Have a Pleasingly-Fine Day

Bonjour.  I'll be traveling abroad for awhile.  If you don't hear from me, you can probably assume I decided to stay in the Galapagos near Bali.  Please continue to treat this free blog as a shrine.

Have a pleasingly-fine day.

FG

Who is Flash-Ryan Danger Fox?

Who is Flash-Ryan Danger Fox?  No one really knows.  He’s constantly changing.  If he were a drink he’d be one part Hugh Hefner, two parts Joseph Schumpeter, one part Hunter S. Thompson, one part James Dean, one part Keynes, one part Henry David Thoreau, and two parts Riccardo De Nuzzo.  He is the most exciting man in the world who recognizes the excitement of and lives within the world of everyday banality.  He will grow old, but remain timeless.  Never forgets to play.  Often is nothing more than a whisper, but leaves a lasting impression on every person who spends time with him.  Only you can decide for yourself who is Flash-Ryan Danger Fox.  He already knows who he is…       

Ferguson as a Catalyst for Constructive Change

            The St. Louis county Grand Jury’s decision not to indict Officer Wilson in the incident involving the altercation with Michael Brown which lead to Brown’s death has caused a great deal of animosity and protest throughout the United States.  As protests are playing out, interviews are being conducted with experts across all mediums of media, and every person within reach of a computer is weighing in with their thoughts.  It has become abundantly clear that the case involving Officer Wilson and Michael Brown has come to embody more than just what transpired during those fateful less than 2 minutes of their encounter.  For many, this case has become a referendum on desired ethical change to municipal police departments across the United States as well as the United States criminal justice system.  Officer Wilson and the county prosecutor have become a representation that embodies all perceived injustices of how police forces fail to uniformly apply the law to minority groups and the perceived biases present in the criminal justice system against minority citizens.  The grand jury’s conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to indict Officer Wilson is seen as a referendum on the much larger issue of systemic problems within many municipal police forces.  Since the incident in Ferguson has touched a deeper problem in the United States, it is logical for us to focus on solving this deeper problem.  Even if the evidence had been sufficient for the Grand Jury to indict Officer Wilson, his indictment would not have solved the larger problems with municipal police departments across the United States.  The national attention and debate given to Ferguson should be used as a catalyst for the constructive, effective reform.  For the previously mentioned purposes of finding constructive reform, I will seek to offer three ways of correcting problems between municipal police forces and the communities they serve. 

On Creating a Pareto Optimal Resolution to the Washington Redskins Name Dispute

On Creating a Pareto Optimal Resolution to the Washington Redskins Name Dispute

            The debate or controversy, depending on the view one takes, surrounding the NFL franchise Washington Redskins[1] has become one of the rare sports controversies that has permeated into overall society.  Individuals who have never watched a single NFL game have an opinion on whether the Washington Redskins should change their name.  Whether the Washington Redskins should keep their name has become a societal debate.  In this essay I will argue that it is in the best interests of the NFL and the Washington Redskins to change the official name of the Washington DC NFL franchise to a less controversial name.  The NFL must play an integral role in facilitating this transition and for compensating the Washington Redskins organization for a loss of brand equity a name change will entail.  I will argue that there exists a pareto optimal scenario for the Washington Redskins organization and supporters of changing the name. 

             

Random Comedy Thoughts 2

Random Comedy Thoughts 2

-I saw a sign in a sporting goods store that said, ‘when women run, women win.’  That’s only partially true, men win too.

-I will not date someone who when asked the question, ‘What would you wish for?’ responds, ‘A million dollars!’  Why only a million dollars?  You’ve never heard of a billionaire?  Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Oprah?  A hypothetical genie in a bottle scenario is hardly a time to be humble.

-One direction is proof that humans don’t learn from their mistakes.

-The arbiters of our morality are the autocorrect functions on our phones.  My phone text messaging autocorrect will not recognize the word masturbation.  My phone is either looking out for me or judging me. 

Teach Twice – Social Enterprise

Teach Twice – Social Enterprise

A Compelling Non-Profit

Teach Twice - http://www.teachtwice.org/

Teach Twice is a non-profit social enterprise that takes folk tales from developing countries, turns those folk tales into children’s books, sells those children’s books in developed countries, and uses the proceeds from the sale of those children’s books to invest in educational development in the same developing countries the folk tales came from.  Teach Twice is unique in the sense that it has a self-sustaining business model that is not dependent on donations, giving Teach Twice unrivaled financial flexibility and independence.  Teach Twice is centered on an original innovative idea.

You can buy their books online and invest in educational development around the world at:

http://www.teachtwice.org/shop/

Gilligan’s Island, Seinfeld, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – Brilliant Interchangeable Nothing

Gilligan’s Island, Seinfeld, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – Brilliant Interchangeable Nothing

            Seinfeld is often called the show about nothing.  Depending on how you define nothing, Seinfeld is about nothing or common, everyday interactions which are so routine they feel like nothing of any note.  Perhaps the fact that Seinfeld existed in the realm of everyday routine made it relatable to many people, and the fact that at its absolute core, comedy, is universal.  A viewer didn’t have to live in New York, have been to New York, or even heard of New York in order to understand the humor and the characters.  One could take Jerry, Elaine, Kramer, and George and put them in virtual any city or setting and the basics of the show could continue without any meaningful change or interruption, which at its core, is what makes Seinfeld timeless and a classic years from now.

          

Taking a Proactive View of Mental Health, Specifically in Regards to Police and Military Forces

Taking a Proactive View of Mental Health, Specifically in Regards to Police and Military Forces

            The terrible incident that occurred in Ferguson, Missouri is tragic from any perspective.  Regardless of the culpability of the police officer and one’s opinion of how the incident unfolded, the loss of a person’s life is regrettable.  The incident in Ferguson has started many conversations about worthy topics of consideration throughout the United States.  A conversation that Americans should have more prominently is that conversation surrounding the mental health, and specifically about taking a proactive view towards mental health.  Taking a proactive view of mental health is especially important when considering the police forces and military of the United States.  The United States needs to generally take a more proactive view of mental health, especially in with our police forces and military. 

           

Viewing Education Policy as a Lifelong Process

Viewing Education Policy as a Lifelong Process

            This essay is meant as a general thought experiment in policy.  Its purpose is not arrive at a concrete and actionable conclusion, but rather to explore a more general notion about a certain policy that informs the way we view that policy.  The policy discussed in this essay is education.  I think we need to take a lifelong view of education instead of our current view that effectively ends with university graduation.  We as a society discuss much about the importance of pre-kindergarten education, increasing funding in our school systems, and providing better, more affordable university education, but we spent virtual no time discussing education once a student has graduated from university, be it undergraduate or graduate school.  To not consider educating people in any way after university, during which people will live the vast majority of their lives, is puzzling for a variety of reasons; … 

Reforming Unemployment Insurance to Better Address Structural Problems

Reforming Unemployment Insurance to Better Address Structural Problems

            The United States needs to a have a philosophical approach to unemployment services with a primary focus on mitigating recidivism rates amount individuals who routinely seek unemployment.  Instead of a system that seeks to merely find suitable employment without consideration beyond the short term, the United States should create a system that seeks to find employment that will be sustainable for the long term with each unemployed individual.  Seeking long term employment solutions for unemployed individuals will address the problem of structural unemployment in the United States.  Given the size and complexity of the United States, policies targeting unemployment are best administered at the state and local levels of government.  

           

Don’t Let Anyone Know You’re Working at Being Funny

Don’t Let Anyone Know You’re Working at Being Funny

            Any answer to the question, what makes someone funny?, can never hope of approaching a glimmer of being comprehensive or objective.  The criteria for humor seems to be quiet esoteric and subjective.  At best we can speak about humor in vague generalities that often are observed to be true, for instance, very attractive people are rarely critically thought of as being funny.  Another generality observed to be true is that people that are seen as trying really hard are not funny. Simply put, one cannot be seen as trying to be funny.  It must been seen as being effortless.  We want our comedy to be natural, to be a natural evolution derived from life, as it is in conversation.  Every person is funny to varying degrees.  Humor is part of daily life.  People living their daily lives are funny.  They may not be telling jokes, but they are funny, whether through incidental awkwardness, comments during conversation, momentary stupidity, etc., people are organically funny.  We like our comedians to be like people in conversations, to be spontaneously funny.  Even though a great deal of work goes into comedians routines on stage, they can’t seem to be trying to too hard.  Comedy is almost like a timeless characteristic that we appreciate aesthetically, like beauty.  We admire natural beauty more than someone who works out a lot and has plastic surgery, we appreciate natural beauty more, like a higher art form.  Which is why we don’t like our comedians to be seen as working hard, they have to appear to organically think of something and say it. 

Random Comedy Thoughts

Random Comedy Thoughts

-Do people trying to commit suicide turn to motivational speakers to get them over the hump?  Do books titled, ‘The Power of Intention’ work for them?  Would a Yoda inspired motivational speaker work for them, ‘there is no try, only do.’ 

-In high school the DARE officer would quote us the statistic, ‘92% of people who commit suicide regret it.’  How could you possibly obtain that information?  And 92%, that’s an oddly specific number. 

-How can any person who eats chicken admonish people who don’t eat free range chicken?  They care so passionately about the quality of life of chickens, but are ok with killing them.  That’s like wanting a death row inmate to have a McDonald’s jungle gym for a cell.  You want them to be happy in prison, but still kill them. 

-I want to buy a hun cal froyo machine for my place, to increase the chances girls come back with me at the end of the night.

Fear and Loathing on the Road to Boston and Back

-Got a late start.  Will have to skip Falling  Waters.  Couldn't find iPod radio player, so only have cell phone for music. 

-Before leaving for this trip, for the past few days really, I'm finally ready to end my sojourn into the woods so to speak.  It, among other things, seems so arbitrary.  Everything is in flux, and you better get use to it, cause its not going anywhere.  Got to enjoy living in the flux of change and never reaching a sense of whole, or a sense of contentment.

-about 20 miles east of Columbus, Ohio and I'm at the best rest area by outside terms I've ever been too.  It has benches and tables that look like foe modern art.  It has trees planted in round soothing circles.  Its all very clean and impressive.  On the inside, when one walks into the two connected buildings, one us immediately hit with the overwhelming smell of alcohol, raw alcohol that immediately dissipates upon entering the restroom area.  All of which is very clean.  And this rest area is on the Blue Star Memorial Highway, which is a tribute to veterans who have served during World War II and since.

-the drive through Ohio so far has been with beautiful Ohio blue skies complete with clouds, which both look great off of the green grass and trees.

-driving through Zanesville, I forgot about the prominent churches and cathedrals.  The city, which is mostly brick and has more than one downtown exit, has two prominent cathedrals, one a French gothic cathedral that looks like notre-dame, and a red cathedral that looks like the famous one in Florence.  All nestled in the hills of eastern Ohio. 

Synthetic Thinking About Media Bias

Media Bias

Synthetic Thinking About Media Bias.  Jon Stewart's Views and Opinions.


Jon Stewart Interview on Rachel Maddow

Jon Stewart on Crossfire

Race Relations and the Future

Race Relations and the Future

This essay on race relations, race and society, and the conceptions of race is aimed in the realms of theoretical and abstract thinking.  It is meant less as a specific policy guide but more as a thought experiment for rumination.  What follows is more a collection of thoughts than specific policies to be adopted by our elected public servants. 

The ideas of race and race relations have been topics of discussion and of great importance from the founding of the United States to our present time.  There are a multitude of many incredibly intelligent people who have in the past and currently speak passionately on the subject of race and I have no doubt they will be able to speak and write much more intelligently and succinctly than I.  I have no pretensions of adding greatly to the existing debate.  It is with these thoughts and disclaimers in mind I will begin. 

In a broader sense, racism should be defined as a human characteristic, in the sense that racism is colorblind; it can affect any human being regardless of their race, whether they are black, brown, white, blue, or green[1].  Racism as the process of ranking and differentiating based on presumably inherent traits which can be utilized as justification for discrimination can be employed by any individual of any race against individuals of different racial or ethnic compositions.  No one racial or ethnic group possesses a monopoly on racism. 

Whey Casey Neistat’s Filmmaking Style is Popular

Whey Casey Neistat’s Filmmaking Style is Popular

            Casey Neistat is one of my favorite filmmakers and I have more than a hunch that I am not alone.  His youtube videos have over a billion views.  His ‘Do More’ Nike commercial and youtube videos such as ‘Bike Lanes’ show his unique style.  I will expostulate on why I like Casey Neistat’s style and why I think his style has such mass appeal to others. 

            First let me describe Casey Neistat’s style as I see it.  His youtube videos at their heart are simply video clips cut and put together in a specific order.  He makes his own titles and often credits by shooting them as video and adding them later, as opposed to using a program to generate them, such as windows movie maker or imovie.  Besides audio, his clips are rarely enhanced.  This gives his videos a very home movie feel and look, they are clearly not polished products of much editing and enhancement.  Since a large portion to a majority of his footage is filmed directly by himself, his videos have an inherent first person perspective, which is enhanced by his narrations.  In my opinion, his style is an anti-establishment way of filmmaking, perhaps even gonzo.  He doesn’t seek to produce a polished, glossed, enhanced, or finished quality to his films.  I believe this is at the heart of why so many people find his filmmaking style entertaining, both immediately in a visual sense and at a philosophical level.

            Visual media of all kinds ranging from magazines to television to movies is a highly polished product.  Photos and videos have been enhanced to maximize color contrast and balance.  The human subjects of those photos and videos have been enhanced as well; skin smoothed over, blemishes removed, muscles toned up, proportions altered, and so on.  Something like 95% of images and video are altered or enhanced in some way.  The enhancing and altering phenomena have become pervasive.  These enhanced, glossy, finished photos and videos are the normal and thus are no longer impressive.  Since they are so overwhelmingly common, the consumer takes them for granted; they no longer catch the user’s eye.  Given this world where the consumer is fully acculturated to visual smoothness, something less polished, something raw is bound to draw the consumer’s eye, simply out of fact that it is different from 95 to 99% of other more enhanced media.  I believe this is the first way Casey Neistat’s style stands out and excites people. 

Changing the Format for Most American Sports Leagues from a Conference System to a League Standing System

Changing the Format for Most American Sports Leagues from a Conference System to a League Standing System

            Most major American team sports leagues are divided into conferences or smaller leagues and divisions.  The MLB is divided between the National and American leagues, the NFL between the NFC and the AFC, the NBA between the Eastern and Western conferences, the NHL between Eastern and Western Conferences, and the MLS between the Eastern and Western conferences.  The conference system with divisions is a fine way of determining a playoff bracket with the primary goal of regional representation in the playoffs, but does ensure the best performing teams, during the regular season, play in the playoffs.  Disparities in conferences or divisions can lead deserving teams to be left out of the playoffs and to deny fans watching the best teams in the playoffs.  If the ultimate goal is for the best teams to play in the playoffs, I believe the MLB, NHL, NBA, and the MLS should adopt a league table system ranked by win-loss records in a somewhat similar fashion as the English Premier League, in order to determine seeding in the playoffs.  The higher ranked teams will earn higher seeds.  For example, if a playoff included 10 teams, the top ten teams in the league table standings would be included in the playoffs and seeding done according to their rank, very similar to seeding a tennis tournament.  The MLB, NHL, NBA, and MLS have the ability to adopt a league table system.  The NFL does not have the ability to adopt a league table system due primarily to the nature of play of American Football and limited number of games.  Conferences and divisions can still be maintained in a league system to provide awards and promote regional rivalries, but they should not be utilized for determining qualification and seeding in the playoffs.

            The current conference system provides for great regional representation, with at least one team from each geographic region making the playoffs.  Many years the system of regional representation coincides with the inclusion of the best teams in the playoffs, but too often it does not.  The 2014 NBA playoffs were entertaining but the best teams did not all play in the playoffs.  Much commentary has been placed on the disparity in depth and quality between the Eastern and Western conferences in the NBA, with the Western conference generally considered much stronger.  This disparity in conference strength gives an advantage to teams qualifying for the playoffs in the Eastern conference.  It is generally considered that there were several teams who barely missed the playoffs in the Western conference that would have made the playoffs if they were playing in the Eastern conference.  So there were several teams that played in the NBA playoffs despite other better teams missing the playoffs.  For a fan of pure basketball, one would want to see the best teams playing each other.  Also if one is a fan of a team that was one of the best teams in a league, but was denied entry to the playoffs because they were in the wrong conference, one would be upset.  In order to correct these problems, I advocate adopting a league table system for determining the playoffs.

Steps to Make the MLS and Football more Popular in the United States

Steps to Make the MLS and Football more Popular in the United States

            At best soccer is the sixth most popular sport in the United States behind American football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and golf.  If soccer is to become more popular in the United States, its major professional league, the MLS, must become more attractive to Americans.  Making the MLS more popular will not on its own make soccer more popular in the United States, but it will greatly contribute to the increased popularity in the United States.  In addition the United States needs to do more to bridge the excitement gap between World Cups, ideally with another international tournament like the Copa America.

            The MLS must make itself a bit more like other national sports leagues.  First, the MLS should get rid of ties and make each game end in a win or a loss.  The MLS can use the same format as the World Cup, a 30 minute overtime period and if that results in a tie, then utilize a penalty kick shootout.  If the addition of 30 minutes of extra time is too much time for broadcasting purposes, the 30 minutes could be made into a 30 minute sudden death period similar to the NHL.  Another possibility of shortening extra time could be to go directly to penalty kicks.  Ties, especially a 0-0 tie, leave fans feeling cheated and unentertained.  People like resolution.  Ties which do not happen with anywhere the frequency in other major American sports leave fans unenthusiastic and bluntly, fans do not want to watch a tie.  Adding a definitive win or loss resolution to a game will help draw fans into a game and increase their investment in games which will have a similar resolution to most other American sports.

            Much of the interest surrounding the 2014 World Cup in the United States stemmed more from patriotism and supporting a US sports team than from general interest in soccer.  This patriotic sentiment can be used to the advantage of garnering attention for soccer within the United States by stoking it in between World Cups.  The most feasible way would be for the United States and the rest of North America to join the Copa America.  Having another international competition the summer after the World Cup would keep interest in soccer alive in the United States and build off of the interest generated from the previous World Cup.  A tournament combining conmebol and concacaf would comprise several top national teams in the world.  Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay have all won multiple World Cup titles.  Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the United States all advanced to the knockout round in the 2014 World Cup.  Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, and Costa Rica made the quarterfinals.  Argentina and Brazil made the semifinals and Argentina made the finals of the 2014 World Cup.  With all of North and South America the Copa America will encompass nearly a billion people and would provide very large opportunities for television and marketing deals across North and South America.  The addition of the United States and Mexican television markets would increase the popularity and marketing potential of the Copa America.  With the addition of North American national teams the new Copa America could utilize the same format as the Euro Cup, making it a miniature World Cup the summer after the World Cup.  With the large populations involved and prestige of countries playing in it, the new Copa America could provide a true rival to the Euro Cup.  The existing popularity of the Euro Cup would also provide another avenue for soccer fans the summer following the new Copa America, but not as popular providing that the United States will not be playing.  With the Copa America the summer after the World Cup and the Euro Cup the summer after that, these tournaments would do much to increase the popularity of soccer in the United States during the years in between World Cups.

               Building off of the exposure garnered during the new Copa America, the MLS should do more to schedule matches between Brazilian and American clubs.  While European teams enjoy relatively more notoriety with American sports fans, Brazilian clubs remain unknown.  Opening the America market to Brazilian clubs can be a great opportunity for Brazilian clubs economically from merchandise sales to television revenues.  These matches can also bring more exposure to soccer in the United States.

            Increasing the popularity of soccer in the United States will be a difficult and long process.  But if the United States is proactive and takes supportive steps, soccer can increase in popularity in the United States.       

The Tremendous Possibilities of the House of Lords and What the United States Can Learn

The Tremendous Possibilities of the House of Lords and What the United States Can Learn

            There exists a debate in the United Kingdom about keeping the House of Lords as an institution.  The United Kingdom should keep the House of Lords but transform it into a non-partisan house of consciousness comprised of leading academic thinkers across many disciplines appointed by a non-partisan national committee.  This new House of Lords would be devoid of any real legislative power and at most have the ability to delay a piece of legislation in the House of Commons one or two legislative periods, as the House of Lords currently can at present.  This new House of Lords would have the primary duty of advising the House of Commons and proposing legislation for consideration by the House of Commons.  Because this new House of Lords would be comprised of the leading minds of Great Britain who will be appointed for life, it will allow the House of Lords to leverage unrivaled knowledge without the political pressure which correspond to the needs of getting reelected.  Given that his new House of Lords will be comprised of members who do not have to go through the compromising electoral process and are appointed for life, its members will not fall prey to the corrupting influences of politics.  Members will be able to give opinions that are unpopular as well as propose legislation that is unpopular as well without the fear of electoral reprisals.  They will be a House of Lords above politics and with the ability to be utilized as a House of consciousness.  A governing body composed of the most intelligent people in society without the corrupting pressures of politics would be the envy of every democratic nation.          

Defining Electoral Districts Based on Population and Geography

Defining Electoral Districts Based on Population and Geography

            The United States needs to change the way we define electoral districts.  Our current process of politically based gerrymandering is not representative of the pragmatic center that most Americans occupy, disenfranchising many Americans turning our democracy into a spectators sport.  Politically based gerrymandering also allows ideologues and people on the extreme ends of the political spectrum to get elected.  Politically based gerrymandering also creates incentives for parties in power to move towards being ideological pure and hinders effective compromise. The United States needs to change the ways individual states define political districts.  Each state should adopt a non-partisan districting committee comprised of individuals without connections to a political party and who are experts in demography and geography.  Political districts should be defined by demographic and geographic characteristics, not upon political considerations.

            Our current system of politically based gerrymandering groups likeminded people together in order to create districts that are electorally safe for a particular political party.  With relatively safe districts skewed to one political side of the aisle or the other, political candidates do not have to moderate their message to appeal to a wide range of voters.  They can narrow their message to a specific group of people.  If a particular gerrymandering district is very liberal or very conservative, any candidate will have to be either very liberal or very conservative in order to be elected by ideologically pure and narrow voters.  In this type of electoral climate only ideologues and those that appeal to ideology over pragmatic solutions are elected.  This produces the phenomena of ideologically pure and extreme members of Congress.  These ideologically pure members of Congress do not feel compelled to compromise and reach across the aisle because they will not suffer any negative electoral effects of doing so.  In actuality their constituents will reward them for not compromising and staying ideologically pure.  The current politically based gerrymandering system creates elected public servants who are beholden to ideology over pragmatic effective solutions to the problems United States citizens are currently confronting.  It seems plausible that unless we change the way we define electoral districts, the political divide, impasse, and lack of meaningful legislative progress in Congress will not abate.  We must change the way we define our electoral districts.

Barack Obama: Man or Myth?

Barack Obama: Man or Myth?

There was never a shred of doubt that once he took office Barack Obama would disappoint and fall short of the expectations of his supporters.  It seems only natural enough.  Many Americans remain cynical and jaded by modern political culture and not only accept, but expect politicians to be skew their intentions and capabilities once elected to office.  We expect politicians to promise much more than they can deliver during their campaigns and then blame their lack of action on politics in Washington, the vague, universal rationalization for virtually any perceived problem in Washington.  In my opinion the American people’s perception of the failure of Barack Obama to achieve what he promised the American people in 2007 and 2008 is an exception to the general failure to achieve campaign promises, not in its result, because he has certainly failed to deliver on his promises to the American people, but in the way the American people perceived him and created their expectations for his presidency.  Barack Obama is unique among recent American presidents in the fact that he was mythologized before he entered the white house.  Barack Obama became to the American people more than just a politician he came to represent aspects beyond being a human being; ideas, wishes, an entire movement.  He was ascribed many extra-human qualities, in essence he became a myth, and what mortal man could live up to the expectations of a myth? 

Usually presidents are mythologized after they have left office and the changes they brought come to define their myth.  As time passes and they enter history, their shortcomings and failures seem smaller and inconsequential compared to their accomplishments, or the other way around and their success seem smaller and inconsequential compared to their failures.  It is as if looking at a petrified butterfly in amber, the amber magnifies and distorts the butterfly encased within.  What is unique about Barack Obama is that he was mythologized before he became and accomplished anything as President.  In many ways he was mythologized based on expectations, tangible or otherwise.  Barack Obama was able to construct a powerful imagine depicted in stark contrast to the image created by George W. Bush and his presidency. 

Gonzo Notes - Restaurants Visited During SXSW Trip 2014

Restaurants Visited Texas Trip

Austin

-Scorchy's tacos

-P Terry's hamburger stand

-Roppolo's pizza

-Stubb's bbq

-Magnolia Café

-Gourdough's big fat donuts.  Donuts eaten - Mother clicker, flying pig, mama's cakes, blue balls, baby rattler.

-Kirby lane cafe.

-John Mueller's meat co.

-Cherrywood coffee house.

-Blue Dahlia

-Salty Sow

Houston

-Anvil

-Brazil, restaurant and coffee house.  Ordered pepper sausage quiche and tamales.  And a Mexican mocha, uses better chocolate apparently. 

-Dolce Vita

-El Tiempo

-Blacksmith coffee shop

-Goode company bbq

Ft. Worth

-The Bird café

Gonzo Notes - Restaurants Visited on Sundance Trip 2014

Restaurants Visited Sundance Trip

Kansas City

-Oklahoma Joe’s

Salt Lake City

-Red Iguana

-Bruges Waffles and Fries

-Crown Burger

-The Pie Hole

Casper, Wyoming

-Eggington’s

Rapid City, South Dakota

-Independent Ale House

Gonzo Notes - Fear and Loathing on the Way to Sundance 2014

Fear and Loathing on the way to Sundance - Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana

-Just started off my trip. Freezing. Negative 5 below. With wind chill -22. Racing to get down and time. Missing the BC S national championship game. Hoping to get down in time before my friends apartment before he goes to sleep. Wind is brutal shaking the car. Cold maybe Low tire pressure. Gotta keep going on. Always pressure on these trips. Down to Nashville. Wouldn't have it any other way makes it exciting.

-944pm, Monday night.  Auburn is up on Florida state.  I just stopped at a rural gas station in Kentucky.  It was quite in disrepair except for the bathroom.  It had new clean tile, toilet and sink.  I've noticed this about gas stations in Kentucky the past few months  travelling.  They seem to be getting gas station bathrooms right.  Way to improve Kentucky.

-Just passed the giant adult bookstore Kentucky. Looks like a strip mall. But it only has one store one giant adult book store. Should say bookstores adult entertainment? From the right angle the highway you can see in. And catch flashing lights command of the inside. What an odd place to put an adult emporium? Or perhaps pure genius. Either way one of the Great American. Roadside attractions.

-Just passed giant T Rex. Holding a sign for dinosaur world Kentucky. Another Great American roadside stop. Damn had something better for that.

Gonzo Notes - Fear and Loathing on the Trail to SXSW and Back Again 2014

Fear and Loathing on the Trail to SXSW and back again - Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, and Back  

-there has been fog and often thick fog the entire way to Memphis so far.

-not a good sign all ready.  Two thirds the way to Memphis from Nashville and am already seeing shadows and objects that aren't there.  It was inevitable that this would happen, just alarming that its happening so soon.  Where will this end for me?  Does everything finally come home to roost?  A vicious rapture of retribution?  Pulling all my insecurities towards the heavens for all to judge, torturing me until they are violently hurdled back towards my heart, killing me with a calm, laughing, hissing demeanor my fears and insecurities.  I've killed myself, abandoned self restraint in the name of experiencing the real, unadulterated, authentic life, consumed myself, death would be a release, a cowardly selfish shift of blame.  46 miles to Memphis.

-in Memphis, saw what looks like a chain restaurant called Danver's.  Do beavers frequent this establishment?  Do beavers own this establishment?  Did a gregarious beaver named Dan start this restaurant and then franchise it out to other beavers?  What is Dan's disposition?  His philosophical outlook on life and profit motive?  Does he support Obamacare?  Who is this beaver?  Must we find him?

-at my friends beautiful home in Memphis.  I'm sitting at the gated entrance of his home, which is impressive because I am already inside a gated community.  Its quote large and ornate.  Luxurious.  Imposing. 

-went to the Germantown Commissary for diner.  Had pulled pork and ribs with BBQ beans tea and banana pudding.  Quite delicious

Gonzo Notes - Fear and Loathing in Kentucky Part 2

F and L in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia (July 24, 2013) 

-saw a gas station attendant north of Louisville who looks exactly like a sexual predator.  Bald, and creepy as fuck.  His name is Doug and he has a pedo-stash.

-weird places are these rest stops in flyover states.  Weird vibe, its 10pm and about 15 people mulling around outside.  Many look like they are contemplating suicide or in some intense Zen state of awareness that I can only hope to obtain.  Two guys outside on park bench with computers conducting logistics work.  Interesting.  If we all had more money we'd have flown.  Rest stops the ultimate refuge of the real hustler.   in the lobby of the rest area is a large free standing plastic case with an advertisement and information about kangaroos.  Just 110 miles north of Nashville in Kentucky.

-Friday, 405pm.  Leaving Nashville for Atlanta.  While still a bit outside of Nashville, saw a truck towing a flatbed trailer with mountains of watermelons stacked in what looked like flimsy cardboard boxes. Any cardboard boxes stacked horizontally and vertically.  I really wanted them to fall off the truck, come cascading off, cartoon style.

Gonzo Notes - Fear and Loathing in Kentucky Part 1

Fear and Loathing in Kentucky Part 1

-may 2, 10pm, currently at a loves gas station somewhere in the dismal waste land between Louisville and cincinnati.  The road is completely fucked, backed up for hours.  Got off at loves exit, many others had the same idea.  So many people just hanging out and chatting, it's a bit lively actually.  Random assortment of people here.  Fat asian guy to my right drinking two cartons on milk.  Kind of hot girl, the kind of hot that comes from working out a lot.  Black dude with three foot dreds.Odd juxstoposition of music - alternates from backstreet boys and james morrison.  In the right pissed off/ relieved state to enjoy this.  Prognosis - not god, slipping closer and closer towards the edge....

 

Lost most of what I wrote because my shit bb crashed again.  Two police cars pulled up.  Its over. 

UPS guy and a family, probably homeless next to me.  Probably I've in there car.  Father told his kids that he bought them honey buns to eat the next morning.  That's sad.  This place and this night keep getting weirder.  I really need to get home or get some sleep.  I'm. Teetering on the edge.

Just walked outside.  There are a bunch of fat white trash girls fighting over something at the pump.  One girl just slapped the other girl.  Now the other girl is talking about how the other one is to be on jail.  And the whole time the loud speaker is urging people to move on and remain calm in an orderly fashion.  Maybe I should rethink my opposition to reality television and soap operas.  This is quite entertaining.  What has become of me.  Why is this place making me question how I think and how I love my life.  Fear and loathing in Kentucky.  Crazy.  Five people to my left watching.  Its a speckle.  One guy is running up with his phone to record it.  Am I off the edge.  What has happened here tonight?  Now the police are booking the two girls, I'm sure diabetes will do the rest.  Better get back on the road.  Nothing better than driving when you've gone off the edge.

Gonzo Notes - Bonnaroo 2013

Bonnaroo 2013 Notes

Friday 2013

-got to bonnaroo late.  About 7pm tonight.  Trying to find Brennan in this jungle.  Right by my car I saw two lesbian girls having sex.  Were ok attractive.  Good way to start off bonnaroo.

-overheard a girl.  Just blurted out at a guy.  "what's that documentary called?"

-breathing in the smell of marijuana.  Waiting for Paul McCarthy to come on.  Brennan just put together a two pointed chair, so prepared.  First hot dogs, Gatorade, now a two legged chair.  Crazy.  Still no sign of molly.  The watch continues.

-a little high.  Group with multicolored neon gallons that are glowing.  Moving them around pleasingly.  Warmly. 

-Paul McCarthy's still got it.  I mean literally, he's still got it.  Using a guitar from the 60's and from the original recording.

-1027pm, we're all puppets now

-its still early in bonnaroo, hard to gage what is going on.  People are still so exuberant, tolerant, optimistic, we haven't recked anything yet.  The smell in the air(besides the weed), is palpable.  Its a kind of careful, precarious, carelessness/abandon.  The feeling that anything is possible, that there are hurdles, but it doesn't matter, nothing matters.  All that matters is that we're here.  Out collective energy, you can't see it, but it will produce the wave we can ride.  Our energy will carry us through.  We're not thinking or planning, that would dull our energy.  Our energy will solve all those vague problems, the idea that we're on the right side of history.  Everything will somehow work out, I will somehow find Molly in this crowd of over 50,000.  We'll see how far the wave takes us to shore.  It may be years, but will find out if it crested to soon, or not at all. 

-Brennan just shouted "just got paid"

-crowd getting anxious for zz top.  Chanting.  Getting bit rowdy.

-little kid of all about 6 is getting down in his light up shoes.  He's braking out the break dancing moves.

-just saw some guy with a bacon strips t-shirt covered head to toe in glitter.

-don't zz stop

-just overheard two hipsters talking about Toms shoes and what they wanted to do that was just like it.  Then the guys was like, "whoa, you realize I'm wearing Toms shows right now."

-at pretty lights.  Really tired.  The lights and lasers are so intense.  The guy right next to me on my right is juggling these really intense light circles that keep changing.  Its right in my peripheral line and killing me kindly.  They are nit gloves with lights at the finger tips.  Another person asked to see them.  The guy to my right said he's triping so hard, he 'needs' them.  He's on the edge.  Where does that leave me? Disorientation at bonnaroo.  Strange smells, weed and strong expresso.

-crazy flags and idols on sticks.  Buzzlightyear, the grim reaper, blue angle jet, eagles, dinosaurs.  What does it all mean in the lights?  Doesn't matter march on.

-giant Parachute, like the one we use to have in grade school gym.  People using it the same way, just high.  No games, just the thrill of having a parachute.

-psychedelic Christmas light up barn that beckons all that walk by.  Strange dj/edm/line dancing inside.  What is this place.  Lots of hot blond girls.  What can this place not produce and I'm mostly sober.

Justification for Some Degree of a Socialist State

Justification for Some Degree of a Socialist State

            Often I have encountered individuals who hold very firm and passionate philosophical views on the nature of political systems.  Rarely, upon further questioning, have I found the majority of individuals to possess the ability to explain why they hold these passionate philosophical views on the nature of political systems.  Simply put, many feel very strongly about the importance of their political philosophy without being able to explain why.  One could hold a very strong belief in the importance of government welfare programs without being able to justify having government programs as a concept.  Upon rumination, I wondered if perhaps I could explain my own views.  The essay that follows is a running serious of thoughts designed at examining a society, individuals within that society, and the role of a government in a society and any responsibilities to the individual a government may have.  Again this essay is a though exercise and not a definite view of society or an expression of my views.  At the end of the though experiment in this essay, I came to see the need for government programs as well as free market competition.  Both vital and both need the other. 

Voting on Same Sex Marriage

Voting on Same Sex Marriage

            I don’t have to tell any reader about the attention surrounding the issue popularly known as gay marriage.  With the Supreme Court is currently hearing the California Prop 8 challenge, every media outlet and partisan hack has been commenting, one way or another, on gay marriage and its possible ramifications for American society.  Will it open the flood gates for all kinds of marriage or will it normalize the virtual relationships, identical to traditional marriages in all but name, that many Americans have long been involved?  Will we finally give homosexuals the basic civil rights that they have long been denied?  These are certainly important questions, but I can’t help but wonder if we are overlooking the most important question of all that seems to be lost in the whole California Prop 8 spectacle, should we even be voting a person’s civil rights?  Should we put a person’s civil rights up to a popular vote, as we have done in California with Prop 8?  Should a minority’s civil rights be at the mercy of popular opinion and the tyranny of the majority?  The answers to these questions lie in definitively defining freedom of sexuality, and by extension gay marriage, as a civil right, and in our own, American history with civil rights.  At this point, overwhelming consensus is that sexuality is a civil right. 

National Debt

National Debt

            Most conversations revolving around the United States’ national debt and any plan to pay off the national debt are influenced too heavily by political considerations and do not take into effect enough economic or long-term thinking.  While this is understandable, it is not productive for the United States reducing its debt burdening in an effective, responsible way.  Too often conservatives boldly speak of paying down the national debt within a ten year time span, only made possible with truly draconian spending cuts, while liberals fail to give any significant attention to the United States’ ballooning national debt.  I will make several general proposals that will constitute the basic framework for a plan to responsibility pay off the national debt of the United States within a reasonable time frame[1].

Tax Structure

Tax Structure

In the future the United States will be constrained financially with paying down its considerable debt and paying increasing medical costs for retiring baby boomers.  In this new world of financial constraint, it will be important for the United States to be as efficient as possible with its resources.  Efficiency will be more important than quantity.  From my analysis, and I am not alone, the United States tax code leaves much to be desired.   In addition to being the longest document in human history, the United States tax code is very inefficient at utilizing the resources of the United States.  The current United States tax code and larger tax system is horribly inefficient for raising revenue, contributes to the lobbying phenomena of elected public servants, hinders the efficient allocation of capital, and is disadvantageous to those without a financial education and those who can afford financial counseling.  I believe to assuage these problems, the United States should move towards a tax system that utilizes a flat tax, both for income and corporate income.  The United States should also adopt a federal sales tax to be applied on top of state sales taxes as well.  The adoption of a combination flat tax and national sales tax will put the United States on found financial footing, will represent the most significant effort to contain lobbying in the modern era, make the tax system more accessible to citizens by reducing the financial education bias, and helps facilitate efficient allocation of capital.   

Gun Control

Gun Control

            Few areas of discussion are more divisive and provoke stronger reactions than the current debate about gun control and the legal status of firearms in the United States.  A partly subjective debate about the interpretation and limits of the 2^th amendment to the Constitution seems never ending with few chances of compromise on the horizon.  After the horrific events of Sandy Hook, Aura, and other tragic shootings, the call for gun control in the United States is perhaps nearing an apex.  In the spirit of this series of essays, I will argue that the current gun control debate within the United States does not address the core gun control issues that affect the vast majority of people and shooting deaths within the United States.  I will argue that the current debate does not discuss or aim to correct the fact that the overwhelming majority of gun crimes within the US involve illegally obtained guns, over 80%.  In addition I will also make a case for a political compromise that both the current moderate right and left can endorse that addresses the core issues behind most shooting incidents and specifically the shooting incidents that happen every day in America’s inner cities.  Before I continue, I would like to make an appeal to logic and to not become beholden to anecdotal evidence.  This author believes that any gun control measure that does not address the horrific state of illegal guns in the United States is a pyrrhic victory at best.

Healthcare

Healthcare

            The current healthcare law, the Affordable Healthcare Act[1] passed in 2010, is an admirable attempt at creating a national healthcare system that achieves universal coverage in a sustainable and nationally affordable way.  It is admirable in its intentions but not its execution.  The Affordable Healthcare Act of 2010 is a deeply flawed law that does not adequately address several core issues of the healthcare debate in a realistic fashion.  The Affordable Healthcare Act is at best a bad patch on an already bad system.  In addition to being inadequate for our healthcare demands it may have many negative consequences in many aspects of the United States economy and further divisions in American society.   If the United States wants to move forward with the Affordable Healthcare Act, many changes of a radical nature will need to be implemented in the near future in order to make the practical application of the law live up to the admirable goals of those who authored the Affordable Healthcare Act.  Or the United States will need to produce a new, separate law to address our national healthcare concerns, in the process making the Affordable Healthcare Act a worthy attempt assigned to the historical scrap heap.  If the United States is serious about addressing its myriad healthcare concerns, one of the two above prescribed courses of action will need to unfold.  Given the relative weakness and deep structural flaws of the current Affordable Healthcare Act, I advocate a completely new law to address our nation’s healthcare concerns structured very differently from the Affordable Healthcare Act.  I will discuss our current national healthcare concerns and challenges confronting the United States, then outline the structural and societal deficiencies and merits of the Affordable Healthcare Act, and finally I will outline a general proposal for a framework of guidelines for a new national healthcare system.  I want to iterate again, that these are ideas worth discussing and that they should not be taken as a finished product that is actionable in any way.