 and 18. Something special happens in a person during those years, and you share that with everyone else around you. Not middle school. Middle School is awkward. Everyone is at different stages of development. It's uncomfortable. Point is, I haven't seen most of the kids that I went to Middle School with since my friend Stacy had a party in her barn immediately following graduation.

10 years later, I get a text message from my friend Lindsay. She calls me her first love, which I think is giving me way too much credit, but anything to boost my ego is fine with me. It's the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and she is meeting "some friends" out at a bar in town. So I go. I walk in the door, look around, and realize that I know everyone, no exaggeration, everyone at the bar. The entire Region 14 has made it out to the bar. So now I'm half excited to see some people, and half remembering why I have fallen out of touch with the others as I begin to mingle. And I realize something. Almost everyone that I have spoken to knows at least something about me. Some more than others. Some a scary amount. But something. All from Facebook.

"I saw you in some pictures, who was that girl you were with?" "hey, Facebook keeps me updated on your blog, good writing." "Who did you end up getting as your DD tonight? I saw on Facebook you were drawing straws."

Now, I was a junior in college when Facebook was in its infancy. I think Fordham was the 5th school to sign up because our Student Government president knew Zuckerberg or something like that. Facebook grew through us. But the next generation. The kids that are junior members of "the Book" now...Are they not going to need human interaction? It really was kind of fun catching up with kids I haven't seen in ten years, because I had fallen out of touch with them. But if I had never fallen out of touch, would we need to catch up? 14 and 15 year olds will be able to keep tabs on literally every person they meet anywhere. Spring Vacation hookups no longer become a long distance phonecall when you get home, they can literally follow your life.

There really isn't a thesis to my post, it just seems to me that we are witnessing a complete transition in the way that people communicate and the relationships that people maintain across the long term. I am not sure if I'm excited or scared or just plain curious, but it is interesting to watch happen.

I was also pretty surprised to see that no one got really fat in college...

BD

You Have Got To Be Kidding

2008-11-20T11:50:00.003-05:00

I have a meeting in 10 minutes that I'm not even a little ready for, so this has to be quick.

Lets try it on the consumer level. If your house was in the initial stages of foreclosure, and you called your rich but arrogant uncle, lets call him Sam, for a loan. And he said, come to my house and we'll discuss it. Excitedly you think, sweet, I'll take the Mercedes to impress him with my ability to understand luxury items. And then you get there, Sammy takes one look at your car, and basically says, you have got to be fucking kidding. Go home. Figure it out on your own.

And another thing. How can these overpaid, self-loving, expensive liquor drinking, fat cigar smoking, clueless pieces of shit not take responsibility for flushing a company that made it through THE GREAT DEPRESSION down the toilet during an economic crisis that does not (yet) come close to the size of what happened in 1929? Really? It's not your fault? It's the economy they claim. How is that a justification? If that is a justification, everyone that runs a business of any size can say that they are failing because of the economy. It is your responsibility as a multi-million dollar making luxury jet flying executive to ADJUST TO THE TIMES. Here's an idea. Take a pay cut you selfish pricks.
Meeting time. Until soon...

BD

ExxonMobil and T. Boone Pickens

2008-11-17T17:12:00.003-05:00

If you are interested in the state of the US and Oil, give this a read. It is an article in the NY Times and includes and interview with ExxonMobil (XOM) CEO Rex Tillerson. For me, this is one of the most frustrating articles I have read since I started this newspaper project last New Years. XOM is the largest company in the world. They have access to cash, they have a huge pool of employees and resources, and yet, this article makes it seem like they have little to no intention of investing in our energy future beyond oil.

Know this: We are going to run out of oil. Whether it is in 2010 or in 2050, eventually, there will be no more. For Tillerson to say in one sentence that XOM is a successful company because they have long term vision and in the next say that he does not see anything other than oil based energy usable in the future is a small conflict. Because if oil is it, we have a serious problem. Because we're going to run out. It's not a question of if we will run out, it is a question of when. Anyone interested in more, check out The Oil Drum, or give a Google search for Peak Oil.

As someone that is in direct contact with Mobil on a day to day basis, they are not a company that I look forward to working with anymore than I have to. They are greedy. They are short sighted. And they have no one's best intentions but their own in mind. My father has a saying that I always refer to when it comes business: "Pigs get fed. Hogs get slaughtered." XOM is a hog, and although they are the most successful company in the world, the long term future does not look good.

Just one guy's prediction.

Also, check out this video from NBC's Meet the Press. The first segment is interesting regarding a government bailout of the automobile industry. But in terms of energy, watch the interview with oil Tycoon turned self-proclaimed wind energy guru T. Boone Pickens. He gives a different insight into the future of energy.

Until soon...

BD

Caught Up On Music

2008-11-17T16:59:00.003-05:00

I had a few CD's sitting in my pile of things to listen to, but just as I couldn't get myself to write here, I couldn't get myself to import them into iTunes.

1.) Kings of Leon - Only By The Night. Go buy it right now. Seriously. Minimize this window. Go to iTunes, and buy the album. If you don't trust me and want a sample, get "Use Somebody" first. And then complete the album. Because you will love it. You should be listening to Kings of Leon before you move onto number two. Wait for it...Wait for it...

2.) The Hold Steady - Bruce Springsteenesque. Out on the road with Drive By Truckers swapping headline spots (Thanks Feebs). Album is good, not great. The Song "Lord, I'm Discouraged" is beyond great. Worth $.99. Album is worth $9.99 if you love music and can keep an open mind. If your favorite radio station is owned by Clear Channel, just get the single.

3.) Needtobreathe - "Washed by the Water" and "Need More Time" are great test tracks to see if you're into the band. I love the band. Direct quote from my 20-year-old hippy of a sister "I'm listening to this on repeat for the rest of my life."

4.) Ray Lamontagne - Trouble is one of my top 10 favorite albums of all time. Gossip in the Grain, the new album, doesn't really do it for me. As a whole, just ok. First 2 tracks are great. I think the thing that bothers me is the all over the place nature of the album as a whole. There is a blues track. There is a down home old style Adirondack country track. There is a soul track. There is a folk track. And there is very little transition between the styles. No flow.

5.) Bon Iver - If you like drugs, you will like this. It's cool. Different. But cool.

Ok, that's all for now. Let me know what you think of any of these, and if you have any good stuff, send it my way. Legally of course.

BD

I voted for...

2008-11-17T16:41:00.002-05:00

Barack Obama. It was truly difficult, as I do love being a Republican. My hand was shaking as I filled in the little bubble and my knees buckled as I ran it through the scanner. But I did it. I voted for a Democrat. And to be quite honest, I'm excited. The air has a bit of jolt in it that has been missing for my entire adult life. Both of my parents are life long Republicans, so it is hard to gauge from them if this feeling has ever existed before. But the global celebrations that occured were fun to watch. I did miss New York City on election night. I was home on the couch, frantically flipping channels, trying to find a newscaster that didn't make me want to drive sharp pencils into my temples (a failing effort. Much like Republicans, the news media needs a big makeover). But the youth and diversity that I saw in Times Square and in the Chicago park did make me a little jealous. A few points:

1.) If John McCain spoke for two years in the manner he spoke in his concession speech, I would have voted for him, and probably would have even volunteered for his campaign. It took a lost election for him to find a positive message and deliver at least a bit of hope to his failing party. A message that was obviously lost amongst his audience because...

2.) Republicans won the asshole contest. How can you boo? The scariest part is, McCain's party was invite only. You had to have an invitation to go. Who do you think was on the short list of people to receive invitations? The guy that donated $100 and sat at a calling station in Jupiter FL for a couple of hours? Negative. The party leaders. The largest donors. The top of tier of the entire political right was at the party. And they booed. McCain gives a speech that could well define his political career, and they booed. Republicans need to take a 6 month nap, bandage up the wounds, take a class on how to use YouTube and a Blackberry, maybe design a new logo, come up with some new ground to stand on, and hopefully come back strong by 2012. Or 2016? There is no youth to the Republicans. No fire. It is sad and it needs to be addressed by party leadership. Except. They're old. Really old.

3.) Barack may or may not have taken public speaking lessons from a preacher. His victory speech was a little too preachy for me. Also a little scary to me is the fact that he has written 2, not 1 but 2, autobiographies before his 50th birthday. Not even I love myself that much, and anyone that knows me personally will probably tell you right away that I love myself a lot.

4.) I am legitimately scared that someone is going to shoot at him. I was clenching couch cushions as I watched the speech. When they finally zoomed out and I saw the bulletproof glass, I felt better. And I know the secret service is on top of it. But if it happens, I think it will be the straw that breaks the camel's back and could mean the end of democracy in the United States of America.

Ok, back soon with some music recommendations, and then Hillary for Secretary of State? Yikes.

BD

Long Overdue

2008-11-17T16:28:00.003-05:00

I hung out with my friend Tim from college this weekend. We went line dancing, and then hip hop dancing, and somewhere in between that culture shock, he reminded me I haven't written a blog since the Conventions. Time flies. So, after a long break from commentary, I am back and hopefully will be able to get updates on here every couple of days, so check back often. And send it to your friends. I'll have a couple of "celebrity" guest writers and should be able to cover a broad range of topics. And in honor of Maggie, I will continue to never proofread and thus be riddled with poor grammar. And spelling. Wouldn't be any fun if I had to keep it formal. Too much like the freshman creative writing class I had to take. And hated.

So, black people huh? Big month for them.

BD