I Live HERE!

While I do understand the gravity of my current living situation (dead center London) every now and then I am reminded just how amazing it is. The Boston Globe just published 24 new incredible shots of London and I just had to share. I also took a few and added arrows to indicate where I live in correlation to major landmarks. You know, like Big Ben (which I can hear chime every hour on the hour). Click them to enlarge the images. Go London!




I'm away for the weekend, so enjoy yours!

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Kyle Taylor

Old Habits Don't Die

The notion of "why can't we all just get along?" is wonderful. Beautiful. Perfect. But it's not realistic. I'm probably going to be labeled a cynic for writing this, but it's time we get real. Democrats and Republicans aren't going to agree on everything. Not only is that ok, I would argue it's preferable. Mind you, this notion is applicable to any country in which multiple parties exist - Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem, Christian Dem and Social Dem, etc.

Barack Obama promised a new era of bipartisan collaboration that "puts politics aside to do the American people's business." He went on to say:

"I hope I've communicated a sincere desire to get good ideas from everybody. And my attitude is that this is the first major piece of legislation we've been working on the Hill, and over time some of these habits of consultation and mutual respect will take over. But, you know, old habits die hard."

Here are the problems with this:

1. President Obama is being just as political as the Republicans by preparing a piece of legislation that is inherently Democratic in nature then using it to suggest Republicans should be "less political." He's basically saying, "look, this is the right way and if you don't agree then you're making it political." Granted, I'm fine with it because I believe in Democratic ideals and think tax cuts have proven over the past 8 years to be the most ineffective way on the planet to spur economic growth, favoring the wealthy who don't reinvest and create jobs but instead buy private planes and 11 houses. Yes, that was a dig on McCain.

2. These aren't "habits" we're talking about, they're World views, value sets and political philosophies. They're rooted in a lifetime of considering domestic, social, moral and international issues then deciding how to best solve those issues. Again, I'm completely biased here and for the most part, agree with the Democratic framework on this, so I'm very very pleased with the direction we're moving in. Couple that with the complete failure of the last eight years and you wonder how anyone could still believe in the Republican philosophy (though some would argue it really wasn't Republican). Nevertheless, people do, and it is all but impossible to get half of a country to adopt an entirely new World view over night simply because one man says it's the right thing to do. Society has never and will never work that way. These value sets are shaped over generations, passed down from parent to child again and again and again. Granted, that doesn't mean they're right (that is, I do believe there are absolute truths - equality for all, liberty, freedom, etc.), but they simply are, and they have been for a really long time. Bottom line, the expectation that we'll all agree is fundamentally impossible to attain.

3. Despite everything, 58 MILLION people still voted for John McCain. That means 46% of all voters, with all the facts in, still thought John McCain's course of action was better. The US is trapped in a two-party system that makes every issue black or white, left or right, agree or disagree. To change that would be to change our entire political culture. Yes, President Obama has suggested he is the man to do it, but he is still a Democrat who holds Democratic principles and who will [hopefully] never be a Republican, and that's FINE, just as it's fine for Republicans to feel completely the opposite (though I would argue they're wrong using a great deal of quantitative and qualitative research that proves, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Republican economic, social and international policies are rarely - if ever - successful).

In discussing the economic stimulus he said:

“We're not going to get 100 percent agreement, and we might not even get 50 percent agreement, but I do think people appreciate me walking them through my thought process on this."

Even if we get 0% Republicans, that's fine, and at some level, should be expected. If you're coming at problems from entirely different places, shouldn't we simply acknowledge that we're not going to agree? Look, Bush had 8 years to prove his philosophy and we all watched at is failed miserably. Now Obama has [hopefully] 8 years to prove that a Democratic philosophy works better (the same way FDR, LBJ and Clinton did some 60, 40 and 10 years ago). If we do it, hopefully people will realize that and continue on the same trajectory. If not, we'll head right back into the Republican doldrums, as happened after FDR, LBJ and Clinton. It seems to be entirely cyclical - Republicans crash and burn an entire nation and let Conservative values hold us back, a Democrat sweeps in and makes a great deal of progress, Republicans come back in and keep us there for a solid 20 years or more, Democrat sweeps in and edges us forward again. My only hope is that this time, we don't fall back into a Republican doldrum.

So then, my advice to President Obama - keep consulting and explaining to Republicans why what you want to do is the best idea a) because it's the right thing to do b) because it looks great to the American people. Then, after you've consulted your heart out, just do what's right. That's why the other 66 million of us voted for you.

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Kyle Taylor

Photo From: http://www.bestofbarack.com/images/barack-obama-custom-sneakers-1.jpg

Scientology What?

I was wandering through Central London yesterday and stumbled upon a group of people handing out slips about their protest of Scientology because, they said, of the Church's "fair-game policy, their tax-exempt status and their history of human rights violations." I had always heard some interesting things about said "religion" (usually about aliens and space ships), but was not all that familiar with these more serious charges. A quick google search revealed the following:

With regard to "Fair-game policies," it appears that in 1965 L. Ron Hubbard (the founder of Scientology, formulated the "Fair Game Law", which states how to deal with people who interfere with Scientology's activities. These problematic people, called suppressive persons, could be considered "fair game" for retaliation. He declared:

"The homes, property, places and abodes of persons who have been active in attempting to: suppress Scientology or Scientologists are all beyond any protection of Scientology Ethics, unless absolved by later Ethics or an amnesty ... this Policy Letter extends to suppressive non-Scientology wives and husbands and parents, or other family members or hostile groups or even close friends."

Basically, if you say something bad about us all ethics go out the window and we can destroy your life if we want to. WHOA. Although he was forced to rescind that statement in 1968, "The Church has retained an aggressive policy towards those it perceives as its enemies, and argued as late as 1985 that retributive action against "enemies of Scientology" should be considered a Constitutionally-protected "core practice" of Scientology. Double WHOA.

As for the other charges, it is indeed classified as a non-profit, despite raking in upwards of one billion dollars, according to some estimations. One site I found said that full membership costs $380,000. You know, it's just like other religions. Oh wait, no it's not.

Eek, should I be worried about this post? Am I now "fair game?" Oh well, at least these video clips are funny. My favorite moment is when Tom Cruise salutes a portrait of Hubbard while mumbling something in secret Scientology language.

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Kyle Taylor

What, Exactly Are We Stimulating?

It's only day 3 and already the "come on, lets all be friends in the name of America" attitude is slowly rolling down a long, steep hill. While I don't think that's a bad thing (more on this in a later entry) I do think it's important to start paying very close attention to this Economic Stimulus Plan. Why? Because Congress has acknowledged they've only read 40% of it and it's being driven by statements like "we're going to create 4 million jobs by next Wednesday" and "these banks need saving."

Whatever happened to people in this whole process? We're bailing out banks, supporting institutions, ensuring the stability of our financial sector, etc. etc. etc. Furthermore, Bernie Madoff, who stole roughly $50 billion doesn't go to jail - he gets house arrest. I mean, what message is that sending? "Wow, you stole lots of money. Shame on you. Now sit in this luxury apartment, eat fancy food, watch TV and think about what you've done!"

Meanwhile, less than 30% of Americans even invest in the stock market and a majority of 35-55 year olds say they're actually experiencing a "negative savings rate," which is a nice way of saying they're losing money. Meanwhile, we're giving banks money?

I'm all for stability but I think it's crucial that economic stimulus focus on meeting people's basic needs, and because every bit of rhetoric thus far has focused on pretty buzz words, I can't tell you (and apparently Congress can't tell you either) what exactly we're going to be stimulating. In all, total spending will pass $1.5 TRILLION. I can't even fathom that much money. Mind you, it was apparently excessive spending that got us to this point in the first place. Heck, as long as we can just print more money we may as well, right?

Bottom line, pay attention and hold people accountable. If I remember correctly, it was Ben Bernanke's press secretary who, when asked how they picked the $700 billion amount for the bailout said: "we wanted a really big number. You know, so it really seemed good." No irony. No sarcasm. No sense.

Note: The image came from here and was the first thing that showed up when I did a google search for "stimulus."

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Kyle Taylor

Because You Have To Complain About Something...

Just when you think dialogue might actually be maturing, evolving and changing, a story like this turns up to slap some sense right back into you.

Apparently Christians are now upset because President Obama referred to an America inclusive of "non-believers." Um, I'm sorry, what?!?! Backed by numerous Christian leaders, these individuals go on to explain that America is a "Christian Nation" and that Obama is now attacking "American values." Funny, I thought American values involved separation of church and state, freedom of religion, liberty and justice for all and something about equal rights. I must have been mistaken.

Believe it or not Protestants, you only represent 50% of the country, which means there's that "other half" who have somehow managed to live all these years celebrating a different religion or no religion at all. It continues to shock me that in the same year we saw real change by electing our first minority president people are still finding ways to ensure "majority rule" by pushing their dominant faith, dominant sexual orientation and dominant gender perspectives on the rest of the nation (and often, the rest of the World).

The only thing we all have in common is that each of us is marginalized in some way. Rather than attempt to rank which minority status is "worse off" or "destroying the fiber of America," why not look at these other individuals who aren't just like you and think, "hey, I'm x and I know what it's like to feel lesser than everyone else. He or she is y, which is different than x, but still makes them a minority. That must feel very similar. I'll empathize with them and be supportive."

Now, is that really so difficult? Barack Obama was elected because of his promise to re-unite America and remind us that "We Are One." He is every American's President regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age or political affiliation. Similary, The United States is every American's country regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age or political affiliation. We constantly go on about how that makes us "better than the rest" so lets start living these values, people. Come on!

The article, in case the link doesn't work: http://news.aol.com/article/obamas-nonbeliever-nod-unsettles-some/316339?icid=200100397x1217174047x1201143706

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Kyle Taylor

Shout out to my Mom for sending that article along and getting equally enraged.

What I Missed In London...

So apparently things got a little cra-zay at LSE while I was attending the inauguration. I got back to find an email from the Student Union that reads as follows:

Good campus relations

(Blah Blah Blah, Ok, that's good.)

Upcoming protests

(Blah Blah Blah, Ok, people protest a lot here. Same as American University.)

Occupation of the Old Theatre

As you may already be aware, the Old Theatre is currently being occupied by students from Palestine Society. Their demands can be read here. The Students’ Union is mediating between the protestors and the School. Howard Davies has issued a response, which can be read here. The Students’ Union defends the right of students to protest peacefully.

WHAT?!?! A student group is "occupying" a classroom? That puts AU to shame! I'm not going to comment on the issue itself, beyond acknowledging that I was quite surprised to find this note in my inbox. If you're interested, here is a link to the entire dialogue that occurred. The occupation of the Old Theatre is now, as far as I know, over.

Man, what a week!

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Kyle Taylor

First Pictures, Now The Story

It all started at 7am, when fiver weary troopers arose to toast, juice and coffee (minus the coffee for me) before beginning our trek down to the National Mall. One said trooper had a ticket, so she veered off in an effort to get closer. The rest of us rendezvoused with 9 other trooper-like folks and continued on our journey.


Brilliantly, the organizers funneled everyone onto one main drag, which kept foot traffic moving. Things were full but calm. Overwhelming but reserved. We managed to canoodle all 13 of us into a perfect spot just steps from the Washington Monument. A jumbo-tron was just to our left, the dome of the Capitol visible on the horizon. Three hours to go and every square inch of space is nearly full.

An hour passes and the freezing temperatures start to take a toll on our toes. Fortunately, people were beginning to arrive, which allowed for collective "cheering and booing, depending on who emerged. Actually, only one person solicited boos. I'll leave that to you to determine.

Every time they go to a shot of Obama, his motorcade or someone who looks like Obama, people go crazy! The environment is electric. 11:30am finally rolls around. President Elect Obama emerges. It's go time.


This is the moment where everything starts to feel like it's happening in slow motion. Invocation creepy, as Warren gutturally expounds the names of the first children: "Sashaaaaaa and Maliaaaaa." Just take the oath. Aretha's voice booms and people are overwhelmed. Just take the oath. Biden is sworn in. Please just take the oath! Finally, at 12:02pm Chief Justice Roberts stumbles through the oath of office, Obama kindly repeating what he has said even though it's incorrect (now that's class). And just like that, Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States.

People go crazy! I am in a state of shock. Could it be? Is George W. Bush really no longer the President? He has reigned my entire adult life and I don't quite know how to digest a Bush-less world. More than anything, I am relieved. Relieved that it has finally happened. Relieved that Bush will go back to chopping trees or starting fires with sticks or something. Relieved that a brilliant, inspirational man is now at the helm.

The speech scores big with most of the crowd. The 40 and overs are crying. Still, a peaceful calm weights on the crowd. A unified sense of "woosh, we can relax now. It finally happened." Then, just as all 2 million of us tromped in, we tromp right back out. National Guardsman direct our path, smiles on their faces. They're gunless. I am further confused. We top it all off with an All-American cheeseburger from Five Guys.


At home we watch the parade and rest up, only to learn of the events that followed - Ted Kennedy and Bobby Byrd falling ill. Hillary Clinton sticking it to some rogue Republican Senator who is questioning the philanthropic work of the Clinton Global Initiative. Toasts. Applause. A parade. Balls. A new way forward.

Oh what a day. Oh. What. A. Day.

UPDATE: And oh what a week. Within 48 hours we begin to close Guantanamo, put an end to secret CIA interrogations, reinstate habeas corpus and freeze White House staff salaries. Booya-kasha!

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Kyle Taylor