SHARING BIKES IN THE CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE
So the first big step towards a "Philly Bike Share" has been taken: Council passed a resolution to look into the feasibility. See also The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia's blog. Could be another pretty cool first for Philadelphia; and with narrow streets, terrible highways, and perhaps the most bicycle lanes of any city in the US, could be a natural fit.
1.31.2008
1.30.2008
"Dear Zachary" a Hit
You may recall my plug last year for my friend Kurt's documentary,
"Dear Zachary." Here's a follow-up note from Kurt after the film was
shown at the Slamdance Film Festival in Utah earlier this month.
Please do consider continuing to support Kurt and tell a friend.
"Dear Zachary." Here's a follow-up note from Kurt after the film was
shown at the Slamdance Film Festival in Utah earlier this month.
Please do consider continuing to support Kurt and tell a friend.
***
Hello everyone,
I have just recently returned from the Slamdance Film Festival in
Park City, Utah, where "Dear Zachary" was received with a passionate
enthusiasm that surpassed what I dared hope for going into the
festival. Both screenings were sold out and received sustained
standing ovations, which I'm told is an exceedingly rare event in the
14 year history of Slamdance. Members of the audience flooded Kate &
David Bagby with hugs after the screenings. We received tremendous
reviews, the film industry trade bible Variety named us "the talk of
Slamdance" and the local paper The Park Record named us one of the
most talked about films in all of Park City that week. As a result,
we've had a lot of distributor interest; it's too soon to discuss
details, but things are going very well. In addition, MySpace.com
has been featuring "Dear Zachary" in first position on its film page
for the past 2 weeks, generating an enormous amount of awareness,
feedback and interest in the film.
If you visit the front page of www.dearzachary.com, we've compiled
some of the best press/review quotes about "Dear Zachary" from the
festival, along with links to the articles themselves if you'd like
to read them in their entirety. (Click on the highlighted quote
source at the end of the quote and it will take you to the article.)
Next up, "Dear Zachary" will be playing the documentary competition
at Cinequest in San Jose, my hometown.
Showtimes are:
Saturday, March 1st - 7 PM - Camera 12 Cinemas, 201 S. Second Street,
San Jose
Sunday, March 2nd - 6:30 PM - San Jose Repertory Theatre - 101 Paseo
De San Antonio, San Jose (it's actually right across 2nd street from
the Camera 12)
Monday, March 3rd - 4:30 PM -Camera 12 Cinemas, 201 S. Second Street,
San Jose
To buy tickets in advance go to:
http://www.cinequest.org/event_view.php?eid=366
(For those interested, my comedy/experimental short film "The Phone
Book" will also be playing at Cinequest in Shorts Program 7 on
Wednesday, March 5th - 9 PM at Camera 12 and Saturday, March 8th - 12
Noon at Camera 12. To buy tickets in advance for the shorts program,
go to http://www.cinequest.org/event_view.php?eid=435)
After Cinequest, "Dear Zachary" will be playing the very prestigious
SXSW (South by Southwest) Film Festival in Austin, Texas, which runs
March 7-15. Showtimes haven't been posted just yet, but I'll let
everyone know when they are. In the meantime, you can check http://
2008.sxsw.com/film/ for the latest info.
Many more festivals will follow, and I'll let everyone know when
there's news to report - about festivals, distribution, reviews, what
have you.
Thank you again so much to all of you for your support. We couldn't
have done this without you!
Cheers and all the best,
Kurt
1.29.2008
THE GLOBALIZATION ELECTION
A nice piece in City Journal about the key issues in the 2008 presidential election and why some candidates are penalized more than others for gaffes about those issues: ”The Globalization Election.” If you know me, you know I see globalization as a generally good thing, and at any rate an unstoppable force anyway, but I am also open to interesting perspectives and policies that show mercy to those who stand to lose in the short run. So I’m looking for candidates who can articulate that sort of stance, not with their head in the sand on issues like outsourcing and immigration, but neither unsympathetic towards groups that feel real pain in the transition.
A nice piece in City Journal about the key issues in the 2008 presidential election and why some candidates are penalized more than others for gaffes about those issues: ”The Globalization Election.” If you know me, you know I see globalization as a generally good thing, and at any rate an unstoppable force anyway, but I am also open to interesting perspectives and policies that show mercy to those who stand to lose in the short run. So I’m looking for candidates who can articulate that sort of stance, not with their head in the sand on issues like outsourcing and immigration, but neither unsympathetic towards groups that feel real pain in the transition.
1.28.2008
Facebook for Grownups
I'm pretty late to the LinkedIn party, but today I had to track down a
former colleague of mine for a work-related assignment, and found that
LinkedIn was a good way to get the skinny on her, so I signed up for
an account. You can find me at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lhin215.
I haven't quite figured out how to use the site's various tools, but
am glad no one will be throwing a sheep at me or recruiting me to
become a vampire. Not that I'm too grown up for Facebook, far from
it. But it is nice to have the connectivity of FB but have it be
exclusively about professional networking. But check back with me
after I've been a member for more than one day.
former colleague of mine for a work-related assignment, and found that
LinkedIn was a good way to get the skinny on her, so I signed up for
an account. You can find me at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lhin215.
I haven't quite figured out how to use the site's various tools, but
am glad no one will be throwing a sheep at me or recruiting me to
become a vampire. Not that I'm too grown up for Facebook, far from
it. But it is nice to have the connectivity of FB but have it be
exclusively about professional networking. But check back with me
after I've been a member for more than one day.
BREAKING THE ADDICTION
Some people will argue the war in Iraq is about protecting cheap oil. Whether or not you agree, the discouraging news is that regardless of the outcome of five-plus years there, we haven’t done anything over here to break our addiction. It is an extraordinary consideration: even if we lived in a world in which the main sources of oil weren’t politically dicey places, we’d be in trouble. That’s the argument of Robert Steuteville’s article in a recent issue of New Urban News: ”The Writing on the Sprawl.”
Cheap oil has created commercial and residential patterns that are simply unsustainable, economically and environmentally. Throw in the geopolitics of the Middle East, and it seems to me to be clear as day that we have to do more to break the addiction. As with any addiction, easier said than done; and yet, as with any addiction, urgently needed.
Some people will argue the war in Iraq is about protecting cheap oil. Whether or not you agree, the discouraging news is that regardless of the outcome of five-plus years there, we haven’t done anything over here to break our addiction. It is an extraordinary consideration: even if we lived in a world in which the main sources of oil weren’t politically dicey places, we’d be in trouble. That’s the argument of Robert Steuteville’s article in a recent issue of New Urban News: ”The Writing on the Sprawl.”
Cheap oil has created commercial and residential patterns that are simply unsustainable, economically and environmentally. Throw in the geopolitics of the Middle East, and it seems to me to be clear as day that we have to do more to break the addiction. As with any addiction, easier said than done; and yet, as with any addiction, urgently needed.
HOW TO REALLY COOL THE PLANET
If you want to beat back global warming, you can write in Al Gore for President, buy bamboo paint, or slap a solar panel on your roof. Or you can just move to a city. According to a report by Urban Land Institute, reversing the explosive growth in greenhouse gas levels is darn near impossible without aggressive increases in compact development: ”Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change” (warning: very large pdf file). Couple this with a boom in urban dwelling and in green construction, and you could have a very different population distribution in the post-fossil fuel economy. And, pardon the pun, that would be pretty cool.
If you want to beat back global warming, you can write in Al Gore for President, buy bamboo paint, or slap a solar panel on your roof. Or you can just move to a city. According to a report by Urban Land Institute, reversing the explosive growth in greenhouse gas levels is darn near impossible without aggressive increases in compact development: ”Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change” (warning: very large pdf file). Couple this with a boom in urban dwelling and in green construction, and you could have a very different population distribution in the post-fossil fuel economy. And, pardon the pun, that would be pretty cool.
HOTTER CITIES, HUNGRIER SUBURBS
Joel Kotkin, author of “The City: A Global History” and a sort of defender of suburban sprawl, has penned an interesting piece in the Washington Post about how cities aren’t without blame in our inexorable march towards global warming: ” Hot World? Blame Cities.” Urban centers, Kotkin argues, generate “heat islands,” whose consequences are further exacerbated by higher air conditioning use. Low-density areas, he replies, can be easily cooled by energy-efficient windows, shades, and trees.
I haven’t done the math, but I’m not buying this line of thinking. The quintessential unattached single-family residence is exposed to the elements on five of its six sides, with only its floor protected. Cities, on the other hand, have a preponderance of twins (four sides exposed), rows (three sides exposed), and apartments (three, two, one, or no sides exposed). And you’re telling me city units contribute more to energy consumption than suburban ones?
I understand that high-density living isn’t for everyone, so I’m not trying to judge suburbanites or coerce them into moving to cities or making their neighborhoods more dense. People are free to make choices, and some prefer to drive and have space. But those choices have consequences, literally consequences for the whole planet. And contrary to what Mr. Kotkin believes, I have to think that suburbanites are underpaying for their contribution to those consequences.
Joel Kotkin, author of “The City: A Global History” and a sort of defender of suburban sprawl, has penned an interesting piece in the Washington Post about how cities aren’t without blame in our inexorable march towards global warming: ” Hot World? Blame Cities.” Urban centers, Kotkin argues, generate “heat islands,” whose consequences are further exacerbated by higher air conditioning use. Low-density areas, he replies, can be easily cooled by energy-efficient windows, shades, and trees.
I haven’t done the math, but I’m not buying this line of thinking. The quintessential unattached single-family residence is exposed to the elements on five of its six sides, with only its floor protected. Cities, on the other hand, have a preponderance of twins (four sides exposed), rows (three sides exposed), and apartments (three, two, one, or no sides exposed). And you’re telling me city units contribute more to energy consumption than suburban ones?
I understand that high-density living isn’t for everyone, so I’m not trying to judge suburbanites or coerce them into moving to cities or making their neighborhoods more dense. People are free to make choices, and some prefer to drive and have space. But those choices have consequences, literally consequences for the whole planet. And contrary to what Mr. Kotkin believes, I have to think that suburbanites are underpaying for their contribution to those consequences.
MAKE WAY FOR BIKERS
A nice piece in New Urban News about various cities’ plans to make their streets more bike-friendly: ”Cities redo streets for pedestrians, cyclists, transit.” Here in Philadelphia, my firm is part of a team that’s looking at just that, and as a bike commuter, it’s also of personal interest.
Unfortunately, I know of at least one letter to the editor expressing the angry sentiment that bike lanes lead to more car congestion. We’ve become so addicted to our cars that the only thing we feel more entitled to than cheap gas is free lanes. Never mind that when we get into a car, we contribute to the problem; funny, isn’t it, that we consider congestion to be caused by all the other cars.
Anyway, it’s for the very reason that roads are congested that we need to take space away from the cars and give it to bikers, walkers, and pedestrians. How else are we all going to get around? And we haven’t yet talked about the wear and tear, gas consumption, and pollution wrought by cars, or the fact that slowing down traffic in heavily walked urban areas is a good thing, for the safety of those moving about who aren’t encased in two tons of steel.
Of course, this is a very real debate in cities like Philadelphia, whose roads are already built and for which new bike lanes necessarily come at the expense of road space for cars to drive. But even in brand-new cities or new parts of cities, one would hope that non-car lanes are considered as trade-offs to car lanes; the alternative is impossibly wide roads that discourage walkers, joggers, wheelchairs, and strollers from crossing streets.
There’s been a lot of healthy talk about how a generation from now, we simply will not move around the same way as we do now; the economics of the gas-powered engine just aren’t sustainable. But it turns out there are other considerations for trading off driving for biking, walking, and transiting: aesthetics, flow, and cleaner air being three. Let’s hope more cities get this.
A nice piece in New Urban News about various cities’ plans to make their streets more bike-friendly: ”Cities redo streets for pedestrians, cyclists, transit.” Here in Philadelphia, my firm is part of a team that’s looking at just that, and as a bike commuter, it’s also of personal interest.
Unfortunately, I know of at least one letter to the editor expressing the angry sentiment that bike lanes lead to more car congestion. We’ve become so addicted to our cars that the only thing we feel more entitled to than cheap gas is free lanes. Never mind that when we get into a car, we contribute to the problem; funny, isn’t it, that we consider congestion to be caused by all the other cars.
Anyway, it’s for the very reason that roads are congested that we need to take space away from the cars and give it to bikers, walkers, and pedestrians. How else are we all going to get around? And we haven’t yet talked about the wear and tear, gas consumption, and pollution wrought by cars, or the fact that slowing down traffic in heavily walked urban areas is a good thing, for the safety of those moving about who aren’t encased in two tons of steel.
Of course, this is a very real debate in cities like Philadelphia, whose roads are already built and for which new bike lanes necessarily come at the expense of road space for cars to drive. But even in brand-new cities or new parts of cities, one would hope that non-car lanes are considered as trade-offs to car lanes; the alternative is impossibly wide roads that discourage walkers, joggers, wheelchairs, and strollers from crossing streets.
There’s been a lot of healthy talk about how a generation from now, we simply will not move around the same way as we do now; the economics of the gas-powered engine just aren’t sustainable. But it turns out there are other considerations for trading off driving for biking, walking, and transiting: aesthetics, flow, and cleaner air being three. Let’s hope more cities get this.
DEAR WATER
When something is dear, you tend not to waste it. Which people are starting to get when it comes to oil. And which people will hopefully start to get when it comes to water, according to a recent Urban Land Institute article: ”Is Water the Next Carbon?” Water, of course, is literally essential to life; and so the distribution of clean water with which to drink, bathe, and farm becomes an increasingly important matter.
We take such things for granted in this country, since a quick turn of the tap yields us water on par with $3-a-bottle designer water in terms of purity. We give no further thought to spraying water all over our suburban lawns and don’t often find it worth it to install drip irrigation systems for our crops. Let’s hope we don’t wait until it’s almost too late, like we have with oil, to treat water as the precious resource it really is.
When something is dear, you tend not to waste it. Which people are starting to get when it comes to oil. And which people will hopefully start to get when it comes to water, according to a recent Urban Land Institute article: ”Is Water the Next Carbon?” Water, of course, is literally essential to life; and so the distribution of clean water with which to drink, bathe, and farm becomes an increasingly important matter.
We take such things for granted in this country, since a quick turn of the tap yields us water on par with $3-a-bottle designer water in terms of purity. We give no further thought to spraying water all over our suburban lawns and don’t often find it worth it to install drip irrigation systems for our crops. Let’s hope we don’t wait until it’s almost too late, like we have with oil, to treat water as the precious resource it really is.
1.25.2008
WHAT CITIES WANT FROM THE FEDS
Here's an interesting read: The US Conference of Mayors' 10-Point Plan for 2008." Not surprisingly, this coalition of big-city mayors calls for more federal funding in a number of categories. You may ask how that's fair, to redistribute all of our tax dollars towards cities. Except that, according to the report, metro areas represent 85 percent of our population, 85 percent of our employment, and 86 percent of our GDP. So it's not completely illogical to redistribute in this way.
What is interesting to consider is which of the categories make sense to me to have heavy federal funding down to the local level. This goes to the core of whether one is a Republican or a Democrat when it comes to national politics: should the federal government be small and leave the work and money to the states and locals, or should the federal government be an active redistributor of resources. And yes, I realize this current, Republican administration has initiated an unprecedented level of big government, even in non-defense arenas; so I mean this in stereotypical terms, not actual terms.
Anyway, it's a useful exercise for anyone to see whether they are more hands-off or hands-on in various categories. Here's my personal take, and I encourage you to think about it for yourself:
category: climate protection
proposal: Energy Block Grant, not unlike the current Community Development Block Grants
my take: I agree that DC has unnecessarily punted on climate change, so federal funding plus some way of evaluating results and sharing innovations makes sense to me.
category: fighting crime
proposals: trust fund for more cops; better anti-gang laws; resources for ex-offenders; tighter illegal gun legislation
my take: I agree with the report's assessment that DC has focused on homeland security and not on local crime, but I disagree that that's a bad thing.
category: community development
proposal: stop lowering CDBG levels
my take: PA is among the stupid states that have exacerbated reduced CDBG funds by taking them away from cities that use them in conjunction with eminent domain, even if the project is for something like affordable housing. So let's fix that first.
category: housing
proposals: trust fund for affordable housing; federal funds for public housing; save HOPE VI; FHA reform
my take: I would prefer a regional approach - federal is far too vast, and local penalizes one muni as it competes with its neighbor. Easier said than done, I know, but we're talking philosophically here.
category: infrastructure
proposals: funds and tax breaks to help states, locals, and private sector invest in infrastructure; catch up on deferred maintenance; create a capital budgeting system
my take: Infrastructure is most certainly a national, interstate commerce sort of issue. So constitutionally, economically, and politically, DC should feel like it has the green light (no pun intended) to do stuff here.
category: workforce
proposals: summer youth employment program; save Workforce Investment Act; connect at-risk people with "green" jobs
my take: Here's another situation where the intention is good but the mechanism is poor. Couldn't agree more with what needs to be done; leery as heck about DC getting involved.
category: children and youth
proposals: increased funding for Head Start, children's health insurance, teacher training, after-school programs, and encouragement of parental involvement
my take: See my previous answer.
category: homeland security
proposals: more flexible and logical distribution to local level; immigration reform
my take: I agree with the first proposal and am holding my breath on the second pending what DC does at a national level.
category: tourism and the arts
proposals: balance homeland security with ease for international visitors; Cabinet-level Secretary of Culture and Tourism
my take: Well-intentioned but show me some specific plans to make me feel less nervous about a greater federal role here.
Here's an interesting read: The US Conference of Mayors' 10-Point Plan for 2008." Not surprisingly, this coalition of big-city mayors calls for more federal funding in a number of categories. You may ask how that's fair, to redistribute all of our tax dollars towards cities. Except that, according to the report, metro areas represent 85 percent of our population, 85 percent of our employment, and 86 percent of our GDP. So it's not completely illogical to redistribute in this way.
What is interesting to consider is which of the categories make sense to me to have heavy federal funding down to the local level. This goes to the core of whether one is a Republican or a Democrat when it comes to national politics: should the federal government be small and leave the work and money to the states and locals, or should the federal government be an active redistributor of resources. And yes, I realize this current, Republican administration has initiated an unprecedented level of big government, even in non-defense arenas; so I mean this in stereotypical terms, not actual terms.
Anyway, it's a useful exercise for anyone to see whether they are more hands-off or hands-on in various categories. Here's my personal take, and I encourage you to think about it for yourself:
category: climate protection
proposal: Energy Block Grant, not unlike the current Community Development Block Grants
my take: I agree that DC has unnecessarily punted on climate change, so federal funding plus some way of evaluating results and sharing innovations makes sense to me.
category: fighting crime
proposals: trust fund for more cops; better anti-gang laws; resources for ex-offenders; tighter illegal gun legislation
my take: I agree with the report's assessment that DC has focused on homeland security and not on local crime, but I disagree that that's a bad thing.
category: community development
proposal: stop lowering CDBG levels
my take: PA is among the stupid states that have exacerbated reduced CDBG funds by taking them away from cities that use them in conjunction with eminent domain, even if the project is for something like affordable housing. So let's fix that first.
category: housing
proposals: trust fund for affordable housing; federal funds for public housing; save HOPE VI; FHA reform
my take: I would prefer a regional approach - federal is far too vast, and local penalizes one muni as it competes with its neighbor. Easier said than done, I know, but we're talking philosophically here.
category: infrastructure
proposals: funds and tax breaks to help states, locals, and private sector invest in infrastructure; catch up on deferred maintenance; create a capital budgeting system
my take: Infrastructure is most certainly a national, interstate commerce sort of issue. So constitutionally, economically, and politically, DC should feel like it has the green light (no pun intended) to do stuff here.
category: workforce
proposals: summer youth employment program; save Workforce Investment Act; connect at-risk people with "green" jobs
my take: Here's another situation where the intention is good but the mechanism is poor. Couldn't agree more with what needs to be done; leery as heck about DC getting involved.
category: children and youth
proposals: increased funding for Head Start, children's health insurance, teacher training, after-school programs, and encouragement of parental involvement
my take: See my previous answer.
category: homeland security
proposals: more flexible and logical distribution to local level; immigration reform
my take: I agree with the first proposal and am holding my breath on the second pending what DC does at a national level.
category: tourism and the arts
proposals: balance homeland security with ease for international visitors; Cabinet-level Secretary of Culture and Tourism
my take: Well-intentioned but show me some specific plans to make me feel less nervous about a greater federal role here.
COMPLEX PROBLEM, COMPLEX SOLUTIONS
I finally got around to reading this report, which had been in my "to read" pile for a few weeks: "Increasing Opportunity and Reducing Poverty in New York City." (Note: large pdf file.) The report concedes that poverty is a complex problem deserving of coordinated solutions; easier said than done, but an important starting point. For adults, it's about jobs with upward mobility and access to training, financial literacy and consumer protection, and affordable housing. For young adults, it's about educational and employment opportunities, particularly for ex-offenders and single fathers. And for young children, it's about health insurance and pre-K and parental support.
Poverty is structural, and these are useful structural initiatives to consider and connect. Poverty is also spiritual and it is life-and-death, and so the faith communities and the emergency services agencies need to be involved as well. In New York City alone, 1.5 million people live below the poverty line. It is a daunting task, but one worthy of our attention, our resources, and our efforts.
I finally got around to reading this report, which had been in my "to read" pile for a few weeks: "Increasing Opportunity and Reducing Poverty in New York City." (Note: large pdf file.) The report concedes that poverty is a complex problem deserving of coordinated solutions; easier said than done, but an important starting point. For adults, it's about jobs with upward mobility and access to training, financial literacy and consumer protection, and affordable housing. For young adults, it's about educational and employment opportunities, particularly for ex-offenders and single fathers. And for young children, it's about health insurance and pre-K and parental support.
Poverty is structural, and these are useful structural initiatives to consider and connect. Poverty is also spiritual and it is life-and-death, and so the faith communities and the emergency services agencies need to be involved as well. In New York City alone, 1.5 million people live below the poverty line. It is a daunting task, but one worthy of our attention, our resources, and our efforts.
1.24.2008
TRADING CARBON
A nice piece in CFO Magazine about the carbon offset market: "Carbon Trading." The tea leaves in DC say it's time to get in motion, and the mechanisms are in place, but the industry is relatively young so it's buyer beware. Let's hope more activity leads to more efficient offsets; after all, we've got but one planet, and it has a fever.
A nice piece in CFO Magazine about the carbon offset market: "Carbon Trading." The tea leaves in DC say it's time to get in motion, and the mechanisms are in place, but the industry is relatively young so it's buyer beware. Let's hope more activity leads to more efficient offsets; after all, we've got but one planet, and it has a fever.
MORE CREATIVITY
I posted earlier this week about Innovation Philadelphia's report on the for-profit, technology-driven Creative Economy industries here in the region; here's a link to our report, which is now available on their website, as well as a link to a splashier piece IP did with our results (note: these links are to large pdf files):
"Innovation Philadelphia's For-Profit, Creative Economy Economic Impact Study 2007 Phase 1: Quantitative Findings"
"Creative Footprint: The Economic Impact of the Philadelphia Region's For-Profit, Creative Economy Executive Summary"
By the way, IP has reprinted my post from earlier this week on their blog, so in the spirit of collaboration, here's a link to their blog and to my post:
Innovation Philadelphia - Blog
"Promoting Creativity"
I posted earlier this week about Innovation Philadelphia's report on the for-profit, technology-driven Creative Economy industries here in the region; here's a link to our report, which is now available on their website, as well as a link to a splashier piece IP did with our results (note: these links are to large pdf files):
"Innovation Philadelphia's For-Profit, Creative Economy Economic Impact Study 2007 Phase 1: Quantitative Findings"
"Creative Footprint: The Economic Impact of the Philadelphia Region's For-Profit, Creative Economy Executive Summary"
By the way, IP has reprinted my post from earlier this week on their blog, so in the spirit of collaboration, here's a link to their blog and to my post:
Innovation Philadelphia - Blog
"Promoting Creativity"
KINDER CAPITALISM
Could it be that the richest man in the world and the archetype of cutthroat capitalism now sees that capitalism can be a huge force for social good? None other than Bill Gates, now with his philanthropy hat more securely on, is calling for a kinder capitalism: "Bill Gates Issues Call For Kinder Capitalism."
I particularly appreciated his appreciation of the breadth of capitalism godfather Adam Smith's writings - that there is an "invisible hand" that translates individual self-interest into communal gain, but that man is also motivated by a desire to serve his fellow man. And with Gates' resources, connections, and brainpower now more fully engaged, our pursuit of social good using free market principles just got a lot more hopeful.
Could it be that the richest man in the world and the archetype of cutthroat capitalism now sees that capitalism can be a huge force for social good? None other than Bill Gates, now with his philanthropy hat more securely on, is calling for a kinder capitalism: "Bill Gates Issues Call For Kinder Capitalism."
I particularly appreciated his appreciation of the breadth of capitalism godfather Adam Smith's writings - that there is an "invisible hand" that translates individual self-interest into communal gain, but that man is also motivated by a desire to serve his fellow man. And with Gates' resources, connections, and brainpower now more fully engaged, our pursuit of social good using free market principles just got a lot more hopeful.
1.22.2008
Home
We're home from 10 days in San Jose. Please check below, as I've posted items on the dates they were created, even though I have held off on posting them until we got back.
Driving While Running
Amy and I both did some road running while we were in California earlier this month. Because there are so many great parks and trails within a short drive, and because the area is so carcentric, both of us got funny looks from motorists as we puttered along the side of the road. People just don't run on city sidewalks and streets around here. Amy and I both find it funny to drive somewhere to run, and Philadelphia is a great city to run in, so we're just so used to stepping out the door and getting started. So this facet of suburban living took awhile for these two urbanites to get our heads around.
GREEN OIL
In a delicious irony, the world's greenest city may be located in the cradle of oil production: "WWF, Abu Dhabi unveil plans for sustainable city." Urban Land Institute is even hosting a sustainability conference there: "Building a Sustainable Future: Trends, Opportunities, and Challenges." So if the sheiks can read the tea leaves and prepare for a future without oil supremacy, so should we.
In a delicious irony, the world's greenest city may be located in the cradle of oil production: "WWF, Abu Dhabi unveil plans for sustainable city." Urban Land Institute is even hosting a sustainability conference there: "Building a Sustainable Future: Trends, Opportunities, and Challenges." So if the sheiks can read the tea leaves and prepare for a future without oil supremacy, so should we.
PROMOTING CREATIVITY
Innovation Philadelphia issued a press release in conjunction with the completion of my firm's report on the economic impact of the for-profit, technology-driven part of the Creative Economy: "New Research Shows Philadelphia’s Creative Economy Big, Growing and Leading the Nation in Key Indicators." There have been reports about biotech, about eds and meds, and about cultural institutions; this report represents the fourth leg of the table.
And a big leg it is: almost $60 billion in total economic impact each year, or almost a quarter of the region's economy. Even that might be understating it: more so than biotech, eds and meds, and cultural institutions, the for-profit, technology-driven part of the Creative Economy touches practically every part of our modern economy, as functions like IT and design and communications are embedded into even the most mundane of business activities.
What's really music to policymakers' ears is that this is high-margin, high-wage activity, according to our findings. And that's not surprising, for what makes something hard to commoditize is that creativity and innovation have been injected into it. That makes for jobs that pay well, that are hard to lose to another part of the world, and that have a big multiplier effect on the region in which they're located.
Of course, this wouldn't be a Philadelphia story if it didn't have this conclusion: we're actually not doing too bad as a region, we just suffer from poor self-esteem. Most people don't consider Philadelphia the hotbed of creativity and innovation that it actually is. For shame, as many people I've talked to have told me they've moved themselves and others to the region unwillingly, only to be pleasantly surprised to find such a rich quality of life here.
Much more to say here, but soon the report will be available at Innovation Philadelphia's website, and you can read about it all there. Let's hope more of this creativity circulates around these here parts, and that what's already buzzing can get more of the buzz it's due.
Innovation Philadelphia issued a press release in conjunction with the completion of my firm's report on the economic impact of the for-profit, technology-driven part of the Creative Economy: "New Research Shows Philadelphia’s Creative Economy Big, Growing and Leading the Nation in Key Indicators." There have been reports about biotech, about eds and meds, and about cultural institutions; this report represents the fourth leg of the table.
And a big leg it is: almost $60 billion in total economic impact each year, or almost a quarter of the region's economy. Even that might be understating it: more so than biotech, eds and meds, and cultural institutions, the for-profit, technology-driven part of the Creative Economy touches practically every part of our modern economy, as functions like IT and design and communications are embedded into even the most mundane of business activities.
What's really music to policymakers' ears is that this is high-margin, high-wage activity, according to our findings. And that's not surprising, for what makes something hard to commoditize is that creativity and innovation have been injected into it. That makes for jobs that pay well, that are hard to lose to another part of the world, and that have a big multiplier effect on the region in which they're located.
Of course, this wouldn't be a Philadelphia story if it didn't have this conclusion: we're actually not doing too bad as a region, we just suffer from poor self-esteem. Most people don't consider Philadelphia the hotbed of creativity and innovation that it actually is. For shame, as many people I've talked to have told me they've moved themselves and others to the region unwillingly, only to be pleasantly surprised to find such a rich quality of life here.
Much more to say here, but soon the report will be available at Innovation Philadelphia's website, and you can read about it all there. Let's hope more of this creativity circulates around these here parts, and that what's already buzzing can get more of the buzz it's due.
1.16.2008
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES
Who says econ is boring and irrelevant? Here's an article from Slate about whether and why blacks spend more on "visible goods" (clothes, cars, and jewelry): "Cos and Effect." Keeping up with the Joneses is a sad way to expend material resources no matter how much bank you have; the sad reality is that for those who are poor (both white and black), doing it means less invested in other, better directions.
Who says econ is boring and irrelevant? Here's an article from Slate about whether and why blacks spend more on "visible goods" (clothes, cars, and jewelry): "Cos and Effect." Keeping up with the Joneses is a sad way to expend material resources no matter how much bank you have; the sad reality is that for those who are poor (both white and black), doing it means less invested in other, better directions.
SUBURBAN ANTHROPOLOGIST
I'm here in San Jose, where I spent 15 of my 18 childhood years but where I haven't lived in almost two decades. So while I feel like I know the area pretty well, in another sense there's a foreignness not unlike visiting a new country. So let me put my "untrained anthropologist" hat on and tell you what I've observed so far.
Amy and I like to take the kids for walks, and if there's one thing we've learned about the area around where my parents live, it's that it's very pedestrian-unfriendly. There are curb cuts for every driveway but almost never at street corners, so strollers and luggage and wheelchairs have to plop down a good six inches and then tilt back up a good six inches on the other side of the street. But why would parents, travelers, and the handicapped be walking anyway, since everyone drives to exactly where they want to go; garages are literally inside your house, and retail centers are seas of parking lots.
I had lunch with a friend of mine who lives in Oakland and asked him whether it was absolutely necessary to own a car in the Bay Area outside of San Francisco. He said most every family owns at least one, no matter how poor; and if you're really poor and can't afford one, you're pretty screwed, because public transit involves long waits and longer walks.
And this is why public transit is the one area where I'm a flaming liberal. Making a car practically necessary for efficient living leads to a lot of poor people living very inefficient lives, and other almost poor people getting very junky (read: fuel-inefficient) cars to get around. This can't be socially optimal in the grand scheme of things.
Pair this with low densities and not a lot of mixing of uses, and you have all sorts of environmental and equity problems. To drop off the dry cleaning, pick up a gallon of milk, and mail a package might take you to three separate places, involving four distinct car trips (home to Point A, Point A to Point B, Point B to Point C, and Point C to home) and the pollution belched and energy consumed involved in firing up the car each time, and further clogging and wearing down roads. If you're either so poor you can't afford a car or so eco-conscious that you intentionally avoid using your car, the time you allocate for this set of errands could well end up being multiple hours.
Speaking of suburban anthropologists, what year will we look back at as the year we realized suburban living was environmentally unsustainable and socially inequitable? Slap on a national carbon tax, and it'll be sooner to the present, and we'll get on with real talk and real action towards some solutions that work. Reporting from suburban San Jose in the year 2008, I'm signing off.
I'm here in San Jose, where I spent 15 of my 18 childhood years but where I haven't lived in almost two decades. So while I feel like I know the area pretty well, in another sense there's a foreignness not unlike visiting a new country. So let me put my "untrained anthropologist" hat on and tell you what I've observed so far.
Amy and I like to take the kids for walks, and if there's one thing we've learned about the area around where my parents live, it's that it's very pedestrian-unfriendly. There are curb cuts for every driveway but almost never at street corners, so strollers and luggage and wheelchairs have to plop down a good six inches and then tilt back up a good six inches on the other side of the street. But why would parents, travelers, and the handicapped be walking anyway, since everyone drives to exactly where they want to go; garages are literally inside your house, and retail centers are seas of parking lots.
I had lunch with a friend of mine who lives in Oakland and asked him whether it was absolutely necessary to own a car in the Bay Area outside of San Francisco. He said most every family owns at least one, no matter how poor; and if you're really poor and can't afford one, you're pretty screwed, because public transit involves long waits and longer walks.
And this is why public transit is the one area where I'm a flaming liberal. Making a car practically necessary for efficient living leads to a lot of poor people living very inefficient lives, and other almost poor people getting very junky (read: fuel-inefficient) cars to get around. This can't be socially optimal in the grand scheme of things.
Pair this with low densities and not a lot of mixing of uses, and you have all sorts of environmental and equity problems. To drop off the dry cleaning, pick up a gallon of milk, and mail a package might take you to three separate places, involving four distinct car trips (home to Point A, Point A to Point B, Point B to Point C, and Point C to home) and the pollution belched and energy consumed involved in firing up the car each time, and further clogging and wearing down roads. If you're either so poor you can't afford a car or so eco-conscious that you intentionally avoid using your car, the time you allocate for this set of errands could well end up being multiple hours.
Speaking of suburban anthropologists, what year will we look back at as the year we realized suburban living was environmentally unsustainable and socially inequitable? Slap on a national carbon tax, and it'll be sooner to the present, and we'll get on with real talk and real action towards some solutions that work. Reporting from suburban San Jose in the year 2008, I'm signing off.
WHAT'S COOKING IN THE BAY AREA
In the slight chance that I move our family to the Bay Area some day, I have decided to read the paper each morning to see what local stories I gravitate to, that if I were to have to find employment here I'd want to be somehow involved in. So far, I've been following Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed budget cuts, Santa Clara's negotiations with the San Francisco 49ers over a publicly subsidized football stadium, and the flak San Jose councilperson Madison Nguyen has taken from her fellow Vietnamese over calling a proposed neighborhood "Saigon Business District" rather than "Little Saigon."
In Philly, we're looking at neighborhoods and transit and waterfronts and taxes and affordable housing and commercial corridors, to name a few issues. Other cities might have some similar issues and some different ones, depending on political culture and geography and age. So I guess everywhere you go, there's interesting stuff to get your hands dirty in. One fun part about a week in the Bay Area has been reading about what's cooking here.
In the slight chance that I move our family to the Bay Area some day, I have decided to read the paper each morning to see what local stories I gravitate to, that if I were to have to find employment here I'd want to be somehow involved in. So far, I've been following Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed budget cuts, Santa Clara's negotiations with the San Francisco 49ers over a publicly subsidized football stadium, and the flak San Jose councilperson Madison Nguyen has taken from her fellow Vietnamese over calling a proposed neighborhood "Saigon Business District" rather than "Little Saigon."
In Philly, we're looking at neighborhoods and transit and waterfronts and taxes and affordable housing and commercial corridors, to name a few issues. Other cities might have some similar issues and some different ones, depending on political culture and geography and age. So I guess everywhere you go, there's interesting stuff to get your hands dirty in. One fun part about a week in the Bay Area has been reading about what's cooking here.
1.15.2008
GREEN COLLAR JOBS
You've heard of blue collar and white collar jobs, and now there's green collar jobs. And given its red-hot housing market and deep blue politics, Oakland is not surprisingly a leader in this concept: "Oakland Looks for a Greener Path to Prosperity." To the extent that this sort of initiative is public works-y, the fiscal conservative in me is queasy; but if it's about linking skills training for the underemployed and downsized with pursuits that are both environmentally and economically feasible, sign me up.
You've heard of blue collar and white collar jobs, and now there's green collar jobs. And given its red-hot housing market and deep blue politics, Oakland is not surprisingly a leader in this concept: "Oakland Looks for a Greener Path to Prosperity." To the extent that this sort of initiative is public works-y, the fiscal conservative in me is queasy; but if it's about linking skills training for the underemployed and downsized with pursuits that are both environmentally and economically feasible, sign me up.
1.14.2008
Saving for the Very Long-Term
Of the many things my parents have passed on to me, their discipline in saving is probably the one that will help me the most in the long run. Twenty years from now, I may have at least two kids in college, and tuitions are soaring at a breathtaking pace. Forty years from now, Amy and I will hopefully be retired, and there'll probably only be two workers for every person collecting Social Security, down from three to one today (and something like 15 to 1 when it was created in the 1930's) - assuming Social Security still exists. And the cost of health care adds headache to both college and retirement. So every dollar coming in today that I decide not to give away I've got to put in one of three buckets: current expenditures, college savings, and retirement fund. And all three of those buckets have a higher growth rate than the incoming money.
It's enough to make you worry. Which is why it is apt that the immediate context of the Bible's quintessential "don't worry" passage is money: in response to a heckler's rant about his inheritance, Jesus tells stories about God clothing birds and fields to remind us that God will provide. He also speaks of a rich person who stores up grain only to lose his life the next time, and calls him a fool for it.
Yikes, storing up extra grain seems awfully prudent, the kind of thing I do on a regular basis when I siphon money into my college and retirement accounts. Isn't this wise and not foolish? Not if we're trusting in our financial acumen or our commendable discipline, and not in the God who we look to to provide for us, and not if we deem ourselves preeminently rich in material resources rather than rich in our relationship with God. Twenty and forty years out seems a long time horizon, but so is eternity. So may I earn, spend, and save accordingly.
IT'S NOT COOL
I'm largely with ESPN columnist Scoop Jackson concerning his recent article about Tiger Woods, race, and the "lynching" comment: "Now is Time for Tiger to Fulfill Dad's Prophecy." If you missed it, some journalist said the best hope Tiger's competition had was to "lynch him in a back alley." Tiger and his agent have dismissed the comment and held nothing against the person who said it.
Scoop's right: that was an opportunity to really make a dent in race awareness in America. Mainstream America usually only gets two messages: 1) black people are irrationally angry, and we can dismiss their rantings, or 2) black people are past all that, and we can go about our lives.
So when an ugly comment hits the national media, mainstream America holds its breath. Will we have to hear a litany of irrationally angry talk, or will we hear what we want to hear: "Hey, it's cool. We're cool."
Tiger's chosen to play it cool. Barack Obama is afraid to do anything but play it cool, lest he be lumped in with the other black folks mainstream America is tired of hearing from.
And that's too bad. Because it's not cool. We're not cool. Lynching is a disgustingly brutal and painfully recent era in American race relations. The Urban League of Philadelphia just released a report lamenting the social, economic, and family disparities between blacks and others, circa 2007. We've got a lot of healing to go, and comments like the one directed at Tiger this week are picking at a scab that has hardly formed.
If you're wondering where the emotion is coming from in my words, consider this: were it not for the heroes of the civil rights movement barely a generation ago, it is likely Asians would not have had the legal right to immigrate to this country in as large numbers as they did in the 1960's and 1970's. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks might have been fighting for black people to sit on the same buses and drink from the same fountains, but in doing so they opened the doors for people like my parents to come to America, earn a decent living, and give me and my generation a good start on a good life.
Tiger Woods, of course, represents both the black and Asian perspective. He is also a multinational, multi-facted enterprise. He is also but one person. So I don't blame him for wanting this incident to be swept under the rug as fast as possible, for his own ability to concentrate as well as for the protection of his brand image.
And yet, Scoop's right: this is a moment when Tiger can identify with his unique racial perspective, and let folks know that it's not cool to evoke such racially incendiary imagery, no matter how innocent or jokingly. This thing is bigger than even Tiger himself. Hopefully, as with every challenge and challenger he's faced on the golf course, Tiger can rise up in response.
I'm largely with ESPN columnist Scoop Jackson concerning his recent article about Tiger Woods, race, and the "lynching" comment: "Now is Time for Tiger to Fulfill Dad's Prophecy." If you missed it, some journalist said the best hope Tiger's competition had was to "lynch him in a back alley." Tiger and his agent have dismissed the comment and held nothing against the person who said it.
Scoop's right: that was an opportunity to really make a dent in race awareness in America. Mainstream America usually only gets two messages: 1) black people are irrationally angry, and we can dismiss their rantings, or 2) black people are past all that, and we can go about our lives.
So when an ugly comment hits the national media, mainstream America holds its breath. Will we have to hear a litany of irrationally angry talk, or will we hear what we want to hear: "Hey, it's cool. We're cool."
Tiger's chosen to play it cool. Barack Obama is afraid to do anything but play it cool, lest he be lumped in with the other black folks mainstream America is tired of hearing from.
And that's too bad. Because it's not cool. We're not cool. Lynching is a disgustingly brutal and painfully recent era in American race relations. The Urban League of Philadelphia just released a report lamenting the social, economic, and family disparities between blacks and others, circa 2007. We've got a lot of healing to go, and comments like the one directed at Tiger this week are picking at a scab that has hardly formed.
If you're wondering where the emotion is coming from in my words, consider this: were it not for the heroes of the civil rights movement barely a generation ago, it is likely Asians would not have had the legal right to immigrate to this country in as large numbers as they did in the 1960's and 1970's. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks might have been fighting for black people to sit on the same buses and drink from the same fountains, but in doing so they opened the doors for people like my parents to come to America, earn a decent living, and give me and my generation a good start on a good life.
Tiger Woods, of course, represents both the black and Asian perspective. He is also a multinational, multi-facted enterprise. He is also but one person. So I don't blame him for wanting this incident to be swept under the rug as fast as possible, for his own ability to concentrate as well as for the protection of his brand image.
And yet, Scoop's right: this is a moment when Tiger can identify with his unique racial perspective, and let folks know that it's not cool to evoke such racially incendiary imagery, no matter how innocent or jokingly. This thing is bigger than even Tiger himself. Hopefully, as with every challenge and challenger he's faced on the golf course, Tiger can rise up in response.
1.13.2008
CHRISTIANS GATHER
Amy and I got a chance to gather with some Penn Intervarsity alum friends of ours this past weekend. A good friend of both of ours had been kicking around the idea of gathering around topics associated with being a Christian while enjoying success, prestige, and material gain in our jobs.
I led a session on what it means to seek God's kingdom in one's vocation, when one's vocation isn't what is normally considered "full-time ministry" like being a pastor or missionary. There were two other sessions, one on finances and one on what it means to be successful and competent when so much of the Bible is about God working through our weaknesses.
These kinds of gatherings are great when they happen in the context of one's own church congregation, but there's also something to be said about self-initiated meetups like the one we had this past weekend. It's healthy for such gatherings to bubble organically as people are wrestling with stuff and wanting to convene others to wrestle with them on it. So I'm thankful we got to take part.
GIRLS MATTER
A nice piece in the San Jose Merc today about a woman who was born in rural China to believe that she was inferior because she was a girl, and who is now an activist for women's rights: "Chinese Woman's Battle Against Male Domination." Of course, I can't help but think of our own daughter, who was also born in rural China, and quite possibly abandoned because her parents wanted a son instead. Jada is the world to us, and let's hope that this courageous woman in China can help convince other rural Chinese girls the same.
A nice piece in the San Jose Merc today about a woman who was born in rural China to believe that she was inferior because she was a girl, and who is now an activist for women's rights: "Chinese Woman's Battle Against Male Domination." Of course, I can't help but think of our own daughter, who was also born in rural China, and quite possibly abandoned because her parents wanted a son instead. Jada is the world to us, and let's hope that this courageous woman in China can help convince other rural Chinese girls the same.
1.11.2008
WHEN BIG BUSINESS WANTS HIGHER TAXES
Here's when you know a tax hike makes sense: when big business wants it: "U.S. Chamber Against Big Tax Hike in '08." With a presidential election looming, the Chamber calls for fiscal conservatism, but thinks a carbon tax to fund transportation infrastructure makes sense. The more forward-thinking corporations, most notably GE, have already altered their business models to account for such a tax, which positions them to do business in a way that maximizes both profit and environmental stewardship. So let's hope the man or woman who will be the next US president will step up and make this happen.
Here's when you know a tax hike makes sense: when big business wants it: "U.S. Chamber Against Big Tax Hike in '08." With a presidential election looming, the Chamber calls for fiscal conservatism, but thinks a carbon tax to fund transportation infrastructure makes sense. The more forward-thinking corporations, most notably GE, have already altered their business models to account for such a tax, which positions them to do business in a way that maximizes both profit and environmental stewardship. So let's hope the man or woman who will be the next US president will step up and make this happen.
1.10.2008
Contributing to the Next Four Years of Change in Philadelphia
One of the nice things about my client work in 2007 was that many of our clients were gearing up to use our reports as part of their correspondence with the new mayor. So it was rewarding to be able to think that something we worked on wouldn't just collect dust on a forgotten shelf, but be used to shape policy for the next four years on key topics like transit, economic development, and taxes.
Fast forward to the present, and the soon-to-be mayor is now officially the mayor. And that makes 2008 an even more exciting year for me and for our firm. Because the opportunity is there to not only advise the advisors as far as ideas and direction, but as far as implementation and action as well. While I'm somewhat constrained in what I can write about in this public space, hopefully there will be time and opportunity to report on how it's all going.
Fast forward to the present, and the soon-to-be mayor is now officially the mayor. And that makes 2008 an even more exciting year for me and for our firm. Because the opportunity is there to not only advise the advisors as far as ideas and direction, but as far as implementation and action as well. While I'm somewhat constrained in what I can write about in this public space, hopefully there will be time and opportunity to report on how it's all going.
1.09.2008
It's a New Day
I was coming out of a meeting at City Hall yesterday afternoon when I saw the motorcade carrying Mayor Nutter barreling in my direction. Yesterday, his first full day in office, he open the doors to his office from 4 to 8 to greet any and all visitors. A line snaked around City Hall of people intending to take him up on the offer. When I got back to my office, I went to the City's website to look up something for a report I'm working on, and the banner announced Nutter's open door invitation.
The cynics will say that however long Mayor Nutter's honeymoon period is, when it's over, he has some tough, and some would say impossible, work to do. The causes of crime won't go away in four years, union contracts are up for renegotiation, pension and benefits represent a huge suck on City finances, and we've starved key infrastructural resources over the last decade to the point that I wouldn't be surprised if a bridge collapsed by the end of winter. The cynics, in other words, will say that for all the optimism and inspiring words, it's a hard slog ahead.
I am usually a cynic. But I realize that when it comes to running a ship as large and messy as the City of Philadelphia, optimism and inspiring words are sometimes all you need to get going in the right direction. If we set big hairy audacious goals, like Mayor Nutter has about crime and education, we can all summon enough enthusiasm and confidence to get working on them. And if it's hard to get a heavy ship going, that also means that once it gets going it's hard to stop. So here we go, Philadelphia: it's a new day, and a new chance at greatness. Let's do this.
The cynics will say that however long Mayor Nutter's honeymoon period is, when it's over, he has some tough, and some would say impossible, work to do. The causes of crime won't go away in four years, union contracts are up for renegotiation, pension and benefits represent a huge suck on City finances, and we've starved key infrastructural resources over the last decade to the point that I wouldn't be surprised if a bridge collapsed by the end of winter. The cynics, in other words, will say that for all the optimism and inspiring words, it's a hard slog ahead.
I am usually a cynic. But I realize that when it comes to running a ship as large and messy as the City of Philadelphia, optimism and inspiring words are sometimes all you need to get going in the right direction. If we set big hairy audacious goals, like Mayor Nutter has about crime and education, we can all summon enough enthusiasm and confidence to get working on them. And if it's hard to get a heavy ship going, that also means that once it gets going it's hard to stop. So here we go, Philadelphia: it's a new day, and a new chance at greatness. Let's do this.
1.08.2008
Off the Grid, Out of My Mind
No sooner had I finally gotten our two formerly broken printers home than our computer, on its last legs after five years of use, pooped out. Couple this with our land line having unbearable static, and our home is woefully short on connectivity. We're off the grid, and I'm out of my mind.
I have not handled these headaches well. My work/life balance requires being able to check email and do work at 5 in the morning and/or 7 at night. Less than a day into having no computer or Internet at home, Amy and I are both going through withdrawals. I don't have even have any free time during daylight hours to do the outdoor check on my network box that Verizon's automated repair prompt offers as a preliminary troubleshoot.
My primary thought through it all, said through gritted teeth, is: "I don't have time for this." And I don't. Who has time to pick out and set up a new computer, trace the source of a phone line's crackliness, or lug two heavy printers to the repair store? Not me.
And yet the attitude I am harboring tells God that He doesn't know what He's doing. "I don't have time for this," while said to no one in particular, is really a veiled challenge to God: "If I were You, I wouldn't let this sort of thing happen to me, because it's a royal waste of my time when I have other, more important things to stress over."
Such audacity, I know. But I can't help myself. And so I need His help. I need to be reminded that He is in control, and that tech problems are not outside His jurisdiction, and that somehow this is all part of His plan that works together in the end for our good. I may not think I am directly cursing God when I say, "I don't have time for this," but I am. And I ought not. For He has more than demonstrated His authority and goodness in my life for me to respond instead with patience and faith. Would that I get to that place instead of where I am now.
I have not handled these headaches well. My work/life balance requires being able to check email and do work at 5 in the morning and/or 7 at night. Less than a day into having no computer or Internet at home, Amy and I are both going through withdrawals. I don't have even have any free time during daylight hours to do the outdoor check on my network box that Verizon's automated repair prompt offers as a preliminary troubleshoot.
My primary thought through it all, said through gritted teeth, is: "I don't have time for this." And I don't. Who has time to pick out and set up a new computer, trace the source of a phone line's crackliness, or lug two heavy printers to the repair store? Not me.
And yet the attitude I am harboring tells God that He doesn't know what He's doing. "I don't have time for this," while said to no one in particular, is really a veiled challenge to God: "If I were You, I wouldn't let this sort of thing happen to me, because it's a royal waste of my time when I have other, more important things to stress over."
Such audacity, I know. But I can't help myself. And so I need His help. I need to be reminded that He is in control, and that tech problems are not outside His jurisdiction, and that somehow this is all part of His plan that works together in the end for our good. I may not think I am directly cursing God when I say, "I don't have time for this," but I am. And I ought not. For He has more than demonstrated His authority and goodness in my life for me to respond instead with patience and faith. Would that I get to that place instead of where I am now.
1.07.2008
HOMELESSNESS AND PROPERTY VALUES
A nice piece in today's Inky about a study we did for Project HOME on the effect of their locations on nearby property values: "Project HOME Confounds Property-Value Naysayers." As much as most homeowners would cringe at the thought of a comprehensive treatment facility for homeless people in their neighborhood, it turns out they may have a positive effect on property values: a 6.8 percent annual increase for properties within a quarter-mile of a Project HOME site, versus a 5 percent increase for all properties in the City.
I did not get a chance to work directly on the study, but read a draft a few months back and found it very well done, and eagerly awaited when it would be released, so I could officially talk it up. So much for the naysayers, who are quoted in the article as saying that such facilities would bring "crudeness and evil" to their neighborhoods.
A nice piece in today's Inky about a study we did for Project HOME on the effect of their locations on nearby property values: "Project HOME Confounds Property-Value Naysayers." As much as most homeowners would cringe at the thought of a comprehensive treatment facility for homeless people in their neighborhood, it turns out they may have a positive effect on property values: a 6.8 percent annual increase for properties within a quarter-mile of a Project HOME site, versus a 5 percent increase for all properties in the City.
I did not get a chance to work directly on the study, but read a draft a few months back and found it very well done, and eagerly awaited when it would be released, so I could officially talk it up. So much for the naysayers, who are quoted in the article as saying that such facilities would bring "crudeness and evil" to their neighborhoods.
1.05.2008
What are the Stones in My Life
In my morning Bible reading, I've gotten to the part of the book of
Joshua where God stops the Jordan River so the people can cross over
into the land He's promised them. He tells Joshua to tell each tribe
to pick out a stone, which will be used to recount this miracle to
their children when they ask.
Joshua where God stops the Jordan River so the people can cross over
into the land He's promised them. He tells Joshua to tell each tribe
to pick out a stone, which will be used to recount this miracle to
their children when they ask.
It got me thinking: what are the stones in my life? What are the
windows of opportunity to express God's past faithfulness to me to my
kids, so as to strengthen our faith in His future faithfulness? How
can my kids benefit from the good things God has done for me, things
that happened before they were born but that they can still consider
part of their understanding of God's goodness?
We do pray with our kids, read them the Bible, and tell them what
communion is when it's being served. Sometimes we'll show them
pictures of meaningful Christian people in our lives and recount ways
those people have portrayed for us a little of what it means to follow
Jesus, or share about our scars (literal or figurative) and how God
was faithful through hard times.
But God has done much, much more for us that we have not yet passed on
to our kids. I have a feeling this was also true of God's people in
Joshua's days. And so just as God thought it a good idea for them to
pick up some stones and use them as markers of past faithfulness, so
might it be good for us to consider some markers of our own.
1.04.2008
CARBON
I recently read two nice articles about carbon dioxide. "Financing Green Development" (subscription required) reminds us that there is an upfront cost differential involved in going green, but if carbon is properly priced in the future (say, via a tax), you more than make it up ongoing. "Carbon's New Math" is a keeper, what with its nice visual on how global carbon emissions are steadily climbing, and 15 ways we can decelerate that growth or even flatten or reduce levels.
In economist-speak, pollution is the classic "negative externality" screaming for government intervention. The jury is still about which tools work best in the marketplace, but it seems clear to me that we've got something here that needs fixing.
I recently read two nice articles about carbon dioxide. "Financing Green Development" (subscription required) reminds us that there is an upfront cost differential involved in going green, but if carbon is properly priced in the future (say, via a tax), you more than make it up ongoing. "Carbon's New Math" is a keeper, what with its nice visual on how global carbon emissions are steadily climbing, and 15 ways we can decelerate that growth or even flatten or reduce levels.
In economist-speak, pollution is the classic "negative externality" screaming for government intervention. The jury is still about which tools work best in the marketplace, but it seems clear to me that we've got something here that needs fixing.
Blasts from the Past
On separate subway trips today, I bumped into two former students of
mine. The interactions were too short in terms of being able to
really catch up, but I still appreciated the chance encounter and was
glad to see these two fine young men are still alive - no small feat
these days, it seems, for young black men in Philadelphia.
mine. The interactions were too short in terms of being able to
really catch up, but I still appreciated the chance encounter and was
glad to see these two fine young men are still alive - no small feat
these days, it seems, for young black men in Philadelphia.
The Relevance of Religion
I have appreciated the window into peoples' lives that Facebook
represents. People you thought you knew pretty well give you all
sorts of nuggets about what makes them tick that you had no idea
about, and people you only know casually offer information that dear
friends sometimes aren't even privy to usually.
represents. People you thought you knew pretty well give you all
sorts of nuggets about what makes them tick that you had no idea
about, and people you only know casually offer information that dear
friends sometimes aren't even privy to usually.
One particularly nice window is the field, "Religious Views." After
all, religion in this country and time is usually a pretty private
affair. But through FB, some people choose to ardently express their
zeal, while others display their disgruntlement.
I find the disgruntles particularly fascinating. One friend is a "bad
Catholic," and another "grew up religious but then figured out it was
all a bunch of hooey" (well, they use a stronger word than "hooey").
One laments that "W bombed my beliefs," while another wonders, "Who
needs religion?"
Some of these and other answers are quite clever, but they also elicit
a sadness from me, not just for them but for the state of 21st century
American Christianity. I will be as bold as my faith to say that to
follow Jesus of Nazareth is life, and that that life is just as fresh
and engaging in 2008 as it was in Biblical times. And yet so many of
my friends on FB and in my various circles of relationships wonder
aloud about the relevance of religion.
It matters not whether we who live lukewarm Christian lives are more
or less at fault for this than peoples' own unbelieving hearts, for
God alone can change unbelieving hearts, including our own. What
matters is that what we can change, by God's grace and with His help,
is to live lives that epitomize the relevance of our relationship with
Jesus of Nazareth.
To choose vocations and make financial decisions and serve our
communities in ways that represent lives that reflect a relevant
religion; to conform our words, attitudes, and actions to a reality
that proclaims that Jesus is Lord; to forgive like we've been
forgiven, to love deeply like we've been loved deeply, to demonstrate
sacrificial loyalty like we've had it demonstrated for us: if we who
call ourselves Christians were to commit to such a life, maybe there
wouldn't be so much disillusionment, cynicism, and sadness about
religion. And if not, can you blame my friends for wondering aloud
about the relevance of religion today?
1.03.2008
WHAT A GAS
Discovered via Greg Mankiw's blog, a nice piece on the political and economic reasons for a significant federal tax increase on gas: "What America Must Do: Step on the Gas." This, and not higher CAFE standards or pressure on automakers or pleas from bleeding hearts, will bring about the day when we no longer perform the absurd act of firing up our 4000-pound box of steel and belching CO2 into the atmosphere every time we need to pick up a quart of milk or drop off our dry cleaning.
Discovered via Greg Mankiw's blog, a nice piece on the political and economic reasons for a significant federal tax increase on gas: "What America Must Do: Step on the Gas." This, and not higher CAFE standards or pressure on automakers or pleas from bleeding hearts, will bring about the day when we no longer perform the absurd act of firing up our 4000-pound box of steel and belching CO2 into the atmosphere every time we need to pick up a quart of milk or drop off our dry cleaning.
GODLY GAL
I can't tell you the last time I followed a beauty pageant, but I've got a rooting interest in this year's Miss America, because my friend and former co-worker Rachel Brooks is Miss Pennsylvania and going for the crown. Her latest email blast notified all of us adoring fans that the reality show based on the contest kicks off this week on TLC: "Miss America Reality Check." Friday at 10, 9 Central. And that's the last TV endorsement you'll likely see in this space.
But I do hope Rachel wins it all. I know her to be a strong Christian and a friendly and caring person to her core, and I hope that that'll show through no matter how the networks spin the angles. (Funny how a show can be "reality-based" and yet you don't know how you'll come off until it's been finally produced and aired.) Go Rachel!
I can't tell you the last time I followed a beauty pageant, but I've got a rooting interest in this year's Miss America, because my friend and former co-worker Rachel Brooks is Miss Pennsylvania and going for the crown. Her latest email blast notified all of us adoring fans that the reality show based on the contest kicks off this week on TLC: "Miss America Reality Check." Friday at 10, 9 Central. And that's the last TV endorsement you'll likely see in this space.
But I do hope Rachel wins it all. I know her to be a strong Christian and a friendly and caring person to her core, and I hope that that'll show through no matter how the networks spin the angles. (Funny how a show can be "reality-based" and yet you don't know how you'll come off until it's been finally produced and aired.) Go Rachel!
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