Archive for February, 2009
One of the many intriguing aspects to the television drama LOST has been its take on fate. At times, the show has addressed the topic by either describing what appears to be random coincidences such as characters on the show interacting in the past or by using a much more blunt approach in discussing the destiny of a character. Season Five has revolved around the idea that six of the characters (O6) who have previously left the island, need to return to save the island. I have given thought to why the O6 need to return to the island and have reached a few conclusions as described below.
The concept of fate dictates that events in our lives are bound to happen. When you meet the guy or girl of your dreams, you were always meant to be together, but you had to find each other first. This implies that a script of our lives has already been written. That every decision we make, while believing that it is an action of free will is really a decision that has already been made for us. (more…)
When riding on the New York City subway during rush hour, you tend to see two types of people. Those who sleep and those who read; I fall into the latter category. My taste, which happens to vary quite a bit, includes the area of socio-economic thought, as found in Levitt’s Freakonomics and Gladwell’s The Tipping Point. I am intrigued by the concept of how what we take for granted, can be explain when analyzed using economic models, such as cost-benefit analysis and game theory. In recent months, I have tried to take a step back from my biases and view situations economically. One such situation has been the political climate in this country since the Obama administration has assumed power.
Only days before Obama took the oath of office, the de facto spokesman for the Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh, drew a divisive line in the sand when he uttered the words, “I hope Obama fails.” (more…)
Earlier this week, the North Dakota House of Representatives voted 51-41in favor of granting full legal rights to “any organism with the genome of homo sapiens.” This new measure would by default, make abortions the equivalent to murder within the state as a fertilized egg would qualify as a human being. While I would disagree that an embryonic cell qualifies as human life, I must give those North Dakotans credit for thinking outside the box. Since you cannot pass a law outlawing abortion due to Roe v. Wade, why not circumvent the Supreme Court decision and grant the act of abortion as de facto murder. Brilliant!
However, if this bill becomes law, there are a few other caveats that will need to be considered.
This is a notice for all those who live or work in the borough of Manhattan. When using an umbrella, please adhere to these following rules:
- Do not use an umbrella that is larger than yourself.
- When two people approach each other from opposite directions, it is the responsibility of the taller person to move their umbrella up and out of the way.
- If it is lightly snowing (as in flurries), there is no need for your umbrella… put it away.
- If you are using a clear dome umbrella… don’t… you look like a tool.
- When your umbrella is broken… splurge… buy a new umbrella from a street vendor for five dollars.
- Do not shake the umbrella to dry it off with people around you… there is a reason we all use umbrellas and it’s so we don’t get wet.
If you have any further rules, please feel free to share.
A month ago, with my iPod playing classical music, I hiked through the Negev desert. I followed my tour guy as we meandered through the rolling sand dunes. No one within the group uttered a word. After twenty minutes, the group separated and we each went on our own way. I turned off my music and scaled up the side of a sand dune. Once I reached the summit of the dune, I looked around and saw a friend on their own dune, a hundred feet away. I laid down amongst the sand and rocks and stared into the sky. I let my mind wander wherever it decided it wanted to go. Afterwards, our tour guide asked us to describe our experience of being alone in the desert, yet the only word that came to mind was that of being insignificant. It was hardly the religious experience that the tour guide was undoubtedly aiming for.
The desert is made up of millions of grains of sand and here I was, feeling like I was just another speck. (more…)
Anyone who knows me well knows that I was not blessed with any artistic ability. When I doodle, which is not often, I find myself drawing a series of geometric shapes forming some larger, abstract shape. However, my lack of artistic ability has never suppressed my ability to appreciate the work of others. In my old apartment, paintings graced the wall in each room. My favorite painting, a reproduction of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, currently hangs above my couch in my living room. Hardly an art connoisseur…
Earlier this week, the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) unveiled an exhibit at the Atlantic-Pacific subway station in Brooklyn. Along the walls, all throughout the station hang the reproduction of famous works by Pollack, Dali, Van Gogh, Warhol, et al. I have always been skeptical of anything New York City does in the name of art. The Gates of Central Park were supposed to add color during the gloomy days of the winter, yet I do not know of any person who enjoyed them. This past summer, the city unleashed The Waterfalls on the East River. But the eyesore of scaffolding took away from any beauty that could come from seeing a waterfall from beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. While on a smaller scale, this latest attempt by the city hits the mark. For those who are too consumed in the daily rigors of life to find the time to enjoy the MOMA, the MOMA has brought the art to you. I implore anyone who walks through the station, to slow down, look around, and enjoy… I know I will…
Does Alex Rodriguez deserve to be in the Hall of Fame after he finishes his career? The answer to this question is an unequivocal yes.
Baseball has been around for over a hundred years and it will be around for another hundred. The game has changed over time and has endured what could be described as different eras. The players of the “Dead Ball Era” cannot and are not compared to the players of today. How can one expect any pitcher of today to break Cy Young’s records when pitchers are used differently. The game itself is just too different…
As per the news article from Bloomberg.com
The stimulus package the U.S. Congress is completing would raise the government’s commitment to solving the financial crisis to $9.7 trillion, enough to pay off more than 90 percent of the nation’s home mortgages.
Consider the absurdity of that statement. Our government will have committed $9.7 trillion to help address the financial crisis and yet the economy has shown no signs of improvement. At the heart of this economic meltdown, exists a housing market that while still crashing, will not enable a recovery to take place. Now image if the government used that $9.7 trillion to specifically address the housing bubble…what would be the ramifications? Would the economy continue to veer south or would recovery be just over the horizon? Would foreclosures cease as to allow financial firms the ability to recoup some of their losses?
When a cancer patient comes to the doctor’s office complaining of feeling ill, is it in the best interest of the patient to have the doctor treat the cancer or treat the symptoms? Our government has pledged an ungodly amount of money that it does not have at treating the symptoms of the economic crisis… it’s time to wake up and treat the cancer. Sometimes the most painful solution is the course that one should take.
Yet another baseball star has been implicated in the steroid scandal that has consumed the sport for the last decade and this time it’s the game’s biggest name. Ever since Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record, Major League Baseball has looked upon Alex Rodriguez as the man who will one day restore dignity to the hallowed mark. However, with the announcement that Rodriguez used steroids in 2003, will baseball ever be able to escape the shadow that is the steroid era?
In 2003, Major League Baseball, in conjunction with the Player’s Union, enacted a steroid testing policy that would eventually get them ridiculed by Congress. The agreement called for anonymous testing (without the threat of penalty) during its first year and if the percentage of players caught exceeded five percent, then steroid testing would become permanent and punishment would be enacted. Without much surprise, 104 players were caught, far exceeding the five percent threshold. It was official… baseball had a steroid problem.
When asked about the delay in Congress passing yet another economic stimulus package, the president had these words to say:
The time for action is now. If we don’t move swiftly to put this plan in motion, our economic crisis could become a national catastrophe. Millions of Americans will lose their jobs, their homes and their health care. Millions more will have to put their dreams on hold.
To me this is eerily reminiscent of the Bush administration insisting that the country would fall into depression without an immediate approval of his economic stimulus package. Why have both presidents resorted to the use of fear in hopes that their bill pass through Congress quickly? Our economic crisis could become a national catastrophe? I highly doubt that a delay of a few days, even weeks will matter much in the long run when most economists claim that the brunt of the economic stimulus package will not be spent until 2010… so what’s the hurry?
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