Changes to the Blog!

After two years with Blogger, I do sort of feel like a traitor but I'm finally switching over to Wordpress. Let this be a marketing lesson to you - on the web, brand loyalty doesn't trump functionality!

The new blog is so much prettier (and has better functions). Go see the prettiness here!

If you're reading this over email, I don't think you need to do anything.

If you're reading this in an RSS reader, I don't think you need to do anything.

If you're reading this on the Blogger website, well, you have to do something. But I've made it easy! Just look to the right and click on the link where it says "Bookmark the new site." That's it!

Rising Gasoline Costs

Way cool -- this animation tells a story with just one click. Visualize our rising gas costs by clicking below:


Rising Gasoline Costs | FlowingData

Celebrating every day heroes

This woman is definitely MY hero. Meanwhile, rumor has it that FIOS might finally be coming to DC. I cannot even express to you how that warms my cold, cold heart. Why? Because Comcast just might be the spawn of the devil.

See below, courtesy of DCist and Consumerist:

75-Year-Old Arrested For Smashing Comcast Office

Via Consumerist, allow us to introduce you to the next Great American Hero: Mona Shaw, 75-year-old Manassas resident and fed-up potential Comcast customer. Potomac News has the great story about Shaw, who got a little hot under the collar after trying to change her phone service from Verizon to Comcast's Triple Play back in August. As hard as it might be to imagine, Shaw ran into some difficulty trying to get her Comcast service set up. After several repeated attempts, the Bristow resident headed to the Manassas payment center, where she took a hammer to several items in the office, including a keyboard and a monitor, while shouting, "Have I got your attention now?"

"What the hell, I'm 75," Shaw told reporters after the incident, for which she was arrested for disorderly conduct and later released.

Read the whole story about what Mona "The Hammer" Shaw went through trying to set up her phone service with Comcast, and decide for yourself whether her actions were way out of line. Comcast's response? A statement that included:

"We recognize that there is room for improvement and that even one bad customer experience is one too many. It is our goal to continue bringing customers in Northern Virginia the most advanced products and services we offer ... and to ensure that they have a great experience at every touchpoint."

Our only question is whether Shaw is entitled to a jury of her peers on the disorderly conduct charges. There's just no way they would convict.

How to tell people they sound racist

Intelligent, thoughtful and effective advice from Jay Smooth of Ill Doctrine.

Hat tip to angry asian man.

Sometimes I wish I were a Marxist ...

I decided to take last night off. And it was glorious!

I came home to my roommate and her friend cooking dinner - spinach and artichoke dip and baked stuffed peppers - so, naturally, I joined in to mooch the food, have a brew, and engage in conversation. We talked until 11pm about big things and little things, about faith and ideology and philosophy, about Noam Chomsky, gender identity, that long-ago time when I partied every night in DC, and running for State senate. I almost fell off my chair laughing when our guest admitted, "Sometimes I wish I were a Marxist, but really, I'm a socialist."

And I realized that these are the little, bizarre moments that stay written in the soul for life. I mean, I was so jazzed up yesterday after my day in the office, having totally ROCKED a big presentation, feeling a sense of professional accomplishment and pride ... but twenty years from now, I won't remember this one presentation. I've given a bajillion presentations in my short professional and academic career and I don't know if any distinct details about any single presentation would ever make my Top 50 Best Moments in Life list.

Don't get me wrong - jobs are great! Salaries are great! I'm a believer in working for more than just recognition and money. But always, I am re-learning the lesson that no matter how much I enjoy my job, no matter how much of an emotional or spiritual connection I have with my job, moments in the office will so rarely trump moments in real life.

Wikipedia Domination

Yet another reason why I should be allowed to cite Wikipedia in my MBA classes:

Image taken from the Edelman "Trust Barometer 2008" study.

And lo, he ventured forth ...

Best. Satire. Ever.

Don't you dare to NOT click on the link.

He ventured forth to bring light to the world | Gerard Baker - Times Online

And be sure to read the 10 or so first comments from the Americans who didn't understand the satire and Dave Cottle from Shrewsbury, UK, who sets them straight.

Is your neighborhood walkable?

A co-worker was just telling me about a documentary she saw called "The End of Suburbia" and it reminded me of this article that I came across a week or so ago. While you're on the site, be sure to find out how "walkable" your neighborhood is. Turns out, my 'hood is walker's paradise. Woo hoo!

The Benefits of Walkable Neighborhoods - Alan Durning

Wallow wallow fester fester

You know how sometimes you just need a good, wallow-in-my-sorrows kind of book to reassure you that SOMEONE out there has a crappier life than you, even if it's a nonexistant, fictional character?

Yeah, that about sums up my feelings tonight.

Had another crappy, nonproductive day at my $12/hour job, had no luck with the post-graduation, permanent-job hunting, got dissed by a friend, was eluded by yet another great deal on a sofa which means I have to endure the ugly loveseat for even longer, came home to a house with no beer in a kitchen whose floors I just mopped and were dirtied by roommates, and got no comfort by the boyfriend who doesn't quite understand what it means to listen to a girlfriend vent.

Ok, yes, I live a life that's better than 80% of the world. But that doesn't mean I can't just WALLOW for an evening with a sad, sappy book.

So I went looking to my shelves ... and ended up with Sylvia Plath for the woe-is-me feeling, Pablo Neruda for the someday-someone-will-love-me-this-much feeling, and T.S. Eliot to end with a bit of a pick-me-up. And then I decided that was all way too complicated and all the careful thinking I had just expended was starting to take the edge off my wallowing. Man, I can't even get wallowing right.

Thank goodness for St. John of the Cross -- nothing like a little Dark Night of the Soul to get right at the heart of things ....

And still I try ...

I'm beginning to think it's unhealthy for me to read the Family Research Council emails. I really do try to read them with an open mind - and I should say that I don't adamently disagree with everything, all the time.

But, dammit, I wish they didn't make it so HARD for me to appreciate their perspective.

In his July 21 edition, Tony Perkins basically says that the religious community has no right to be talking about issues other than the "traditional" ones of life, marriage and religious freedom.

Excerpt from Tony's latest email:

A Purpose-Driven Debate?

No one can blame Sen. John McCain for wanting to reach out to evangelicals. The latest poll from the Pew Forum shows the Arizona Senator lagging seven percentage points behind President Bush's support from this valuable constituency in 2004. Although 61 percent of white evangelicals still prefer McCain to Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), more of them are "undecided" (12 percent) compared to this point in the last two elections. Both candidates will attempt to shore up vital support from this community at a forum hosted by Rev. Rick Warren of California's Saddleback Church. On August 16, McCain and Obama will appear separately to discuss what Warren describes as "main areas of focus"-AIDS, poverty, human rights and the environment. While the Left would have us believe that this is the faith community's new agenda, a candid discussion of traditional values issues such as life, marriage, and religious freedom is what American voters need and deserve. Surely Rev. Warren won't ignore the most crucial initiative in his state (and perhaps the entire nation) as California determines the fate of marriage this November. Saddleback Church has the rare opportunity to crystallize the debate over abortion and homosexuality before FRC Action's Values Voter Summit in September. The candidates should be asked:

1. What is your position on man-woman marriage?

2. Where do you stand on partial-birth abortion and the killing of nearly-born babies?

3. Would you sign the Freedom of Choice Act into law?

4. How can the federal faith-based initiative survive without hiring protections for religious charities?



Really, Tony? Really?!? I have no problem with a person of faith who considers these "traditional issues" to be the most crucial ones out there. They ARE important and everyone has issues that they are passionate about. But to insinuate that someone who cares about AIDS, poverty, human rights and the environment isn't a true Christian, or is a Christian whose priorities are messed up or has been disastrously hoodwinked by "the Left" -- that's just plain disgraceful. Especially when you're talking about a well-respected, proven, and highly influential preacher like Rick Warren. Never mind the thousands of devout Christians and Christian leaders who support organizations like World Vision, World Relief, Bread for the World, The Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, and Opportunity International -- and take seriously Jesus' command to clothe, feed and care for the poor, the disenfranchised, and the broken.

Chilling

I admit that I have mixed feelings about Amnesty International, but this latest public service ad to come out of AI is stunningly chilling to the bone. Like it or not, think this is unpatriotic or not, images like this are a predictable and unsurprising part of being at war.

Hat tip: @osocio

Aude Sapere: Eating Clay

I was less than satisfied with my pasta salad dinner last night. But women in Africa are eating clay. That's right, DIRT.

How do I always manage to take my life for granted?

globeandmail.com: Doctors, activists work to stop clay eating in Africa

The lure of social media

For all your social media haters (and hater wannabes), this one is for you.

How Would God Vote?

Take it for what you will. I just thought the blog debate "How Would God Vote" was interesting and worth the read.

You can start at the beginning of the debate between "conservative" David Klinghoffer and "liberal" Jim Wallis and scroll through their responses -- or you can go to specific responses, as they tickle your fancy:

1. Klinghoffer: Let's Clarify the Politics of the Bible
2. Wallis: The Bible is Neither Conservative Nor Liberal
3. Klinghoffer: The Theme is Moral Responsibility
4. Wallis: Personal and Social Responsibility
5. Klinghoffer: What are God's Real Politics?
6. Wallis: Biblical Perspectives on Idolatry, Poverty, Abortion
7. Klinghoffer: The Bible Says Poverty and Morality are Connected
8. Wallis: Let's Agree to Disagree

The tone gets a little tense towards the middle-end -- in a polite, verbal throwdown kind of way!

Enjoy.

If you have 10 minutes ...

... Check this out.

I scored a 48. It's surprisingly more difficult than it seems. NO CHEATING!

Twitter Twouble?

Enough with the heavy stuff, I say.

There's some trouble brewin' in Congress over ... wait for it ... Twitter.

Yep, that's right - the microblogging website that lets you update the world with your every move in 140 characters or less. Get this -- two Congressmen, John Culberson (R-TX) and Tim Ryan (D-OH) are frequent tweeters and my friend @Batterista has been interacting with them regularly through Twitter. A direct line of communication to our government representatives! What a breakthrough! What a fabulous way to leverage technology to close the ever-widening gap between the people and their government! Democracy at its best!

Except that the Democrats want to shut it down.

Check out the story at Batterista Blog and see how the Democrats are essentially trying to censor the online communication of government representatives, including posts to blogs, Twitter and YouTube.

I think it'd be great if all our reps were tweeters. It's way more interesting than C-SPAN. Only problem would be the implosion of the Twitter platform and the complete and utter domination of the Fail Whale (which, by the way, now has its own Wikipedia page).

Whoa.

Brilliant video. Simple yet stunning. And shocking.

Story telling

Fantastic example of storytelling and, as a result, a fantastic promotional piece for Save the Children.

Have you ever heard of Eglantyne Jebb? Yeah, me neither but she was a "a woman born over a century ago, that you've probably never heard of, and whose achievements you will never forget."

Check out her story, Lessons in Leadership, and pick up a few tips along the way.

(special thanks to @socialbttrfly for sharing Jebb's story)

And I'm not even 30

That's it!

I've finally arrived.

I'm old.

I have just crossed that threshold from being carefree in my 20s to having an old soul. And it happened this very evening. I know it happened because I was listening to my new, 25-year-old roommate explain how she wants to rearrange the living room to accommodate her furniture ... and her suggestions irked me.

They weren't inherently bad suggestions -- they were just suggestions that I didn't agree with. (I hate having the television as the focal point for a living room, especially if it's housed in an ugly ass entertainment center left by my old roommate. There's a reason the entertainment center currently serves as the liquor cabinet!) Then I noticed her coffee table and end table and how they were polar opposites to my taste in home decor. And I saw that she didn't own a normal sized sofa -- just a love seat and a "chair and a half." And I wanted my own, more tasteful painting on the large wall instead of a hodge-podge of picture frames. And, most of all, I didn't want to compromise.

Suddenly, it hit me. I wanted my own furniture, in my own house, arranged my way. I don't want to come home and roll my eyes at the coffee table every day. Don't get me wrong -- both of my roommates are wonderful girls and their stuff is not at all ugly or distasteful ... it's just not my style. And even though, in the end, I will compromise on the decor decisions, I'm tired of dealing with other people's style.

I don't know when I started to care so much about what my home looked like but I care now. What a burden! Life was much simpler when I could live in a rundown, not-up-to-code, cheaper-than-dirt apartment with no A/C, no washer/dryer, up three flights of stairs. Alas, those days are gone.

Farewell, youth. Looks like I'll be saddled with a coterie of cats, dentures, Metamucil overdoses, rheumatism, and the gout by the end of the year.

The Loud Silence Of Feminists

I had a really intense conversation last week about diversity in the workplace, racism and sexism. As you might imagine, the conversation continued well into the small hours of the morning. Though there were many different points that were made, one of the main nuggets of contention was that women and minorities are under-represented in Fortune 500 board rooms and executive suites because there simply aren’t enough qualified women and minorities. The person making that argument did concede that part of the reason for this dearth of talent was discrimination, but refused to let up that the numbers don’t lie – there are simply more white men out there who are qualified.

It was a mostly constructive conversation and one of the most interesting pieces was the discussion about whether hiring "diverse" candidates is just the right thing to do or it's actually good for business and the bottom line. We also talked about the need to recognize the importance of diversity in socio-economic levels. But, at the end of it all, what disturbed me the most was what I view as an excuse for institutionalized discrimination – the idea that America just doesn’t have enough women and minorities who are qualified to be top leaders of Fortune 500 companies.

It’s the same excuse that we’ve been hearing for the past 30 years. And with high school and college graduation rates among women and minorities rising a whole lot faster than for men, it does not make any logical sense that they are underrepresented simply because there are too few of them. For example, the latest census data show that 33% of women aged 25-29 have a bachelor’s degree as compared to 26% of their male counterparts. So, no, I just don’t buy into the idea that the overwhelming presence of white men in board rooms and executive suites across America is due to their higher education and better qualifications.

But!

Interestingly, I came across a fascinating opinion piece, "The Loud Silence Of Feminists", in which the author accuses feminists of keeping a deafening silence on the sexist treatment of Michelle Obama. She makes a good point. So, no, I don’t blame “the white man” for all the problems facing underrepresented groups – there is an institutionalized discrimination system in the U.S. and all of us play a role in keeping it there.