Movie Review: ‘The Dark Knight’

Written on 08/17 at 02:41 PM by Andy Posner 0 comments

Filed under: philosophy movie reviews

Before entering the movie theatre to see ‘The Dark Knight,’ I didn’t know that the name for what I have always longed to be is a superhero.  Sure, my favorite movie growing up was Superman (I would watch the VHS over and over and over), and my grandiose proclivities are as obvious in my diction as they are in my actions.  What’s more, I have long felt attracted to mythology, poetry, archetypes and science--the broad, over-arching themes that elevate life from the mundane to the theatrical.  I need to feel things deeply or, it seems, I don’t feel them at all.  This is, of course, a double-edged sword: my joys and sorrows are extremely poignant and crisp, yet I often feel like alien, isolated from the day-to-day world that unfolds around me.

Despite my obvious predilection for all the pieces that make up a superhero story--good triumphs over evil in a lonely battle--they have never quite captivated my attention, because no matter how hard I try to see the world as black and white, my heart feels things in a beautiful, technicolor gradation.  So as I sat through The Dark Knight I was delighted to see a Batman that was unsure of himself, whose actions were not clearly good, and who inspired ambivalent feelings in the people he tried to save.  I was mesmerized, not only by the dark, beautiful cinematography, but also by the morality play unfolding before me.

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Two Models for Financing the Energy Revolution

Written on 08/17 at 12:45 PM by Andy Posner 0 comments

Filed under: Huffington Post environment Renewable Energy

I wrote this article for the Huffington Post.  It can be read in its original context here

We Don’t Need Better Panels but Rather Better Politicians and Bankers
One of the key aspects of Gore’s challenge to produce 100% of America’s energy from renewable sources within a decade is his belief that we already have the requisite technology to do so.  And in fact, most experts will tell you that while meeting his challenge will require a lot of innovation, (we need to develop better grid control and energy storage systems, for instance) the main challenge is not technological but rather political and financial.  In other words, we’ve got the engineers and designers, but we lack the right kind of politicians and bankers.

The political challenge is best exemplified by the fact that the Congress left for its summer recess without having extended crucial tax credits for wind, solar and energy efficiency.  As Thomas Friedman pointed out, “both the wind and solar industries depend on these credits—which expire in December—to scale their businesses and become competitive with coal, oil and natural gas.” As a result of political infighting, dozens of renewable energy projects slated to begin next year have been put on hold.

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A Solution to the Limited Success of Micro-Credit in the United States?

Written on 08/16 at 10:10 PM by Andy Posner 0 comments

Filed under: featured brown micro credit

Micro-credit has undoubtedly been a runaway success in developing countries as a tool of both poverty alleviation and economic development.  To date, some 100 million people have been reached by micro-loans, and Muhammad Yunus, the founder of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work.  In addition, thousands of micro finance institutions (MFIs) have sprung up all over Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Micro-Credit’s Limited Success in the U.S.
Micro-credit has also made its way to the United States, a country that, despite being the world’s wealthiest, still has a poverty rate of over 13% (in 2006 over 39 million Americans were living in poverty.) In fact, one of the earliest U.S.-based micro-credit initiatives was begun in 1985 when Bill Clinton was governor of Arkansas and heard of Mr. Yunus’ work; however, the program, called the Good Faith fund, failed, because “the group lending model never caught on.” Since then, dozens of similar attempts have been made, and while many have been successful, the scale pales in comparison to that of Bangladesh and other developing countries.

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Why Cycling is To Transportation What Efficiency is to Energy

Written on 08/05 at 12:59 AM by Andy Posner 0 comments

Filed under: environment philosophy TreeHugger Job

cyclist going uphill image
The author, on his 2005 cross-country bicycle trip, proving that cycling can be sexy!

I wrote this article for TreeHugger.  It can be seen in its original context here

Until the recent spike in gas prices, much of the discussion about solving our transportation problems--namely, emissions from cars and dependence on foreign oil--centered on increasing the efficiency of the vehicles we drive through higher CAFE standards and new designs.  Lately, the discussion has expanded to include the importance of public transportation, walkable cities and, to a lesser extent, cycling.  However, even as alternatives to driving have become more prominent in public discourse, the fact of the matter is that people get far more excited about the Chevy Volt and the Tesla Roadster than they do about hybrid-electric buses and bicycle lanes.

Shiny Cars and Solar Panels Get More Attention
In much the same way, when it comes to solving our energy crisis there is always more enthusiasm for renewable energy technologies, like wind and solar, than there is for energy efficiency.  When it comes down to it, fancy cars and shiny solar panels are just sexier than riding a bicycle and installing triple-glazed windows.  At the same time, cycling--which is the most efficient form of transportation--and energy efficiency, are by far the cheapest means of addressing a wide range of issues, from climate change, to congestion to high energy prices.

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Car? What Car?. . .Hauling Furniture By Bicycle

Written on 08/04 at 11:47 PM by Andy Posner 0 comments

Filed under: environment TreeHugger Job

I wrote this article for Treehugger.com.  You can see it in its original context here.

bicycle trailer outdoors image

Until Now, A Limit to What I Could Do With My Bike
Here at Treehugger we talk a lot about cycling for transportation as well as recreation purposes.  On a personal level, the bike has been my car for the past five years, during which time I have riding across the U.S., commuted to work and class, and ridden for every conceivable purpose and in rain, snow, hail and heat.  However, one limitation has always bothered me: whenever I’ve needed to carry something larger than what can fit on my rack or in my panniers, I’ve had to rely on someone with a car in order to carry that object.  In other words, I wasn’t living the “true” car-free lifestyle.

Well, that all changed last week when I received my new trailer from Bikes at Work.  There are lots of different trailers out there, but I decided on this one because it is designed to carry up to 300 pounds and has an innovative hitch design.  Not only that, but on their web site you can see amazing pictures of people hauling everything from fridges to sofas to lawnmowers--that’s the kind of trailer I want!  I finally got to test out the trailer earlier today when I went to Office Depot to buy a new office chair.  See how the trailer performed (as well as more photos) after the fold. 

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Green Microfinance: Advancing Social Equality and Environmental Sustainability in the United States

Click here to download a PDF of my complete thesis. Questions and comments are much appreciated!

My masters thesis in Environmental Studies at Brown University looks at how microfinance--the provision of small…

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A Solution to the Limited Success of Micro-Credit in the United States?

Micro-credit has undoubtedly been a runaway success in developing countries as a tool of both poverty alleviation and economic development.  To date, some 100 million people have been reached by micro-loans, and Muhammad Yunus, the founder of the Grameen Bank…

continue reading »

Tonight, the Oneness of Things

It is late and my mind should be drifting through the colorful abyss of deep sleep, yet instead i find that tonight sleep will not come.  I am like a hungry flower who dreams of bees so ardently that all…

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