Digital Brainwaves

Archive for April, 2006

Freedom Tower: forgotten already?

Apr 28, 2006 Brainwaves, In The News

Construction crews ceremonially broke ground yesterday (the actual work — relocating some utility lines — started a few weeks ago) on Freedom Tower, the 1,776-foot commercial tower to be built adjacent to the former World Trade Center site.

But you may not have known that.

The event got very little mainstream press coverage. I stumbled upon it almost as an afterthought on MSNBC.com’s website yesterday.

Hell, I started looking around at other discussion sites, blogs, et cetera, looking to see what people had to say about the start of the construction. I haven’t found anyone else talking about it yet.

Sure, it got covered a little… but I’d have thought that the start of this new tower — the start of a defiant rebuilding of that which terrorism took from us — would be something that would make front-page news. Evidently, such things are just not that important anymore.

The Politics of Oil: The Discourse Must Change

Apr 28, 2006 Brainwaves, In The News, Politics

(OK, so the post comes a day late, and a dollar short. But it’s a common theme — keep reading.)

Both President George W. Bush and Congressional leaders of both parties have been, seemingly rather late in the game, joined in the debate on high gasoline prices. There seems to be a little bit of a problem, though: Both sides seem to be going after the oil refineries and gasoline manufacturers.

Yeah, they’re the first people we tend to yell at when prices go up. Pretty sad, really, when they’re just doing what anyone else would do to make money in their business.

The truth is, the gasoline companies aren’t the problem. The source of high gas prices lies in simple economics, in supply and demand. Organizations who are selling crude oil — a necessary component to make gasoline — have a limited amount of oil to make available. Many people want it — the US, Europe, China, and India, just to name a very few. So, the price goes up. That price increase is reflected in the eventual product: that 87-octane you put in your car yesterday. The prices we pay now aren’t gouging. At least, not yet. They’re simply market price when supply is low and demand is high.

There are a lot of other factors, and a lot of possible solutions. But a certainty of this particular moment has been eloquently captured by the editors of The Oil Drum: artificially messing with the price of gasoline instead of looking for other long-term solutions isn’t going to work.

West Wing DVDs on sale this week

Apr 27, 2006 Brainwaves

Last October I was shocked to find the first two seasons of “The West Wing” for sale at Wal Mart at a drastically reduced price.

Today was what we shall call “take two.”

Target has seasons one through five of “The West Wing” on sale this week for $22.99 each.

If you’re looking for a truly awesome TV show on DVD, now’s the time to get hooked on The West Wing. But hurry — prices are only good through Saturday (4/29).

(A post about gas prices to follow later tonight.)

Open Insubordination

Apr 24, 2006 Brainwaves, In The News, War On Terror

Can someone tell me what’s stopping us, when the UN deadline runs out in five days, from bombing Iran to the stone age? I mean, at least Iraq was being shifty and secretive while they were shuffling their WMDs off into Syria. Iran is openly saying “No, fuck you” and giving us the finger.

Life in the Green Lane

Apr 17, 2006 Geek, In The News

When you’re dealing with op-eds, instead of an actual editorial, you’ll occasionally find something in the New York Times that isn’t total schlock. Here, an opinion by Jamie Lincoln Kitman, the NY regional bureau chief at Automobile Magazine, points out that just because your car is a hybrid, doesn’t mean it’s more fuel efficient than a conventionally-powered car, and thus, why it’s foolish for the government to be subsidising them.

(Hat tip: Pajamas Media)