Money Myopia

How much can you do in one hour?
The significance of an hour may be trivial to many people but Peter G. Peterson will never forget it. It was within the space of one hour that he became a billionaire.
Peterson, one of the founders of the Blackstone Group, a wealthy private equity firm, benefited as his firm went public, making him the recipient of a massive financial windfall. Not bad for the grandson of a Grecian immigrant who worked as a railroad dishwasher.
Now a man with so much looks to give back by fielding a billion dollar foundation that will focus on raising public awareness about financial issues in America. And America does have issues, about 53 trillions dollars worth.
First Peterson cites three examples of Americas financial "myopia." First there is the out of control social security and Medicare costs "equal to about three times our gross domestic "product." Second, Americans are much more in debt, especially to foreign countries, something that could have disastrous consequences for our future. Third, Americas health care costs double that of other countries but retain the same quality.
Peterson's still unnamed foundation will try to spread its message among the younger generation of American spenders, perhaps by borrowing a page from Al Gore's play book, creating the financial equivalent to his movie "An Inconvenient Truth." Peterson encourages us to dig deep and save, and to remember the pragmatism of the "Greatest Generation," his grandfathers generations.
Peterson's essay originally ran in Newsweek's regular column feature "Turning Points." His message is both stirring and sobering. One thinker suggested a sad possible engraving for America's tombstone.
"This Civilization died because it did not want to be bothered."

Gender or Race?

Hillary needed this recent win in West Virginia although it is symbolic more than significant.
Fresh from drawing criticism for identifying an AP article which said that she has been tying up white voters, Hilary gave Obama a sound pummeling in West Virginia. As usual, upon winning Hillary cites the victory as her duty to the America people to "finish the elections that are still to come."

In her moment of triumph, Senator John Edwards decides to endorse Obama, raining on Hillary's much needed parade. Gender and race are heavily wrapped up in this campaign. Much has been made lately of the Clinton's race baiting but gender is still a dynamic. Some see Obama's and Edward's relationship as a political boy's club that decided to close ranks as soon as a woman looked like she had a chance. I'm not saying that this is the reality, but this theory is just as crazy as those who want the Clinton's to come off as race-baiters. The media machine is a giant echo chamber that augments a whisper into controversial thunder.

For what it is worth, I feel sorry for Hilary. Everyone who has ever gone to Elementary school knows what it is like for people to want to boot you out of a game, saying the teams full or that someone more qualified is going to take your spot. That is what they are doing to her by trying to hustle her out. To many of Hillary's supporters, the message could not be more clear.
There is no room for a woman.

Stumbling through Second Life

Note: This was an extra credit assignment for my Computer class. This was my first and probably only foray into Second Life.


I was hatched on Orientation Island.
Learning was slow. I started out as a naked woman, not by choice. I was a gray body surrounded by mysterious experiences and working with an interface even more confusing. Eventually by some quirk of fate I became a young man in a white t-shirt. My world "loaded" over a period of time and I soon found the run button to move faster. The newbie land quickly grew tiresome and I wished to see more of the real Second Life.

I left there for a designated famous place that I found on a menu, "teleporting" myself to an interesting Japanese strip market called Panda Mart where people shopped to the music of American Hop Hop artists. My movement was slow, it was like walking through jelly, probably something to do with my computers ability to load the city section.

This was probably a community in its most basic sense, a community of shoppers. They were selling weird products like "ami eyes" and "Triangle bikes," And for everything, one must pay the virtual L$ dollars. The mall had a least two levels and it began to load even more, revealing avatars, my fellow shoppers. A woman named Lisa Rachmil in a binki-looking thing hovered over the open air. It soon because certain to me that this place was crowded, more than 100 people whose system specs I hoped were better than mine.
Also of note is a brief visit to the Second Life virtual campus of San Diego State, a scenic and quick loading ghost town that bears little resemblance to the university I know. There were no SDSU parking garages clogged with students in search of a free spot. Note by now, Second Life has crashed at least twice.

In search of a community I traveled to "Twilight Town" which is a fantasy themed town built by game aficionados. Twilight Town is based on a location from the "Kingdom Hearts" of the Playstation 2 console however I also noticed some architecture that was from the Super Mario franchise as well. By now my body had switched between guy and girl four times and I had discovered that I had the ability to fly and that it was much faster than running. One of the houses had its doors open to reveal four costumed Second Lifers. Bubbling with excitement I charged into the house straight through their pixilated bodies and starting talking to them. "Hi, whats up guys," I said in greeting.

After thirty seconds one of them addressed me, possibly the ninja guy with the sword. "Do you need something and watch where you walk," he said. I immediately realized that I had violated a rule of second life etiquette by running though them into their house. After that, the game promptly crashed again. I logged back in and talked to them, telling them that I was a college student studying Second Life for a comp class and asking them some basic questions about Second Life.
Pierce Catteneo told me "We're all in the Twilight Town group, and usually just hang out and chat every day, Role Play a bit, and basically just have fun. I mean, there's not much else to do, is there?"

After a minute Catteneo told that I had interrupted a role playing session, that I was annoying his friend and then asked me to leave. He did however offer to answer my questions through instant messaging when I was out of sight.
"(Second Life) can be anything," he told me. "Second Life has it's own building/scripting systems from inside the game, allowing you to make anything you want to, and give it the ability to do whatever you really want it to. So, in theory, you could make a Star Wars-themed area with working lightsabers and health meters."

He then spoke to me about a group of Final Fantasy 7 fans who had "Purchased a Sim for themselves" and remade part of Midgar, a fictional locale set in that games' mythology and used it as a big role-playing zone. I told him that I intended to visit Midgar. Catteneo who has been a part of Second Life since March 16, 2007, warned me that the players there do not take kindly to newbies and wished me good luck with my assignment.

I never visited Midgar. That was the end of my stay in Second Life. The "Twilight Town group" are welcome to do what they do but it is not for me. Even with the creative potential and powerhouse graphics, one must still use their imagination to role play. I feel like I have seen a very dynamic part of the web and am grateful for the experience even thought I will miss very little of it.
Except for the flying which was truly out of this world.

Daily Aztec Story: Murals made to inspire recovery

Lauren Holland is an unlikely artist.

Injured from an industrial accident, the San Diego State anthropology major could barely walk for more than 10 minutes. She underwent kinesiotherapy at the SDSU Fitness Clinic for Individuals with Disabilities at Peterson Gym. Out of the long hours spent with kinesiotherapy interns, an idea was born.

"I was laying on my back getting core muscles stretched, looking up at the ceiling thinking how incredibly ugly it is," Holland said. "From that...the idea came, 'Wouldn't it be great if (the ceiling) had clouds and you could paint it?'"

The "Visual Therapy Sky Mural" is a child's dreamscape of a Pacific sky and sandy beach that runs the length of the 26-foot long ceiling and continues onto a side wall.

The murals were painted after consultations with a carpenter and graphic artist.
Jan Thurman, the clinic's program director, said the redecorating is a welcome addition.

"Our clients are individuals with various disabilities who require stretching and strengthening on mat tables," Thurman said. "Looking up into these excellent murals as they work on their exercise programs will make a difference in mood and motivation."

Holland proposed the project as part of her work with the Faculty/Student Mentoring Program in the College of Arts and Letters. The program helps first year transfer students achieve academic success, connecting them with like-minded peers and providing opportunities for community service. With the approval of her faculty mentor, Isidro D. Ortiz, Ph.D., Holland set about amassing donations and volunteers for the semester-long project.

The President's Leadership Fund, which supports philanthropic work by students and faculty, provided key funding for the project. Other supporters include the SDSU Physical Plant and the Associated Students.

Holland said the students of the mentoring program got together on April 26 for a "painting party." The volunteers stretched out the Tyvek canvas along the hall of Peterson Gym and spent the entire day decorating it with scenes of white clouds, birds and superheroes. Holland said the artwork is supposed to evoke pictures from a child's coloring book. When the mural is installed, model kites will hang from the ceiling with it.

The murals are currently stored in the clinic and the installation date is still pending.

Ortiz, who said he is delighted with the project, credits the students.

"My part was to facilitate and advise the students, all of whom are first generation college students," Ortiz said. "It was a project conceived and implemented by them, reflecting their inspiring creativity, strong leadership abilities and solid commitment to service and the campus."