(Screencap source)

Dear media,

The general public/yours truly didn't have a clue about what radation levels constituted "dangerous" or "normal" before the Japan Quake, and since most people aren't as hyperactive news-readers as I, most don't know today that minute amounts of radiation are everywhere, and no cause for concern.

But when you report that there are "trace" or "minute" amounts of radiation in milk or in the air, people don't know that radiation also comes from flying cross country, or even from eating a banana. And because you don't tell them that, (instead saying that "government experts say it wont hurt us"), what you're really telling people to do is to freak out unnecessarily, and from what we know about stress, I'm fairly positive that the media attention to this is going to cause more economic damage in worry and reduced buying of COMPLETELY SAFE PRODUCTS than the radiation ever could.

The fix is simple: compare the radiation level in milk to a "normal" level, or use some sort of relative figure, for example that a person would have to drink 6 billion glasses of milk to get a dangerous dose. These are easy. Sadly, your duty to alert/alarm works, in this case, against the public interest, and it's one of the few times I'm quite disappointed in the modern media.

Obama has embraced the Bartlett Doctrine

If you watched The West Wing, you might recall a plotline in the fourth season revolving around "Equatorial Kundu," where there was a tribal genocide occurring, and where President Bartlett decided to intervene, saying that until that day, the United States had never before practiced a doctrine of military intervention on purely humanitarian grounds.

That line, broadcast in 2003, can no longer be said to be accurate. We have fundamentally involved ourselves in a tribal conflict; acting to protect a population from oppression and murder at the hands of its own government and leadership, where our fundamental interests were based on conscience and a "common humanity," instead of essential interests.

Obama's line is that he skirted the full responsibility by placing this on international backs, but no one can doubt that we've seen American leadership at full display in the courtyard of international relations. We own this struggle now, and my greatest fear is that we will now be perceived to be in a proxy war, requiring more resources until our patience with the rebels has ended.

Possibly, possibly, they may succeed. But if the fundamentals of this conflict are geographically based on tribe, then I think al-Qaḏḏāfī will remain, and every day he stays in place will weaken perceptions of American power. I could be wrong - God willing, the President has intelligence that says otherwise, and may those events come to pass, but this is a big risk, and one that will have to be paid for, one way or the other, by Americans who never voted for any of the people that go us into this.


Perhaps all of our bombings have been about preventing genocide, but last I checked, many of the tanks we hit weren't on their way into Benghazi.

"Tradition, Family, Prosperity" and Brown University Collide

First off, this video is INTENSE. It's the direct clash of two very different ideas about marriage and homosexuality, and I felt quite uncomfortable watching, even as someone who has been near and involved with discussions on this issue for years.

Second, I think the pro-gay folks comported themselves much better than the anti-gay folks, considering what TFP published on their YouTube page that generalized all of the counter-protesters as "violent," when many of them behaved exactly as the TFP folks did.

Third, I think destroying the banner was foolish and fool-hardy (and from a PR standpoint, stupid to do when filmed), because it doesn't communicate any willingness to engage, and ultimately, you don't reach people by destroying their stuff.

But ultimately, the video is the sign that we can disagree - strongly - and have no one get hurt (just spat on, grumph), and that's something for which I am proud to be an American. The ACLU gal in the video was also great; while these people may think that counter-chants aren't ok, they are the perfect counter to this sort of protest, and I commend the many Brown students who stood up for their beliefs, as well as the marchers who made the opposite case who behaved appropriately. I do NOT commend the editing of the video, which is simply pretentious, and the roughshod descriptions of what occurred, which I think are written to get more fund-raising.

Mark Hopkins & The Constitution

From Patheos:

Reverend Mark Hopkins, the former president of Williams College, urged the federal government to pass laws protecting the observance of the Christian Sabbath (Sunday). Hopkins argued that the Fourth Commandment ("Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy") should be embedded in American law in much the same way that commandments prohibiting murder, stealing, and "bearing false witness" were staples of the legal system. If that was not enough to convince naysayers, Hopkins emphasized Jesus' words in Mark 2:27—"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath"—to argue that the human body was created by God in such a way that it required a day of rest. "Men and animals," Hopkins wrote, "will have a better health and live longer; will do more work, and do it better, if they rest one day in seven, than if they work continuously." Since rest was a human right endowed by God, how could a nation with Christian roots not endorse the Sabbath?

We embrace what we like from our past and ignore the very unconstitutional thoughts of Williams's celebrated President. I am left wondering, to an extent, about how "correct" my current constitutional thoughts will seem in 50 years. Perhaps anyone who thinks the government should regulate marriage will be ostracized?

Libya

The recent political kerfuffle over Obama's intervention in Libya is the perfect Catch-22. As was inevitable, military equipment has been destroyed, and civilians killed - by us. We own this conflict in a way that no one can diminish - mission creep is going to get worse unless we have set up (privately) a CLEAR AND ABSOLUTE end of commitment.

If we hadn't intervened, you can bet the GOP would have made a huge fuss that Obama had let the rebels die (which is what would have happened by today). As it stands, they're criticizing him for getting us into another conflict, and that's one thing about being POTUS - sometimes you just have to take it on the political chin; it's part of the office's responsibility, and something I hope other presidents will emulate.

I am still an opponent of intervention - the success of Egypt is that they survived and made it work without outside help; while the dictator's survival in Libya/the crush of the rebels would have sent the wrong message, I don't think a doctrine of intervention is going to do us many favors either. These revolutions have been shown, absolutely, to work. Citizens should now concentrate on organizing for the next round of uprisings, with the knowledge that time allows evil regimes to consolidate power.

Lessons should be learned and absorbed; it's not wise for us to push this too hard, and certainly strategically stupid to open all of the rebels to charges of Western influence. We shouldn't make ourselves a propaganda boogyman, and I fear that's the ultimate effect of our actions.

Responses to Ephblog Questions

Which experiences at Williams would you like to take with you, be they educational, interpersonal, community-oriented, etc., so that those parts of your life will be part of your next steps?

Honor Committee. There is no responsibility quite so great as when which eight students control, to some extent, the near future of someone's life - if they have to make up a course, or if they might be suspended. There isn't much outside accountability for Honor Committee - we students receive advice from faculty and the Dean, but ultimately the call is ours. My honor experiences, in making deciding votes in both directions, have made me much more comfortable with less consequential decisions - I can look at a problem, make a good call, and go on with my life much more easily now. Nothing teaches responsibility like responsibility.

Storytime. I've always been a fan, but I think there's something authentic and unique in the trust of that space - hopefully, I can inspire something like it later.

And then there are the countless experiences with difference - people who have different customs or ideas, and navigating our distinctions and similarities.

How might that relate to searching for work and finding what you’d like to do, or a workplace you’d like to be part of?

Hard to say, especially initially. Williams has helped to make me a better person, but I don't feel like I've gained many occupation-specific skills here, which was probably the point.

CS 134 anyone?

Taking it right now and loving it....kinda wish I had gone for this class freshman year; I might (??) have double-majored....

This blog is not where I post the most:

If you want to read the stories that I find most interesting / worthy of note, subscribe to this Atom feed of links/articles (website version here).

 

I link all of this, and more, each day, with Google Reader's shared items feature. The feed isn't quite as visual as what's shown here, but I'm rather loathe to quote anyone on the blog proper without commentary.

 

Current Events

When I was born, there was no internet to spread word of protests in the middle east; no internet to see live video on demand of a wave of water overwhelming Japan's water walls. There was no Facebook, no Google, no Blogspot.

Yet now these things are a part of my everyday life, so much so that I cannot imagine a time in college without them. What would Williams be - could Williams be - without cell phones to help us find each other as schedules shift, or web-resources that make directory information so accessible?

But the image to the top right confirms that which history tells us - this world has always been interconnected, whether on the tendrils of a tsunami wave reaching by oceans or by the diseases carried by foreign armies that wrecked havoc on native populations (ahem-Amherst!-cough). But now we know and see it - a random dude looking at a rainbow and Zach Anner show us that, as we spend a cognitive surplus seeking hours and hours of free dynamic entertainment via screens.

And then disaster strikes. Tsunami, cyclone, hurricane, epidemic, tornado, earthquake, blizzard: simply living has never been safe (though I live in a pretty calm part of the world for this stuff), and we never know when each gallon of drinking water will become invaluable. Life on a Japanese Street was completely ordinary until the water swept through.

I worry, sometimes, that we're living in that sort of moment, that an oncoming environmental disaster will truly push us back in years to come, to an era where these were the true good ole' days, but then I remember the incalculable human spirit - that we can accomplish wonders, sometimes, even in the midst of horror. That courage is possible in the face of death and despair.

And so, we move onwards with our lives,waiting until the next crisis comes to us, and hoping that we might be equal to it. I don't know if any of this makes sense - its pretty late - but the upshot is that I think things will always happen, and I'm glad to have an education that will help prepare me to deal with many of them.

Questions from Ephblog

When Senior Mom e-mailed me, I wasn't too sure if I wanted my words back on Ephblog's front page, but given that I would have answered anyone else's questions, it seemed unfair to single one blog out.

What career paths are you considering?
Williams has been very good at showing me what I'm good at (innovating policies and practices in pursuit of some goal, listening to people, making decisions responsibly, enabling others to pursue their goals by connecting them to resources, learning the intricacies of an organization and leveraging that knowledge for good, helping people, keeping confidentiality) and what I'm bad at (stepping back and getting perspective during moments of focus, saying what I mean without communication foul-ups, stressing out with incorrect feelings it's all on me, getting enough sleep). Unfortunately, none of this points to a clear career path.

At the present moment I want to end up doing some sort of governmental work. I believe that technology offers a huge opportunity to increase efficiency and reduce the costs of governmental administration, but only if those policies are pursued with intelligence, and I want to be someone who raises different ideas and possibilities that allow our governments to do a better, cheaper job, especially for a citizen with a grievance but little institutional knowledge of the body s/he must appeal to. All of the potential of technology disappears if people don't use a system's capabilities.
If all of that indicates a clear occupation, I would appreciate knowing what that is, because I surely haven't a clue. :P



What are some of the job options you feel would contribute to this path?
Some possibilities include lawyering, or working in fed/state/local gov't. But those are guesses.

Dream job?
I think being a federal inspector general would be amazing, as long as I was working in a cooperative agency with a strong initial culture of ethics. There are all sorts of horror stories to be read about experiences of whistle-blowers in some of the more problematic environments.


What's your first priority - where you want to live, or what you intend to do?
What I want to do is much more important, at least initially. However, the internet can be a temptation: we think that Skype and co enable strong and lasting connections, but my practical experience indicates that proximity is still very important. I would hope to end up back in my hometown at some point - I have too many roots in Atlanta and Washington's allure may not be that strong.

Job Fairs?
A few, they were helpful experience in conversations and such, but I haven't seen much to pique my own interests.

Has the Alumni Association played any part in your career planning?
Not beyond the career mentor network, which has been helpful in terms of advice.


Any particular mentors you'd like to talk about?
At Williams? Not particularly. I've appreciated my mentors because unlike my peers, they have offices I can wander into, but I don't know if they've been particularly helpful career-wise.

Are personal connections proving particularly valuable?
Not really. I value each of the contacts Williams has provided, but "particularly valuable" for a senior equals "provided direct job-help," which hasn't happened.


How valuable has your Williams degree proven thus far, in preparing you and in opening doors?
 I would say that my experience indicates that the Williams name is very valuable in some fields (esp. when a firm sells itself by saying its staff all went to top-tier schools), and has gotten me a few neat interviews via the OCC, but certianly isn't everything.


How do your cohorts seem to be faring in their job searches?
The only people who talk about it are those who have jobs, so my only impression is that I'm the last to get a job, which obviously isn't true. Most consulting/banking stuff was done with in the fall, and grad schools decisions are coming now. Each field has a time of heavy hiring.


Do you have plans for an advanced degree?
MPP/MPA, mayyyyyybe JD, but I think we have too many lawyers and that a good LSAT score does not a happy law school experience (or wise law degree) make, despite how much I enjoyed Mock Trial.


Any musings about the fact that you will soon be leaving Williams?
This spring has been about handing over responsibility: explicitly handing over my slight powers over Goodrich and the Bell Tower, charging underclassmen to continue some of my efforts, and passing on the knowledge I've gained (and storing it, for the next freshman who procrastinates by reading archival documents). The reality of leaving, though, hasn't really set in. Williams is obviously something that I will appreciate more in absence - we only notice the mountians when they no longer surround us, and the people who are no longer nearby.
Then again, I've had my time in the petri dish and there are '15s out there who need a college to call home. I'm proud of what I've done here, and will gladly take my leave to allow them their own Williams experience.

Pray For Japan

It was the 7th largest earthquake in recorded history. Millions are saved because of good engineering there, but hundreds or thousands are dead. Two passenger trains (whole trains) are missing.

Security

Physical security is important; I've been blessed to live in some wonderful places without much present crime. However, security for planes, trains, and public areas is now verging on the rediculous.

Life has risks, and the more we embrace them the more realistic our expectations will be. Trying to build a security wall around the entire US is foolhardy, and will ultimately hurt us more than it helps us.

Too much

Sometimes, one's to-do list gets so long that just starting in on it is scary.

I want to:

• Update my resume
• Look at Route 2
• Fill out two more applications
• Finish arranging things for the bell-ringing hiring process.
• Read the Atlantic
• Meet three people for coffee, dinner, and hanging out tonight.
• Go to the class I'm auditing.

Whoo!