Here's an article from Slate that takes the transcript from Obama's address and compiles notes from some of the more relevant lines in his speech.
Look forward to getting more article postings from me. I'm not a wordsmith like the other two publishers.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Invention and Abdication
Hey everybody in blogging world (also apparently known as the "Internet"); it's been a while,
After a long hiatus thanks to my continuing education, I thought I might try to start contributing again. Don't get too upset though - I am still in school, so we'll see how long this lasts. Anyway, after over a year's worth of procrastinating (a new record?), I made Dan an Administrator. There will be a brief ceremony with cocktails to follow. With no smooth transition at all, here is my post:
When I was a young undergrad student at Our Lady's University, I once invented the wristwatch. Honestly. I was sitting in class, half asleep I think, and could not see the clock. (It was philosophy, and I wanted to count down 'til the class's end). So, I started thinking: wouldn't it be great if we all carried little clocks with us? Then, we wouldn't need to have clocks all over the place; we would just check our little clocks whenever we wanted to know the time! We could - I don't know - where them on our wrists or - oh.... Yeah, that's when it hit me. The wristwatch had already been invented (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wristwatch#Types_of_watch). So, Antonio Meucci I am not.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meucci).
This past week, I had a similar experience. One thing you should know about me: I like books. A lot. So, I was thinking: wouldn't it be great if all the world's libraries were available online? Why should I have to either a.) find Huckleberry Finn at a building that may be far from my house or b.) (and even worse!) buy it? Well, it looks like I have been trumped again:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/technology/22library.html?ex=1350964800&en=f7f2d401bbef5e28&ei=5089&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss
That's right. Google and other organizations have already started to put books online! And you can access them for free! Only old books, the copyrights of which have expired but I like where this is going.
Your thoughts?
Any "Meucci" moments in your experiences?
After a long hiatus thanks to my continuing education, I thought I might try to start contributing again. Don't get too upset though - I am still in school, so we'll see how long this lasts. Anyway, after over a year's worth of procrastinating (a new record?), I made Dan an Administrator. There will be a brief ceremony with cocktails to follow. With no smooth transition at all, here is my post:
When I was a young undergrad student at Our Lady's University, I once invented the wristwatch. Honestly. I was sitting in class, half asleep I think, and could not see the clock. (It was philosophy, and I wanted to count down 'til the class's end). So, I started thinking: wouldn't it be great if we all carried little clocks with us? Then, we wouldn't need to have clocks all over the place; we would just check our little clocks whenever we wanted to know the time! We could - I don't know - where them on our wrists or - oh.... Yeah, that's when it hit me. The wristwatch had already been invented (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wristwatch#Types_of_watch). So, Antonio Meucci I am not.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meucci).
This past week, I had a similar experience. One thing you should know about me: I like books. A lot. So, I was thinking: wouldn't it be great if all the world's libraries were available online? Why should I have to either a.) find Huckleberry Finn at a building that may be far from my house or b.) (and even worse!) buy it? Well, it looks like I have been trumped again:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/technology/22library.html?ex=1350964800&en=f7f2d401bbef5e28&ei=5089&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss
That's right. Google and other organizations have already started to put books online! And you can access them for free! Only old books, the copyrights of which have expired but I like where this is going.
Your thoughts?
Any "Meucci" moments in your experiences?
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
"Finally, is politics all you two talk about? What happened to all the other topics from the first post? Just a thought"
Good point. And there is still lots to talk about concerning immigration (This afternoon, I ran through a crowd of what news reports said was more than 100, 000 protesters on the National Mall), transparency in goverment, Curt Weldon, Villanovans For Life, and other pressing issues. And trust me, we will say it. But JD's right. We should, in the Dialogue, respect not only the diversity of opinions, but also the diversity of topics, which we all care about, so I have one that I've been arguing about with people for months and have yet to find anyone to agree with me. Here is what I think:
THROW THE BOOK AT BARRY BONDS! I want him out. Out of baseball, out of the record books, out of every magazine, ESPN article or TV show, and most of all, I want him out of the national psyche. Wasn't there a movie a few years ago where somebody's identity was erased? (Eraser?) Let's do that with him. I want to pull out next year's baseball encylcopedia and see a big gaping whole in the 1992 Pittsburgh Pirates line-up. That's how much and how profoundly, I want him out.
Before you even think it, this is not cruel and unusual. This is merely a punishment that does all the things a punishment is supposed to do - it a. protects those whom this person may harm. b. allows this person to pay back to society in porportion to their crime and c. prevents them from recommiting the crime. Also, it fits with precedent set by previous punishments doled out by the only instances which we can compare this to.
The man broke the rules in the worst may imaginable. Doing so, he harmed everone involved in the game - players who count on its legitamcy for thier livelyhoods, fans who put their faith in the competition and sport, and all the silent moneymakers who, for all their stupidty and mis-spent power over the years, are the ones responsible for putting this product on the field for us to consume. The argument for kicking Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe out of the game was that gambling compromises the game's very integrity and existence. Without protecting it from the hands of gamblers, it might as well be pro-wrestiling. Well....what is that you think you saw in the "steroid era?" That's right, pro wrestling with bats and balls and cheaters like Barry Bonds are the reason why.
The only way we can deal with people like this is to eradicate them from the record books they imperiled. "The books" are not hallowed for silly reasons, keep in mind. This isn't about being a purist and never liking records to be broken. You should all know that I am a big Joe DiMaggio fan, but I was trully rooting for Jimmy Rollins to make a run at him and I hope to someday see a .400 hitter (Ichiro someday soon?) and, when I was younger, I was certain Ken Griffey Jr. was going to break all the home run records anyway. But you know what? He didn't! J Roll got an 0-for the first week of the season and as for a .400 season, it is anybody's guess if that will ever happen. BECAUSE IT'S HARD! It's supposed to be hard! It was hard for Hank Aaron! It was hard for Babe Ruth! It was hard for Roger Maris! For men like Aaron and Willie Mays, it was incredibly hard, let's not forget, because they had to grow up in an era in which they weren't even allowed in the big leagues! Do we go back and count their Nego league totals....or take out Babe Ruth's because he played in a white's only era? No. Because, those are the rules. Right or wrong, awful or injust, the record books reflect the game of baseball played at the Major League level by men following the rules as they were set before them....excpet for Barry Bonds.
I'm worked up now and it's one in the morning. I invite you all to comment, but I have to leave this post as a to be continued.
PS. Anyone watch the West Wing? Santos!? Come on. Feel free to disagree with that as well.
Good point. And there is still lots to talk about concerning immigration (This afternoon, I ran through a crowd of what news reports said was more than 100, 000 protesters on the National Mall), transparency in goverment, Curt Weldon, Villanovans For Life, and other pressing issues. And trust me, we will say it. But JD's right. We should, in the Dialogue, respect not only the diversity of opinions, but also the diversity of topics, which we all care about, so I have one that I've been arguing about with people for months and have yet to find anyone to agree with me. Here is what I think:
THROW THE BOOK AT BARRY BONDS! I want him out. Out of baseball, out of the record books, out of every magazine, ESPN article or TV show, and most of all, I want him out of the national psyche. Wasn't there a movie a few years ago where somebody's identity was erased? (Eraser?) Let's do that with him. I want to pull out next year's baseball encylcopedia and see a big gaping whole in the 1992 Pittsburgh Pirates line-up. That's how much and how profoundly, I want him out.
Before you even think it, this is not cruel and unusual. This is merely a punishment that does all the things a punishment is supposed to do - it a. protects those whom this person may harm. b. allows this person to pay back to society in porportion to their crime and c. prevents them from recommiting the crime. Also, it fits with precedent set by previous punishments doled out by the only instances which we can compare this to.
The man broke the rules in the worst may imaginable. Doing so, he harmed everone involved in the game - players who count on its legitamcy for thier livelyhoods, fans who put their faith in the competition and sport, and all the silent moneymakers who, for all their stupidty and mis-spent power over the years, are the ones responsible for putting this product on the field for us to consume. The argument for kicking Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe out of the game was that gambling compromises the game's very integrity and existence. Without protecting it from the hands of gamblers, it might as well be pro-wrestiling. Well....what is that you think you saw in the "steroid era?" That's right, pro wrestling with bats and balls and cheaters like Barry Bonds are the reason why.
The only way we can deal with people like this is to eradicate them from the record books they imperiled. "The books" are not hallowed for silly reasons, keep in mind. This isn't about being a purist and never liking records to be broken. You should all know that I am a big Joe DiMaggio fan, but I was trully rooting for Jimmy Rollins to make a run at him and I hope to someday see a .400 hitter (Ichiro someday soon?) and, when I was younger, I was certain Ken Griffey Jr. was going to break all the home run records anyway. But you know what? He didn't! J Roll got an 0-for the first week of the season and as for a .400 season, it is anybody's guess if that will ever happen. BECAUSE IT'S HARD! It's supposed to be hard! It was hard for Hank Aaron! It was hard for Babe Ruth! It was hard for Roger Maris! For men like Aaron and Willie Mays, it was incredibly hard, let's not forget, because they had to grow up in an era in which they weren't even allowed in the big leagues! Do we go back and count their Nego league totals....or take out Babe Ruth's because he played in a white's only era? No. Because, those are the rules. Right or wrong, awful or injust, the record books reflect the game of baseball played at the Major League level by men following the rules as they were set before them....excpet for Barry Bonds.
I'm worked up now and it's one in the morning. I invite you all to comment, but I have to leave this post as a to be continued.
PS. Anyone watch the West Wing? Santos!? Come on. Feel free to disagree with that as well.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
FYI - Immigration stuff drops in the Senate this week. The House calendar is available online at www.house.gov Also, as far as seeing bills, here's a good resource : www.thomas.loc.gov (as in Mr. Jefferson and the Library of Congress). It's a search engine for every bill, amendment, or resolution before this 109th Congress. Shows you the full text, motions, status, sponsors, votes (if by roll-call in the Senate, I think always in the House), etc.
As most of us (who saw that coming) are in some way associated or at least interested in Villanova basketball, a shout out to the team that lost tonight. Seemed like it was a fun season, at least, for those of you there. What a Final Four. Jeeze. One week to go now and we can all start to focus on what's important: Spring Football at Notre Dame.
And, Paul and JD, saw your comments on the Man in Black. Do you guys want to be able to just post? Rather than comment? Let me or Dan know and we will hook you up. I agree that he was a glass-half-full guy, but I think we need those, especially in the arts. I think it keeps the rest of us honest. Nice shameless plug, Dan, good luck on the show.
Lastly, check the numbers on this , but as excrutiatingly uncomfortable the President looks in press conferences, he's actually done a few. There's a nice article floating around about how the White House press corps. and press conferences changed during the Clinton administration. I'll try to hunt it down. But it those conferences are an interesting event....does anyone out there think it matters how the personalities of the WH communications staff (the President included) and the press corps. members mesh matters? I'm no journalist, so I can't understand that whole phenomenon. It seems to me like the same questions are always asked and the same answers are always given, or at very least, the answers that more than half of us could figure out anyway are given. And yet, Wolf Blitzer and Shep Smith always have something to talk about....go figure.
As most of us (who saw that coming) are in some way associated or at least interested in Villanova basketball, a shout out to the team that lost tonight. Seemed like it was a fun season, at least, for those of you there. What a Final Four. Jeeze. One week to go now and we can all start to focus on what's important: Spring Football at Notre Dame.
And, Paul and JD, saw your comments on the Man in Black. Do you guys want to be able to just post? Rather than comment? Let me or Dan know and we will hook you up. I agree that he was a glass-half-full guy, but I think we need those, especially in the arts. I think it keeps the rest of us honest. Nice shameless plug, Dan, good luck on the show.
Lastly, check the numbers on this , but as excrutiatingly uncomfortable the President looks in press conferences, he's actually done a few. There's a nice article floating around about how the White House press corps. and press conferences changed during the Clinton administration. I'll try to hunt it down. But it those conferences are an interesting event....does anyone out there think it matters how the personalities of the WH communications staff (the President included) and the press corps. members mesh matters? I'm no journalist, so I can't understand that whole phenomenon. It seems to me like the same questions are always asked and the same answers are always given, or at very least, the answers that more than half of us could figure out anyway are given. And yet, Wolf Blitzer and Shep Smith always have something to talk about....go figure.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Legalize the Irish!
Hey All,
I realize that most of the people who bother to read this blog are currently on their spring breaks (Dan and Paul qualifying as "most"), but I thought I would post since a few things have popped into my mind.
As I mentioned in some of the first posts, I work in Washington, DC and living here provides you with unique opportunities to see what people across the country are worried about, thinking, and doing all in the name of making their lives, or sometimes the whole world, a little bit better. That darn first amendment right, "to petition the government for the redress of grievances," probably isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so I guess we might as well learn from the exercise of it and use for fodder here.
So, there was a seemingly major rally yesterday, though you probably didn't read about it any newspapers. It was about immigration. A lot, I mean A LOT of Latinos were outside the Capitol hoping, I gathered, to defeat some introduced legislation that would restrict immigration. Today, though, was the kicker for me. I ran into some guys with t-shirts that read :"Legalize The Irish . Org." The plug worked (as I'm sure it just did on you or at least should by now) and I honestly learned things I didn't know.
I think we can all agree that, Irish immigrants or immigrants from a Central American country, they should be treated the same. Here's the question: How should they be treated? Who is the face of immigration to you? Hard-working people who have been here and should be given some sort of credit for joining, in some ways, fueling the economy and are just trying to give their kids what we all got without trying? Or people, whether Irish or Latino, dodging customs officials and basically, breaking sensical and important laws? Remember we are living in the post 9-11 world here and immigration is no longer a cultural and economical issue.
I have to admit, I honestly don't know. So, read this as an APB. I'm busy at the moment with another area of interest I'm trying bone up on (by the way, everyone should read The Assassin's Gate by George Packer. A very good piece of journalism in my opinion). Here are my immigration-related questions: First, is there a difference between "illegal" and "undocumented" immigrants or is undocumented just a preferred term? Have immigration laws changed much in the last 100 years? I assume they have. You can't just pull up a barge full of Cognatos at the Statue of Liberty and say, "Hey! Everybody offa da boat! We a-going to a Norristown-a!" But I think it's important to look at the facts that differentiate the current generation of immigrants versus our (and I think that's basically all of our) parents, grandparents, and so on. I've heard that all the "legalize the Irish" Irish people came over in the 80's and 90's, so, if someone could explain this it would be helpful.
Like I said, I don't have a position yet. There's a lot of things to think about...We are all immigrants, but it's different country today, but do we want it to be, but do we treat Latino immigrants differently than others, but, well, we could go on I think.
Anyway, that's all I have for today. Two random things though: I was watching a PBS special yesterday about Johnny Cash and, with the movie that came out, I think it's really great those of us who didn't know much about the man get a chance too. What a great lyricist. Here's a link to what I think is his best song, all around: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/j/johnnycashlyrics/maninblacklyrics.html
Lastly, also on music, I want anyone reading this to take a minute to also reflect on this one lyric from a Rolling Stones song that just came on the radio: (from Honky Tonk Woman)
"I laid a divorcee in New York City/ I had to put up some kind of a fight/ The lady then she covered me with roses/ She blew my nose and then she blew my mind "
I realize that most of the people who bother to read this blog are currently on their spring breaks (Dan and Paul qualifying as "most"), but I thought I would post since a few things have popped into my mind.
As I mentioned in some of the first posts, I work in Washington, DC and living here provides you with unique opportunities to see what people across the country are worried about, thinking, and doing all in the name of making their lives, or sometimes the whole world, a little bit better. That darn first amendment right, "to petition the government for the redress of grievances," probably isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so I guess we might as well learn from the exercise of it and use for fodder here.
So, there was a seemingly major rally yesterday, though you probably didn't read about it any newspapers. It was about immigration. A lot, I mean A LOT of Latinos were outside the Capitol hoping, I gathered, to defeat some introduced legislation that would restrict immigration. Today, though, was the kicker for me. I ran into some guys with t-shirts that read :"Legalize The Irish . Org." The plug worked (as I'm sure it just did on you or at least should by now) and I honestly learned things I didn't know.
I think we can all agree that, Irish immigrants or immigrants from a Central American country, they should be treated the same. Here's the question: How should they be treated? Who is the face of immigration to you? Hard-working people who have been here and should be given some sort of credit for joining, in some ways, fueling the economy and are just trying to give their kids what we all got without trying? Or people, whether Irish or Latino, dodging customs officials and basically, breaking sensical and important laws? Remember we are living in the post 9-11 world here and immigration is no longer a cultural and economical issue.
I have to admit, I honestly don't know. So, read this as an APB. I'm busy at the moment with another area of interest I'm trying bone up on (by the way, everyone should read The Assassin's Gate by George Packer. A very good piece of journalism in my opinion). Here are my immigration-related questions: First, is there a difference between "illegal" and "undocumented" immigrants or is undocumented just a preferred term? Have immigration laws changed much in the last 100 years? I assume they have. You can't just pull up a barge full of Cognatos at the Statue of Liberty and say, "Hey! Everybody offa da boat! We a-going to a Norristown-a!" But I think it's important to look at the facts that differentiate the current generation of immigrants versus our (and I think that's basically all of our) parents, grandparents, and so on. I've heard that all the "legalize the Irish" Irish people came over in the 80's and 90's, so, if someone could explain this it would be helpful.
Like I said, I don't have a position yet. There's a lot of things to think about...We are all immigrants, but it's different country today, but do we want it to be, but do we treat Latino immigrants differently than others, but, well, we could go on I think.
Anyway, that's all I have for today. Two random things though: I was watching a PBS special yesterday about Johnny Cash and, with the movie that came out, I think it's really great those of us who didn't know much about the man get a chance too. What a great lyricist. Here's a link to what I think is his best song, all around: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/j/johnnycashlyrics/maninblacklyrics.html
Lastly, also on music, I want anyone reading this to take a minute to also reflect on this one lyric from a Rolling Stones song that just came on the radio: (from Honky Tonk Woman)
"I laid a divorcee in New York City/ I had to put up some kind of a fight/ The lady then she covered me with roses/ She blew my nose and then she blew my mind "
Monday, February 27, 2006
Hell in a Handbasket
So I had an argument with my older brother recently and the subject is perfect foder for the Dialogue.
Today, I just finished reading the 9/11 Commission Report for the first time. Next on my desk are Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw, and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe. I watched and read some news briefly tonight and saw that, someone (gasp!) is suggesting that mistakes that were made in pre-war planning have led to problems in Iraq, the NY Times is suing the Department of Defense over documents related to the NSA domestic spying program, and I keep spending time in my mind dreading/thinking about/misunderstanding the 06 and 08 national elections. Compound that with a documentary on PBS earlier tonight about George Harrison and the concert for Bangladesh and one on now about Born to Run, and I'm back to this one question:
What is it our generation is all about? What are the yokes we have to carry? And are we doing a sufficient job right now?
These are the questions that keep me up at night. That and where the heck do we each as individuals fit.
My answer is yes, by the way, we are, at the moment doing it, whatever it is. My brother disagreed. He sees the people on CNN. I see the people at Notre Dame. He sees people marching without halfing understanding why. I see Devon kids doing things without having to explain things cause its all understood.
I dont know. But I guess, I lied in the first post. This is why I wanted this blog. To jump in, join in, and get started.
So...any thoughts? Does this count as something we can "dialogue"?
Today, I just finished reading the 9/11 Commission Report for the first time. Next on my desk are Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw, and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe. I watched and read some news briefly tonight and saw that, someone (gasp!) is suggesting that mistakes that were made in pre-war planning have led to problems in Iraq, the NY Times is suing the Department of Defense over documents related to the NSA domestic spying program, and I keep spending time in my mind dreading/thinking about/misunderstanding the 06 and 08 national elections. Compound that with a documentary on PBS earlier tonight about George Harrison and the concert for Bangladesh and one on now about Born to Run, and I'm back to this one question:
What is it our generation is all about? What are the yokes we have to carry? And are we doing a sufficient job right now?
These are the questions that keep me up at night. That and where the heck do we each as individuals fit.
My answer is yes, by the way, we are, at the moment doing it, whatever it is. My brother disagreed. He sees the people on CNN. I see the people at Notre Dame. He sees people marching without halfing understanding why. I see Devon kids doing things without having to explain things cause its all understood.
I dont know. But I guess, I lied in the first post. This is why I wanted this blog. To jump in, join in, and get started.
So...any thoughts? Does this count as something we can "dialogue"?
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Welcome to The Dialogue. This is the first official post. My name is Chris and I am a 22 year old professional (barely) for the moment in Washington, DC. I am originally from Norristown, Pennsylvania and I am a proud graduate of Devon Preparatory School (02) and the University of Notre Dame (05). My partner in this blog, Dan, should be the author of the next post and then, I guess we'll really be up and running.
What's the point of this blog? For me at least, it's mostly an experiment. I'm new at this and I hope the blog gets better with time, but I'm hoping for it soon to be a forum for, as the name would imply, Dialogue. We'll post quotes. We'll post articles. We'll post just about anything we dig up. We'll have arguments and debates and we'll readily discuss sports, politics, and even religion. Anyone, please feel free to post anytime you like with anything that seems remotely relevant. We'll try to keep things flowing and connected and of course make sure the posts are interesting, but anyone else is ENCOURAGED STRONGLY to contribute and comment at all times.
Who's right? Who's wrong? What's good and what's bad? Is getting Bobby Abreu worth the Phillies picking up Manny Ramierez? What's the deal with Health Savings Plans? Who was that guy who, one time, played Morty Seinfeld? What, really, is the deal with Roman Catholicism? Finally, what should you be doing with your time rather than reading my random thougths?
Maybe we will get to the answers. If I could I would promise that this blog will solve hunger, save humanity, and get the entire American electorate to vote by 2008. Of course I can't promise those things, so I at least hope that it'll fill some recreational time why we rest from trying to do them ourselves and maybe give us some hints along the way.
And I hope you like it.
-CTC
What's the point of this blog? For me at least, it's mostly an experiment. I'm new at this and I hope the blog gets better with time, but I'm hoping for it soon to be a forum for, as the name would imply, Dialogue. We'll post quotes. We'll post articles. We'll post just about anything we dig up. We'll have arguments and debates and we'll readily discuss sports, politics, and even religion. Anyone, please feel free to post anytime you like with anything that seems remotely relevant. We'll try to keep things flowing and connected and of course make sure the posts are interesting, but anyone else is ENCOURAGED STRONGLY to contribute and comment at all times.
Who's right? Who's wrong? What's good and what's bad? Is getting Bobby Abreu worth the Phillies picking up Manny Ramierez? What's the deal with Health Savings Plans? Who was that guy who, one time, played Morty Seinfeld? What, really, is the deal with Roman Catholicism? Finally, what should you be doing with your time rather than reading my random thougths?
Maybe we will get to the answers. If I could I would promise that this blog will solve hunger, save humanity, and get the entire American electorate to vote by 2008. Of course I can't promise those things, so I at least hope that it'll fill some recreational time why we rest from trying to do them ourselves and maybe give us some hints along the way.
And I hope you like it.
-CTC
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