May Day, May Day

I'll take the risk of being dubbed a socialist, a leftist, a commie even, and I wish you a pleasant celebration on this year's sunniest spring day. Happy May Day!*

*This holiday is not to be confused with the American version, known as Labor Day, occurring on the first Monday in September of each year. Despite (or maybe because of) history of May Day celebrations following the 1866 Haymarket Affair, May 1st is no longer a national holiday. I will not be protesting nor participating in any kind of strikes (for tomorrow is Saturday, my day off). Instead, I will be following a May tradition of my own, basking in the sun and enjoying my friends' company. Whatever your political beliefs may be, forget them all tomorrow and remember that we're all workers - from students, to stay-home moms - and we slave all week so we can loosen up on those glorious weekends.

Where's TED?

TED was @ BU! TEDxBU quickly evolved from myth to reality this past Sunday. And were we excited!

The theme "To Epiphany and Beyond" did stimulate a personal epiphany of my own. In the final couple of weeks of my last year of college, I realized how many gifted and interesting people I failed to meet during these past four years due to the choices I have made for lack of better judgment. What counts is the realization, better late than never as the saying goes.

TED is a sweeping phenomenon in a category of its own, growing in popularity with every minute passed. The appeal of having such an independently organized event at BU (hence the "x" in the title) was felt by everyone from the presenters (who, by the way, showed that age/experience is the last thing that matters for the creation of an engaging and powerful presentation) to the organizers and the listeners, myself included in the last category. Whether the talk failed to spark the much advertised, following discussion-to-be is beside the point. Who wouldn't rush out of the auditorium after 5 hours of almost non-stop presentations, which were intriguing yes, but tiring nonetheless? We all needed a breath of cold, fresh, late-April-in-Boston air.  

Either way, I felt like I left that auditorium a better person. If you've met me, you know that I say what I mean and I mean what I say in the wise words of Dr. Seuss. Whether I agreed or disagreed, I never failed to applause. Up until today, I couldn't make up my mind whether to focus on the small steps (to which the first part of TEDx was dedicated, with a direct approach on non-profit action in Africa) or to look at the big picture where hugs can heal hate. With a nudge from yesterday's talk, I dare to explore the possibilities and to dream that one day, in this global village we live in, there will be no such choice as the frontiers will continue to be shifted until there are none left, until the actions on a local scale affect everything we do on the more global level. 

Most likely, I will continue to be called an idealist or a hippie, but to quote Salvador Allende, "Ser joven y no ser revolucionario es una contradicción hasta biológica." I'd like to think that I'm still young...

Free Riders

Yesterday, on my way home after an exhausting day of presentations, lectures and volunteering, I experienced the free rider problem frst-handedly. No later than three minutes after boarding the Number 10 bus to Copley Sq, the drama began to unfold. An absolutely ordinary looking, elderly man got on, tapped his Charlie Card and took a step, continuing to examine the bus's interior in a desperate search for a free seat. I glanced out the window at the augmenting line of workers trying to make the rush-hour 5PM commute and felt somewhat relieved that I was already inside, getting comfortable on the warm, blue seat. I would have continued daydreaming if the bus driver hadn't done what he did. I woke up from my absent-mindedness as he got up from his driver seat, pulled back the old man in an instant and made him tap his bus pass again. The Charlie Card made the "it doesn't work" sound again, and again, and again... The bus driver forced the man to tap it at least a couple more times before the passengers started making disapproving, annoyed remarks. "But he does it all the time," the driver insisted, "he knows what he's doing!"
"So what? Let him! We've got places to be," the loudest woman in the back was heard shouting. The driver finally gave up, reluctantly, and drove off while the gray-haired man kept his vow of silence...

When you realize that someone's free-riding and does it on purpose, willingly and knowingly, where do you draw the line and say enough? If the driver lets one guy get on without paying who knows how many are going to follow? At the same time, the interests of the other passengers are conflicting. On the one hand, the public bus is technically not a public good since people continue to pay to use the MBTA services. On the other, their tax dollars still cover the gaps to fund all of public transportation's maintenance expenses, salaries, etc. Moreover, their willingness to let one slip through the cracks of honesty and good citizenry allows others to believe that it's OK to free ride.

We really don't think in a long term way when we've had an excruciatingly long day at work and all we want is to get off at Copley and take yet another means of transportation to our destination.

Disclaimer: Yes, I have free-ridden myself. Mostly in foreign countries when I don't know where to buy tickets. I also loved the old system of bus transfers and everyone being able to get on the Green Line for free along the BU-BC route. And, I admit that maybe, occasionally, I've forgotten my T-pass or wallet at home and I'm so grateful for the more lenient operators who let me get on without paying... Yes, I believe in universal, free, public transportation for all, but I don't believe in playing dumb. I don't appreciate people taking advantage of a system supported by all and doing it with a clear conscience on a daily basis.

Who Said that Video Games Only Teach Violence?

Yes, who said? Who said video games can't teach valuable diplomatic skills or conflict resolution?

Chew on this, haters: A Force More Powerful (AFMP)

High school, undergraduate (and perhaps even immature graduate) students, rejoice! The time has come to learn and play for peace simultaneously. Topple evil dictators, end inhumane totalitarian regimes through imaginative coup d'etats! Create your own peacefully coexisting world while quenching your thirst for... harmony. No, there will not be blood! This is a nonviolent game according to its creators. I surely hope that there are more enthusiastic than confused players out there.

I always wondered why there is a cafe-restaurant called "Ленин Жив" (Lenin's Alive) on the Neva River in the heart of St. Petersburg. And you know what? Lenin is alive! He is alive so we can remove him over and over again.

So what's next - a Super Mario type of affair where players collect foreign aid instead of mushrooms and ship them to their less-developed friends overseas?

Thanks to a gamer-veteran, B.Y., for sharing this invaluable, aforementioned information.

Another Failed Attempt, Mr. Sachs

Jeffrey Sachs' newest craze (courtesy of AidWatch and wronging rights)
LINK

Sachs is all talk and no action as usual! He excessively obsesses over the round numbers - a decade ago it was the Jubilee (forgiving all foreign debt at the turn of the new millennium in 2000) and now 2020 - but he is yet to prove that it works. Gah! It makes me so annoyed to watch his smug self. Who are you trying to convince, Mr. Sachs? The average American? And of what exactly? That you're a good guy trying to end poverty? Well, where are you results? And don't give me that same old "if everyone does his or her own little bit, if everyone lends a helping hand (meaning dollar), we will conquer all evil." I'm really not sure where he stands exactly; he obviously has some ideas about environmental protection and development economics, but how do we reconcile the two? Am I missing something? I haven't watched a single interview where he gives a concrete agenda and what's more important - results, figures, data. We all thrive on those.

Either way, I am still forcing myself to read beyond Bono's foreword in "The End of Poverty"and I was much  too tired to watch the movie screening at my alma mater recently. To be completely honest, Bono's rendition of the notion of poverty and its intertwined relations with terrorism and 9/11 caught me completely off guard, threw me off, and I am finding it really hard not to feel outraged at this sly, humanistic on the surface but really just moronic argument-attempt at brainwashing. To be continued; it shall be a challenge.

Not April, But Year-Round Fools

Just a year ago, a friend blogged about the Tata Nano hitting the Indian auto market. Revisiting it now, the project sounds a little too enthusiastic and ambitious, but it's only because it failed. Well, almost.
The familiar saying about the best plans of mice and men... applies to economic ventures too. I had to do some intensive Google searching to actually find any concrete information regarding the difficulties in establishing the Tata Nano auto plants in Singur, the move of the project to Gujarat, the most current standing of the situation, etc. I am not even completely sure about the time line of events here!

I guess the Nano explosion won't happen just yet. Maybe they're waiting for me to give them a nudge by finally getting my driver's license?

Here are some links if you'd like to make some sense out of it:
1) from the Examiner
2) from Indian Autos Blog
3) from Yahoo Answers (oh come on! you use them too!)

Best of luck!