Now what?

What in the world are we supposed to do about Haiti?




I know this is a touchy subject, but it’s one that I have been thinking about lately. And I don’t have any answers, just more questions. The Haitian government says that more than 111,000 people died in the earthquake. More than 600,000 people have been left homeless in and around the capital of Port-au-Prince. The pictures are devastating. It looks like a war zone and there are bodies lining the streets. Most of the city is in rubble. The people of Haiti need help. The question is: Who is responsible for helping the people of Haiti?


I know the generic answer is everyone. We are all human beings and we should help each other out in times of need. I get that. But on a practical level—what do we do now? I read online today that Hillary Clinton and foreign ministers from more than a dozen countries are going to start planning on how to rebuild Haiti. Is this our job? It is great to see the outpouring of monetary donations and time that so many people are giving to go down to Haiti and help how they can. But ultimately, is it the government of the United States or any other countries “role” or “responsibility” or whatever other terms you could use to decide how to rebuild the country?


The fact is Haiti has been susceptible to such an event like this for a long time. It appears that many people knew that something like this could happen at any time. Haiti sits in a precarious spot- In 2004m tropical storm Jeanne hit, leaving over 3000 people dead. In August/September 2008- Tropical Storm Fay, Hurricane Gustav, Hurricane Hanna, and Hurricane Ike hit. A September 2008 source listed 800,000 in need of humanitarian need after the storms. This is not the first disaster to hit Haiti- just the worst. The root of the problem isn’t the earthquake that just hit- it’s the state the country is in even without natural disasters. As of 2006, Haiti ranked 149th of 182 countries in the United Nations Human Development Index. About 80% of the population were estimated to be living in poverty in 2003. Most Haitians live on $2 or less per day. This is a country where Foreign aid makes up approximately 30–40% of the national government's budget. The largest donor is the United States. From 1990 to 2003, Haiti received more than $4 billion in aid. The United States alone had provided Haiti with 1.5 billion in aid.


I guess I don’t know where I stand with this information. We need to help each other out, but is it our government’s role to do so? Is it our government’s role to take our taxes and use it to give aid to other countries? I don’t really know. And how much is our aid doing? There’s a Corruption Perceptions Index that shows Haiti has a particularly high level of corruption. Take what you want from such a title as “corruption perceptions index,” but I looked up the chart and I don’t know how it all works but based off this chart Haiti is ranked 168 out of 180-- tied with Iran. From the pictures of the Presidential Palace compared with the slums most of the people live in—I’m not sure the money is getting where it needed to go.


My fiancé and I were in Indianapolis this weekend and went under an overpass where there were a handful of homeless people staying. It made me wonder what financial aid they are getting from the government. Would they be more likely to get aid from the United States if they moved to another country? Would we build a home for them if Indianapolis was struck by a devastating earthquake, or did they need to have one before? Because if we’re only going to indemnify people in Haiti back to their living conditions pre-quake, then they’re going to be in the same boat when the next hurricane or earthquake hits. Their city was not built to withstand a small earthquake, let alone a 7.0.


I’m not claiming to have the answers because honestly, I don’t know what the right thing to do is. There’s something about rebuilding an entire city in another country that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Perhaps an island so susceptible to hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding, etc. isn’t the best place to settle. Isn’t that why private insurers won’t insure homes too close to the East coast? What kind of uproar would be caused if your homeowners insurance tripled or quadrupled because everyone in the country could be insured under the same rates? How happy would you be if you now paid $200-300 a month to insure your home just because someone decided they wanted to build a nice home on the coast of Ft. Lauderdale?


My point is, if Obama would have proposed 2 months ago that we rebuild Haiti- no one would have jumped on board. There would have been an outcry that our country that is already in huge debt with no real plan to get out of it and that is in an economic downturn right now has decided to fund the renovation of another country. And yet after the earthquake, this is exactly what we are looking at doing. Of course I feel horrible for the people that live in poverty in Haiti and whose lives have been turned upside down yet again. And the world needs to do what we can to help these people out as quickly as possible. But to what extent do we take the responsibility to rebuild? Where has our aid in the past gone? Is it right that a country relies on the rest of the world to survive on an annual basis in the first place? Did other countries step in and help us rebuild New Orleans? I honestly don’t know. What is promised to every human born into this world? At least basic needs to survive? Food, water, clothes, shelter? I’m not so sure that’s been the case. And if not, how do we decide who we give those things to? And who gets to make those decisions? Our government? Should our government tax us and then decide which countries to send aid to? Are we making a difference with the aid we send, or is it going to make the rich richer in corrupt countries where the people that need the help can’t get it? Should we start giving money to other impoverished countries that are susceptible to disasters to avoid another Haiti?


Again, these are just questions. I wish there was a “right” answer to all of these issues. What are your thoughts? Do you think we should be in control of the rebuilding process in Haiti?

Blame it on the Rain, McGwire.

A lot of athletes cheat. We get it. What is insulting are the lies they continue to feed us. Roger Clemens still denies using. Rafael Palmeiro and Miguel Tejada lied to Congress (bad idea). Sammy Sosa no speaka ingles. The list goes on and on. Few players will admit they have taken these drugs in the first place, let alone admit that they took them to become better at the sport. And for some reason, fans pretty much let them get away with it.

Everyone knew Mark McGwire used performance enhancement drugs. Well, everyone except Tony LaRussa at least. There’s so much that could be covered with the recent McGwire fiasco. I could dissect McGwire’s (and LaRussa’s for that matter) statement line by line and comment on its utter stupidity. Instead, my real issue with McGwire and the other athletes who cheat is simply this: They tried to cheat and we know it. Stop continuing to lie and insulting our intelligence.

I don’t know the science of steroids and how they work. I don’t know if you take steroids if you hit more home runs than people that don’t. I do know that when you look at the list of all time home run leaders, most of them are linked to performance enhancement drugs- so you figure it out. Is it the steroids themselves that give the athletes more power or is it because they use it in addition to working out and they heal more quickly, allowing them to build more muscle faster than the non-using player? Doctors don’t seem to know, so I’d be willing to bet the players that use them don’t either. But the point is, the players do know that the steroids give them an edge or else they wouldn’t do them. And they’re illegal and banned substances, so the players know that they aren’t suppose to use them. So if you’re using a banned substance in order to gain an edge (power wise, recovery wise, whatever), you are cheating.

This issue could go even deeper—did their cheating lead to bigger contracts and more money? Absolutely. Does it lead to more fans spending money on tickets to see you play? Does it lead to more wins for your team? More jerseys and merchandise sold for your organization? The possibilities are endless. The fact is, it has happened. Over and over. We knew it happened.

I have a tough time feeling any sympathy for McGwire and the consequences of his attempt (and in reality, success) in cheating. Seeing his interview yesterday with tears welling up in his eyes didn’t do it for me. And honestly, it would have if he would have said the right things. If he would have admitted he cheated, that’s all it would have taken. Instead, his whole interview was based around trying to convince us that he took the drugs off and on and only for health reasons because he was struggling with injuries. It was to help with the daily grind of baseball (which EVERY player also experiences). The fact is, you cheated. You used a banned substance to get an edge.

There’s nothing wrong with trying to get healthy again. Every player and person does the same thing. No one accuses you of cheating in life if you take advil when you have a headache or some anti-biotics to fight the flu. No one accuses a player of cheating if he has Lasik surgery so he can see better. Did it give those players an edge? Yeah, it did. But it’s available and legal. Do some players have an edge based off of the climate and/or facilities they grew up by and had access to? Sure. If someday steroids are legal and allowed in baseball- go for it! Bend over, here come the needles! But right now- they’re not. Find your edge in working harder than everyone else. Not by injecting yourself with a needle of cheat. And when you get caught, just admit it. You cheated. I find it hard to believe you are sorry for lying when you’re not sorry for cheating. You knew it was wrong- that’s why you hid it for 21 years.

The reason why McGwire frustrates me so much is my assumption on how he would answer these questions:

If you were never “caught” using steroids—if you had gotten away with it and were under no suspicion, would you have admitted to using?

If you had not taken the job as the Cardinals hitting coach and weren't forced back into the public eye after 5 years in hiding, would you have held this same press conference to talk about steroids?

The response of Cardinal Nation to Cubs Nation on the McGwire issue has been to turn the attention back on Sosa. Here are actual Facebook quotes:

“probably because we forgot how to speak English…o wait… who was that?”

“You know what would really be a joke, if a player ever corked his bat and when he got caught in a game said he ‘accidentally grabbed his batting practice bat.’ What would be even funnier is if said player suddenly forgot how to speak English while testifying in front of Congress on the use of steroids in baseball. J”

“Sammy is a cheat too!”

“oy yeah, JMW, and Sammy Sosa was a saint!”

Here’s what you are missing. Chicago ran Sammy Sosa out of town. I suspect that the Cubs organization knew about Sammy taking steroids and turned a blind eye to it as did every other team that was making money from the Home Run ball. It was good for business at the time and I’m very skeptical at the thought that the commissioner wasn’t aware of it either. Shortly after the corked bat debacle, the Cubs couldn’t wait to get rid of Sosa. They ended up trading him to the Orioles for pretty much nothing and ended up eating up most of his remaining contract. I certainly would not support Sosa being brought back to Chicago as a hitting coach. We’ve moved on. I don’t know how anyone can support McGwire’s return to baseball as a hitting coach! It’s like bringing Milli Vanilli on the panel of American Idol to help teach the contestants to sing.

If I have to read one more comment like this, I’m going to throw up:

“watching McGwire’s interview with Costas…Admire Big Mac more today than when I thought he was legit in ’98. Takes character to repent.”

No, in this case repenting takes a job offer that forces you to face the media after 5 years in hiding.

To be honest, I really don’t care that McGwire took steroids. Or Sosa. Or Bonds. Or Rodriguez. Or Palmerio. Or Tejada. Or (add pretty much any good player from the 90’s here). I mean, it’s disappointing to know that all these great accomplishments and exciting record-breaking events we’ve seen in baseball over the last decade have been the product of cheating. But what can we do about it? There wasn’t a good way to test the players until now. We have no way of knowing how many players actually cheated. We have no way of knowing what their numbers would have been if they hadn’t have cheated. All we can do is deal with what happened and move forward. Just don’t tell me how great you were and didn’t need the steroids. Apparently you didn’t believe that while you took them for 20 years. The last thing I want to see is you in uniform again “teaching” today’s players how to hit. Ugh.

He couldn’t be a better fit for that manager.

My Top 12 Albums of 2009

I go through cycles with the music that I listen to. I thought it'd be fun to list the albums that I listened to the most throughout 2009 so that next year I can look back and see how my taste had changed. I tried to round it to 10, but could not drop any of these off the list. So you get my top 12 albums of 2009- not that were released, but that I spent time listening to.


12. The Postal Service: Give Up
This was the first year I really listened to the Postal Service, but I really love this album. This is the closest to techno/electronic pop I will probably ever get. It's a great album to listen to when relaxing or at work. Owl City has completely copied their sound and have made a lot of money doing so.



11. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
I don't know if listening to this album makes me a hippie, but oh well. The harmonies make this album. Love it. Another great album to take in when feeling mellow.

10. John Mayer: Continuum
I hope Mayer stays in this blues/jazz type genre. I spent lots of time listening to this album. Very soothing and some meaningful lyrics. I really enjoyed the song “Stop this train” about growing up, especially the line “so scared of getting older, I’m only good at being young.”

9. Tokyo Police Club: Elephant Shell
I saw Tokyo Police Club open up for Weezer and was impressed. Yeah, they’re songs are short- the entire album is just over 30 minutes. You’ll probably either love Dave Monks’ voice or find it annoying. I loved it and loved the album. It was a good change of pace for me as far as the rest of this list goes. The album has plenty of snare drum to keep your head bobbing.

8. Sufjan Stevens:

Seven Swans, Come on feel the Illinoise!, Songs For Christmas Vol. 1-5, The Avalanche

Everyone needs to have some Sufjan available to listen to at any given moment. There’s no one better to relax to or fall asleep to, in my opinion. Sufjan has a soothing, gentle voice. His music seems to lead to introspection and an appreciation of life itself. With his five volumes of Christmas albums, I am set for life for that season.

7. Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack
This album is performed almost in full by Karen O and the Kids. It is what you wish Danielson would sound like all the time. I’m not sure who enjoys this album more- my four year old son or me. A lot of the songs sound almost tribal and incorporate something like chanting almost. The album has an “indie” feel to it. Very enjoyable.

6. Brett Dennen: Hope for the Hopeless
I don’t know how I had missed Dennen up until this year. This album is so easy to listen to. Dennen writes personal, honest lyrics that fit perfectly with the music. The album is a little folk-y. I picture this album being played in the background when you have friends over and you’re eating appetizers off little plates and want something mellow in the background, but still want a nice groove. I have never tried it in such a setting, but I imagine its purpose would finally be realized…

5. The Decemberists, The Crane Wife

I’d describe the Decemberists as folk-y storytellers. Very original. I beg you- listen to this album. Filled with ballad after ballad that will stick in your head. It’s the kind of album that you can start singing along to the 2nd time around but you will appreciate more and more musically the dozens of times you listen to it as the catchy melodies and choruses begin to turn into a story.

4. Angels and Airwaves: I-Empire

When Tom Delonge wants to make money, he tours with Blink 182. When he wants to make good music, he records with Angels and Airwaves. He is a genius when it comes to writing melodic, anthem rock tunes. He also has the ability to paint powerful imagery with his lyrics. A couple of my favorite from this album are:
“Spread love like violence”- from the song Secret Crowds
"I will run the streets in hostile lands"- from the song Heaven

3. Hillsong United: The I Heart Revolution

These guys are the best at leading worship for a younger generation. 30 songs performed live totaling over 2 1/2 hours makes this my favorite worship album ever.

2. Ben Folds:

Way to Normal; Stems and Seeds; The Sounds of Last Night, Songs for Silverman, Rockin the Suburbs

Ok, I'm cheating again. I don't listen to any one Ben Folds substantially more than the others. I really loved his new album "Way to Normal" and saw him perform it live twice. What I actually loved even more were the"fake" versions of many of the songs that he released before the actual album. "Stems and Seeds" has all the alternate versions- some of which I like more than the real ones. "The Sounds of Last Night" is a live compilation of Folds performing some from both albums. On an album-to-album basis, it really doesn't get any better than Ben Folds.

1. Jukebox the Ghost: Let Live and Let Ghost

Yeah, I don't know how this happened either. I saw Jukebox open up for Ben Folds in February and fell in love with them instantly. Now almost a year later, I still can't stop listening to this album. Clever lyrics, catchy melodies, great harmonies-- the album is just fun. Their feelings on religion/beliefs dominate a good portion of the lyrics. I disagree with pretty much every feeling they have on religion, yet appreciate the obvious time they have spent formulating their beliefs. Oh, and the drummer looks exactly like the killer in "No Country For Old Men," so that has to be a bonus. The chorus to "Good Day" runs through my mind on pretty much a daily basis. I'm anxious to see how their next album with stack up to their debut.


Feedback on the list???