Let the Economic Meltdown Commence

As Fall comes closer and this year winds toward it's end, it has become increasingly apparent to me that 2008 has been a difficult year for many of us. Recent economic turmoil has quickly betrayed the public's trust in financial markets. After all, 24 hour news networks have been calling the economy 'Issue #1' for months now.

This week has been a wild ride on Wall Street. Lehman Brothers, a 158 year old Wall Street institution that had survived the Great Depression and other very significant market slumps, abruptly closed it's doors. Merrill Lynch was acquired by Bank of America in a deal (one that would normally take months, even years, to be negotiated) that was signed in 48 hours. Investors are packing up their desks and heading home jobless to their families. Millions of Americans are foreclosing on their homes after defaulting on their subprime mortgage loans. In many cases, these folks were issued loans when they weren't financially qualified enough to originate them. The Fed has stepped in and spent billions of tax dollars on bailing out Wall Street's failing financial institutions. The Fed will treat bad mortgage loans as patients and quarantine them to Morgan Stanley and Wachovia are in talks to merge. Confidence is shaky. People are emptying out their once loved WaMu accounts, fearing theWashington Mutual. This is a genuinely scary time. Independence is the spirit that drives America's most successful investors.

The MTA has a $900 million deficit that will definitely raise fares in 2009.

If there was ever a need for a Wall Street rally, it was today.

What does today's development amount to? This is a repair that will be taxpayer financed. The U.S. taking up all this debt creates a danger. We are a fucking Banana Republic.

There are 47 days until the Presidential election. Have you registered locally or requested an absentee ballot if you are away from home? There are deadlines for this..get familiar and do what you have to do to cast your vote.

Seven Years Ago

Regardless of where you were or what you were doing seven years ago this morning , there's a pretty good chance that-even as time has continued to pass-your life has been changed. The attacks had immediate and overwhelming effects on all of us.

There I sat, in the third week of my sophomore year of high school, in Mr. Herndon's U.S. History class with Dave Black sitting to my right and Rachel Vogt to my left.

That afternoon, I had a dentist's appointment and watched the events unfold and the questions begin to be answered on network cable news while having my teeth cleaned. Today, I hate going to the dentist. I associate it with an act of terrorism.

Journalistic Jihad: The Presidential Soap Opera

Every day, millions of ordinary Americans utilize the internet as an opportunity to willingly expose what may have been (at least at one time), the fine line between their private and public lives. Given our celebrity-mad popular culture and the ability to exchange information at lightning speeds, it is no surprise that Americans have historically been focused on the private lives of public figures. While Entertainment Tonight is busy analyzing Michele Obama's bargain-basement wardrobe, writers at People rush to Alaska to get their chance at an exclusive interview with Sarah Palin's pregnant 17-year-old daughter. But what are the implications on the process at this, a critical juncture in the history of American politics? As arguably the most important presidential race in a generation, its early stages promised serious, issue-based debate. In what one can easily regard as a frightening change in course, the race has rapidly devolved into a saga of one daytime TV moment after another-right before our eyes.

Oprah's endorsement of Barack Obama. The removal of John McCain's malignant melanoma. The management of Hillary Clinton's sizable campaign debt. Reverend Jeremiah Wright's controversial comments about Obama's religious life on Chicago's South Side. John Edwards cheating on his wife while she battled cancer. The messy break-up of McCain's first marriage. And ofcourse, the fresh meat for aspiring-cyberpundits like myself, the constantly unfolding Sarah Palin saga. While you might be able to argue the relevance of these late-breaking private turned public developments, others might refer to them as journalistic jihad - the elevation of mushy narrative nonsense over all else. The comprehensive consideration is this: How closely should we examine the moral values and philosophies of candidates? Is there anything off-limits?

It certainly is our right and civic responsibility as Americans to strive to understand a candidate’s moral values and philosophies. Character is important to me, and although some past discretions may be forgiven (after all, who is perfect?), a candidate's stance and overall philosophy concerning moral purity and integrity will more heavily impact the decision I make at the voting booth. Since character is telling, I thought it were my business to know what sexual escapades were transpiring in the oval office when Bill Clinton was President, although I recall in those dark days, there were some who said his private activities were none of my concern.

There is an odd tension in American society between the near reverence for personal privacy and the expectation that the lives of public officials be open for almost limitless scrutiny. While this is not a new phenomena, this tension is increasing, with proposals at the federal and state levels calling for increased protection of personal information. In the last dozen or so years, these rules have been shattered, as tabloid values and a ratings-above-all-else mentality have taken over much of the corporate-owned mainstream media. We clamor more than ever for the sordid details of politicians’ personal lives. In light of this, and of other considerations, it seems prudent to raise the issue of how much privacy elected officials should expect to maintain. How open should be the lives of those who aspire to public office? Is their business our business? How much of it, and why? Does the personal life of the President have any bearing on his performance in the White House? In all areas? In some? Which ones?

Give Me a Sign

If only the signs in this art exhibit I stumbled upon last spring on the campus of the College of New Rochelle were actually pointing me in the right direction... If only.

The Cost of Ignoring Potential Car Trouble in NYC

Quite some time ago, you realized that service business revenues thrive in situations where you, the consumer, are feeling most vulnerable. When you feel pressured to make an uneducated choice in a challenging situation (i.e. breaking down on the highway in NYC), your options are limited. Left without a choice, you pay exacerbated towing costs to the sole authorized towing agent for that highway. You suddenly think to yourself..ah, the monopoly..the cornerstone of the American economy. Did I mention you were on your way to a night out in the city? In truth, this scenario is less about you and more about me--it's the abbreviated version of my experience this past Friday night.

A tow truck driver identifying himself as 'Ophelio' arrived at the roadside and jumped out of his truck with his phone attached to his ear and abruptly announced "80 to hook it up, 8 bucks a mile," and continued his phone call. I just stood there pretty stunned at the idea that I might not be making it to my destination. At first I thought Ophelio was an asshole; it wasn't until later on in our expensive, 18-mile ride back through the Bronx that I was able to actually confirm my deeper hatred for this crude roadside technician. Throughout our ride, Ophelio decided it would be appropriate to engage in raunchy phone sex via Nextel direct-connect with his Mamacita, who I effortlessly imagined was waiting for him back at their apartment in Spanish Harlem. Let me assure you, the two held nothing back in their descriptive and appalling exchange. Despite his very overweight stature and stark Ecuadorian accent, Mami was apparently responding quite positively to his attempt at arousal--so much so that this lewd behavior went on for 25 minutes as we battled night traffic to merge onto the Northbound Cross Bronx Expressway. It was at that very moment I realized that this Friday night was turning into everything I had ever hoped for.

Several hours and a tow truck-transfer later, myself and my sorry excuse for reliable transportation arrived at my mechanic in New Rochelle. I thought the ordeal was finally coming to a close. Looking back on the experience and the money spent, I realized that (at least financially), it had only just begun. I slipped my key into the night drop box and hopped into a friend's car for a ride home. Since then, I've been thinking about how life might be less costly and more enjoyable had I never actually purchased this

money pit of a vehicle. I've pondered the joy I would feel if a bus would hit it at full speed while parked. I dreamt further that I dropped it off in the worst block in East New York and watched from a rooftop as thieves stripped it down to the frame and mounted its axles on cinderblocks.

While my car boasts comfortable leather seats and a Bose sound system, the bus is famous for its foul odor and cramped quarters. Mass transit and I don't have such a great history together. In fact, I narrowly escaped death via decapitation when my car was hit by a transit bus on a sharp curve on the morning of my H.S. prom. Our history aside, something tells me that (at least for the next several days) I'll be shedding the comfort and luxury of my Nissan while mass transit and I are forced to reunite and become closer with one another than ever before. As long as I never have to hear Ophelio's voice again, I imagine I will eventually recover from this traumatic and unforgettable experience. One can only pray.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

For a long time, I've been meaning to get around to piecing together my insights and ideas in a way that is seemingly more constructive than speaking. Anyone who has ever met me knows I already do plenty of that. In times like these-and by that I mean always-communicating our ideals and insights with one another is critical. The internet has undoubtedly revolutionized how we go about doing this. I'm the kind of guy that always has his eye on the bigger picture. I'm constantly focused on getting my point across. Right now seems as appropriate a time as any---Enter the blog.

It is in our nature to desire success and prosperity. However, those of us educated in the liberal arts tradition often exit the confines of our cushy campus lifestyles to enter the world believing we're destined to leave it better than we found it. After graduating college in May, I entered the business world and landed a job with a marketing company. I'm not sure I'm happy. I'm still figuring out how what I do has a positive impact on people's lives; it may or may not become more clear as time goes on.

I work hard each day to find a balance between my social and entrepreneurial interests. Perhaps the ultimate test of one's conscience is their ability to sacrifice individual wealth for the greater good. As humans, we're told that life is about leaving our footprint on this Earth. As Americans, we're told to diversify our stock portfolio if we want to make it to retirement. Each day when I awake I find myself wondering how I can reconcile these two ideas (among other conflicting thought processes). Pondering this, never mind actually accomplishing it, is certainly no easy task.

Intellectual inquiry is alive and well within me. Meanwhile, I'm a realist. I understand the importance of integrating the many dimensions of my life; be it the spiritual, civic, emotional, or physical. I'm commited to maintaining my status as a lifelong learner. I ask questions. I demand answers. I have global perspective. I'm constantly sounding the call to go against the establishment.

I'm not sure what exactly this blog will focus on. I'm sure it will have plenty to say about me and my experiences. It might even have a thing or two to say about you and your experiences. Maybe it won't have anything to do with either. Maybe I'm too serious-I'm really just not sure. You may want to check in and keep up, because if all goes as planned, it'll be right here that it all gets figured out.