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LegacySeptember 19, 2008

Thoughts On Oil Addiction

Now that gas prices are "coming down" (yes, we feel just GREAT about $3.75/gallon... what!?) I don't sense the same urgency in the American populace to fix this problem that existed when it was $5. Of course, this placation was expected by most and predicted by many, but that doesn't change the fact that there is still a problem out there that was never solved. And we shouldn't be fooled: it's not fixed now just because we are ignoring it. I fear we are addicted to foreign oil, and maybe just oil in general. But in the words of the immutable LeVar Burton, you don't have to take my word for it! Please check out some or all of the links below. // T. Boone Pickens, the founder and chairman of BP Capital Management (which manages over $4 billion in energy-oriented investment funds) has created the Pickens Plan, which aims to develop clean energy solutions. Here's a great article from one of my favorite contemporary revolutionaries, Dr. Ron Paul: Big Government Responsible For High Gas Prices Newt Gingrich has also thrown his thoughts into this discussion, and although I'm not convinced that more drilling will be a long-term solution, it does seem like a reasonable band-aid, considering our current economic challenges. If you're a regular reader, you know I'm a big fan of Chris Martenson; he's a very level-headed proponent of financial literacy. Check out his very important explanation of what "peak oil" really is -- apparently, I had no idea! In my quest for the truth, I came across a documentary called A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash. This film is so obviously targeted towards proving its premise -- namely, that there will be an oil crash -- that it's earned a bit of skepticism from me (as I'm sure you've noticed, it is increasingly hard to decipher truth from propaganda). Nonetheless, it is very interesting and quite well-made. There's also an interesting intersection of the "climate crisis" with our oil addiction. Check out WE: There's no question this is a complex issue with many moving parts, but I think we all know that it won't be solved by ignoring it. I know I'm not really offering many, if any, real solutions in this post, but awareness is a good start. //
LegacyMay 1, 2008

A New Way To Get Music?

The article I'm going to talk about is over a month old, but I just read it for the first time the other day, so 'round these parts (read: my blog) we get to treat it like news. ;-) Now, there are a lot of ways to get music. Some folks buy it from iTunes or some other digital equivalent. Some enjoy the "free-dom" of Limewire or a torrent. Some import CD's they bought way "back in the day" (like, circa 1999). Some listen to radio (AM/FM/XM/WWW). Some frequent the MySpace. "Piracy" has been a music industry buzzword since the days of Napster. It's also been the Industry's blatant and somewhat pathetic scapegoat for the fact that they simply didn't see the "digital age of music" coming. Well, almost a decade has now past since the lovable Shawn Fanning helped incite the music revolution, and the music biz has finally come up with an idea that just might work. If it flies, the thought is that it will preserve the Suit's high-paying executive job, pay the artists, and -- GASP -- maybe even create a workable solution for consumers. The idea, in a nutshell, is to provide consumers with an unlimited supply of music downloads for a monthly fee that will be bundled into their internet service charges. Here's the article that explains it more fully:
Fee For All Warner's New Web Guru
As always, critics already have their guns drawn, but I, for one, am having a hard time coming up with a downside to this agreement. I would GLADLY pay $5/month to get all the music I want, especially knowing that the artists I love would get paid! (Now, if we could only pay the artists fairly, that would really be something, eh?) But, existing within the current system, it's frankly the best idea I've heard in a long time. Am I missing something? //
LegacyFebruary 5, 2008

Jim Wallis: American Gangster

I had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Jim Wallis speak at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena last night. He just released a new book called "The Great Awakening," and has just started a book tour to promote it. (I haven't read it yet, but I will soon!) I'm a regular reader of Jim's work, and almost always love what he has to say. But I gotta admit: he's even cooler in person. Or as my friend Jon said, "He's pretty badass." We sat in the second row, about five feet in front of Brother Jim, amongst probably 150 grad students, and listened intently as he brought hope to an otherwise rather dismal Super Tuesday. As of right now, 7am "the morning after," we don't yet know what will shake out from yesterday's primaries, but priliminary reports are saying that Mr. Hundred Years in Iraq McCain is leading the GOP (seriously, do we have to still call it that? It ain't so Grand anymore, folks!), and Obama and Hillary are tied on the other side (does anyone else hate that we have sides?). But Mr. Wallis gave us some hope last night. Hope that despite whatever madness may occur between now and November, the real winner this year is CHANGE. We hear it everywhere, from the mouths of every candidate, from Democrats and Republicans, from reporters and journalists. And the reason they're saying it is because they heard it from us, the American people, first. There's a social movement going on, and no matter what happens on Capitol Hill, it is US, the true grassroots force for change, that will make the difference. Jim said that he started his book tour last week at the Bagdad Theater in Portland, and they were showing a movie after his talk. Up on the marquee it said:

J I M _ W A L L I S A M E R I C A N _ G A N G S T E R

Ah yes, I believe so. //