When we look back on our era in American history, I think most of us will say we lived in a pretty strange time. I’m not one to judge, and I know these drugs help some people, but damn. With all the luxuries we enjoy, and the advances of modern society, people still just don’t seem happier. Anxiety, depression, panic attacks. Prescriptions by the tens of millions. If I can try to drastically oversimplify the problem, the data suggests to me that folks are left feeling unfulfilled by the society we’re living in.
At the end of the day, the pharmaceutical industry is probably as grimy as any other industry, and they have a product to sell like everyone else. Convince people they need something external to solve an internal problem, and you turn a profit. Just take a look at the numbers above. When medicine becomes a for-profit business, you run into some pretty interesting statistics. Thanks to the folks at Good, as always, for making a complex issue seem relatively simple. Informative as usual.
I’m not gonna lie, when I heard the title Ghetto Physics I was skeptical. The title and the aesthetic had me questioning if I really wanted to spend a couple hours taking this movie in. However, upon our invitation to the premiere this past week, I was astonished by the tact and poignancy of this film. Highlighting the role of politics in our daily lives, Ghetto Physics uses the relational dynamics of the pimp and the ho to create a framework to analyze some of the more manipulative power dynamics in American culture. From healthcare, to religion, to marriage, the film covers a variety of topics that provoked many conversations after the final credits. Ghetto Physics is one of those movies that makes you think differently after you watch it. And that’s powerful. In addition to L.A., Ghetto Physics will be premiering in select cities across the nation, including Oakland. So stay tuned.
It’s crazy. The power of the human spirit is really boundless. Tiago has this magnet chilling on our fridge that reads, “Each of us have a fire in our hearts for something. Find it, and keep it lit.” I couldn’t agree more. Whether you’re trying to get through some shit, or are determined to do something, you can do it. It’s simply a matter of your desire for it.
If my words were not enough, let me introduce you to Richard Sowa. His lifestyle’s a tad bit different from ours. I’m not sure if he checks the bowties, or if he’ll hear about it in the near future. But truth be told, we’re talking about him. And that means something. Collecting bottles around Cancun, Mexico, Richard collected thousands of bottles by hand, taking over 3 years to build his private island. Totally self sufficient, Richard lives on the island, along with his cat and dog. I think it’s safe to say that Richard Sowa is winning. Perhaps Dubai should reconsider the meaning of a man made island.
About 3.5 million US residents (about 1% of the population), including 1.35 million children, have been homeless for a significant period of time. Over 37,000 homeless individuals (including 16,000 children) stay in shelters in New York every night. This information was gathered by the Urban Institute, but actual numbers might be higher.
Fox Business estimates there are 18.9 million vacant homes across the country. 3.5 million people without homes; 18.9 million homes without residents.
Having come of age in the midst of one of the most senseless wars in recent history, it’s hard for me not to be biased about our government’s foreign policy. I’d say I was “skeptical” about the claims that oil played no role in our decision to go to war with Iraq, if I wasn’t actually certain beyond a doubt that it was one of the primary issues at stake. If you haven’t seen Blood & Oil, I’d highly recommend checking it out. If not, I’d recommend taking a look at the article below from Foreign Policy.
The main point Peter Maass raises is that the amount of military spending that goes towards obtaining and protecting oil exceeds our wildest dreams. Not to mention, despite the drop in media coverage, we’re still there, spending billions monthly. How we go about changing a century-old tradition in American politics is a tough thing to figure out. Lifestyle changes on the part of the consumer? Political action, or protesting against our tax dollars funding the war machine and big business? At the very least, I figure it’s better not to keep our heads in the sand, so to speak.
Amanda said, “science never ceases to amaze me.” And quite frankly I couldn’t agree more. Shit’s just hella fascinating. I think in our busy busy lives we (or at least I) don’t give science/the world/people the amount of time they deserve to really be understood. Recently, oceanic reef fossils were discovered in Australia, “proving” that life existed 650 million years ago. 650 million years ago! Think about that! I always say we gotta give love to the first humans who were out here, because they were fighting sabertooth tigers, giant insects and all kinds of crazy shit to bring us to where we are now. While today, all we have to fight is the media… But in all seriousness, this is a tremendous discovery that you can learn more about below.
This is one of the more promising pieces of news I’ve heard in a long time. A few months ago, we featured an article from Fortune about Bill Gates and Warren Buffett’s $600 Billion Challenge (now called The Giving Pledge), an initiative with an incredibly ambitious goal: to convince the world’s wealthiest figures to give away half of their existing fortunes to philanthropic causes. Well, for the time being, I guess the skeptics are going to have to fall back.
Earlier this week, The Giving Pledge‘s website revealed the first 40 billionaires to volunteer, including Michael Bloomberg, Ted Turner, Larry Ellison and George Lucas, just to name a few. Of course, how the funds will be allocated, and money is by no means a direct solution to the problems we face as a global society. But when you’re talking hundreds of billions, it’s a major part of the equation. Hats off to Bill and Warren. This is impressive, to say the least.
For the most part, I think we can all agree that providing affordable, quality education should be a priority for the state government. So why is it that every time we need to trim the budget, school funds seem to be the first ones to get the ax? In looking at the effects of the budget cuts, The Oakland Tribune’s Katy Murphy brings up an interesting point. California’s teachers are the highest paid in the nation, and yet per-pupil spending in California is more than $2,000 below the national average, and class sizes continue to grow, particularly in the poorest districts. If the theory is that teacher salaries are cutting into spending on students, I think we’re faced with a tough question. If education is indeed so important, why should we have to choose between paying our teachers a decent salary, and giving our kids the resources to succeed? As always, read more below, and let us know how you see it.
U.K.-based brewery BrewDog has recently made the record books, twice. Creating the world’s strongest and most expensive beer, at $754 a bottle you’re gonna have to get the supreme joog, or be super balling to sip out of these squirrels. And yes, these are actual squirrels, and animal activist groups are not happy about it. At 55% it’s almost like you’re taking shots, but what can I say, I’d probably take a sip if it was in front of me. What do you think though? Poppin or floppin?
I’m no statistician, but this little piece of information seems to speak for itself. As the graph above (via The Economic Policy Institute) shows, corporate profits bounced back after the recession. On balance, they’re actually significantly higher than they were in 2007. So why are so many people still jobless and struggling out here?
Without making a blanket statement, I think it’s important to realize that most of these corporations don’t really give a fuck about average people or their well-being. The fact is that the global corporate model aims to make everything more efficient, and if that means flopping peoples’ jobs, or selling us a worse product, that’s usually what’s going to happen. The whole “trickle down” thing doesn’t really seem to be working. As always, this is my [biased] opinion, so take it with a grain of salt, and by all means, form your own. But let’s stay aware out here, folks. There’s a lot at stake.
For the folks who have been advocating for the legalize-and-tax model, this looks like a step in the right direction. Yesterday, the Oakland City Council voted to approve the licensing of four major marijuana production plants. For all intents and purposes, trees might as well be legal already in the Bay, but this measure takes on a new frontier for the medicinal cannabis market. The four plants will likely be massive in size and scale of production (upwards of 20,000 pounds per year), with their licenses carrying $200,000 in annual fees, as well as heavy taxation.
So what exactly does industrial marijuana mean for the local businesses that have spearheaded the movement so far? Opponents worry that these production plants could put small dispensaries and growers out of business for good. In any case, it’ll be interesting to see where this goes. Thanks to Samra for the heads up.
In America today, it seems like the political scene is as polarized as it ever has been, and no issue is more central to that polarization than federal spending and taxes. The fact is that our country is in over our heads in debt, and spending heavily outweighs the revenue generated by taxes. As abstract as it might sound, that disparity means bad news for just about all of us. But what would you do, given the opportunity to fix it? The Budget Simulator, created by The Committee For a Responsible Federal Budget, lets you take a stab at it. More importantly though, it gives you an actual overview of where tax money is going, and what exactly the government spends money on. Given tough economic times and a tense political climate, I feel like it’s that much more important to understand what’s at stake, and how the system works. Give it a shot here, and get informed.
It was back on the blogspot that we first introduced you to Theophilus London. Perhaps it was his energy, our maybe his approach that drew me to his movement in the first place. This Charming Mixtape was his formal introduction, while I Want You turned many into believers. Having experienced him live at SXSW this year, I’ve known for a while that it’s only a matter of time until your mom’s asking you how to pronounce the name Theophilus…
Luckily for us, Theophilus is coming to L.A. With the cancellation of HARD fest, it looks like dubFrequency’s got the keys to the city as they’ll be introducing Theophilus to his Los Angeles audience. Performing live at the Purple Lounge tomorrow, you’ll finally get the chance to see what all the hype is about, and why we can’t stop talking about him. Get there early. This one is important.
In this day and age, it’s no real secret that governments and corporations lie, or cover up information they don’t want people to know. As we know all too well from the last decade, it actually happens quite often. For that reason, WikiLeaks has been undertaking something extraordinary. Founded in 2006 by Julian Paul Assange, WikiLeaks publishes leaked documents and footage from governments and corporations worldwide, with a mission of bringing transparency to the institutions that control so many aspects of our lives.
Earlier this year, WL notably leaked a video of a 2007 U.S. Army helicopter strike in Baghdad, in which several civilians were murdered, including two Reuters international reporters. Over the past few months, it’s gotten Julian and his website (which is now home to over a million leaks) a lot of press. And despite plenty of controversy and backlash, WikiLeaks is going stronger than ever, thanks largely to Assange, who travels the world, running the site as an unpaid volunteer and putting on for the people. For the full story, check below for a great piece on Julian and his work, courtesy of The New Yorker.
One of the dopest things about science is the fact that it’s always an open book. At any moment, we might just make a discovery that shifts our entire perception of the world, and how we imagine it to be. Last week, researchers discovered evidence of Leviathan Melvillei, a prehistoric whale measuring approximately 50 feet, large enough in size to eat smaller whales. Named appropriately enough after Moby Dick author Herman Melville, Leviathan was thought to have lived just over 13 million years ago. Pretty geeked if you ask me. Check below for the full story, via NPR.
