Are We Thriving and Coming Together?

I needed some inspiration so I decided to re-watch the President's speech in Tucson, Arizona from several months ago (click on my nicely embedded video to the right if you would like to as well).  I first watched it the day after the speech was given, and I still remember tearing up at the end.   

I have copied (from here) the ending below, just as a tribute to how all of us can be better, and not just for ourselves....

Together We Thrive: Tucson and America

(all of the emboldened parts are where I get goosebumps!)

"...They believed - they believed, and I believe that we can be better. Those who died here, those who saved life here - they help me believe. We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another, that's entirely up to us.

"And I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us.

"That's what I believe, in part because that's what a child like Christina Taylor Green believed.

"Imagine - imagine for a moment, here was a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship; just starting to glimpse the fact that some day she, too, might play a part in shaping her nation's future. 

"She had been elected to her student council. She saw public service as something exciting and hopeful. She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model. She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted.

"I want to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it. I want America to be as good as she imagined it. All of us - we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children's expectations.

"As has already been mentioned, Christina was given to us on Sept. 11, 2001, one of 50 babies born that day to be pictured in a book called 'Faces of Hope.' On either side of her photo in that book were simple wishes for a child's life. 'I hope you help those in need,' read one. 'I hope you know all the words to the National Anthem and sing it with your hand over your heart.'  'I hope you jump in rain puddles.'

"If there are rain puddles in heaven, Christina is jumping in them today. And here on this Earth - here on this Earth, we place our hands over our hearts, and we commit ourselves as Americans to forging a country that is forever worthy of her gentle, happy spirit..."  - President of the United States Barrack Obama January 12, 2011

I can't remember a moment where I've been prouder that he is my President.  And I wanted to ask: do you think America is thriving and coming together?  I feel like we have exited the time of depolarization and the country is once more characterized by its political divisions than its commonalities.  Even though it was short-lived, I hope we can get back to that time when we did not let our divisions define us.

Just some other things that motivate me...

Park Scene from Good Will Hunting

"Ocean" by John Butler Trio

Alicia Keys on CNN's Impact Your World - "I want to be known as an incredible, global citizen and a person who has made their mark in an inspiring, positive way....this is my generation--we're about to do something really big."

A 'Jeremy original':  "What happened in your past does not determine your future because expecting  future outcomes to be the same as past outcomes is naively assuming nothing has changed between then and now."  It comforts me to know this when I am struggling.  It tells me that any failure or unrealized opportunity from the past does prevent me from being able to realize my potential in future endeavors. 

I Miss My 4Runner

So I have been in Australia for about 11 months now and I have really been missing my '05 4Runner that's back home in the US.  I was thinking about looking for a new car when I get home but I have reservations about making a change.  One advantage would be getting better fuel efficiency and I got to thinking about what kind of impact that would actually have.  So, let's imagine an argument for buying 'better', fuel efficient cars. 

The Question:

If I'm shopping for a car, you tell me to buy the one that gets 30 mpg versus the one I really like but only gets 22 mpg.  Now you say: Jeremy do you want to 'do the right thing' and help the environment or be bad and hurt the environment?  Then I tell you to shove it because that 8 mpg-difference isn't going to make much difference in the big scheme of things.  

The scheme of things:

Now I'm going to do some math, so I'm sorry if you don't like math but I like using it because it's hard to rebuke.  I usually drive about 5,000 to 6,000 miles per year, about 110 miles - or 5 gallons of gas - per week.  Let's guess the average truck driver drives 10 hours per day at 60mph on highways, equaling 600 miles per day over 5 work days, totaling to 3000 miles per week.  In 2 weeks, a truck driver drives as far as I do in 1 year.  It would take me 25 years to match that of a trucker's annual driving mileage.


A truck driver, who gets worse fuel efficiency - between 3-8 mpg - than my 22mpg, expends two to five times as much fuel.  So, a trucker expends 75 to 200 gallons of diesel - aka carbon emissions - in 1 day compared to my expending 27 gallons for the same distance.  (By the way, diesel fuel used by truckers and unleaded gas used by most cars do not have the same, but rather similar carbon footprint).  So while I consume 225 to 280 gallons per year, a truck driver consumes 18,500 to 50,000 gallons for their 150,000 miles per year.  My 22mpg car is so insignificant that, at my highest projected consumption and the truckers' best fuel efficiency, it would take me 65 years to match the carbon emissions output of 1 single truck driver in 1 year.  


To top it off, that 8mpg that you wanted me to save -- 280 gal. per year (22mpg car @ 6000 miles) minus 200 gal per year (30mpg car @ 6000 miles) = 80 gal. difference -- would be equivalent to 1 day's work for 1 trucker.  And there are millions of truckers on the road every single day...


I imagine, with 970 gallons as the average fuel consumption per hour of a commercial airline flight when total airline energy consumption represents 10% of all transportation consumption, that energy efficient airplanes should be relevant part of the discussion too.  I won't go through all the same math with this one but the amount of fuel I would save each year (80 gallons between 30mpg and 22mpg car)  is less than one-tenth of the average fuel consumption of one commercial flight.  Imagine American Airlines decides tomorrow to cut just one of its weekday back-and-forth flights from Dallas to New York for one year (260ish days x 1940 gallons = 504,400 gallons).  That change alone would save more fuel than I could possibly consume in 100 lifetimes.  


Airplane fuel efficiency has improved over the last decade but the targets are still laughably unambitious.  Every time I'm walking to class and a plane flies overhead I don't feel my walk has impacted the big picture, but I still enjoy my walk of course.

My Answer:

Regardless of the individual perspective, small scale automobile transportation as a whole accounts for more than 50% of total transportation energy consumption.  So while it may not matter what I do, it matters what we do.  It's going to take an industry-wide fuel efficiency standard to make an impact for the environment and for consumers.  If consumers are given choices where the minimum fuel efficiency for every vehicle is 25mpg, then I think we'd make some headway.  Policymakers need to get ambitious.

I agree that climate change and carbon emissions are a vital interest for every human being on the planet.  I consider myself pro-environment and I'll vote for limits on carbon emissions any day.  I'm only stating my view on what kind of impact I can effect as a consumer, specifically as a user of transportation.  

As long as the fuel efficiency of airplanes and trucks continues to be pathetic all while the best comparable change I can muster is a measly few mpg's, then I'm sticking with my 20mpg Toyota 4Runner that I love dearly.  What are you coming back with now?

Last Post about bin Laden Raid

This will probably be my last post about the raid of bin Laden's compound which resulted in his death.  Pakistani officials are sill condemning the US for the raid, as they should based on the Pakistani public's anti-Americanism...all politics are local.  However, Pakistan turned over the intact tail section of the Black Hawk left behind from the raid as a result of Senator John Kerry's diplomatic efforts.  The CIA was also allowed to interrogate the survivors of the raid.

This article still doesn't clarify the all-important reason the SEALs shot bin Laden.  There were guns nearby, but the alleged 'threat' which warranted a double-tap to the head and chest is not clearly justified.  So the legitimacy of the supposed "kill or capture" objective of the mission is still in question.  Regardless, I think I'm gonna lay my opinions to rest for now.  

I thought the article was a pretty good description so I'll just re-post it, unabridged - New details about the bin Laden raid from the Associated Press:

"Aboard two Black Hawk helicopters were 23 SEALs, an interpreter and a tracking dog named Cairo. 19 SEALs would enter the compound, and three of them would find bin Laden, one official said, providing the exact numbers for the first time.  Aboard the Chinooks were two dozen more SEALs, as backup.

"The Black Hawks were specially engineered to muffle the tail rotor and engine sound, two officials said. The added weight of the stealth technology meant cargo was calculated to the ounce, with weather factored in. The night of the mission, it was hotter than expected.

"The Black Hawks were to drop the SEALs and depart in less than two minutes, in hopes locals would assume they were Pakistani aircraft visiting the nearby military academy. One Black Hawk was to hover above the compound, with SEALs sliding down ropes into the open courtyard.

"The second was to hover above the roof to drop SEALs there, then land more SEALs outside — plus an interpreter and the dog, who would track anyone who tried to escape and to alert SEALs to any approaching Pakistani security forces. If troops appeared, the plan was to hunker down in the compound, avoiding armed confrontation with the Pakistanis while officials in Washington negotiated their passage out.

"The two SEAL teams inside would work toward each other, in a simultaneous attack from above and below, their weapons silenced, guaranteeing surprise, one of the officials said. They would have stormed the building in a matter of minutes, as they’d done time and again in two training models of the compound.

"The plan unraveled as the first helicopter tried to hover over the compound.  The Black Hawk skittered around uncontrollably in the heat-thinned air, forcing the pilot to land. As he did, the tail and rotor got caught on one of the compound’s 12-foot walls. The pilot quickly buried the aircraft’s nose in the dirt to keep it from tipping over, and the SEALs clambered out into an outer courtyard.  The other aircraft did not even attempt hovering, landing its SEALs outside the compound.

"Now, the raiders were outside, and they’d lost the element of surprise.  They had trained for this, and started blowing their way in with explosives, through walls and doors, working their way up the three-level house from the bottom.  They had to blow their way through barriers at each stair landing, firing back, as one of the men in the house fired at them.  They shot three men as well as one woman, whom U.S. officials have said lunged at the SEALs.  Small knots of children were on every level, including the balcony of bin Laden’s room.  As three of the SEALs reached the top of the steps on the third floor, they saw bin Laden standing at the end of the hall. The Americans recognized him instantly, the officials said.

"Bin Laden also saw them, dimly outlined in the dark house, and ducked into his room.  The three SEALs assumed he was going for a weapon, and one by one they rushed after him through the door, one official described.  Two women were in front of bin Laden, yelling and trying to protect him, two officials said. The first SEAL grabbed the two women and shoved them away, fearing they might be wearing suicide bomb vests, they said.  The SEAL behind him opened fire at bin Laden, putting one bullet in his chest, and one in his head.  It was over in a matter of seconds.

"Back at the White House Situation Room, word was relayed that bin Laden had been found, signaled by the code word “Geronimo.” That was not bin Laden’s code name, but rather a representation of the letter “G.” Each step of the mission was labeled alphabetically, and “Geronimo” meant that the raiders had reached step “G,” the killing or capture of bin Laden, two officials said.

"As the SEALs began photographing the body for identification, the raiders found an AK-47 rifle and a Russian-made Makarov pistol on a shelf by the door they’d just run through. Bin Laden hadn’t touched them.  They were among a handful of weapons that were removed to be inventoried.

"It took approximately 15 minutes to reach bin Laden, one official said. The next 23 or so were spent blowing up the broken chopper, after rounding up nine women and 18 children to get them out of range of the blast.

"One of the waiting Chinooks flew in to pick up bin Laden’s body, the raiders from the broken aircraft and the weapons, documents and other materials seized at the site.  The helicopters flew back to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, and the body was flown to a waiting Navy ship for bin Laden’s burial at sea, ensuring no shrine would spring up around his grave.

"When the SEAL team met President Obama, he did not ask who shot bin Laden. He simply thanked each member of the team, two officials said.  In a few weeks, the team that killed bin Laden will go back to training, and in a couple months, back to work overseas."

Tribute to My Dad

Today's post is dedicated to my Dad, Roy Isenberg, whose birthday is today!  Happy Birthday Dad!!


I was trying to search for the quote in the mission statement of my blog, "My duty as child is stand on my father's shoulders and see more than he did".  I had originally found the quote about ten years ago when I was doing an assignment for a creative writing class in high school.  I then used the quote on the cover of my anthology of works for the class.  I finally found a source for it at this google search.  As reported by the Jewish Agency for Israel, apparently a philanthropist, Sam Reisman, was speaking in front of a conference for the North American Leaders Camping Assembly.


In my search, I also came across a portion of a book, Lovology, written by Ken Lewis.  I don't know if I support Lewis's other views, as he appears to be a minister of some sort, but I really like this excerpt that I read:


Standing on Our Father's Shoulders


"As little children, we were, at times, afforded the opportunity to view the world from the vantage point of standing on our father's shoulders.  As we grew older we became heavier to hold.  And in time, we chose to stand firmly on the ground on our own two feet and experience the world from our own individual perspectives.


"Likewise, our fathers and others who have come before us have assisted us in gaining understanding of the material, mental, and spiritual worlds around us.  They have shared their own individual and collective perspectives on these matters with us.  Many of these perspectives have been handed down from one generation to the next.  And many ties they have been accepted by the next generation without much questioning or soul-searching.


"When our fathers held us, as little children, on their shoulders, it was so that we might see the possibility that many new horizons exist out there for us to explore.  They held us high on their shoulders, and they held us high with their teachings.  We were held high so that we might choose to go forth with eagerness and the anticipation of finding something new.  We were held high to help create in us the desire to ultimately gain our own individual and collective awareness of the living world around us today.


"It is safe to say that anyone reading this did long ago climb down from his or her father's physical shoulders.  You climbed down because even though he may have held you high, he still held you. Your urge was to be set free and explore the world for yourself.  You now move around experiencing the world as only you can see it.


.....


"If this young man goes forth into the world accepting the fact that he is responsible for his own life and the fact that his thoughts, words, and actions do, in fact, influence others in so many, many unseen ways, then he could create or manifest the desires of his heart.  And others who may choose to follow his example could find their lives filled with hope, fulfillment, love, and unity.


"If this young man chooses the responsible path, then some of his current friends and peers may at first feel intimidated by his evolving presence.  Yet as he grows and evolves with this new, responsible awareness, these people will see him with new eyes of respect, admiration, and ultimately, love.  And he may even lead countless generations into prosperity." - August 3, 2003


I wouldn't be where I am today without you, Dad.  I hope you have a good birthday even though I'm not there to celebrate with you.


-Jer

List of 2011 Movies I'm Excited About

I've been getting a little excited as I keep seeing so many good trailers out there, so here's a list of movies I'm excited about coming out in 2011.  


The ones in bold I definitely want to see while they're still in theaters/cinemas.  I've linked the titles to trailers either thru Apple or IMDB.


For entertainment value (action and comedy):

1. Thor - already out; comic book blockbuster
2. Sucker Punch - already out; bunch of hot girls in a hybrid of Kill Bill and The Watchmen
3. Hangover 2 - May 26; sequel to a hilarious comedy
4. X-Men: First Class - June 3; comic book blockbuster
5. Trollhunter  - June 10; pseudo documentary about troll hunters, visual effects look awesome
6. Green Lantern - June 17; comic book blockbuster
7. Harry Potter 7, Part 2 - July 15; the finale to harry potter series
8. Cowboys vs. Aliens - July 29; harrison ford + daniel craig + olivia wilde, cowboys defend earth from alien takeover
9. Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Aug 5; prequel plot to planet of the apes
10. Colombiana - Sep 2; zoe saldana plays an assassin
11. Real Steel - Oct 7; hugh jackman and boxing robots
12. Immortals - Nov 11; basically the movie "300" with mickey rourke and magic

For high-quality-film value (drama):

1. The Lincoln Lawyer - already out; great cast led by mcconaughey
2. Source Code - already out; action thriller with jake gyllenhaal, critically acclaimed
3. The Tree of Life - May 27; "seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith"
4. Beautiful Boy - June 3; about the parents of a boy who committed mass murder
5. Super 8 - June 10; spielberg and jj abrams do a sci-fi thriller 
6. The Devil's Double - July 29; the body double for saddam hussein's son
7. The Whistleblower - Aug 5; Rachel Weisz outs UN in sex scandal 
8. Circumstance - Aug 19; lesbian girls in Iran
9. The Debt - Aug 31; great cast, three former mossad assassins relive their past
10. Anonymous - Sept 30; was it really Shakespeare who wrote all those plays?
11. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Dec 21; David Fincher directs Daniel Craig and great cast in very, very dark film based off a book