just a thought

Originally @ Stanford Review In early August, viewers of NBC’s Meet the Press witnessed a strange spectacle. The show’s guest that morning claimed that the United States’ economic recovery since the recession that began in 2008 had not been uniform. Rather, he argued, the pace of recovery was split along an income line that, for all intents and purposes, created two distinct types of economies. This is an idea that has not been emphasized enough in undergraduate education at Stanford. The idea that there are two separate economies—one for the rich and one for the poor—is not novel in Western economic literature or political campaigning. It is an almost tautological fact that the economy and its pace of recovery from recession functions in a markedly different manner for higher income brackets than for lower ones. What made this assertion so startling on Meet the Press was that it came from Alan Greenspan, the champion of free-market economies and liberty as the greatest good. As ...

Originally @ Stanford Progressive “It is better to have a passion for beautiful girls than to be gay,” Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi quipped offhand when challenged by a recent sex scandal. Unfortunately, at least for those living in Uganda, his deplorable comment is a quite accurate assessment. The past year has witnessed the evolution of a bill in Uganda aimed at strengthening the criminalization of homosexuality by adding a death penalty for the offense. The bill, which merited and received widespread international and media scrutiny, spurred Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to form a committee to investigate the implications of the new legislation, which ultimately led to a recommendation that the bill be repealed. Even so, it was by no means defeated handily. It did not create large-scale indignation or outrage amongst the people of Uganda. In fact, its renunciation belied the true will of many Ugandans, who view homosexuality as unnatural and criminal by nature....

Originally @ Dancing Astronaut 2010. Man, what a huge year for house. This past year was clearly monumental for EDM as a genre. Artists, DJs, and everyone else involved were busy year-round as the market for the music we all love grew larger and larger. Outside of its traditional grounds in foreign clubs, EDM was granted big exposure in the United States in 2010. Songs like We No Speak Americano, Stereo Love, Take Over Control, and Bulletproof all found major airtime on the largest radio stations. Swedish House Mafia performed at the American Music Awards. Deadmau5 was nominated for a Grammy and played at MTV's VMAs, while David Guetta won his own Grammy. It’s safe to say that 2010 was the year where house officially made its way across the pond - in huge, panty-dropping fashion. The influences of EDM have become both obvious and pervasive across genres. From rap artists like Chris Brown sampling Calvin Harris to Britney Spears’ new single with its dubstep drop or Enrique Ig...