Documentary Post 2: Validity of Inside Job

Inside Job makes allegations that are very widespread, far-reaching, and controversial. To place blame for the 2008 economic crisis on anyone is a very lofty assumption and carries a great deal of weight. Because of the highly controversial subject of this documentary there has been a lot of questioning in regards to the accuracy of the claims made in Inside Job. Many economists have found the views to be slighted and narrow and have found that it is incredibly easy to portray wall street as an evil villain as they are the traditional direction to point blame. A major claim that Inside Job puts forth is that the treasury secretary under Ronald Reagan, George H.W Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush; Allan Greenspan, was a chief reason that the government started deregulating and giving into banks. Greenspan certainly was a major contributing factor to the entire banking crisis but one can not pin the entire economic disaster on one individual. Additionally, Inside Job takes direct attacks on derivatives and CDO investments saying that they are completely corrupt in nature and have no added value to markets. Derivatives have shown to be important to banks in providing insurance for investments, of course, they must be properly regulated and that was the major downfall of derivatives in the 2008 crisis. 

Alan Greenspan is perhaps one of the most controversial figures attributed to the banking crises. Due to his direct involvement in government deregulation of the banks and pressure on others to continue to deregulate, many of his actions have been called into question. Greenspan is a very strong libertarian and follows in the footsteps of Ayn Rand. Following his resignation in 2006, Greenspan has actually shown remorse for his actions and has shouldered some of the blame for the crises himself. In an a testimony to a house committee following the crises, Greenspan apologized and stated the following, “Those of us who have looked to the self-interest of lending institutions to protect shareholders’ equity, myself included, are in a state of shocked disbelief,”(nytimes.com). Greenspan claimed that he put a great deal of faith into his own ideologies and thus disregarded the advice of others. Following more pressing from the primarily democratic house committee Greenspan further conceded that he found a flaw in his ideologies and commented, “I don’t know how significant or permanent it is. But I’ve been very distressed by that fact.”(nytimes.com). Following his time in office, Greenspan has spoken on multiple occasions on introducing further restrictions, particular on CDOs and credit default swaps. Whether Greenspan could see the crisis coming and was succumbing to outside pressures like Merrill Lynch, AIG, and Citigroup still remains a question. No doubt, the fact the Greenspan deliberately ignored the advice of others is incredibly concerning and raises many questions that will probably never be answered. One can only hope that other economists have seen the flaws in Greenspan's decisions and keep them in mind with future market regulation. 

 Inside Job portrays derivatives in a particularly negative light. Derivatives allow investors to bank on pretty much anything and invest in any interest. It is a very high risk environment, and because the banks placed a great deal into derivatives, there were incredible losses when the derivatives fell through.   Inside Job plays derivatives into the ground. But studies have actually shown derivatives to be beneficial in multiple shapes in forms (sify.com). It is because of this, that derivatives simply require more regulation to be effective and beneficial. Derivatives are often used as a form of insurance for businesses (businessinsider.com). For example, an airliner might invest in the fuel derivative to earn money in times of rising gas prices(and thus increased cost for their product.). Regulation in other nations has proven to be effective. Inside Job fails to address that derivatives, although highly volatile, have their benefits. The film exposes the failures of the SEC to properly impose any restrictions on derivatives, but goes further to the extent of making it seem like derivatives should be entirely eliminated. It is important to understand that derivatives now are planted in modern economies, and are essential to its proper function. 

Although controversial and flawed in some respects, Inside Job, does a proper job of bringing those who are responsible for the crises into the limelight and exposing the underlying flaws of worldwide economies predating the crises. It is certainly a cautionary tale. With Greenspan himself admitting his ideological flaws, it will be essential that those who believe in deregulation attempt to find a better balance between giving leniency to markets and tightening them up. Whatever economy it may be, humans are inherently greedy and will look for shortcuts. It may seem restrictive on the surface, but regulation is essential to proper functioning of markets and preventing major crises. One cannot also single out derivatives as a major cause of the crisis. For certain, a lack of regulation and rules on derivatives was a contributing factor to the recession, not the derivatives themselves. Hopefully, it has become apparent that regulation in the world of derivatives is important. As humans, mistakes are made often. These mistakes were tremendous in their scale and some of them were infuriating. The only way to make up for those mistakes is to learn from them and create a stable economy for our future. Otherwise, we may be entering into a never ending cycle of "boom and bust", something evident in our government dating back to the 1920s before the depression.

Sources:
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-shermer/inside-job-or-internal-gr_b_790523.html
http://www.sify.com/finance/special-report-in-derivatives-trade-rip-otc-news-equity-lc2o4lgcdcd.html
http://www.businessinsider.com/is-inside-job-accurate-2011-2?op=1
http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2011/04/01/inside-job-reveals-true-crime/
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/business/economy/24panel.html?_r=0

Documentary Post 1: Inside Job

The 2008 economic crisis was one that rocked the world. Every single country in the world plunged into a recession; millions of homes foreclosed over bad mortgages, stocks plummeted, gigantic banks needed bailouts, and unprecedented amounts of individuals went unemployed. How could such a crises happen? Inside Job, narrated by Matt Damon(a Harvard graduate himself), explores the answer to this question. The basic premise of Inside Job is that the crises could have easily been avoided if it weren't for the greed of the banking industry. Inside Job also exposes who the banking industry has infested the government itself leading to dangerous deregulation and more risky lending on CDOs and faulty mortgages. Even more frightening, is that the banking industry has infiltrated economic classes at top universities such as Harvard, with top executives also being professors creating a conflict of interest. Inside Job takes interviews from those who saw the crises coming and also those who caused the mess but fail to realize the true consequences of their foolish actions. It is a documentary that left me astounded, shocked, and outraged.

Inside Job is one of the slickest documentaries I have ever watched, and I have seen many. From the beginning Inside Job seems to bill itself as more of a movie than anything else. The introduction starts out with flying cutover scenes of New York City highlighting the exorbitant lifestyles of New York executives. Of course, the most effective device used in Inside Job was all of the interviews of both the economists that knew that the economy would crash and those of the individuals who caused the crisis and failed to recognize the mess they were creating. Inside Job was very effective at stumping the interviewees who brought upon the crises making them seem incredibly foolish and causing the viewer to even laugh a few times at the ridiculousness. Inside Job also effectively debunks the myth that the economic crises was very complicated to understand and that it could not be avoided. Using flowcharts and diagrams the economic concepts behind the crisis are easily taught and allow the viewer to fully understand the true cause of the crisis and how stupidly simple it is. The documentary also makes full use of b-roll footage to supplement the arguments presented. Many of the footage is from C-SPAN and government hearings on the crisis issue to help portray the problems that the banking industry had created. Inside Job is a documentary that many saw essential to understand the true root causes of the 2008 crises. It is a documentary that would go on to win an Oscar and received great critical acclaim. The documentary was incredibly effective in riling up its audience and will hopefully lead to prevention of repeating mistakes made in the past.

TOW Reflection

 The progression of my TOWs of the course of the year is certainly evident. As a writer I have grew throughout the course and my TOWs show that. The writing style that was utilized in all of my pieces progressed from a more simple syntax and prose to a greater level of sophistication. Looking at the first post I wrote, on a more basic level of analysis. The rhetoric I identified in my pieces was fairly minimal and well-known. As the year progressed, I became more critical of the pieces I read and was able to better dissect the mind of the writer. One thing that I identified as a mistake in my pieces was the repetition of the same word starting all of my sentences. With time, I developed a sense of varying sentence structure and how they were composed. In doing so, my posts became even more sophisticated. This is important and essential for all branches of writing and will be helpful in the future.

Of course, there is still plenty of room for improvement in my posts. I always could use more and more analysis into rhetorical analysis of the pieces I read. Many times I would simply pick and choose some small rhetorical devices that did not have a massive impact on the audience. In doing so, I missed the larger point of the piece and possibly neglected more powerful devices. By reading closer and getting the entire gist of the piece, I would be better able to identify the overarching rhetorical devices; particularly when the author wields syntax, diction, and tone. I saw the TOWs as an experience to better hone my skills in regards to rhetorical devices. By better being able to identify them, I would also learn how to incorporate and integrate them into my own pieces similar to the pieces that I had already read.

The TOW pieces have made me a better rhetorical thinker. Without them, I would be not nearly as adept to the devices as I am today. I firmly believe that this identification had an influence on my own writing as I tried to mimic the sane style and prose of the writers that I had read. The one flaw that I can readily see in the TOWs is that sometimes they were hastily composed. Because of this, I was sometimes not able to derive the full benefit of doing the assignment and because of that TOWs may have seemed like a busywork assignment. If I took more time to sit and analyze the pieces I was reading, I would have benefited even more. All in all though, the TOWS have better developed me as both a critical reader and a writer.

Bashing the NRA: Using a touchy topic to arouse emotion.

The barrage of recent shootings in America has recently dominated public policy debates. Recently President Obama had promised to formulate legislation to enforce background checks on guns which eventually had been shot down. Many are blaming the very powerful NRA lobby for the failure of the bill. It has been argued that the NRA is blind to all of the pain and suffering that has stemmed from the recent gun violence.  In this cartoon the NRA is being portrayed as old and ignorant individuals. The various drawings of the NRA members essentially grab the stereotype of the person. For example, Wayne Lapierre has often been viewed as an angry gun-toting crooney whereas Sarah Palin has a stereotype unique to her own(I'm assuming you can figure out that one. The juxtaposition to the smiling young kids below the cartoons is very striking. This cartoon successfully accomplishes the task of bringing more anger in to the mix against the NRA. If one thing is for sure, the popularity of the NRA is rapidly diminishing. That being said, the NRA continues to be passionate in their endeavors  something that the gun control lobby has seemed to fail to accomplish.  

An interesting comparison: More interfaith marriages than marriages across political party lines

It's obvious; America has been moving in the direction of tolerance and that trend seems that it will only continue. (and we can only hope that it still will.) According to an Op-ed piece in USA Today by Naomi Riley an interesting trend is presented; there are far more interfaith marriages than those that go across party lines in politics. In fact, only 18% of married couples claimed that their other spouse was tied to an opposing political party. Riley presents a host of statistics which expose this underlying divide and also presents an example of a very high-profile marriage of a strong politician; Paul Ryan. She argues that views on religion take a backseat today than those of the views of on domestic political issues. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing; it shows that more and more Americans are aware of politics and actually care about it. Riley splits the piece up into a few different sections making the information presented easier to take in. The progression of the piece starts with the introduction of the statistics and trends, the Paul Ryan example, and her personal views on the issue. This article caused me to think about the different perspectives and the new trends and was an interesting take on how individuals choose the ones they marry.

Article: http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/04/25/red-dates-blue-dates-column/2114133/

Special Post: A personal comment on the Boston Bombings

My Personal Comment on the Boston Bombings
Runners are a different breed, particularly marathon runners. To the vast majority of people; 26 miles seems like an unfathomable distance to run. It takes an immense amount of strength just to have someone convince themselves to run and train for such a distance. For runners, the Boston Marathon is the world series of races. It's hallowed ground. Hearing news of the bombings incited a convulsion of emotions which I have rarely felt. My friends really didn't understand why I could be so upset over something so remote. Eventually, I was forced to go on a run to relieve my feelings. And therein lies the problem; for all runners, running is an entire almost physical part of who they are. Runners all share the same connection. When that connection is interfered with it can be devastating. Surely, this was a tremendous attack on Boston and the American people, but it was also an attack on runners as a whole.

3 years ago, my mother ran in the marathon. For her, it had been a dream for all of her life and in the process it has become my dream as well. For her training, she would run incredible distances upwards of 24 miles(one time she had to run 6 mile laps around the island where our beach house is because it is so small). Every single runner that runs Boston has to qualify; these individuals have dedicated so much to the sport of running. It has been said that if you would like to restore your faith in humanity; go see a marathon. For Boston, the marathon is a holiday: Patriot's Day. Every business and every school in the area of Boston is closed just for the marathon. I can clearly remember the awe-inspiring energy which surrounded the race. For one day; everyone is united, everyone is jubilant, everyone is excited, and everyone cared for one another. I have participated in both the Philly half-marathon and Broad Street Run and although the energy surrounding those races brought out a massive adrenaline rush, nothing compared to Boston. Within an instant, that energy had been sucked away with these bombings.

When I watched my mom come into the finish I stood on Boylston street. To be exact; in Copley Square. Where the first bomb went off, was where I stood 3 years ago. That thought right there had hurt me enough. So many families surrounded me when I watched the marathon that year. As more news came out, more memories came back. I thought for all of the families in that area, waiting for their loved ones to come to the line. And then I imagined those who had ran 26 miles with the line in sight only to have shrapnel propelled at them from a bomb. Sickening, terrifying, and traumatizing, something I will never forget. From this point forward, my runs will never be the same.

It probably could be assumed that the terrorists responsible for this attack wanted to see people in pain and destroy put the nation into a state of grief. Without a doubt, we were knocked down. But as a country, we stand back up even taller. The terrorists chose to target the most resilient and dedicated group of people in the world; runners. President Obama could not have said it better himself;

“This time next year, on the third Monday in April, the world will return to this great American city to run even harder, and to cheer even louder, for the 118th Boston marathon.""Bet on it."

If there was a silver lining to this debacle; the strength of our country was reinforced. We might have our differences, and our government may not be looking too hot, but under it all we are all human. Every run from this point on carries a different purpose for me; to honor those who fell at the bombings. I have complete faith that the running community will be united in their support. In fact, I feel that this tragedy has given more purpose to runners. My obsession with the sport no longer seems like just a hobby, it has become an obligation. Terror never wins, and it certainly will not taint the sport to which I have dedicated my life. I only look forward to see the outpouring of enthusiasm at next year's marathon, and the eventual day when I run my first race in Boston. 

In memory of Krystle Campbell, Lu Lingzi, Martin Richard, and Sean Collier

The Complete U-Turn of Senator Portman

With the upcoming discussion on gay marriage in the supreme court, much controversy has surrounded the topic. It appears that the shift towards marriage equality has occurred very rapidly, and many politicians are jumping their original stance on the issue in support of gay marriage. One such person to jump ship was senator portman. The following cartoon serves to show how this actually ended up happening and states the irony in his situation. Portman has a son who came out to him as gay, and he cites that as the reason for his transition on the stance:

Source: http://www.cagle.com/news/gay-marriage-2013/page/35/#.UVxjaavwK9I

But under it all, Portman is still a conservative who needs to appeal to his conservative platform. The author juxtaposes Portman's stance on "family values" against his son's obvious support of gay marriage. The author makes it a point though to portray Portman as a politician and makes it obvious that politics gets in the way of his situation. The expression on the son is far more enthusiastic, whereas Portman looks like he is almost faking his support of his son. The use of juxtaposition in this cartoon is very strong and effective and works well in explaining the ironic predicament that Portman is in and the contradictions of his stance. 

Innocent, But Paying for The Crime

In a country built off of the belief of innocent until proven guilty, it seems that quite the opposite is happening in a Texas case. In 1988, Ben Spencer was convicted for murder and robbery. Later, it would be concluded that the testimony which had led to his conviction was false. The judge at the time said that his conviction should be overturned. But it was not. Instead, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals said that there must be evidence presented against his conviction in order for an appeal to be considered. In a case where the conviction appears to be unfounded and without evidence, it is quite contradictory to our national belief in "innocent until proven guilty". This NYT article written by Brandi Grissom describes the case of Ben Spencer and calls attention to the ridiculousness of the fact that his case has gone unnoticed and remained dormant. Grissom presents the article in what seems to be a neutral tone, but in doing so still is able to persuade the reader that Spencer deserves justice. Accompanying the article is a picture of a man who is in the distance and covered in darkness. It is used to illustrate the exact spot and distance where Spencer was claimed to be seen committing the act. By including this picture, the reader can really see how unfounded the evidence really is. This picture was essential for the reader to understand the problem that Grissom is describing. If the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has any sense of logic, it is only a matter of time that Grissom is finally exonerated, otherwise our justice system is truly broken.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/us/declared-innocent-in-a-killing-but-still-behind-bars.html?src=recg

The instability of stocks: no longer able to fail?

"Too big too fail", a term which has been used over and over again to describe how banks have developed and been propped up by the government. They have been made failsafe to keep the economy stable. This article from the LA Times by Tom Petruno argues that the same phenomenon is occurring with the typically unstable stock market. The government continues to pump money from the federal reserve into the stock market, thereby making the market "bullish". The author also argues that should the market crash again like it has in the past, there really would not be the same level of economic destruction which has occurred in the past. Petruno presented a great deal of statistics and looked back at trends from the 2009 market crash and also presented numbers which showed the bullish stability of the current market. Although this topic would typically appear to be dull to present, Petruno takes some creative liberties and attempts to say things in a manner which keeps the reader's attention, such as quoting the typical responses of stock brokers when the market falls; "Depression!". This style keeps the reader's attention to a topic which can be boring to present, while at the same time getting his point across. It is interesting to see how the government tries to prevent further economic collapse, especially considering how every fix that our government makes seems to be a small little patch which is eventually bound to fail.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-0303-bull-market-20130303,0,7845800.story

Freakonomics post: Relating Economics/Numbers to Real Life

When looking at statistics and numbers, there is much more tied to them than just the numbers themselves. There is always some reason for the statistics to be the way they are. What Freakonomics sets out to accomplish is to pull the reasoning for each of the statistics and then connect them in a huge web, explaining common phenomena's in society. These explanations always tend to  explain everything from a very odd perspective, one which many people would not see. In the first section, Steven Levitt explains how incentives, a core to economics, can be flawed. One of the strongest examples he presented which resonated with me is teachers and standardized testing. Teachers have cheated just to score better on standardized testing and therefore have done a worse job teaching their students by cutting corners. This example was very relatable to all the readers and therefore made the point on incentives very easy to understand. It also hit home with me, because I have seen many teachers cling to the standards put in place and do a poor job in actually teaching content. By choosing a very relatable example, Levitt is able to convey his point convincingly and effectively. The perspectives that Levitt presents make the reader question daily occurrences, looking at the world differently. This is a very ambitious challenge and I am excited to see how the rest of the book plays out .

A glimpse into a Syrian Tragedy

News desensitizes death. Every single story that comes from the news seems to be something that really isn't too far out of the norm. Every day news is heard about who has been killed in combat, who has been murdered on the street, and which celebrity had left the world either of old age or a tragic ending. It's the daily standard, and because of that we have become accustomed to death occurring often. But what pictures can achieve which text or spoken word cannot, is bring out the true emotions, the unbiased take. This allows the viewer to actually become sensitive to the situation. Syria had been something talked about in the news every day. And although numbers had been attributed to the death count from the tyrannical regime put in place in Syria, one could not really connect those numbers to their own life. This image taken from the Syrian conflict hits every viewer close to home. A child, wounded, in the arms of his father. This is something that not one parent would ever want to have to try to endure. This picture is very relatable to the viewer and creates a very strong connection to the reader without much work at all. The bloody child is the main focus of the picture with the dad weeping over him, it looks as if his world has been turned upside down. This image gives the entire conflict relatable human qualities. No longer are the numbers of the conflict just numbers, they are all human lives and families, everything simply destroyed. Images like these allow readers to further understand tragedy, and put simply, should be a necessity for all stories, so people can better understand what is really happening. 

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/11/best-photos-2012-year-pictures_n_2277480.html#slide=1863854

Wawa vs. Sheetz: Mac vs. PC on the PA convenience store realm

As a Philadelphia suburbanite, Wawa is in my blood. My sister, just cresting the 1 1/2 year old landmark is already chanting "WAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWA". Pressing buttons on the elusive touchscreen and then walking out 2 minutes with a perfectly crafted meatball hoagie is just something you can't find anywhere else. Now that I can drive, I find that my money will be thrown out the window, as I am given full freedom to fulfill my wawa addiction, almost as if it is a drug. One time I had visited West Virginia for a cross country race. I remember seeing an obscure place named "Sheetz", to others who come to the Philadelphia area, this is what it must feel to first see Wawa. Sheetz has its own very strong following, though more based in the western portion of PA, like the Flyers and the Pens have their followers. This article was written by Trip Gabriel of the NYT to explain this rivalry to those who live outside of the battleground for these two convenience stores. For me, it was even an eye opening article, as my world only seemed to revolve around Wawa. Starting off the article, and peppered throughout, Gabriel melds an image of each of the two convenience stores and the clientele which frequent them. Wawa grabs the suburban crowd whereas Sheetz is the rural victor. Gabriel also alluded to Mitt Romney's experience at a Wawa when he was campaigning for President. This put the rivalry on the scale at a national level for the audience to better digest and it established the importance of the rivalry. Gabriel provided a map, with the contrasting colors of red and blue, something which seemed like each was representative of one choosing a political party.  This image helped show the spread that existed between the two popular chains. Spattered throughout the piece was quotes from each of the customers, providing a format which would have been similar to a political debate. By the end of the article I felt as if Gabriel was able to turn this rivalry into a political conflict or election, and I left more educated(and satisfied to hear the recognition of my beloved Wawa) on the two  chains. I have always dreamt of moving to other states(namely on the west coast) when I am older, but as I said when asked what I was going to miss most on my trip to Germany this summer, I will always miss Wawa.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/us/10convenience.html?hp

The Cages of Hong Kong

When many think of the only capitalist portion of China, Hong Kong, people think of a city full of beautiful and modern skyscrapers. But there is a darker side to Hong Kong; the cages. Some 100,000 individuals who are less fortunate than the very wealthy of the city live in 6 X 2 1/2 foot cages for about $200 a month. This article, written by Damian Gayle of the UK publication Daily Mail presents a look inside these homes. In the title Gayle utilizes an allusion to the immense number of Louis Vuitton shops in Hong Kong, even exceeding the number in France. This is shocking because  Louis Vuitton is based in France and is a very expensive luxury shop, you would not expect people to be living in cages in such a place. This article is unique in the fact that it presents a great deal of images rather than text. It allows the pictures to speak for themselves, and creates a more effective influence on my emotions. It was very shocking to see an image like this:

I was prompted to think of dogs in dog cages, and to think that this is an entire persons home is incredibly poignant. The collection of images were very effective in sending a visual portrayal of the homes, its was like I could smell the dirty situation that these people live in on a daily basis. Concluding the passage, Gayle provides a quote from a resident, "Sometimes I am worried a cockroach or lizard will crawl into my ear at night." Although this is a very simple statement, it really does create a further feeling of disgust, the thought of having a cockroach or lizard crawl into my ear is well, very scary and gross. People in the US complain about the widening gap between the rich and the poor, but it certainly could me much worse as evident Hong Kong.  This phenomenon hopefully will never spread to the US.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2084971/Hong-Kongs-cage-homes-Tens-thousands-living-6ft-2ft-rabbit-hutches.html#axzz2JqSFcpGf

TOW Rewrite: Flashback to the Election

America is divided like never before. When facing the threatening fiscal cliff, lawmakers were finally forced to cooperate with one another to prevent the nation from careening into another recession. The 112th congress was ranked as the worst congress to ever be assembled, simply because they were unable to "work across the aisle". As Barack Obama is reelected as the face of the nation, he yearns to bring in bipartisanship and to get things done, especially considering there is much more lee-way with a second, term free of concern for reelection. But there is no way to ensure that this will actually happen, especially with the Republican distaste for Mr.Obama. The following cartoon was created to illustrate the divide still evident following the reelection of Obama and was published immediately following his reelection.  This cartoon was taken from the International Herald Tribune which is the global version of the New York Times, a very popular and credible source for US politics news. The author creates a very stark contrast between the Obama camp and GOP camp. He accomplishes this by juxtaposing the two images of each side. The left side is very celebratory and seems almost patriotic. In general, the sense taken from this image of Obama is one who is very positive and progressive, especially with the woman wearing the "forward" t-shirt, an allusion to Obama's '08 campaign. The GOP looks sinister on the right side of this image(note how the "left" is the liberal democrats, and the "right" is the conservative GOP) and refers to a common stereotype of the wealthy-business oriented GOP with the inclusion of the suitcase. When looking at the contrast between the two sides of the cartoon, the GOP seems very devoid of happiness without the confetti and smiles. It almost seems as if the GOP is shouting back and interrupting Obama rather than simply tacking on the statement, "of gridlock". In doing so, the author successfully creates a negative connotation of the GOP and a more positive connotation of the Obama administration, as if they are the protagonists of a situation marred with greed and failure. Following viewing this cartoon the author creates feelings of more distaste and anger towards the government, particularly towards the GOP. In this author's eyes, the future of our country and its success will be continually halted by the filibustering and political blockades out in place by the GOP, the sore losers. Only time will tell if this holds true, perhaps the 113th congress will surprise every American by lifting the nation back to its previous success.

Concluding a biography and the life of Steve Jobs

I'll admit it, I cried. A lot. When Steve Jobs died last year it was something incredibly painful to come to terms with. Pictures had leaked of an ill Jobs who was on medical leave at the point in time and I simply dismissed them as rumors, nothing legitimate. Many people would probably think I was crazy to be so attached to someone I never met. In fact, people jokingly posted condolences on my Facebook wall. But, in reality, many are attached to honestly less-accomplished individuals such as (ready for it) Justin Bieber.(my head screams at the meer mention of that name) For the greater part of my early teenage years I had looked up to Jobs as an idol of mine, a great innovator and business man. Jobs carried a cult following and to many was an incredibly influential individual. It is hard to imagine a world without the influence of Jobs. Whether it be a Mac(original or current), iPhone, or iPad, nearly every individual owns the device. His influence in the technological realm is simply unparalleled. It is simply fitting to acknowledge how incredible an impact Jobs had on our daily lives. So, for what it is worth; thanks Steve.

Anyway, back to the book. From the onset of the text, I was very interested in seeing how Isaacson would close on Jobs' life. Unlike many other biographies Isaacson had access to Jobs right before his death and was able to pull a great deal of personal intricacies from Jobs' struggle with pancreatic cancer.  I was able to draw my personal connections to the timetable at the end of the text. Isaacson used many flashbacks to where Jobs was shown spending a great deal with his family in the closing chapter in his life. I remember when the original iPhone 4 came out and the antennagate controversy which had surrounded it, amidst all of this Jobs was dealing with cancer and wanted to spend time with his family. He miraculously balanced both, going on a trip to Hawaii, returning back for a press conference, and then rejoining the family again in Hawaii. It exposes a more delicate side to Jobs, even at a time which would often be associated with scared expectations of the oncoming death. But I was not at all disappointed with the ending Isaacson provided. Isaacson said, "Biographers are supposed to have the last word. But this is a biography of Steve Jobs. Even though he did not impose his legendary desire for control on this project, I suspect that I would not be conveying the right feel for him-the way he asserted himself in any situation-if I just shuffled him onto history's stage  without letting him have some last words."(567) Isaacson concludes the text with the thoughts of how Jobs wanted his legacy to appear. It was poignant and provided more insight in those few pages than a whole chapter in Steve Jobs could provide. In the eyes of death, it is incredible what can come out of an individual, it opens them up completely. It brought the story of Jobs full-circle, from the small garage in the orchard fields of the silicon valley to his incredible prowess with which Jobs left the world, it brings up an aire of nostalgia to hear how Jobs described himself and how he wanted people to remember him. When I concluded this book I realized how much I really knew about Jobs, which isn't much. I followed the general assumptions portrayed by the public. It makes you step back and reevaluate how every celebrity is perceived. Maybe there is truly more to them than the public perception. Steve Jobs provided an incredible and unparalleled  window into the life of Jobs. And I would be inclined to read the book again without hesitation.

The United States: A land of incredible variety.

It has always been a dream of mine to explore all 50 states in the US. Many would ask; "Why would you travel to states like North Dakota or Iowa? That must be so boring!". It might be the case, but if you never go, you never know. The beautiful thing(and sometimes something which can prove problems) about the United States is the incredible variety it provides. Meeting someone in rural Wyoming would be incredibly different than an individual living in Chicago. It is the curiosity that meeting those widespread group of locals that drives my quest to meet the locals of each region. This infographic puts a number to each congressional district of the US based on the Gallup well-being index and provides interesting insight to each location and their respective locals. The general trend shown by the map shows many urban(and the surrounding suburbs) to have the highest composite scores. When looking at the smoking category, most of statistics were concentrated in rural locations in the interior south, another interesting trend to consider. My expectation for the stress demographic would be that urban areas would show high levels, but on average the suburbs of the cities showed even higher levels of stress than the cities they surrounded.  I also found it interesting that many assume that the sometimes dreary city of Seattle is riddled with depression, but it turns out to be one of the least depressed areas on the map. This shows that many preconceived notions don't tend to hold with different areas of the United States, and further advances my curiosity of the different areas of the US(I've actually considered going to Seattle and the NW US for the future.). This map provides a whole different look at interesting demographics and presents it in a very concise manner. Each district can be clicked on to provide a raw score and percentage which further my actual understanding. If zip codes could be entered, that would be a small improvement. But the map certainly furthers my belief that America is a great land of many differences in personality of both the people and the culture of every region.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/06/weekinreview/20110306-happiness.html?ref=multimedia