Decline of Green Spaces

I was shocked to read in the NY Times that the Nature Conservancy (whose mission is to preserve plants, animals, natural communities and to protect land and water) is logging on its newly purchased 161,000 acres of Adirondack wild lands. Touted as a modern deal, logging and selling parts of the land to the state and private developers are part of the $110 million plan. Executive Director Micheal T. Carr claims "there is enough room for everyone".

Have you noticed that the drive from any major city in America has become longer in the effort to find a pristine piece of nature to commune with? I was shocked to discover in my travels that the US is regarded for its wealth of natural beauty. An Australian was in love with the fall colors of New England and was sent on the special pilgrimage to feast in the beauty. Fun loving Germans were driving from San Francisco to Texas to hike the canyons of the southwest, deserts of the south and the Pacific beaches of the West. Will this remain true as land becomes more developed for business and housing purposes? Forests continue to be logged despite being owned by a nature conservancy? What will be the new brand for the US?

America: The Brand

I've had a couple of sleepless nights recently during my trip to the East Coast. At first, I thought it was the jetlag or the days getting shorter. Then I realized that I was discontent and utterly disappointed in the America I have inherited. Let me explain, my parents are hard working people. My father emigrated from France to New York at age 26 and my mom was the first homeowner in her family. They saw America as a place of oppportunity. Their lifetime included the rebellious sixties, liberating seventies, prosperous eighties. America was a superpower and as long as you were willing to work hard you were given a chance to accomplish your dream no matter your status or class.

But America has changed. The dollar is in the dumpster, my friends are contractors not for the killer daily rate but because human labor is just another commodity. Now along with finding a good job, home, life partner and caring for family, we have navigating retirement, health care and whether the Earth is going to exist. We have the burden of figuring out what we being told is truthful or what we are being sold is sustainable. With an abadonment of ethics and loyalty, we can no longer count on old standbys to be there for us. An active, defensive partcipant is required to insure the "good" choices you are making are in fact "good".

I am looking forward to the next election and the smell of change in the air.

The eyes are upon us

Clear is a new service that allows you to bypass security lines in participating domestic airports because officials have already fingerprinted and cleared your identity. Aimed at frequent business flyers, I was stopped and interviewed by Fox 5 at SFO last week. My impression is that it's worth the $100 to bypass security but I do not trust that my DNA information is secure. Has anyone used it and would like to share their thoughts?

Superheroes in Union Square

Have you ever noticed while transferring from the L to the 4/5/6 train at Union Square that there is a video projector for advertising? Asics, the official sponsor of the New York marathon, buys most of the ad space in Union Square subway station during the month of October. This year they added a nice interactive element that allowed commuters to throw fireballs by detecting their motion. It certainity kept us busy for a few minutes but I am not sure how many pairs of Asics we are going to buy though.