Today was the final presidential debate where two candidates get to duke it out over two diverging views of what America is and what America could be. Much hot air was expelled extorting differing plans on how to grow the U.S. economy. Opposing views from other candidates are not allowed to be heard (Except on Democracy Now http://www.democracynow.org/ who allowed Third party candidates to answer the questions posed to the candidates in each of the debates). Many talking heads are getting to exhale their well rehearsed lines that they have been awaiting all week to let loose. Separate from all the spin, many real issues remain glanced over or completely untouched. Let's examine some of these.
1. Tax Code- This complicated juggernaut of esoteric rules and loopholes is unlikely to be changed with either administration.
2. Education Crisis/Student loans- Banks remain the winners on this one as a large segment of the American population are now indentured servants. Neither candidate has a plan to change this debt system.
3. US Foreign Policy direction- Unlikely to change much in either administration. There were some indications in the debates that an Obama administration would shrink down the size of the military.
4. Energy policy- Mr. Romney clearly wants to drill the US. Pres Obama would like to grow the green renewable economy.
5. Deficit- A direct result of multiple wars with some of the lowest tax rates for the wealthy. Romney's plan to cut entitlements will not affect the deficit much as it is not a significant part of the budget... As I understand it the military makes up half of the budget.
6. Financial reform- Glass Stegall Act. Was never brought up. Clearly the banks should be regulated. Or be allowed to fail when they screw up. Record bonuses and bailouts under the Obama administration.
7. Patriot Act- Was never mentioned. Americans can be detained without trial or charges. In violation of the constitution (Thanks Idaho upbringing, where the constitution is pounded into us at an early age!)
8. Citizen's United- Never mentioned. Allows unlimited spending by corporations based on them being given personhood and therefore protection of free speech under the first amendment. Aka the government and political process goes to the highest bidder...
9. Iraq/Afganistan/Iran wars- much hot air about this tonight, however, not much would likely change here under either administration... The generals and main advisers on these topics do not change much with elections. If it did we would have pulled out troops at this point per Obama's prior election promise.
10. Poverty- Indirectly discussed via the conversation on the economy. Neither candidate has a convincing plan to eradicate the growing poverty. Arguably Obama may understand this topic better as he did not grow up with a silver spoon.
Ultimately, the two America's presented and represented by the two parties are at odds. They need not be though. I personally am tired of the partisan politics and would like to see a no party system or an every party system. This duality serves no one but the elites at the top of each party. A real democracy to me would have all the players at the table, including 3rd parties. I have always voted for a third party mostly because I live in Washington state where it always goes to the Democrats. I am a political anomaly in that I am a Liberal that is fiscally conservative.
In the end, I do think for America to move forward and reach its full potential, be need a less divided and more unified national plan. Given the current political climate, I do not see that happening soon. And so the empire will continue to crumble as all divided empires do...
Monday, October 22, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Lance Armstrong a fallen hero...
Yesterday, I saw the news that the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) released its 200 page report alleging that Lance Armstrong not only had doped, but had also masterminded a complex doping ring that included many of his teammates at US Postal Service and later Discovery Channel team. You can read all 200 pages of it here... (I did last night, for hours..) http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/109619079?access_key=key-1bqo5b4zjqqjnkz4izt5 Many former teammates, friends, and trainers are now testifying against him.
This story has affected me more than I thought. For me cycling was a respite for a rough life at home. It was also my main transportation throughout my teens and most of the time I was in college. I have logged thousands of miles on my Raleigh and Giant bikes. When my Giant road bike was stolen three years ago, I felt as I lost a body part. Cycling is a sport that I have always followed, and have always been a huge fan of Lance Armstrong. I distinctly remember vehemently defending him in 2003 against the allegations of cheating by my then French girlfriend Karine. I was a big stubborn asshole about it. I wanted so badly to believe in his inspiring story of conquering testicular cancer and then making a big come back.
A year earlier in 2002 I had a testicular cancer scare (and another in 2009, 2011) from a cyst that occasionally grows. Being the information junkie that I am, in no time, I came across Lance Armstrong's book "Its not about the bike". I loved it. It chronicles his illness with testicular cancer and his subsequent comeback to cycling. I liked his hard work ethic and kick some ass mentality. I sought to emulate that in my academic and athletic life. Needless to say he is a big hero to me.
My first love was cycling, I wanted to be a pro mountain bike racer at one point. At another I had a dream of being a pro bike mechanic. In college I joined the crew team, another sport requiring inhuman endurance. Later in medical school I learned that I had an enlarged heart (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy for you medical nerds) likely as a result of my long term cycling and rowing in college. Rowers and cyclists are known for having huge hearts and low heart rates (mine frequently sets off EKG machines as it beats below 60bpm at rest). Lance Armstrong's heart is so efficient that he is around 34 bpm!
Since college I have always had high hematocrits, frequently over 50. In fact if I were to compete in the Tour de France nowadays, I would be disqualified because my hematocrits are too high. I have always ranged between 49 and 55. I had 2 different doctors ask whether I had ever doped or taken EPO when I was in college (I have not). Consequently, when rumors started to abound surrounding Lance Armstrong having abnormally high hematocrits, I assumed he was innocent and just had naturally high levels like me.
As it turns out, it seems that Lance Armstrong has likely been using performance enhancing drugs for a long time now. Allegations include cortisone, testosterone, HGH, EPO, and blood doping. His doctors have all been named and it seems that they had a carefully designed program to keep his hematocrits high while evading detection. (I will spare everyone the technical details, but if you are interested, contact me, it is fascinating!)
It is with great sadness that I see my hero fall. One of the greatest stories in sports seems likely a fraud. When I look back at it, there was one thing that bothered me... In his book, he describes his tumors in detail... A large one on his testicle, 13 in his lungs, abdomen, and 2 in his brain. How the hell does a cyclist not notice that? The second thing that bothered later (after Medical school) was whether he had been taking something that would have increased the growth and spread of his cancer such as testosterone or HGH. Especially, for someone in tune with his body to have caught it at such a late stage. Hormones and cancer go hand in hand, especially cancers of the reproductive tract.
I feel like I knew all along that his story was improbable, yet we all wanted to believe him. Such a great human feat! I think it is just a matter of time now for everything to come out. Until then, I am mourning the loss of my sports hero.
This story has affected me more than I thought. For me cycling was a respite for a rough life at home. It was also my main transportation throughout my teens and most of the time I was in college. I have logged thousands of miles on my Raleigh and Giant bikes. When my Giant road bike was stolen three years ago, I felt as I lost a body part. Cycling is a sport that I have always followed, and have always been a huge fan of Lance Armstrong. I distinctly remember vehemently defending him in 2003 against the allegations of cheating by my then French girlfriend Karine. I was a big stubborn asshole about it. I wanted so badly to believe in his inspiring story of conquering testicular cancer and then making a big come back.
A year earlier in 2002 I had a testicular cancer scare (and another in 2009, 2011) from a cyst that occasionally grows. Being the information junkie that I am, in no time, I came across Lance Armstrong's book "Its not about the bike". I loved it. It chronicles his illness with testicular cancer and his subsequent comeback to cycling. I liked his hard work ethic and kick some ass mentality. I sought to emulate that in my academic and athletic life. Needless to say he is a big hero to me.
My first love was cycling, I wanted to be a pro mountain bike racer at one point. At another I had a dream of being a pro bike mechanic. In college I joined the crew team, another sport requiring inhuman endurance. Later in medical school I learned that I had an enlarged heart (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy for you medical nerds) likely as a result of my long term cycling and rowing in college. Rowers and cyclists are known for having huge hearts and low heart rates (mine frequently sets off EKG machines as it beats below 60bpm at rest). Lance Armstrong's heart is so efficient that he is around 34 bpm!
Since college I have always had high hematocrits, frequently over 50. In fact if I were to compete in the Tour de France nowadays, I would be disqualified because my hematocrits are too high. I have always ranged between 49 and 55. I had 2 different doctors ask whether I had ever doped or taken EPO when I was in college (I have not). Consequently, when rumors started to abound surrounding Lance Armstrong having abnormally high hematocrits, I assumed he was innocent and just had naturally high levels like me.
As it turns out, it seems that Lance Armstrong has likely been using performance enhancing drugs for a long time now. Allegations include cortisone, testosterone, HGH, EPO, and blood doping. His doctors have all been named and it seems that they had a carefully designed program to keep his hematocrits high while evading detection. (I will spare everyone the technical details, but if you are interested, contact me, it is fascinating!)
It is with great sadness that I see my hero fall. One of the greatest stories in sports seems likely a fraud. When I look back at it, there was one thing that bothered me... In his book, he describes his tumors in detail... A large one on his testicle, 13 in his lungs, abdomen, and 2 in his brain. How the hell does a cyclist not notice that? The second thing that bothered later (after Medical school) was whether he had been taking something that would have increased the growth and spread of his cancer such as testosterone or HGH. Especially, for someone in tune with his body to have caught it at such a late stage. Hormones and cancer go hand in hand, especially cancers of the reproductive tract.
I feel like I knew all along that his story was improbable, yet we all wanted to believe him. Such a great human feat! I think it is just a matter of time now for everything to come out. Until then, I am mourning the loss of my sports hero.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Race based admissions in higher education
The Supreme Court is getting ready to hear a case on affirmative action and in reading the story in the NY times this morning I could not help but be a little triggered. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/09/us/supreme-court-to-hear-case-on-affirmative-action.html?src=recg
Maybe it is because I am black or am I. My multiracial mix often leads to mass confusion when trying to stereotype me or fit me into a box on a racial category. My mother is East Indian and my father is African and Chinese. They were born in Guyana (also confusing, not Ghana in Africa, but Guyana, North of Brazil next to Venezuela and Suriname (they are in South America for those of you who really suck at geography)) http://www.lonelyplanet.com/the-guianas/guyana I was a boon to college admissions officers looking for diversity. (Actually I wasn't and was rejected by Boston College and University of Washington, and went to my third choice Seattle University) Interestingly my dark skin is from my mother and my father is rather fair skinned. So despite my 25% African blood, all the schools wanted me to choose the box "African American" when applying for financial aid and any other program tracking race. This was back in the days when multi-racial was not a choice and you had to choose one box. I typically chose Asian or East Indian.
In the end I went to two private schools Seattle University and then Bastyr University for Medical school. Both are private and not diverse. Fall of 1998, my freshman year, Initiative 200 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initiative_200 passed in Washington State banning race based admissions. As this topic was in the limelight, I felt many eyes watching me in the discussions that followed in the classrooms and halls. In the end maybe it was a good thing, I felt tremendous pressure to not "get a free ride" and was determined to get top grades so no one would doubt that I belonged there. I felt like everyone wondered whether I got into the school based on race.
In 1999 underrepresented minority enrollment plummeted in Washington State. In response, Jim Senegal and Jeff Brotman (cofounders of Costco) formed the Costco Scholarship Breakfast http://www.costcoscholarshipfund.org/ Many of you know I was the first student speaker and received a full scholarship at Seattle University for my final 2 years. (I was also a keynote speaker at the 10th annual breakfast).
In between the lines of these stories and many other cases involving affirmative action is really economics. Many people of color (including myself) cannot afford higher education and wonder whether the loan/debt system is worth the risk. My reaction to signing my first loan papers at Seattle University was "Oh I remember this... Indentured Servitude, I get to go to school and in repayment I get to work for the banks for 10-30 years" This is the story of my East Indian heritage in Guyana, only in the end we did not get the land we were promised. Higher education for many of us has not proven to be the economic boon or the escape from a life of poverty for many of us. Arguably, I am poorer now due to the debt. When comparing my debt to other class mates and friends, I typically have 2-3 to 10 times more school debt (and way less credit card debt, but that is another blog).
I particularly think the case Regents of the University of California v Bakke in 1978 is an interesting one http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regents_of_the_University_of_California_v._Bakke This is where a 33 yr old white male was not admitted to University of California at Davis medical school. He sued and the case went to the Supreme Court, striking down the race quota system there in a 5-4 decision. It is interesting to note at least with respect to Medical school, if admissions were based on merit alone (GPA and MCAT scores) then the bulk of the doctors would be Asian and East Indian with a handful of white students, as these groups traditionally have the highest GPA and MCAT scores.
I am not going to comment much on this case as I don't know what the reality of the situation is at the University of Texas. However, I do think her contention that she has been harmed by job discrimination as a result of graduating from Louisiana State University is laughable... She should see the kind of job discrimination I have experienced (or any other person of color). She is working in Austin and in the field of her choice.
Clearly these cases if anything reflect the economic divide between minorities and majorities (my new word!), as well as the continued legacy of slavery, the ongoing destruction of native peoples. I truely hope we do get to a place where race is no longer used or even thought about in admissions to anything, but until then we will all have to keep talking about these tough topics and heal.
Maybe it is because I am black or am I. My multiracial mix often leads to mass confusion when trying to stereotype me or fit me into a box on a racial category. My mother is East Indian and my father is African and Chinese. They were born in Guyana (also confusing, not Ghana in Africa, but Guyana, North of Brazil next to Venezuela and Suriname (they are in South America for those of you who really suck at geography)) http://www.lonelyplanet.com/the-guianas/guyana I was a boon to college admissions officers looking for diversity. (Actually I wasn't and was rejected by Boston College and University of Washington, and went to my third choice Seattle University) Interestingly my dark skin is from my mother and my father is rather fair skinned. So despite my 25% African blood, all the schools wanted me to choose the box "African American" when applying for financial aid and any other program tracking race. This was back in the days when multi-racial was not a choice and you had to choose one box. I typically chose Asian or East Indian.
In the end I went to two private schools Seattle University and then Bastyr University for Medical school. Both are private and not diverse. Fall of 1998, my freshman year, Initiative 200 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initiative_200 passed in Washington State banning race based admissions. As this topic was in the limelight, I felt many eyes watching me in the discussions that followed in the classrooms and halls. In the end maybe it was a good thing, I felt tremendous pressure to not "get a free ride" and was determined to get top grades so no one would doubt that I belonged there. I felt like everyone wondered whether I got into the school based on race.
In 1999 underrepresented minority enrollment plummeted in Washington State. In response, Jim Senegal and Jeff Brotman (cofounders of Costco) formed the Costco Scholarship Breakfast http://www.costcoscholarshipfund.org/ Many of you know I was the first student speaker and received a full scholarship at Seattle University for my final 2 years. (I was also a keynote speaker at the 10th annual breakfast).
In between the lines of these stories and many other cases involving affirmative action is really economics. Many people of color (including myself) cannot afford higher education and wonder whether the loan/debt system is worth the risk. My reaction to signing my first loan papers at Seattle University was "Oh I remember this... Indentured Servitude, I get to go to school and in repayment I get to work for the banks for 10-30 years" This is the story of my East Indian heritage in Guyana, only in the end we did not get the land we were promised. Higher education for many of us has not proven to be the economic boon or the escape from a life of poverty for many of us. Arguably, I am poorer now due to the debt. When comparing my debt to other class mates and friends, I typically have 2-3 to 10 times more school debt (and way less credit card debt, but that is another blog).
I particularly think the case Regents of the University of California v Bakke in 1978 is an interesting one http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regents_of_the_University_of_California_v._Bakke This is where a 33 yr old white male was not admitted to University of California at Davis medical school. He sued and the case went to the Supreme Court, striking down the race quota system there in a 5-4 decision. It is interesting to note at least with respect to Medical school, if admissions were based on merit alone (GPA and MCAT scores) then the bulk of the doctors would be Asian and East Indian with a handful of white students, as these groups traditionally have the highest GPA and MCAT scores.
I am not going to comment much on this case as I don't know what the reality of the situation is at the University of Texas. However, I do think her contention that she has been harmed by job discrimination as a result of graduating from Louisiana State University is laughable... She should see the kind of job discrimination I have experienced (or any other person of color). She is working in Austin and in the field of her choice.
Clearly these cases if anything reflect the economic divide between minorities and majorities (my new word!), as well as the continued legacy of slavery, the ongoing destruction of native peoples. I truely hope we do get to a place where race is no longer used or even thought about in admissions to anything, but until then we will all have to keep talking about these tough topics and heal.
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