Let 'em filibuster

Listening to a segment on On Point about Congress, Partisanship, and Paralysis. One caller suggested that the Dems let the GOP put their money where their mouths are, so to speak, and actually follow through with old-school filibusters. Drag out the legislative process in a very visible way.

This is an intriguing idea, and not just for the theatrics of it all. Would this further rally public opposition to the Dems? Would this visible delay of progress, tied directly to individual senators, create resentment within independents for the stonewalling GOP?

What say ye?

Interview with Owen Lovejoy, discoverer of Ardi

Owen Lovejoy, biological anthropologist and lead analyst on the team that discovered and examined "Ardi," or Ardipithecus ramidus, the oldest skeleton of a human ancestor ever found, was on NPR's . . . more

Mad Men creator Matt Weiner on On Point

Interesting interview with the man behind the magic of Sterling Cooper:



On Point site.

City of the Future: Masdar

Just heard an excellent segment of On Point about Masdar City, currently being built in Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE, with the goals to be carbon neutral, produce 100% renewable energy, and generate zero waste. It was a fascinating interview, and I recommend taking a listen and checking out the Masdar website. It's a huge, ambitious project, but it's the sort of thing that can actually be a game-changer, serving as a model of sustainable living for green urban planning and development. Watch some of the videos, including this "fly through" of the city below - those Personal Rapid Transit pods are right out of Minority Report:



Very, very cool stuff. It's also important to see global cooperation take place in the heart of the Middle East to produce innovative technology and information/knowledge exports beyond the UAE's reliance on oil.

It's truly amazing, and it will be interesting to follow Masdar's development. I want to visit.