Less than two weeks...are you ready?

I came across this website Reconsitution2012. It takes the entire debate and using algoriths and code, breaks it down into stats, key phrases, mood in the debate. Check out the video -




Prior to the debate the NYTimes published an article "THE DEBATABLE WORLD" highlighting some of the important nuances of foreign policy which are inevitable lost in a stark, public debate.

Next up...third party candidates. Let's expand our options!

More politics....

With the final debate coming up tonight, I find myself continuing to ponder the candidates, their values, their propaganda, and (for us in California) the myriad of propositions I have to vote on. I am going to attempt to post here more frequently this week, so if there are any questions your pondering, or musings you have let me know! Let's put our heads together and have a virtual discussion!!

Prop 35 - The CASE ACT - It is an anti-trafficking proposition, which up until about an hour ago I was 100% behind. Then (in a small spat of sleeplessness last night) I came across a blog (NO ON PROPOSITION 35 - THE CAE ACT), curated by lawyers, and anti-trafficking advocates who are against it. Imagine my surprise! Even if you aren't living in CA, and voting on this, it's interesting to read. It lays out two distinctly different world views on how to combat trafficking, and if the emphasis should be on the criminalization and punishment or on the recovery of the victim. I'm personally on the fence.

The second article I read this weekend was "THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO OBAMA" on CNN.com. Initially I hesitated to post this, it seems controversial and a bit divisive. However, I think there are a couple of really thought provoking points, which are worth keeping in mind when thinking about our current President and his faith. We white protestant christians tend to think of our faith in a very white way. The article (about half way through) gives the reader a quick less on the "black liberation theology" and the Social Gospel movement. He says, "This is the first time we're hearing the Social Gospel from the perspective of the black church from the Oval Office. It makes it warmer, more emotive, more communal...There is less fear of linking the Social Gospel with the stories of the Bible, especially the stories of Exodus and Jesus' healings." He goes on to say, "The emphasis on community uplift - not individual attainment - may strike some Americans as socialist. But the emphasis on community is part of [Dr.] King's "Beloved Community...When I listen to Obama I don't hear communism, I hear the Beloved Community, but a lot of white American's don't hear that because they never sat in those churches and heard it over and over again. It's the whole theology that motivated MLK and the civil rights movement."

Regardless of what you believe and where you fall on the political spectrum, I think the glimpse into the world view and foundation of President Obama's faith is one to pause and take note of. What is it that shapes your world view/faith/political position?

Weekly Reading List [10.20.12]

1. In 1956, a gentleman played on a game show called "I've Got a Secret." Wanna guess his secret?
Click HERE to watch the video and find out. It will blow your mind.

2. GROWING CONCERNS IN CHINA ABOUT INEQUALITY, CORRUPTION - "As China prepares for it's once-in-a-decade change of leadership, the Chinese people believe their country faces serious and growing challenges." & CHINA'S NAVAL EXERCISES IN EAST CHINA SEA SENDS WARNING TO REGIONAL RIVALS

3. HOW TO CHANGE A CULTURE - If you want to redirect the behavior of a crowd, here's a tip: don't be too idealistic about human nature.

4. CAN IRAN DEFEAT THE US IN A MAJOR WAR? - An interesting non-western view of the brewing Iran/US conflict.

5. The 1906 earthquake here in San Francisco is still something people talk about. A local photographer took the original photos from the earthquake and combined them with photos of the current day San Francisco. It's a great composite of old and new. Click HERE to see the photos.

Stephen Grellet [1773-1855]

I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow human being let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again." S. Grellet

Benjamin Zander: The transformative power of classical music

The Weekly Reading List [10.14.12]

1. TALIBAN SHOOTING OF 14-YEAR OLD SPARKS OUTRAGE IN PAKISTAN & TALIBAN REITERATE VOW TO KILL PAKISTANI GIRL & TALIBAN GUN DOWN GIRL WHO SPOKE UP FOR RIGHTS - A young woman, the daughter of a teacher in the Swat region of Pakistan, has been speaking up against the Taliban for the last three years. She's curated a blog about her life, and her distain for the Taliban and the influence they welded. Last week, they attempted to assassinate her.

2. Evidence from the Investigation Into Alleged Doping by Lance Armstrong & Details of Doping Scheme Paint Armstrong as Leader & Statement from George Hincapie - If you are further interested in the allegations against Lance Armstrong and others follow @Coalescemedia and you can read the executive summary of the Reasoned Decision here.

3. Some politics - If you missed the VP debate earlier this week CBS has done us all a favor and put the entier debate online. You can see it here. In addition, PBS has some great resources - THE CHOICE 2012 & THE FRONTLINE INTERVIEWS. Speaking of PBS, since Mitt publicly said he'd stop funding them, there's been a firestorm of information and public outcry. I loved the visual nature of this one, "PBS IS AMERICA'S LARGEST CLASSROOM"

4. There have been some awesome articles about the power of design in tackling major global issues. Here are two great articles - DIGNIFYING DESIGN & USA: THE UNITED STATES OF DESIGN

**Have a great week everyone!**

happy 10.11.12

Prop 30 vs. Prop 38

This is my first year voting in a California election, and while I feel confident in my ability to learn about candidates and their values and ambitions, California propositions are a whole other animal. I'm less confident in the information out there, and in the transparency of what I'm reading, or even in finding out what all the propositions are before the election. It is daunting.

[enter co-worker]

Fortunately, I have some great co-workers who are just as concerned and interested in this stuff as I am.  This morning someone shared a blog outlining Prop 30 and Prop 38. If your a California voter, it's worth a read. Children's education isn't something I really want to choose based on "ennie, meenie, miny, mo"

PROP 30 VS. PROP 38: A VOTERS GUIDE FOR PARENTS

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.