Remembering That We Are Tiny

There are a plethora of events to reflect upon as 2008 comes to a close: the historical election of the U.S.'s first multiracial president, the economic meltdown, the war in Iraq, tensions with Iran, and terrorist attacks in Mumbai, among many others. In the coming months and years we will continue to struggle with questions of gay rights, diversity in government, overseas tensions, access to shipping routes in the Northwest Passage, and environmental policy to name a few. Thoughtful analysis and intense debate through mediums such as blogs will play a vital role in shaping our national and global future.

But today I want to take a moment to reflect on an aspect of life that we in the U.S. rarely seem to notice. I am currently living in Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories in Canada. These days the sun is barely rising above the horizon. For about five hours we are bathed in twilight before being plunged back into darkness. Six months from now that same elusive sun will never slide below the horizon. I have become accustomed to -40° C weather and consider anything above -20° C to be balmy. The coldest days are the brightest, with no clouds to trap what little heat we do get from the sunlight. The sky is huge in the arctic, and we are beholden to it.

As I've slowly adjusted to life north of the 60° (latitude) line, I've begun to learn more about our sky. Being close to the pole and far from the equator has given me a visceral sense of the shape of the planet. The long nights have visually exposed me to the machinations of the universe. I feel very small. And somehow, in a time of such strife for the human race, our insignificance is comforting to me. I wanted to share a few of my discoveries with the hope that, even though I can only send tiny pictures and explanations, other people can share in this sense of awe for what is possible in the universe.

Aurora

The Aurora is also known as the Northern Lights and under the right conditions can be seen as far south as the northern part of the United States. In November 2001 the aurora actually stretched all the way down to Mexico. However, the ideal location for aurora viewing is a donut shaped oval around the magnetic pole (both north and south), which includes Alaska and a wide swath of middle to northern Canada on the North American continent.

"The aurora is understood to be caused by the interaction of high energy particles (usually electrons) with neutral atoms in the earth's upper atmosphere. These high energy particles can ‘excite’ (by collisions) valence electrons that are bound to the neutral atom. The ‘excited’electron can then ‘de-excite’ and return back to its initial, lower energy state, but in the process it releases a photon (a light particle). The combined effect of many photons being released from many atoms results in the aurora display that you see."
(http://www.spaceweather.com/glossary/kp.html)






Left photograph taken by Yuichi Takasaka in Yellowknife, Canada on September 3, 2008. Right photograph by Thomas Hagen in Tromsø, Norway on October 20, 2008.


Nacreous Clouds

Until I moved to the arctic I had never heard of these. The clouds form in the stratosphere, 9 to 16 miles above earth. Their color is created when sunlight hits tiny ice crystals inside the clouds. Temperatures around -85° C are needed for the clouds to form. Although nacreous clouds are usually rare, earlier this year they formed above Scandinavian countries for a solid week. Today was the second time in the past week that they've been spotted in the Scandinavian region.
(www.spaceweather.com)














Left photograph by Ivar Marthinusen. Taken on December 17, 2008 in Trondheim, Norway. Right photograph by Sauli Koski in Kittila, Finland on December 19, 2008.



Perigee Moon

This final one is a bit closer to most Americans' homes. The last full moon of 2008 was 14% wider and 30% brighter than other full moons this year. The moon's path around the earth is elliptical. The perigee is the point along the ellipsis that is closest to earth, some 50,000 km nearer than its far point, the apogee. If you missed the December full moon, don't worry. The next perigee moon will rise on January 10, 2009 and will be the biggest full moon of the year.
(Science@NASA.com)




Photographs by Greek amateur astronomer Anthony Ayiomamitis in 2004.

Patrick O'Hare

Sam’s Club, Waterbury, Connecticut (from the book Slipstream)

James Benning has said that an artist is someone who pays attention and reports well. Patrick O'Hare is just such an artist. His photos report on the environments that we too often move through without pausing to look at. They reveal the landscape in the city and that the city extends out into the land, casting a cold eye on life and the world. They allow us to observe from a distance, but even so, are not impersonal. They are humble, even reverential, managing to be impressive without being overbearing.

O'Hare's photographs are on view at P.S. 1 in New York City until January 26th, 2009.

Click here to see more photos from Slipstream and other series.

It Keeps Going and Going

Anyone pining for the daily drama of the reality TV series Presidential Election: 2008 has to look no further than its spin-off Minnesota U.S. Senate Race: The Recount for on-going action. The hand recount tallies are in, but the state is far from being able to declare a winner. Unofficially, Norm Coleman leads Al Franken by 192 votes. However, the two campaigns have contested another 6,655 ballots. And in addition to these contested ballots it is estimated that around 1,500 absentee ballots that were not counted on election night were rejected due to administrative error, raising the question of whether they should be included in the recount.

There is enough legal maneuvering and confusion in this recount for me to write a whole blog post, but suffice it to say, after a protracted and nasty senate race, everyone wishes that this election would come to an end. Regardless of who wins, neither candidate received a majority of the votes. (The Independent candidate Dean Barkley garnered 15% of the votes.) This is a common story in recent times. Jesse Ventura was elected Governor of Minnesota with 37% of the vote in 1998. In 2000 and 2004 the presidential elections were decided with less than a majority of the popular vote.

The Minnesota senate race exemplifies the ways in which our traditional electoral system is failing us. Rather than running on platforms that build consensus, candidates seek to polarize the constituency, with the hope that their portion of the voting public will be a sliver larger than their oppositions'. Third party candidates are viewed as 'spoilers' who steal votes from the two legitimate parties. And whoever does win is only supported by a minority, yet they purportedly represent everyone. Our system is in need of an overhaul.

Strangely, one viable solution can be found at the heart of the current election storm. The city of Minneapolis has instituted Instant Run-off Voting (IRV) for municipal elections, beginning next year. In this system voters choose their first choice candidate, as well as voting for their second and third choices. If none of the candidates wins a majority after tabulation of the first choice votes, the candidate with the least votes is taken out of the race. Anyone who voted for this candidate then has their second choice counted instead. If no candidate wins a majority, the process is repeated for the third choice selection. For an extended description or audio explanation of the system, click here.

Currently Ireland and Australia utilize this election system with great success. San Francisco (CA) and Pierce County (WA) also use IRV. Besides the benefit of electing officials that a majority of constituents want, the system obsolesces concerns about third party candidates as 'spoilers' and indeed encourages more diversity in the race. In addition IRV saves money and time. The almost $3 million expected to be spent on the Minnesota senate recount would not have been necessary had IRV been in place, because a clear winner would have emerged during the machine count.

Opponents of this system argue that IRV is too confusing. They hold up rejected ballots as evidence that Americans are already overwhelmed by the simple form of voting that's in place. However, an exit poll in San Francisco found that 87% of people report understanding the system, and less than 1% of ballots are rejected due to voter error, only slightly higher than single choice ballots.

Adopting the stance that innovation should not be applied to our electoral system because constituents would be required to learn is a sad statement on the dereliction our country has already suffered. If it is true that Americans lack the skills necessary to master IRV then the answer is to invest more in education. We profess to teach children how to read, write, analyze, follow directions, and collaborate. With these skills in hand, and access to informational videos through television or web sites like YouTube, everyone will be able to participate.

However, we don't need to rely on each constituent's ability to master the three choice ballot. Instead we can employ technology to streamline the voting process. Anyone who has banked online or used an ATM is familiar with the following scenario. You select the amount of money that you would like to transfer, deposit, or withdraw. You hit enter. The computer puts up a new screen that displays what you have selected to do and asks you if this is correct. You can push enter to continue or cancel to start again. At most ATMs you can select from a number of the most commonly spoken languages in the region.

We could follow this format to select our three IRV choices. As long as someone could read in their native language, this mode of voting would provide an error free transaction. Any investment in technology is expensive upfront, but the long-term profit in terms of more accurate elections and fewer recounts with fewer court battles, will outweigh the initial costs.

Sadly, Minneapolis' adoption of IRV is now being challenged as unconstitutional. The state's constitution stipulates that each person is only allowed one vote. Opponents claim that by selecting more than one choice, people are getting more than one vote. Proponents point out that a person's vote only counts once, because their first choice vote is thrown out if their second choice is tallied. A Hennepin County district court judge heard arguments on Thursday and will ultimately rule on whether IRV is constitutional.

That and many other plot twists are coming up on Minnesota U.S. Senate Race: The Recount in the weeks ahead, so stay tuned.

Now It's In Black and White

From an article in today's New York Times:

A report released Thursday by leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee said top Bush administration officials, including Donald H. Rumsfeld, the former defense secretary, bore major responsibility for the abuses committed by American troops in interrogations at Abu Ghraib in Iraq; Guantánamo Bay, Cuba; and other military detention centers.

The report was issued jointly by Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, the Democratic chairman of the panel, and Senator John McCain of Arizona, the top Republican. ...it explicitly rejects the Bush administration’s contention that tough interrogation methods have helped keep the country and its troops safe.

The report also states that "members of President Bush’s cabinet discussed specific interrogation methods in White House meetings" and that "senior Defense Department officials inquired about SERE techniques for prisoner interrogations as early as December 2001." SERE is a military training program that stand for Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape. The report states:

During the resistance phase of SERE training, U.S. military personnel are exposed to physical and psychological pressures (SERE techniques) designed to simulate conditions to which they might be subject if taken prisoner by enemies that did not abide by the Geneva Conventions. As one JPRA instructor explained, SERE training is “based on illegal exploitation (under the rules listed in the 1949 Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War) of prisoners over the last 50 years.”

The Times article does not mention what repercussions, if any, there will be for Rumsfeld or other Defense officials. It will be interesting to see how the incoming administration handles these revelations.

Update: Andrew Sullivan weighs in on the report.

On 12/17, this post was changed from the version posted on 12/11 in order to make a correction about SERE training.

Gates To Invest Heavily In Metaphors at Pentagon

The Los Angeles Times reports today that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will apparently use the opportunity afforded him by remaining in the top job at the Pentagon to invest in a host of new metaphors.

Describing Gates' preference for cheaper weapons to expensive, high-tech ones, a senior Pentagon official said, "It is going to be more of a Wal-Mart approach than a Gucci approach."

Pentagon officials, meanwhile, are bracing to see how Gates translates his words into action. Many officials believe that, under President Bush, Gates "punted" on key decisions such as the competition to build a new refueling tanker and whether to halt production of the F-22.

"Now he is going to be the recipient of those punts, and he won't be calling a fair catch," said Geoff Morrell, Pentagon press secretary. "He is prepared to deal with them head-on."

"He wants to get acquisition and procurement back on track," Morrell said. "He is not looking to build a new railway, but he is determined to put them back on the rails."

Gates also plans to hitch his wagon train to a rising four star general, but he isn't going to bet the whole pot on being able to shoot the moon. Instead, he's counting his chickens for a rainy day.

Getting Dumped On

Recent tests in the U.S. have revealed the presence of trace amounts of the industrial chemical melamine, approximately 1 part per million, in infant formula made by three U.S. manufacturers-Abbott Laboratories, Nestle and Mead Johnson. In September some of China's milk supply was discovered to have dangerously high levels of the chemical, 2,500 parts per million, which led to at least six infant deaths and sicken a minimum of 50,000 more babies.

Melamine falsely indicates high protein content during food testing. It had been intentionally added to watered down milk in China in order to hide the fact that the product had been compromised. The trace amounts in the U.S. are too low to have any effect on protein testing. Melamine is used in packing materials and some cleaners. Industry experts claim that this is the source of the chemical found in the formula. However, on Friday the World Health Organization met in Ottawa, Canada to discuss the presence of melamine in food and noted that there was no reason for any melamine to be present in infant formula.

On October 3rd the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated, "FDA is currently unable to establish any level of melamine and melamine-related compounds in infant formula that does not raise public health concerns." This statement was widely interpreted as meaning that no level of melamine was safe. However, last month the FDA announced that they were setting a new limit for melamine in foods at 0.63 milligrams. Later it dramatically reduced that amount to 0.063 milligrams.

When questioned about the disparity between the original no tolerance level and the new limits, FDA scientists explained that they had never meant to say that no melamine could be tolerated. Instead they had simply meant that they did not have enough data on October 3rd to set an accurate limit. No credible data has been generated since then about the impact of melamine on infants, but the FDA was mysteriously able to produce a number. The timing closely coincided with the discovery of melamine in U.S. products.

While we analyze and track the work of future Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in keeping our nation safe, we also have to monitor a growing national threat that neither are charged with overseeing-food security. Poisons in the form of pesticides and chemical additives are constantly crossing our border and wreaking havoc on our bodies. And, of course, our own companies are guilty of the same negligence or outright fraudulence.

On November 27th the European Food Safety Authority recommended lower Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) for a number of food products. The MRL pertains to the amount of chemicals, usually pesticides, that can be found on food that will be sold in the European Union. The MRL standards are the same for food grown within the E.U. and global imports.

The lower MRLs are great news for the people of the E.U., and a potential health crisis for the U.S. if it doesn't follow their example by lowering our acceptable pesticide limits. Were our limits to remain at current levels, we would become a dumping ground for toxic food that countries can't sell to the EU. While this may translate into cheaper food in the short term, the costs to our health would become costly in the long-term.

As we contemplate the possibility of a national health care system we need to accurately assess the risk factors that contribute to disease and ultimately lead to a costlier insurance program. This is a good time to invest in long-term savings by embracing the prevention model. Instead of assuming unnecessary debt by allowing the FDA to continue to function as the lapdog to big business, we need to start making some financially prudent choices by investing in the welfare of our citizens. Including infants.

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