Upon reading the influx of letters regarding recent incidences of crime near campus, I feel led to offer a different perspective. Crime is often an economic problem. As the economy worsens, crime increases. With lack of jobs and other alternatives, people become desperate, and resort to crime. Previous submissions have implored local law enforcement to improve their efforts. Since this has already been done, I address this letter to the criminals.
As a child growing up in Atlanta, my house was robbed a few times. We never had cash in the house, and computers and televisions were too large for petty thieves to carry, so we were out less than fifty dollars after those incidences. The only items robbers ever took with them were VCRS and boom boxes. If we were never robbed, we would probably never have upgraded to DVD and CD players, and I would still be listening to mix tapes on cassette and watching VHS movies. (My parents now live in the suburbs and will probably never upgrade to Blue Ray). The reason I can talk about these few incidences so lightheartedly is that they weren’t armed robberies.
No one can convince me that firearms are necessary to rob a Georgia Tech student. What are we going to do to you, gouge your eyes out with a mechanical pencil? I’ve never heard of anyone dying from getting hit in the back of the head with a TI-89. Simply demanding that I empty the contents of my purse is sufficient. Georgia Tech has a disproportional amount of asthmatic nerds, why bother using a gun? If I were robbed on my way me from the library at night I would consider that a bad day. If you robbed me at gunpoint, I would suffer a traumatic experience that would probably blight any good memories I may have of Tech. Plus, the punishments for armed robberies are much more severe; why take on the unnecessary risk. Sure, we may have a few standout athletes on campus that might give you a run for you money (no pun intended) if you try to rob them, but my guess is, you won’t find athletes walking home from the library at two o clock in the morning. While I don’t condone crime, it is a nearly unavoidable negative externality of an economic downturn. However, the unnecessary use of firearms is bad for the robber (more risk of jail time) and the victim.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Flowers for the living
My Nana always tells me that she wants her flowers while she is living and thus requests that money not be wasted on such a frivolity at her demise. Makes sense to me, why purchase a legion of flowers for a corpse that will get no enjoyment from them? In light of the recent demise of the King of Pop, I wish he had been able to enjoy his flowers while he was alive. At the age of fifty, Michael Jackson still seemed to be attempting to live out the childhood that was robbed from him. He was both a brilliant businessman (purchased the Beatles collection), and a four year old boy (spending millions on the Neverland ranch); nothing in between. He was both brilliant and bizarre. However, it is refreshing to see that the most of the world is taking time to appreciate the revolutionary talent that he was. As the reigning King of pop, he defined popular music as a unifying entity; whether black, white, brown, or purple, you listened to Michael Jackson and marveled at his gravity defying dance moves. While I am glad that many are taking time to appreciate this talent rather than focusing on some of the controversy that surrounded him, I wish he had the opportunity to feel this appreciation during the latter parts of his life.
I remember watching a Michael Jackson CBS live special in high school. I think I was freshman or sophomore at the time. Watching him glide across the stage was perhaps the most exhilarating thing I have ever seen. I remember going to school the next day and noticing that that performance the main topic of conversation. My classmates were just as blown away as I was. Simply put, his performances were sheer genius, which is something I always admired. However, I admire the genius of others every day. Whether it be a colleague that is great at their job, a stranger that gives you their seat on the bus, a friend that always puts together a great outfit, a mother that prepare ridiculously delicious cuisine, or a father that his always there for his kids, we witness something we admire every day. So, I challenge you to tell the people around you why you admire them, before it’s too late. Give your flowers to the living; what good are they to the dead?
I remember watching a Michael Jackson CBS live special in high school. I think I was freshman or sophomore at the time. Watching him glide across the stage was perhaps the most exhilarating thing I have ever seen. I remember going to school the next day and noticing that that performance the main topic of conversation. My classmates were just as blown away as I was. Simply put, his performances were sheer genius, which is something I always admired. However, I admire the genius of others every day. Whether it be a colleague that is great at their job, a stranger that gives you their seat on the bus, a friend that always puts together a great outfit, a mother that prepare ridiculously delicious cuisine, or a father that his always there for his kids, we witness something we admire every day. So, I challenge you to tell the people around you why you admire them, before it’s too late. Give your flowers to the living; what good are they to the dead?
Monday, January 26, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Dreams do Come True
In light of the historic inauguration that took place this past week, I think back at what a privilege it is to live in a country in which dreams do come true. An obvious example of this is Barack Obama. He was a relatively unknown political figure prior to the Democratic National convention in 2004. After an unsuccessful bid for a congressional seat, Obama won a senate seat. His senatorial bid was not a typical election. A scandal caused the republican nominee to withdraw from the race only three months prior to election day. The republican nominee was replaced with Alan Keys, a black republican from Maryland. I believe there have been only three black republican congressman since post Civil War Reconstruction. That basically means that Alan Keys had a better chance of getting struck by lighting twice in one day. The fact that Keys was a citizen of Maryland only worsened his odds. After winning the senate election, instead of fading to obscurity, Barack Obama rose to the forefront and just a few years later became the president of the United States. The events that led to President Obama's election seems like the perfect fairly tale that will be told for generations to come. It's as if he was at the right place at the right time. President Obama's quick rise to success shows us that in America, anything is possible.
One must not forget, however, that Barack Obama is a Yale educated lawyer with an impressive resume. What about the average American that does not possess the same talents? I am here to tell you that there is hope for the rest of us. Take Brittney Spears for example. She cannot sing her way out of a paper bag, yet she is making millions. I know five year-old children who can sing better than her. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to be harsh toward her in light of the fact that she has had a tumultuous life these last few years. I more than anyone would like Brittney to have a great "come back" from her battles with drug addition and mental illness so she can return to the limelight and sing poorly to adoring fans. In fact, Ms. Spears lack of talent can only boost her come back. If Whitney Houston were to attempt to revamp her music career and hope for the success she enjoyed in the past, she would be hindered by the fact that years of crack cocaine abuse have eroded her once coveted vocal cords. Since Brittney spears had a bad voice to begin with, she has nothing to worry about. Who knows, the crystal-meth, Cheetos, and Marlboros, may have even helped improve her vocals?
Think you're too young to have a dream? That's nonsense. Take Miley Cyrus. She began wowing crowds with her slow comedic timing and poor vocals at the ripe old age of fourteen. With this start, she could have two stints in rehab and four kids before turning twenty-one. She will be able to stage her "comeback" while still in her prime. With such little talent to begin with, her vocals certainly will not be worse for the wear after being eroded by cocaine.
Isn't America a great country? Silly obstacles such as talent does not have to stymie you from achieving your dream. So, to all of you 4'11 asthmatics out there, I suggest that you dust off those basketball shoes and try out for the NBA. This is America after all, anything is possible.
One must not forget, however, that Barack Obama is a Yale educated lawyer with an impressive resume. What about the average American that does not possess the same talents? I am here to tell you that there is hope for the rest of us. Take Brittney Spears for example. She cannot sing her way out of a paper bag, yet she is making millions. I know five year-old children who can sing better than her. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to be harsh toward her in light of the fact that she has had a tumultuous life these last few years. I more than anyone would like Brittney to have a great "come back" from her battles with drug addition and mental illness so she can return to the limelight and sing poorly to adoring fans. In fact, Ms. Spears lack of talent can only boost her come back. If Whitney Houston were to attempt to revamp her music career and hope for the success she enjoyed in the past, she would be hindered by the fact that years of crack cocaine abuse have eroded her once coveted vocal cords. Since Brittney spears had a bad voice to begin with, she has nothing to worry about. Who knows, the crystal-meth, Cheetos, and Marlboros, may have even helped improve her vocals?
Think you're too young to have a dream? That's nonsense. Take Miley Cyrus. She began wowing crowds with her slow comedic timing and poor vocals at the ripe old age of fourteen. With this start, she could have two stints in rehab and four kids before turning twenty-one. She will be able to stage her "comeback" while still in her prime. With such little talent to begin with, her vocals certainly will not be worse for the wear after being eroded by cocaine.
Isn't America a great country? Silly obstacles such as talent does not have to stymie you from achieving your dream. So, to all of you 4'11 asthmatics out there, I suggest that you dust off those basketball shoes and try out for the NBA. This is America after all, anything is possible.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Open Letter to Canda
Tired of being the ignored step child of North America? I can provide you with a sure fire plan to rise to prominence and rival the U.S.A. In drafting this plan, I came up with a few alternatives before honing in on a superior solution. My first inclination was that you could try to buy some of America's outrageous debts by investing heavily in US government bonds. However, China has a huge leg up on you with that approach, and there is no reason to try to play catch up now. My second thought was that since the industrial revolution was one of the factors that propelled the U.S. toward world dominance, you could invest heavily in education, and produce more Scientists and Engineers every year than the U.S. produces babies. Unfortunately, the entire continent of Asia has that on lock.
Perhaps a better approach is to the think more broadly. In attempts at continental domination, other countries have resorted to bigoted nationalism. An obvious example of this is the Germans (resulting in World War II). The white faction in South Africa has also attempted this (think Apartheid). The reasons for which I would never, condone such immoral foolishness should be obvious to any reasonable individual. Nevertheless, we often fail to recognize that these respective groups (white elitists in South Africa), and the Germans still control factors of production even though their political power plagued by racism has somewhat waned.
The way in which the white minority of South Africa have maintained economic power it is quite obvious. While the majority of the citizens hold political power, the white minority still own the diamonds and other industries, and thus control the factors of production. This ownership is based on a history of European imperialism in which individuals (the Dutch in South Africa's case) savagely carved up and conquered pieces of the African continent. Since there has not been such history between Canada and the U.S., this is of course not a viable option for my Canadian friends.
The way in which Germany has maintained economic power is a bit more implicit. Many of you (or just my mother because I doubt anyone else is reading this) may wonder how Germany is controlling anyone's factors of production. Well, has anyone heard of the European Union? Whenever anyone mentions the Euro currency, I refuse to acknowledge it as such. I prefer to call it the German Mark, because that is essentially what it is. When the Euro was first created, the German Mark was really the only currency backing it worth the paper it was printed on. The Euro increased it's value by taking on the debt of smaller European countries so that they would adopt the currency. This resulted in an increase in demand for the Euro as well as a nice spike in its value.
Canada can certainly be just as successful following the Germany's model. Just as the German Mark was the "second best" currency to the British pound, the Canadian dollar is the "second best" currency for the Americas. I suggest that Canada begin small, by adopting their new currency and pulling in countries like Belice, Uruguay, and Honduras. As the demand for their dollar increases, they can take on the debt of even more countries and then soon may strike it big when the finally get Mexico on board. When they finally acquire the peso, it will have the same effect that finally taking on the French franc had for the Euro. While the U.S. will never join this American union in the same way England will never exchange their valuable pound for the Euro, the Canadian dollar will still be able to enjoy the same claim to fame as the German Mark, and Canada will further rise to prominence on our illustrious continent.
One might wonder how much debt from smaller countries in Central America and South America could Canada acquire before the whole system collapses. I certainly don't have the answer to the question. What I can say is that the Euro has taken on an insane amount of debt from smaller countries, particularly those in Eastern Europe. Likely the Euro/Deutsche Mark will collapse long before this American/Canadian dollar runs its course. You will have some warning to make necessary adjustments that will not result in your demise, and will have plenty of time to craft another plan to aid you in your attempt to dominate North America.
Perhaps a better approach is to the think more broadly. In attempts at continental domination, other countries have resorted to bigoted nationalism. An obvious example of this is the Germans (resulting in World War II). The white faction in South Africa has also attempted this (think Apartheid). The reasons for which I would never, condone such immoral foolishness should be obvious to any reasonable individual. Nevertheless, we often fail to recognize that these respective groups (white elitists in South Africa), and the Germans still control factors of production even though their political power plagued by racism has somewhat waned.
The way in which the white minority of South Africa have maintained economic power it is quite obvious. While the majority of the citizens hold political power, the white minority still own the diamonds and other industries, and thus control the factors of production. This ownership is based on a history of European imperialism in which individuals (the Dutch in South Africa's case) savagely carved up and conquered pieces of the African continent. Since there has not been such history between Canada and the U.S., this is of course not a viable option for my Canadian friends.
The way in which Germany has maintained economic power is a bit more implicit. Many of you (or just my mother because I doubt anyone else is reading this) may wonder how Germany is controlling anyone's factors of production. Well, has anyone heard of the European Union? Whenever anyone mentions the Euro currency, I refuse to acknowledge it as such. I prefer to call it the German Mark, because that is essentially what it is. When the Euro was first created, the German Mark was really the only currency backing it worth the paper it was printed on. The Euro increased it's value by taking on the debt of smaller European countries so that they would adopt the currency. This resulted in an increase in demand for the Euro as well as a nice spike in its value.
Canada can certainly be just as successful following the Germany's model. Just as the German Mark was the "second best" currency to the British pound, the Canadian dollar is the "second best" currency for the Americas. I suggest that Canada begin small, by adopting their new currency and pulling in countries like Belice, Uruguay, and Honduras. As the demand for their dollar increases, they can take on the debt of even more countries and then soon may strike it big when the finally get Mexico on board. When they finally acquire the peso, it will have the same effect that finally taking on the French franc had for the Euro. While the U.S. will never join this American union in the same way England will never exchange their valuable pound for the Euro, the Canadian dollar will still be able to enjoy the same claim to fame as the German Mark, and Canada will further rise to prominence on our illustrious continent.
One might wonder how much debt from smaller countries in Central America and South America could Canada acquire before the whole system collapses. I certainly don't have the answer to the question. What I can say is that the Euro has taken on an insane amount of debt from smaller countries, particularly those in Eastern Europe. Likely the Euro/Deutsche Mark will collapse long before this American/Canadian dollar runs its course. You will have some warning to make necessary adjustments that will not result in your demise, and will have plenty of time to craft another plan to aid you in your attempt to dominate North America.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Third Times a Charm....I hope
Fortunately, today was a pretty relaxing day. It's 4 p.m., and I have gotten back from my only outing of the day which lasted a little over an hour. Nevertheless, those sixty odd minutes have provided me with more than a days worth of excitement. I had a few errands to do, mail some letters at the post office, get some gas, and finally, get my mailbox key recopied. Fortunately, the first item on my agenda went off without a hitch. After leaving the post office, I excitedly drove down to the next block to purchase some gas. I was relatively pleased with the price. $1.79/ gallon is probably twenty cents higher than gas would be if I went down to S.W. Atlanta where I was born, but $1.79 is pretty inexpensive for midtown. The big advantage of buying gas in midtown is that unlike in my old neighborhood, you don't have to play musical pumps three or four times before you find a pump that actually works.
One of the things I most detest about pumping gas is when unpleasant people try to make conversation. In most other public situations one can keep walking briskly and ignore others. However, when you're pumping gas it's kind of a hostage situation; you have to stand there and be polite. After hearing a man yell "Eh ma" three times, I decided that my strategy of feigning deafness was not working, thus I reluctantly looked up. "Eh, can I get a test drive in that mustang?"
I shook my head and said "no", assertively. I made efforts to do so without being rude, but without a smile on my face so there was no confusion.
"How about you get a test drive in my car?" I replied in the same manner to his second offer, then he began to mumble about having a job. I could not tell you what else he said because I began to tune him out. By the time I had filled up my tank the gentleman was back in in his rusted Chrysler Town and Country minivan and on his merry way. I had successfully completed the second item on my agenda.
On my way to complete my third action item, I was nearly hit by a crazy Atlanta driver. I have learned that Atlanta drivers drive as if they are the only cars on the road. When you have multiple drivers who drive in this manner, the end result is a collision. To make matters worse, Atlanta drivers are also very nosy. They routinely cause traffic jams because they stop their vehicles in the proximity of traffic accidents, not to help, but to simply observe. I won't go into the details of my slight highway altercation as such instances are quite routine.
Anyway, I safely arrived at Ace Hardware to get my key copied. It should be noted that this is the second time I went to get this done. The first time, the locksmith botched the job so thoroughly that my key would not even fit in the lock. Unfortunately, when I arrived at the key counter I was greeted with the same fumbling man (think stapler guy from Office space meets Steve Urkel) who messed up my keys in the first place. Nevertheless, I did not point out that fact and decided to give him a second chance.
Just like the first time I met this locksmith, he mumbled incessantly while fashioning my key. Ironically, he made statements that were of slight insult to the incompetent individual who cut my botched copy. Again, I decided not to burst his bubble and point out that the incompetent individual he spoke of was none other than himself. Well, to make a short story long (as I have by typing incessantly for three paragraphs that could probably have been condensed into a sentence or two), when I got home I realized that the keys did not fit in the lock. I guess I'll go back again later, but not today. Third time's a charm as they say.
One of the things I most detest about pumping gas is when unpleasant people try to make conversation. In most other public situations one can keep walking briskly and ignore others. However, when you're pumping gas it's kind of a hostage situation; you have to stand there and be polite. After hearing a man yell "Eh ma" three times, I decided that my strategy of feigning deafness was not working, thus I reluctantly looked up. "Eh, can I get a test drive in that mustang?"
I shook my head and said "no", assertively. I made efforts to do so without being rude, but without a smile on my face so there was no confusion.
"How about you get a test drive in my car?" I replied in the same manner to his second offer, then he began to mumble about having a job. I could not tell you what else he said because I began to tune him out. By the time I had filled up my tank the gentleman was back in in his rusted Chrysler Town and Country minivan and on his merry way. I had successfully completed the second item on my agenda.
On my way to complete my third action item, I was nearly hit by a crazy Atlanta driver. I have learned that Atlanta drivers drive as if they are the only cars on the road. When you have multiple drivers who drive in this manner, the end result is a collision. To make matters worse, Atlanta drivers are also very nosy. They routinely cause traffic jams because they stop their vehicles in the proximity of traffic accidents, not to help, but to simply observe. I won't go into the details of my slight highway altercation as such instances are quite routine.
Anyway, I safely arrived at Ace Hardware to get my key copied. It should be noted that this is the second time I went to get this done. The first time, the locksmith botched the job so thoroughly that my key would not even fit in the lock. Unfortunately, when I arrived at the key counter I was greeted with the same fumbling man (think stapler guy from Office space meets Steve Urkel) who messed up my keys in the first place. Nevertheless, I did not point out that fact and decided to give him a second chance.
Just like the first time I met this locksmith, he mumbled incessantly while fashioning my key. Ironically, he made statements that were of slight insult to the incompetent individual who cut my botched copy. Again, I decided not to burst his bubble and point out that the incompetent individual he spoke of was none other than himself. Well, to make a short story long (as I have by typing incessantly for three paragraphs that could probably have been condensed into a sentence or two), when I got home I realized that the keys did not fit in the lock. I guess I'll go back again later, but not today. Third time's a charm as they say.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Are you serious??? it's freezing outside
I would like to preface this story with a disclaimer to all my people in Indiana and Iowa. I do not mean to come off as pretentious when I complain about the thirty degree weather I experienced last week in Atlanta. I feel very sympathetic that on the very same day, you were suffering through temperatures 12 degrees below zero. However, we can all agree that thirty degrees is sufficiently cold that flip flops should be out of the question. When I was in the check out lane purchasing a few items from Target, I noticed that the woman in front of me was wearing flip flops. I thought perhaps she hailed from the north pole, or was drunk to the point that her blood was warm with liquor. On the contrary, she was very coherent and was playing with her young son. She had to be aware of the cold temperatures as she was sufficiently bundled up in a warm winter coat. If she was smart enough to recognize that she needed to put on a coat, why did she fail to come to the conclusion that shoes and socks were also necessary? I also noticed that the woman was buying more than ten pair of lacy underwear. She asked the cashier "If these don't work out, can I return them?". For some reason, the thought of returning used underwear to Target made me a little uncomfortable. Also, I had never really heard of the concept of underwear "not working out". She was speaking of her purchase as if it was a long term relationship. Also, who contemplates returning underwear at the time of purchase? At any rate, her comments regarding her lacy panties shed light to her lack of appropriate footwear. That woman was just "special" in general.
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