Here in New York at least, winter has arrived, so make sure you're staying warm out there. It's a good time of year for hot chocolate and cider. Try to find some if you can.
Last week I debuted my new website, Willful Intent, and since I am hoping to drive traffic, I am sharing it once more. If you haven't please check it out and let me know what you think! Each week the digest will be posted online, and soon trivia will be as well. In the meantime you can follow the site on Facebook and Twitter. In honor of last night's State of the Union, today's digest is a hodgepodge of different issues that the president discussed.
As always, happy Wednesday and happy reading.
This Day in History
1898 - Emile Zola publishes his famous J'accuse letter excoriating the French military for covering up evidence and misconduct during the legendary Dreyfus Affair. The public affair of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, accused of espionage, was settled by a secretive military tribunal, which subsequently covered up proof of Dreyfus's innocence after condemning him to a penal colony in South America. When evidence of the scandal broke it created turmoil among the French military, political class, and society as a whole. Though Dreyfus was ultimately exonerated, the affair rocked France.
In fact, viewed through a number of lenses, the Dreyfus Affair highlights numerous tensions facing Europe entering the 20th century. As an instance of anti-semitism it foreshadowed a darker future. As a political event it displayed the fragility of hybrid European systems that combined new forms of government and more progressive thinking with the old power of institutions such as the military and established religion. And since Dreyfus was accused of spying for Germany, the incident also highlights the building nationalistic and imperial tensions that ultimately exploded into World War I.
Sputnik WAS Up There
It's the president's constitutional duty to deliver the State of the Union. I believe - whether you like the president or not - that it is our civic duty to listen. Naturally, presidents will always try to make themselves appear in the best possible light, but President Obama has proven to be quite witty, and last night he delivered this gem:
"Sixty years ago when the Russians beat us into space, we did not deny Sputnik was up there."
Meant to shame climate change skeptics, his quote exposes a deeper problem for us, we don't dream anymore. Addressing climate change isn't a dream, or it shouldn't be. It's a reality, a fix-it-or-we-are-screwed scenario. What are we actually dreaming about doing, what are we imagining (from MarsOne)?
With that in mind, I appreciated President Obama's call last night to eliminate cancer. If there is anything we can agree on, surely ridding ourselves of cancer is such a goal. But there are other problems out there. We can fix them. Let's get to it.
An Economy for Everyone
Last night the president correctly pointed out that food stamp recipients didn't cause the financial crisis, and while our economic recovery has been strong, I believe our current levels of income disparity are toxic for our country's future. But what does an economy for everyone look like? How can we provide equal opportunity, fight poverty, and incentivize growth and innovation?
One compelling idea is universal basic income (from the Huffington Post). Reader Joe in NYC has shared many articles on this topic with me, and it certainly seems a more effective and compelling approach to creating opportunity and streamlining spending than many of our current ideas. Perhaps UBI is a way to help us build a stronger economic base, perhaps not, but it's good to see people proposing unique solutions - as opposed to stale talking points - for how to fight poverty and strengthen the economy.
The Energy of the Future
According to both the president and this next article, clean energy is already charging ahead faster than we generally think. Because of the connection to climate change, clean energy is often seen as a partisan environmental issue, but it's also an important economic one.
So here's the economic case from a conservative perspective (from NYTimes). I found it very compelling; ideas like these are what we need from small-government conservative thinkers, and they exist, buried somewhere beneath the dozens of attempts to repeal Obamacare. At the end of the day it will simply become quicker, cleaner, and cheaper to harvest the free energy that falls on us each day than to dig further underground. Furthermore, fossil fuels aren't taking us to Mars; no one dreams big about the potential of coal in future civilizations. It's time to pursue a more powerful energy future.
The Interwebs Ain't Going Nowhere
Obama began his speech by talking about the benefits and threats of the internet. There are many of each, but the internet is here to stay. So this last link is a fun throwback video, do you remember Napster (from youtube)!? Somethings change, other things don't, but the interwebs is here to stay, so figuring out how to take advantage of the pros and minimize the cons.
Legend Of...
Zelda of course! Seen here quite literally putting on a puppy face, Zelda lives with her human Sarah in Mississippi, where she spends her time going on long walks. In fact, Zelda goes on long treks daily, so she's in fantastic shape. Zelda also loves swimming, or more accurately wading in puddles. She almost always in need of a post-walk hose down, after which - as you can see here - she demands belly rubs. Big thanks to Sarah for sharing Zelda!
Will's Weekly Trivia!
There is a new opt-in form online, so please send to friends, and don't forget to fill out the feedback form if you have any recommendations or want to share an article link or dog. Thank you to those who have!
IF you choose to answer the question, respond to staton.will@gmail.com with your answer. Please note that by competing you are giving me permission to publish your first name in the trivia leader board each week.
TRIVIA!
Last Week: How many electoral votes are needed to become president? How many did George W Bush end up with in 2001 after Florida was called in his favor?
Answer: To secure the presidency a total of 270 electoral votes are needed. After securing Florida, George W Bush ended with 271.
This Week: What year did the USSR launch Sputnik?
LEADER BOARD 1. MS: Steve - 3 points
1. TX: Chris - 3 points
2. TN: Natalie - 2 points
2. NY: Alexa - 2 points
2. OR: Joe - 2 points
2. NY: Mike - 2 points
3. MS: Meghan - 1 point
3. NY: Joe - 1 point
3. MS: Bill - 1 point
3. MS: Andrew - 1 point
3. TN: Meredith - 1 point
