Roughly… the Truth

A Recommendation…

Bringing to light international issues of the day (ex-Iraq) is often a struggle in todays profit driven news environment. Although, the need is greater now than ever before – with the advent of technologies that have effectively shrunk our planet, it becomes an ever more complicated place to live. That’s why I’m grateful to people like this…

FOREIGN EXCHANGE: Where America Meets the World is a show broadcast on PBS stations and hosted by Fareed Zakaria, the editor of Newsweek International.
I find it endlessly interesting and it consistently broadens my perspectives on a vast myltitude of subjects.

Watch all episodes free online or on your local PBS station.

Here’s the shows trailer:

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Bye, bye Net Neutrality…

From the article: FTC chief warns against ‘unnecessary’ Net rules | Tech News on ZDNet

For proof, look no further than a situation in September in which hundreds of thousands of people who use the popular social-networking site Facebook rebelled against a new feature that some charged was Big Brother-esque, Majoras said. Within days, the site’s founder had quieted some of the fury by giving people the option of turning off the “minifeed,” which shows people whenever someone in their network makes a change to their relationship status, favorite music or other profile information.

An aweful analogy; comparing Facebook to an ISP.

It’s like comparing a car maker with a toll road operator.

Check out the FTC hearings webcast and form your own opinion, but remember, it was a “free market” which produced Hitler’s Nazi party.

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Dont’ count on government to save for your future…

The U.S. government is threatening the financial future of todays youth. Like a group of dis-jointed heroin addicts, our apathetic congress has ignored record budget deficits, America’s spiraling debt and has effectively shunned an entire generation in favor of temporary, quick fixes. This article, Your free financial report card on MSN Money, provides provocative evidence for this thesis. For instance, the future of Social Security, remember that old debate? Liz Pulliam Weston, the author, has compiled some interesting numbers to help you sort through all the political banter surrounding this issue:

The farther out your retirement and the more money you make, the more you may want to discount the estimated benefits on Page 2. (Higher-income workers may see their benefits cut more than lower-income workers, if Congress decides to preserve the safety-net aspect of the retirement system.) What this means:

* If you’re in your 20s, you might not want to include the estimates at all when calculating how much you want to save. If you do include them, figure on getting 25% to 50% of the amounts on Page 2.

* If you’re in your 30s and 40s or make more than six figures annually, you might figure on getting 50% to 75% of the promised benefits.

* In your 50s, figure on receiving 75%.

Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, just not their own numbers.

Liz also explains a very simple and easy way to get a snapshot of personal earnings growth over your entire working life – something the government is actually capable of providing us with. Read this article not only for eye-opening insights into our countries welfare system, but also benefit (or at least find some extra motivation…for you competitive types) by comparing your own finances with others in your demographic. Here’s a sample of the stats for those aged between 60-69:

Net worth by age
60-69 Age
$209,200 Median
$647,200 Top 25%
$1,429,500 Top 10%
5.8% Negative

Enjoy the read and if you’re among the younger generations (you’ve probably heard this before, but) remember, plan your own retirement – don’t be fooled into thinking the government will (or even can) do it for you.

Update (11.07.06):
Another article from the good folks at MSN Money.com to help you see how far behind (or ahead) you are of your peers; Your 20s: See how your wealth measures up

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Here are two excellent documentries I came across today…

Why We Fight – Anatomy of the American War Machine

A quote from the film:

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower (from his Presidential Exit Speech)

The Fog of War – 11 Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara

A Documentary about Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense in the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations, who subsequently became president of the World Bank.
- via Google’s description of the film

“The Fog of War” is my favorite of the two, but either one will get your blood boiling. I also think it’s important to keep perspective when watching these. While both are well done and quite convincing, you should ask yourself what the other side might say given a chance to defend itself.

The Lesson Learned
Capitalism and democracy are uniquely powerful tools. Today, these are under threat from rampant corruption in government, and according to these films, a pervasive problem which threatens the stability of our democratic institutions.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to combat this? What principles of a sound democracy are we not living by?

(via: throwawayyourtv.com)

You can find a list of even more free documentaries here.

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Stephen Covey and David Allen present the replays of two recent video casts to keep you centered and productive…

Here are the links and brief descriptions:

Forbes Live Video Chats | Stephen Covey

Forbes.com Vice President Michael Smith talks with the author of the seminal bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey discusses how those seven habits continue to be relevant in an increasingly interconnected world and the evolution of management techniques.

David Allen Getting Things Done: Time and stress management… how to be more productive and get the most out of your time and life

In this fast paced, information rich hour, David Allen creates a mindmap of the core elements of GTD best practices to increase your productivity. You’ll learn how technology – in particular mindmapping using MindManager software – can be a powerful tool to support at least four of the best practices for Getting Things Done

These two leaders in their respective fields have provided a very useful framework for getting your life in order. If you like what you’ve see, I’d suggest the following books to supplement your interests:

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In the spirit of the last entry, more morbidity, but it might just save your life…

In a snippet from this article on BBC News, they provide some sounds advice:

“The brace position is a position that will offer you the best chance to survive in a crash because it stops you from flying forward and striking the seat or interior in front of you,” says Mr Barth.

“The important thing is to get your upper torso down as much as possible, limiting the ‘jackknife’ effect from impact forces.”

That said, here’s something that should give you a little comfort if your fear of flying goes beyond a lack of understanding aeronautics:

In the US alone, between 1983 and 2000, there were 568 plane crashes. Out of the collective 53,487 people onboard, 51,207 survived.

The article also highlights a television show that premiers tonight:
Horizon: Survivors Guide to Plane Crashes is on BBC Two at 2100 BST on Tuesday 3 October. Watch video highlights at Horizon’s website.

Hopefully you’ll never have to use this information, but at least it should make your next flying experience a less anxiety ridden one.

Happy travels!

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After getting my pants scared off by this article, a search for a Survival Guide yields some great returns…

New Yorkers need to be ready to evacuate: experts | Reuters.com

“You don’t want people in an emergency situation, a life or death situation, to do something for the first time — that’s a recipe for disaster,” said Galea, who is heading a study of the World Trade Center evacuation after the September 11 attacks.

This unsettling reminder of our vulnerabilities has motivated me to try and do a little good. With the fifth aniversary of 9/11 right around the corner, aggregating the best safety preparedness resources from around the web seems like a good idea. Five resources stand out, but many more are out there. So, without further adieu, here they are:

1) Scout’s Honor…A Guide To Safe Scouting
(Sections V.Emergency Preparedness & VI.First Aid are the most helpful)

2) In case King Kong ever shows up again in midtown…Safety Tips from NY State

3) The RAND Corporation researched and compiled this report on Preparing For Chemical, Radiological, Nuclear, and Biological Terrorist Attacks – They’ve also provided a nifty little PDF pocket survival guide…Saying that this would suck does it little justice

4) Kind of random, but some guy who writes the Urbach Newsletter asks, “Are You Ready for the Big One?” – There are some useful checklists and some bothersome product pitches, but all-in-all it’s a nice peice he’s written.

My Favorite:
5) Wikipedia NEEDS us to survive or it would be so lonely and empty – Here are the entries for “Survival Kit” & “Survival Skills”…buyer beware though, you never know who’s putting this stuff out there; could be the bad guys.
(The external links found at the bottoms of these two entries are required reading too; it might just mean the difference between life and death!)

That about wraps it up. Stay safe and if you know of other great resources out there, please share!

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The inconvenient truth of rapid economic growth: Third of China ‘hit by acid rain’

Natural law tells us that for every action we take, there is a consequence…problem is, common sense isn’t always common practice. Just last month the Chinese government and it’s citizen’s were probably most optimistic about their new agenda to offset a brewing environmental catastrophe with a $175bn protection plan – unfortunately, there are cumulative effects from our actions as well.

Emissions of sulphur dioxide – the chemical that causes acid rain – were double the safe level, the report said. In some areas, rainfall was 100% acid rain, it added.

If there’s a silver lining to this, hopefully it will be a renewed push towards alternative, clean energy sources. The industrialized nations have been stoking this fire for decades – only recently it’s helped to create disasters like Hurricane Katrina, global terrorism and an economy which hangs by a thread – unless change is made quickly, I’d hate to see what’s ahead.

I just hope we learn our lesson before it’s too late.

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Get focused answers with thoughtful questions…

“Great things can happen when you ask the right questions.”
- Charlie Rose

In the realm of “questioning,” few stand out. It is an elusive skill for most of us, but one we can always improve upon. Successful (and rare) examples can be found in marketing campaigns, TV interviews and political races.

Question Your Questions
Have you recently noticed any number of painfully irrelevant and/or rambling answers to your questions? If you aswered yes, this may be a clue that you could benefit from some brushing up on these skills. But do not despair, hope is not lost. Here’s one model of excellence that you can learn from and may even enjoy:

Charlie Rose
The Charlie Rose Show – available on most PBS stations – makes for an excellent example of effective questioning. Some of the most interesting people in the world have sat at Charlie’s table. Pay special attention to the adjectives and inflection he uses; it tends to evoke some pretty interesting responses from his guests (similar to yesterday’s Lifehacker article). That said…

Albeit, asking the Dalai Lama (a great episode) what his greatest hope is for the future, may be just a bit more interesting than posting a forum question about fixing your blender (but I suppose brilliance is in the eye of the beholder anyway).

As of today, everyone can access FREE re-runs of the Charlie Rose Show on Google Video – it’s usually $1 per show. I was able to find almost every episode I could think of going back many years!

Inspired by: Lifehacker

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From Beliefnet:

Once, two very old brahmans, both 120 years old, came to see the Buddha. They sat down before him and said:

“We are brahmans, frail and old. We have not done anything noble or even particularly worthwhile. So now there is nothing to reduce our fear of death. Please show us a way to happiness.”

The Buddha said: “Yes, brahmans, you are truly frail and old and now you are full of fear. This world is flooded with old age, sickness, and death. But if you can practice some insight into your deeds, some control over your words, and some contemplation of your thoughts, that will provide you with a refuge and a shelter.

“Your life is nearly over. No one is immune from old age and death. Remembering death and keeping it in your mind, practice performing good deeds that lead to happiness for others. One who perfoms good deeds and is thoughtful will become harmonious in body, speech, and mind. He will find that death is not to be feared but indeed brings happiness.”

-Anguttara NIkaya

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