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Conversations with T. Boone Pickens
After recently attending the 2011 Clean Energy Venture Summit, I’ve become inspired by our alma mater’s role in green technology innovation and the surrounding entrepreneurial economy. A week prior to attending this summit at The University of Texas at Austin’s AT&T Conference Center, the Texas Tribune hosted a policy festival at the same location with notable speakers such as, T. Boone Pickens. Like many alumni, I’m proud to learn UT is becoming a center point for energy policy discussions and innovative strategies to develop efficient energy use for our nation’s future.
At the Clean Energy Summit, we learned our university has developed 3,000 strains of algae for companies to pilot test energy extraction potential. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is also sponsoring a project to develop jet fuel, known as JP-8, for military use from biological sources. This involves $25 million in sourced funding.
As university biologists and engineers engage in this research and development, it’s inevitable, “gap fuel,” discussions will ensue. Gap fuels are what T. Boone Pickens (with me, right) described at the Texas Tribune Festival as necessary fuel to bridge the gap from archaic and heavily pollutant energy sources (oil and coal) to fully non-pollutant energy sources. For Pickens, a welcomed Oklahoman onto UT’s campus, he described natural gas as gap fuel touting three benefits, “It’s cheaper than current energy sources, more abundant and domestic.”
Hydraulic fracking, a water-intensive drilling process that fractures rock to release natural gases, was a subject of debate at the Texas Tribune Festival. Pickens, along with U.S. Senator John Cornyn at the policy festival, disputed data reports and environmental activist claims of fracking’s (supposed) cause for minor earthquakes and detriment to water aquifers. While the Texas Tribune Festival admirably debated the issues and policies around fracking, the Clean Energy Summit showcased companies with missions aimed to make fracking safer, more cost effective and more resource efficient.
It’s fitting our university is a partner in coalescing thought leaders in public policy, energy industry and innovative technology. These are arenas of intellectualism, analysis and entrepreneurship that shape our future, alter our markets and affect our livelihoods. Every McCombs alumni and fellow Longhorn can stand proud knowing our campus attracts gatherings that change the world, but we should never stand idle. Let’s give, participate and offer our resources to ensure UT remains a leader in these critical energy and technology advances.
- Brandon Chicotsky
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The Vacuum of Downtime for an Information Baby
My generation may not know who to thank for the capitalization of computer microminiaturization advances. Such advances have spawned broadly accessible and affordable personal computer products and internet communication technology. The commercialization and marketing campaigns using this technology have inspired stable interfaces for sharing information and developing captivating applications in what we commonly refer to as, ‘social media’.
Whether it’s the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), British scientist Tim Berners-Lee (“world wide web” creator), Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Steve Jobs, Tom Anderson, Mark Zuckerberg, or Larry Page and Sergey Brin, my generation owes significant credit to the aforementioned innovators and a host of others for creating a new vacuum of downtime.
Admittedly, my entertainment or whimsical creation is often channeled toward interactive technology, rapid global communication, or information sharing. This begs the question, what does an ‘information baby’ do with spare time? I’ll tell you exactly what we do…we play and inundate our minds.
Put yourself in the mindset of a Baby Boomer. For those who belong in this demographic, I invite sentimental reminiscing. Large-scale commercial products like: erector sets, tinker toys, color television sets, flying miniature helicopters, high-powered telescopes, easy to engineer bottle rockets, remote control toy cars, electric battery lights, citizens’ band (CB) radio, stand-up speakers, four track players, eight track players, and the Texas Instruments’ hand held calculator (remember the $100 and $200 pricing?)…these items among other simple rotary machine toys and sound projecting devices made up the bulk of technology play toys for Baby Boomers.
The downtime of young students in the Baby Boomer era had less connectivity with citizens of other nation-states. There were no visual labyrinths of online linking, coding, and embedding. There were few opportunities to move 2D, 3D, or 4D images in real time through virtual simulation, and few opportunities to map out graphic and informational architecture on a well pixilated and well illuminated screen.
Information was spread orally, through physical publications, through code transfers connected by electronic wiring, through rough video and audio tracking, or physical transfer of ink typed or written imaging or language. Today, all modes of communication from the Baby Boomer era remain in practice, as do a multitude of expedited processes that captivate, easily commercialize, digitize, and connect the world at rapid speed.
Today, my colleagues in graduate school likely read over 3,000 words of content in a business journal or online news publication before attending lecture each day. It’s estimated the front page of the New York Times has roughly 2,200 words, all of which can be obtained on a smart phone with a few scrolls of the thumb. For us multi-taskers, we may enjoy a television news program (they now stream online), which delivers 150-200 words per minute while reading our online publication and fielding SMS (text message) alerts from the Wall Street Journal. This is a simple example of information inundation for news enthusiasts or habitual news readers (I’m one of them).
On average, I have about 8 browsers open at once. Most browsers involve news, social media, search engine entries, music applications, or online radio or podcast broadcasting. The audio feeds outside of music involve information output or idea sharing from industry savants or respected authors. Imagine what this does to a mind in repeated daily sequence over a course of several years of formative growth. Almost all colleagues of mine in graduate school have developed these habits.
While writing this blog entry, I have a radio segment playing in the back round, which I helped develop with other information babies. As an example of how we spent our down time, and to draw a distinct contrast to the recreation involving technology from generations prior, I’ll explain…
While employed with menial tasks (entering data on excel and drafting formulas to determine industry trends and company revenue projections) I found extra time to correspond online with other uninspired young professionals to build an online radio show. We used free software, which we downloaded on sites known as, “open source,” and embedded template applications (also obtained through open source) on another larger template website design. With a little bit of ‘photoshop’ (a term used as a verb, which describes a program that enables graphic imaging and photo editing), we filled in the template design with our customized imaging. With the open source software, open source application, open source web site design, and ‘photoshopped’ imaging, we had a presentable site with functionality.
The site’s goal was to offer a 24/7 radio show and feature humorous video content specific to our industry of interest [either produced by us, by hired interns, or obtained through other online social mediums (like YouTube)]. We took this content and embedded the videos and pictures on our site. We hired interns out of our local universities (respective to our place of work) to broadcast 24/7, wcovering news content, conduct interviews, and offer entertaining segments around the clock. The radio show would broadcast from the site and be accessible worldwide with a simple internet connection. Finally, we embedded a donation application or, “button,” on the site so listeners have the opportunity to express their support for the show.
This entire operation has proven successful (respective to our goals), and the show remains on air and has been running for months. Our expenses are completely off-set by listener contributions, and most notably, we’re all extraordinarily entertained during any waking hour.
Perhaps we were venting from the lack of entrepreneurial freedom in our jobs, or maybe we sensed our generational advantage in developing online endeavors. One confidant is a full-time and profitable online Texas Hold ‘Em player and the other an up-and-coming hardware engineer with a knack for affiliate marketing schemes and basic HTML coding. Bottom line, we represent a breed of plugged-in, online intuitive thinkers, who utilize popular software and internet tools at our disposal to inundate or minds, communicate abroad, and build enterprises via the internet.
Sometimes, these endeavors become markedly profitable for our friends. Other times, as in the case I described with our radio show, only our small network and industry fans enjoy the fruits of our labor. Social media is mostly where we recruit listeners, and those who tune in are loyal listeners and contributors.
Through various chat mediums (skype messaging, oovoo, facebook chat, gmail chat, “tweets” on twitter, online forum threads, and Microsoft Instant Messenger), we were able to brain storm several ideas and delegate tasks. Meanwhile, each of us maintained our various projects, managed our jobs’ deadlines and browsed news, engaged social media, listened to audio feeds, and learned new coding methods through search engine entries.
I must qualify this behavior by saying each confidant involved has developed skill-sets that function outside the online arena, as have most information babies. My confidants and I are sufficient public speakers, have respectable interpersonal communication and organizational skills, and we are enthusiastic dressers of business professional or occasional golf casual.
We learned these skills in the last feudal system in the United States – college campus education; a place where tenured professorships provide timeless insight. I promise, ageless principles touted by Dale Carnegie and Napoleon Hill have not fallen on deaf ears. I refer these skills because they belong to the majority of college educated members of my generation, especially those who attended The University of Texas.
Information babies generally understand the importance of maintaining relationships, building tangible plans, visualizing success, and creating lasting influence as leaders in varied industry positions. All the while, information babies often have other functions or facets of excellence. We’re superb multi-taskers, we retain and regurgitate information at unprecedented levels, we’re exposed to hundreds of thousands of impressions (images on the computer screen) during an average week; whether advertising, news articles, flash media, website architecture, data, interactive maps, search engine results, interface application systems, or communication technology.
What’s most notable is that information babies are now available on the market to join your companies, start their own entrepreneurial endeavors, and educate the next generation of youths. In our early years, most of our parents taught us to utilize our time wisely, develop a high emotional intelligence, and seek mentors. However, it’s likely none of our parents told us to spend our downtime engaging a community of friends through social media tools or inundating our minds with information through search engines and varied online news-feed portals. The reason these mandates were not pressed upon us is because the vacuum of downtime described above never existed until now.
-Brandon Chicotsky
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Understanding my hometown’s tax collection…
As mentioned in previous posts, I am pursuing independent study of Fort Worth’s city management, voting trends, history, and cultural developments. My latest discoveries involve taxes. ..
Fort Worth accounts for tax revenues through a City Operating Budget. The accounts are grouped into what’s known as, Enterprise Funds, General Funds, Internal Service Funds, and Special Funds.
All city services (sanitation works, airports, water works) are supported by Enterprise Funds. Generally, user charges pay for operations. In recent years, Fort Worth has pursued a noble goal - eliminating all forms of subsidization to utility enterprise funds. This means, no one is using my tax dollars to pay for mismanagement or budget shortfalls - I highly value this form of conservative governance.
Every tax dollar paid to the municipality initially goes to the General Fund before money is allocated outward. The Internal Service Funds finance the services and goods of each department (equipment, technology solutions, office services, and temporary labor). The Special Fund serves to track revenue and expenses. This fund helps identify excess and lapses while providing a safeguard for any budget oversight.
The city also accounts for grants. For example, in 2006, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development granted the city of Fort Worth over $11 million for community development, emergency shelters, and housing opportunities for persons with AIDS. These grants are handled through a separate budget, which means Fort Worth’s leadership must never become complacent in managing its resources.
Near my family’s retail center on 7th street (Chicotsky’s Center) we have enjoyed new, highly valued commercial and condominium development, which is taking shape throughout the Historic District and downtown area. New development contributes to keeping a low tax rate for property owners. As long as housing developers consider affordability and market forces to avoid over-saturation we can avoid high tax rates.
Fort Worth’s property tax rate has changed several times over the last few years with welcomed tax cuts, and we have proven somewhat immune to the aftermath of the 2008 market dive. Currently, we enjoy the lowest tax rate in the city since 1986. As long as we have an increase in construction, an increase in single-family homes, and smart assessments by the Tarrant Appraisal District (provides current value assessments), we can keep our tax rate competitive.
-Brandon Chicotsky
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Economist Adam Smith, Not Always Accurately Portrayed…
It’s my belief that anyone who pursues a legislative or municipal seat in government must understand and consider different schools of economic thought. Legislation, budget allocations, oversight of city works, and management of a government labor force all factor into economics – whether locally or nationally measured.
My education of economics began, oddly enough, with an analysis of Reaganomics by libertarian humorist, P.J. O’Rourke. Satire peaked my interest when I first heard O’Rourke, because I wanted insight and context to connect with the humor my elders enjoyed. To find this, I studied iconic figures like Adam Smith, John Keynes, and Milton Friedman. Admittedly, this was not typical for a teenager.
To begin modern economic thought, one must consider Adam Smith. He is touted as the father of laissez faire (a French term, literally meaning, “leave it alone”), and is championed by conservatives and corporate libertarians as intellectual proof for limited government and pure-free-market reign.
As we dive deep into his writings, particularly his most famous work, The Wealth of Nations, we learn that he is more pragmatic and accepting of government involvement than often perceived. He describes scenarios where government can boost infant industry through subsidies as long as government is relieved of the financial burden once the industry grows into maturity.
Smith describes government and corporations as corruptible and problematic, but in necessary marriage. In, The Wealth of Nations, government is posed as a ploy to protect the wealthy from the poor through a barrier system, while also a mechanism for protecting private property. Smith details how taxes can become badges of liberty, not slavery, as long as they are paid in absolute necessity and, “as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities; that is, in proportion to the revenue which they respectively enjoy under the protection of the state.”
To me, Smith advocates for a basic form of government, which protects property and preserves the integrity of the nation-state. Far reaching programs and bloated government, as we often find in contemporary economic environments, would be offensive to Smith. As a pragmatist, not a firebrand or pure-free-market zealot, I agree that government should be small and efficient.
I also agree that government can provide safe guards, and checks and balances, but only in limited circumstances. For example, consumer protection agencies, the Food and Drug Administration, and public education are areas of government I want to preserve and improve to better our society and strengthen the private sector.
-Brandon Chicotsky
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![Why Midterms Gain So Much Attention…
In 1894, President Grover Cleveland suffered the worst midterm election loss in American history. Congress saw a change in 5 Senate seats and 116 House seats in the aftermath of voter dissatisfaction from economic woes. The “Panic of 1893” involved a railroad bubble caused by overbuilding, dubious financing, and construction speculation. This led to massive bank failures. Sound familiar?
Economic challenges created a politically perilous environment for President Cleveland and his Democratic Party in the 19th century. The parallels of 1894’s election (in the aftermath of the “Panic of 1893”) to the upcoming 2010 midterms (in the aftermath of the 2008 market dive) are quite apparent.
Only four Presidents since Abraham Lincoln have survived the midterms without losses in Congress. The exceptions included unique circumstances - Teddy Roosevelt’s charisma and media courtship, The Great Depression, Republican mishaps with Clinton’s impeachment trial, and 9/11.
It’s important to note that even popular Presidents like Dwight D. Eisenhower and Franklin D. Roosevelt faced losses during midterms (though FDR bucked the trend in 1934). President Obama enters November’s midterm election with an inevitability presented by historical voting patterns. Also, Obama and his Party are faced with a huge burden - the perception of over spending.
FDR’s 1938 midterm Congressional losses were in direct response to a perceived overuse of the New Deal - he lost 71 House seats. Even before then, in 1890, Republicans were pinned with the “Billion Dollar Congress” - they lost 85 House seats. Clinton’s 1994 health care overhaul attempt was pinned as a massive tax increase and overspending initiative, which turned the House of Representatives over to Republican control for the first time in 4 decades (first time since JFK died) - Democrats lost 54 House seats that year.
The Democratic Party currently holds a 75 seat majority in the House of Representatives and a 10 seat majority in the Senate [(including the ex officio President of the Senate, which is the Vice President of the United States (Joe Biden), who presides over the chamber and is counted during tie breaking votes of the 100 member body)]. Democrats control 26 Governor seats, while Republicans control 24. All of these numbers will change come November.
In our Representative Republic, Congressional seats wield significant power. Each voting member of our nation’s federal legislative body chartered in the first article of the United States Constitution has the power to draft law, approve judicial leadership, cast a vote in favor or against defense spending, and represent our government to the world through diplomatic Congressional delegations. Aside from the history’s voting trends, the power stakes involved in the upcoming election are compelling.
-Brandon Chicotsky](http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9y3tbcYk31qzkyn5o1_r1_400.jpg)
Why Midterms Gain So Much Attention…
In 1894, President Grover Cleveland suffered the worst midterm election loss in American history. Congress saw a change in 5 Senate seats and 116 House seats in the aftermath of voter dissatisfaction from economic woes. The “Panic of 1893” involved a railroad bubble caused by overbuilding, dubious financing, and construction speculation. This led to massive bank failures. Sound familiar?
Economic challenges created a politically perilous environment for President Cleveland and his Democratic Party in the 19th century. The parallels of 1894’s election (in the aftermath of the “Panic of 1893”) to the upcoming 2010 midterms (in the aftermath of the 2008 market dive) are quite apparent.
Only four Presidents since Abraham Lincoln have survived the midterms without losses in Congress. The exceptions included unique circumstances - Teddy Roosevelt’s charisma and media courtship, The Great Depression, Republican mishaps with Clinton’s impeachment trial, and 9/11.
It’s important to note that even popular Presidents like Dwight D. Eisenhower and Franklin D. Roosevelt faced losses during midterms (though FDR bucked the trend in 1934). President Obama enters November’s midterm election with an inevitability presented by historical voting patterns. Also, Obama and his Party are faced with a huge burden - the perception of over spending.
FDR’s 1938 midterm Congressional losses were in direct response to a perceived overuse of the New Deal - he lost 71 House seats. Even before then, in 1890, Republicans were pinned with the “Billion Dollar Congress” - they lost 85 House seats. Clinton’s 1994 health care overhaul attempt was pinned as a massive tax increase and overspending initiative, which turned the House of Representatives over to Republican control for the first time in 4 decades (first time since JFK died) - Democrats lost 54 House seats that year.
The Democratic Party currently holds a 75 seat majority in the House of Representatives and a 10 seat majority in the Senate [(including the ex officio President of the Senate, which is the Vice President of the United States (Joe Biden), who presides over the chamber and is counted during tie breaking votes of the 100 member body)]. Democrats control 26 Governor seats, while Republicans control 24. All of these numbers will change come November.
In our Representative Republic, Congressional seats wield significant power. Each voting member of our nation’s federal legislative body chartered in the first article of the United States Constitution has the power to draft law, approve judicial leadership, cast a vote in favor or against defense spending, and represent our government to the world through diplomatic Congressional delegations. Aside from the history’s voting trends, the power stakes involved in the upcoming election are compelling.
-Brandon Chicotsky
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Concerning gun rights…
In February 2009, Texas Senator Jeff Wentworth introduced Senate Bill 1164, which, “will allow persons who are licensed to carry a concealed weapon to do so on college campuses in Texas.” The bill passed by a 20-10 vote in the Senate and has been stalled in the lower chamber, though half of the House members endorse the House version.
Click here for text of the bill.
During college, I held the belief that guns were too dangerous for citizens to openly carry and posses outside of private property. I have since reformed my position and taken a more libertarian approach to the issue. However, I am not convinced students should carry weapons on campus. I do believe the more lax gun laws become, the more likely citizens will educate themselves on firearms and responsible usage. Regardless, the conversation on gun rights must continue and resolution on the issue must be settled.
College campuses are no exception to heinous crimes and senseless violence, as experienced on UT’s campus last week. Many believe if students and faculty held the right to bear arms on campus, a deterrent factor would play into anyone’s decision-making before storming campus with deadly intent. I have also heard the argument that if we solely rely on authorities and the state to protect us in all public environments, the American citizen is ultimately stripped of liberty and self-protection in critical circumstances.
History details many narratives where limited or denied gun rights disempower citizenry and establish legal precedents of over-assertive government imposition. As a liberal and critical thinker, I am hesitant to accept that completely lifting campus gun restrictions will create a safer environment for learning, but I am sensitive to preserving and expanding civil liberties. This issue deserves more debate and deliberation.
My heart goes out to everyone who must face this latest tragedy first hand. As the debate over Senate Bill 1164 and rights to bear arms continues, I hope all Longhorns, critics, and punditry remain united in their efforts to better our intellectual communities.
-Brandon Chicotsky
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A Quick Flashback to One of My Undergraduate Studies Abroad
I visited 7 countries while enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin, earning credit at The Universidad de Guanajuato (Mexico) and at an archaeological camp in Central America called La Milpa - an ancient Mayan ruins site in Belize. After college, I studied in Jerusalem for a summer before fund raising and organizing lobby efforts with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. My travels provided experiential learning and broadened my understanding of people and history. La Milpa in particular was a journey of physical challenges and revelations about our ancient past.Secondary forests consist of dense growth with natural mechanisms in place to poison foreign species of the environment. Many ecologists and nature observers debate whether or not plant and animal evolutionary development specifically target humans. If you spend several months in secondary growth, you may no longer need such a debate. While my injury (shown in a picture above) is not directly attributed to forest elements, several people around me were subjected to brutal discomfort at the hand of this unique forest growth.
Any forest that formerly exists, is destroyed, and then grows back becomes known as secondary growth. Often, in these forests, you find plants, bugs, and animals with symbiotic relationships that are dually functioned to survive and harm foreign species of the forest environment. At La Milpa, there were Africanized bees, which are a breed of bees who protect their territory in packs and will relentlessly attack, in mass, to any offender. I witnessed an Africanized bee sting on a colleague. This person had to be restrained from swatting at the bee or irritating the hive. It was a chaotic moment for this person. As I’m told, anyone stung by such a bee must stand entirely still or run in one direction as fast as possible to escape the territory claimed by the insect.
There were poisonous grass fields to the skin, give-and-take trees (plants with poisonous spikes and a curable ointment only found in the middle of the trunk), and over sized forest cats, who are extraordinarily dangerous. Certain snakes had deathly venom and spiders were notorious for numbing the skin before repetitive strikes. I slept in very fine mosquito nets and could hear insects fly into the netting all night. They were attracted to my body heat, which always surprised me considering the blistering heat of Central American summers.
Howler monkeys could be heard from 3 miles out. These monkeys were mostly peaceful accept their roar is unfathomably loud. If someone did walk under such a monkey perched in a tree, it’s not uncommon for the monkey to urinate or throw feces at the person entering the territory. I was lucky to have avoided such situations but heard of several colleagues who were victimized. These stories always had a comedic tone, but represented the odd and unsettling interaction of American students with secondary growth forests.
Halfway through the summer abroad program, I was exploring the surrounding territory with several colleagues and came across a basketball court unlike any I had seen before. This court was cut out of thick growth, had broken concrete on the ground, a bicycle rim as a goal, and a tree trunk for a goal post. With each new arrival to the camp site, we were delivered medical supplies, food, and special gift request (books, power savers, and water cleansers). In my case, I received a basketball among my special deliveries. The basketball goal was slightly above 8 1/2 feet tall, which enabled me to take on seemingly fanciful dunks.
At the end of the summer, after many hours exploring pyramids ascending over 100 feet from the ground and educating myself on the customs, civic structure, and traditions of Mayan religious practice, I injured myself in circus form. Throughout the summer I sustained countless insect stings and climbed dangerous ruins that were freshly uncovered and unmapped. However, it was the basketball court that conquered my physical durability.
I crossed over to my right and saw an open lane to the goal. It was a 3 on 3 game and we had chilled drinks on the line (a commodity in the jungle). After a few dribbles, I leaped in acrobatic fashion to execute a side-winding dunk. When I came down my right foot became lodged between two broken pieces of concrete (split by persistent roots underneath the foundation). My ankle turned with the full weight of my body coming down, still descending from the dunk. One of my peroneal tendons popped. This tendon is situated in front of the ankle and holds the bone in place. Hours later I had the chilled drinks in hand, but they were not used for celebratory toasts. Instead, I was placing them against the injury to quell the swelling.
Years later, my ankle is fully healed and functional. I had no surgery, but endured many hours of physical rehabilitative exercises. I still take on basketball courts, no matter where they reside. When a similar lane opens up toward the goal, as experienced in La Milpa, I aggressively pursue. Of course, goals are usually 10 feet tall in the states, and any form of a side-winding dunk is unlikely for my stature. However, I look back on my injury, my travels, and the experience gained from adventures in Central America and am enriched with broadened perspective and unique memories.
-Brandon Chicotsky
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What 9/11 means for ‘Generation 9/11’…
With the passing of the anniversary of September, 11th, 2001, I look at my generation and consider 9/11’s impact. The children of the Baby Boomers amount to roughly 76 million Americans, and we are often termed Generation Y, Echo Boomers, or Millennials. I assign a different term to the babies of the 70s, 80s, and 90s in America that represents a new age of communication technology, geopolitical competency, and media influences. We are ‘Generation 9/11’.
I first heard mention of the term, ‘Generation 9/11’, in our nation’s capital. Ambassador Dennis Ross, who is special adviser for the Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia to Secretary of State Clinton, was giving a lecture about the rise of genocidal rhetoric from national and religious leaders who institute Islamic Wahhabism and Islamic Sharia law.
Communication technology usage throughout the world was detailed as a concern by Ambassador Ross during his lecture. He considered American media as a demonstration of liberal democracy exercising a right to free press, which creates news-feeds and ideas that are varied, topically vast, and diverse. Conversely, Ross warned, Middle East Petro-states (governments with nationalized oil industry) like Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Syria are propagating dangerously controlled and consistent messaging to Generation 9/11. Ross suggests many of these ideas are threats to civil liberties and reach the 48 Muslim-majority nations, which creates an alarming market of interest abroad.
Interconnected media technology puts this controlled and pointed messaging from Middle East Petro-states in direct contention with liberal-western ideas. From my experiences in the Middle East, I believe western culture and ideas are more compelling than its competition. While I foresee the dangers of Islamic Wahhabism, Islamic Sharia law, and any non-secular society under military doctrine, western media’s impact on Middle East society is apparent.
I remember Egypt’s suburban houses were lined with satellite dishes. American wrestling was a huge fad in Egypt, as was Baywatch - a cleavage-inspired 90’s sitcom. Even if the west begins to lose its battle in the market of political ideas, it will not lose the battle for cultural influence through new media technology.
Generation 9/11 contains the last remaining demographic of Americans who lived, at some point, without the common use of a cell phone and social media. Interface application systems like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube were first introduced during our young adulthood, and were mostly developed by members of my generation. Traditional media, like television news, has evolved to fit an aging and older viewership, while internet news media appeals more to Generation 9/11.
Some traditional television news media are making attempts to showcase younger anchors who use modern colloquialisms. D.T. Mindich, an author on generational interest in news media, points out that such efforts are failing to recruit young viewers. One of every four Baby Boomers regularly watches a television news segment, while the younger generation polled at one of every seven.
Generation 9/11’s inundation of internet applications has developed an intuitive usage and research capability, which satisfies many needs once sought from television news. Almost all of my peers can identify, locate, research, and gossip-feed any topic of interest, including worldly news involving national, military, or economic conflicts. Internet informational access is one general, defining attribute of Generation 9/11. Another notable attribute is a looming economic burden.
In Thomas Friedman’s, The World is Flat, he argues interconnected economies and blending cultural influences ultimately deter nation-states from warring. Friedman provides sound arguments for globalization that include checks and balances and accountability systems focusing on human rights. David Smick in his book, The World is Curved, offers a rebuttal to this interconnected theory that not only challenges Friedman’s idea that globalization creates passive nations, it maps out an economic imperative for Generation 9/11.
When I read Friedman’s argument, I was a full-time undergraduate student with minimal tax payments and expenses. At that time, ideas were my currency and Friedman’s ideas were satisfying. Several years later, as a business owner, I involved myself in Smick’s writing while basing my work out of Houston, Texas - the energy trading capital of the west. I could sense the changing dynamic of America’s economy. The mortgage crises had just hit, America’s national debt was accelerating, and competing nations were fueling proxy wars against American military positions abroad, which influenced the oil market.
By learning more about the energy sector, I realized nation-states will never cease in competition. Smick correctly argues that nations like China and Russia, regardless of their government’s dedication to human rights, are empowered by globalization and may ultimately reposition western economies and military security in a dangerously compromising position.
Friedman’s hopes that globalization will create an economic equilibrium in the world may seem noble to many, but I do not believe such a development will benefit Generation 9/11. No matter how badly my generation wants peaceful and passive nations through economic interdependence, America’s Generation 9/11 may be the antithesis of another nation’s Generation 9/11 residing in west or east Asia.
I believe Smick is on to something when he suggests America should remain competitive and the world’s economic leader, and maintain this priority with intense commitment. This endorsement does not come with a blanket free-market advocacy. America must maintain mechanisms for checks and balances, rule of law, and protections of property. Setting such governmental precedents establishes efficiency, dependability, and durability for the private sector.
Generation 9/11 is now facing more private sector regulatory reforms, government capital injections, and national debt than any period in American history. We must focus creative energy on maintaining our nation’s wealth and monetary strength. If my generation does not address America’s economic challenges with intensity and long-term vision, more citizens will perish through malnourishment and poverty than the many Americans who suffered on 9/11 in 2001.
Along with economic challenges and media technology usage, Generation 9/11 is defined by an unique geopolitical competency. The Baby Boomers’ political maturation during Vietnam popularized dissent and skepticism of leadership. Civil liberties were expanded to minority communities and worldly thinking became more common. Vietnam spurred interest into the differentiations between communism and democracy and drew new meaning of covert and overt warfare. Also, American weapons manufacturers began to feel pressure from an inquiring public about state sponsored contracts using tax payer dollars. All of these developments were in some way present after 9/11. Like before, skepticism led to a questioning of war motives, private sector influences, media involvement, and conspiracy. However, none of these developments had the fervor and mass involvement that defined political activity from the Baby Boomers.
Generation 9/11 has generated a noticeably large conspiracy community. The Bush Administration’s initial reticence to commission a 9/11 investigation committee exacerbated skepticism among a niche intellectual community, which grew on college campuses in the form of organizations seeking thorough review of 9/11’s causes, course of events, and government-media relations. President John F. Kennedy’s assassination frenzy has parallels to this new form of protest and recall. Nevertheless, this young, niche community of skeptics have failed to popularize their political efforts and intentions to a broader market of interest.
Without a popular movement for protest, the 9/11 conspiracy community is increasingly marginalized, but their numbers are large enough to gain attention. College campuses today are flooded with political activist communities, which often include mainstream Party politics, anti-Israel sympathizers, human rights awareness efforts, or campaigns to debunk America’s government and military justifications for 9/11. Recent debates involving immigration reform, college subsidies, and global warming also have thriving activist organizations on college campuses, and these issues may remain in heated debate for decades. All the while, Generation 9/11 will be defined by an unfocused sense of purpose, political competency, and protest in the wake of America’s tragedy in 2001.
I represent the youngest American population of competent political minds when 9/11 occurred. This means, as teenagers, we can remember where we stood, what we thought, and the complex questions that formulated about our government and military during the event’s fallout. Now in our 20s and 30s, our consumer behavior, political orientations, and career objectives can be linked to the dynamic military, political, and cultural developments surrounding the historical event.
As Generation 9/11 defines the new age of media, technology, and political engagement, we face enormous economic challenges. We will shoulder unprecedented national debt and grapple with the effects of globalization. These challenges, however, will not prevent my generation from defining a new age of technology and social media. Generation 9/11 has access to more ideas and information than any generation that has come before. With this access, we will embody innovation.
It’s my hope 2001’s tragedy will serve as Generation 9/11’s motivation to protect our nation’s civil liberties and critically review our military campaigns without losing national purpose. Along with military security, economic security must be considered by Generation 9/11. We have the components needed to increase our nation’s wealth and strengthen America’s private sector. We must continue to drive the economy forward with innovation, entrepreneurship, and an active labor force. Whether or not we excel in this effort, the market influence of Generation 9/11 cannot be ignored.
-Brandon Chicotsky
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Remembering a great man and community leader…
A Chicotsky friend, Fort Worth civic leader, business magnate, and commited family man passed away today. Leon Harold Brachman’s career and commitment to community are incredibly inspiring.
My last memory with “Uncle Leon” was a dinner in his beautiful home in Fort Worth. I was joined by his wonderful daughter and close friend, Debby Rice, and my dad. Leon told stories about coming face to face with Francois ’Papa Doc’ Duvalier, Haiti’s former President who survived six assissination attempts. Leon was a skilled pilot and would establish and operate businesses abroad, as was the case in Haiti. Leon’s entrepreneurial and managerial brilliance inspired the entire Fort Worth Jewish community.
He was twice named B’nai B’rith’s Jewish Person of the year, the only person ever accorded that honor. Civic affairs found him as a longtime member, president and chairman of the Baylor All Saints Medical Center Board of Trustees. He received the Texas Health Care Trustee Foundation Award, the highest award given to a Texas hospital trustee for a record of leadership in healthcare government.
Leon’s board memberships also included the Camp Fire Girls Club. Leon and his late wife, Fay, were among the founding members of the Van Cliburn Competition and associated with Casa Manana, the Chamber Music Society and the Fort Worth Symphony. He will be greatly missed by family and many lifelong friends.
Thank you for your insight and friendship, Leon. We’ll miss you dearly and are deeply grateful for so much selfless and valiant leadership.
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My love for the arts…
I believe in supporting the arts. My grandmother was a promoter for Broadway shows and taught me early in my life to celebrate theater and the like. Culture is enriched through the arts. Leadership is often challenged, ideas are often newly articulated, and brilliance is often dynamically on display through the arts.
Eleven years ago, I sat behind a drum kit and played a blues tune with a band that is now known as, Green River Ordinance (a.k.a. GRO). Throughout my late teen years, I played music in front of hundreds of fans with this fun, spirited quintet. I was surrounded by musicians who oriented themselves with solid business ethics and integrity. I’m honored to still know the band mates well and call them friends.
Green River Ordinance has opened for Bon Jovi, the Goo Goo Dolls, and toured around the country with two different American Idol winners (David Cooke and Kris Allen). They had 2 top 40 hits on America’s Adult Contemporary Chart, a video on Vh1, a record deal with Virgin Records, and on their latest acoustic release, had the #16 most downloaded record on itunes.
Their latest work - a pleasant acoustic release: http://bit.ly/9rAIuq
Green River Ordinance is a tremendous example of how hometown Fort Worth inspired industrious and artistic enterprise. Enjoy their music, visit them at their shows, and see first hand how their exemplary character makes all Fort Worthians proud.
GRO’s main site: www.GreenRiverOrdinance.com
Financial giving from fans: www.readysetGRO.com
The band’s charity: www.thehopeGROs.com
GRO’s biggest CD release: www.tinyurl.com/grorecord
9 free songs: www.noisetrade.com/gro
Social media: www.twitter.com/gro
Social media: www.facebook.com/gromusic
-Brandon Chicotsky
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Why D.C. keeps drawing me back…
Washington, D.C. (“The Beltway”) is my destination point to advocate for issues about which I care deeply. Our nation’s capital is a fun and dynamic networking center - a place I often visit with a purpose.
With each developing career goal, whether academic, business-oriented, or political, I always draw up blueprints for backup plans in The Beltway…I just love our nation’s capital.
In this picture, I’m joined by a Chicotsky family friend, Stephen Rosenthal - a political fundraiser, contributor, and fellow advocate. He’s originally from beloved hometown Fort Worth, TX.
-Brandon Chicotsky
