Recommended Reads

As I will be a late adopter to mobile Internet access, so I will likely be a late adopter to e-readers: I totally buy the convenience of the word made digitized, but there's something about sinking into bed with a physical book that makes for a far more relaxing transition to sleep, than if I was staring at something glowing back at me. So wake me up when you can replicate that, Amazon/Apple/B&N.

In the meantime, it's time to start another hopefully regular segment here on Musings: Recommended Reads. Here are some books I've read in the past few months that I would particularly commend to you. I welcome your take on these reads, as well as your own recommendations of what I should dive into next.

Thunderbolt Kid (Bryson). Laugh out loud funny account of the author's Iowan childhood.

Little Book of Forensics (Owen). Very cool detail on some of our more infamous crime scenes; a must if you're into the whole CSI thing.

Logic of Life (Harford). This dude is fast becoming my favorite young economist.

Discover Your Inner Economist (Cowen). What can this George Mason University econ prof teach you about where to get good eats around the world? A lot, apparently.

Dr. Sears' L.E.A.N. Kids (Sears). After I read this, I began to insist on fruit at every meal for our kids.

The Language Instinct (Pinker). A fascinating exploration into the nature of language and grammar, which argues that this is as innate to us as learning to walk.

I suppose I should do you the extra favor of creating hyperlinks to Amazon so you can find out more, but I'm feeling lazy. Some day, Mark Zuckerberg is going to listen to me and turn Facebook into one big online mall. People should be able to share about books, music, housewares, entertainment venues: you name it, and you will be able to drag and drop it into a shopping cart, to buy immediately or keep an automatic eye on for price drops. Mark Z, you need to decide to either partner with Amazon or call them out as your next conquest, because years from now, we're going to wonder why this didn't happen sooner.

2010 MLB Predictions

At this stage in my life, I've become a two-sporter: pro football and pro baseball. No hoops, nothing college, no Summer or Winter Olympics; no, give me the pigskin and give me the horsehide. Which makes September and October blissful, as the two sports overlap: meaningful baseball games, and the return of football. And which makes February and March painful, as neither sport is in action: you get the Super Bowl and that's it, and I'm way too young to do spring training in Arizona or Florida.

So the return of baseball coverage on the sports page puts a little skip in my step. Here's my gut take on how 2010 will play out; alas, I've had hardly any time to research such simple things as who is actually on these teams (but then again, my crack research efforts in the past haven't had any correlation to prediction accuracy, so who's to say I'm any better or worse off for it):

AL: Yankees, Tigers, Angels, WC Rays
NL: Phillies, Cardinals, D'Backs, WC Brewers
DS: Yankees, Rays, Phillies, Cardinals
WS: Phillies over Yankees in 6

Taiwaneseness

I've previously alluded to my "spittin'" teen days when, under the moniker of "MC True," I wrote and rapped songs about, well, whatever I was into, which at the time ran the gamut from girls to God. Here's a little ditty from June 1992 that didn't make my 8-song album but instead was prepared for a Taiwanese leadership camp for junior high and high schools that I was serving as a counselor at (set to the beat from DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince's glorious anthem, "Summertime":

Here it is, in the place to be
Jammin' with my friends at the T-A-Y-L-C
School's out, it's time for fun
But the learning has just begun
We're all Taiwanese, so let's get it clear
Who we are, and why we're here
We live in society that's black and white
All along we're going, "That ain't right"
And so we try to be different, but this is fact
If you don't know who you are, you don't know how to act
So know who you are, and find your identity
Now dance with me, cuz it's the summertime . . .

Gosh, that was when I was half as old as I am now. But, though I've changed a lot since then, I can still relate to what I was spitting some 17 1/2 years ago. Being Asian in America, or at least in the parts that aren't predominantly Asian (like Silicon Valley) or Latino (like San Antonio), means being a minority in a milieu in which race and ethnicity is usually seen in terms of black and white. Strangely enough, given the definition of diversity, too often too many people in too many places can't seem to think of issues of race and ethnicity in more than two dimensions.

In response, I had seen young Asian kids go in one of five directions. They could associate with mostly white kids, to the point of considering themselves white, or at least being embarrassed about their Asianness. They could associate with other minority kids, maybe wanting to be cool or rebellious like they were, but again not wanting to be identified as Asian. They could associate solely with other Asian kids, sheltering themselves from having to deal with their Asianness by surrounding themselves with other kids just like them, so they wouldn't have to explain anything or be anyone different. They could go the die-hard "Asian pride" route, filtering all things through a solely Asia-centric perspective tinted with either an air of superiority over others, a chip on their shoulder, and/or a disdain for other Asians who weren't as into what they were into. Or they could go to extremes in their dress and behavior, creating for themselves a distinct look and image that either transcended associating with any racial or ethnic group, or else took the whole "exotic Asian" fetish to the extreme and ran with it.

The point of my rhymes above was to help these Taiwanese camp kids to take some pride in their Taiwaneseness, even if the world around them didn't have a category for them or alternatively wanting to jam them into some preconceived stereotype of what they should act like based on what they looked like. These were kids who, like me, were surrounded by not many other Taiwanese people in some settings (school, playground), with not much positive reinforcement there as to what it meant to be Taiwanese and to have a distinct point of origin from a cultural heritage standpoint; and who were surrounded by other Taiwanese people in other settings (home, family friends), with not much instruction or orientation there as to what it meant to express that Taiwaneseness outside in the world around them.

It matters where we're from. And it matters that we know what that is, and that we think about what that means about who we are, how our origins define us, and to what extent that seasons our interactions with those different from us; so that we can act accordingly, with intelligence and tolerance and pride. I've been a camp attendee for six years and a counselor for one year, and up until last year my father up was heavily involved in running this camp. Here's hoping that those of us who have gone through the experience can draw from that as part of our anchoring in our Taiwaneseness, as we circulate through our worlds from a particular place of identity and pride and perspective.

"Dear Zachary" Update

A message from my friend Kurt Kuenne that is a follow-up to his critically acclaimed documentary, "Dear Zachary."

***

From: Kurt Kuenne
Date: Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 3:03 AM
Subject: Newfoundland Court of Appeal lets another accused murderer walk free on bail

Dear Friends of "Dear Zachary",

Many of you have been tremendously kind in your support of my film "Dear Zachary" and in writing Canada's Parliament to advocate for reform to their bail laws. Your efforts are bearing fruit, as we now have a bill in Parliament - Bill C-464 - which has received unanimous support in the House of Commons, and is now going before the committee on Justice & Human Rights when Parliament reconvenes in March. But since it's still in process, it has not yet passed, though we have high hopes that it will do so in the coming months.

In the meantime, however, the very same Court of Appeal in St. John's, Newfoundland that let accused probable murderer Shirley Turner walk free on bail to kill our little Zachary has recently repeated the same move. It has come to my attention that last month they released Raymond Newman - accused of the brutal stabbing murder of his estranged wife, Chrissy Predham-Newman - on bail until trial. Here's a link to an article about it, with commentary from David Bagby, Andrew's father (Zachary's grandfather):

http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=317507&sc=79

Raymond Newman was originally denied bail when he was arrested and charged last summer, but, like Shirley Turner before him, he appealed that decision to the Newfoundland Court of Appeal. And like Shirley Turner before him, they have granted his appeal and are letting an accused, probable murderer - accused of slashing his wife's throat and stabbing her to death after she left him - walk free amongst the general populace until trial, placing everyone with whom in he comes in contact at risk in the interim. While people are innocent until proven guilty, it is our contention that perverting the concept of presumption of innocence - whose proper place is at trial - to the point where it gives an actual murder the opportunity to repeat his/her crime while awaiting trial is lunacy. When the charge is murder, the stakes are just too high to gamble with people's lives before a jury renders a verdict -- as we learned all too well when Zachary lost the Court of Appeal's last gamble in this arena.

This is precisely the sort of scenario I released "Dear Zachary" publicly to try and prevent. Once our bill becomes law, it is my hope that a scenario like this will no longer be an issue. But in the meantime, I ask for your support once again -- please write the judges credited with this decision - and/or the Attorney General of Canada - to let them know how you feel about the fact that they seem to have learned nothing from Zachary's entirely preventable murder, and are repeating the same moves once again. For those citizens of Canada, please write your MPs to be sure they know about this case, and urge them to support Bill C-464 when it comes up for a vote later this year. (If you need help finding your MP, go to www.dearzachary.com/bailreform)

These are the judges who rendered the decision to release Raymond Newman:

Justice Keith Mercer
Justice Charles W. White
Justice Denis M. Roberts
Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador
Court of Appeal
287 Duckworth Street
P.O. Box 937
St. John's, NL A1C 5M3
CANADA

(No email address is listed, but their website is http://www.court.nl.ca/supreme/appeal/ if you desire more information.)

This is the contact info for the Attorney General of Canada:
The Honourable Robert Douglas Nicholson
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
284 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8
CANADA
Nicholson.R@parl.gc.ca or NichoR@parl.gc.ca

I have just sent all three of the responsible judges letters, along with DVDs of "Dear Zachary" for their review, in hopes that they will reconsider their decision. Thank you so much for your support for Chrissy's family, and for the innocent people of the community where her probable murderer is currently walking free.

Happy 2010 and all the best,

Kurt
www.dearzachary.com

Water Works

Just wanted to give a shout out to Howard Neukrug for a fantastic presentation at an Urban Land Institute gathering I attended in Philadelphia earlier this week. Mr. Neukrug is a colleague of mine and the head of the Office of Watersheds for the Philadelphia Water Department. Watersheds, he is quick to point out, do not respect political boundaries, and so they make for an excellent topic to discuss if you’re going to talk about regionalism, which was the subject of the ULI event.

A defining direction of the Water Department is the notion that it is cheaper (in dollar terms) and better (in terms of quality of life for Philadelphians) to deal with water above ground rather than below ground. Below ground, you have to build and maintain costly infrastructure, which no one ever sees or cares about until it falls apart; above ground, you can do things that are of use to those of us who live above ground, like parks and green space and porous pavement basketball courts.

As Mr. Neukrug points out, we’re all downstream from someone; and, in fact, the actions of one group or locality all too often lead to consequences borne by other groups and localities, as it relates to the purity of the water we drink and bathe in. Water may seem like the most mundane topic ever, but I’m guessing how we treat it (literally and figuratively) will make a big difference in the way our cities and regions grow, and in the quality of life we and our kids and our kids’ kids enjoy. Just ask communities in California, who ever threaten to stir civil war over water access, or Middle Eastern nations, who may end up fighting over water more than oil when all is said and done. Or just ask us Philadelphians, who are fortunate to have such a thoughtful water department at the helm to help us figure out how to manage this precious and scarce resource.

Get the Lead Out

A bunch of us at work were recently joking that a local industrial site with all sorts of chemicals leached into the ground from its previous use as a tannery was going to be re-used as a child care center. Sadly, there have been instances in the region of child-serving organizations that find out later that the former uses of the land they are operating on were similarly toxic.

But forget about past use; what about present use? Far too many orphanages in China, including the one where Jada spent her first seven and a half months, are located upwind of all sorts of emissions-belching plants in heavily industrial parts of the country. The particulates invariably accumulate on all surfaces, like wooden cribs that abandoned baby girls like to latch their mouths on.

Indeed, Jada's lead levels were so elevated that her first visit to the pediatrician in the US triggered an in-home evaluation by the health department of the City of Philadelphia. Thankfully, by her second visit to the pediatrician, her lead levels were back down to the "you don't have to worry anymore" range. But who knows what damage she suffered as a result of this early exposure. A personal reminder that land use is a pretty important thing for a locality to get right.

I Am Tiger Woods, I am Adam

I've lacked the time and interest to watch or read Tiger Woods' infamous public apology, or any of the flurry of commentary that has ensued. But I have visited sports and news sites enough to see the headlines, and can make some general assumptions based on how these things tend to play out, to guess about how it all went done: he said he was sorry, bit his lip a few times, talked about how he felt entitled and now knows he's hurt himself and his family; and sportswriters have picked up where he has left off, to volley back and forth between whether he seemed authentic or packaged, whether we should leave him alone or intensify the scrutiny, whether we should run him out of town or pat him on the back. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm sensing this is how it's all gone down.

If so, then here's my contribution to the conversation: Tiger is despicable. And so am I. And so are all of us.

Well, for the sake of this post, let me just limit my accusations to myself and to my fellow men. For we have all sinned and fallen short of the standard of purity and honesty that we know is best for us and for our reputations and for our families. And those of us for whom upholding this standard is given extra motivation because of our belief in a righteous God and in the authority of His commands are no better at actually living up to that standard. We all have felt entitled, we all have given in to our baser sides, we all have run through moral red lights and acted like we wouldn't get caught and risked permanent damage to our souls and our families in the pursuit of temporary and fleeting gain.

Perhaps our circumstances are different than Tiger's: few of us are as rich, famous, or good-looking as he, and the combination creates a somewhat unique confluence of forces that swirl around his day-to-day life. Perhaps our impulses are different than Tiger's: maybe, if put in his situation, we would fall harder in some areas and not be as tempted in others. But let Tiger's transgressions, his subsequent contrition, and our media and public response to it all not let us off the hook from the fact that we too have our weaknesses, we too commit our costly mistakes, and we too have to deal with repentance and healing and reconciliation.

I do not know as well the perspective of the women, so while I'm not giving them a free pass - I presume women have their own familiar traps, made more dangerous by biology and acculturation, just like men - my words today are exclusively for the men. How much of our lying, cheating, and lusting is hard-wired into us and how much is indoctrinated into us by society makes for an interesting discussion. But ultimately, "the devil made me do it," "everybody's doing it," "nobody got hurt," and "but it feels so right" fall short as justifications for our transgressions. If there is any good we can extract from a mega-star imploding his reputation and his family through his dalliances, it is to be on the alert that, while the spotlight isn't nearly as focused on us, we too need to be mindful of where we have strayed, and to seek restoration where we have harmed others along the way.

Years back, Nike ran an ad series called "I am Tiger Woods." Playing on Tiger's multi-racial background, the series was intended to equalize Tiger with Nike's customer base. I guess that if Mars Blackmon could try to convince us that Michael Jordan's athleticism was due to Nike's shoes, Nike could try this tack again, leading wanna-be golfers to believe they could play like Tiger if they could use the same equipment. We are all indeed Tiger Woods, when it comes to the ways we have acted immorally and brought ruin about ourselves and our loved ones in the process.

Or, to use a familiar Biblical analogy, we are all Adam. Even my kids' version of the temptation of Adam and Eve is deep enough to leave you with a pretty good sense of how that scene went down: the serpent tricked the couple into thinking God was withholding something good from them, God seemed temporarily out of the picture, and Adam and Eve decided they could do better on their own than within the broad confines of the paradise God had created for them. The Bible teaches us that we are all in fact morally descended from Adam. Me, you, and, yes, even Tiger Woods. So if you've been following the spectacle that is Tiger's journey from carefully crafted to outed to vilified, recognize the influences of original sin; and consider how you too have been influenced, how you too are Tiger Woods and Adam.

30,000 Hits and Counting

I've been blogging since February 2003 but only put up the hit counter in February 2005. Five plus years later, we've finally hit the 30,000-hits mark from that point. Thanks to everyone for stopping by, and particularly for those who have mused along with me.

What Am I Working On

Here's my quarterly update on new things I've been working on at work since the last update on November 7 (you can read past posts for my ground rules on these quarterly updates):

* Helping a private service provider make its financial and structural case to a major municipality to outsource a key public health function to them

* Articulating and quantifying the regional economic and environmental impact of a car-share program

* Articulating and quantifying the national economic and social impact associated with making broadband service more universally available

* Estimating the proceeds that could be generated for a private development and the net new revenues that could be generated for the affected taxing jurisdictions by establishing a tax increment financing district

* Estimating the economic and fiscal impact associated with a professional school within a major national university

* Estimating the economic and fiscal impact associated with historic preservation tax credit projects within a region and state

* Helping a major municipality explore an innovative land use response to the current commercial real estate slowdown

Why Philly

Oops on my part. Some readers read my recent post about San Jose being unaffordable as a lament. Understandable; but no buyer's remorse on my part. Rather, being the cheap bastard that I am, I was reveling in the bargain that is Philadelphia, especially compared to where I came from.

But it begs the question (OK, maybe it doesn't beg the question, but humor me): is Philadelphia the best choice for me? Or, phrased another way: if I had to advise someone like me who was thinking about where in the world to live, would I suggest Philly? Here's my take on what would matter (I'm purposely taking out of the equation "where do my family and friends live," because although I accept that that is a primary consideration in most cases, I'm trying to present a more generic evaluation of different cities):

* Jobs and other professional opportunities. This is where most people start, is with the question, "Can I get a job there?" Contrary to popular opinion, I think Philly is defensible on this front. We're a big city and a diverse region, in terms of industries, so you'll find lots of opportunities in lots of different fields, which is good from a diversification strategy. Speaking of which, where we are slightly heavy - eds and meds - tends to be relatively recession-proof.

* Location, location, location. The good news about Honolulu is that it's gorgeous. The bad news is that it's literally an island. As for me, give me the ability to do easy day trips to New York and DC. In other words, Philly being near lots of other cities is a pretty nice perk.

* Getting around. Here's where I diverge from most (but not all) people. Highways that are always jammed? Downtown streets so narrow I haven't dared drive there for several years? A transit system whose stations and vehicles smell faintly of urine? Sign me up! Yes, my hatred of driving has made me slightly demented. What can I say: I like being able to get around on my own two and by bus or train.

* Family friendliness. Good cities are attractive to young'uns, and then retain that attractiveness once those young'uns start pairing off and having younger'uns. And on that front, Philly's a mixed bag. You have world-class institutions and amenities to keep the kids entertained, but you also have a public school system that is failing too many of them. A deal-killer for most in my socio-economic class, but I lucked out in that we ended up in a good neighborhood school catchment zone.

* High and low culture. Speaking of those institutions, you have all you could ask for in a big city: an orchestra, museums, performing arts centers. You also have the Phillies, the Mummers, and Penn's Landing. Something for everyone; even better, some things are for everyone, which makes for some nice mixing that you just don't see in too many other cities.

* Diversity. On that note, Philly is not without its racial and ethnic tensions, but by and large, it's a place in which you have enough common ground that you and your kids can rub elbows with people who are wildly different from you in religion, salary, and skin color. And I think that's important.

* Night life. This category means nothing to me, since I don't really have a night life. (Most would argue I don't really have a life, but I digress.) But I hear Philly's better than you'd think re: clubbing, bars, and live music. And the restaurant scene is pretty top-shelf.

* Weather. I remember first coming to the East Coast and thinking it dumb for people to say they like having four seasons; hey, if you like 70 and sunny, why not have it all the time? But I have come to drink the Kool-Aid: 70 and sunny all the time is b-o-r-i-n-g, and four seasons gives a nice rhythm to the year.

* Will I get killed (or at least roughed up). The answer to this question in Philly is the same as it is in any other place: as long as you don't deal or do drugs, or go to places where that's happening, chances are slim.

* Value package. Hey, don't forget about the price tag for all of these things above that you're getting or not getting. And here's where I think Philly runs circles around any other place I might consider. For example, did you know I pay less than one G a month total for mortgage, property tax, and homeowner's insurance? I have friends in high-priced places like Silicon Valley or Manhattan who, unless they are wealthier than I thought and put something like 50 percent down on their houses, are probably paying that amount twice a week. Hey, I accept that there's a lot to like about Silicon Valley and Manhattan that I don't get in Philly; but is it five to ten times more?

Here's another fun thought puzzle: if tomorrow I was evicted from Philadelphia, where would I choose to go? Off the top of my head, candidates would have to be poorer and transit-served parts of DC, Chicago, or New York. As for the Sunbelt, Phoenix/Texas/Atlanta/Florida are intriguing but ultimately too spread out for me. I can't afford the West Coast and wouldn't tolerate having to drive everywhere. Smaller East Coast cities I'd get bored of too soon. And, call me bigoted, but I can't stand the Red Sox.

So there you have it: Philly in a landslide. Although, my household is a little OD'ed on all the snow, and there's been a lot of chatter lately about St. Thomas . . .

Unaffordable Home

The curiousness of my decision, as a young Northern Californian, to not only go to college on the East Coast but to then stay out there upon graduation, cannot be overstated. After all, my high school and neighborhood produced many a brainiac far brainier than I, and yet most went to California schools, since there are so many good ones, and those few who did venture further east soon returned to the West Coast, whether it was for the plentiful jobs or the temperate weather.

Even more unusual, I ended up not in a glamorous place like New York or Boston or DC, but Philadelphia. In the mind of the typical young Californian, circa the mid-1990’s, not much would seem to justify such a move: Philly’s rep in Cali was that there was no sports buzz, no night scene, and plenty of unsavory elements.

My response to the common question has evolved over time. First, it was: “Well, I like to do things differently.” Then, it was: “Well, I met a girl.” For a long time now, it’s been: “I can’t afford to move back!”

And how. I was recently pointed in the direction of a website called bestplaces.net, which allows you to compare locations from a cost-of-living standpoint. For kicks and giggles, I punched in Philadelphia and Cupertino (I actually lived in San Jose, but on the border of Cupertino; and because San Jose is a relatively big city, with lots of neighborhoods far poorer than where I grew up, Cupertino is actually a better proxy). Here’s what I found out: Cupertino is more expensive than Philadelphia.

No duh. No news flash there. But here are the numbers, which are still eye-popping to me:
• Housing – 788% more expensive
• Food – 12% more expensive
• Health – 50% more expensive
• Overall – 178% more expensive

Bestplaces.net tells me I would have to just about triple my salary to adjust to all of these increases in my cost of living if I moved home. So, several years after I started making the claim, I now have the data to back it up: if you’re wondering why I still live in Philly and haven’t moved back home, it’s because I can’t afford to.

Sensitive Serving

This article in the Times caught my eye the other day: "Missionaries Go to Haiti, Followed by Scrutiny." Not surprisingly, the flood of interest in helping out in Haiti has caused some tension: people and groups more interested in a photo op than in making a real difference, short-term pressures precluding a long-term perspective, established outside groups annoyed by the blow to their rep at the hands of fly-by-night outsiders.

A good friend of mine once wrote a seminary paper on whether short-term trips had any value. He was startled by one remark by an interviewee, a grizzled veteran of inner city ministry, who barked at him, “If folks can’t stay 18 years, they shouldn’t come at all.” This “go big or go home” mentality seemed a bit extreme to my friend, but he took the sentiment to heart; years later, when he ran an inner city ministry that brought outsiders in for nine months of service, he was extra mindful to involve the outsiders in supportive roles in existing programs, and to caution the outsiders concerning the limitations of their temporary status.

I appreciate the wisdom and sensitivity of my friend in his position. He acknowledged the limits of his participants, as outsiders and temporary helpers, and did a good job of simultaneously making the experience a rewarding one for them as well as one in which they felt they were also making an impact. I think our church does a pretty good job of this, too, as we tend to send short-term teams only to countries and organizations we know well and have taken the time to cultivate a long-term relationship with, so that each new wave of helpers is adding to something bigger than one trip.

Still, it’s easy to see how those who are being served, and those who have been serving for a long time, can get bent out of shape by those who fly in and fly out. When we serve from the outside on a short-term basis, we must be mindful that we are entering into someone else’s world. Let us not assuage our guilty consciences at the expense of patronizing someone else’s life and work, only to return to our comfort zones patting ourselves on the back, leaving those we intended to help worse off as a result of our stay. Rather, let it be that we come alongside what is happening, to grieve with other’s grief and to celebrate what good has taken place already; and let us be able to say that we contributed meaningfully and sensitively to the cause, and emerged with a greater appreciation for those who continue the work and for what is needed to finish the work.

Lazy Linking, Sixth in an Occasional Series

What I found worth checking out on the Internets this past weekend.

* Are economists more immoral than others? Tim Harford says not necessarily.

* John Piper talks about why he writes.

* My blog friend debunks Randal O'Toole's skepticism about smart growth.

* Umm, why would you protest against Mother Teresa?

* Don't forget about Haiti: it is usually post-disaster disease and not the disaster itself that is the big killer, and we're already at 230,000+ casualties before we've gotten there.

Carless in Philadelphia

Forty inches of snow over a four-day period can put a damper on this urban clan's interest in getting in the teeny little Chevy Aveo we call our family car, especially as we have watched in horror over that period as other drivers spin their wheels, slide precariously down hills, and get themselves hopelessly stuck in the mush. Thankfully, our "green country towne" was designed to be walkable, and our little corner of it is particularly conducive to auto independence. Since last weekend, we've been able to rely on rails, bus, and our own two to get to work and school, head downtown for work and pleasure, and go sledding in a nine-acre park. So sit tight, little Aveo: we're leaving you right in front of our house for a few more days.

And Now a Word From Our Sponsors

The only TV I watch nowadays is when I tape sports and zip through it while on the treadmill. Because time is of the essence, I zoom through halftime and my fast forward finger is itchy even between plays. Of course, commercials are never watched.

Except on Super Bowl Sunday. I raced through the game on Monday morning but re-watched it a few mornings later, this time watching the commercials, which were the first I'd seen in months.

Granted, Super Bowl Sunday commercials are supposed to be over the top. But I still found myself seething with righteous indignation, particularly as it related to what was being said about men. Apparently, wives and girlfriends are a drag on our manliness, and what we really want is rugged freedom, epitomized and made possible by the car/beer/gadget du jour.

Look, I understand you need to take this all with a grain of salt: Super Bowl ads are more entertainment and exaggeration than truth in advertising. But the underlying message behind the madness was unmistakable to me. So dads of sons, let's covenant to double down on putting forth the effort, instruction, and prayer to raise our boys right. Would that we do what we can to counteract what the world is telling them about what it means to be a man, as it relates to their attitude towards women, work, possessions, and life. For they've heard plenty of words from our sponsors; what will they hear from us?

Every Little Step I Take

18,030. 8,431. 14,095. 11,172. 16,815. 4,432. 15,978. Thanks to my $8 pedometer, which I bought on a whim at Eddie Bauer last month, I can track my steps, and I did so the past seven days. A few musings on having a little iShuffle-sized contraption clipped to one's side:

* It really does encourage more activity, as you find yourself no longer lamenting as much that you left something up two flights of stairs and have to double back and get it, because you say to yourself, "Well, at least that's a few more steps to add to today's total."

* On that note, I am reminded of how important it is, especially as I get older, to take care of my body. This winter has been kind to me so far, but I have heard horror stories of friends of mine who have been laid out by various ailments, which make juggling work and kids near impossible. So every step I take, I am praying for the good health to keep on, so I can be my best for myself, my family, and my employer.

* Speaking of which, every step also calls to mind my mother, who cannot take steps any more. And so when I am not thinking about racking up steps as part of some exercise game, or helping make sure I'm at 100 percent for all of the day's challenges, I can be reminded to pray for my mom, that despite not being able to walk, that she could at least have some measure of quality of life.

Lazy Linking, Fifth in an Occasional Series

Finally catching up on some of my favorite places to poke around online. Here's what I found interesting.

* Fancy that - transportation that puts people before machines. An announcement from DOT: "Obama Administration Proposes Major Public Transportation Policy Shift to Highlight Livability." Btw, my blog friend at Discovering Urbanism has a useful related post: "From a Mobility to an Accessibility Orientation."

* More awesomeness from Josh Kopelman. He's found a way for start-ups to share in each other's upside, so as to have some diversification in their lives: "Sharing and Exchanging."

* Caitlin Flanagan of The Atlantic lays the smackdown on California's burgeoning urban school garden movement, saying what inner city kids need is not hard labor skills to succeed in an 18th century agricultural economy but rather exposure to Shakespeare and science to succeed in a 21st century knowledge economy: "Cultivating Failure."

* When Donald Marron says "The President Caves on Climate Policy," he means "I sure could've used the money, but a bunch of Congressmen from coal-burning Midwestern states needed to be bought off."

* Chris Rabb, who I know from our days together at The Enterprise Center, pens a thoughtful post on Obama's small business and jobs proposal: "Obama's Proposed 'Small Business' Initiative Lacks Audacity (and Focus)."

* Re: Haiti: don't just show up and don't send your shoes. Do put Tyler Cowen in charge of figuring out what to do. Here's what he thinks. Btw, get your donation in by March 1 and you can write it off on your 2009 return.

Winter Wonderland, the Clark Park Version

What a nice amenity Clark Park has become for our neighborhood, especially when you experience 28.5 inches of snow in a 24-hour period. Here's the blow by blow version of Winter Wonderland, the Clark Park Version:

2:00pm - We head out from our house to the Penn campus with our friends from down the street, one kid being pulled in a wagon and three others on a sled.

2:30pm - We pick up another sled from our friend, who has left it for us on the ground floor of High Rise North, where he is the house dean. Sapped from dragging our kids, my friend and I decide to make the kids hoof it from here.

3:00pm - Amazingly, they make it all the way through heavy snow to Clark Park, probably almost a half-mile away. Even Aaron, who perishes easily in the elements, has a hop in his step. Snow is like fun dust for little kids.

3:30pm - Clark Park is packed to the gills with sledders of all ages. The kids immediately take to their new sport. Even when they wipe out, they are cackling with glee. The adults partake in the downhill activities, as well.

4:30pm - Finally, the witching hour hits. Both Aaron and my friend's youngest perish at the same time. We drag them back to my house, the ride made mercifully easier by the snow on the streets being packed down nice by all the cars, creating zero friction for our sled and wagon.

5:00pm - Home, where Aaron's frostbite can be tended to by her nurse mother, and all of their growling tummies can be met with peanut butter and jelly, bread and butter, and, soon enough, take-out pizza and wings. Life is good.

The Price is Right: the Storm Water Version

I had posted about this before, but now it's on the front page of the paper: "Could Be Gold, or Big Trouble, in Storm Water." If you want to advocate that the way to go green is to get the price right, which I do, you have to believe that people will change their behavior in responsive to the more accurate price signals, which I do. So it was heartening to see that the article, while covering the requisite "there will be winners and losers from this change, and let's get a couple of quotes of losers who are now cranky," also noted significant things that property owners are doing to lower their bills by reducing stormwater runoff: the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education already has a plan that includes a green roof and two rainwater cisterns, while auto part manufacturer Cardone Industries is going to construct a naturalized retention basin to manage 20 acres of runoff.

To be sure, change can be hard to deal with, especially if your water bill quintuples or you go from paying nothing to paying something. But remember that this is an adjustment to rectify the wrong prices from before; so rather than getting screwed, losers were actually getting a free ride before. And before you wonder if that's all well and good but the proposed rates are too arbitrary and capricious, the article notes that "while real estate assessments can be squishy, storm water is science . . . a set amount of rainfall creates a specific volume of storm water at a certain size facility." And now that the cost of treating is more accurately accounted for, people are responding appropriately. That, to me, is how a city goes green.

Carrion in West Philadelphia

I scored a coveted invite to an Economic Recovery Summit at The Enterprise Center yesterday, in which Mayor Nutter, my former boss Della Clark, and Obama's urban dude Adolfo Carrion were featured. I missed the formal program but made it for the socializing afterward, and there was still a healthy buzz in the room; I tell you, no one does events like The Enterprise Center. It was nice to see many of my favorite people all in one room, and, on the heels of reacquainting earlier that morning with Sulaiman Rahman, an old colleague of mine from my days at The Enterprise Center who is now the new chairperson at the African American Chamber of Commerce, I was heartened by all of the promise and enthusiasm that's bubbling up here in Philadelphia. Now let's get to work so that inspiring words and intentions to collaborate lead to real work.

Huang Family Newsletter, January 2010

It was a bit of a whirlwind in the Huang household this month. Lee worked around the clock and into the weekends during the first half of the month on a big proposal for his firm, and then went straight from that to bringing Jada out to California to see his parents.

It was a big uplift for Lee's mom to see her granddaughter. Later that month, she was successfully transferred from the hospital, where she was recovering from pneumonia, to a sub-acute facility only a mile away from their house. Lee's dad is recovering himself, from his last surgery, but has had enough energy to spend 12-20 hours a day at Lee's mom's bedside.

While we were in San Jose, Jada got some fun in, too, going ice skating and hiking for the first time, going to the children's museum downtown, and playing toys and video games with her cousins. Back home in Philadelphia, Lee survived the early morning wait in line to register her for kindergarten at the neighborhood school: no small feat given the school's immense popularity.

Aaron turned 3 and got gifts suited to his current likes: chunky cars, pajamas with trains on them, and animated monster DVDs. He has a special behavioral class two afternoons a week, so he now stays home with Amy from pre-school on those two days.

Amy is thick into her final class at Penn, a behavioral therapy course. She somehow manages to stay on top of all the appointments, paperwork, cooking, and cleaning, albeit at the expense this month of catching a cold. In the midst of it all, we bit the bullet and got a babysitter one Saturday afternoon and snuck out for two blissful hours of uninterrupted adult conversation.