Vent time.

Lemme preface this by stating that the next day... this will sound imature... and rash... and full of  "teenage angst". Let me also preface this by stating that "I. Don't. Give. A. Fuck."

I sometimes get into "moods". These series of depression tend to run for about 4-12 days and during the time I turn into a dark masacist with an obsession with screamo music and Mahler. The really dark and depressing Mahler. And maybe Mozart's Funeral March. Really depressing stuff. And I really work myself into a fervor.... oooohhhh... boy do I want to just shut myself off from the rest of the world.

And I can see its coming, oh yes, I know its coming, but I don't stop it. I let it take control of me. And I become an object obsessed with getting people to find pity on me. I like to try and piss people off at me, and I find myself making other people think i'm mad at them, just to make them try and be nice to me... so I can push them away even more. Mwahaha...

These moods often co-exist with my inability to (perceived inability I might add) have control over various aspects of my life. Living under my parents roof is a great example. I love my parents to death, seriously, I do, and I like being home. But for some reason the fact that I am not my own boss anymore eats away at me like nothing else. 

Then there is the girlfriend, yes Gina, this is for you. The last bout of depression was brought upon by my inability to find a hot, nice, fun girlfriend. I guess that inability was what led me to become angry. But Gina, lemme say that I don't mean anything I say here... these are my testosterone hormones talking... I wish I could see you. But, life moves on. Really, I could use some pity and some kindness from you. You should understand that all I want to do is push you away, and be by myself, but deep down... yes deep down, all I really want is a shoulder to lean on. 

On the other hand... I can see your reaction as you read this as I type. You sit there, and turn to erica and say, "wow, he is over reacting, and just being a big baby". 

Whatever. 

Let me get on to what happens to me during these moods. My motto becomes "I don't give a fuck". About anything. I honestly could care less. And all I'd like to do is piss people off.

And its kinda sad, but I guess I'm just really really bipolar. I mean 95% of the year, I am the happiest guy in the world, and all my friends can vouch for that. But I guess I can't be happy all the time. I need that 5% of the time to just get things out of my system... reboot. People deal with it different ways. I get really really pissed off. At life. At everything. At myself. At you. Yes you. Everything you do annoys the shit outta me. Except colin, seeing as your the only one who reads this anyways... you're ok in my book, lol. 

Lemme tell you how the cycle ends. I get pissed at everything... but eventually I get pissed at myself. And I don't take criticism very well. So I'll get mad at myself, and I'll get motivated. Really really really really motivated. Which is nice. Its the only reason I kept working out, etc... 

And usually the exercise releases the hormones I need to not be angry and depressed. So honestly... it all comes down to being cooped up in a house, and not being able to work out. I swear thats all it is. But I still like to feel the power of being depressed. And its best to feel like that when there is no school. 

So, to sum up! I feel like no one tries to make me happy, except perhaps my parents. No one else really gives a shit, once again, except for a few of my friends back home who called me and asked to hang out sometimes. Props bros. The rest of you can burn in hell. I hope I insulted most of you, and made you pissed off at me. Thats how I feel, you can all fuck off, and I hope I get some nasty facebook messages.

And YES! I know how immature this looks! But you must allow a man a few days of weakness! I'm mature the rest of the year.

Oh great, BP probably is doing their background check on me, and they'll see this. Well, lemme add a disclaimer that I can't wait to get to Houston and work for you, and i'm entirely mentally stable, i just need to pump some iron. Seriously, 340 days of the year I"m super happy. 

Right now nothing makes me happy though. I did have fun today playing corn hole, but lemme tell you... this is the beginning of my depression, and no I'm not going to kill myself, and yes i'll be ok, and no I don't want to talk about it. 

I need to talk to Mrs. Davis...

.... about basketball tickets.

Oh, haven't you heard? The bird isn't the word, I'm the word and I'm telling you to go fuck off! Depression is natural, and important. I'm looking forward towards acting like an emo for a few days. 

I don't give a fuck. And Gina, you know I love you, but honestly, if I don't try at all for the next couple days its not because I don't like you, its because I don't give a fuck. 

Oh btw, people who are trying to convert me to find Jesus, please stop. Honestly, I'm a good moral person, but i'm sorry Christianity... your god is racist, and I don't like that. If you have a problem with that, let me know, and I'll explain.  I'll give you a hint. It has to do with people never getting a chance to believe in Jesus going to hell. If your parents are muslim... they tell you if you're a christian... you're going to hell. The christians say "you're going to hell if you don't love jesus", the jews just sit back and laugh because everyone else is going to hell except them, the Amish don't care because they don't care if anyone gets "saved" or not, but honestly... if your parents are muslim, you'll be muslim. Just like if your parents are christian you'll be christian. Aka... you're a Buddhist monk. You commit no "sin" in all of your actions in life (except original sin, but no one is around to baptize him). You are kind. you help selflessly, you never swear. And you get to go burn in fire and agony and darkness for all of time. Nashing of teeth. But just remember... God loves you. And you chose to burn in hell monk, because even though no one ever told you about Jesus, you shoulda converted. Enjoy hell. Except for most of the white people. They can go to heaven. And people from Latin America. Well... ok, a few of them.

Ok. I'm done. thats what I have to say. It'll look stupid tomorrow, but I don't care. Yup. I just don't care.

Thanks,

Guthrie

Best Day Ever!!!

Let me preface this by stating that finals week was very rough.

I've decided that today's blog will be a rantcast (kudos dan savage), not about politics or the world, or economics, but myself. Yes, I am a selfish bastard. But this is about me. 

First, this finals week was really rough. Really rough... I had three midterms in 26 hours, and two back to back. They were my hard ones also, arabic and calculus.

So I finished finals season feeling dejected, miserable, cold, and did not have much hope for the future. Then karma came and knocked.

So there I was... walking past the Granger School of Business right during the warm spell when snow was melting. And who would have guessed it, but voila! Right there in the snow was a pair of keys. They were magically popping out of the snow, and I noticed them. On the keychain was the keys to a saturn, as well as a couple of "perks" cards, for a grocery store, and shopko if you understand me. So I give the person's gym a call. Say that I have a bar code, but no name, well, the person naturally assumed I was here to steal her identity. That is, in fact, incorrect. However, they said they'd call her, give her my number, and then I could contact her if she called. 

Well, she did, and after my last final I dropped them off in her office. She wasn't there, but she was very very thankful. I didn't see what the big deal was, I tracked her down through a barcode, and got her keys back. Economics states that I helped improve efficiency. 

But this is deeper than economics. This is karma. Soon after I returned those keys, things in my life, things that were "on the cusp" suddenly swung my way. I didn't fail calculus, and I finally got word about my internship with BP. Not only did I GET the internship... they are paying me!

I'm ecstatic. So the bad side is i'm away from my girlfriend for a while, so i'll be horny, but besides that life is going well. I'm sitting in my bed just a-typing. 

So this summer I'm going to Houston for that internship. I'm very happy.

Thanks,

Guthrie

Wind Power Combats Global Warming

Let me preface this by stating I'm a big fan of wind power. A lot of our current problems in the world could be solved by simply building a shit-ton of wind turbines (thats an official SI unit of measurement btw).  However... let me convince you that wind can SOLVE global warming, but not in the way you think!

First, lets look at the causes and effects of global warming. Particles that block sunlight from radiating back out into space are good (we aren't mars!), but bad (we could be like venus). Well, after 200 years of burning carbon basically in the form of fossil fuels, we now are realizing that putting 400,000,000,000 square feet of CO2 in the air eventually ads up (thats per year btw). 

So. What are the effects of global warming? A DIRECT effect of more heat being trapped on the earth means there is more ENERGY in the earth's atmosphere. This means that the strength of winds/hurricanes/storms will be greater. Hurricanes and winds and so on are nature's way of balancing out imbalances in pressure. The more energy in the total system, the stronger these "checks and balances" will be. Hence, we have been seeing more tornados, and hurricanes than ever before. 

There is... however... a possibility...

Energy can't be taken away, or added, which means that wind power works by taking energy OUT of the atmospheric system, and into electricity. Of course the wind is just an extension of the sun's energy (so wind power is solar power, kickin').  So while global warming will be continually adding energy to the overall "system" WIND power (besides not polluting carbon vs. fossil fuels) actually removes energy from the overall system, thereby combating some of the effects of global warming. Cool huh? Lets run some numbers.

http://atmosdyn.yonsei.ac.kr/nrl/seminar/Hansen_etal_SC2005(S).pdf

This is a great paper on the energy involved in some of these systems.

It basically says that to warm all the Air by 1°C you get.... 

The Earth’s atmospheric mass is ~ 10 m of water. Heat capacity of air ~ 0.24 cal/g/°C.
Energy to raise air temperature 1°C: 1°C × 1000 g/cm2 × 0.24 cal/g/°C × 4.19 joules/cal × area Earth ~ 0.26 ×10^22 joules ~ 0.32 W yr/m2.

Joules is what we want. Joules, or units of energy basically (i'm sure i'll get some heckling for that), is a unit we can compare electricity with. Follow me!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_energy_resources_and_consumption

Another great resource.

This states that humans use about 15 Terawatts of electricity every year. Thats a lot. 

Also... google tells me that one joule =2.7778 ×10−7 kilowatts

Take the number of joules x the number of kilowatts per joule... and we get 7.22228 x 10^14 kilowatts.

OR

722,228 TW.

So, therefore the energy it would take if we completely converted to wind power, all of humanity would use .00002 % of the energy it takes to warm the air 1 degree C. 

Hummm.... and the models predict the earth to perhaps raise 5 C in the next 100 years. 2.5 is a closer estimate. Hummm... So yes, it'd offset that global warming thing, but basically i think getting rid of carbon is a "smarter" option.

Still, it was uber fun to run the numbers, and it IS an interesting thought. Feel free to rip my math appart ya'll.

Enjoy, have a great day, and may I give a shoutout to my girl Gina. Yup, hi.

Thanks,

Guthrie

Find Whats Wrong.

Here are two pictures. One is the orginal, the other has been... "doctored".  Figure out what the changes are. Enjoy!

Barack's Victory Celebration

Let me Preface this by stating that it hasn't truly set in that Barack is President -- yet.

I was in Madison for the election however, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Wisconsin held the second highest voter turnout percentage in the nation (behind MN I might add), and to have such a high turnout, and really be a "gimmie" for Barack in the final week is very impressive. Over 70% of the population turned out to vote, and though it was expected to be higher, the idea was that an unmotivated Republican Voting bloc had poor voter turnout. Obviously something happened to the GOP. The news is flooded with talks about "circular firing squads" that is the Republican party -- now fractured and divided and apparently out of touch with the majority of American Voters (who, may I add are tired of the be with us or we hate you and you are a terrorist saber rattling).

But, this is not about me, this is about YOU. Ok, I lied, this is about me. This is my epic journey on election night. The triumph that was the victory -- the jubilation of the riot/march/demonstration/clusterfuck afterwards -- and of course what would election night be like without having hundreds of people run the wrong way down a 4 lane one way onto oncoming traffic? I'm not sure, I've never experienced anything other than the former. 

So, my night began in Devra's appartment actually. My goal was to finish my Arabic homework before jetting off to the Union. I didn't get it all done because the excitment got a hold of me, and the polls closed in Virginia, and votes started pouring in. So i rushed to the Union, and was just about to go to Colin's house (sorry bud) when a bunch of my friends all of a sudden poured into the Union to watch the election. The vote went as everyone knows it did. Of course the climax was when the Pacific vote came in, and boy, did the Rath have an Orgasm. Check it out -- 

 

So the night ends, I hug some bro's, I have a good time, but then its time to go home. So I go outside to get on my bike, and go home, but I hear voices, and yells, and all of a sudden, 40 people are marching towards me with an American Flag! And I'm like -- a march! Awesome!! So I join in, and we run up bascom hill in jubilation! Well... From Bascom Hill we walk up Johnson, and we start getting more and more people to follow us... And we all of a sudden get to State Street and BAMB! We run into ANOTHER march! And we combine, and all of a sudden there are THOUSANDS of people all on state street yelling, and cheering, and wooping, and being in the most excited state I have ever seen people. It was like nothing else I've ever done. One of those - "tell your grandchildren" moments. I have some video of the night, but it doesn't do it justice, not even close. You had to be there. You just had to be there. 

Hazza!!!

It was a great night. I'm excited for when he gets into office.

Thanks,

Guthrie

Barack Obama

Let me preface this by stating that I easily could be writing my econ paper right now (about how government barriers in Latin America are hindering economic progress), but I am taking a moment of my time to talk to you -- the people -- about the future.

And the future is Sir Mr. President Barack Obama. Congratulations sir. The world we live in is obviously in turmoil, and whoever is going to be the next president will set the world in a new course. The Fall of the USSR ended a forty year chapter that defined how people saw the world. After the fall of the USSR, the world had not moved on yet.  The world that I grew up in was indeed a new chapter in the global history, but it was much more of a "Razr 2" then the iPhone. That is -- there had not been a paradigm shift. It hasn't happened. The way that people see the world, especially in terms of countries, and in terms of global citizenship, has remained the same as it was during the cold war. Europe and the US got along, and then there was the "rest of the world". But the internet lay the framework for the 21st century. And now we are here. As Barack comes to the office of the president, the world is facing mounting challenges, BUT, here is what I believe the paradigm shift will be -- the world will come much closer. People will become much more interconnected as a species, and less territorial over "nations".  Europe will continue to move towards a "united states of Europe", and in the US kids are taking an interest in learning a new language, traveling, and especially working abroad. 

The keys to this new world will come in two forms. The first is the economic crisis. It is obviously only a matter of time until Macroeconomics doesn't just look at one country, but has the antiderivative taken of it... and zoom out to make efficiency at the global level. In one day countries from around the world lowered their interest rates, but they did so coordinated. The cooperation of different macroeconomic policy will have a huge impact on how other countries must depend on each other. Obviously China and the US trade a lot, fine... BUT, once their economic plans start working as a team to help both countries, that is when a new level, or paradigm shift, in the connection between the two countries increases.

As a side note... I talked to several girls who are visiting from China, and I learned quite a lot. First, the Chinese are not going to change to democracy any time soon. They are a very proud people, and they (like I do) assume China will become a global superpower. If they aren't already.  They also understand things on a level which the US is seriously lacking. They tackle problems as a country, and I think this will give them a huge motor for change. For example, every person from China was absolutely thankful that the Chinese government imposed the "one child per family" policy. They believe it saved china, and I agree with them. This step is obviously impossible to imagine here in the US, yet, it saved China, is spurring their economic progress, and will ultimately be better for the world. They understand it, and their central government got it done. The US government could never think in such long term, and global terms. While the strength of democracy of course is its resistance to corruption, and ultimately hopefully will be more flexible in the long run, no one can be certain that the lack of central control will be able to solve problems that need a strong central government.

The good news about China is that not a single one of them had qualms about the restrictions of freedom of speech, or rights. They all believe that the government will continue to act in their best interest, and gradually introduce more rights as the living conditions improve. They are very convincing, and I am certain that China is moving in the right direction. We shall see.

The second challenge that the world will overcome together is climate change. The fact that air has no national borders will force countries to operate together. New economic policies regulating pollution will change the paradigm of how countries interact. 

So... This is a transformational figure, in a transformational period. Mark my words... In a decade the world will look nothing like it did in 2007, while honestly... 2007 looks quite a lot like 1997 from the view of someone who came into this world without communism, and never felt that shift from communism to 1992. 

9/11 was 7 years ago. That is crazy. 

Thanks,

Guthrie 

Snibbiets of my Life

Let me preface this by stating that the things I do are not linear... rather... I am an ADHD kid except that the period of interest lasts hours or days instead of minutes. I jump around with sorts of weird and cooky projects and ideas. Let me enlighten you with just a little a lot of small things that have been popping around in my head.

1) Facebook has a new "app" that allows your status to change to support the election. It says --

"Guthrie is the 527,007th person to donate their status to get out the vote for Barack Obama. Donate yours: http://causes.com/election/3901073?m=655ab854. "

And this has happened throughout the day. Andtwo hours later the tally sat at 583,000. That is 55,000 people to join together in a span of 120 minutes. Do some simple math... and you get 7 people a second that are jumping on. This is true power, and boggles the mind. If facebook can pull something like this off, just imagine how future figureheads can lead! Democracy just became a lot more flexible.

2) I'm dumping down into another bout of "emo depression". I watched spiderman III, and the whole "dark is power" resonated very strongly with me. So I'm listening to more metal, and not really giving a shit. It will pass, as it always does, but it feels good now. And yes I'm ok, and no I'm not going to kill myself, and yes I would like your comfort, and no I'm not going to ask for it.

3) I want cobra starship. If anyone has their albums get in touch with me. Keytar rocks my world.

4) I've moshed/danced like crazy two weekends in a row. Its a pattern I'm enjoying, and I do not plan on stopping. If you know of a dance/electronica party... invite moi.

5) I'm waiting for CS4 to arrive. If you don't know what CS4 is, then you needent be impressed. But I ordered the very cheap student rate, and I can't wait. I'll show you guys my results as I start "creating".

6) My electronic guitar is still shaky. I've been sanding for weeks, and soon the drilly time will come. Sorry colin for taking so damn long.

7) This is an awesome song. It was made for kids who get bored too quickly, and its damn catchy. Bird. Horseradish. ADHD kids. Nice! The song can be downloaded here.  

Enjoy your day! Election tomorrow, and online gambling sites has obama at a 93% chance of winning. Not too shabby.

Thanks,

Guthrie

Letter I Received on Facebook. Haha...

To preface this... I am really glad that America is so rich and prosporos, and so stupid that people with too much time on their hands (like in togo) can have a nice time playing us. Solid. 

Guthrie,please your urgent attention is needed
Between You and Isa Sani


Isa Sani
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FROM THE DESK OF BARRISTER ISA SANI
(CORPORATE LEGAL PRACTITIONERS)
ARBIRATORS AND PROPERTY CONSULTANTS
No 12 RUE DU DECOMMERCE
OPPOSITE OLD COURT BLOCK 11
ISA & ASSOCIATES CHAMBERS
LOME TOGO
Tel; 00228 9868825
Email ; barrisasani@rediffmail.com

Attn; Guthrie,

I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THIS EMAIL WILL COME TO YOU AS A GREAT SHOCK BUT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND IN ALL HONESTY THAT I MEAN NO HARM BUT FOR OUR MUTUAL BENEFIT.

With due regards,

I am BARRISTER ISA SANI,a solicitor at law, personal attorney to late Mr H,B.Weinschenk,a national Of your country, who used to work with Togo electricity here in Lome Togo,as a chief engineer. Here in after shall be referred to as my client. and it happen that the man registered to me as his personal attorney, Unfortunately he died in motor accident with his family wife and two kids,which happened on 31st july,2006. All occupants of the motor unfortunately lost there lives. Since then I have made several enquiries to your embassy here to locate any of my clients extended relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful.


So after these several unsuccessful attempts,I decided to contact you as you are sharing the same surname with my client,hence i contacted you, I have contacted you to assist in repatriating his deposit fund valued at US$16.5 million left behind by my client before it gets confiscate or declared unserviceable by the Ecowas Bank where this huge amount were deposited.The same Ecowas Bank managing director was closed to me through my late client and he have issued me a notice that he will be going for retirement in few moths time that i should provide the next of kin to my late client now that he still with the Ecowas Bank that very soon they will appoint another person to be in his position and he explained things in details to me that if i did not come for the claim now he is in control in the Bank it will be difficult for me after he left Ecowas Bank when they will appoint another person as the bank director.

Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives to my late client, I seek the consent to present you as the next of kin to the deceased since you are sharing the same last name with my late client, so that the proceeds of his account can be paid to you as the next of kin,please we have to put claim over this fund now the present bank director is closed to me,so that he can assist us with his veto power to release the fund to us now he still with the bank.

All i required from you is to stand for me as the next of kin to my late client,so that his deposited fund in Ecowas Bank can be claimed out and transferred to your account as the next of kin,hence every relevant documentaions is down here with me,hoping you understand the points? just to assist me by securing this fund out from Ecowas Bank to your designate bank account to avoid confiscation.

For more understanding we need to see in person to build the trust our selves before we can proceed as i will also need to know you in person,In this case i will like you to appear in person here in Togo,so that we can apply to the bank physically for the claim and release of this fund to your designate bank account as the next of kin hence every vital documents needed to back you up in any breach of law as the beneficiary to the deposited fund is down,what i mean all the relevant documents is down here in my office which will be the must important in this transaction,so indicate your fully intrest by coming over here in Togo to have every thing done psysically

I am a Barrister and I came from a well known and respected family as the Secretary to Togo Bar Association i have a lot of reputation to maintained.You need not to worry of Visa because my country you do not need to come to my country with Visa. All that is needed is my invitation letter.Again, i want to advice you to confide in me, in case you have any question or enquiry or information do let me know first before going to the bank to avoid future misunderstanding/mistakes.

Therefore, on receipt of your positive response, we shall then discuss it the more about this claim and the retransfer. All I require from you is your honest cooperation to enable us see this transaction through. I guarantee that this will be executed under legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. Please get in touch with me through the above email for more details.

Best regard.
Barrister Isa Sani.
Please for security reasons don't contact me from this email box but contact me at my private email
( barrisasani@rediffmail.com )

OPEC and the Fall of CO2 emissions.

Let me preface this that I am a capitalist!

Here is a perfect example of the MARKET doing a great job. Good job consumers! 

So... oil prices have been high. The economic situations in many countries looks grim, and to top it off, there has been a huge surge towards efficiency. Now if you throw all of these factors together you will see a significant drop in consumption. Drivers in America have driven LESS miles (almost 9 billion less miles) in march alone than the year before, and overall, the end of the year may see a 5% REDUCTION in total miles driven -- the first time in nearly two decades that there has been a decrease (http://blog.rollinsfinancial.com/2008/07/gasoline-consumption-miles-driven-drops.html). Now even though places like China, and India are INCREASING consumption overall has decreased on a global scale. Of course supply still has not caught up to demand, but inventories are getting very full (there is great demand for oil in poor remote places for example, but no way to get the oil there, therefore inventories can be full, yet still not hitting demand). This has forced OPEC to cut their global production. 

This will probably level out the collapsing oil prices, and therefore gasoline will be more expensive, but the overall outcome will be a win for people worried about CO2 emissions. 

Think of it this way. And lets run some numbers. 

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/opec-cut-production-15-million/story.aspx?guid=%7B6F142BD4-9B32-449E-A948-DD31F5D9E622%7D&dist=msr_17

OPEC will cut 1.5 Million barrels of oil a day. Thanks to our good friends at

http://numero57.net/?p=255

They have done some simple calculations to figure out the minimum emissions of a barrel of oil (not all oil is created equal, in fact there is a large discrepancy as to the quality, and type of oil), and the MINIMUM emissions are 317 kg of CO2 per barrel (check out the site to get the full rundown). 

Now, there will be 1.5 million barrels less that are "produced" aka, sucked outta' the ground. 

That means that 317 * 1.5 million = 475 million kg of CO2 

365 days a year * 475 million kg = 173,557 million kg, or 173 BILLION kg of CO2 that will not be in atmosphere. 

So, atta' boy capitalism for helping ease global warming. The power is in the hands of the consumer, especially the American consumer. So good job you. Lets get some wind turbines up.

Thanks,

Guthrie

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!

Let me preface this by stating that I am fairly "left" leaning. However, I recently heard a great argument.

It goes as follows.

Here -- are pictures of hurricane Ike, and the recent train crash in LA. 

Now, both of these calamities occurred simply due to bad luck. A hurricane (which, I suppose one could blame on global warming heating the oceans, making stronger hurricanes, fine, but thats still a stretch), and someone texting while driving a train. Both were tragic, and claimed lives, and caused a vast amount of damage. The nation was sad for a few days (in the case of the LA train), while hurricane Ike is long forgotten.  Now look at those pictures... and imagine if I had told you those were terrorist attacks. All of a sudden the situation changes. If that kind of calamity happened here in the US... a quazi breakdown of the constiution (which already has been weakened since 9/11), and broad authority towards the police systems and military would be granted. Habius Corpus was already taken away under the bush administration... can you imagine what would happen in the name of national security after another terrorist attack?

And here is the point. If there was a terrorist attack in the United States when our founding fathers were still around, it would STRENGTHEN their resolve to keep the rights of the citizens. Obviously some common sense safety procedures can be put in place... like making sure people don't have guns on airplanes. Ok, that makes sense. Or making sources of U 235, plutonium, other highly radioactive metals hard to obtain. We don't want anyone getting their hands on weapons grade material. Yes. But to take away the FREEDOM of american citizens, and remove their rights is about the most unamerican thing I can think of. 

When Britain was experiencing terrorism in the 1970's and 1980's (especially in Ireland), they didn't rip up their "constitution" (I say so with quotes because they don't have a document document, but a bunch of laws that make up the majority of -- just never mind), they held the rights of their citizens in a higher light. 

The "illusion" of security is one of the silliest, yet dangerous, forces in the United States at the moment. Every year 40,000 people die in car accidents. We don't have a "war on cars". We don't invade GM and Ford. We understand that shit happens, but we really can't do anything about it except to discourage drunk driving, and improve auto safety. You cannot AVOID a car accident if you drive all the time. Sometimes shit happens. And America accepts that even faced with the daunting evidence that 40,000 die every year. Yet, almost 4000 American's died on 9/11. Tragic. Horrible. I'm not diminishing the horror of it... yet while the death of 40,000 Americans in cars causes not so much as a blink... the death of 4000 allows for wiretapping US citizens, no habius corpus, broad executive powers, 2 trillion dollars in security spending... ect. ect... What would happen if we spent 2 trillion in making a safer car? We'd save a lot more lives. 

So. There is a clear choice. The great phrase comes to mind... which is Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death. Famous words. And they make a LOT of sense here today. I'd rather have my risk of death increase by .000001% than have my rights taken away. Safety is an illusion, rights are not. Keep that in mind, and next time a calamity occurs, because everyone knows that one day it will... i hope that we understand what is really important in this world.

Thanks,

Guthrie

I'm famous! It blows my mind.

Let me Preface this by stating that I don't make videos to put on Youtube.... I use it as a "cloud computing" backup.

BUT, that being said... I think I should start putting videos on youtube, and see if I can't get a following. Let me tell you my story...

So throughout the last few years, I have found it nice to record video from my Canon SD 700 Camera. Sometimes pictures just don't cut it, for example, when we taped some teachers to a wall... I could have just taken some pictures, but a video truly captures the essence of the moment. Another prime example are concerts. The lighting is too dark for a good picture, and who wants to be the dude who just sits around and takes pictures... not me... So I like taking video footage of concerts. 

So afterwards... I've been posting my videos on youtube. Well... As it turns out, the buyout of youtube.com by Google Co. has provided some good news for us -- the end consumer. Google has combined the stastical systems already in place to each user. This service is called YouTube "Insight" gives hosters the ability to track their popularity, view count, and most interesting to me, the geographical locations that are watching their videos (or just one video) the most. For example... I never would have guessed, but a decent portion of my views (perhaps 5%) come from Sweden. Also interestingly enough, about all of those views come from a few of my Obama videos. Sure enough... with some handy google searching I discovered the answer -- a Swedish website that hosts videos has my videos uploaded to it, and embedded into the HTML. SWEET!

What is equally interesting is the global spread. Sure the Middle East doesn't have very many views... but there have been three views from Saudi Arabia of my videos, which, while small, still boggles my mind. There are actually few countries in the world that DON'T have at least one view. Moldovia happens to be lacking, as well as Turkmenistan. Oh well... I'll survive. 

Even within the United States, my viewership is quite spread. Of course I do poll heavily in Wisconsin, but the second largest state is California, which, at one point, posted over 30 views of my video's in one day. That kind of RAW power excites me. The ability to connect to so many people -- without even trying to -- amazes and bewilders me. Of course my blog hasn't been as lucky. While, yes, the counter did get reset, and therefore I probably am at 2000 views, I doubt many are "fans" and even less "read" what I write. Still... blogging and posting videos on youtube fulfill a higher purpose -- the storage of human events, and experiences. The simple fact that for the rest of time (or at least until shit really hits the fan), my goofyish expression as I flip on a megaphone in the library can be seen by anthropologists 200 years from now as evidence of a free and open culture, unlike that which the oppressive robot regime opparates under. 

So when I grow old... my children can go and watch me do stupid stuff. It'll be fun! 

Also... best of luck to Dylan, I just learned of what happened today, and its really sad. Really sad. You've got my heart buddy. Good luck! Make sure you let who you love know it. You never know what can happen.

Thanks,

Guthrie

Trombone Shorty and the Kickass Show

Let me preface this by stating that I saw Trombone Shorty last year, and it was great then.

It was just as good this year. 

The first show I ever went to on the terrace was on Sept. 3, a few of us from my dorm, geeks as we were, decided to go to a movie at the Memorial Union. Well, being stupid, we couldn't find the theater (The movie was probably at Union South or Something...) but there was this band just getting on stage. So we went down and stood in front. Well, all of a sudden, it was three hours later, and we are all sweating from dancing so hard. About 300 people were basically moshing on the terrace, and it was the perfect mix of jazz, rock, and kickassness. They play an amazing show.

Trombone Shorty hails from New Orleans, and packs a killer punch of a band. TS on himself plays trumpet and trombone, and raps, and dances, and basically runs the show. He can circular breathe. 'Nough Said. Amazing horn player.

So unfortunatly it wasn't put on the by the WUD music committee so it was geared in the same mode of shows that are not for students as much as the general public. AKA, tickets aren't free. Sadly, the crowd was most mostly people over 30, so the chance for a "kickazz rave" probably wasn't as high as I would have hoped. The other problem was that there wasn't really room for a mosh pit up front. I was seriously worried that they would do more of a "toned down show". Which I suppose it was because he didn't rap to much. THAT SAID... they walk on stage and he goes --"everybody on yo' feet!" and then there was just a wall of sound via the horns and guitar, and it was go time -- all those old foggies got on their feet! 

It was a great show. They people are all amazingly talented. The solo's were perfect, because they all had the jazz background, so they can be rocking out playing 'basket case' by green day, and yet slip into a modal thing, and then play outside for a cool sound. Plus... they all know New Orleans, so their syncipation was just killer. It always "popped". Only thing that was kinda missing were some keys, but I can't blame them, their guitarist was laying down some sick funky guitar. The best touch I felt was the conga player. You couldn't hear him as much, but it made the percussion section sound fresh all of the time. The bari sax player was also a nice addition. Being able to lay down that "duh bap beeuuuwww" was just what the doctor ordered. The bass player played a 12 string, and provided what turned out to be an amazing rythum section. 

So I danced along with this couple that had seen them in New Orleans! Apparently after that show TS told the guy that he had "Never seen anyone so sweaty". So they were having a great time -- and so was I.

The last song they played was "When the Saints come marching in", and boy, did they ever kick it up. So, the couple start dancing around through the isles, and I go right along with them. TS tells us to all come up on stage, so we do, we climb up, and start dancing the fuck off! About 3o or 40 people follow us, and for the last five minutes we all got to dance and dance and dance on stage. It was crazy!

Youtube videos will be forthcoming asap!!

Thanks,

Guthrie

Rebecca Walker

Let me Preface this by stating that I am a member of the Distinguished Lecture Series Committee, and we work hard to bring thoughtful, amazing, captivating speakers to campus. 

So tonight I was fortunate enough to attend Rebecca Walkers' lecture. It was amazing, so inspirational. She talked about herself, being a daughter of a Jew and an African American, and how we can... as humans... rise to a more open framework. Race, obviously, does not exist from a biological perspective, all humans share the same species of Homo-sapian-sapian. There are no species, like dog... there are golden retrievers, and german shepards, and THOSE are different, but all humans are the same. We are awesome. So, once you subtract that, you are forced to come to terms with the fact that humans naturally make dividing lines based on class... race... gender... zodiac sign even, the list goes on and on.

So what can you do about it? Well... In any situation, if you can detach yourself from the past, then you can make the future more open, and allow for a greater array of options. The past just brings up tension, and if you try to set policy, and have a discussion based on HISTORY, the result can only be the negativity that comes with it. What you plant is what you grow. 

She was easily one of the best speakers I've ever seen and easily one of the most profound. I really enjoyed myself, and the dinner before hand. 

Everyone should do something they usually wouldn't. Like fast for a day, or eat brisket, or participate in some forum you know nothing about. Listen to the This American Life podcast about the Iraq war vet suffering from PTSD, who joined The Muslim student association to overcome his fears. 

Everyone should go to more DLS events. Seriously. They can change your life. 

Thanks,

Guthrie

My life... blah blah blah.

Yo yo, I'd like to preface this post by stating that I am going to hopefully keep on top of my blog posts now. I'd like to become a bit more regular, and no fiberx is not going to fix it. 

In this issue, I'd like to talk about the financial "crisis". Economics has really opened up my eyes because there is NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT! Thats right... you heard me. Stop running down to the basement with thousands of cans of peaches and ramen, stocking up on AA's, and getting box of 10 million condoms off of ebay. Nay! Belay that! You see... Economics is fun, because it is a zero sum game. It's that simple. There is money in the world. Wow. Big surprise. However, no matter what you do, those goods still have value. Obviously the 777 point drop in the DJI today was enough to wipe out several hundred billion dollars in value, but still, that isn't anything. See, no matter what happens in the economy, no matter how bad it gets... The economy will grow at the rate. 

Of course there are several key assumptions I make. The first is that there is a level of trust, especially in the financial markets. Since the great depression the financial system has been really stable. Even with banks falling apart all the time, no one who has their money in the bank is rushing the bank to get it out before it "disappears". Of course once congress passes the 700 billion dollar economic bolster-er, life will be hunky dory. Trust me, the US government will pass that bill, firmly cementing the US as a great socialist nation. True. 

Anyways, even with all the instability, the economy is still really really stable. My second assumption is that there will be an increase in technological advancements. I think that is a given. 

With those two assumptions, you can be sure that in a few years after the recession hits, the US will rebound with vigor not seen since the 60's. Its called the economic cycle. So just rest easy, and be like me -- get a job in 4 years when the market is on the upswing. Ha. Score one for me...

So go out, and live life, spend lots of money. You'll get it all back in three years, I promise. Hopefully I'll be writing more and more. Enjoy fans!

Thanks,

Guthrie

About Me

Let me Preface this by stating that prior to this blog post... I have been talking about issues that concern me, and yet, I have not talked about myself yet.

I shall attempt to delve a little deeper into my soul. Perhaps ya'll will understand me better. 

First! Summer has started! I won't lie. It hasn't been exactly grand. I have applied to every employer under the sun, and while, I won't lie, I have had some good progress, I don't exactly have a job, per say, yet. YET! I still have some desperate choices yet, which I don't want to work at, but I suppose if the fates fall in that direction, so be it. I would really love to get a job at Starbucks, I think I am a very good fit, and voila! I have my second job interview next week. 

That will quickly change. I begin summer classes in two days, and I won't lie, I am very excited. Regardless of what the "stereotypes" of students are, I actually enjoy learning. Its twofold. First, many topics interest me, and so if I can learn about them, that is a "fun" activity. Secondly, it allows me to throw my mind at something, and I can have solid results. When you are in college, one rarely has time, nor the opportunity to say, dig a ditch. Well, if you dig a ditch, you can look back on it, and say "I made this. This is Mine." I am always looking for... results, for an outcome, for... progress. That says quite a lot about both my outlook on life, as well as why I'm such a damn good economist. Ha!

I am sorry I haven't written in a while, but I promise, that will change. I know my reader base is small, but if I can connect even with one other person, this blog is successful. 

I recently watched a speech by a speaker at TED. The TED conference is amazing. 1000 of the smartest people ON EARTH with the best ideas give speeches to each other, and hopefully, collaborate, and share ideas. I strongly recommend that you all go out and go to iTunes, and select the "TED Video Podcast". Find it, and watch all of them. Seriously, every speech is like the best idea you've ever heard. Just amazing people. Like Al Gore. Lol... 

However, I just watched a speech given by this blogger, and she runs her own little company, and she talked about the future of blogging, and the windows it opens. I won't get into the "nitty gritty" of it all, ask me later if you like, but lets just say it inspired me to write more often. 

Now to the main attraction.

I would like to talk about my soul. Not my... life philosophy, perhaps some other time, but just my spirit. Of course by soul and spirit, I mean, who AM I? If I ask someone to describe me, what would they say? How can "I" be described? My name is Guthrie. I am 5'7", weight 150 pounds, am gorgeous, and modest. But yet... Is there a "Unified Theory"? Many scientists have worked for most of their lives searching for a Unified Theory, or one theory that encompasses ALL of the rules of the Universe. Some formula that can explain gravity, magnetism, the sun, our three dimensions we can change, the dimension we can't, and all the dimensions we are not aware of. All rolled up into a big stogy and served up on a silver platter. 

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have a theory. Of course, I am not static like the Universe, so I can only say how I am, "at this moment". I have used this description for perhaps 7 or 8 months now, so it is a solid choice. Here it is.

If you take my soul, and spilt it in two parts, this is what you would have. The first, is the character of Juno (in the beginning of the movie before she pops the kid out). The youth, brains, dismissiveness, and humor is me. Or at least half of me. That is pretty straightforward for anyone who as seen the movie. Prior to seeing the movie, I didn't know know how to describe that side of me, so props to Emily for getting me to see it. Thanks Stupid. 

So what is the other half? I'll tell you. Actually... Aretha Franklin can tell you. Go out. Buy "Amazing Grace - The Complete Recordings" by Aretha Franklin. This is soul. This is gospel. This is a Hammond B-3 Electric Organ. This is a Leslie Amp. This is groove. P-H-A-T. In the CD, Aretha records a full church session, live. She of course got her start in the Baptist Church. She was the daughter of a Minister. Its live. And THE best CD I've ever bought. Or listened too. It is the epitome of the other half of my soul. The two are bridged by several similarities, a fighting never dying spirit, and music.  It is an interesting combination, but throw in a dash of a quest for knowledge, and you can understand me at a deeply fundamental level.  

Am I good or what? I offer my soul for $22.95, and three hours of joy. Pretty damn good package if you ask me. 

So thanks friends, hopefully I'll write soon. This was personal, lol, but not that personal. You might actually have to hang with me to understand ;-)

Love life!

Thanks,

Guthrie

My Findings on Led Zeppelin

Let me preface this by stating that in a prior post, I had decided to listen to Led Zeppelin fresh. I came in with a brand baby new perspective, and I wanted to see if my observations matched their "popular songs". Obviously some songs I had heard before, such as Stairway to Heaven, its hard to go through life without hearing it. Regardless... Here are my findings.

My favorite CD (out of the first IV), was Led Zeppelin III. I'm not exactly sure what on that album sold me, but they seemed to play very well together. I think an aspect that I did not like on some of their songs on II was to just sit on one chord, for like 20 seconds. OK, thats a very 70's thing to do, but still, I am not a big fan of that. 

So how orginial are they? Eh... I know for Rock they are, absolutly, but quite honestly, they were playing the blues, I mean, Blues musicians really had their heyday in the 50's. So while their sound is definetly awesome for part of it, I must admit, some of their songs are just BB King-esque. 

However, lemme put a HUGE disclaimer on that above statement. The first song on their first CD, Good Times Bad Times, has THE perfect guitar sound. The first 15 seconds are the most perfect sounding guitar in the history of rock and roll. Perhaps it is because rock and roll tries to sound like Led Zeppelin. Maybe it's the paper in oil capacitors that you can't find anymore in their guitars. The low 3rd Jimmy Page hits (the lowest note of his passage in the riff) with that touch of vibrato is perfect. I'd call it a "Yo-Yo Ma Note" (Yo-Yo Ma once said that on the Tonight show, he actually p

layed a piece perfectly, in his head, there was nothing he wanted to sound better).  That note will resinate in your soul, and I'll go so far as to say that is the most important note in rock and roll history. I think that note hooked the first listening to Led Zeppelin. If it wasn't for that note, I'm not sure music would be the same!

Other CD's that are great... The second half of Led Zeppelin IV. The first half is, eh... So so... Shwaaya shwaaya. But starting with the second half of Stairway To Heaven, the CD really starts to shine. Misty Mountain Hop is a personal favorite of mine, as well as When the Levee Breaks. Perhaps their "grooviest" song, its damn catchy. Other favorite songs of mine... Immigrant song, Friends, OUt on the Tiles (which is really just Good Times Bad Times), and Ramble On. I'm not sure if these are their greatest hits, so now, I'm going to find out the most famous Led Zeppelin songs. Drumroll please!

-----

Ok, so my song choices do not exactly line up with their most popular songs! Obviously some of them do, but as far as the singles they released, we don't quite line up.

My overall impression? They are a really tight band. Obviously they spun off an entire sound, to more or less sound like them. However, they did not move in crazy directions like the Beatles had, in fact its pretty clear that the Beatles had a much more diverse sound, many of their songs have different sounds. It is fairly difficult. Led Zeppelin did more to influence how bands are set up, via their instrumentation, and their vocals. The Beatles still utilized the more "barbershop quartet" sound, and personally, their arrangments via chord progressions are much more in depth, and I would say more beautiful. Thats why you see the beatles "covered" by Jazz Artists, there is more leeway for improvisation. 

This was a fun experiment. If you don't have the Beatles or Led Zeppelin, get them. Duh...

Thanks,

Guthrie

Has Madison Lost Its Mojo?

Let me preface this by stating that I do not condone "illegal and illicit behavior". However, for some reason (which I will not delve into in this post), certain laws are not followed. Driving over the speed limit, J-walking, underage sex, and of course underage drinking are activities that the police mostly turn a blind eye to. The benefits of cracking down do not outweigh the enforcement. Fine. My question (which will be answered) is if people at Mifflin were not causing a problem, why were more arrests made, and not just more... Drastically more.

For my non-Madison friends, allow me to break this down baby style. In the year 1969, a group of students located on Madison's famous "Mifflin Street" decided to hold a war protest against the Vietnam War. This one time event ballooned into a yearly block party to celebrate student advocacy. Of course, knowing Madison's fine tradition, this turned into a riot in 1996. After the riot, the "advocacy" part of the party was ditched to quell crowds, and the p

arty turned into a good time centered around hearing bands, and drinking beer. 

Humm... So if people aren't causing trouble anymore, why have arrests skyrocketed? The Badger Herald says:

Between 5,000 and 10,000 people attended the party in 2002, but police made only two arrests. That number increased to seven arrests in 2003, and then ballooned to 190 arrests in 2004, 225 arrests in 2005, 263 arrests in 2006 and 366 last year. Police estimates for attendance, meanwhile, have trended downward since 2003.

This year, arrests have topped 400, and the Police had this to say about the party this year -- "they (the partiers) were mostly well behaved."

Huh. Really? That makes perfect sense, a well behaved crowd, lets make a ton of arrests. Why would that happen? There are three reasons.

First, "no tolerance policy". I personally saw a man sipping his beer, and talking with friends. He was relaxed, and not acting belligerent whatsoever. His phone rang, he dug in his pocket and took it out to talk to a friend. The crowd was loud so he turned away towards the street. In taking a half a step, his foot was on the other side of the sidewalk. Within seconds three cops quickly pulled him into the street, arrested him (handcuffs and everything), and led him to the large unmarked black van which would take him to the courthouse where he would sit for the next couple hours.  He was not arrested for underage drinking, he was not breathilized, no, he had an open container of beer on the street. That's a $172 fine. 

Second, the reason that they have to make a large number of arrests? Simple economics. They hired a MASSIVE amount of police, and in order to pay all the police for their hours, and for the horses (common was that necessary?)/cameras/riot gear, etc... in order to pay for the extra cost, they'll just make it up with fines. Arrest enough people and you'll break even. So. Let me get this straight. The city imposes a mass mulitude of police upon a block party that is sponcered by the block (the police are not ASKED to show up, the city DECIDES). I would imagine most residents would even go so far as to suggest that city police are not needed. The costs to the city are a lot, so they make it up by fucking over the students, and making them pay enough tickets to cover the cost of the ever rising number of police. More tickets means they need more police, more police warrents more tickets...etc...

It is much more feasible for the people themselves to pay for rented cops to deter theft, and use the massive amount of money wasted on what I would call "mostly useless" police. I saw one person get arrested that should have gotten arrested. There is a horrible double standard that was set at Mifflin. 

So... That leads us to our final reason and question. Why more police? Because the city of Madison (and the University administration!) have decided to "kill" the fun in Madison. All the fun, all the spunk, all the randomness, and all the tradition is to completely be killed. Madison Police Lt. Joe Balles was quoted as saying, "Quite frankly, we wish this event would go away." Look what has happened to Halloween. Over 100,000 people used to show up. They decided to kill it. It is now gated, and you have to PAY to get onto a public street that they make fun. It is sponsored by Mountain Dew. People are making money OFF of students. Again. $7 to get onto State Street. I will not be going next year. 

This new "Freakfest" has been proclaimed a "success". Right... After two years of the new system attendance has fallen from 100,000 to 20,000, and next year I would not be surprised if that number dropped to 10-15k. Now the city is calling to get a sponsor for Mifflin. It would turn into "Freakfest". Whoever would be supplying the money would make sure that it was done their way, or they wouldn't sponsor. It completely cuts the students out of their own block party. It gives some company a shit-ton of money. Can you imagine the irony of it? Its really a Vietnam War protest... brought to you by Coca-Cola. Brilliant. 

But this is only the beginning! All across the board student freedoms that were granted and accepted are slowly being curtailed. Examples? WUD Music Concerts now have security. Madison PD can have cops at any show (and of course they only happen to show up to shows that would draw a crowd with a browner hue... I am not someone to disparage the cops, but I've seen some very racist choices, it kinda sickens me). Anyone in WUD music can go on and on about the crackdown. Carrots are no longer thrown at football games, carrots and marshmallows were thrown at every football game until the 1990's. Now you can't bring anything into the game, and I've seen a guy throw a carrot, then get arrested, and kicked out, and slapped with a $300 fine. Give it another year or two, and the playing of "swingtown" will die as well. Along with the fuck you eat shit cheer, Mifflin with die, Halloween will be killed, and all the creativity that goes with it, aka, an independent student body, will eventually just become normal. 

It now is spreading towards student orgs. WISRPEG, a MASSIVE org on madison who does nothing but good has, in effect, been canceled by the Administration. 

How do we fight this? We stop believing that there is not a "us vs. them" that the University always tells the students. We are working for YOUR benefit. That is bullshit. I'm glad you work for students by going against their wishes. 

How will it stop? Take it to the Mattresses. I want to see some protests, and some real student activism. 40 years ago everyone came to Memorial Union, smoked pot, and yelled at Nixon on TV. No one goes to the Union as a first choice anymore. People have private parties, why? Because that sense of fun is gone. Its horrible. 

So do your part, lets make a change. As the Kaiser Cheifs say... "I predict a riot."

Thanks,

Guthrie

Credit Crunch Fucks Over College Kids

Let me preface this by stating that I will not heavily be personally hit financially by the recent credit crunch.

For those of you who for some reason were in Burma, (or the state formally known as Burma), or Peru, or Stallengrad, and therefore unable to get to any news whatsoever, let me break down how shit it the fan. The housing market had been booming, for years. Just up and up. It was obviously a bubble. Of course, large mortgage agencies thought that they could make a killing in high risk loans, also known as "sub-prime" loans. So while the housing market kept flying high, these short turnover, high risk loans were paying off. BUT, the bubble burst, and housing prices started falling. All of a sudden, the people paying back these loans went into default, and all of a sudden banks like JP Morgan Chase, or Bear Sterns, which got hit with losses skyrocketing into the billions. 

What is the true fallout? These banks have been offsetting costs onto college kids. I was just in an elevator with a female grad student who has $25,000 of student loans. Her interest rate has been around 5%-6%. All of a sudden, because of the credit crunch, PRIVATE lenders (not public, or government loans, because recent legislation has stopped this with public loans) have been pushing the cost that they are accruing onto student loans. This poor girl's interest jumped from 5%, to over 12%. That is an extra $3000 a year in payments she needs to make. 

It really is not fair. The poor choices by investors, who play with "others" money, will turn into a real cost that much be paid by students.

I cannot believe how little this country cares about its education system. Education takes the tiniest amount of our gdp, when it has allowed us to become a global leader. When Richard Nixon was battling JFK for the Presidency, there was famous debate between the two. And both of them stressed (especially Richard Nixon) that this country must invest in education. Nixon said--

"This is why we are first in the world in science, and first in the world in math. And we plan to move even further ahead."

What happened to this mindset? Nixon got it right. God, I didn't ever think I'd say that... But its true! Our strongest asset in this country is our college education system. Thats it. That is the only thing that keeps the US competitive on a global scale. We don't have more people, we don't have the great economic growth, we have our college system. It is the best in the world, bar none. Which is awesome, but we cannot afford to become passive. We need to increase funding for secondary education by 30%. Instantly. With average monetary increases of 4%-5% per year to offset inflation. Our kids are coming out of non competitive high schools poorly prepared. I know I did. 

We lag behind in 4th grade tests compared to the world, we lag behind in 8th grade, and we lag behind in 12th. Thankfully we get catch up in college. Which is why every child needs to go to college/tech school. We need to double government funding for colleges. Let me tell you why. While the total amount of spending on colleges has not decreased... the cost born by students and private "gifts" has skyrocketed. Students once paid for 17% of the cost here at UW Madison. Thats doubled in the past 20 years, while tuition has increased 7x. The system is only working because of large private "gifts". The government needs to take back lost ground so that if the private sector donations dry up, the school can still remain competitive. 

The world revolves around education, and so we should practice what we preach. Many of the public school systems in states like california are broken. In the School District of San Diago, over 50% of all "teachers" are not certified. They might as well be people off the street. Isn't that horrible? 

So where does the money come from? With state, local, and federal governments all posting negative budgets, where does the money come from? Social programs like Medicare, and the fucking stupid "Drug Prescription Act". God, what a fucking handout to the pharm. companies. Why are we investing multiplicities more into our old people then our youth? Its pretty simple. They have lots of time to sit around. And vote. And write letters for congressmen. Our generation is not being heard. BUT, guess what? We have the largest generation in the HISTORY of America. Thats some fucking power. Our generation makes the baby boomers look like backup infielders on the brewers roster, slim to none. Finally, a Mr. Barack Obama has gotten "young" voters to turn out like never before. 

Young people, I urge you to VOTE! Not because you are going to make a difference, or sway the election, I mean, kind of, but more important, if our generation can prove that yes, we vote, voters will start to PANDER to us, and send us some of their attention. Its for our benefit! 

So vote, get active, bitch about something folks, its the only way change comes about. 

Thanks,

Guthrie

The Time Has Come My Little Friends To Talk Of Many Things... Like Global Warming!

Let me preface this by stating that the time has come my little friends to talk of many things! I am going to break down the story of the Walrus and the Carpenter... All in terms of Global Warming! 

The Walrus and the Carpenter (Or The Corporations and the American People)
Or, The Story of the Curious Oysters (Or the story of the Apathetic Politicians)

The sun was shining on the sea
Shining with all his might
He did his very best to make
The billows (of soot) smooth and bright (like the earth, getting very bright)
And this was odd because it was
The middle of the night (because of the greenhouse gases!)

The Walrus and the Carpenter (or Corporate Greed and the American People!)
Were walking close at hand
The beach was wide 
From side to side (From sea to shining sea)
But much too full of sand (aka, pollution/greenhouse gases) 

"Mr. Walrus," said the Carpenter (The carpenter is the American public)
"My brain begins to perk (The american people have become aware)
We'll sweep this clear in 'alf a year (the problem of efficiency, and pollution) 
If you don't mind the work"

"Work?! The time has come," the Walrus said (The walrus are corporations)
"To talk of other things
Of shoes and ships and sealing wax (we can't hurt business with "green" costs, and also, here are a bunch of consumer goods, buy some walmart crap)
Of cabbages and kings (ahh, of course kings refers to the government, its not corporations' job, is the job of other countries!) 
And why the sea is boiling hot
And whether pigs have wings (because of course global warming only exists as a figment of Al Gore's imagination)
Calloo-Callay (no translation)
No work today!
We're cabbages and kings"

Oh, uh, Oysters, come and walk with us (Oysters are Congress, and our government)
The day is warm and bright
A pleasant walk
A pleasant talk
Would be a sheer delight
Yes, and should we get hungry on the way
We'll stop and, uh, have a bite? (of course buying off politicians) 

But Mother Oyster winked her eye (Mother Oyster... Al Gore!)
And shook her hairy head
She knew too well
This was no time to leave her Oyster bed (don't go with the corporations)
"The sea is nice,
Take my advice
And stay right here," Mum said (stay in congress, and do your job)

Yes, yes, of course, of course, but, uh, ha, ha
The time has come, my little friends
To talk of other things
Of shoes and ships and sealing wax
Of cabbages and kings
And why the sea is boiling hot
And whether pigs have wings, ha ha
Callo-Callay
Come, run away
With cabbages and kings! (and of course congress ran, along with a lot of the american public for a few years) 

Well, now, uh, let me see 
Ah, a loaf of bread is
What we chiefly need! (not a carbon tax... give us money! We'll fix it with technology)
Listen, how 'bout some pepper and salt and vinegar, eh?
Well, yes, yes, splendid idea, ha ha!
Very good, indeed
Now, if your ready, Oysters, dear.
We can begin the feed.
Feed?!

Oh, yes, the time has come, my little friends
To talk of food and things
Of peppercorns and mustard seeds
And other seasonings!
We'll mix 'em all together
In a sauce that's fit for kings (a big sauce of bullshit)
Calloo-Callay
We'll eat today
Like cabbages and kings! (Like China and the other undeveloped polluters!)

I, uh, weep for you. I (hic), oh excuse me
I deeply sympathise
For I've enjoyed your company, oh much more
Than you realize
Little Oysters? Little Oysters?

But answer, there came none
And this was scarcely odd because
They'd been eaten
Every one! (And then it was too late, and global warming couldn't be solved... The chance had passed)

URRRRRRRG!
The time has come!!! (and if you remember, the carpenter goes postal in this scene and runs around after the walrus with a clever). 

Think About It....

So! The time has come American Public... Either you can open your eyes now, and we can work WITH corporations and stop the thoughts of apathy, or we can let corporations get lazy. Lucky for us, that story was the story of about four years ago. Since then, public opinion has been swaying MASSIVELY towards the idea that going "green" is healthy for america from a cost/efficiency standpoint, as well as a national security standpoint. Of course preventing global climate change is always a plus too. 

And now corporations are realizing that they can make a bunch of money by going green. Not only in fuel cost savings, but it helps their public image. So its a win win for corporations. That is why the problem will get solved, I actually have a lot of faith. Many props to Al Gore!

And, you all should join Al at www.wecanlsolveit.org, and join the facebook group We Can Solve The Climate Crisis. 

Thanks,
Guthrie

Led Zeppelin

I'd like to preface this by stating that I have a special opportunity. It is truly one of a kind.

I like music, a lot. My iTunes contains over 5000 hand selected, and lovingly chosen songs. I also have the wonderful luck of understanding music. I know my theory, and understands what it takes to be a "good" band, how tight do they play together, mixing, so on and so forth. So I have a good skill set to evaluate music. Now, despite all of this, there was one band (well, ok, a lot of bands) that I had not gotten yet. I know its a travesty, but I had zero (that is none) Led Zeppelin. I have all the beatles albums, but no LZ. Let me explain why. I was waiting for the right time. I wanted every CD, in its entirety, at a high bit rate. It just took me a while, but I found a good source, and now I have the first four albums (thats I through IV). What does this mean? It means that I have an opportunity to listen to an amazing band with NO predispositions! With a band as famous as Led Zeppelin, everyone knows they're most famous songs, and therefore has a bias towards which songs are "the best". Especially anyone who grew up when they were huge, because then you listened to songs on the radio, and assumed those were the best. 

I will be listening to the songs from start to finish. Here is the real question... What songs will I like best? I am curious to see if my favorite songs line up with those Led Z had the largest commercial success with. This grand experiment will actually be quite useful for myself.

See, I am of the opinion that the RIAA is evil, and more or less is HINDERING music (or in Led Zeppelin's case... Hindenburgering). CD sales are falling, and I am overjoyed. I hope for a day when new indie labels can spring up. However, there is a dissenting point of view that argues that these massive conglomerates who make up the music industry (the Warner Bro's/Sony Music/Virgin/Atlantic...etc) pay the bands tons of money up front. In the end, the band usually makes zero cash, while the label pulls in the $$$$. However, because they can offer up huge cash flows, they let the band "create". At least thats how the counter argument goes. With $2 million in your pocket, all you are supposed to focus on is writing good music. I would argue that all you need is a basement and a couple good mates, maybe an instrument or two. My argument is further strengthened by the fact that high quality recordings are becoming increasingly cheap to set up. The technology is making it easier, and cheeper than ever to make studio sounding recordings literally in your basement. The labels don't have a monopoly on album creation anymore, and therefore band don't NEED them. 

The point is, if the songs that I like do indeed line up with what was a commercial success, it gives a sliver of creditability to the recording industry, that they are out to make music, not money, and don't pick songs or bands based on cash value, but on musical ability. I think thats a crockload of shit, but thats just me. Some would argue pure economics. The band that makes the most money is the "best" band. I'm not quite sold. 

A better story for Led Zeppelin would have been for them to come up from no where, playing in tiny underground clubs in Leeds, only to make it big. This, of course, is not the case. This band was almost put together as a superband by the record labels. Originally, the band was to consist (possibly) of Jimmy Page, The rhythm section of the Who, and Steve Woodwind (at least thats a poorly paraphrased version off of Wikipedia). That superband never did take flight, but the band was defiantly an "industry-in" band. Unlike the Beatles, who (well... at first), were all "local boys".

What scares me about the record industry is the way in which they are very good at "creating" bands. They hand picked the boys for N'sync, and look at the commercial success that they were rewarded with. Had N'sync been some local band somewhere, I doubt they would have ever been signed. Obviously not. None of them can play any instruments, with the slight exception of JT, but even Helen Keller could have learned how to play piano if she would have had the decade that JT had to learn to play something. So the ability of the record industry to get band famous seems like bullshit. This is compounded by the problem that a good manager, and sound technicians and a trillion dollar budget (sadly), can make even a shitty band sound marginally ok. There obviously is a pretty clear line between an OK band and a band of genius, but look at Brittany Spears. Unlike the Backstreet Boys, or N'sync, she can't even sing. Here voice is pretty ~ mostly average. How did a girl like this ever make it big? Well, her CD's actually sound pretty good. Anyone who has listened to Toxic has to admit that it is a pretty good song. What part of it was her and what was the label hiring all the musicians to make the music? I don't know. Its worth thinking about.

I'll be giving this blog a follow up, I'll tell you my favorite Led Zeppelin songs, and we'll look at the top LZ tracks of all time. Until then, go support local music, and see a show. Buy a T-Shirt, or a CD for $10. All the money is going towards feeding them after the show, so its worth it.

Thanks,

Guthrie

Election 2K8

Let me preface this by stating that I am pro-Obama.

Now, that doesn't make me anti-Clinton, or even anti-McCain, I just happen to like Obama more. Perhaps he's the only candidate who is not a baby boomer. Or perhaps I just like to conform, and hopped on the Obama bandwagon like all the other youth. This is, in fact, untrue. I knew I'd vote for Obama after I saw him speak at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Truth be told, I was watching that speech live. It was cool. And then of course I campaigned for him in Iowa (and I'd like to think I won the state for him). 

Point is, I think Obama is a good person. Good people should be president for a whole host of reasons. I mean, look at the new governor of New York! He is blind, and therefore is very very sensitive to those who have less ability to stand up for what they believe in. He'll be a great governor. So... Things have been "battled" out. 

And this is a big problem with me. The media. I mean, things were OK, and the US had decent media back when the news division didn't have to post a profit. Back when Walter Kronkite was dishing out the nightly news, the news divisions were more or less like public television. The companies who ran the news sponsered the news to go and be good, and then they could give good news. Well, as it turned out, people didn't want to see quality journalism, so they made the news departments churn out cash. So whenever a nipple pops out, or anything to grab an audience is flashed all up and down the news channels/newspapers, while higher quality news reporting is falling. 

Our savior? The Patron Saint of the Internet. Seriously, the fact that I can tell Fox and MSNBC to go shove it, and I can go online, and read news from the BBC makes my life. The BBC runs a 24 hour news broadcast in the UK. Guess what? No commercials.... Thats right! Public TV that is quality, and substantial. Of course the UK has a massive tabloid industry, but at least the OPPORTUNITY to watch some quality journalism exists.

So, how does this change election cycles? Well... The last primary was the Texas/Rhode Island. It isn't until far into April that the next Primary happens. So now what? The news stations NEED news, simply because they don't cover a host of international topics. The BBC has a 30 minute broadcast every 12 hours. The pack stories in, and they don't even have panels or commercials to talk about stuff. CNN doesn't cover half those stories, especially if it happens in a country where there are brown people. Regardless... 

The only news they have, is to massively blow up confrontations between Barack Obama, and Hillary. Yowza! So every mild mannered debate turns into some sort of primal boxing match from hell. Obama jabs, Hillary slashes and destroys. Its violent!  And of course the end result is the average voter getting turned off due to the negativity, and constant coverage. Its unhealthy for this democracy. 

But this election cycle is different! For the first time, my generation, this young generation, is turning out to vote in record numbers. Why? Because of Barack Obama. He won the University of Madison by a 75-25 margin. Facebook and Myspace agree... Young people flock to him. And he's gotten a LOT of voters who never would have voted, to come out and vote. And for the democratic party. This is a beautiful chance to change the debate from the issues of the aging baby boomers, and move it to a more relevant, and just as large generation. Medicare, and SS will suck the life out of the federal government in the next 20 years, and the younger people of this country should say, hey! "Politicians don't need to pay attention to old people, we vote too, pay attention to us! Give us money for college."

So as it stands, Obama has won more delegates, more votes, and more states. BUT of course, neither candidate can win. It will come down to some dark back room, filled with cigar smoking bureaucrats; hashing out the future of the country. Sad, but true. These "superdeligates" will choose the next democratic candidate. And what if Hillary wins? What if she has less delagates, less votes, and less states won, but yet, still gets the nomination? I think you are going to find young people leave her campain in droves. That is completly undemocratic. I personally won't vote for Hillary if she wins, not because I think she is a bad candidate, in fact, I think she'd make a fine president, BUT, I don't want to be a part of ANY party that undemocratically selects its candidates. There would be massive protests if Obama didn't win this nomination. I know I'll start a protest here in Madison, lol, insite a riot. For those of you who don't know, I want to be in a riot. It'd be fun. You could tell stories to your grandchildren. I mean, I don't want to get hurt/shot, or hurt anyone else, or start a riot, I just want to be in it. 

So Democratic Party!!! LISTEN TO ME! You will disenfranchise an entire wave of possible new and young democratic voters. If you elect the old candidate, you will disenfranchise all of them, and they won't support you when they get old. And you'll go the way of the Whig party. Watch out.

Thanks,

Guthrie

I blame Mrs. White in the Kitchen with the trans fats...

I’d like to preface this by stating that I am tired of mass produced cafeteria food.

Seriously – I was raised on whatever they called “food” was slopped out at my Public High School. Of course, my School was a K-12, and therefore I had the pleasure of enjoying cafeteria food since kindergarten. I strongly believe that my life is several years shorter because of it. Now, don’t get me wrong, the food was easily of better quality then food at other schools. And I would not want to put down the lovely ladies (yes, all females) who prepared our lunches every day for the past 12 years.

This problem does not have to with the “taste” of food. Any food can be accepted as tasting “good” by the body after time. I point to coffee and broccoli as prime examples. The problem is our food supply. Our eating habits. Our habits of raising food. Our use of chemicals that go above and beyond what is needed. Our dependence on antibiotics.

Let me show you the problem first. Fat asses. 

Yes, once reserved for only a few genetically unlucky, and the occasional lazy child, the number of clinically obese children has SKYROCKETED. I mean, we aren’t talking like a little rise, but a massive epidemic. Between the ages of 12-17, obesity has tripled from 5% in 1984 to 17.1% in 2002. Also between 7-11, that demographic has also doubled, from 7% to 15%. What’s worse is this isn’t even “overweight”, I won’t touch the societal problems of “fat” and what we see as our mental image of hot. That is a whole different picture. This is clinically obese, which is defined as 20% of your body weight composed of fat.

This is going to result in massive problems. Overweight people generally will have more heart attacks, get diabetes, so on and so forth. Aka, the more obese people are, they more EXPENSIVE they will become. This is what scares me. Right now, we have baby boomers retiring, and needing lots of expensive medical care, great! If anyone went to see David Walker, the Comptroller General of the United States, when he came to speak here in Madison (sponsored by the Distinguished Lecture Series Committee), he gave a great talk about how in twenty years, we will have to simply throw all the old people out on the street (not literally, but figuratively), because we have no way to pay for anything close to the cost of our current obligations to Medicare, and Social Security. This is a problem. So… Lets take skyrocketing medical costs, a massive generation of people getting old really fast… and a new generation rising up that will be more expensive then the last. My friends, we have a perfect storm.
Why lord? I ask you for answers! You created mankind, surely obesity was part of your grand master plan, we must overcome! I am waiting for this rhetoric from the religious right. Its coming, oh, trust me. Recently, apparently Christians have finally decided that we are keepers of this world… and therefore must be really eco-friendly? I’m not sure how that came about, but I will gladly embrace the religious right if they want to get on the eco-friendly-low CO2 emissions bandwagon. If they can suddenly become tree huggers, no doubt they will begin to condemn the destruction of “god’s temple” with junk food and watching TV.

HOWEVER! I must strongly state the stereotype for “fat people” just doesn’t match up with reality. Why are children really getting fat? Honestly, I think its easy for old people to blame it on the new “stupid generation” playing video games and eating junk food. That is ridiculously untrue. Have habits changed? Yes, they have and I shall entertain a few reasons why.

First, lack of funding for public schools. This one is pretty simple. Less money for schools mean they cut funding for Phy Ed. programs. Boom, now kids are sitting in class. What’s worse is that if high school athletics ever come around, these kids won’t join, and they never learn how to actually “work” out. It is impressive that children can actually grow up without learning to run.

Safety. 

Yes I said it! Children need DANGEROUS playground equipment. If you grew up, and never broke a bone, can you say you’ve really lived? Well, sure, cause you’re alive, but did you have any fun? Look, when I was a kid, the most fun things to do were the most blatantly dangerous. Kids nowadays are having to make completely safe things unsafe just to get around the fact that every time some kid breaks an arm they yank out ever one of the playground sets

 in the continental 48. That spider web thing where you could climb upside down while playing tag? Great! Of course thats gone… Tackle football on asphalt? Awesome (thanks Andrew

 for killing that fun as well). Children on the playground are horrible. They inflict pain for pleasure, pick on other kids, and more or less do the kinds of things that we would consider horrendous. But we has humans NEED that. It separates the strong from the weak. Here is the great part, the strong who get 

picked on, will rise from the chaos and be stronger people because of it. I know I personally benefited from getting shoved down a snowbank and kicked because I drew a Dallas Cowboy star on my face just because I wanted to rebel against “the norm” of everyone cheering for the Packers. That was in first grade. Of course, I was a rebel then, and I am now, its in my nature. But that taught me a lesson, and made me stronger. Kids are coddled way too much these days. Audiences applaud if they are talented or not, if they tried or not, if they care or not. Kids need to learn failure so they can come to hate it. I’m serious. Why should people somehow think that kids should be told “its not that bad” when they fail. You have to learn hate failure. Of course parents shouldn’t “punish” children for failing, but they shouldn’t reward them either. How about staying out of the fucking way? Let the kid mope around and figure out shit on their own? Forty Billion kids have figured out how to create DNA, replicate it, and transfer it to the opposite sex to create an entire new human being without the help of anyone. I think they can figure out how to solve a conflict as simple as playing football or kickball today.

Last, but defiantly not least is the quality of our food. We rely on antibiotics for everything we eat. Of course eventually a super virus will come around and kill us all, but thats just the maybes', or what ifs. There are real effects that will begin to compound. One is all the shit we pump into our bodies. The recent test of our water supply shows that all the pills we stuff into our bodies are staying in the water supply, which is why all the fish in lake Michigan are female. All the estrogen is swapping the genes. Solid…

Processed food stays around, its harder to digest, your body gets lazy. Autism is skyrocketing. Why? Who knows… As well as diabetes. You consume processed sugars, your body is simply not ready for that. Its not made to handle so many calories so quickly. And people need to touch some bacteria more often. I had strep throat for years. I got scarlet fever and almost died alright? It was living in my tonsils for years. Finally, I got them removed, and stopped being tested positive for it. But let me tell you, having streptococcus in your body for a few years makes your immune system KICK ASS. I haven’t been sick in years. Years. I wasn’t born with that, I was exposed to bacteria, and my body adapted. Don’t disinfect everything unless you really need it (like a baby, or the elderly). Eat some dirt. Its good for you.

And finally, something that gives me hope… Video games, like guitar hero. They are huge. Why? Because it requires you to STAND UP, to move around, to interact, to think, and be social. DDR or Wii boxing will make you sweat! That’s something to be happy about!

Ah! It is spring outside! So nice to walk out in the fresh air! Glorious! Soccer time now! Just remember you know what else happens in spring? People get horny. And just remember… Sex burns calories. Lets all lower the obesity rate! Have a Glorious day!


Thanks,
Guthrie