Monthly Archives: June 2011

Crowdsourced Sentencing

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Lex

Below (at the end of the post) is a snapshot of two news stories of judicial sentencing. The first is a 3 year sentence for corporate fraud in the amount of $3 billion. The second is a 15 year sentence for … Continue reading →

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Real Debate with Real Questions and Plenty of Time for Real Answers

Posted on June 25, 2011 by Lex

I may be naive or “elitist” or some wonderful mixture of both, but I have a dream that one day U.S. politicians, especially ones running for president, will engage each other or perhaps other great thinkers in a number of real … Continue reading →

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Living Without a Cell Phone

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Lex

Per month, I send about 20-30 text messages (almost all as a response), and talk for about 30-60 minutes. The bottom line is I just don’t use the cell phone to a degree that many people do. Why? Because I … Continue reading →

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Six Billion Reasons

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Lex

$6.6 billion, sent by plane in cash to Iraq were “lost”. This story, to me, sums up the fundamental flaw in any argument for reconstruction of a developing nation, even one that lives in the 20th century (e.g. Iraq) as … Continue reading →

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Three Things Obama Got Right

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Lex

I listened to the Daily Show interview with Howard Wasdin about the seal team 6 operation that killed Bin Laden, and thought that Wasdin’s summary of what Obama got right was spot on. Wasdin described himself as a republican (which is … Continue reading →

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Too Big to Exist

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Lex

Here’s a list of biggest US Banks. Top 3 are: Bank of America JPMorgan Chase Citigroup All have assets of approximately two trillion dollars. These banks are companies that play with risk and reward. It’s simple math. If you add … Continue reading →

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Armrest Sharing and the Path to Peace

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Lex

A story about in-flight etiquette on NPR cracked me up. There were some interviews which indicated that people in general do not get along. Put them in a tight space together for hours, and that fact becomes more apparent. Click … Continue reading →

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The Convenience of Political Apathy

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Lex

I don’t usually talk politics with people. Not because I don’t want to, but because usually they don’t want to. Finding another human being interested in discussing politics on a philosophical level is kind of like finding another person that’s … Continue reading →

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Separation of Sex and State

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Lex

John Edwards was indicted today by a federal grand jury for using campaign funds to cover up an affair. It may be completely wrong of me to feel the way I do, but I see moral behavior within a relationship … Continue reading →

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If a Berkeley Professor Can Say F***, I Can Too

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Lex

Mike Gravel (pictured to the left) is just one of many unique visiting lecturers at a UC Berkeley course on Political Science run by Alan Ross. If you want to listen to a few entertaining, moving, and even educational lectures … Continue reading →

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