Book Review: Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Stephen Levitt and Stephen Dubner November 13, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Family, Politics, Society.Tags: book, E, economics, Everything, Freakonomics, review, statistics, Stephen Dubner, Stephen Levitt
add a comment
As the author points out at the beginning of the book, there is no unifying theme to this point. That is true, however, it does not take away from the value of the book. If you like statistics and hearing anecdotal stories about how data can be used to explain real life events, this is a definite read.
The author goes into a wide variety of topics such as investigating teachers cheating, what has caused crime rates to drop since the 1980s, how parents affect the success of their children, and how their names play into that success (or not). Mr. Levitt has an interesting take on how the world works. He uses to mountains of data to explain social and human actions, which is very intriguing for me.
I listened to this book from Audible and despite all the facts and numbers, it was very easy to digest. At the very end he covered a bunch of lists, but the reader (his co-auther) was able to present it in way that was mostly understandable without having to listen to it again. However, that was the only time it was hard to listen to. The audible book was almost seven and half hours and I did not want to put it down.
I look forward to listening to the authors’ next book, Super Freakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance. If it was half as interesting as this one, it will be still a good read.
Movie Review: Escape from Suburbia September 15, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Politics, Society, Technology.Tags: Cap and Trade, city life, Escape from Suburbia, Global Warming, Movie, Peak Oil, review, suburbs, Toyota Highlander, Willit California
add a comment
I watched “Escape from Suburbia” last night. It was a captivating documentary discussing the problem of the impending peak oil crisis. (Although it felt at times the “peak oil” phrase was getting hammered in.) It discusses how the world (and namely the US) uses much more oil than we (the world) are able to find and produce. We are running out of oil. I also mentions global warming and other related problems.
It primary discusses localizing economies to reduce non-renewable fuel usage. I think it is definitely part of the solution, but it is hard to enforce and regulate. One thing I found extremely odd was that is never mentioned the Cap And Trade method. And while this is difficult to enforce as well, but it can be more regulated and monitored. But it has to be an international solution. As one of the examples one person mentioned, Canadians catch Whitefish, ship them to China where they are filleted, packaged and shipped back to Canada for consumption… how ridiculous is that! And I am sure it happens all the time. Under a Cap and Trade regulation, this would be too expensive to do and it would produce more local jobs and reduce oil usage.
Another topic I was very interested in was their discussion of Willit, Ca. They, like many other towns on some level, are trying to implement completely localized economies and energy. They are formalizing this effort and really getting the whole town involved. I wish I had the time to organize this for our area. At the global or even national level, I think politics will prevent us from really making much progress.
This movie also made me really have trouble with buying an SUV that getting less than 25 MPG. We are going to need a larger vehicle and my mid-size sedan gets 30 MPG, but there are no American-made SUVs on the market that can come close to that number. It really makes me think seriously about getting the Highlander Hybrid again. They say it can get upwards of 33 MPG. And while we do not want to buy foreign, a used foreign vehicle would not produce the monetary gains out of the US AND it would be re-using a perfectly good product instead of causing a new vehicle to be produced.
Equality August 1, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Family, Politics, Society.Tags: differences, discrimination, equality, prejudice, Racism, Religion
add a comment
Last night, I finally watch the movie “Milk”. It stars Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, the gay civil rights activist and city supervisor in California. It is based on his life from 1972 and 1978. (He turned 40 in 1972.) Being only six years old at the time, it was a period of history I have no memories, especially of the cultural events during that time. However, I was struck by the parallels to the recent news of Havard professor Gates arrest this past week. Complete discrimination! I don’t understand it. What I was surprised about with the Gates situation is the amount news focused only on the police officers actions, and not those of Gates or the 911 call center… which is where the race was actually brought into the situation. It was not the good neighbor who mentioned race, but the 911 operator.
And as much progress as Harvey Milk was able to accomplish we are still struggling 30 years later… why is gay marriage still an issue? Again, I do not understand. Why is discrimination by anyone, against anyone else okay?…. And now, as I write this, I am watching several episodes of Morgan Spurlock’s 30 Days. These shows are 45 minutes of enlightening insights into various situations of differences. On this DVD was 1) a border patol officer moving in with a family of illegal aliens 2) an American computer programmer who was laid off moved to India to work in a call center and 3) an atheist woman moved into the house of family of devoted Christians.
Spurlock read the results of recent US surveys that found atheists were the single least trusted people in the country, less trusted the Muslims, recent immigants and homosexuals in terms of sharing Americans vision of society. In a country founded to separate church and state, providing people with complete religious freedom and equality to everyone, we are failing miserably. What strikes me most about the episode on religion is the way the devoted family has no recognition of their close-mindedness. They were not open to the possibility that there were other views of spirituality out there… this is how religious wars are started!
I am always interested in how other people see things. However, I do not judge those feelings nor do I care how others feel about mine – except if it results in discrimination. But as I think back, I apparently do. In my post about our next car, I realize now that one of the primary reasons I would not get a foriegn car is the feeling of others looking poorly upon my choice of vehicles. Why is it that in this country, we can not feel comfortable or safe being different?
Addicted to Multi-Tasking May 20, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Family, Fitness, Politics, Society, Technology, Work.Tags: addiction, multi-tasking, podcasts, Running, tracker
add a comment
In the past couple of months, I have come to realize that I am addicted to multi-tasking. In some ways I think this is okay. I certainly accomplish more tasks this way. As I write this, I am watching the American Idol finale with my lovely wife. (Oh, and I am charging my Garmin Forerunner 305.) Today, as I took my lunch break, I listened to music as I ran 45 minutes, carrying hand weights – those 45 minutes complete the activity level for our organization’s Spring into Action wellness initiative as well as keep me in the lead for the overall organization in minutes tracked.
I could go on and on. I workout at home, watching hulu.com. I often do yard work and drive to work, listening to podcasts. At work even, I often have podcasts playing the background, drowning out the sound of the cube-farm I am surrounded by. But as you can guess by the fact that I am putting this out there, I have an element of guilt. I may be getting more done, but is the fact that I am doing two or more things at once a bonus or a detraction?
As the addicted one, I don’t think I can give a fair answer. For me, it depends on reason and things I am combining. For example, I don’t multi-task when I am having dinner with my family or playing with the boys… ok, well, I have to keep Ian occupied as I put away laundry last night…. ultimately, I think it often impossible not to multi-task. There is just too much to get done these days!
Lessons Learned: Flu of 1918, SARS, Avian, Swine May 7, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Politics, Society, Technology.Tags: 1918, Avian, epidemic, Flu, H1N1, H5N1, immunization, Pandemic, podcasts, SARS, Swine, Tamiflu, TED, virus
add a comment
Please read the whole thing before knowing why I think everyone should watch this video… I am of the belief that early on the media blew the H1N1 (Swine flu) virus out of portion. As many people argue, more people (36,000) die in the US from the human influenza then are even coming down with this is H1N1 virus.
However, numbers really mean nothing. What the media seems to be shying away from is the intangible. The real threat of these viruses is what it can become. As is often mentioned is that there is currently no immunization developed specifically for H1N1. Yes, Tamiflu seems to be effective, but who knows against what strains.
Watch this video and learn why it is the future versions of the virus that might have a more dangerous effect on the world… or, if we are lucky, might not!
Talk about foresight… this talk was given at a TED conference in 2007 after rise in concern over the Avian Flu. As much as these sudden and dramatic media blitzes is annoying. I think we all need to be conscience of what is happening around the world. It would be nice if the media could focus on the facts and avoid sound bites that get aired over and over and create more than necessary panic.
A Plan for Electric Cars May 1, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Politics, Society, Technology.Tags: electric cars, gasoline, Global Warming
add a comment
If only it were this simple. It is hard to say if the problems with the auto makers will weaken their lobbying capabilities enough to let this sort of infratstructure be built. There certainly is not enough money in the federal, state and local budgets for this now anyway. But wishful thinking is always grand!
Book Review: “Dreams from My Father” by Barack Obama March 13, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Politics, Society.Tags: Audible, Barack Obama, book review, Dreams of My Father
add a comment
Dreams from My Father
I just finished Barack Obama’s first book, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance this week. We picked it up from Audible.com so I just listened to it during my commutes to and from work. It is only a 35-40 minute drive, so it took the whole week. The book is about seven (7) hours.
Firstly, I think one of things that made this book any good was the fact that he read it himself. His personality and expression comes out so well in his voice. And something I found very interesting was his different voices/ impressionations of the people in his life, mother, grandmother, sisters, cousins, friends. They really came to life with their accents and tone.
Second, I felt the book was a very good insight into how our new President became the man he is today. It is a very down to earth account of his life growing up, from Hawaii to Indonesia and back. It covers his early schooling, college and onto his first job and then his life as a community organizer.
In some areas there are lots of details and you can really see what happened in his life to motivate him to where he has risen. And oddly in some ways, because the count is so open and real, he seems no different than you or I. Of course, as I would expect Obama provides a very self-aware account of his life as a black man with a Kenyan father and Kansas mother.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about our new President, Barack Obama.
Loss of Focus February 25, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Family, Fitness, Politics, Society, Technology.Tags: back pain, Cold Weather, focus, Hobbies, Interests, Life Plan, marathon, photography, podcasts, Weather, Wii Fit
add a comment
I have lost my focus. I have all these thoughts and interests and tasks running through my head. And here I sit, browsing through random WordPress blogs. I see lots of good sites and entries about lots of things I am interested in…. photography, their dogs, their kids, religion (or lack thereof), politics, etc, etc.
And here I sit – days since my last blog entry – still with nothing to say.
I wonder if it is winter blues. I haven’t felt “blueish”. I even had Strep Throat and feel like it didn’t get me that down. I have enjoyed all the snow – but from the inside mostly, due to trying to keep the little warm, dry and healthy. But boy, has this season been cold. We had a couple of warm days a few weeks ago and the forecast has more in sight, but it was 3 degrees yesterday morning. The swing is big though since it is getting into the 40s today.
My back has been bothering me lately – namely the past couple of days. I think it is mostly from the fact that I had a good run of working out last month, but haven’t done anything of significant for the last 2 weeks. The back and hamstrings have gotten super tight. I can say that I managed to do a little Wii Fit two nights ago and got on the treadmill for 20 minutes or so last night. Hopefully I can keep doing one or the other for the next couple of nights.
So, how do I get the focus back? Over the years, I have relinquished the riens to my wife to plan trips and schedules and such. But at this point there are starting to be things I want to get done that I am letting myself not do. I think I need to put together a plan and get to it. I am good with lists and followed my 16-week workout plan to finish my second marathon within 3% of my goal. (And marathon #3 is going to be within this plan.)
So, here it is – day 1 – put together the list of things I want to focus on and if possible dates. I think I will replace my List of Lists page with the “The Plan.”
Why are we so stubborn? A Case for Universal Healthcare February 11, 2009
Posted by shwaldman in Politics, Society.Tags: American, bankruptcy, Civil War, economic, Healthcare, insurance, Obama, policies, Slavery, stubborn
add a comment
In my last post, I talked about how it took Americans sixty years to abolish slavery after it was made illegal in Britain. It was the right thing to do, but why did it take so long and why did it require a Civil War? Obviously, the Civil War had so much to do with agriculture and the industrial conditions in what was still a relatively new system. Compared to European nations, America is still a baby.
And yet, or maybe because of this, it seems like Americans refuse to look at the way things are done in other countries and seem to find their policies deplorable. I am thinking mostly of universal healthcare. This issue seemed so divisive in the last election. And it seems like the our legislature is so wrapped up in big business lobbyists, there is no chance it would come from them. By becoming an federally elected government official, they are guaranteed healthcare for the rest of their lives. And yet all the people who elected them have to fend for themselves.
There is no reason in one of the richest, most sophisticated countries in the world should cause people to go bankrupt because they can not afford basic medical treatments. I am quite surprised that in all this economic stimulus package that is being discussed, there is no revisiting of bankruptcy laws. During the Bush Adminstration, there were some major changes to the laws that did not help the individuals.
President Obama has said all along that he wants to move toward digital medical records and is backing that up by ensuring it is written into these stimulus packages. I think that is the first step in centralizing our system. By requiring our medical institutions to communicate in a common system that allows them to pass patient data back and forth, we can move to a system where the patient is the most important factor. Until we can remove the money hungry health insurance companies out of the picture, we are not taking care of our people.
