Where to Find $12,000,000?

With URI dealing with a $12 million reduction in state funding this fiscal year, a problem compounded by rising energy costs and the constant threat of further budget cuts as the state of Rhode Island battles an estimated ~$350 million deficit this year, everyone at the university has been forced to find ways to cut costs. Whether it's improving facilities to make them more energy efficient, raising tuition, or the unfortunate loss of several of our varsity athletic programs, URI's administration is being forced to 'do more with less' at a time when our school has grown at an unprecedented rate. 

Having been at URI for several years and having also worked for a state office this summer, I've seen firsthand how much our state's budget crisis has affected state workers and institutions across the board. I could rant all day about how Governor Carcieri should be doused in water and beaten with a sock full of flour for failing to recognize the potential that URI has to generate revenue for the state, and failing to make the intelligent investments in higher education that nearly every other state in our nation sees as absolutely critical. But instead, I decided to come up with a few creative solutions of how URI could potentially regain some of those lost millions... 

• We name academic buildings and residence halls after donors right? I propose we sell the rights to name each individual dorm room on campus for a donation of $500. I'd love to remind anyone living in 312 Merrow that it was once my room, back when cockroaches were the problem as opposed to being tripled up. 
• And while we're on the topic of selling naming rights, why not attract corporate sponsors for each college or academic department? The Exxon/Mobil College of Environment and Life Sciences... The Frito Lay Nutrition & Food Sciences Department... the list could go on and the potential for irony seems endless. 
• URI 101 classes have mandatory community service... why not turn that community service into actual hard-labor? University College could pimp out all those freshman as cheap labor to landscapers, construction companies, and all those nearby sod farms at harvest time.
• If parking services really wants to strike fear into the hearts of commuters, simply put a little clause in the fine print of all parking sticker purchases that gives URI the right to auction off any towed cars... at the very least freshman would stop parking in the commuter lots. 
• Athletics was forced into the position of having to cut men's tennis, men's swimming & diving, field hockey, and gymnastics... Maybe we could afford to retain some of those teams if we started imposing fines on any unsuccessful athletics programs that we still have left.
• Speaking of athletics, maybe we could actually make use of the Ryan Center to draw in some revenue... Based on the fact that I'm charged a substantial 'Ryan Center Fee' every semester on my school bill for a facility I've only been in a handful of times, I'd say its not currently a very successful economic venture. 
• URI could also take a page from all the airlines' playbook and start adding obnoxious up-charges on any minor convenience... you want to use a mouse with that desktop at the computer lab? $2... Want to access the on-campus wireless? $0.10/min... You want a second-helping at Hope? That'll be a $3 charge... 
• And lastly, URI should tap its most valuable resource... its students. I propose that any URI graduates making over $80,000/year be subject to a hefty annual royalty payable to their alma mater. After all, URI made them what they are today, right?

As students have undoubtedly been reminded, while we can't get rid of Gov. Carcieri until 2010, there's plenty of local representatives that you can hold accountable for allowing the millions to flow out of URI's budget. The voter registration deadline for Rhode Island is October 4th, and since students at URI live here the majority of the year, regardless of where they're from, they can register to vote in Kingston (or Narragansett if you live off-campus). 

The Green Monster: The Slow Start

Well its been two months since I moved into my new home in Narragansett, RI, and I, of course, haven't made the progress in my efforts to 'go green' that I would have liked to have made by this point. Nevertheless, the experiment continues on sluggishly, and I suppose I will at least document my minor successes...

My 5-bedroom home currently houses seven permanent residents. My younger sister Bethany (a senior communications major at URI and overworked lifeguard), my friend Christina (a 5th year elementary education major), and myself (a political scientist doing post-bach work in biology, in hopes of escaping to a graduate school of public health) are residing there for the year (June 1, 2008 - May 31, 2009). We are joined in our lease for the summer by Tom and Claire, who will be replaced by Graeme and Kayla on September 1st. The catch is that China revoked Graeme's student visa earlier than expected as part of their Olympic Crackdown, so now he lives on the couch. Maarten lives in Claire's room and pays the electric bill.

So far I've paid little attention to house energy costs, as there are generally fewer costs in summer, with only electricity and hot water to pay for. The fact that our windows are all of the horitzonal (rather than vertical) sliding variety, makes installing any air conditioners impossible. While sometimes distressing, I suppose it is an inescapable way to reduce our carbon footprint.

My biggest initial goals were in the realm of transportation and recycling, and I'm pleased to report that I haven't totally failed in either. With gas at $4/gallon, I estimated that it would cost me a minimum of $70 per week to commute from Narragansett to my job at the RI Dept. of Health in Providence. To avoid this unpleasant scenario I've taken the bus to work every day this summer, and astounded that I haven't missed it once. For $11.50 (student rate) I can obtain a 15-ride pass from RIPTA. Not a bad deal when a ticket costs $1.75 each way at the standard price.

As for recycling, I have to say I'm pleased with our efforts, but there's always room for improvement. Its inevitable that items which can be recycled are thrown away because no one realizes they actually are recyclable (case in point: Dunkin Donuts iced coffee cups). Aside from the occasional recyclable being tossed in the trash, we've done a decent job of recycling cans, bottles, cardboard, plastic bags, and so forth. With the amount of beer cans that get emptied here, it would be a travesty to do otherwise.

My latest 'green' development was the procurment of a vintage Univega 10-Speed bicycle from someone's trash heap. While rust seems to be a persistent feature on both the frame and most of the components, there's nothing terribly wrong with it, and so I've made plans to refurbish it and turn it into my very own fixed-gear bike, which I'm hoping I won't injure myself terribly on while getting accustomed to it. I'll detail my efforts in bike recycling in my next post once I can get my hands on a camera to snap a few photos with.

The Benefits of Specialization

Human beings figured out long ago that if you do something well, stick to it and you will reap the benefits. This is the basic concept of specialization. It applies to so many aspects of the human existence, from manufacturing cars to creating music, that it is a natural, ingrained concept for most. The same goes for writing, and most blogs (but not this one) in particular are a great example of this. Focus on a topic, build readership based on your expertise with that topic, and presto! You've got yourself a successful little piece of the information superhighway.

When I started this blog, I envisioned it as nothing more than a bucket into which I could spew a multitude of thoughts and ideas. There those ideas would sit, waiting to be fished from the bucket should they prove to have any merit. But, in an effort to write more often, as well as more consistently, I'm going to attempt to streamline the topics I choose.

At the moment I'm thinking these might work...

• 'The Green Monster' - Documentation of my efforts to be more environmentally conscious
• 'Super Tuesday' - Once-a-week ramblings on 'Election 2008' & domestic politics
• 'Precession' - Musings on international politics & global affairs
• 'Three Fourteen' - For my love of technology & theoretical physics
• 'The Ivory Hut' - Academia-related nonsense
• 'The Road to Nowhere' - Travel writing
• 'Its a Sport' - Ultimate... 'nuff said
• 'How 'Bout Them Apples?' - Boston Sports

Super Tuesday: Kinetic America, Potential Energy

In the face of $4.00 per gallon gasoline prices, the American public has been inundated with calls from various political, economic, and social sector figures, each with plans and ideas to solve America’s energy crisis. Whether it has been John McCain and George W. Bush’s call for the lifting of the Federal moratorium on offshore oil drilling, Al Gore’s plea to switch to carbon-free electricity production within the next decade, or any of the other myriad plans being advocated to the public, it is quite obvious that our energy production and consumption habits must change, and they must change quickly.

Unfortunately the topic of energy reform has become so politicized that it is difficult for most citizens too see through the political posturing, the partisan blame game, and the half-truths created by the energy industry. There are a variety of alternative energy sources that, used in conjunction, can greatly reduce America’s reliance on foreign oil, and petroleum in general.
While there are certainly untapped oil reserves in the U.S., as well as abroad, it is a fact that the vast majority of the largest oil fields have already been discovered and are currently being utilized. Only smaller and smaller oil fields are left to be found and exploited, with the cost of building the infrastructure to pump the oil from these fields rising as the reserves become smaller and smaller. Barring a monumental global investment in building more pumps and refineries, it is likely that 2005 was the year of peak global oil production - output has fallen every year since, as a result of the aforementioned factors.

Several politicians, Bush and McCain being the most prominent, have advocated lifting the Federal ban on offshore oil drilling, as well as the restrictions on speculation in Alaska’s ANWR. In an election year, such a proposal must be met with skepticism. While many politicians would like to make Americans believe that oil is sitting on our doorstep, just waiting to be pumped from the Earth, the matter is far more complex.

There are two Federal moratoriums on offshore drilling that currently prevent oil companies from accessing what the Department of the Interior estimates to be roughly 19 billion barrels off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, as well as in the Gulf of Mexico. The first moratorium was enacted by Congress in 1981 and must be renewed every year as part of the Interior Department spending bill to stay in effect. The second moratorium was imposed by George H.W. Bush in 1991 after the Exxon-Valdez oil spill. This executive moratorium was recently lifted by George W. Bush through a presidential order.

Many Republicans are pushing for a vote to lift the Congressional moratorium as well, while Democrats are advocating a plan that would push oil companies to explore much of the land (and sea) that they are already leasing from the government, but have yet to tap into. Even if a Congressional moratorium on offshore drilling were lifted, any new exploration must be approved by the States whose territory exploration might take place in. With many State-level officials, most notably Arnold Schwarzenegger (otherwise a McCain supporter), Governor of California, opposed to such plans, the prospect of offshore drilling seems unlikely. Opponents on the state level cite a range of environmental concerns, and perhaps even moreso, concerns over how such exploration could affect tourism to costal areas, a valuable component of many states’ economies.

Even if new exploration were to take place, it would be several years before any such exploration would translate into true production and potentially lower prices at the pump. Even T. Boone Pickens, the 80-year old Texas billionaire oilman, dubbed the recent Republican attempts to convince the American public that more drilling would reduce gas prices as, ‘totally misleading’. Remember that this is the same man who helped Republicans in the 2004 election by giving nearly $3 million to finance the infamous ‘Swift Boat’ attack ads against John Kerry.
At the other end of the spectrum from the drilling advocates sits global warming’s greatest nemesis, former Vice President, Al Gore. Last week Gore, in a speech delivered in Washington, called on the United States to forsake oil consumption and make a concerted, national effort to achieve carbon-free energy production within the next decade. In addition to averting further contributions towards global warming, which Gore claims has the potential to produce millions of ‘climate refugees’ and cause serious political and economic instability worldwide, he cites the nation’s tangled foreign policy as requiring urgent revision. “We’re borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that has got to change.”

For all of his lofty goals, Gore fails to bring the discussion down to the level of specific planning and initiatives. Over the past 25 years he has done perhaps more than anyone to bring the world’s attention to the problem of climate change and the burning of fossil fuels, but much of Gore’s effectiveness stops there. He no longer holds public office, and while he certainly earns a comfortable living, he does not possess the financial capital to make the type of investments in alternative energy that he is advocating. Gore is a mouthpiece to push those who have the means to actually make such investments towards action. And while climate change is still debated by some, Gore’s campaign can do nothing but benefit from high gasoline prices, which may draw the attention of far more of the American public than his warnings of environmental catastrophe ever did.

This is where individuals such as T. Boone Pickens enter the fray. At 80 years old, the geologist who built his wealth by pumping oil out of the ground seems like an unlikely champion of alternative energy; however, patronage of his sort is exactly what the drive towards energy independence needs. Pickens has recently spent $58 million on a media blitz to promote his energy plan for the United States – a plan that includes a $1 trillion proposal to build wind farms across the American Midwest, from North Dakota to the Texas panhandle, one of the most wind-rich areas of the world. And Pickens’ plan is not just talk… he has recently invested nearly $10 billion in the construction of what will be the nation’s largest wind farm, north of Sweetwater, in the Texas panhandle.

Wind farm construction is part of his larger strategy to reduce America’s dependence of foreign oil (roughly 70% of our country’s supply), and free up natural gas reserves to be used as transportation fuel. Indeed, there are a good deal of natural-gas powered vehicles produced by major automobile manufacturers, but few are purchased within the confines of the United States. This writer recalls driving a natural gas powered Ford F-150 in the summer of 2004 during a stint as a Park Ranger in Bristol, RI. There was little, if any, noticeable difference in the function of the vehicle, the only downside being the 15+ mile drive to refuel at one of Rhode Island’s only 3 natural gas refueling stations. This highlights the necessary change in infrastructure that would have to accompany a shift from oil and this change will certainly come at a cost. But as Pickens likes to point out, the $1 trillion investment in wind farms is a one-time investment, whereas our $700 billion addiction to foreign oil is an annual cost.
At the moment natural gas is significantly cheaper than oil, with natural gas selling in Rhode Island at $2.57 per gallon, compared with prices of gasoline hovering around $4.00 per gallon. In other parts of the country natural gas is even cheaper. Natural Gas can provide an easy alternative transportation fuel, especially in the realm of commercial vehicles, where other technologies (such as electric) have not evolved to the point where they can power large machinery.

But the solutions to the nation’s energy problems do not end with the Picken’s Plan. Americans must realize that it is an imperfect plan, as most are bound to be, and it is merely one man’s effort to create a stronger, more stable America. Other alternatives that can help reduce our dependence on petroleum include the prospect of biofuels, such as ethanol. And while there has been much debate about ethanol’s role in rising food prices worldwide, as essential food crops are turned into fuel instead, there are two companies, INEOs Bio of the U.K., and Coskata of Warrenville, Illinois, who both claim to be on the verge of producing ethanol on a commercial scale without the use of food crops.

Instead of crops such as corn, both companies are pioneering techniques to transform municipal waste into ethanol by heating the waste with a limited amount of oxygen in order to create a carbon monoxide/hydrogen gas. This mixture is then fed to certain bacteria capable of transforming it into ethanol. On top of that, the process uses as little as 1/4th the amount of water needed to grow ethanol crops. Coskata is hopeful that they will achieve a $1 per gallon production cost.

When you consider all this in conjunction with the constant push for more hybrid and electric personal vehicles (Toyota is on pace to sell 200,000 of their Prius models in the U.S. this year), the enormous potential of the American southwest in terms of solar power, potential that rivals the Great Plains states’ potential for wind power, the continuing increase and developments in recycling, and the dizzying array of everyday ‘green’ items like compact fluorescent light bulbs, there seem to be few limits to the alternative energy resources that we can harness.
America can, and will, solve its energy crisis, it is only a matter of time. With $4.00 per gallon gas perhaps being the tipping point for American society, more and more people will turn to alternatives such as hybrid cars and public transportation. As always with our capitalist society, once conditions begin to adversely affect our pocketbooks, then the potential for real change is upon us. Hopefully with more investors in the energy sector emulating the Pickens Plan that change will come soon.

Sources:

Drilling’s Lure
NYT Editorial Board
The New York Times – July 15th, 2008

Democrats Dig in as G.O.P. Presses for Oil Exploration in Protected Areas
By Carl Hulse
The New York Times – July 11th, 2008

Gore Calls for Carbon-Free Electric Power
By David Stout
The New York Times – July 18th, 2008

The Oil Man Cometh
By Timothy Egan
The New York Times: Op-Ed – July 24th, 2008

From Garbage to Gas Tank: Trash as Biofuel
By Jessica Marshall
Discovery News – July 23rd, 2008

The Green Monster: An Experiment

For years, the likes of Al Gore and other 'tree-hugging, dirt worshipers', as the popular bumper-sticker so aptly phrases it, have been extolling to us the virtues of 'going green', that is, living in a more environmentally conscious manner. The word 'green' itself has long since been hijacked and raped of its once simple, yet far-reaching, significance. We now see the phrase employed more often in General Electric and Walmart commercials than anywhere else. Like many other issues in our society, the true facts have been muddled by corporate greed, eager to profit from a formerly burgeoning social consciousness.

Out of frustration and a propensity for passive-aggressive behavior, I've so far abstained from jumping head-first into the 'green revolution', fearing (1) the social ostracism that might occur from delving too deeply into an alternative lifestyle, (2) that such an effort might be a wasted exercise in the face of ever-evolving debate over what exactly is good for our environment, and (3) a general lack of education concerning what changes I might make to my lifestyle.

But from here on out, I'm resolving to undertake the experiment, and am making an attempt to document my efforts, so that I might better understand my failures once they inevitably occur, due to lack of will, excess substance abuse (the former being a frequent result of the later), or a lack of money to pull off certain endeavors. My true goal, however, is to separate the neat, packaged 'green' lifestyle currently being sold by corporations, from the natural, logical manner in which one can live more consciously, without necessarily buying those new expensive light bulbs, or the organic meat at Whole Foods that costs twice as much as the meat on sale at Shaw's or Stop & Shop.

Undoubtedly the truths and myths about a 'green' lifestyle will not be easy to separate, as I imagine the situation as more of a Venn diagram, with certain overlaps, rather than a boxing ring with Corporate Greed in one corner and 'True' Environmentalism in another. I do not doubt that many working at GE truly care that their products become environmentally friendly, just as I am confident of the fact that many 'Green' institutions have bills to pay and money to be made. My hope is simply to find the middle ground where their good intentions overlap.

My 'experiment' will begin on June 1st, 2008 - the day I move into my new house in the Bonnet Shores district of Narragansett, RI. This fresh start will hopefully be conducive to establishing new habits more in line with an ecologically-conscious lifestyle. I suppose a brief synopsis of the living situation is in order, so all my imaginary readers will know what I'm up against...

The 5-bedroom, 2-story (plus an unfinished basement) house that we (who 'we' is will be discussed later) are moving into has been described as a 'modern cape', whatever that's supposed to mean. Its got 2 bedrooms and a 3/4 bath upstairs, 2 bedrooms and a full bath on the main floor, and then a new 5th bedroom that's being finished in the basement. It's got a sizable kitchen, living room, and deck, as well as ample room in the basement for all kinds of shenanigans. It has oil-based heat and an electric water heater.

The Ivory Hut: Curse of Higher Education

I haven't posted in 6 weeks, due largely in part to my re-enrollment as an undergraduate at URI. Only this time around, instead of conquering the Liberal Arts (which is akin to a grappling contest with a quadriplegic), I'm mercilessly punishing myself with an array of 'hard sciences'. Apparently, these sort of subjects don't allow you to bullshit, expect you to study regularly, and worst of all, there are no essay questions. I owe so many apologies to my former roommate, one Michael Alice, for the years of torment I caused him while he dutifully chizzled his way through a bedrock of Physics homework, while I, often under the influence of some not-so-foreign substance, attempted to relieve him of his work and replace it with drinking games.

Bravo, Mike Alice, for graduating in spite of me. I'm not sure how you did it.


Should I ever emerge from this semester, I'll find some time to write something thats worth my imaginary audience reading.

Three Fourteen: Traveler IQ Challenge

This is awesome, if you're a geography nerd like myself...

http://www.travelpod.com/traveler-iq

Getting all the way to Level 12 is a challenge. I've made it a couple of times. My current Traveler IQ is 127.

Notes

I had an awesome dream last night, or rather this morning, as the only reason I actually remember it is because I woke up in the middle of it.

From what I can remember, myself and 3 of my companions, 2 girls and 1 guy, though I don't remember who they were or anything about them, had stumbled onto the fact that through a series of hidden, transdimensional elevators, we could enter other worlds. The only part I remember clearly was when one of the elevator doors opened and we walked out into some sort of underground system of tunnels. The rock that formed the walls was reddish, and the tunnels were large, 20 feet high perhaps. They were well lit, though there were no lights. The elevator door opened out of a rock face at the top of a larger chamber, with a series of steps leading down to the chamber carved out of the red rock. The only thing in the chamber was a large, unfinished wooden table. It was slightly ornate, but nothing special.

We proceeded down the flight of stairs and saw that there was a nearly-complete puzzle on the table. It was obviously a puzzle of a map. From what I remember it looked similar to a map of the Earth, but there a lot of obvious differences. It was drawn in that old school style, kind of like a Lord of the Rings map of Middle Earth.



There were maybe only 1/6th of the pieces left to complete the puzzle, so we set to work. I think the idea was that once we completed the puzzle, we'd know what dimension, or world, we were in.

Before we completed the puzzle however, we heard two guards coming down one of the passageways leading to the chamber. I'm not sure how I knew they were guards, but I did. Sensing danger, I immediately told the rest of my companions to sprint back up to the elevator from which we had come. By this time I could see the forms of the guards coming at us rather quickly. I couldn't make out what they were though, they were nearly all black, dressed in black, and seemed to be consumed, or even created out of, a shadowy haze. They had spears and armor, but what was under that armor I couldn't really tell. They were certainly larger and more burly than I was, and I sure didn't have any weapons to confront them with anyways.

We rushed up the stairs and I shoved everyone into the elevator in front of me as the guards began to storm up the staircase at us, making no noise, but moving awfully quickly. I ducked into the door of the elevator as it began to close, just in the nick of time, the guards spears being only a few feet away from my back. At this point I collapsed on the elevator floor, and then I woke up.

I remembered later that at the top of the puzzle, was the title Erüd. I guess that was the name of the land pictured in the puzzle. I'm not sure if the elevator door disappeared into the rock face or what, but the guards didn't seem to be able to follow.

Its been a while since I remembered a dream so vividly. It seems like its got the making for some kind of fantasy novel.


A few other pointless, personal notes:

In the past 24 hours I have...

• Finished a book (1776 by David McCullough)
• Started a book (The Road by Cormac McCarthy)
• Wrote the preceding stream of thought essay
• Had a badass dream (see above)
• Bested my personal Pacman high score. My new record is Level 12, 78130 points

No Title

I wrote this last night, as a stream of consciousness exercise after reading about the murder of 24 year old Meredith Emerson who was abducted and then killed after she went hiking in the Georgia mountains with her dog...


We’re half awake, in a fake empire. Only at moments of peak awareness can we begin to comprehend the endless possibilities before us at all times. Too often our sights are cast downward, on the immediate, the petty, and the futile. All those poor souls whose lives are snatched away without a moments notice, be it from ignorance, neglect, or human malice, likely believed they would go on living until the moment they didn’t. At any moment our lives of invincibility can be shattered by the strangest or most mundane turn of events. A meteorite could one day smash through the roof above your head, bringing your soul back to the heavens from which the instrument of your death came. Or perhaps in gluttonous fashion you will choke to death, alone, slowly, regretting that you failed to appreciate your last meal, as you rushed to eat and move on to more ‘important’ tasks that lay before you. Life is more fragile that we can possibly imagine.

At times I am less than conscious of this fact. However there are moments when I perceive how delicately we must carry life, with the utmost care, with momentous focus. To forget what a delicate gift life is, is to condemn ourselves to a future filled with naught but mediocre accomplishments, half-formed ideas, and worst of all, dreams that were not only never realized, but never dreamt at all.

But to carry this awareness in an acute fashion at all times would be to deny ourselves the joy of living, the fruit of that delicate gift that was undoubtedly bestowed upon us by something greater, a greatness which I do not feel can be comprehended by our limited capacities. It should be enough to appreciate the gift from that greatness, to know that we are born of its essence. A life focused solely on contemplating our delicate situation, our sameness with, yet separation from, that wellspring of power would certainly be a torturous one given to despair and longing. But a life lived in ignorance of our fragility, of our unimaginably miniscule, yet simultaneously momentous, role in creation would be equally torturous once we rejoin that great source and finally see with clarity the preciousness of the gift that we lived in ignorance of all our lives.

We cannot fear whatever end we will one day face. We cannot look to the past to change our fortunes in the present. We can only proceed, from moment to moment, with our delicate gift in hand. We would hope for straight paths, clearly marked, and lighted by an ever-present sun. But we will face storms, and ford rivers, and scale rocks. And sometimes we will fall, and fail. And because human will, when properly employed, is indomitable, we can wrap our gift of life in this will and not fear an end to our gift. And hopefully, as the pain from our failings subsides, and we look up at the sky from our bedraggled and prone position, we can, at least for a moment, appreciate the change in view, and marvel at the clouds and the stars above.

And I would hope for you that once you were on your way again, that the next time you found yourself looking up at the stars from that same position, that at least the constellations had changed.

Three Fourteen: SpaceTime

You should probably check this out. They don't have a version for Mac OS X yet. But they will...

Essentially it takes Google and other searches and displays the results in 3D picture format... similar to the way you can flip through album covers on your iPod.

Super Tuesday: Where You Frum?

Tonight on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Stewart interviewed David Frum, a former speechwriter for George W. Bush, and author of "Comeback: Conservatism That Can Win Again". Aside from the fact that Frum has a slightly distracting stutter, and looks frighteningly like Chris Kattan, it was actually interesting to hear what he had to say. His message is basically that Republicans need to quit bullshitting people and denying that there are problems with health care and pushing tax cuts that don't help the middle class. Somewhat refreshing. Unfortunately he's advising Giuliani. Take note that an earlier portion of the show focused on the borderline insane amount of times Giuliani invokes the phrase '9/11'. Including during his response to questions about Hillary Clinton's supposed 'breakdown'. Here's a few lines from the interview:

Stewart: Who are you advising in this campaign?

Frum: I'm giving advice to Rudy Giuliani.

Stewart: Ok, I'm Giuliani. You're my guy, I come to you and say 'the old conservatism, that's not working. What do I believe?'

Frum: You believe that the Republicans are the party of the great American middle. The party of national security. They are the party that believes in responding to the concerns that people have, which are that their health care system is broken, income is not rising, the tax cuts that we offer don't make a difference to people in the middle, and that a lot of our national security ideas have not delivered the national security that people need.

Stewart: So when he hears that, does he say to you, 'da...uh... 9/11!'.

Another gem from later in the interview, when the discussion turns to Mike Huckabee's success, and the Republican's fear of him winning the primaries...

Stewart: Is this cynical by the Republican party? They use the evangelical bloc to kinda put them over the top... its almost like... do you watch the Simpsons?

Frum: I'm afraid to say, yes.

Stewart: Ned Flanders. Yeah thats great, you like having him around because he'll do all the leg work, but when it comes down to it you want President Homer.

Frum: I don't think we want President Homer.

Stewart: We have President Homer.


Other important notes:

• After her defeat in Iowa, Clinton bounced back to beat out Obama in the New Hampshire primaries 39% to 36%. Fuck New Hampshire. At least they picked McCain over Romney.
  
• I'm convinced Romney would engage in human trafficking if he thought it might benefit his campaign somehow.
• If Edwards wins South Carolina, Super Tuesday is going to be really interesting.
• Arthur told me at work that someone needs to start a national interest group for people who live solely off their physical or mental labor. Imagine giving low and middle income tax brackets a voice as powerful as the NRA or AARP.
  
• I watch too much Futurama, as evidenced by the fact that I ordered a Futurama poster online today.
  
• Do a search for David Frum on YouTube. Its kind of scary.