Hot to Trot

Is it just me, or is the demographic line that runs across the screen during the debates a bit distracting? Anyway, this third debate was certainly a fiery one. I especially enjoyed Obama’s appreciation for McCain’s dedication to the Arizona Cardinals. That was awesome! But whose advertisements were worse? I think both presidents took some low blows at each other, and to be quite honest, it’s quite funny and I’m sure there are other countries watching this presidential process and laughing. It’s like a comedy show. We have so much going on. America is still at war, our economy is not looking so good, President Bush…well, he just Bush, McCain’s watching football games, his Vice President decided to audition for Saturday Night Live, and Obama…well, besides his questionable socialistic policies and strange relations, he tends to just keep listening to the sound of his own horn.

While listening to the CNN coverage after the debate, it seemed that the commentary was positive for Barak and negative, for the most part, for McCain. Both candidates held true to their policies and when it came down to one on one, both shared some snickers and flittering eyes. However, the man asking the questions was far more entertaining. His tie was great. He reminded me of that guy from Caddy Shack. Back to the point, I found this debate to be a lot more grounded, intriguing and raw in terms of the way it was filmed, and the way the candidates responded to each other from across the table. Both were hot to trot.

Horses, Cars, and Pods

The last major transportation transition in America was from a horse to the car. Another possible transition in the near future may involve the car and the Podcar. Jacob Roberts, president of Connect Ithaca, says, "it's time we design cities for the human, not for the automobile." He plans to construct the first podcar community in an upstate New York college town. This project will not be the only of its kind, however, as Sweden, with their attempts of creating a fossil-fuel-free environment by 2020, has already planned to build more than a dozen cities that utilize podcar systems. By next year, London's Heathrow Airport will introduce the first pilot podcar system to ferry passengers on the ground. The use of the podcar, however, is not being viewed as a complete replacement for automobile transportation. Such a massive shift would be cost ineffective, as explained by professionals of the field. They are simply adding a new element to the transportation strategy.

Podcars are electric, automated, lightweight vehicles that travel on their own network. They can carry up to ten passengers while simultaneously voiding traffic congestion, reducing fossil fuels, and clearing up the parking lot. The passenger would wait on a computerized pad that would be located every block or half a mile. Some stations would have a slanted pull-in bay for the passenger to enter whereas other podcars would continue to travel on the main course. In this case, the passenger would have to catch a podcar like a trolley.

This alternate transportation strategy sounds reasonable in the long term for a greener future. Unfortunately, the podcars would do not travel freely from the choice of the individual passenger, but instead acting as just another bus station. Regardless, I think this idea has potential, but is expensive. In fact, building these network systems would be a financial burden for most cities. However, there is indubitably a new frontier emerging from the transportation world with hopes of advantageous affects for our environment. So why fight it?

Talibany?

The Vice Presidential Debate was surprising, but for the wrong reasons. Many Americans were geared up for this debate. We were curious to see if Governor Palin would fall flat on her face, or Senator Biden stick his foot in his mouth. However, nothing of the sort would occur on America's grandstand of debate.

The CNN media coverage on the debate was actually quite surprising as the comments made by the analysts held a positive outlook on both debaters. The analysts commended Governor Palin for her effort and thought that her performance acted as an essential bandage to stop the bleeding from her previous interviews. All in all, Palin's performance was far from groundbreaking, nor was it a quick fall down the stairs. It was more like a gentle glide down the side of a jagged mountain with a porous parachute. I noticed that Palin did utilized her sports caster credentials to speak straight into the camera, but her glasses were so magnified it made her eyes look as if she was a scared little Oliver Twist asking if she could, "have some more, please." Anyway, I did not know there was such a thing called a "Talibany." It sounds cute; I think I want one, whatever it is.

Senator Biden gave an impressive performance in terms of allowing his knowledge to speak his speech instead of his temper. However, there was an evident moment were Governor Palin mentioned something about the waving of a white flag of surrender for America and Biden's face turned redder than the backside of a barn. Senator Biden did keep his cool and gave a good debate. He responded to questions with answers, which is more than I can say about some other candidates who insist on making off the cuff remarks about the new child's play toy sweeping the nation called the "Talibany." I think I really want one!