The Marshall Plan

Creating a Vision for NYC's 42nd Street

2008-02-25T14:59:00.019-05:00

...and what a vision it is! I came across a group called Vision42 via NewPennStation.org (which is another site you should check out, by the way). According to their website:

"Vision42 is a citizens' initiative to re-imagine and upgrade surface transit in midtown Manhattan, with a low-floor light rail line running river-to-river along 42nd Street within a landscaped pedestrian boulevard."

This ambitious $510 billion plan would close 42nd Street to car traffic and create two lanes of east/west-running light rail service to replace the current M42 bus service. Many New Yorkers would immediately object -- don't we already have a subway that runs east/west across 42nd Street? Indeed, that would be a valid protest, as the 7 Train has stops along 42nd Street at Grand Central, at Bryant Park (5th Ave & 6th Ave) and at Times Square (intersection of Broadway and 7th Ave). Additionally, there is shuttle subway service on 42nd Street between Grand Central and Times Square.

So why do New Yorkers need a light rail system on 42nd Street? Well, for starters none of the subway lines travel far enough east or west to provide adequate access to the riverfronts of the East River or Hudson River. The proposed light rail system could drop off passengers right at the footstep of ferry terminals and the waterfront. Additionally, the light rail system would provide a quicker, cleaner and more efficient east/west route than the M42 bus currently does (the M42 only travels about 2-3 mph during midday).

New Yorkers will primarily argue that the 7 Train Extension plan is currently underway (I mentioned it here back in May 2007), rendering some of the benefits of the light rail system obsolete. This plan calls for two new subway stations for the 7 Train along the west side of Manhattan -- one at 41st Street and 10th Ave, and another at 34th Street and 11th Ave. Currently, only the 34th St/11th Ave station is funded, and the 41st St/10th Ave station will not likely be built. Comparing the two maps above provides clear evidence of the benefits that the light rail system could provide. With so many more stops serving as access points, the light rail system would be far superior to the 7 Train in terms of ease of use and convenience.

Additionally, paraphrasing from the Vision42 website:

"New York City can finally have a 42nd Street that welcomes pedestrians with space, greenery, and amenities, combined with speedy and efficient river-to-river travel, via a modern, at-grade, low-floor light rail line.

Very little has been done over the past half century to improve our city's environment for either walking or surface transit. Forty-second Street—where half a million pedestrians come every day, and where pedestrians outnumber motorists by at least 5 to 1—is an excellent place to start!

Pairs of light rail stops would occur at each typical 800-foot avenue, resulting in twelve pairs of stops along the length of 42nd Street, plus two pairs at each of the far eastern and western ends along the rivers."

According to Vision42, the benefits of their proposal are many:

Pedestrian Space: Pedestrians at street level on 42nd Street outnumber motorists 5-to-1, however, about 60 percent of street space is currently allocated to motor traffic. Vision42 calls this "gross imbalance" "unproductive" due to slow-moving traffic. Their plan would contribute to continued sustainability and livability on the street.
Economic Benefits: Vision42 projects $3.5 billion of increased commercial property values along the 42nd Street corridor as a result of improved crosstown accessibility. the corridor will also see an additional economic/fiscal benefit of $1 billion annually.

Efficiency & Environmental Benefits: The light rail system will be operational three years after the start of construction, which is very quick for a public transportation project in NYC. The system could utilize fuel cell technology, making it the first of its type, which would result in an extremely clean transportation option.

Future Benefits: Adding light rail along 34th Street to create a 42nd/34th Street loop would interface well for ferry service (see map below), while providing service to areas along the waterfronts that are projected to have new high-density development in the future, and which are currently long walks from existing rail transit.

A revised cost estimate was released on February 8, 2008 and is available here... the maximum total project cost is about $510 million in 2007 dollars, although it could be as low as . Vision42 notes that their plan is not entirely new, however. In fact, it builds upon a proposed 1994 plan that called for 42nd Street to be split lengthwise into a vehicular passageway covering the northern half of the street, and a light rail system operating east/west and covering the southern half of the street. While this plan generated support at the time, no action was ever taken to achieve the proposed goals.

As Vision42 notes, the inclusion of vehicular traffic in the 1994 plan did not provide for any improvement for pedestrian walking space. Without cars operating on 42nd Street, the Vision42 planners feel their proposal is far superior to the 1994 plan and will allow for the light rail trains to operate more freely, while providing an improved pedestrian experience. Traffic concerns are actually limited, and were most recently summarized in October 2006 -- they can be found here (full report here).

If this sounds like a plan you approve of or would like to support, Vision42 requests that you sign this petition to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, which asks the "City of New York to seriously consider the vision42 plan as a dynamic alternative to the continued dysfunctional condition of surface transit and the walking environment on this very central street of our city and region." Please visit the Vision42 website to learn more about this unique plan for a livable 42nd Street.

Architectural Undertones Shine Through in new MoMA Exhibit

2008-02-25T12:26:00.007-05:00

A new exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC titled “Design and the Elastic Mind” seems crammed with architectural undertones and it is an exhibit that I hope to see very soon. According to a NYTimes review by Nicolai Ouroussoff, “Design and the Elastic Mind” is “revolutionary” and “packed with individual works of sublime beauty.”

An online portion of the exhibition is available on MoMA’s website here, and it is certainly presented in an interesting manner, albeit overwhelming. The online exhibition encourages viewers to think of each piece of art as connected to the others somehow, using catch-phrases like “algorithm,” “nature,” and “architecture.” Users can actually click on those connection words and they will be directed to related pieces. Each piece is categorized under a label such as “Thinkering,” “People and Objects,” “Design for Debate,” or “Super Nature.” In the website’s introduction, the exhibit is described as follows:

“It focuses on designers' ability to grasp momentous changes in technology, science, and social mores, changes that will demand or reflect major adjustments in human behavior, and convert them into objects and systems that people understand and use.”

Later the introduction reads:

“Of particular interest will be the exploration of the relationship between design and science and the approach to scale.”

More and more often these days, we hear similar statements made by architects who design homes, museums, parks, and other spaces – social changes and revolutions in technology are becoming the driving forces behind design trends. Perhaps these changes are simply such large parts of our lives that it is inevitable for them to present themselves throughout our daily life in various facets of design.

One interesting piece from this exhibit is the Mercedes-Benz Bionic Car. Filed under “Super Nature > Biomimicry,” the so-called bionic Benz is actually modeled after a boxfish, a fish chosen for being “angular yet elegant” and “streamlined for easy maneuverability.” Engineers used bionic modeling to create the design for this car, which was introduced as a concept in 2005. The car itself is constructed of hexagonal plates – just like the bony structure of the boxfish – making it very lightweight but rigid and safe.

Similar design features are seen in another piece titled “New City” by Imaginary Forces, by Peter Frankfurt, Greg Lynn and Alex McDowell. It is described by Ouroussoff as “a projected three dimensional display of a virtual world [and] a model of an idealized society where buildings, cities and entire geographic regions all flow seamlessly together. It suggests how the Internet could be used as a testing ground for an emerging utopia.” Designed for the exhibition, this series of pieces is presented as a web-based virtual laboratory focusing on challenges associated with visualization, architecture, design, information, simulation, and experience.

“Contour Crafting,” by Behrokh Khoshnevis of the University of Southern California, takes a look at a new “mega-scale fabrication process” that utilizes automated construction of large structures. Similar to prefabricated housing, “Contour Crafting” is a process that would create large-scale building blocks for construction projects of various sizes. This unique construction method is automated process that allows components of a home, for example, to be quickly constructed fully complete – with plumbing and electrical utilities embedded in the structure – and architecturally unique. Khoshnevis notes that this process would be “profound for emergency-shelter construction” and “one of the very few feasible approaches for building on the moon or Mars.” Sure, this piece of the exhibit is a bit sci-fi, but the concept behind it is more than relevant with respect to today’s changes in construction techniques – I’ve written here previously about the usefulness of prefabricated homes, and “Contour Crafting” is simply a next step.

Another architectural design in the exhibition is “Emergent Surface,” by Chuck Hoberman, Matthew Davis, Ziggy Drozdowski, and David Wright. “Emergent Surfaces” is a series of connected surfaces that, according to the MoMA website can line up to present themselves with “minimal visual presence,” or alternatively, extend to form a curvilinear wall. The surface could prove useful by providing shelter or by filtering visual and physical communication between building interiors and the outside world. Filed under “People and Objects > Responsive Design,” this transformable design structure certainly hits on the “elastic” portion of this exhibit, since it is not only flexible in its use but also it is also able to physically change forms between a solid facade and seemingly fancy set of louvers.

Yet the exhibition may miss the mark in some of its pieces. Although I have not spent time examining each and every piece, one that sticks out as being somewhat distracting is “Chocolate Nipples” by Ana Mir of Spain. The chocolate replicas are just what you would expect, and they simply seem out of place at an exhibit such as this. According to the online portion of the exhibition, “Ana Mir celebrates the importance of a mental, spiritual, and sensorial dimension in architecture and design. Her objects have a strong physical and erotic quality.” These chocolate nipples are erotic, but to me I just don’t see them celebrating the importance of architecture or design in any way.

Like I said, I am very excited to see this exhibition at MoMA soon. According to Ouroussoff, “'Design and the Elastic Mind' is the most uplifting show MoMA’s architecture and design department has presented since the museum reopened in 2004.” If that doesn’t make you want to check it out, I guess there’s always the recently-opened New Museum, which I hear contains artwork even weirder than anyone I know can handle. At the very least, “Design and the Elastic Mind” will get you thinking about the how we adapt with regard to technology, as well as that elusive relationship between design, science, and scale.

Mile-Long Bridge in Dubai is an Architectural Dream

2008-02-13T12:31:00.007-05:00

When I say that the Dubai Creek 6th Crossing is an "architectural dream," I don't mean it in the bad way, like "Oh, yeah, the bridge is so ridiculous, it is just an architectural dream." No, no, no. I mean, it is like an architect dreamed this up one night after a bottle of red wine, and now it will actually be built -- THAT kind of dream. A dream project. Just look at it... it looks like something you'd see a Hollywood mega-director create for a film like I-Robot or A.I. using CGI.

Someone at NYC-based FXFowle Architects actually will see his/her dream come to life as this unbelievable project is constructed over the next four years. Dubai, the city of dreams located in the United Arab Emirates, is known for over-the-top construction projects. In 2012, the Dubai Creek 6th Bridge should be complete and will become yet another landmark for the sprawling city, which is undergoing a level of development that is simply unheard of anywhere else in the world.

Dubai is already home to the world's tallest skyscraper (Burj Dubai), the world's tallest and first and only 7-star hotel (Burj Al Arab), and multiple man-made islands (The Palm Juneirah, The Palm Jebel Ali, and The Palm Deira making up The Palm Islands, as well as The World Islands archipelago). According to the FXFowle website, the mile-long Dubai Creek 6th Bridge will stand 205 m (673 ft.) tall with an arch stretching 667 m (2,188 ft.), making it the "largest and tallest spanning arch bridge in the world."

According to Arabianbusiness.com, at 64 m wide, this bridge will contain 12 lanes of vehicular traffic, a metro rail line (the green line) running down the center of the bridge, and it will carry a pricetag of $816 million. The bridge will link the Bur Dubai area with Deira area of the city, which are separated by the Dubai Creek, and the project also includes a small man-made island in the center of the bridge that will become home to an opera house.

This project is part of a 13-year, $22 billion pulic transportation project in Dubai, which is expected to be complete by 2020. The bridge will become the sixth crossing of the Dubai Creek, joining four other bridges and one tunnel.

This bridge is a true beauty, and projects like this can really only happen in a place like Dubai, where money is no option. Aside from its height and length, which will make it a worldwide landmark by default, I believe that the Dubai Creek 6th Crossing will be an architectural landmark for many years to come based solely on its dream-like design. Congratulations to FXFowle Architects on this creative accomplishment.

UPDATE: The Effect of Rising Construction Costs

2008-01-31T16:46:00.001-05:00

Coincidentally, The Real Deal just posted an article titled: "Spitzer: state "struggling" with runaway building costs" at about 3:30pm today, only a few hours after I posted about rising construction costs.

The governor addressed the New York Building Congress today at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel and discussed a few of the impacts of rising construction costs. In fact, he called escalating construction spending the state's biggest problem. According to Spitzer, one effect that we already know of is the elimination of expansion plans for The Javits Center, and as I noted, the MTA's capital projects are also in peril due to large growth in building costs primarily related to commodity price increases. Increasingly, Spitzer said, only one bid is submitted for large contracts that city and state goverments have been bidding -- it is nearly impossible to successfully complete construction projects this way.

An MTA spokesman also mentioned that the MTA's panel on construction excellence will report in February its recommendations for new ideas to control costs on its capital projects. Hopefully, as I discussed in my piece earlier today, major decreases in project scale will not be their solution.

The Effect of Rising Construction Costs

2008-01-27T13:29:00.001-05:00

I don't pretend that I am a breaking news kind of blogger. Rarely, if ever, do I write about something that people are shocked to read. Rather, I tend to comment on what is going on around me based on my observations and based on what I've been hearing and reading. Recently, I've been reading a lot about rising construction costs, and the effect that this is having on development. I'll tell you this: it's a negative effect.

On Saturday the NYTimes had an article in its U.S. News section discussing this very issue, specifically mentioning the impact that rising construction costs are having on state and local budgets. Although I figured that the problem of rising construction costs may be having its largest impact in NYC, in fact it turns out that this problem is showing its face all across the nation.

But I was right in my thinking on one hand, since construction in NYC costs more than construction in other areas. That's a fact. So the effect of rising material costs, for instance, impacts building in NYC more than in other areas of the country. I think it will be interesting to see what impact rising construction costs will have on developers who are trying desperately to begin work on buildings in NYC that hope to qualify under 421a partial tax exemption before changes go into effect on June 30, 2008.

Of course, the NYTimes article primarily focuses on state and local governments dealing with rising costs related to projects in the infrastructure domain more than residential building. Well we sure are seeing a lot of that in NYC also. Scopes of work for projects such as the Second Avenue Subway line and the Fulton Street Transit Center are being re-thought and dramatically cut back to account for these cost increases. According to AMNY, the MTA insists that these capital projects will continue, but simply progress at a slower pace. Unfortunately, I strongly believe that the MTA will potentially be the hardest-hit constructor in coming months and years, simply due to the tremendous scope of their various projects, which include:

Those five project alone are costing the MTA and NYC many billions of dollars to build -- after rising material costs begin to kick in (in fact, they are already starting to kick in, with steel prices that already shot up 91% and concrete prices that increased 25%, reports The Daily News), the rate of construction for these mega-projects will slow down and/or the scope of these projects will be scaled back even more significantly. Perhaps the MTA has simply bitten off more than it can chew?

Clearly, the MTA has accepted this situation and is taking steps to remedy the situation. Its plan for scaling back the Second Avenue Subway line includes removing a third track in the uptown section of the line from the scope of work, which would be used to allow functional trains to bypass stalled trains. Luckily, no subway stations will be removed from the current plans. Similarly, plans for the $750 million Fulton Street Transit Center are being scaled back -- most notably, a large dome planned for the roof of the hub will not be constructed.

Both of those changes shouldn't have a notable impact on the functionality of either project. The Second Avenue Subway will still be constructed with the same number of stations as planned, providing much-needed relief for east side commuters. The Fulton Street Transit Center is still progressing and the finished product will undoubtedly revolutionize underground transport in lower Manhattan by linking twelve subway lines (2, 3, 4, 5, J, M, Z, A, C, E, R, and W) and the PATH train. But what about the future? If costs continue to rise, will these projects be scaled back further? At what cost are New Yorkers willing to endure years of construction only to face the reality of completed projects that do not live up to expectations?

Second Avenue Sagas writes, "Clearly, the MTA needs to find a balance between building a functional transit system under budget and constructing something that looks nice." His article focused on the addition of porcelain and granite tiles at the 59th St./Columbus Circle subway station, which is currently undergoing the final stages of renovations. "How do you balance form, function and visual appeal?" he asks. His question is a valid one. People will never be happy with construction projects that only provide functionality and no sense of form or visual appeal.

I have another question to ask, which doesn't quite apply to the MTA's projects: How do you balance form, function, visual appeal AND environmental-consciousness? Will rising construction costs play a role in the development of green buildings? Creating a building in any city that meets LEED standards adds to the cost of construction -- period. If the cost to construct a building now rises X% due to a massive surge material costs, will developers be able to afford the improvements that help to keep the building in the "green" category, and will they be able to spend money to achieve LEED certification?

I truly think that only time will tell. It is so difficult to predict the potential impact that rising costs will have, especially since nobody knows where the ceiling is -- that is, nobody knows just how much these costs will increase or how high they'll go. In a year, I could be writing an article identical to this one, describing yet another year of rising construction costs. Then again, I could be writing about enormous scope increases for various projects due to decreases in costs. I admit, that is unlikely to happen, but anything is possible.

As an engineer, I can live with construction projects that are cost worthy due to their functionality, so cutbacks like those at the planned Fulton Street Transit Center and the planned Second Avenue Subway line aren't too worrisome to me. However, if the same issues are plaguing projects a few months or a year from now, then I will have a serious problem -- because at that point, serious scope decreases will occur that will impact the functionality of those projects. Already, we know that the MTA's 7 Line Extension project will have one less station than originally planned. I would be a very unhappy New Yorker if I hear in a few months that the Fulton Street Transit Center will connect fewer subway lines than the current plan calls for, or if the Second Avenue Subway line will not end up with stations at sites that are currently in the plan.

But I won't get worked up over hypotheticals like that just yet. Plans aren't being scrapped just yet, and let's be honest... do we really need all that retail space at the Fulton Street Hub? For now, I'll keep an eye on things and you can sleep well tonight knowing I'm watching over NYC construction like a hawk. I'll be sure to let you know if there are any developments -- no pun intended -- with regard to increasing construction costs and the effect that will have on projects in this area.

Pre-Fab Homes as Art

2008-01-08T10:09:00.001-05:00

There has been a good deal of buzz recently about pre-fabricated/modular homes -- specifically, people are talking about pre-fabs as art as well as some pretty cool design advancements. Let's back up a bit first. Some of you may not know what a pre-fabricated home is... Wikipedia has a nice definition here. They sound sort of... to put it nicely... lame, right? Still don't get it? Try this site, which will give you a glimpse of what is possible with pre-fab.

I didn't think much about pre-fabricated homes until my college roommate, who actually studied architecture, showed me a project he was working on to design his own modular home. He gave me a brief lesson of what modular/pre-fab housing is, but I came away from his tutorial with a lot more respect for the concept of pre-fabricated homes. He explained that there is currently a revolution occurring in this industry, especially in the modernist genre. Before I learned about pre-fab from him, frankly, I figure pre-fab homes were only for people living in trailer parks.

But what makes pre-fab homes so interesting to me [now] is how versatile they are and more importantly, how inexpensive they are. These homes, many of which utilize very cool designs, can be combined to create truly incredible houses for a fraction of the cost and footprint of a traditional home. I had just never realized that those long, narrow homes I had always seen being transported on highways by "WIDE LOAD" trailers could become such beautiful residences. Take The Dwell Home, designed by Resolution: 4 Architecture for example -- this pre-fab is certainly a place I would be happy living in.

Like I said, pre-fabricated homes are relatively inexpensive, quick to build, and require minimal land. That makes them perfect for individuals who would like to own a nice home with a great design, but simply cannot afford one. These days, architects and designers are pushing the limits with regard to the traditional idea of pre-fab. In fact, the Museum of Modern Art in NYC has decided to showcase this revolution in pre-fabricated home design beginning July 20 in an exhibition titled Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling in the vacant lot next to the museum.

The NYTimes wrote about the exhibit earlier this month. In that article Barry Bergdoll, the chief curator of architecture and design at the museum, said that this exhibition really begins this month, because an important part of this exhibit is the process of creating these homes. In February, foundations will be laid in the lot, and from then until July the projects will be built. In June, the houses will arrive on site -- so off-site assembly, along with delivery of the homes, is an important part of this exhibition. Mr. Bergdoll is quotes in the NYTimes saying, "Once the house is here, it becomes a static event. What we're really celebrating is how it came into being."

An article at Greenbuildingsnyc.com mentions the focus this exhibition will have on on sustainable design in an article on its site titles "Green Meets Prefab in Midtown." As Greenbuildingsnyc.com notes, Richard Horden's Micro Compact Home, or "m-ch" is of particular interest -- this design has been in production in Europe for more than 2 years. His company, Micro Compact Home Ltd. has designed these miniature 2.6 square meter-footprint dwellings as:

"...an answer to an increasing demand for short stay living for students, business people, sports and leisure use and for weekenders... Living in an m-ch means focusing on the essential - less is more."

In November 2005, Horden built a small village at Technical University in Munich called the 02 Student Village, which was designed to live 6 students alongside Professor Horden. As described on the Micro Compact Home website,

"Each 2.65m cube features high technology, including broadband and standard internet links a plasma screen and high quality kitchen and bathroom appliances... The 02 student village of micro-compact homes at the Technical University of Munich has proved so successful that all six students living there have extended their stay for the full academic year."

Very impressive! This project serves as a testament to the potential that pre-fabricated homes hold for us in the future. Years from now, it is possible that everyone may live in some type of pre-fab home.

Also this month, at the Consumer Electronics Show, television manufacturer Olevia showcased a very interesting concept. Inhabitat wrote earlier this month about the exhibit, which demonstrated how Olevia products can be a part of a green living situation. Olevia displayed its flat-panel low-energy televisions in pre-fab homes designed by Los Angeles-based Logical Homes, which can be delivered in pieces that come in a single shipping container. The homes can be constructed in just a few days -- think of the tremendous use this could prove in a place like New Orleans, where new homes cannot be built quickly enough! Of course, pre-fabs like these would need to be constructed a few feet above ground on stilts to account for the potential of flooding, but the concept remains the same. Inhabitat writes a lot about pre-fabricated homes and I would encourage you to check out their site. Also, they have a good list of their top-10 pre-fabs here with plenty of photos.

And finally, I just had to mention this Oregon pre-fab studio that I came across on Inhabitat that really blew me away. It's not particularly large, and its design isn't particularly great. But the Watershed studio by FLOAT architectural research and design is another pre-fab that serves multiple purposes. Besides having a limited impact on its surroundings in a beautiful Oregon wetlands location, the 100 sqft Watershed home provides one writer with a small space to experience the ecological restoration and wildlife of that area. From the FLOAT website:

"The writing studio is designed to reveal the ecological complexity of the site to visitors and in this way it is successful: Small tunnels under the studio bring rare reptiles and amphibians into view through the floor-level window. The water collection basin that doubles as the front step draws in birds and deer. At midday, the silhouettes of these animals project from the water onto the interior ceiling. Windows on the west and north sides frame different bird habitats—the tops of fence row trees and the patch of sky at a hilltop updraft. The roof diaphragm amplifies rain sounds and the collection basin is a measure of past rainfall."

It's simply brilliant. And of course, coinciding with today's focus on sustainable design and minimal ecological impact, the studio has an "ultra-light" footprint and is completely recyclable so that when the project is finished, the materials can be reused. Imagine truly being in touch with nature -- besides camping, this studio is the best way to do so that I have ever heard of. Of course, there is no major electricity or plumbing way out there, so it's not a full home that one could live in full-time, but maybe someday I'll build one of these for myself as a weekend vacation spot where I could go to relax and think. Hey, I can dream, right?

Pre-fabricated construction is certainly experiencing a revolution these days. Between pre-fab as art, modernist pre-fab designs, pre-fab ultra-light footprints and even pre-fabricated villages, it is clear that we will be seeing more and more in the way of pre-fabricated living. And no, we don't all have to move into trailer parks.

Tower of Tomorrow

2008-01-03T12:52:00.000-05:00

After a month-long hiatus, I am back with a vengeance. Okay... maybe I don't have a vengeance, but as my high school football coach used to say, now I'm "cooking with gas." Did you think I was gone for good? That's crazy-talk. I've got a bunch of posts lined up and although I've been busy at work, I am determined to continue with The Marshall Plan. I started writing here ONE YEAR AGO. It's hard to imagine... happy anniversary to me! Hurray! Okay, enough gloating, it's time to get started.

I came across an article about a very cool building design today on a website that's new to me called Inhabitat, which seems to focus on "green" architecture and construction. The building is titled the Tower of Tomorrow, because the design calls for this project to produce its very own power -- talk about sustainable design! Inhabitat links from Fortune, which actually has an 11-page article about this building, complete with renderings and lots of details. You really have to check it out.

This building was designed by William McDonough, founder and principal of William McDonough & Partners, who notes that the tower "actually imitates nature" and "is like a tree." McDonough, born in Tokyo in 1951, is no stranger to green architecture/design -- in 1977 he was the first person to design a solar-powered home, which was located in Ireland. Fortune Magazine calls him the "father of green design," and Inhabitat even calls McDonough's newest design a "treescraper." Some of the design aspects in this Tower of Tomorrow that contribute to the idea of sustainable design and art imitating nature include:

Curved forms (which increase structural structural stability, maximize enclosed space, reduce construction material needs, and diffuse the impact of wind via aerodynamics -- hey, I studied aerodynamics!)

Treetops (instead of rooftops, ground cover on the building's roof helps to regulate temperature, protect waterproof coatings, and absorb/clean storm water)

Atriums (a series of three-story atriums lines the western facade of the building, while the northern facade consists of clear glass covered with positively-charged moss -- the atrium plants clean interior air, and the mosses actually absorb particulates in the air)

Water treatment (greenhouse gardens cleanse the building's water, recycling it for drinking or non-potable usage)

Design for location (the building's shape and orientation are specifically designed for its site, allowing for maximum sunlight capture from the park at the southern elevation and maximum sunlight exposure at street level)

Solar power (all that extra sunlight hitting the building due to the park located to the south can be collected by 100,000 sqft of photovoltaic panels lining the building's southern elevation)

Building skin (layered materials form the exterior structure of this tower and each layer serves a purpose, whether it be weatherization, insulation, or transparency)

Energy-saving workspaces (air is distributed underneath the floor rather than overhead, and devices monitor the presence of humans and adjust light/heat accordingly)

Recyclable materials ("cradle-to-cradle" -- a new concept whereby construction materials and building furnishings can be returned to the earth or reused)

Recycling energy (a heat-and-power plant will operate at 90% efficiency to provide energy that the solar panels cannot, and underground wells work with a system that circulates heat-absorbing liquid)

Is this building just a concept? Yes. But it is 100% possible to construct using these ideas. In fact, the Bank of America Tower is currently under construction on the northwest corner of Bryant Park in NYC and will utilize a handful of these ideas when it opens in 2009 -- the BofA Tower will be the first high-rise building to be certified LEEDS Platinum. Some of those ideas are currently utilized in buildings like the Hearst Building and the New York Times Building in NYC, both of which have received LEEDS certification. For more on LEEDS certification, check out the United States Green Building Council's website.

Of course, the Tower of Tomorrow would far surpass the BofA Tower, Hearst Building, or NYTimes Building in terms of "green" design. However, architects and building owners must ask themselves, at what cost does sustainable and environmentally-friendly design become inefficient? If, for example, the design features that would make the Tower of Tomorrow such a "green" building cost an extra $200 million (that's just a shot-in-the-dark guess value of mine by the way), would the money be better spent if it were invested in research for alternative energies? Perhaps, but it is difficult to say for sure. The first thought that comes to mind with regard to that question is the simple fact that alternative energy research would not yield results for many years, possibly decades (and maybe never), while sinking the cost into construction of a building would yield results in just a few years.

Regardless, McDonough set the bar very high for his peers with this most recent design, and that is what today's development climate needs most -- a challenge. In this video McDonough discusses his thought process behind the Tower of Tomorrow. "Design is the first signal of human intention, and it leaves behind a legacy," he says. "Our goal is very simple. It is a delightfully diverse, safe, healthy and just world, with clean air, soil, water and power -- economically, equitably, ecologically and elegantly enjoyed. Period."

McDonough also says he draws inspiration from his children. "What kind of world do we want to leave them? Do we want to leave them a tragic world, or a world full of hope?" Bow tie aside, McDonough definitely challenges the common citizen to perform at a higher level on a day-to-day basis, and to have fun while doing so. His design for the Tower of Tomorrow provides evidence that he is challenging himself to think towards the future, and in doing so he has created a stunning, beautiful concept of what skyscrapers in our world might look like not long from now.

Washington D.C.'s Newest Museum... Newseum

2007-11-28T11:23:00.000-05:00

The title above may just be the best I have ever come up for a post here... okay, probably not, but I still like it, because it sounds borderline witty. However, the beautiful new museum in Washington D.C. that I walked past on Sunday is actually called Newseum because it's all about the news. That's right... a museum dedicated to "five centuries of news history," according to its website.

The 643,000 sq ft building, which is located on Pennsylvania Avenue at Sixth Street NW, caught my eye because it is quite large, shiny, and brand-spanking new... its doors have not opened yet and interior finish work is still being completed. I felt like a child amazed at a large shiny object, but when the seven-floor Newseum (a 250,000 sq ft chunk of the building... the rest is for a 24,000 sq ft multi-level conference center, a three-level Wolfgang Puck restaurant, offices and 140,000 sq ft of apartments spanning 12 floors) opens soon, it will surely impress all of its visitors.

The first aspect of the museum that caught my eye as I walked past was the massive 74-foot Tennessee marble wall engraved with the text of the First Amendment of the Constitution, which of course mandates freedom of the press in America. The rest of the front of the museum is an enormous wall of glass, which is also quite impressive. The view is even more impressive due to a tremendous atrium (The New York Times--Ochs-Sulzburger Family Great Hall of News) that lies behind it, providing 90 feet of vertical space for Newseum to present the latest news on a gigantic 880 sq ft hi-def video screen and a Times Square-esque news ticker.

A large, wraparound terrace that overlooks Pennsylvania Avenue will provide stunning views. Nearly everything I saw was either made of glass or clad in shiny aluminum/stainless steel. Lines and edges were really crisp everywhere I looked, which reminded me of The New York Times Building in Manhattan. In fact, a lot of the design elements resembled those of Renzo Piano's NYTimes Building... no ceramic tubes stacked outside the facade, of course, but the huge amount of glass panels and stainless steel/aluminum surely made me think back to NYC.

When Newseum opens, visitors will likely be overwhelmed with the vast amount of information available, but they will revel at the method in which it is presented. The museum will house fourteen main exhibition galleries of news, including galleries devoted to (i.e. sponsored by) The News Corporation, Time Warner World News, ABC News, and NBC News, as well as permanent galleries featuring 9/11-related journalism, the Berlin Wall, and Pulitzer Prize-winning photography. The Berlin Wall exhibit will even feature an actual three-story tower that was used to guard the wall. Talk about realism! Newseum also decided to include a gallery that will serve as a tribute to journalists who have died in their pursuit of the news.

Additionally, Newseum will contain two fully-functional broadcast studios and fifteen theaters. Yes. That's right. Fifteen of them. The largest of the theaters, Walter and Leonore Annenberg Theater, will have seating for 535 visitors, while the others will offer visitors a multitude of viewing experiences. One of the most fascinating of these is the Big Screen Theater, which will contain a 90-foot long video news wall -- this reminds me of the video news wall that can be found in InterActiveCorp's new headquarters in lower Manhattan...

Other than the views I mentioned earlier, I wasn't able to see much of this awesome museum but building architect Polshek Partnership Architects did a terrific job from what I saw (see photo to right, borrowed from flickr but essentially the same thing I saw). Site work around the building appears to be nearly complete, and some construction machinery was visible inside the lobby/atrium space. There is plenty to explore on Newseum's website, including a virtual tour of the building's galleries and theatre spaces, as well as a tour of the exhibits. Newseum Executive Director Joe Urschel said was quoted on the museum's website:

"The visitor will come away with a better understanding of news and the important role it plays in all of our lives. The new Newseum will be educational, inspirational and a whole lot of fun."

This museum will surely be a wonder to explore and should provide an excellent opportunity for anyone to learn about the past five centuries of news media. I may even have to take another trip back to Washington D.C. after this fascinating place opens. Newseum is set for a delayed opening due to the complex technology being installed (video news walls, theatres and studios are considered complex, I guess), but if I had to estimate, I'd say Newseum will likely open in early 2008, possibly in March of April.

Praise for Renzo Piano's New York Times Building

2007-11-26T15:45:00.001-05:00

Great review in the NYTimes last week of the NYTimes Building... by a NYTimes employee! Okay, I suppose that fact doesn't warrant an exclamation point, but the truth is that nobody can really provide a better review than a writer who actually works in the building... also, I was pleased that I used the phrase NYTimes three times in one sentence. I actually spent some time in the NYTimes Building as it was constructed, which was a great experience. My consulting firm acquired a smaller firm that represented a foreign supplier that was subcontracted to provide a construction element for the NYTimes Building -- this entitled me to the option of tagging along on site visits whenever I had the chance. Walking throughout the building while it was still being completed was not only one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had, it also provided me the opportunity to learn about the construction firsthand.

Anyway, I was really impressed with Renzo Piano's building from the first moment I walked into the lobby, which at the time of my first visit was more of a giant open space than an actual lobby. Still, making the short trip to the construction site sporadically to check in on progress was more than worthwhile, specifically because doing so gave me the chance to see the building come together piece by piece, floor by floor. Each time I stopped by for a visit, the NYTimes building was closer to completion and today I am amazed that a beautiful NYC landmark building stands where I stood just twelve months ago.

The review, by NYTimes architecture writer Nicolai Ouroussoff, goes into great detail of what works and what doesn't in the fascinating building, which utilizes some truly cutting-edge technology. The review also contains a great photo slideshow that depicts some of the building's elements that Ouroussoff discusses, as well as an interactive feature containing really cool 360-degree views of various areas along with audio commentary. Just like me, Ouroussoff starts off by writing that he is simply "enchanted" by the 52-story NYTimes Building. Located on 8th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets, Renzo Piano's design provides a much-needed visual uplift from the dreary Port Authority Bus Terminal situated across the street.

Ouroussoff's two main criticisms include the tower's crown and ceramic rod facade/screen, but he also mentions the concerns of his coworkers, which include an abundance of empty space in the newsroom and the sterile look/feel of the glass offices. Regarding the screen of ceramic rods adorning the building's facade, he writes:

"...despite the architect’s best efforts, the screens look flat and lifeless in the skyline. The uniformity of the bars gives them a slightly menacing air, and the problem is compounded by the battleship gray of the tower’s steel frame. Their dull finish deprives the facades of an enlivening play of light and shadow."

Similar rods line the facade of Piano's 22-floor Debis Tower in Berlin, Germany also (pictures available here). I was never and still am not a huge fan of the look that the ceramic rods provide, however, I do understand their purpose and the decision-making process behind their inclusion in the project. The exterior ceramic rods work with the building's large glass window panes and photosensor-controlled interior blinds to improve efficiency in a variety of areas. Designed with help from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the thin ceramic tubes actually help reduce the building's cooling (energy) loads, while the automated roller-shades help manage potential glare problems, and maximize the opportunity for daylight and views -- this is called 'daylighting.' You probably wouldn't be able to tell, but the glass walls themselves are actually made of low-iron, water-white, double-pane spectrally selective glass. In fact, LBNL ran a nine-month study to perfect this system specifically for The New York Times.

So even though the ceramic rods are not the best look for the building's facade, at least they serve a purpose. Although the building's other negative design feature -- its crown -- also serves a purpose, the benefits are not nearly as great as those provided by the ceramic tube/daylighting system. Renzo Piano decided to hide the mechanical equipment located on the NYTimes Building's roof by extending the screen of ceramic tubes six stories past the roof of the 52nd floor. According to Ouroussoff, the effect was supposed to "create the impression that the tower is dissolving into the sky... yet the effect is ragged and unfinished. Rather than gathering momentum as it rises, the tower seems to fizzle." In my opinion, he is absolutely correct in that assessment. One design feature that still keeps me on the edge between love and hate is the NYTimes Building's large spire, which actually tapers from over seven feet in diameter at its base and at its peak, almost seems to pierce the sky. It seems out of place here, but it also works well with the building's sharp lines and definitely adds to the "dissolving into the sky" effect that Piano worked to create.

On the other hand, praise for the NYTimes Building far outweighs the criticisms. The lobby is large, beautiful and bright, creating a welcoming environment to the building's tenants. As Ouroussoff describes it:

"The lobby is encased entirely in glass, and its transparency plays delightfully against the muscular steel beams and spandrels that support the soaring tower. People entering the building from Eighth Avenue can glance past rows of elevator banks all the way to the fairy tale atrium garden and beyond, to the plush red interior of TheTimesCenter auditorium. From the auditorium, you gaze back through the trees to the majestic lobby space. In effect, the lobby itself is a continuous public performance."

Again, I agree wholeheartedly. In fact, the lobby and atrium -- an atrium that contains beautiful birch trees unseen anywhere else New York City -- may just be my favorite aspects of the building. He also describes a few other great aspects of this landmark building, namely the internal staircases, an impressive cafeteria and a double-height skylight well on the third and fourth floors where the newsroom is located.

The bright red staircases that connect each floor are quite unique... rarely do newly-constructed buildings in NYC contain staircases other than those used for emergency escape, which are often located adjacent to elevator shafts or tucked away out of sight. Renzo Piano designed these staircases to be visible, architecturally pleasing, and convenient enough for employees to quickly and easily move from floor to floor without the use of elevators (and electrical energy). In the event of fire, metal barriers extend out across the open space created by the staircases to effectively prevent fire and smoke from easily moving between floors, which eerily reminded me of The Titanic. Despite my imagination, the staircases really are a useful design feature rarely seen in new buildings these days.

An expansive, colorful, double-height cafeteria is situated on the 14th floor of the NYTimes Building, and just like the lobby it enhances the building's transparency. Circular, as opposed to rectangular, tables dot the cafeteria floor and a narrow, suspended balcony hangs overhead. The enormous glass walls provide employees with breathtaking lunchtime views of Manhattan in all directions. The tall ceilings also allow for a tremendous amount of light to bathe diners, which surely enhances any meal. The idea of bringing light into the building also comes into play in the building's double-height newsroom, which has its very own skylight (and of course those trusty red staircases).

Ouroussoff concludes his review by writing:

"Depending on your point of view, the Times Building can thus be read as a poignant expression of nostalgia or a reassertion of the paper’s highest values as it faces an uncertain future. Or, more likely, a bit of both."

I disagree with him here, because to me this building contains very little of anything nostalgic, nor do I feel any nostalgia when I am there. I do understand that The New York Times building will be a New York City landmark for decades to come, if not longer, and regardless of the future of the company itself this building is as great a symbol of success as any, and it clearly indicates that this company has an eye on the future. After all, it utilizes some of the newest construction technology and a design that will challenge other architects to create something better. And that holds true for anyone's point of view.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

2007-11-26T14:14:00.000-05:00

As more of my colleagues, friends and family have begun reading The Marshall Plan, I have asked them for feedback and suggestions about how I can improve this very space where I come to write, think, and lay my creative energy onto paper/computer/the internet/your screen. After all, there is no reason why this blog cannot become anything I want it to -- or anything that my readers would like to see -- by making a few adjustments. So based on recommendations, opinions and the ideas of those close to me, I have decided that for now, I will try to focus The Marshall Plan on that which I know... after all, we are better equipped to discuss or write about topics that we truly know, understand or love.

In my case, I know construction. All my life I have found myself consumed by construction and architecture... I currently work as a construction consultant and working in NYC in a field of work that I truly enjoy has been a dream come true. As construction junkie of sorts, having the chance to look out at some of the incredible views I have seen of landmark buildings and our world-famous skyline has certainly helped me enjoy working and living here in NYC. That being said, I will start focusing The Marshall Plan more on construction, architecture and development. In fact, I've already begun to do this (if you scroll down at the last few posts, you'll notice that they all seem to follow the trend), so I'm not really releasing any 'news' per se. But get ready for a lot more posts discussing everything related to building 'stuff' -- 'stuff' of course meaning anything at all. So, with that in mind....

Second Avenue Subway Doubts

2007-11-20T12:00:00.000-05:00

A $1.3 billion grant from the federal government made headlines yesterday as supporters of the much-anticipated Second Avenue Subway line rejoiced like it was Hanukkah 1992 (I got a sweet set of Legos... it was awesome). The grant will help fund construction for the first phase of the Q Train line extension, which runs from 96th St. Phase 1 is shown in red in the picture to the right.

Unfortunately, despite the grant, some NYC straphangers are turning to cynicism resulting from many, many years of failed attempts at creating a subway line that has never come to fruition. The large federal grant should actually serve as validation that the Q Line extension will go forward as planned, with the rest of the construction for the T Line following in suit. In case you are confused, here is a map for you that shows where the new T Line and Q Line extension will run.

Over as Second Avenue Sagas, one skeptic writes:

"I’m one of the vocal supporters of this project, but I fear for its future. While three stops on the Q are better than nothing at all, those stops shouldn't be considered a victory in themselves. If the line doesn't run from 125th St. to Hanover Square, we haven’t made much progress."

I responded to the post, writing:

"While adding only a few stops to the Q train may seem like only a small step, I think it will be a huge help for UES residents like myself. Currently, it is a pain in the a** to get anywhere on the west side from the UES (unless you take the bus through Central Park). That includes travelling to the UWS, Midtown West, Hells Kitchen, Herald Sq., Chelsea, Meatpacking, etc. All those west side areas are tough to get to because by subway, riders must transfer twice… 4/5/6 Train to some stop, then travel west, then north or south. The exceptions are using the 7 Train/Shuttle to get to Times Sq. or the L Train to get to 14th St. and 8th Ave., which require only 1 transfer.

With the addition of the Q Train stops on the UES, instead of taking the 6
Train, riders will be able to ride the Q directly to 57th St. and 7th Ave. or Times Sq., then transfer to the appropriate train that will take them anywhere on the west side (for the 57th and 7th stop, it’s a quick walk to Columbus Circle). Or the Q Train can take UES riders directly to Herald Sq. The difference may seem negligible, but it’s the difference between transferring once and transferring twice (or to get to Herald Sq., transferring once or not at all). This will make the west side much more accessible to subway riders. Of course, I’d just take the bus across the park but I know most people fear the bus…

Most importantly, though, will be the HUGE help that the Q Train will provide the 4/5/6 line, which is constantly overcrowded during the morning commute."

Despite considering himself a "vocal supporter," the blogger at Second Avenue Sagas sure does seem to have a lot of problems with the details surrounding the line. Back in April when the MTA revealed designs for the station entrances that would provide access to the new line, he wasn't too pleased either, calling the designs "ostentatiously ridiculous" and "obnoxious."

Perhaps NYC residents should complain less about the construction of a new subway line and instead, rejoice that the city is actually working hard to enhance its public transportation system. It will be a long time before the Q Line extension is complete and even longer before the T Line is complete, but patience will pay off. These additions to the NYC subway system are crucial to preparing our city for massive increases in population expected over the next two decades.

On the other hand, some NYC subway riders choose to express their displeasure in... well... other ways (warning: bad language used).

For construction updates and more information on the Second Avenue Line, you can always check out the MTA's page here.

Urban Construction Safety as Art

2007-11-15T12:46:00.000-05:00

I just read about a project in NYC called Re:Construction on City Room and I just had to share it here. Re:Construction, a self-described "public art and architecture program" for Lower Manhattan, is produced by the Alliance for Downtown NY along with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. It is an exciting new pilot program for construction sites that combines art and construction in a really cutting-edge way.

According to the program's website, the goal of this project is two-fold:

"Re:Construction bridges the efforts of multiple public partners and the creative community to both highlight and enliven the process of rebuilding while improving the quality of life in Lower Manhattan through the creation of places of attraction, curiosity and anticipation."

So basically the project's creators are aiming to ephasize the rebuilding process, while simultaneously enhancing quality of life in the area. What does all that mean, though?

Well, it means that pedestrians will have just a little bit more to look at when they pass by any of the three pilot programs now in place at a few Lower Manhattan project sites. The City Room article has a few good photos of the final installations, but the project site has many more photos detailing the installation process as well as the 'finished' products. It's pretty difficult to describe anything about this project as ever being finished -- after all, the project itself is essentially the creation of art using temporary construction protection as a canvas.

But I love it... even if it is only temporary. Let me explain.

I generally enjoy all art installations. To me, an installation is so much more interesting than a vast majority of paintings, drawings and photographs. Installations must use their surroundings, and that is where creativity really comes into play. For Re:Construction, project personnel decided to try three individual creations for the pilot, which are titled: 1) Best Construction Route; 2) Fulton Fence; and 3) Concrete Jungle. All three creations are pretty commonplace protection items that one might see at any construction site in NYC, but they all have artistic stylings that truly catch one's eye.

Best Construction Route is really just a new type of scaffolding, designed to keep pedestrians who walk past a construction site safe from anything above them (such as falling debris). The pilot is currently installed near the MTA Fulton Street Transit Center construction site at John Street, east of Broadway. This is a great project in my opinion... people are always complaining about the annoyance of scaffolding all over Manhattan, which creates large, dark spaces and often disrupts pedestrian (and vehicular) traffic. It utilizes a orange 'ribs' that support large pieces of white wood, which serve as protective covering. The white wood is nearly full of arrow-shaped cutouts that let light shine through in a pretty cool pattern. More notably, the design does not encapsulate pedestrians who walk past the construction site -- allowing for a tremendous amount of natural light -- unlike traditional scaffolding, which requires piping on the street side to shore up the overhead barrier. Best Construction Route accomplishes its goal of making the presence of scaffolding less of an eyesore and also more pleasant to walk through/under.

Fulton Fence is really just an artsy version of the typical chain-link construction fence. Located on Fulton Street, east of Broadway, this fence is much a much simpler project than the Best Construction Route project, but it also improves a construction site in similar ways. Chain-link fences are really, really ugly and the Fulton Fence changes that -- it is a solution to "visual pollution" according to the Fulton Fence website. By utilizing various colors of plastic construction meshes, industrial caution lights and safety signage, an op-art installation is created. This is my favorite of the three projects because not only is it simple to install (at least it seems to be), it also remarkably changes the scene by a construction project without affecting the protection itself. Additionally, the op-art style really works well with the idea of a construction site as an art installation. The website offers an interesting exploration into lots of other ideas that could potentially be utilized for this concept.

Concrete Jungle is the simplest of the three pilots, consisting only of 'zebra' stripes painted onto jersey barriers in a loud, 'construction-related' color. The creator is an artist named Tattfoo Tan, and his project (located on Broadway, between John Street and Ann Street) aims to "...[add] an element of the natural wild to our urban maze." By transforming the typically dull orange, thick, diagonal stripes on jersey barriers into fluorescent orange 'zebra'-printed jersey barriers, drivers and pedestrians alike are treated to a small taste of something out-of-the-ordinary. It's not a particularly interesting installation, and I'm sure the folks over at the DOT aren't too pleased, but jersey barriers are blemishes to our streets and the animal print surely adds a bit of life to a form of construction protection that is generally regarded as completely lifeless.

This budget for this entire project was $100,000, which does seem like a fairly large price tag for street art, although the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation did supply the financing. Even if this art is just temporary, it is very unique in its metamorphosis of public space marred by construction into beautiful explosions of color and design. I'm really looking forward to taking a walk around lower Manhattan soon to see these installations in person... anyone interested in art, architecture, or construction should certainly do the same. If you do check it out, feel free to add a comment on this post and about your experience... and if you take any photos, just e-mail them to me and I'll definitely post them here.

New Links

2007-11-13T15:20:00.000-05:00

I just added a few more websites (and another category or two) to my Links section of The Marshall Plan, which is over on the left just below "The Vault" section. I also removed some links that I don't really read anymore. Feel free to check those new sites out... they are really the "best of" what I read on a daily basis.

ACE Mentor Program

2007-11-13T12:33:00.000-05:00

Recently, I began participating in a program called ACE Mentoring, which aims to provide high school students with direction if they think they might be interested in architecture, construction, or engineering -- hence the acronym ACE. I've never been involved before, but I hope to share some of my experiences with ACE here whenever I can.

According to information on the ACE website:

"The mission of the organization is twofold: to enlighten and motivate students toward architecture, construction, engineering, and related careers; and to provide mentoring opportunities for future designers and constructors. ACE makes a special attempt to reach students that otherwise may not become aware of the challenges and rewards of a career in the design and construction industry."

This quasi-mission statement describes the program's purpose well, but the program is really a lot more in my opinion.

I am unsure whether or not the ACE program is widely known throughout the architecture, construction or engineering professions but the program is quite large... I do know that it is gaining popularity, as I have seen it mentioned here and there. ACE was formed in 1994 as a small program involving only 90 high school students and has since grown to become a not-for-profit organization that has helped provide direction for over 30,000 students nationwide. ACE currently has programs running all over the country, with affiliates in nearly every mainland U.S. state. Although my experience so far has been limited, I have already learned a bit and I am excited to continue my involvement as the 2007-2008 program progresses.

Two weeks ago I participated in a career fair of sorts, which allowed the students to choose which team they will be a part of for this year's program. Each team of mentors is made up of 10-12 professionals who are in the architecture, construction, engineering, or development fields. My construction group at the consulting firm I work has a service line called "project risk management" with which I am fairly familiar -- despite having limited experience in the field itself -- so my company's role in ACE is as a construction manager. In other words, with regards to the 'A-C-E tripod', my co-worker and I are the "C" for our team.

Essentially, our team of about 10 mentors and over 20 high school students will meet one night every two weeks over seven months. Our first meeting, tonight, will kick off the year for our team and I'm really looking forward to it. Each meeting, we will teach the students about an aspect of our jobs that will provide them with some insight towards what it is that people in our fields actually do. The architects will discuss their discipline of architecture, the engineers will discuss their discipline of engineering, the developers will discuss development, and us construction people will discuss our discipline of construction.

Our team's goal is to provide a fairly relaxed learning environment where the students will not only spend their time gaining important insight into a field that interests them, but also spend their time enjoying learning about that field. During the second half of the program, the mentors will provide the students with a project, which is similar to the type of project that a student in a college architecture course might complete. The students will develop an idea for a pre-chosen site in NYC (of course this is a real place, but a mock-project), design and build an architectural model, create a construction plan, and finally present their project to a panel of professionals. That panel will then award a handful of college scholarships to the students who do the best job.

More than the scholarships, though, is the benficial experience that these students will have. Many of the students involved are unsure where the future will take them. They range from students in 9th grade up to students in 12th grade who are just finishing up high school. Providing an enjoyable and interesting program for these students is a major key in my opinion -- doing so will give the students something to aim for with respect to a future in college. The ACE program has had immense success producing college-bound students, especially considering that many involved in the program either lack the means for a higher education or never even considered it in the first place. By introducing these students to the fields that we do, ACE allows them to experience something that a typical high school courseload never will. The most rewarding aspect of the program will be producing students who do in fact go on to study architecture, construction, or engineering in college.

There are many ways that I plan on creating an enjoyable experience for the students on my team. An idea that one San Francisco-based team thought of was to create a blog for the team to follow as the program progresses (there are lots of other ACE team blogs, by the way). Of course, a blog also allows for exposure beyond the students themselves, and naturally this is also a benefit of the ACE program. In addition to gaining exposure for my firm through ACE, we are also forming great connections with the other firms supplying mentors for our team. Hopefully, by May when this year's program is over, we will have created great relationships between our firms that will enable us all to generate more business.

Of course, that goal is secondary to the primary goal of helping the students. There are certainly other programs available to high school students who are interested in construction-related fields -- plenty of scholarships available for high schoolers who know that they like construction, for example -- but I have not yet found any programs that actually provide an opportunity for the students to learn about the fields themselves.

I will be sure to write updates on here about the progress of our team throughout this year's program... I think I'll need to finally get a digital camera so that I can take some photos of our bi-weekly meetings and get those up on here. We had tremendous success at the 'career fair' two weeks ago and our group is actually quite huge -- 22 students signed up! Apparently, last year's team only had 6 students sign up at the fair (the team from last year has essentially stayed intact, except for the addition of my firm), so we're already doing better than last year.

Finally, we have chosen a tentative site for our project this year, and it is located at the southeast corner of Broome St. and Centre Market Pl. in SoHo. Currently, the site is just a parking lot but the surrounding area has a few buildings with unique and fascinating architecture, which should give our students something to work with while they develop their design for the site. There's a map and a hybrid map-satellite photo from Google Maps below.

Linking Green and Black

2007-10-31T17:00:00.000-04:00

Thomas Friedman calls the approach that Van Jones is taking in Oakland, CA the "green-collar solution." It's a great nickname, albeit potentially a bit off-color if taken the wrong way. Okay, chances are good that the NYTimes created the title and Friedman simply wrote the op-ed.

Van Jones is a Yale Law School graduate and an environmentalist who runs the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland in California. He sees a unique opportunity to bring a tremendous amount of support for environmentalism from an almost untapped demographic: black people. Jones knows that traditional approaches will not bring blacks into the fold as supporters of the environment... Friedman quotes Jones in his article:

“Try this experiment. Go knock on someone’s door in West Oakland, Watts or Newark and say: ‘We gotta really big problem!’ They say: ‘We do? We do?’ ‘Yeah, we gotta really big problem!’ ‘We do? We do?’ ‘Yeah, we gotta save the polar bears! You may not make it out of this neighborhood alive, but we gotta save the polar bears!’ ”

If you didn't notice, there's supposed to be humor there. He makes quite a valid point. The traditional approach just won't work. Why would someone with much larger problems care about saving the world? Jones calls for a different "on-ramp," which in my opinion is a great label for what he is attempting to create.

The approach he is taking, however, may miss the bullseye unfortunately. It's a great idea -- a far better one than any I can come up with -- that just might not work to the extent that Jones wants (needs) it to. That approach is to provide a jobs program for black youths that will teach them to work as a tradesman in a "green" craft, such as the installation of solar panels on homes. In other words, “You can make more money if you put down that handgun and pick up a caulk gun.” Jones was quoted in Friedman's article as saying:

“You can’t take a building you want to weatherize, put it on a ship to China and then have them do it and send it back. So we are going to have to put people to work in this country — weatherizing millions of buildings, putting up solar panels, constructing wind farms. Those green-collar jobs can provide a pathway out of poverty for someone who has not gone to college.”

Like I said, it is a great idea and I think it can work to a small extent. I just don't believe that this program could actually make a significant impact on the scale that an environmentalist really needs it to. But he is right in that these jobs cannot really be outsourced (as so many jobs are these days); on the other hand, I don't think the nature of those jobs would preclude immigrants from signing up to work. In fact, I spent a day helping a friend of mine who worked for a solar panel company install some panels on a home in Connecticut... it was good work and I actually felt pretty good doing it.

However, as Mr. Jones notes, although the program may only be a small step towards bringing blacks into the environmentalist movement, it is at least a small step in the right direction. The next step is encouraging Congress to devote $125 million to train 35,000 young people per year in green trades -- a noble and worthy cause. His organization, Green For All, which launched in late September at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, is working to make that goal a reality. H.R. 2847, the Green Jobs Act, will do just that and was passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Unfortunately, according to the Green For All website, George W. Bush has vowed to veto the bill (no surprise there).

Like I said, Jones has a great idea here... it may just be too difficult for him to make it a reality without much greater support, and even then it may not be enough to accomplish the goals that he has. But as far as thinking 'outside the box' goes, Van Jones is certainly on the right track.

Insight Into The Manhattan Project

2007-10-30T15:42:00.000-04:00

I came across a pretty cool feature on NYTimes online today. It is all about the history of The Manhattan Project, which as many people know was the code name used for the United States project to construct the first atomic bomb. The feature focuses primarily on specific locations in Manhattan that were used -- mostly secretly -- for research and other purposes during the project, and does so primarily via an interactive map.

I had always been interested in The Manhattan Project, since one of my relatives was actually involved in the project as a scientist. I am not 100% positive, but I think he was a chemist. When most people think of The Manhattan Project, they immediately think of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. What they don't realize is that although those two situations were the first to utilize the technology developed as a result of The Manhattan Project, the project was really the source of so much more science that has been used in countless ways since the first two atomic bombs were deployed.

The Manhattan Project is truly one of the most fascinating scientific projects ever taken on by American scientists. Logistically, it was massive beyond comprehension -- over 130,000 people were employed over the course of the project, which was directed, of course, by Robert J. Oppenheimer. Anyway, the NYTimes feature is interesting and I certainly did not realize that recognizable NYC buildings were used as extensively as they were.

One of the buildings mentioned is Columbia University's Pupin Hall, which houses science classes for students of Columbia. Specifically, I believe it is a building for the physics department. A few years ago, I held a summer internship position with Columbia University in astrophysics research, and when I started the position I had to stop by a professor's office in Pupin Hall to fill out some paperwork... such an old building! I can't imagine doing research there that would produce such fascinating and scientifically impressive results. After all, the scientists there were working on splitting the atom and producing concentrated uranium-235 isotopes!

My position, however, was actually at Columbia's 60-acre research facility in Irvington, NY called Nevis Labs. Nevis is also quite old, but it does have a large and beautiful campus. There, I worked on a project called NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array). The project, a NASA small explorer-class mission, was cancelled in February 2006 due to a lack of funding by NASA, although it was recently restarted in September with a planned launch date in 2011.

I mention my NuSTAR experience because I believe some of Columbia's participation in research that followed The Manhatan Project actually took place at Nevis Labs in addition to Pupin Hall and Schermerhorn Hall on their NYC campus. While I worked at Nevis Labs over the summer, I had plenty of time to explore the facility and I found lots of massive concrete blocks all over the place. They are just lying around there, and I was told that they contain specimens of radioactive material -- that is, project engineers encased used or old machinery that had traces of radioactivity in the concrete for protection. When the research ended, the blocks were simply left on the site.

Additionally, I learned that Nevis Labs houses an enormous cyclotron. In the 1950s, that cyclotron was the world's largest... do I think that is a coincidence? Not at all. I am fairly certain that when construction of Nevis Labs' physics facilities began in 1947 (just after The Manhattan Project concluded), Columbia University was well-aware of the needs that scientists would have in order to further develop all they had discovered while working on The Manhattan Project. For me, it was a really cool experience to participate in research that was taking place on the same spot as such important research had taken place so many years ago.

To see some more of the NYTimes's coverage of historic NYC sites of The Manhattan Project, check out this video walking tour on their website.

More information about The Manhattan Project can be found at NuclearFiles.org and at AtomicArchive.com.

Sports News Of The Century!

2007-10-30T11:01:00.000-04:00

BIG news in the world of sports today...

Alex Rodriguez, third baseman for the New York Yankees, has opted out of his contract with the Bronx Bombers and had been looking around the league for another team to pay him like the CEO of WorldComm (Alex's 2007 salary from the Yankees was greater than $27 million). Much to his chagrin, A-Rod, a 2-time AL MVP and 2-time Gold Glove-winner who led the American League in home runs, RBIs, runs scored, and slugging percentage in 2007, has thus far been unable to obtain said contract. In a stunning turn of events, Alex has dropped out of the MLB. That's right everyone... A-Rod has left baseball.

Infamous NFL quarterback Michael Vick, recently faced with charges related to an 'alleged' dogfighting ring located in one of his homes, has been released from custody and acquitted of all charges. A number one pick out of Virginia Tech University by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2001 NFL Draft, Vick has decided to leave football despite passing for over 11,500 yards and rushing for over 3,800 yards in 74 NFL games.

New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, told by coach Eric Mangini this week that he will not start on Sunday as the Jets face the Redskins in the Meadowlands, quit the team and according to sources, also decided to leave football altogether. Pennington, a first-round pick by the Jets in the 2000 NFL draft, is just halfway through his eighth season as a pro football player, over which time he has accumulated an average QB rating of 89.1 while completing 65.3% of his passes.

Reports from sources close to 7-time Cy Young Award-winner Roger Clemens report that Clemens is throwing in the towel (again) with regards to the prospect of another season in baseball. Clemens, now approaching 70 (?) years of age, is finished pitching in the major leagues and will not pursue any opportunity provided to him by the New York Yankees or any other baseball team.

Despite breaking the all-time home run record this past season, future MLB Hall-of-Famer and 7-time NL MVP Barry Bonds decided yesterday that he will also end his career after 22 years playing MLB baseball that culminated with a monumental, record-shattering season. Bonds filed for free-agency yesterday but announced this morning that he is ending his legendary run as a baseball player.

The entire football team at the University of Georgia has been suspended for one game by the NCAA for an extremely excessive celebration on Saturday after the team scored its first touchdown against SEC rival University of Florida. After receiving the punishment, every player on the team laid his jersey on Georgia Coach Mark Richt's desk (a la the inspirational football movie 'Rudy') and quit the team.

Boston Red Sox pitcher and Japanese baseball sensation Daisuke "Dice-K" Matsuzaka has, for reasons unknown, decided to break his contract with the Sox and leave the MLB forever. When asked whether or not he will head back to Japan to play baseball there, Matsuzaka said via translator that he is finished with baseball and will move on.

NBA referee Tim Donaghy, assailed earlier this year for betting on games that he officiated, announced that he and Lakers star Kobe Bryant are in a "pretty serious" relationship and have purchased land in New Hampshire on which to build a vacation home. Bryant, after asking team personnel to be traded, has been criticized repeatedly for his questionable allegiance to the Lakers.

Despite sucking down 103 small hamburgers in just 8 minutes in a win this past weekend, eating sensation and San Jose, CA native Joey Chestnut will lay down his bib and retire from the sport of competitive eating. Chestnut claims he is still healthy and announced, "I'll be back!" in a horrendous impersonation of actor and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

AND THIS JUST IN:

Former New York Yankees manager and future MLB hall-of-famer Joe Torre will cease his job search to pursue other opportunities outside of baseball. The 67-year old Brooklyn native is a 9-time MLB all star, a Gold Glove-winner and one-time NL MVP as a player, and as a manager took his teams to 13 postseason appearances in 26 seasons, winning four World Series championships over that time. After being snubbed by the Yankees last week for bringing his team to the past seven postseasons without obtaining a World Series championship, Torre had been rumored to be in talks with the Los Angeles Dodgers about obtaining a manager position with that club.

But that all appears to be history now. Sources close to Torre have mentioned a secret organization with which Torre has reportedly signed a contract. The organization is rumored to be an omnipresent sports entity that participates in all leagues and sports, from the MLB to the NFL, and comprising anything in between, including such sports as golf, curling, swimming, and even mini-golf.

An reliable tipster with close ties to Torre, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, called me to mention a few more details of the organization, which calls itself the United States Winners. Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy will serve as the team's general manager, and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will be the team's director of operations. (Yes, in that picture to the right, Mr. Rumsfeld is attempting to use force lightning from the Dark Side a la The Emperor in Star Wars.)

According to the tipster, Torre is not the only recognizable name to sign with the Winners. They have also acquired big-name talent from all across the country, namely Alex Rodriguez, who has played under Torre with the Yankees for the past four seasons. Other stars include Michael Vick and Chad Pennington of the NFL, Rodriguez's teammate Roger "The Rocket" Clemens, Barry Bonds and Daisuke Matsuzaka of the MLB, Kobe Bryant of the NBA, competitive eating champion Joey Chestnut, and the entire University of Georgia football team.

More info to come as it rolls in...

UPDATE: E. Stanley O'Neal, CEO of Merrill Lynch, has stepped down from his position due to a substantial quarterly loss ($2.3 billion) and a writeoff of over $8 billion due to losses related to the subprime motgage market. Fortunately for O'Neal, a severance and retirement package valued at about $160 million is coming his way, which he has told reporters he will be investing in the United States Winners. That would make O'Neal the primary stakeholder of The Winners. What an odd turn of events, wouldn't you agree?

In other ridiculous sports news: Check this out. And that is actually real.

Restaurant Review: Uva

2007-10-19T16:22:00.000-04:00

Review:
My friend and I went to Uva the other night for dinner. We were seated within 10 minutes on a crowded Wednesday night around 9pm, which made me happy... I wish it had been outside but the place was pretty full, I I was okay settling for an inside table. We had a great corner table in the back... I really loved the ambience here though... very dimly lit wine bar with small red candles on each table. Brick walls in the back added to the atmosphere... very romantic for a date... I'll come back for that sometime. We drank a really great bottle of wine (my friend had been there a few times before) that only cost $28 -- you really can't beat that! We started out the meal with the Stracchino bruschetta (a soft, creamy, young cheese with grape tomatoes and chives), which was light and refreshing, although not the best bruschetta I've ever had (THAT would be at Divine Bar). My friend had the Polenta Tartufata... polenta with black truffle sauce filled with robiola cheese -- one of the best appetizers I've had in months -- and it was WAY better than the polenta I had last week at 'Inoteca. For main dishes we both had the braised boneless short ribs, which was truly delicious, and came with a 'rosemary cake'. I don't even know what that was but I loved it. Afterwards, we had a 3-cheese plate that was enjoyable but not great... we just needed some more food. The cheeses were: 1) Caciotta Al Tartufo (cow's and sheep's milk, with truffle, toscano); 2) Caciocavallo (buffalo's and cow's milk, mild, campagna); and 3) Cabra (hard texture, aged goat cheese, sardegna). The Caciotta was by far the best -- again, those truffles! Our desserts were just okay... my friend had the strawberries with mascarpone cream and I had something else that was pretty boring (as evidence of that, I don't even remember what I got), as well as a glass of 12-yr port. Dessert turned out to be unnecessary, as neither of us were too impressed. The one drawback of the night was the service, which constantly left us looking around for our waitress. She was never around and forgot to get us things we asked for multiple times -- water, bread (twice), and a dessert. Unacceptable. The Sommalier was good at his job, though, impressing me with a cool cork trick. I will definitely revisit Uva soon with a girl for a date.

Pros: Great Food, Excellent Wine, Fantastic Value, Relaxed Ambience
Cons: Really Poor Service, Weak Desserts

Uva
1486 2nd Ave (Cross Street: Between 77th Street and 78th Street)
New York, NY 10021
(212) 472-4552

Bank of America to "Stay The Course"

2007-10-19T10:01:00.000-04:00

I just read this article in Crain's Business News... it sounds like the leaders of Bank of America's investment banking division aren't too pleased with their company's performance. And that's understandable, given the 32% decline in profits in Q3.

But CEO Kenneth Lewis, I must ask you: When you said in a statement, ''What I can't say is that we'll stay the course," what were you thinking?

STAY THE COURSE?

Mr. Lewis, you are paid God-only-knows-how-much every year, and the best phrase you could come up with do describe the decisions that are taking place at Bank of America -- the company you are in charge of -- was "stay the course?" Good idea to change things around... a 32% decline in profits will push you in that direction... but you've really got to think about the phrases you use.

I mean, I didn't want to call you out on this, Mr. Lewis, but... well... I don't know if you remember a guy named George W. Bush who used the same phrase a few times. And, well, it didn't work out too well for him. Bush began telling American citizens that the U.S. would "stay the course" in early 2004 when things really weren't going well in Iraq:

"My message today to those in Iraq is we'll stay the course. We'll complete the job. My message to our troops is we'll stay the course and complete the job and you'll have what you need."

It sounds oddly redundant... perhaps because Mr. Bush repeated himself that time. When using a catchphrase like "stay the course," it's best to really pound it into our heads by saying the same thing over and over again. In fact, here's an excerpt from a November 30, 2005 speech given in Annapolis, MD by Mr. Bush:

"Some critics continue to assert that we have no plan in Iraq except to, "stay the course." If by "stay the course," they mean we will not allow the terrorists to break our will, they are right. If by "stay the course," they mean we will not permit al Qaeda to turn Iraq into what Afghanistan was under the Taliban -- a safe haven for terrorism and a launching pad for attacks on America -- they are right, as well. If by "stay the course" they mean that we're not learning from our experiences, or adjusting our tactics to meet the challenges on the ground, then they're flat wrong."

Bush said "stay the course" four times in one paragraph during that speech! Admittedly, he was defending himself after years of using the phrase. In fact, about one year later he abandoned the phrase altogether!

You don't need a business degree to realize that Bush's strategy hasn't worked out well for America or for Bush's approval rating. Like I said, I'm no MBA and I don't know much about business, but if I were you, Mr. Lewis, I'd think of a new phrase to describe your plan for Bank of America during this time of struggle for your company.

The IAC Building

2007-10-16T14:03:00.001-04:00

I came across a very cool website about The IAC Building, designed by legendary architect Frank Gehry and built by Turner Construction Company. The beautiful IAC Building, completed in March 2007, is located on 18th St. by the West Side Highway (across from Chelsea Piers) and serves as the headquarters for InterActive Corp., the media and internet empire owned by Barry Diller that comprises websites and media outlets such as Ask.com, Evite, Ticketmaster and CitySearch, among others.

I happen to love this building and it is quickly becoming one of my favorites in New York City. The website is very well-designed (just like the building!) and gives the common person -- or architecture-junkie like me -- a great look at what went into building The IAC Building. It is truly a design unlike anything else in NYC, and maybe unlike anything else in the world.

I am really impressed with the graphics contained on the website, which often show actual photographs morphing into computer models. Very cool. I also particularly love the Design Development feature (located under the Building Design tab), which takes the viewer through the life of Frank Gehry's design as it matured from concept to final design.

Another extremely cool feature of the website is the time-lapse slideshow that illustrates the progress of construction from the project's start to finish. In fact, there are slideshows from two different cameras: "camera one" facing southeast (from the building's northwest corner), and "camera two" facing east-northeast (from the building's southwest corner).

The IAC Building itself is just so unique and remarkable that I don't really need to comment too much on it. These days, especially in New York City, most newly-constructed buildings are designed with the idea that "bigger is better," but Gehry's design is just 160 ft. tall and only 10 floors (8 office floors). Despite its short stature, the IAC Building must have a Napolean complex because it certainly gets noticed, especially at night when the entire structure seems to glow from within to create a truly striking display.

Gerhy's design is graceful and seemingly free-flowing, which is supposed to reflect IAC's efforts to create a work environment where ideas are free-flowing as well, and where work is a collaborative effort. The glass curtain wall is another gorgeous creation... in fact the only glass curtain wall in the world to be cold-warped, meaning the glass panels were bent on-site to match the particular shape needed. Over 93% of the building's glass panels are unique in their shape and twist. The 1,437 glass panels, which came from Italy and were engineered by Permasteelisa, contain a baked-on ceramic dot pattern that actually reflects light to reduce glare and gives the building a "sugar-coated" look.

One of the most fascinating features of the building's interior is its two video walls, which are located in the lobby. The huge, high-definition video walls serve as incredibly unique marketing tools and the larger of the two, which is situated in the west lobby facing the West Side Highway, is estimated to be seen by over 75,000 drivers each day (27 million annually). It is the world's largest high-resolution video wall at just over 118' long x 11' tall, displaying content from artists, students and the community as well as concert information from Ticketmaster and a real-time news feed from Ask.com, among other graphics. The video wall graphics were designed by Trollbäck + Company. The image below shows a view of the building from the West Side Highway at night -- that blue glow on the ground floor is actually the video wall!

For a more personalized experience, there is an 8-minute, 6 month-old "sneak peek" walkthrough video on Vimeo (apparently the flat-screen TVs in each floor's lobby are hooked up with Nintendo Wiis... how cool is that?).

More basic facts can be found on this official fact sheet.

Mock Tombstone Display Set Up at Washington University to Protest Iraq War

2007-10-16T10:41:00.000-04:00

Recently, students at Washington University set up a mock tombstone display on the campus in a silent protest against the Iraq War. This marks the third time in as many years that the student group Washington University Peace Coalition set up the display -- it began during my last year as a student at Wash U -- and I am glad this display continues. Each year, the Coalition updates their display with more tombstones and more names, which are all handwritten on the cardboard cutouts.

Each mock tombstone carries the names of both a U.S. soldier and an Iraqi civilian who has died who has died in the Iraq War. It is a staggering sight and sign at one end of the display simply reads: "COUNT THE COSTS," while another reads "HONOR THE DEAD."

This year, the display will also be set up at other St. Louis area schools, including St. Louis University, University of Missouri St. Louis and Fontbonne University. When I saw this display three years ago, I was amazed at the staggering size of it and I can only imagine what it feels like today.

The exhibit is particularly interesting given the unique political nature of St. Louis. Missouri is a red state that typically its electoral votes to the Republican Presidential candidate, however St. Louis is traditionally a politically Democratic area. Washington University, located in Clayton, MO, sits right on the border of St. Louis City and St. Louis County, which makes for a complicated political dynamic. St. Louis County marks the beginning of the "red" state of Missouri, while the City contains a mixture of political ideas.

I have always attributed a portion of the City's Democratic voting to the large number of open-minded college students in the City and surrounding precincts, many of whom come from other states. When I voted in the 2004 Presidential election, I registered myself in Missouri because I believed that my vote would mean more in the "swing state." Although St. Louis City and St. Louis County went Democrat in 2004, every other county in the state went Republican in the Presidential race (except Jackson County, which includes Kansas City), resulting in all of Missouri's electoral votes going to Bush. To me, that was a clear indication that supporters of the Iraq War were spread out all over the state, while opposition came mostly from the City and the surrounding precincts.

Throughout that Presidential campaign, I was surprised by the support for the Iraq War that I encountered. For every anti-Iraq War student protest or sign, there was a pro-Iraq War protest and sign. It stuck me as odd simply because I always believed that Washington University had a rather liberal campus and student body. But I quickly realized that Wash U is located in Missouri and despite the liberal St. Louis City and St. Louis County that surround the University, it's still in Missouri.

I always question whether "silent" protests like the mock tombstone display at Washington University will have any effect, especially considering that the target audience for the display is located everywhere in the state except in St. Louis City and County. While I commend the effort and creativity required to create such a display, perhaps the students in the Washington University Peace Coalition could better direct their efforts by exhibiting the display in areas further outside of St. Louis City.

(Photos courtesy Washington University's independent, student-run newspaper, Student Life.)

Talib Kweli Performance at Sirius Satellite Radio

2007-10-05T15:58:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago a friend of mine informed me of a contest at Sirius Satellite Radio to help promote hip hop artist Talib Kweli's new album, Ear Drum, which was released on Sept. 21st. For the contest, all I had to to was enter online for the chance to win a spot at an exclusive performance by Talib at Sirius' headquarters in NYC. My friend who works there informed me that as of the contest deadline there were not many entries and that since Sirius extended the contest deadline, I could enter with a high chance to be picked to attend the performance.

Well I took his advice, and sure enough... I didn't win. It would have been nice. But no. It just wasn't in the cards. Lucky for me, though, I told a few friends to enter and they all won. Sirius allowed each winner to bring a guest so I was able to check out the Talib Kweli exclusive performance, which was broadcast live on Sirius. It was a great time, and really I enjoyed being there.

During the show, Talib spent some time talking with the radio host and even took phone calls from listeners around the country. He also performed a few tracks from his new album and a few from his older albums as well. I had never even listened to Ear Drum before, but the music was great.

During a commercial break, one of Talib's press guys invited my friends and I into the studio for a quick photo opportunity -- why he picked us, I will never know -- which was absolutely awesome. That's us in the picture above. Talib Kweli is a very nice guy and he is interested in putting on great shows and making great music that his listeners can relate to (he just started his own music label called Blacksmith, which happens to have a really fascinating logo... it's an anagram, as Talib pointed out). He was friendly when we met him and even introduced himself to each of us individually. We all got personally-autographed copies of the new album, too... how cool is that?

At the end of the hour-long show, we stepped inside the elevator on our way out, and sure enough Talib, a girl he was with, and Talib's DJ came in right after us, so we all descended the building in the elevator together. He was actually a normal guy once the microphone was turned off... he just wanted to get back to the tour bus and play some Halo 3 (it was just released the day before), eat some corn and turkey burgers (he's a health nut, apparently) and drink some beer. Okay, that's not quite true... he actually told his DJ to skip the beer and pick up some liquor, because beer would keep them urinating all night long. Great advice, and I agree. Overall, I had a really unique experience and enjoyed the night a lot.

Someone else at the performance managed to capture one song he did called "Hostile Gospel - Pt. 1 (Deliver Us)" on his cell phone, which you can check out on YouTube here (poor quality video/sound, unfortunately). Hostile Gospel Pt. 1 is actually one of my favorite tracks on the new album, even though I dislike music that focuses on racial differences/relations. I particularly like the lyric:

"To black kids wishin they white kids, when they close they eyelids / Like, "I bet they neighborhood ain't like this" / White kids wishin they black kids, and wanna talk like rappers / It's all backwards, it's identity crisis"

I think I like it so much because there's a lot of truth there and the line flows really well in the song. Anyway, if you have a chance, check out Talib's music at his website or on MySpace and give Ear Drum a listen. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite current albums. He's touring in Australia right now, so it will be a little while until he'll be live in the U.S. again, but I will certainly be at his next show near NYC.

Back to Blackwater

2007-10-03T12:02:00.001-04:00

Blackwater USA is a hot topic in the news this week/month. So why not revisit the story? I had previously commented on a Newsweek column by Michael Hirsch that discussed the privitization of the Iraq War, and I quoted my father who said that if the United States simply instituted a draft, this was would be over already.

A few days ago, one of my old acquaintences and good family friend Hayden Kantor e-mailed me about a letter to the editor he wrote that was published in the NYTimes. I'll just copy it here because I don't think he'd mind and it is short (and to the point):

To the Editor:
In his farewell address, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned of a “military-industrial complex” that threatened the best interests of our nation. But the recent events in Iraq surrounding Blackwater USA have illustrated a tantamount danger to America’s reputation and interests.
For just as the increased use of hired mercenaries signaled the decline of the Roman Empire, so, too, does our ceding of the military conflict to private firms mark an ominous sign for our investment in our nation’s affairs. Only the return of a peacetime draft will make all Americans bear the true costs of war, leading us ultimately to demand the end of this senseless conflict.
Hayden Kantor
Chicago, Sept. 28, 2007

Essentially Hayden says the same thing that my father said: "Only the return of a peacetime draft will make all Americans bear the true costs of war, leading us ultimately to demand the end of this senseless conflict." And he's right. I've said this for a while.

Today, the NYTimes published an editorial titled Sinking In a Swamp Full of Blackwater by Maureen Dowd, who Hayden believes was just copying and extrapolating what he said (let's not get over-excited, Hayden... yours was just a 2-paragraph letter). This would have been a Times Select article, but the NYTimes has come to its senses and made all editorials available free of charge (it's about time!). Still, what a lame title.

Dowd does not specifically mention a draft... discussing a draft in the NYTimes would be like FOX News airing a program on legalizing abortion. It's just taboo. You don't talk about it because people don't want to hear it. But the point to which she alludes is familiar: Americans don't want to fight in this war, but for a price we can find some people who will.

She adds facts and figures as any good journalist should do. The underlying message is that hiring mercenaries is bad for business. It's bad for U.S. 'reputation' and it is bad for the people of the U.S. as well. Where Hayden writes:

"...our ceding of the military conflict to private firms [marks] an ominous sign for our investment in our nation’s affairs."

Dowd writes:

"Americans have been antimercenary since the British sent 30,000 German Hessians after George Washington in the Revolutionary War. But W. outsourced his presidency to Cheney and Rummy, and Cheney and Rummy went to war on the cheap and outsourced large chunks of the Iraq occupation to Halliburton and Blackwater. The American taxpayer got gouged, and so did the American reputation. The mercenaries inflame Iraqis even as Gen. David Petraeus tries to win their trust."

It's wordier writing than Hayden's, but it's the same point. In fact, both writers even discuss the military-industrial complex, which, as Hayden mentions, President Eisenhower warned against during his farewell address, and as Dowd mentions, has now become a mercenary-evangelical complex. Hayden was right... Maureen Dowd IS copying him! Just kidding. Very similar points, though.

Dowd also comments on the fundraising efforts by Erik Prince, the chairman of Blackwater USA... $100,000 from Prince's sister in 2004 and over $250,000 from Prince himself to various Republicans. This, she believes, resulted in:

"Blackwater, in turn, has been the beneficiary of $1 billion in federal contracts, including a no-bid contract with the State Department worth hundreds of millions."

I won't research those numbers but I bet they are correct or very close to correct.

Dowd opens her editorial with a quote by Nietzsche:

"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster,"

Which sounds similar to the thesis I wrote in my Blackwater USA post (previously mentioned). Again, I don't think there is a good alternative right now to hiring mercenaries to work in Iraq. The state of affairs is simply a sad one. We wish to see American troops sent home. We do not wish for a draft to be initiated. Clearly, the U.S. does need higher manpower counts in Iraq if our government wishes to 'win' there (is this possible?). Throwing in the towel doesn't seem to be an option.

What to do... what to do...

[Update]: I have been meaning to post something about a post on Balkinization about Blackwater... again, the privitization of government is mentioned and the same old story rings loud. The writer, Sandy Levinson, mentions a connection between the Bank of the United States and Blackwater, which allows Blackwater to operate in limbo somewhere between a government entity and a private firm. It gets better towards the end. Good read.

NYC Street Names Confusing, You Say?

2007-09-27T17:13:00.000-04:00

City Room is one of the NYTimes blogs, and it focuses on things going on in NYC. Well today I read a post that made me laugh... apparently the two guys who install all of the street signs in NYC -- which any true New Yorker will tell you can sometimes be confusing -- are brothers. And these brothers -- the ones who cause all of this confusion, if you will -- happened to share the same last name, which is Confusione.

Come on... that's just hilarious.

On Blackwater And The Bush Administration

2007-09-21T10:37:00.000-04:00

Another interesting and though-provoking, albeit radical, op-ed sent to me by my father today. This one, from Newsweek columnist Michael Hirsch, is called "The Age Of Irresponsibility." He comments on Blackwater USA -- the private army of 30,000 hired by the U.S. to act as a security force in Iraq.

Hirsch paints a pretty bleak picture of the privatization of the Iraq war. Then again, anytime you've got a country's most uneducated people fighting a war (this is a generality, not a sweeping statement... but I mean, only 11% with SOME college experience?), it's almost a certainty that civilians will end up dead. Perhaps America should send only those citizens with the highest levels of education (MBAs, PhDs, JDs, MDs) to Iraq to fight? Perhaps then, we'd hear about fewer Iraqi civilians paying for our government's mistakes....

As my father points out,

"Well, we did try and send college grads, MBAs and PHDs... it was called Vietnam. If we did that again (a draft) the war would be over... come to think of it... it wouldn't have started."

And he's right. Instilling a draft would effectively end this war in Iraq. I don't even think that it should be called a war anymore, because our troops aren't even fighting to accomplish a military goal. When U.S. troops enter/invade a foreign to act as peacekeepers, it really isn't a war.

Obviously my point of view is a very cynical way to look at things, but I am just not surprised by Hirsch's article. In fact, I'm surprised that we don't hear about our troops acting on their own in a manner unbecoming of a soldier more often. I bet the killing of 'innocents' occurs a lot more than we even know. It's sad, really, because before we invaded Iraq (remember, we did INVADE their country), I don't think Americans had any problems with the Iraqi people. But if we have to kill a few hundred (thousand?) innocents while bringing them FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY, well then I guess that's okay. Right?

Um.......... with that attitude, I could get a top job with the Bush administration! Imagine that... I could be a 'top aide' or even Press Secretary!

As always, I digress. Back to Hirsch's article. I don't even really like it. He just seems to be ranting about an obvious issue to the point where I almost stopped reading halfway through. What is he getting at? Is it profound that in a 'war', innocent civilians are killed? Is that surprising? The longer we treat Iraq as a war zone, the more like a war it will become.

What's the alternative, you might ask? That's a very good question...

Golf Club For Sale

2007-09-19T12:15:00.000-04:00

Sometimes one can find an item for sale that for one reason of another is quite entertaining. Well my father sent me a link to this eBay page on which someone is trying to sell a TaylorMade golf club. Specifically (for those golf enthusiasts out there), it is a TaylorMade Rescue Hybrid Titleist Cleveland Callaway, which of course means nothing to me.

The backstory is what really gets me, though. You really just need to read it for yourself, but the short version is that this guy is selling his wife's golf club because he can't stand her anymore. In fact, he begins the description of the item with:

"I'm selling this club because I finally left my fatass girlfriend who hated the fact that I loved to play golf."

He goes on to narrate the entire backstory of their relationship and the driving factors that lead him to sell the club. My favorite part (and also my father's favorite part, which made him laugh so much that he cried -- no joke):

"Her fatass became so big that when she actually made a correct shoulder turn she farted. I'm not talking about a ladylike fart with a few giggles- we're talking fog horn deep and the smell was so bad it would turn all your hair into ash. I think the hippo actually fermented napalm in her colon from all the ice cream, pizza and bad chinese food she inhaled on an hourly basis."

Anyone up for 9 holes after lunch?

What It Means To Be A Bro

2007-09-19T12:08:00.000-04:00

I've read this article titled "Bro, You're A God Amongst Bros" from The Onion a few times now and it still makes me laugh.

"Like Broseph Stalin, you are leading the way to the dictatorship of the broletariate. It is truly revbrolutionary. Like the Bro v. Wade of our generation. You brobliterate the enemy from the very peak of Mt. Brolympus. That's some shit. That's brolific. But that's the kind of bro you are."

How do the people at The Onion think of this stuff? I love it.

25 Ugliest Celebrities -- The List You've Been Waiting For!

2007-09-19T10:22:00.000-04:00

Ok, I typically don't stick my nose into the whole Perez Hilton/TMZ.com type of stuff, but a friend sent me the link to a website that claims to have compiled the 25 ugliest celebrities -- with comments on each of them. It's quite funny. I'll spend a few minutes discussing ugly celebrities... at least I'm not obsessing over those people. I'm just having a quick laugh at their expense.

I must say, however, that I do disagree with some of the choices. Fergie at #19? She looks pretty hot to me... plus she always gets the party started/gets me retarted and what's not to like about that? Oh, and the single-name thing... there's nothing wrong with that, right Prince? Kirsten Dunst at #15?! She glows on screen and she is near the top of my list of cutest celebs! Sarah Jessica Parker at #12? Come on, she changed my life in Footloose. Plus, starring opposite Kevin Bacon is like hooking up with the Olsen twins at the same time on their 18th birthday -- it's just a good thing, let's put it that way. And finally, Michael Jackson at #2??? He's #1 material, plain and simple.

But I digress.

Now, for some of my favorite comments. On #17 Clay Aiken:

"He’s kind of like an ugly duckling that grew up into an uglier version of Martin Short, only with red-hair, and a mouthful of baby teeth. And if he looks like this on the street, imagine how unattractive he is when taking a wide stance in an airport restroom."

Who doesn't love a good cheap shot at the Aik-man? I certainly don't. It's almost too easy. While I disagree with the Sarah Jessica Parker pick at #12, I must say, the comment was comic gold:

"The demonspawn of the toll-collecting ogre and the wicked witch of the west, our favorite Sarah Jessica Parker role was when she played Dee Snyder in Twisted Sister for all those years."

It's true, she does look like Dee Snyder! But let's be honest here, who doesn't love a nice 'Sex and the City' marathon on a chilly Saturday? I mean, I don't, but some people might... right? On #11 Flavor Flav:

"A clock on my chest proves I don’t fess,
I’m a clock-a, rock-a rockin’ wit-da-rest,
Flavor in da house by Chuck-D’s side,
with a face that looks like I was trapped in my mom’s birth canal for about 27 seconds too long…"

I'm still laughing from that one. On #7 Tim Burton:

"The ratlike grin says “Who stole my cheese?” and the hair says “Yes, it’s pubic!” Couple those with a scorching case of halitosis, and you’ve got a goddamned trifecta! Only someone this repugnant could develop a story as dark and deeply emotive as Edward Scissorhands."

I enjoy the guy's movies, but that's just flat out funny, and he really is an ugly guy. Nothing like a good pubic hair joke. Ok, now I'm shivering. Moving on... #5 Kelly Osborn:

"Kind of like The Cure’s Robert Smith, but with a vagina."

No need for any comments from me on that one. And finally... my favorite. On #22 John Heder:

"John Heder is living proof you can actually breed Barbaro with a Nathan’s Hotdog."

Hilarious. I was laughing out loud (LOL-ing, for those of you stuck using txt spk) at that one. People at work came over because they thought I was choking on something... possibly a Nathan's hotdog.

That's all I've got for now... more to come later.

Spotlight On: The Dig

2007-09-13T16:01:00.000-04:00

My favorite music to listen to right now comes from a local band called The Dig. Okay, okay... so I happen to have gone to high school with two of the four band members -- so what?! They have got some really great music... their sound is very indie rock-influenced but I wouldn't label it that simply.

I'm always amazed that these guys have been making music together for quite a few years now, yet they just graduated college (Berklee College of Music). In fact, they were once part of a larger band called Honey Nut Roasted back in their high school days, which was comprised of about 10 guys who all met at a Berklee summer program. Their music, back then, was sort of generic jam band stuff but I loved it anyway. Now that they call themselves The Dig and cut the fat off their group to the current 4, they've refined their sound and really opened up musically. These guys have a ton of talent.

My favorite tracks are Marianne, New Love, and Good Luck And Games (all off their new EP). From their first album, my top picks are Them, Disguise, and Only A Feeling. The first album is a little bit slower but the music is still top notch. Check their MySpace page for some free listens... I promise you will not be disappointed. They play in Boston and NYC frequently so be sure to check their website to see when they will be performing next.

[NOTE: I am not affiliated with this band in any way and have not received any compensation for writing this.]

Paul Krugman on 'The Iraq Vote'

2007-09-07T09:13:00.001-04:00

Paul Krugman of the NYTimes wrote an opinion article today discussing next week's 'Iraq Vote', which offered a pretty dismal picture of what will happen. I say will because Krugman specifically says that what he believes will most definitely occur. Unfortunately the article, which is very well written of course, is a Times Select article (when will the NYTimes make these free for every online reader???), but my father sent it to me so I am obliged to comment on it here. Sorry if you can't access it -- I'll use quotes.

I don't usually have the opportunity to read the Times Select articles (which are of course the best written ones and are typically authored by the finest writers on the Times' staff). Krugman did hit a lot of the key points, however. He opens with:

"Here’s what will definitely happen when Gen. David Petraeus testifies before Congress next week: he’ll assert that the surge has reduced violence in Iraq — as long as you don’t count Sunnis killed by Sunnis, Shiites killed by Shiites, Iraqis killed by car bombs and people shot in the front of the head." [emphasis added by me]

Apparently, the government classifies deaths differently based simply on the method of killing used. Does that shock anyone but me? Krugman continues his negative rant by writing:

"Here’s what I’m afraid will happen: Democrats will look at Gen. Petraeus’s uniform and medals and fall into their usual cringe. They won’t ask hard questions out of fear that someone might accuse them of attacking the military. After the testimony, they’ll desperately try to get Republicans to agree to a resolution that politely asks President Bush to maybe, possibly, withdraw some troops, if he feels like it."

Krugman follows this by writing five items for Democrats in Congress to remember. I'm paraphrasing here, but they are: 1) "No independent assessment has concluded that violence in Iraq is down"; 2) "Gen. Petraeus has a history of making wildly overoptimistic assessments of progress in Iraq that happen to be convenient for his political masters"; 3) "any plan that depends on the White House recognizing reality is an idle fantasy"; 4) "The lesson of the past six years is that Republicans will accuse Democrats of being unpatriotic no matter what the Democrats do"; and 5) "The public hates this war and wants to see it ended."

Krugman adds just before his conclusion:

"And six or seven months from now it will be the same thing all over again. Mr. Bush will stage another photo op at Camp Cupcake, the Marine nickname for the giant air base he never left on his recent visit to Iraq. The administration will move the goal posts again, and the military will come up with new ways to cook the books and claim success"

Regrettably, even though things with Iraq aren't looking great right now, news articles like this one by Krugman don't encourage Americans to do anything that will positively affect the situation. While he may be correct in his 'reporting' (after all, it is just an opinion article), perhaps he should use his media fame/prestige to suggest what we can do -- if anything -- to create changes that will alter the outcome of that vote. The more apathetic we (as voters) become, the less likely we are to see change in any political issue.

It's unfortunate that Americans feel so helpless in our 'democratic' political system. If the public does, in fact, on the whole want to see this Iraq situation ended immediately, then it should be ended. If our elected leaders do not reflect the will of the voters in their districts, then there's simply something wrong with our representative democracy and to me, any sort of government that our country tries to install in any other country would be fundamentally flawed as a result anyway.

That being said, we'll see what this vote brings next week. If, in reality, there is nothing that we can do... well, like I said, our system is probably flawed. I'm just not sure that writing letters to our representatives in Washington is enough to make the difference we need.

Either way, his article was well-written and insightful. Thanks to my father for sharing it with me.

PS - If you'd like to write to your Congressperson about this (or any issue), just visit Congress.org -- simply type in your zip code to see a list of politicians who represent you in Washington, and click on their links to contact them.

100!

2007-09-04T12:38:00.000-04:00

And with that last post, I have finally surpassed 100 (published) posts. Early in August I hit the 100 mark for posts, however I noted that I have not published all of them. But finally I made it to 100 published posts.

Now, onto #200...

UES Edition of "What's The Deal With...?"

2007-09-04T12:22:00.000-04:00

What's the deal with Loui Loui on 75th and 3rd Ave on the UES? The restaurant closed a few months ago after many years of existence in that very location on the northeast corner next to Citarella. Well I asked my trusty UES news source at 78thand2nd that very question two week ago and he promised me an answer.

I had heard that Citarella purchased the space and was planning on opening its own restaurant there... that, of course, would be tremendously exciting news. Well I got my response today from 78thand2nd and as it turns out, I was right! Citarella did buy the space where Loui Loui used to be and contractors are currently renovating the restaurant. I cannot wait to eat there when Citarella opens up its restaurant.

The author at 78thand2nd is usually right about openings and other goings-on of the UES, however, he did not cite his source for this information, only saying that an "inside source" told him about the new restaurant. I said it first though!!! Exciting news for the UES...

For Children, Living With Type I Diabetes Can Be... Well... Normal!

2007-09-04T11:47:00.001-04:00

My good old friend George Anesi, who used to write for The Editors Blog (which sprang up as a side-project of The Chicago Maroon, a campus paper out of the University of Chicago), is now attending medical school at Case Western University. He recently began writing for an independent student newspaper at Case Western called The Observer. His column, called "Medicine Today" is printed every three weeks or so and focuses on current issues in medicine.

George sent me his first article, which discusses a special summer camp in Ohio for children who live with Type I Diabetes. Surprisingly, upon visiting Camp Ho Mita Koda (which means "welcome, friend"), he found that the children there were really no different from children at a "normal" summer camp. In fact, upon asking them whether they would choose to have Diabetes or not if given the option, nearly every camper said they would choose the chronic disease, citing reasons like "It has challenged me to do things I ordinarily wouldn't have done," and "I am stronger because of it," according to George.

This is truly inspirational and very interesting to me. As a survivor of Hodgkin's Lymphoma, I battled the disease during my high school years and I think that today I, too, am better off for it. These children see their lives in a similar way that I see my own: that our struggles have made us stronger, more mature, and have challenged us in ways we never thought we could handle. I'm not sure if I would necessarily choose to have lived through Hodgkin's if I were given the choice -- based on the cost of treatment alone, I'd have to be crazy to choose Hodgkin's -- then again, as these children show, serious disease does not have to mean an end to one's normal life. In fact, the disease may even lead to an enhanced life.

Great article, George... very insightful. I'm sure that's not the last mention of George's column that will appear here, so until next time...

The Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Two Years Later

2007-08-29T09:59:00.001-04:00

The NYTimes online has a cool video feature today -- a map of the New Orleans area is dotted with various videos discussing the rebuilding effort. While it may seem like this story is outdated, in fact there is still much to be done, it seems, in the way of rebuilding.

Speaking with residents (the video icons are located on the map where the residents actually live), reporters from the Times posed interesting, and sometimes difficult, questions about what it is like to live in New Orleans now. So much uncertainty still exists for the thousands of people who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina two years ago. I suppose all we can do is hope that another mega-hurricane does not hit the region anytime soon.

Awesome Designs for New Orleans

2007-08-28T10:10:00.000-04:00

The NYTimes has an article today on two new "grand" construction projects that will help reshape New Orleans. As an architecture junkie, this kind of stuff is right up my alley. The two proposals were submitted by different firms:

New Orleans National Jazz Center (and park), designed by Thom Mayne of Morphosis in Santa Monica, CA

A new 6-mile long park and mixed-use development along the Mississippi River, designed by TEN Arquitectos, Hargreaves Associates and Chan Krieger Sieniewicz

Both proposals offer incredibly interesting and unique designs that will surely change the way many people look at New Orleans. Additionally, the projects will provide solutions to specific needs -- the Jazz Center will be a space for high-quality jazz performances, a music genre that New Orleans is known for; and the waterfront park will "give back some dignity to the downtown riverfront," according to the Times.

I personally like the designs, especially the Jazz Amphitheater (see above). The development along the Mississippi River, however, still sort of puzzles me. The rieverfront design is comprised of a handful of mixed-use developments that each will serve a purpose (in reality, they will each serve mutiple purposes). I suppose it will attempt to bring a bit of revitalization to the riverfront area, like the article in the Times says, but it would take many, many years to transform such a large area of land -- quite a few buildings, such as City Hall, will have to be demolished and relocated, for starters.

I must admit, though, that I am having a difficult time understanding the nature of the mixed-use development. I'm sure that if I read the full proposal myself, I would better understand the purpose of all the designs. The riverfront proposal from TEN Arquitectos consists of Bywater Point, The Portage Plaza, The Julia Street River Terrace, The Riversphere, The Spanish Plaza, and Press Street Landing. Perhaps my favorite of these is the Press Street Landing (right), which features a large, white, box-like structure that almost seems to float in the air -- it almost reminds me of something that Santiago Calatrava might create, except Calatrava's design would undoubtedly contain more arching or curved structures. Nevertheless, it is a stunning design included in a truly incredible package.

Bravo to TEN Arquitectos and Morphosis for their excellent visions of a better New Orleans.

McDonald's Upgrades... Finally!

2007-08-27T23:25:00.000-04:00

As a child growing up, I was a huge fan of fast food from McDonald's. I'd always find myself craving it after a little league baseball game... in fact, the trend continued well into my years of middle school baseball. By high school, however, I realized that McDonald's may not be the healthiest dining choice for me, so I stayed away for the most part. OK, who am I kidding? The closest McDonald's location was 12 minutes away... I couldn't justify driving that far for a burger! Plus, my friends and I could always fall back on Rocky's -- one of Westchester county's top 3 delis. But I digress....

Now, I must admit that once I earned a full driver's license and entered my senior year in high school, I would occasionally head over to those friendly golden arches during a particularly long lunch period. After all, we were allowed to leave campus whenever we wanted! But things got worse once I started college. While I was unable to get high on my favorite food during my freshman year (no car), by sophomore year I was a regular.

As a college student, finances are always on one's mind and as McDonald's can be an incredibly (read: astonishingly) inexpensive source of sustenance, it naturally became what I like to call my "go-to" option for dinner from roughly age 20-22. That being said, my obsession culminated -- and maybe even terminated -- during spring break of senior year. You see, I drove out west with two friends from school and stayed at one's home. Her parents were around, of course, and it was not long until we learned that our friend's father owned most of the McDonald's franchises in the metropolitan region.

Needless to say, we ended up eating about half of our meals in that city at various McDonald's locations -- for free. As if those $1 double cheeseburgers weren't cheap enough, we went to a different location every and obtain 'comped' food from my favorite global eatery! Finally, my prayers had been answered and my dreams became my reality. I learned a lot on that trip from my friend's father... in fact, all that [potentially] unhealthy food made me yearn to find out more about what McDonald's is all about.

My friend's father was sinking huge investments into each location for renovations aimed at changing the atmosphere of the McDonald's experience entirely. I must admit, it truly worked because the finishes restaurants we visited were quite stunning. In fact, I was even more impressed that my friend's mother had been the one to choose the redecorating schemes and supervise all of the renovations in over a dozen locations.

Anyway, not to our surprise, by the end of the week we were absolutely fed up with McDonald's and couldn't even fathom eating anything remotely similar... fast food was OUT. To this day, though, I have never fallen back into the same Big Mac-eating habits that I learned all to well during my time at college. That being said, my fascination with the corporation has never subsided and I don't think I will ever push McDonald's from my mind completely.

Today I came across some news in the NYTimes that the McDonald's Corporation is sinking nearly $900 million into its European restaurants for renovations that will drastically alter the eating experience that the company provides. It sounds awesome... the Times produced a great slideshow of some pretty cool photos that show what the new stores behind the golden arches will look like.

The idea is simple: design a restaurant with the same food that our customers have grown up with and present it to them in a more mature environment -- a cooler, hipper, more... relevant space. Perhaps 'relevant' isn't the right word to use. Whatever the word is, I love what McDonald's is doing. I suspect that within a few years we'll start to see similar or even more surprising changes to McDonald's locations in NYC and other large cities. Also, McDonald's is adding thing to its restaurants that present a more refined image -- fine artwork on the walls, fancy coffee drinks on its menus and modern attractions such as DVD and iPod rental machines. Check out these pics (photos from the NYTimes).

All I know is that I'll be here, and I can't wait. By the way, why are there so many pictures of McDonald's food on this post? Can't... stop... thinking... about... burgers! Mmmm... time for a DQPwC (double quarter-pounder with cheese, duh).

Celebrating The Marshall Plan

2007-08-24T15:43:00.001-04:00

After all, my blog is called The Marshall Plan. I came across a short slideshow of posters promoting The Marshall Plan (the real one, also known as the European Recovery Program, or ERP) on the website of The New Yorker. It actually has no relevance, but the posters are cool and totally retro. In fact, I may just buy a few and frame them on my wall at home as artwork. Success!

By the way, I generally don't read The New Yorker... it's too pretentious for my taste. Still, you should enjoy the slideshow.

I'm Tired Of This!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-08-21T13:25:00.000-04:00

"News" stories that I am extremely tired of hearing about:

- Michael Vick and dogfighting
- Barry Bonds and steroids
- Lindsay Lohan and drugs/alcohol
- Paris Hilton and [insert idiotic action here]

How long can people discuss, analyze, comment on, dissect, and think about these news stories? None of them mean anything with regards to the lives of ANYONE besides the people who are actually involved in the situations. Frankly, I'm fed up with these "stories" and I can't take any more mention of them.

More to come...

An Alternate Perspective on Iraq

2007-08-21T10:49:00.000-04:00

Sunday's edition of the NYTimes included an op-ed written by seven U.S. soldiers, which was titled "The War as We Saw It". The article offers a unique perspective on the current status of the Iraq situation -- the soldiers describe the U.S. military effort as "an army of occupation" rather than a peacekeeping force. However, they conclude the piece by stating bluntly and honestly, "We need not talk about our morale. As committed soldiers, we will see this mission through."

Some of the main factors contributing to the ineffectiveness of the U.S. effort are the constant military flux, the Shiite-run United Iraqi Alliance (the main coalition partners of which run the Iraqi government), and the inability of the U.S. to improve basic social and economic conditions in Iraq. With over two million Iraqis living in refugee camps and nearly two million more displaced and living in urban slums, these soldiers believe governmental benchmarks are "unhelpful" -- moreover, according to the writers, a "vast majority" of Iraqis feel that the U.S. occupation "has failed to produce normalcy after four years and is increasingly unlikely to do so as we continue to arm each warring side."

One of the reasons that recent reports have described an improving situation in Iraq is that the assessments have been made from an American-centered perspective.

"The ability of, say, American observers to safely walk down the streets of formerly violent towns is not a resounding indicator of security. What matters is the experience of the local citizenry and the future of our counterinsurgency. When we take this view, we see that a vast majority of Iraqis feel increasingly insecure..."

Shiites in Iraq have used the U.S. government to reclaim control over the country that they have always believed was rightfully theirs.

"There will be no magnanimous solutions that please every party the way we expect, and there will be winners and losers. The choice we have left is to decide which side we will take. Trying to please every party in the conflict — as we do now — will only ensure we are hated by all in the long run."

Summing up the current situation, the soldiers write:

"In the end, we need to recognize that our presence may have released Iraqis from the grip of a tyrant, but that it has also robbed them of their self-respect. They will soon realize that the best way to regain dignity is to call us what we are — an army of occupation — and force our withdrawal.

Until that happens, it would be prudent for us to increasingly let Iraqis take center stage in all matters, to come up with a nuanced policy in which we assist them from the margins but let them resolve their differences as they see fit. This suggestion is not meant to be defeatist, but rather to highlight our pursuit of incompatible policies to absurd ends without recognizing the incongruities. "

It seems that perhaps we must take a closer look at the methods by which we assess our progress in Iraq.

Peter King's NFL Team of 2012

2007-08-16T10:20:00.001-04:00

I just came across a very intriquing article by Peter King today on SI.com... it's his "all-future" NFL team ... i.e. the team of 2012 -- only players who are 28 years or younger right now. I have no idea why he chose that as a cutoff age.

As a huge football fan, I follow two teams: in the NFL, the NY Jets; and in the NCAA, the University of Miami Hurricanes (after all, my father was a student there and is still a big 'Canes fan). Anyway... interesting to see that the only college player included was none other than Calais Campbell of UMiami! Also, there are actually two NY Jets players on the roster... CB Darrelle Revis (who finally signed today) and C Nick Mangold -- King had great stuff to say about both of them.

All I can say is that I'm excited to see how the Jets perform this year... I have got pretty large expectations. As for the Hurricanes... I'd just take a winning season.

Is Historical A Word? What Did Hank Aaron Really Mean?

2007-08-13T10:25:00.001-04:00

I knew I was onto something when I noticed a peculiar word choice made by Hank Aaron last week during his pre-recorded speech played after Barry Bonds broke the long-standing MLB home run record by hitting his 756th career shot. Aaron said [emphasis added is mine],

"I move over now and offer my best wishes to Barry and his family on this historical achievement."

HISTORICAL? Is that even a word (yes, it is)? Didn't Aaron mean to say 'historic' (perhaps he did not)?

A co-worker of mine sent me a link to Foul Balls, a blog for Chicago sports fans, which has an interesting analysis of Aaron's speech suggesting that perhaps the home run king chose his words wisely and knew exactly what he was saying. Check it out... you can view a video of the speech as well.

NOTE: I like Hank Aaron and I'm not knocking him for anything he said. In fact, if he indeed did mean what his words indicated, then I like Aaron even more... kudos to him for choosing his words wisely and for getting his message across subtly but while maintaining a positive image for himself and for Major League Baseball.

Changing The "Tides" for Manhattan Businesses

2007-08-13T10:12:00.001-04:00

I came across a cool video from the NYTimes today that examines a new energy project taking place in the East River right now: tidal turbines. Tidal turbines harness the power that natural tides -- water currents -- can produces.

Tidal power, experts say, is better than wind power for a few reasons, one of which is the fact that the tides are extremely predictable since they are based on the sun and moon, whereas wind is erratic and difficult to predict. Also, wind turbines are extremely large and an eyesore to many, in addition to being rather loud for those located nearby.

The tidal turbines recently placed in the East River will generate enough electricity to power a parking garage and a Gristede's supermarket (note: I dislike Gristede's for a few reasons but I am glad the company is trying to improve its ecological footprint). Those in charge of the company that installed the turbines say that in the future, similar turbines placed in rivers around Manhattan could make it one of the most eco-friendly cities in the world. I doubt that to be true, but it would still be a start and the turbines are definitely cool in my book.

Ruminations On The NYC Subway System, Courtesy East Village Idiot

2007-08-10T10:25:00.000-04:00

I recently came across a great blog thanks to the NYTimes' City Room... it is called EastVillageIdiot, and the guy who runs the site (Chris) is quite the jokester.

He had two posts in the past week making fun of the NYC subway system -- specifically, the subway's inability to function during inclement weather. For those of you who have not heard, the NYC subways failed almost completely earlier this week when the NYC area saw over three inches of rain in a 24-hour period.

His first post is titled "I'm Trapped" and it discusses the effects of rain on the NYC subway system (as told from the perspective of the subway system itself). Quote:

"Oh, what’s that you say? What do you have there? Oh, it’s a bottle of water?

OH MY GOD! NOT WATER! AHHHHHHH! GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF ME! AHHHHHHH! HELLLLLP ME! Even though water is a completely natural occurrence in this city, which just so happens to be bounded on nearly every side by water, WATER IS HORRIBLE!!! Even though I tunnel under and bridge over massive bodies of water, WATER IS POISON!!! GET THE WATER AWAY FROM ME! HELLLLLP!"

Hilarious.

Chris also has a post mocking the MTA's "service alert" website, which on the day of this subway shutdown, looked more like the legend on a paint-by-numbers coloring book. The post is called "An Important Message from the MTA" and it looks important, so be sure to read closely.

Some of my favorite lines from that posting:

"2 and 3 uptown trains will terminate at 96th Street, as they are afraid to go into Harlem."

"G trains are currently experiencing an inferiority complex and will not run until further notice/counseling."

"F and V trains are stuck in some neighborhood in Queens that you’ve never heard of."

"L trains are running between Princeton Junction and Hoboken. We really can’t explain how they ended up there."

It's good for a quick laugh for sure. EastVillageIdiot will surely be a blog I revisit often from now on. Also, Chris maintains a pretty funny website that mocks the New York Yankees called lolyankees... I'll let you find that one on your own, though.

Powers Fasteners, Inc. Charged In 2006 Big Dig Death

2007-08-09T11:07:00.000-04:00

The glue supplier Powers Fasteners, Inc. has been charged with involuntary manslaughter related to the death of Milena Del Valle, 38, in July 2006. Del Valle died when a cement panel fell from a tunnel in Boston that was created as part of the Big Dig project for which Powers Fasteners supplied epoxy.

The glue was used to further fasten (in addition to bolt fasteners) the cement panels to the tunnel surface. Unfortunately, Powers Fasteners did not stop constructors from using the fast setting glue, which does not last long and actually can cause creep. Powers also sells a standard setting epoxy that should have been used and would have met specifications.

According to representatives from Powers,

"The only reason that our company has been indicted is that unlike others implicated in this tragedy, we don’t have enough money to buy our way out."

They have also said that Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, the group that managed the design and the construction of the Big Dig project, was aware of the specifications of the fast-setting epoxy. Powers Fasteners allegedly informed state officials that the fast-set epoxy had failed a creep test and had even requested to perform another creep test on site, but was not allowed to do so.

The mind-boggling detail of this entire situation is that the glue itself only cost $1,287.60, yet it was enough of a cost to result in the death of one woman and countless hours and dollars spent replacing the epoxy.

In my opnion, there's no way that a supplier can or should be responsible for the failure of its material to perform if it accurately presented the material's properties. First, it is the construction manager/general contractor's responsibility to understand what materials are being used and what their specifications are. If the specifications indicate that a material is not appropriate for a task, then it should not be used. The CM/GC orders the material -- in the case that a subcontractor orders the material, then it is the subcontractor's responsibility.

Second, in the event that the material used is supposed to perform correctly but fails to do so for some reason, then it is no the supplier who is at fault but rather the manufacturer of that material because the manufacturer promises certain performance. I'm still unclear whether Powers Fasteners actually manufactures its own epoxy or if it simply acted as a supplier.

Third, if Powers did actually request the opportunity to perform a creep test but was denied the chance to do so, then it simply cannot be blamed for the epoxy failing.

However, in the event that Powers Fasteners did in fact mislead the construction team by either leaving out information or by standing by idly while knowing that the fast-set epoxy would not measure up to the desired specifications, then Powers will definitely be liable in the death of Ms. Del Valle. The entire situation is unfortunately for all parties involved and hopefully it will all be over soon.

Dating A Steak vs. Dating A Salad

2007-08-09T10:26:00.000-04:00

My sister sent me this telling article from the NYTimes about what ordering food at a restuarant can do for a girl's image. The more I think about it, the more I absolutely agree that subconsciously (or maybe consciously), the ordering habits of a girl really do affect a guy's opinion of her.

The article, written by Allan Salkin and titled "Be Yourselves, Girls, Order the Rib-Eye", discusses the difference in perception that can be achieved simply when a girl orders a steak on a date. Compared to a girl who orders a salad, the meat-eater demonstrates that a girl can be, as Martha Wilkie describes, "unpretentious and down to earth and unneurotic," or that a girl is "not obsessed with [her] weight even though [she's] thin." Ordering a burger is also beneficial, as Wilkie mentiones, because it proves that a girl is low maintenence and can be a cheap date. Two thumbs up from me on that one.

On the other hand, as Andrea Bey says, for a girl "It’s better not to have a jalapeño fajita plate, especially on the first date." Amen to that! To be, it's a huge turn-off to see a girl eating at Chipotle when I'm there. Something about a girl piling meat, beans and rice into herself just rubs me the wrong way. I am not saying women shouldn't be eating that food, or that they shouldn't be allowed to devour a plate of Mexican delicacies (let's be honest, it's delicious, and everyone should eat Mexican food)... it's just that, well, when I see a girl eating Mexican food I think about what that leads to. Bey puts it nicely: "You don’t want to be labeled as ‘princess gassy’ on the first date." Well said, Andrea.

But the truth is, I have been on plenty of dates during which the girl I'm with has ordered a salad but has not finished it -- in some cases, has barely eating even half of it. Michelle Heller, a copy editor of TV Guide, says in the article that ordering habits like that portray a girl who is "wimpy, insipid, [and] childish."

If I'm on a date and a girl orders steak, I would probably hang onto her. At the very least, it would be a positive characteristic. The same goes for a burger -- any girl who orders (and eats) a burger on a date really would seem low maintenence and easygoing to me.

As someone who is just beginning to explore and experience the NYC dating scene, this is all interesting to me. It's a jungle out there, folks. In this jungle, I find it is better to be a carnivore. As far as eating salad goes... it is definitely a top 3 food of mine, if not #1... but for a girl to order salad on a date is just plain boring. But ladies, all I'm going to say is that if you do order a salad on a date with me, you had better finish it.

That being said, I'm free on this weekend... any cute girls want to go out on a date?

Bonds Hits 756 (And Then 757)... But I Hit 100!

2007-08-09T09:46:00.001-04:00

Barry Bonds... so he breaks Hank Aaron's home run record on Tuesday night, bringing his career total to 756 home runs -- more than any other baseball player ever. Then on Wednesday night (last night) he hits another home run, bringing his total to 757.

Well I hit a milestone of my own yesterday, by ringing up my 100th post here at The Marshall Plan. Truth be told, I have not published all of those posts but I think I'm still around 85 published. I'll take what I can get here and call myself a 100-poster. Triple digits!

I'm not goin anywhere. Stay tuned...

Restaurant Review: Divine Bar East

2007-08-08T14:45:00.000-04:00

Review:
I have been to Divine Bar before, but I had a great experience last Friday night that I had to mention here. Our group of 10 people arrived for my roomate's birthday dinner at 8pm and the manager Mike -- spoke to him ahead of time -- made sure we were taken care of. Our waitress was extremely attentive and sought to provide us with a great experience. We all drank either glasses or flights of wine -- I had the Spanish/South American reds, which were truly delicious, especially for $19 -- the 2 oz. tasting glasses offer a glimpse into what a wine is, and it's great that we were able to try so many. The tapas were also very enjoyable and everyone shared pretty much everything. Some of the highlights that I tasted included the Milano bruschetta (made with warm goat cheese), the Indian beef samosas, and the baked brie (try the granny smith apple option -- so good). The best part of all is that the tapas are very reasonably priced. I am looking forward to my next visit to Divine Bar, and I can't wait to try more tapas and wine. It would be a great spot for a date (3rd date?) and I wouldn't hesistate to come here for another birthday dinner. Like I said, with great service, delicious food and awesome wine, good prices, and a fun/relaxed atmosphere... let's just say it's hard to go wrong.

Pros: Delicious Wine and Tapas, Good Service, Great Ambience, Very Reasonably Priced
Cons: I'm Not Eating There Right Now

Divine Bar East

244 E 51st St (Cross Street: Btw 2nd Ave and 3rd Ave)

New York, NY 10022

(212) 319-WINE

Everything You've Ever Wanted To Know About Sex... At Least, The Reasons We Do It

2007-07-31T11:12:00.000-04:00

Psychologists at the University of Texas have studied the reasons that we have sex, and they came up with 237 reasons after asking over 2,000 people the same question. The findings aren't surprising, really... after all, the most frequent answer to why we have sex was "I was attracted to the person." Other top 10 answers from both males and females included "“I wanted to express my love for the person,” “I was sexually aroused and wanted the release” and “It’s fun.” The NYTimes comments on the findings in its Science section today with an article by John Tierney called The Whys of Mating.

This study comes from the same university that recently found obese girls are less likely to attend college. Although I haven't read the article, which was published in the journal Sociology of Education, I am interested to find out if the researchers actually illustrated any causality between obesity in girls and their lower college attendance rates, or if the findings were simply correlated.

Regarding the sex question, however, the researchers say they split the responses into four main categories: physical, goal attainment, emotion, and insecurity. I find it interesting that they were able to categorize all the responses into only four categories, however, sometimes I think we are much more simple-minded when it comes to sex than we would like to believe.

That being said, I know exactly what I'll be thinking about next time I make eye contact with a cute girl at a bar... response #173: I'd like to have sex to get rid of a headache. "Baby, I've got a splitting headache, now let's get me some aspirin!"

'Winning' The War In Iraq

2007-07-31T10:10:00.000-04:00

Interesting op-ed yesterday titled "A War We Just Might Win" in the NYTimes about the future of the war in Iraq. I wrote it off as Bush propaganda until I came home in the evening and turned on CNN, where one of the authors, Michael E. O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institute, was speaking with Wolf Blitzer on The Situation Room. O'Hanlon did a nice job explaining his voice in the Times piece and further explaining the observations and analysis of his Iraq visit.

O'Hanlon travelled for eight days with members of the U.S. military (for protection) through Iraq last week. Ve visited Baghdad, of course, and also made his way to some outlying provinces such as Tal Afar and Mosul. One of O'Hanlon's main points during his interview with Blitzer was that although he and fellow analyst Kenneth E. Pollack wrote the piece, the NYTimes editors picked the title for his op-ed. He would not have chosen the title "A War We Just Might Win" -- in fact, he added, he is not even sure what it would mean to "win" in Iraq.

What O'Hanlon did want to emphasize is that he has been to Iraq a few times before, and during each visit he was accompanied by U.S. military personnel. During those visits, the state of things in Iraq was dismal and his outlook was bleak at best. On his latest visit, O'Hanlon noticed that there was progress being made, and he did feel safer than he had in the past. Although he is unsure what kind of 'victory' President Bush is looking for in Iraq, O'Hanlon commented that sustainable peace does finally seem attainable. As he states in the second paragraph of the op-ed:

"Here is the most important thing Americans need to understand: We are finally getting somewhere in Iraq, at least in military terms. As two analysts who have harshly criticized the Bush administration’s miserable handling of Iraq, we were surprised by the gains we saw and the potential to produce not necessarily “victory” but a sustainable stability that both we and the Iraqis could live with."

That actually does sound like good news, especially since it comes from independent analysts and not from the mouth of someone like Tony Snow or whoever else shovels the B.S. coming out of the White House these days. O'Hanlon also described what a "victory" in Iraq might be during his interview on CNN, stating that it would be a peace situation in which both the U.S. and the Iraqis could coexist (with or without a U.S. troop presence) and maintain stability throughout the country.

Some other interesting points of the piece detailed some of O'Hanlon's observations during the visit. For example, he mentions a Marine captain in Ramadi who lives with a group of Iraqis... specifically an Iraqi Police unit containing mostly Sunnis and an Iraqi Army unit of mostly Shiites. The three groups live together in a complex and actually coexist well, according to O'Hanlon.

He added that most U.S. commanders believed that their Iraqi units were faring well, whereas in past visits most U.S. commanders felt that their Iraqi units were "useless", providing only "a thin Iraqi face on largely American operations" and commanders who actually felt their Iraqi units were helpful were the exception to the rule.

O'Hanlon also commented,

"In war, sometimes it’s important to pick the right adversary, and in Iraq we seem to have done so."

Finally! He adds that a major source of positive change in Iraq has been a shift away from support of al Qaeda, other Salafist groups, and Moktada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army.

There is still much work to be done, however:

"In the end, the situation in Iraq remains grave. In particular, we still face huge hurdles on the political front."

While that is clear to most educated Americans, the specifics of those political hurdles are largely unknown. O'Hanlon adds,

"The Iraqi National Police, which are controlled by the Interior Ministry, remain mostly a disaster. In response, many towns and neighborhoods are standing up local police forces, which generally prove more effective, less corrupt and less sectarian. The coalition has to force the warlords in Baghdad to allow the creation of neutral security forces beyond their control."

During his interview with Blitzer, he clarified that Baghdad cannot be the focus of the American effort in Iraq, calling the city "a bottleneck" right now. U.S. forces should aim their efforts at fixing problems in outlying provinces, he said, which will lay the groundwork for an easier push in Baghdad when things in Iraq are easier to control.

O'Hanlon ends the piece with an eye toward the future.

"How much longer should American troops keep fighting and dying to build a new Iraq while Iraqi leaders fail to do their part? And how much longer can we wear down our forces in this mission? These haunting questions underscore the reality that the surge cannot go on forever. But there is enough good happening on the battlefields of Iraq today that Congress should plan on sustaining the effort at least into 2008."

Although it is nearly sickening to think that U.S. troops will be in Iraq well into 2008 and most likely years beyond, at least it is a minor comfort to hear that progress is being made. Then again, as O'Hanlon asks, how much longer should U.S. troops keep fighting and dying while Iraqi leaders fail to do their part?

I guess some questions simply cannot be answered at this point in time.

Terrorism -- It Brings Terror

2007-07-24T10:03:00.000-04:00

The title of this post could be the title of next summer's top blockbuster film. It most likely won't be, but it might as well be. After all, terrorism is what politics have become in the United States.

"The Politics of Fear" is what one editorial writer chose to title his or her article last week that discussed President Bush's utilization of fear to achieve his political and personal agenda. I meant to write about this last week but I didn't have the time. Go take a look at what this writer had to say about the way Bush uses his power (read: fear) to operate the government.

While I admit the article is a bit over the top when it comes to providing examples, I agree in principle with all of it and I am positive that leading by fear is not what the writers of the Constitution intended when they created the position of President. The truth of the matter is that when our government uses terrorism to incite fear in the public, then isn't the government no different than actual terrorists? Just something to ponder...

YouTube Debate... A Success?

2007-07-24T09:41:00.000-04:00

Anyone watching the Democratic YouTube debate last night on CNN might be scratching their head today and asking, "What did I just watch?" For those out of the loop, the YouTube debate offered YouTubers the opportunity to submit questions via the popular video website, some of which were chosen by CNN and aired on live television in front of the candidates. The NYTimes discussed the format of the debate itself, and whether it works for the American people, right here.

The questions were certainly colorful and ranged from the serious to the... well... less serious. For a recap, TIME.com has offered short bits about each candidate's responses which, similar to the debate itself, added a little bit of comedy into the political scene.

One of my favorite TIME.com comments was about Bill Richardson, the Democratic governor of New Mexico, which read:

"...his staff should be sued for malpractice for allowing him to appear with make-up that made him look more like The Thing from The Fantastic Four than any candidate for president should."

Ha!! Let's compare:

Truly, a shocking resemblence.

All in all, I was pleased with the nature of the debate. It was entertaining and held the attention of not only me, but my group of friends who watched with me as well. In today's political atmosphere, it is not uncommon for me to find that many of my friends are apathetic entirely, or in many cases just uninterested in debates and primary elections (even the Democrat friends of mine!). So bravo! to Youtube and CNN for combining forces to produce a debate that people actually watched.

I'm interested to hear what the ratings for this thing were like...

Ricky Henderson: The Man, The Myth, The Legend...

2007-07-17T12:41:00.000-04:00

You've got to read this hilarious post about the life of Ricky Henderson from 100% Injury Rate, a great sports blog. The post counts the top Ricky Henderson 25 stories... and while the infamous Ricky Henderson/John Olerud story isn't true, it still managed to make the list (with a note, of course). In case you haven't heard, Ricky was hired recently by the New York Mets to be a new first base coach.

My favorite story:

In 1996, Henderson’s first season with San Diego, he boarded the team bus and was looking for a seat. Steve Finley said, “You have tenure, sit wherever you want.” Henderson looked at Finley and said, “Ten years? Ricky’s been playing at least 16, 17 years.”

Hilarious. Ricky, you're crazy.

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby Sentence Commuted By Bush... NYTimes Responds

2007-07-03T10:01:00.000-04:00

George W. Bush has used his power to place himself above the law yet again -- this time, he used his Presidential privileges to commute the sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who was sentenced to 30 months in prison for his crimes. The NYTimes reports the story here and has a nice timeline of the entire Scooter Libby situation available here.

In today's article, Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D - Nevada) says succinctly of Bush's commutation,

"Libby’s conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq War... Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone."

The NYTimes also published an editorial that quite simply lays into Bush for his decision, saying of Bush, "As president, he has repeatedly put himself and those on his team, especially Mr. Cheney, above the law," and that "He sounded like a man worried about what a former loyalist might say when actually staring into a prison cell."

Yep... sounds about right to me.

E-Mail: A 6-Step Plan

2007-07-02T10:59:00.000-04:00

I came across this humorous op-ed in the NYTimes Sunday Edition that quite succinctly sums up the six stages of an e-mail user's experience. Worth reading... enjoy.

Good Argument for NYC Congestion Pricing Plan

2007-07-02T10:25:00.000-04:00

Today's NYTimes had an op-ed supporting the congestion pricing plan that Mayor Bloomberg proposed, but which has been held up in the NY State Assembly. The plan calls for a toll on all cars entering lower Manhattan (defined as any area below 86th St.) during business hours Mondays through Fridays. Opponents provide a laundry list of reasons why the proposal will fail, yet those who support the plan constantly cite London as an example of why this proposal is destined to succeed.

The op-ed in today's Times takes a closer look at the London example. According to the article, London instituted the congestion pricing plan in 2003 by charging cars about $9 (US) to enter the city's center. The plan worked well and motorists saw an immediate drop of about 70,000 cars per day in the area, with congestion dropping about 20 percent and emmissions dropping 15 percent. The congestion fee has since risen to about $16 (US), and in February 2007, the congestion area doubled by expanding westward, and the city has seen a 13 percent drop in congestion traffic since then.

To counter the decrease in vehicular traffic, London expanded and modernized its bus fleet in addition to adding new bus lanes -- the result was a 50% increase in bus rides since 2000. If New York City did the same thing, it would have to make a serious push to increase bus ridership and assure that commutes on buses are streamlined. As someone who rides the bus fairly frequently, the largest deterrents to taking the bus are slow service (bus rides from point A to point B simply take too long) and inconsistent service (long waits for the bus and 'bunching' of buses are both serious problems). The alternative to improved bus service would be for the city to beef up its subway service, which has proved to be far too costly, even with extra cash coming in from the congestion tolls.

London is now taking its congestion pricing plan to the next level by adding an increased toll for any car with poor emissions -- specifically SUVs. The new cost for SUVs entering the congestion zone will be nearly $50 (US) per day (yes, $50, you are not mistaken). While I think this is almost inconceivable, I suppose the people of London are okay with the plan because according to the Times op-ed, the new toll is supported 3 to 1 by the people. In addition, lawmakers hope to abolish the 90 percent exemption for residents of the congestion area when the next phase of their plan begins.

Including a discount into the plan for residents of the area is a great idea in my opinion and I would like to see New York City do the same thing if Bloomberg's plan is passed. While I do not see bike ridership becoming as big in NYC as it has become in London, I think that improving the bus system in Manhattan would be extremely welcomed by the people here. Combined with decreased vehicular traffic below 86th street, an improved bus system would certainly encourage use of public transportation by those who may not want to use the subways and would cost considerably less than any type of subway upgrades.

It seems that the London example can teach New Yorkers how to properly implement Bloomberg's plan. Still, though, I'm on the fence with this one and need to carefully consider it, just as lawmakers in Albany have chosen to do.

New Trojan Condom Ads: Rejected!

2007-06-27T14:14:00.000-04:00

I actually came across a good NYTimes article last week about the rejection of Trojan's new television ads promoting condom usage by CBS and FOX (right-wing much?)... Balkinization has a great piece about it today right here. I like the title of their blog post a lot: "Is Trojan Advertising The End of Humanity?" I especially like the comments that were posted by readers, some of whom DO think that Trojan's advertising campaigns are marking the beginning of the end of humanity -- we call those people religious zealots, and I can't stand 'em!

I simply agree with Trojan executives that it is ridiculous when television companies will allow the usage of sex to sell nearly any product, but when it comes to selling condoms, some stations will not allow ads that use sex as a selling point. If people argue that the Trojan: Evolve ads should not be allowed to air on a TV station, then I don't think other ads using sex should be allowed either. It's THAT black and white to me. Am I wrong here?

I really like the ad campaign... what a great tag line. "Evolve. Use a condom every time." The people at Balkinization know what they're talking about when they explain the meaning of this message, but the writer's attempt at humor is weak and off-topic, when he writes, "If people followed this advice literally, it would mean the end of evolution as humans would stop procreating. Thanks mom and dad, for not using a condom everytime."

Trojan markets a product that keeps people safe and healthy, yet for religious/moral reasons there are millions of people who think that Trojan products are created by the devil. I thoroughly believe that Trojan is held to higher standards than the rest of corporate America due to the nature of its product, and since advertising is the 'public face' of a company, this ad does not fly for CBS, FOX, or any other right-wing conservative-backed television stations. What a shame.

Here's the ad... see for yourself:

The Dangers of Golf

2007-06-26T13:37:00.001-04:00

I've always thought of golf as a rich man's sport, and for that reason I've always hated golf at least a little bit. I simply don't like the idea of a sport that was created by rich people, for rich people, that is played almost entirely by other rich people. What's up with that? However, every once in a while, something ironic or hilarious happens to a golfer and it truly makes my day. Today is one of those days.

Apparently a man in Venice, FL was reaching into a pond to retrieve his ball (I guess he isn't even good at golf if he hit his ball into the water), when an alligator jumped out of the water, latched onto his arm, and pulled him into the pond (LOL! The story is here). He used his free arm to beat the alligator down until it eventually let go. The man walked away without any serious injuries, but the event still makes me laugh.

Oh... and there WAS a sign that read: 'Beware of Alligator'. Hehe...

The End of Internet Radio?

2007-06-26T13:21:00.000-04:00

Starting July 15, new royalty rates will be instituted that will effectively begin to destroy internet radio as we know it. Today, many of these stations are participating in a day of silence to protest the rate hike. I wrote a letter a few months ago to both my senator and my representative in the House asking them to stop this fee increase because I believe in the future of internet radio.

I wholeheartedly believe that there needs to be a sweeping, fundamental change in the method by which music is distributed throughout the world. As technology has changed, so too must many of the things that society has become accustomed to. A change in music distribution methods is definitely coming and I am excited to experience this shift. In the meantime, you should check out Pandora to get started in this monumental change in ideology that is upon us -- you might even find out about some new music you've never heard before. I wouldn't waste your time visiting that site today though... they're taking a day of silence.

To help make a difference, check out the SaveNetRadio.org, a site that is dedicated to ending this ridiculous situation. Click here to find out who your Representative and Senators are, then give them a call or send them an e-mail. Save internet radio!

Pic Of The Day

2007-06-21T10:09:00.000-04:00

I just had to post this crazy picture that I came across in the NYTimes today of Motocross competitor Jeremy Stenberg. Stenberg, 25 years old, badly injured himself in this crash a year ago in Louisville and is beginning his return to motocross today.

Bill Clinton's Analysis of Bloomberg's Congestion Pricing Proposal

2007-06-19T10:35:00.000-04:00

The Empire Zone (which, by the way, is shutting down for a while) has a great post today about Bill Clinton's speech yesterday, during which he included a few of his own comments/criticisms of Mayor Bloomberg's 'congestion pricing plan'. The plan calls for an $8 fee for all cars entering midtown Manhattan (below 86th St.) on weekdays during business and rush hours.

Clinton seems to oppose the plan, citing the large cost to low-income workers who have no option but to drive into Manhattan for their jobs. As an alternative, Clinton proposes that Mayor Bloomberg initiate a push to transform the city's buildings into 'green' buildings -- an effort that would save on energy costs used to heat, cool and power the buildings. That push, Clinton believes, would create many new jobs and reduce city-wide emissions, whereas Bloomberg's congestion toll may reduce emissions by discouraging automobile traffic in midtown, but yield very few (if any) positive side-effects.

I suppose there are arguments on both side of this issue, but from what I understand and have heard, the congestion pricing proposal wouldn't be very effective at achieving its goal for a few reasons. First, I do not think that citizens who live in midtown that use cars to travel out of the city would be happy paying money just to get back to their apartments.

Second, the $8 fee would greatly affect citizens on fixed or stretched incomes -- for instance, an elderly individual on a fixed income receiving treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (one of the best cancer hospitals in the country) may travel into midtown everyday for treatment and would probably not have the luxury of taking mass transit due to increased risk of infection, but may have a difficult time affording an extra $40 per week ($8 per day, M-F, for example) to receive that treatment.

Third, I have always found that people -- in general -- respond poorly to negative reinforcement, whereas positive reinforcement typically produces better results. Offer something to people that they want (i.e. an incentive), with a small caveat (i.e. not driving in midtown), and they might go for it... but tax/fine people for something they do already and you'll just piss them off. In my fraternity, for example, learning our ritual was an important goal but many brothers did not take the time to do so... to encourage ritual proficiency, fines were often instituted for brothers who did not study and pass proficiency exams, but proficiency rates were still low. It wasn't until a positive reinforcement was added (only brothers who were proficient could receive pledge sons) that proficiency rates rose -- and the rates rose extremely quickly.

I'm pretty split on the congestion pricing proposal, but I think I am leaning towards opposition. There are just too many potential negative effects associated with charging $8 to enter midtown, and I believe there are many other options available to decrease emissions in Manhattan that have not yet been explored. Once all of those options have been exhausted, I would consider using negative reinforcement to decrease midtown vehicular traffic, but until then I believe we can use positive reinforcement to do so or simply look in another direction to achieve the same goals.

Update: Duke Lacrosse Case

2007-06-19T10:23:00.000-04:00

Justice served (I guess)... but scars will inevitably remain.

Rough Week For The Legal Profession...

2007-06-15T13:32:00.000-04:00

It seems this week was particularly rough for the legal profession. I caught wind of this here, at the Law Blog on WSJ.com... I guess I had heard a few stories of lawyers acting unprofessionally here and there, but when they are all listed and discussed together, a pretty negative picture of the legal profession is painted.

The big case going on right now is that of Durham, NC County District Attorney Michael B. Nifong. Nifong is facing disbarment for unethical practices with regards to the Duke lacrosse sexual assault case of 2006. In my opinion, Nifong thoroughly abused his power by exaggerating the claims of the woman who was assaulted, citing evidence as being relevant when it never even existed, and most of all by including his own bias and political agenda in the prosecution of the three Duke students charged with rape and sexual assault. For those three students, this situation has ruined post-graduate careers, college experiences, and most likely left a permanant emotional scar on all of them. Nifong should certainly lose his license to practice law for what he did.

I also came across another story at the Law Blog on WSJ.com about a new ratings website for lawyers called Avvo. It seems the entire concept behind this website is upsetting quite a few legal professionals. In fact, a lawsuit seeking class-action status has been filed on behalf of two Seattle-based lawyers who claim in their complaint that the Avvo ratings system, aside from being biased, is "capricious and arbitrary, [and] susceptible to manipulation by a number of sources that are neither objective nor mathematical nor indicative of a lawyer's professional competence."

The complaint goes on to describe the website as "little more than a legal popularity contest." My question is, isn't everything a popularity contest these days anyway? This lawsuit is nonsense and these lawyers filing suit should recognize the state of our times... they truly need to realize that in today's society free spech still holds up and as long as the internet is ever-expanding, Americans will continue to author and access every type of information imaginable.

The one instance when this is unacceptable is when people of power use their power improperly and publish inaccurate statements... such is the case of Michael Nifong, Durham County District Attorney. Think about THAT, you Seattle-based law abusers.

Taking Chinese Take-Out To The Next Level

2007-06-15T10:15:00.000-04:00

Great op-ed in the NYTimes today from the creators of the Zagat Survey about the development of Chinese food in America. Apparently the inability to obtain visas is the primary holdup for Chinese restaurants these days, whereas in the past the primary difficulty was in obtaining proper ingredients. The authors suggest that politicians try "dumpling diplomacy" -- a variation of the "ping pong diplomacy" that was practiced in the 1970s, which allowed American visas for skilled foreign ping pong players -- in order to bring skilled Chinese chefs to America.

Not a bad idea... then again, with the state of politics in America being the way they are today, I doubt politicians are concerned much with the quality of their Chinese take-out.

The Price is Right Comical Moment of the Day

2007-06-13T12:00:00.001-04:00

Courtesy of a great blog called We Are The Postmen... this young guy just doesn't get it.

Social Networking v2.0

2007-06-13T11:26:00.000-04:00

Wis.dm, a new social networking website, opened earlier this week with a unique take on the internet networking phenomenon. Whereas websites like Facebook and MySpace focus on exchanging information bluntly (i.e. the user creates an "about me"-type page), Wis.dm focuses on the exchange of information by asking simple questions.

Although I haven't signed up yet, it seems that the questions can cover pretty much anything. My attempts to check out the website proved timely due to slow page loading, so I wasn't able to gather much information from the site itself... in fact, when the page finally did load it seemed that the home page was missing a lot of information and had layout issues. But I was at least interested enough to head over to Wis.dm and try looking around -- after all, this website may become a new giant in internet networking if all goes well.

The concept of meeting people via questions is new and unique (to internet networking... after all, isn't that just called dating in real life?), although I imagine Facebook and MySpace will add features that enable users to ask each other questions shortly to abolish competition from Wis.dm. I've always thought that the next step in internet social networking will actually be a step backwards in a sense. Let me explain. Wis.dm brings us one step closer to simple chatting via internet networking. Soon we will likely see Facebook and MySpace add peer-to-peer chat features similar to AIM, Google Chat and the like. Soon after that there will be chat rooms that enable users to communicate with multiple users in a forum atmosphere.

I know what you're thinking... okay, maybe you aren't thinking it... but doesn't that sound just like the original AOL? Profiles... peer-to-peer chatting... chat rooms...? It seems like AOL was just a bit ahead of its time. That, and AOL cost $19.95 per month to use initially, and eventually climbed to almost $30 per month. Now, AOL has actually dug itself a hole because the features that it offers are outdated and although the service is now offered for free, many Americans have simply moved on. I doubt AOL will ever recover from its slump and compete with the Facebooks, MySpaces, and Wis.dms out there that are constantly adapting to the current status quo and engaging users in new and interesting methods of connecting. Today's internet users want the internet to provide social networking... version 2.0.

On the other hand, I still miss that screetching modem noise that only AOL could bring me. Dial-up anyone?

Update: Gernarlow Wilson Case

2007-06-11T16:35:00.000-04:00

Back on January 25, 2007 I commented on the legal situation regarding Georgia teenager Genarlow Wilson, who is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for aggravated child molestation. As the story goes, Wilson, now 20 years old, was involved in a sexual encounter during high school (he was 17 years old) with a girl who was 15 years old. As per Georgia state law, his sexual acts constituted aggravated child molestation because the girl involved was underage -- that crime carries a minimum 10 year sentence. The 'crime' was actually videotaped (also consensual) and the video proved that no rape was involved.

Since the conviction, Genarlow Wilson, a high-school football standout with a fairly bright future, has served more than 2 years in prison while his lawyers have fought pro-bono to overturn the ruling. Also since his conviction, the 'archaic' Georgia law under which he was imprisoned has been overturned -- I say 'archaic' law because that is how the prosecutor himself described it.

Today, Superior Court Judge Thomas H. Wilson voided the sentence on the grounds that the punishment was cruel and unusual. Therefore, Judge Wilson felt, the punishment was unconstitutional and the judge offered a plea bargain that would allow Genarlow Wilson to be freed after time already served.

For some reason, Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker has already filed an appeal to the judge's ruling. Perhaps Baker is up for reelection sometime soon and wants to show a tough hand when it comes to sentencing and following the law as strictly as possible. But in the end, I believe the judge's ruling was correct and will stand. Genarlow Wilson will most likely have to deal with the unfortunate fact that his name will forever be on the sex offender registry.

If every state had a law to put teenagers in jail for engaging in oral sex with classmates for 10 years (minimum), I have a feeling our nation's prison system would be just a bit overwhelmed. It seems, for now, that this man has been freed from his unjust imprisonment -- but at what cost? He has lost some of the best years of his life to this debacle, but has he learned any lesson?

The only lesson from this situation I see is that the legal system in the United States cannot be trusted. As for me... well I disagree with that statement, but from Genarlow Wilson's perspective, I don't see any other conclusion.

Republican Presidential Candidate Sam Brownback Comments on Creationism vs. Evolution

2007-05-31T10:58:00.000-04:00

I really don't understand exactly what Senator Sam Brownback (R - Kansas) means in his op-ed in today's NYTimes. He wrote the piece to supplement and explain his decision during the recent Republican presidential debate to raise his hand when asked which candidates do not believe in evolution.

One idea that I did pull from his essay is that he believes reason and faith can and should coexist in our country. Other than that, I don't quite know what Brownback is trying to say. One telling line reads:

"I am wary of any theory that seeks to undermine man’s essential dignity and
unique and intended place in the cosmos."

To me, that indicates his position... the rest of his op-ed is just fluff. It sounds like Senator Brownback may just have too much pride as a human being, which reminds me of everyone's favorite politician, George W. Bush.

U.S. Loses The Face Of Anti-War Protests

2007-05-30T14:47:00.001-04:00

I needed a little while to think about whether or not this news story was something I wanted to comment on here at The Marshall Plan. Well, I've thought things over and I realize now that Cindy Sheehan's story should not only be discussed at length anywhere (and everywhere) possible, but it should be written in the history books that my children will someday read -- and it probably will be.

Cindy Sheehan, the face of anti-war movement in the United States since 2005, is finished protesting the Iraq War. Many people will say that this is barely newsworthy, however, they are entirely incorrect. Sheehan's protests are reminiscent of those related to the civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960s. Sheehan became a symbol, and as anyone who has seen the movie Batman Begins can tell you, symbols are much more powerful than words.

TIME has a fantastic photo essay depicting the Cindy Sheehan's grassroots anti-war movement, beginning with her son's death in the spring of 2004. Sheehan's son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, died in Iraq after his rescue team was ambushed in Baghdad. Casey had volunteered for the rescue mission and was killed along with six others. The Sheehan family met with President Bush a few months later in June 2004, and shortly thereafter Cindy began questioning the Iraq War openly.

Sheehan began joining protests against the war by the fall of 2004, but her movement took shape when she camped outside of President Bush's ranch in Texas in August 2005 for 26 days -- nearly a month -- when President Bush refused to speak with her about the war. Other protesters joined Sheehan on a 5-acre plot of land that she purchased with the insurance money from her son's death, at what became known as Camp Casey. Sheehan became an icon of the anti-war movement and began appearing at protests across the country.

But after almost two years of protesting, Cindy Sheehan is giving up her anti-war efforts. She wrote in her diary (posted on dailykos.com):

"The most devastating conclusion that I reached this morning, however, was that Casey did indeed die for nothing. His precious lifeblood drained out in a country far away from his family who loves him, killed by his own country which is beholden to and run by a war machine that even controls what we think. I have tried every since he died to make his sacrifice meaningful. Casey died for a country which cares more about who will be the next American Idol than how many people will be killed in the next few months while Democrats and Republicans play politics with human lives."

This, to me, is the truest statement I've heard in quite some time with regards to the Iraq War, or rather the United States in general. I work with a 28-year-old girl who follows American Idol religiously -- she's even in an inter-office pool to bet on American Idol contestants -- but who doesn't even know what city is the capital of Iraq, where the United States currently has thousands of troops fighting and dying every day. While most Americans typically work Monday through Friday, fighting in Iraq continues seven days a week and deaths don't take a break for weekends either.

Sheehan has taught me a valuable, albeit depressing, lesson. In today's American society it is extremely difficult for common citizens to accomplish anything when it comes to our government. Despite our "representative democracy," even an anti-war movement that is supported by a majority of the people in our country cannot succeed. Sheehan put her life and soul into her protests and truly believed that if she demonstrated the fallacies of the Iraq War to enough Americans, eventually President Bush would pull out the troops, end the war, and put a stop to all the senseless killing that occurs day after day. Protesters even came out to protest Cindy Sheehan herself, and for too long she has endured countless slurs, threats and nonsensical objections (including many along the lines of "Remember 9/11"... a shame, because Iraq was not involved in those attacks).

Unfortunately her efforts have not succeeded, but I do not believe they have completely failed either. Sheehan did manage to begin a grassroots movement in a time when it is quite difficult for grassroots movements to gain momentum. She also proved just how far one person can go to make a point -- if everyone had more Cindy Sheehan inside, perhaps the Iraq War would already be over.

I participated in a march to end the Iraq War a few months ago on an impuse... I realized when the march ended that we had accomplished absolutely nothing. Although the message was there and we all believed what we were marching against, when we ended up at the U.N. there was nothing to show for our efforts. Sure, the march had brought thousands of people together in NYC, but what had we truly accomplished?

Cindy Sheehan did what I did one day for many months, and she was also unable to accomplish anything. Even when she managed to get some politicians on her side, her efforts proved futile. Sheehan was even removed from the President's State of the Union address despite being invited by a Representative from California. Her best efforts to demonstrate that the Iraq War is unjust were barely worthwhile in the end, even when her protests were dynamic and unique.

It is truly a shame that Cindy Sheehan has given up. I feel that if she has given up, there really must be no hope left to end this war soon. Even worse, have the American people lost the connection that they once had to their government? Is our government no longer a government for the people? And finally, have too many Americans become overtaken with complete apatheticism? To me, that is the worst consequence that Sheehan's "resignation" indicates. If we, as Americans, no longer believe that we have a voice in the government and subsequently stop caring, then our system has completely failed.

I pray our system has not failed, for that will be a truly upsetting day. Thank you for all you have done, Cindy Sheehan. I won't forget your son... Casey Sheehan will live on in all of our hearts.

Restaurant Review: Agozar

2007-05-30T12:51:00.001-04:00

And so begins a new chapter in my blogging experience... restaurant reviews. How am I qualified to write reviews, you might ask? Well, I've been eating food for... pretty much my entire life, and I really enjoy eating food. I'm pretty particular when it comes to food (anyone who has ever seen me prepare one of my chopped salads can tell you that), and I keep track of where I eat around NYC. In fact, I've been writing reviews on Citysearch for some time now. I'll be transferring those reviews to this blog as I write them, and I'll also periodically post some older reviews I've done on Citysearch. Enjoy and get eatin'!

Review:
Our group ate at Agozar last night (Tuesday) to celebrate a friend's birthday... 7 of us were seated promptly, but the waiter took longer than we wanted to bring out drinks. The pitchers of Mojito were delicious -- if anything, too sweet, but then again that's a Mojito. We also had a few pitchers of sangria, which proved to be just as sugary and sweet... again, maybe a bit too sweet. We shared all 8 different tapas as appetizers (half price until 8pm... so cheap!), which really were the best part of the meal. For a main dish (they call them "platos fuertes"), I had a skirt steak with mashed potatoes, peppers and onions. The peppers and onions were phenomenal and went great with the steak. Unfortunately the steak didn't have as much flavor as I'd hoped, but the dish was still very enjoyable. 4 people in our group split two orders of the traditional Argentinean "parillada" -- mixed grilled platter for 2 (comes with skirt steak, chorizo, chicken breast and pork loin). From what they told me, the meats weren't as flavorful as expected and they were disappointed with their choice. Overall, it was a good dining experience but Agozar didn't serve the top cuisine in the city. The service was a bit slow and we ended up waiting about 10-15 minutes between our appetizers and our main dishes, when that wait should be no longer than 5 minutes. The drinks were strong, though, and I walked out a bit tipsy for sure. I would certainly go back there, but only for a low-key gathering or to drink with friends. Great location, cheap drinks, decent food... Agozar is worth a visit.

Pros: Strong/Cheap Drinks, Great Location, Fun Atmosphere
Cons: Slow Service, Average Main Dishes

Agozar
324 Bowery (Cross Street: Bleecker St.)
New York, NY 10012
(212) 677-6773

NYC Taxis Turn From Yellow To Green

2007-05-22T11:53:00.001-04:00

I thought of the cheesiest title for this entry that I could and just wrote it. And boy, am I glad I did that...

News today that NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is announcing new emissions standards for taxis in New York City. This is just another step in Bloomberg's plan to reduce NYC's carbon emmissions 30% by the year 2030.

Bloomberg's latest plan calls for all NYC taxis to be hybrid vehicles by 2012 -- currently less than 400 of the 13,000 taxis are hybrids. By 2008, Bloomberg plans to have 1,000 hybrid taxis on the streets with 20% increases each year thereafter. Additionally, Bloomberg is instituting mandatory efficiency laws to begin in 2008, with the ultimate goal of all taxis attaining at least 35 miles per gallon of gasoline by 2012, when the switch to hybrids will be complete. The Empure Zone, a New York Times blog, has some more details of this switch and also includes a little bit of NYC hybrid taxi history in today's entry as well.

This action follows another push by Bloomberg a few weeks ago to implement an extreme toll on vehicles entering the borough of Manhattan during peak hours ($8 for cars, $20+ for trucks), in an effort to reduce vehicular emissions in the already overcrowded city.

These sort of actions by Bloomberg make it difficult to hate the guy. Although he represents a lot of what many Americans dislike in politicians, Bloomberg's wealth and power have given him a can-do attitude that has produces results in New York City. Rather than inaction, Bloomberg believes in stretching his authority whenever necessary to improve the lives of New Yorkers. The result is that he is slowly making NYC a better place. If more politicians cut through 'red tape' like Bloomberg (to accomplish positive goals, that is), perhaps our entire country would be a better place.

I'm really picking on taxi drivers this week...

Memo To Taxi Drivers

2007-05-21T12:05:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of Getting Drunk In First Class, one of my favorite blogs to read and perk up my Mondays. This guy refers to himself simply by the name Total Dickhead and this post today on his feelings towards taxi drivers surely proves that to be an accurate title. Bravo!

Developing Manhattan's West Side Rail Yards... Take 2

2007-05-17T12:00:00.000-04:00

Once again NYC is attempting to create a development plan for Manhattan's Hudson Yards -- the largest building site available in Manhattan. The NYTimes had a story today on the latest updates to the situation, and as of right now it looks like five large developers will be bidding on the rights to build there.

The current plan includes space for residential, retail, and office buildings as well as space for cultural/recreation areas and hotels. One important 'workaround' will be the existing High Line train tracks that some New Yorkers are fighting to keep undeveloped, so that they can be turned into parks and recreation space. The city plans to convert the line into a park from 30th Street to Gansevoort Street but insists that the costs to convert the rest of the line into a park would be too great and would outweigh the benefits -- the current estimate would be an additional $100 million.

This project is big news to anyone living in Manhattan for a couple of reasons. First, developing this area would bring billions of construction dollars to a huge area of midtown's west side and provide much-needed living space in Manhattan. The city is crowded and more apartment space is always needed. One important caveat is that the buildings constructed fill a current need for more low-income or at least 'reasonably affordable' living spaces. Constructing high-rise condos or co-op buildings will be a waste of the land, in my opinion, especially if hotels are developed on the land as well.

Second, brand new parks will be created that will west side residents access to green spaces that they currently lack. For west-siders, there simply aren't many options when it comes to open spaces. Central Park is easily accessible for uptown residents but for those who live below 42nd Street, a park or at the very least some open space in the 30s would be greatly appreciated. I am not included in that group (I live in the upper 70s on the east side) but I do see the need.

Third, developing the west side rail yards goes hand-in-hand with the completion of the 7 Line Extension Project, which will provide a route from 34th Street on the west side (near Penn Station/MSG) all the way to Grand Central Terminal and the east side of Manhattan -- this may be the best part of the project because there is currently no easy route from Penn Station to the east side that doesn't require at least one transfer between buses or subways. It will be a huge benefit to anyone commuting to or from New Jersey to have a direct path from Penn Station to Grand Central, which is what the 7 Line Extension will provide.

I will undoubtedly keep a close eye on the progress of this project.

Business vs. Finance

2007-05-16T09:57:00.000-04:00

Michael Kinsley had a great op-ed in the NYTimes today that focused on the life of Avis, a car rental company. It caught my attention because my company uses Avis for renting cars and I've been pretty satisfied with their service so far. Kinsley comments, however, on another aspect of Avis' history -- finance.

Kinsley uses Avis to describe the difference between 'business' and 'finance'. He comments that Avis has changed hands so many times since it was founded in 1946, but essentially has remained the same company that provides the same service. But as Kinsley notes, each time a transaction involving Avis has occurred, some firm or group of individuals somewhere has made a lot of money from the transaction alone.

This, he explains, is finance -- not business. Kinsley writes:

"Modern capitalism has two parts: there’s business, and there’s finance. Business is renting you a car at the airport. Finance is something else."

It is difficult for me to understand finance, even though I live with someone who graduated recently with a business school degree in finance. I hear phrases like "mergers," "acquisitions," "spinoffs," "stock options," and "subsidiary" -- my head spins. I don't really know why some people end up making millions of dollars for deals that don't seem to actually make much of a difference... that is, the company involved is the same before and after the deal.

Such was the case of the recent deal involving The Chrysler Group, which was purchased by Cerberus Capital Management for $7.4 billion. I understand that Chrysler was struggling financially (and has been for a while) and that Cerberus has purchased the company and acquired with it all of the group's problems. And I understand that Cerberus stands to make a lot of money by turning the company around. But in the end, won't The Chrysler Group still sell cars? Doesn't the company sell cars right now? How, then, does this deal affect the consumer? How does it affect the business of Chrysler?

Well, it doesn't. As Kinsley explains, that is the difference between finance and business. Business is me renting my car at Avis, but finance is the impending purchase of Avis by financier Carl Icahn. If Icahn buys Avis, as Kinsley suggests he might, someone stands to make a lot of money. I especially liked Kinsley's closing line, which he quotes from a September 2006 WSJ article (just after Avis began trading on the NYSE):

" “If a buyout or acquisition deal doesn’t materialize for Avis, stock and bond investors will have to focus on the fundamentals of its car-rental business.” Goodness! Anything but that!"

LOL.

Religion Kills!

2007-05-15T17:02:00.000-04:00

May Rev. Jerry Falwell rest in peace. He died today of heart failure at the age of 73. I am a firm believer that any person is entitled to believe any belief he or she chooses. When it comes to religious concepts and the extension of religion into law (i.e. law, framed by religion), I often disagree with conservatives but I still believe that it is a person's right to choose their beliefs.

In the case of Rev. Jerry Falwell, however, I have found that some beliefs are downright ridiculous. The man was a ranting lunatic, in my opinion (again, I am entitled to this belief, even if you disagree with me). He began using his religious influence to impact political decisions... this I did not like -- religion and politics should not mix!

Falwell had this to say about the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S.:

"I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America," he said. "I point the finger in their face and say 'You helped this happen.' "

I point my finger at Rev. Falwell and ask... really? Did you really believe this? Or were you simply trying to influence people to convert to your religion? In my opinion, much of what Falwell had to say during his lifetime was 100% rhetoric deserving no merit whatsoever.

That being said... he is now gone and although I'm sure another extremist will arise to take his place within months, if not sooner, I am happy that I will not have to hear him any more on television or read his insane remarks in the newspaper. Rest in peace, Jerry Falwell. I am sure you will be missed by many.

Google... Welcome To The 'Dark' Side

2007-05-15T10:54:00.000-04:00

Looks like Google can save 750 megawatt-hours of electricity by changing the background of its search page to black (instead of its current white color). I found out about this via WSJ.com and it's worth checking out. Although LCD screens use less power than traditional CRT screens, the new black google -- which calls itself 'Blackle' -- claims to have saved more than 5,500 watt-hours of energy since the website went public in March.

While that may seem like a small amount of energy, the point remains that every little bit helps, right? That is what Blackle aims to do -- it is a reminder that every bit of conservation helps the greater good and achieves a small step towards energy-use reduction.

Pretty cool, if you ask me.

U.S. Soldiers Lose Access To Some Internet Websites

2007-05-14T11:21:00.000-04:00

TIME is reporting today that U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq and elsewhere will be losing access to certain websites that the Dept. of Defense consider "recreational sites" that "drain productivity." This is, of course, truly a slap in the face to our armed forces.

Among the websites to be blocked are MySpace and YouTube, as well as music websites such as MTV, Pandora, and others. The DoD says that websites like those cause disruptions to the available bandwidth and present "significant operational security challenge[s]." Honestly, though... is it not possible to limit the use of those websites in the DoD offices within the United States and not limit soldiers' access to those websites? After all, our country's service men and women are risking their lives fighting a war that a majority of our country doesn't even want to be fighting... the least we can do as American citizens is pay for their access to internet entertainment!

Some of the other websites that the DoD is blocking provide photo sharing and other information exchange capabilities. The DoD urges that blocking these websites will provide better security for our troops by limiting the ability of soldiers to share information, which may jeopardize mission success. On the other hand, the block on those sites will only apply to computers issued by the DoD or to computers using the DoD's internet -- but many troops in Afghanistan (we're still there apparently) and Iraq cannot access the internet any other way. It's just our government giving our soldiers yet another reason to want to get the hell out of Iraq.

Nice job, everyone at the DoD.

Virginia Putting NYC Mayor Bloomberg In His Place

2007-05-10T10:26:00.000-04:00

It actually makes me proud to be a New Yorker when I read that Mayor Michael Bloomberg may be entering into a legal dispute with another state. The Washington Post reports today that Mayor Bloomberg has been setting up 'sting' operations at gun dealers in Virginia in order to curb illegal gun sales -- it seems the guns sold at a few locations in Virginia keep making their way to NYC and have been used in connection with various violent crimes.

I applaud Mr. Bloomberg's efforts. His aggressiveness to keep New Yorkers safe is refreshing in a world where money talks and the gun lobby has a firm grip on our country's lawmakers. Unsurprisingly, politicians in Virginia are up in arms over Bloombergs unauthorized sting operations -- unauthorized, that is, by Virginia law enforcement. New laws call for coordination between Virginia law enforcement and the officers of any other state wishing to conduct operations within Virginia.

While I do not think this law is a bad idea (coordination between states may actually help curb illegal gun sales), it is unfortunate that Virginia politicians and lawmakers are so anti-gun control because their ideologies will have a detrimental impact on Bloomberg's aggressiveness. In fact, the Virginia Citizens Defense League will be holding what they refer to as "Bloomberg Gun Giveaways", in which "a handgun, a long gun, lots of ammunition, and other prizes will be awarded," to raise money to support the legal defense of the stores that have been targeted by Bloomberg's sting operations.

Too bad Bloomberg's plan backfired...

The 'Other' Side Of The Iraq Debate

2007-05-01T09:25:00.000-04:00

The NYTimes has an op-ed today offering a fairly unique view of the Iraq War situation, with regard to American troop levels. It is written by Owen West, a Wall Street trader who served two tours of duty as a Major with the Marine Reserves. He calls for Congress to "embrace the surge" -- a surprising thing for someone who served in Iraq to say.

West calls for support of the current surge but offers a gameplan for the future as well. He says,

"Iraq is now a law enforcement war and Iraqi security forces are best suited to fight it."

With that statement, I agree. Iraqis should be patrolling their own streets, with at most minimal input and assistance from the United States armed forces.

He states that in order to effectively police Iraq, the Iraqi force must be 300,000 strong (I'm not sure where this number comes from, but West states it as an important goal), up from the current 150,000 -- a lofty goal! Then, he says, the patrol sizes will increase and American numbers in Iraq can drop without the loss of security forces. West proposes,

"...starting this fall, the Iraqi units would bulk up so the American units could begin to break up, moving to an advisory model in which the number of American soldiers embedded with Iraqi units triples while the overall United States force declines. Today many American patrols operate independently. In a year’s time, ideally, no American patrol would leave its base without a fully integrated Iraqi presence."

The idea seems like a decent one, and I was impressed with West's ideas even if I don't agree with them. He realizes the possible downside to pulling American troops from Iraq right now and offers a potential solution. Unfortunately, I don't have much confidence in the ability of Iraqis to patrol their own streets due to divides between Sunni and Shiite lines, and I also don't have faith that Iraq can raise its troop levels as West hopes.

What A Waste Of Our Hard-Earned Tax Money...

2007-04-29T14:33:00.000-04:00

Seriously, if Haliburton can't rebuild Iraq then... why exactly are American troops still there? I was able to look past all the politics of Iraq, and I also was able to ignore the fact that Cheney and his cronies were getting rich from his regime's own political decision, but today the NYTimes is reporting that many projects, it seems, are crumbling. What gives?

Mr. Cheney, that's our tax money. If your company can't do the job, I'd like it back. Thanks.

Legal Abuse At Its Finest

2007-04-26T10:05:00.000-04:00

The U.S. Justice Department has filed a proposal with the U.S. Court of Appeals this month asking that new rules be enacted at the United States Naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to limit lawyers' access to their clients there. This piece in the NYTimes by William Glaberson explains it all.

"The government would limit lawyers to three visits with an existing client at Guantánamo; there is now no limit. It would permit only a single visit with a detainee to have him authorize a lawyer to handle his case. And it would permit a team of intelligence officers and military lawyers not involved in a detainee’s case to read mail sent to him by his lawyer."

Glaberson makes reference of an NYU professor's use of the phrase that some lawyers are using to describe Guantanamo... a "legal black hole". Terrible... and embarrassing.

Thoughts On The NFL Draft

2007-04-26T09:51:00.000-04:00

I can't stand all the hype associated with the NFL draft. There's just way too much pre-draft analysis and coverage these days. That being said, I have no problem discussing a single team's draft prospects...

Take... the New York Jets for example. The New York Time's football blog, The 5th Down, has a piece today by Karen Crouse about some of the prospective players that the Jets could take this weekend at the NFL draft. It seems (and the blog's readers commented likewise) that the Jets need defense in a big way.

Crouse mentions defensive tackle Amobi Okoye from Louisville as a potential pick for the Jets. I don't quite understand why she mentions him, because his draft status has increased immeasureably since the Cardinals last took the field. One only has to take a few minutes to read Peter King's piece yesterday at SI.com on Okoye to realize that he will most likely be a high first round pick... top 10 probably. Since the Jets have the 25th pick in Round 1 this year, chances are minimal that Okoye will be available when the Jets are ready to make their selection.

That being said, would the Jets even want Okoye? After all, he is only nineteen years old! How can someone so young succeed in the NFL? Experience could be a huge factor in Okoye's career. I will say, however, that I am impressed with Okoye's ability to play for a great team last year against some of the NCAA's top players who were all two or three years older than him. That says a lot about Okoye's character.

It was released last week that Okoye admitted during his NFL combine interview to having tried marijuana in college -- this also shows character, in my opinion, because Okoye could have easily lied to protect himself. Instead, he told the truth and let his on-field play and off-field work ethic tell the important story of his success and determination.

Although the Jets will almost certainly not pick up this impressive young man, I do wish him the best of luck in the draft and with the rest of his career in the NFL.

Yet Another Editorial On Iraq Realities

2007-04-26T09:38:00.000-04:00

Even if the war spending bill that was passed yesterday in the House of Representatives makes it through the Senate, it will undoubtedly be vetoed by President Bush. An editorial in the New York Times today discusses the importance of demanding the Iraqi government demonstrate some sort of progress.

Here's a quote from the piece:

"If Mr. Bush has problems with the withdrawal dates Congress proposes, those can be negotiated. But if he refuses to insist on policy changes from Baghdad and acts as if American troops can stay in Iraq indefinitely, he throws away all leverage. That invites the worst kind of endgame: more chaos inside Iraq and, we fear, more chaos for the region when American troops leave, as they inevitably will."

Iraq War Quick Synopsis

2007-04-18T09:01:00.000-04:00

For anyone who doesn't understand the politics that have been taking place in Iraq over the past few years, this editorial in today's NYTimes is a good quick reference. The focus of the piece is the political "power play" that Shiite leader Moktada al-Sadr took part in this week when he asked six ministers from his party in the Iraqi cabinet to step down.

Once again, it seems, the future of Iraq may be doomed due to political factions -- well, religious really... in Iraq you can't have politics without religion -- within its own government. Although this editorial is pretty bland as far as interesting writing goes, it does provide a good, quick synopsis of current Iraqi politics and paints the ever-accurate picture of the grip that al-Sadr has on Iraq's government and Prime Minister Maliki.

Imus Ain't That Bad, But I'm No Bigot

2007-04-13T10:40:00.000-04:00

If you read my previous post, you probably think I'm a racist myself, maybe even a full-fledged bigot. Well, that's not true, but I do have my opinions.

Speaking of opinions, I came across this op-ed in the NYTimes today that caught my attention because it was written by performer Harvey Fierstein, who happens to be the uncle of a close friend I have known since I was very young. Fierstein is openly homosexual, and he discusses that in his piece titled: "Our Prejudices, Ourselves" -- a fitting title in my opinion.

Fierstein makes a small comment on the Imus situation but by no means focuses on it. Rather, he frames his article by calling out some recent examples of prejudice in our society but he calls for Americans to look inwards at our own prejudices before judging others. While my calling out his article may seem contradictory to the entire concept of my last post, I feel at least some obligation to spread tolerance. As Fierstein puts it,

"Prejudice tolerated is intolerance encouraged."

Great writing, Harvey. Then again, Fierstein is also a comedian at heart. He writes,

"(In the interest of full disclosure, I should confess to not only being a gay American, but also a fat one. Yes, I’m a double winner.)"

Again, great writing Harvey.

Irony In NJ Gov Jon Corzine Crash

2007-04-13T10:11:00.000-04:00

NJ Governor Jon Corzine was involved in a pretty serious crash Thursday night. It seems ironic (but probably isn't, at least by irony's definition) that he was on his way to host a meeting between radio host Don Imus and the Rutgers women's basketball team. Most people who follow the news know that Imus was fired earlier this week for made racially-charged comments he made on-air recently about the women on the Rutgers team.

I call Corzine's crash ironic because the entire Imus story is ridiculous. He is a radio show host who does very well specifically because of his outlandish personality and commentary that sometimes walks a fine line. His remarks about the women of the Rutgers basketball team, while certainly disdainful, didn't do any true harm to anyone except (truly ironically) Imus himself -- he was fired from his job.

Now, I don't mean to say that he shouldn't have been fired... I don't know quite where my feelings sit on the matter. But I do know that yesterday, Imus' firing overshadowed news that the charges against the three Duke Lacrosse players were dropped and the attack/rape case subsequently closed. How, in today's society, is it possible that a single racist comment by a radio personality is bigger news than the Duke Lacrosse story? I find it unfathomable.

I don't mean to play down the racist remarks of Imus... the man said something that I can only describe as "messed up" and certainly off-color. However, with regards to the Duke Lacrosse case, District Attorney Michael B. Nifong of Durham, NC ruined the lives of three students! They lost jobs that were lined up for post-graduation, became notorious across the country, lost the opportunity to compete in the NCAA for a year, and have been scarred for life by a DA who lost control of his actions and who lost all grasp of the law. Nifong should not only be fired, he should be disbarred at the very least and also take time to give back to the Duke community, which he intentionally marred for his own benefit.

When you compare what happened to the women at Rutgers to what happened to the men at Duke, Imus' racist comments don't seem so bad. In fact, although disparaging and upsetting, his comments really didn't affect anyone at all -- that is, besides angering many people in the U.S. The fact that the Governor of New Jersey was seriously injured in a car crash while on his way to mediate a meeting between Imus and the Rutgers team is quite unsettling. The story should never have become such a media frenzy -- if it hadn't, Corzine would never have gotten involved. My logic may seem flawed but I am merely offering the comparison... Imus' comments didn't affect anyone (non-emotionally), except Corzine (who was quite affected), which was the result of people not letting go of what happened once Imus delivered his apology.

Imus issued an apology to the team and to anyone else he offended, but it still wasn't enough. No... the team wanted to sit down with Imus to "discuss" what he said, as if that would make a difference. I hope the sit-down did make some difference to someone, because the result of the population's "an apology is not enough" mentality is that a great Governor is now hospitalized and will have difficulty walking for many months, if not years. In fact, Corzine will probably never recover fully from his injuries. All that, just because of one racial comment.

Was it worth getting so upset over that comment?

UPDATE:
The three Duke students are considering a lawsuit against Nifong... CNN has the story here.

Dating, A Neverending Uphill Battle

2007-04-10T09:35:00.000-04:00

John Tierney works at the NYTimes as a blogger who specializes in relating science to "reality" -- check out his blog TierneyLab. Today he writes about dating, which is something I don't do enough (read: at all) but need to start thinking about. That being said, his article titled "Romantic Revulsion in the New Century: Flaw-O-Matic 2.0" is not very reassuring for a guy like me.

Tierney discusses some research that he did on speed dating, and relates it to what he refers to as "Flaw-O-Matics" -- i.e., a measure of how picky someone is when it comes to dating. He comments on the results of a study done by researchers at the University of Chicago and MIT that don't bode well for most men, and he relates those findings to the dating habits of New Yorkers (very interesting). Then, Tierney relates the concept of Flaw-O-Matics to speed dating... why, he asks, do speed daters often end up connecting with 1 out of 10 people (the average, he says, is actually 2 or 3 out of 10), when Flaw-O-Matics tells us we really connect with less than 1 out of 10 people we date.

I especially like the nomenclature of one of Tierney's observations -- the Sally Field Effect. What a name! He writes about this concept:

The students were particularly turned off by prospects who exhibited what the researchers call unselective romantic desire.” Another way to put it would be "desperate." The speed daters were very good at guessing which of their partners were indiscriminately friendly — willing to go out with lots of the other people — and which dates had eyes only for them. They much preferred the ones with "selective desire."

I've seen this phenomenon my whole life, and I am glad it finally has a name (a funny one, at that) that I can use to describe it.

While discussing the UChicago/MIT findings earlier in the article, Tierney mentions certain trade-offs that women are willing to make so that their Flaw-O-Matics register green. In particular, he mentions income vs. height... apparently a 5'8" man can be just as successful getting dates as a man who is 6 ' tall, but only if he makes $147,000 more than the 6-footer! Since I'm about 5'10" (can I go with 5'11"?), I guess I need to make $36,750 ($147,000 x 0.25) more than a guy who is 6' tall in order to compete on the same level. Good thing I just got a raise....

Comparing Bush To Nixon? Finally...

2007-04-10T09:16:00.000-04:00

I loved the editorial observer today in the NYTimes by Adam Cohen, which was titled "Bush v. Congress: The Looming Battle Over Executive Power". In the piece, Cohen compares the current situation regarding the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys to the Nixon scandal of 1974. In my opinion, the parallels between certain events of the Bush and Nixon administrations are startling, but describing them all would certainly take too much time to write.

Cohen comments in particular on Bush's use of executive privilege -- the ability for the President of the U.S. to keep communications between himself and his aides private and out of the hands of Congress. I personally believe that a privilege is something to be earned... G.W. Bush has not earned anything during his tenure as President. Nixon tried to use his executive privilege to block Congress from listening to Watergate tape recordings, while Bush is attempting to use the same power to block Congress from listening to tape recordings regarding his recent removal of the U.S. Attorneys.

The President serves the people of the United States, and as such we [should] have the privilege of knowing why political decisions are made. It is our privilege to know why Bush fired those attorneys, and if the answer was recorded on tape then Congress should hear the tapes -- after all, our representatives in Congress represent us all.

Cohen compares the Nixon and Bush situations well, but not as well as someone with a firmer grip on the law might -- perhaps someone at SCOTUS Blog will comment on the legal precedents for this situation soon. Regardless, Cohen makes great points and his article is worth reading, if for no other reason than to push the idea that Nixon made mistakes and paid for them (and in time, Bush should pay for his mistakes as well).

Supreme Court to EPA: "Do your job!"

2007-04-02T15:41:00.001-04:00

The Supreme Court ruled today that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) essentially does have the right to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from automobiles. Additionally, states or environmental groups do have the right to sue the EPA for not doing its job in that regulation. The 5-4 decision split the court, with Justices Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, and Alito, Jr. in dissention and Justices Stevens, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg, and Breyer taking the majority.

The court declared the only way that the EPA does not have to regulate emissions would be,

"...if it determines that greenhouse gases do not contribute to climate change, or if it provides some reasonable explanation as to why it cannot or will not exercise its discretion to determine whether they do.”

Despite decades of scientific research, the Bush administration somehow still believes this to be true.

The WSJ Law Blog comments here, and Jonathan Adler of SCOTUS Blog makes some very interesting points in his discussion today as well.

Same-Sex Marriage In New York

2007-03-23T10:07:00.000-04:00

Interesting news yesterday out of my home-town county of Westchester ("the best chester")... County Executive Andy Spano is back in the news due to his involvement in a lawsuit regarding same-sex marriage.

After Spano ordered county agencies last June to recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages (since they aren't allowed in New York State yet), a conservative political group called the Alliance Defense Fund sued Spano. The right-wing religious group filed the lawsuit under a statute that allows taxpayers to intervene in court to stop officials from committing illegal acts.

Yesterday, however, Judge Joan B. Lefkowitz dismissed the lawsuit. Find out more here: