when finals started at the end of last spring, my blog postings slowed down quite a bit... to zero. and then summer took over. this summer has been considerably different than the previous few years. it began on a pretty optimistic note with cory and i emailing people through craigslist looking to sublet an apartment for a month in berlin and escape the rotisserie oven we call Phoenix. next thing i knew i was working 40 hours a week in the ASU library doing research for Aaron Golub, associated professor in the School of Sustainability. as lackluster as it may sound, i have really enjoyed doing the research and i am happy i didn't pass up the opportunity. in the words of Darwin, "constraints of time prevent me from writing further on this matter currently" but we have been looking at media ownership and the rise of car culture and automobility. it is enlightening to explore some of the financial and political connections that ensured early on that automobiles would become the essential mode of transportation in the united states. another very exciting development for me this summer is a conversation i had with Dan Gillmor, new director for the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship. he is going to help bring my idea for my master's thesis to fruition. if all goes as planned we should have an up and running blog/website/alternative media forum focusing on sustainability related events and information coming out of the School of Sustainability and the Phoenix region in general. so many signs, including coincidentally my research with Aaron this summer, suggest that independent local journalism and alternative media are absolutely essential to sustain democracy in the united states. that being said, this blog is my training ground. i am determined to become a more consistent and active blogger on the important issues. check back soon and often. :]
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