Shit

Shit happens. I have been so busy that I have not entered the stratosphere lately. And yes I just realized that sounds strangely pornographic. I had a meeting at Fox News today trying to figure out a way to help them with their mobile strategy. The industry is exciting and fresh.

So I am working at Snac Inc. this summer. We are a mobile tech company, looking to give cell phone users all the info they need within seconds with just a click. By "all the info" I really mean all the info. You can get your favorite sports team's scores and highlights, email, news, banking info, facebook updates, cheap gas, and more instantly. Beta trials start in August.

I will invite everyone to join the group once we launch, hopefully in September.

Anyways, can you feel the heat outside? All I can think about as I walk down the street in New York is how all this heat is energy that can be used and is just going to waste. You can feel it all around. How can we harness it so that we use what the earth provides and less of drilling and searching for things that will be depleted in 50 years? I do not have the answer. All I know is that there are not enough people who are looking for that answer. It will be the only question that matters soon enough.

Well folks... the reviews are in and the people have spoken. New York Times editor Kris Comeforo raves that intothestratosphere is " a journalistic masterpiece." Strong words from a strong man.

Well I officially have my first real job hence the delay in stratosphere posting. So much has been going on. My brother graduated high school in what is most definitely the best graduation ceremony in the nation. Fighting off storm clouds, pouring rain, and thunder and lightning, Ridgewood High School's 2007 class still looked as elegant as the last 112 classes in their white dresses and bouquet of red roses (white dinner jackets and black tie for the men).

In addition to graduation, I am moving! Don't get excited, it is just across town, but obviously still west side (represent). The NYC skyline looks great and our GARDEN is looking so lush. If anyone needs a place to watch the fire works, my house is where it's at.

So I mentioned my job, look ahead to tomorrow when I will tell you all about that as well as my city experiences thus far.

Stay Fly

It's Goin Down

In latest new...helicopters were seen throughout the afternoon in Ridgewood New Jersey today as police searched for apparent gang members who were hiding out in downtown apartments after the raids in Newark, Patterson, and other towns. Apparently, New Jersey is home to more than 16,000 gang members many of whom stem from the national gang know as the Bloods. Groups raided today include: 9 Tree Gangsters and Sex Money Murder. Suspects were arrested in such raids.

"The message has to be clear now: If you are involved in illegal gang activity, we have the resources to begin pushing back," Newark Mayor Cory Booker said in a news conference today at the U.S. Attorney's Office. "We will win this battle."

This says a lot to me. One, the widening gap between rich and poor needs to be addressed immediately or violence and especially gang violence will continue to escalate. If someone has no hope or feels like they have no way out, a gang offers protection and in some cases food and shelter. It needs to be looked at extremely hard.

Secondly, law enforcement has to get tough. There cannot be a double standard of allowing certain criminals to get away with things because they help the police in other ways. That is crooked and it is wrong. There should be a major crackdown especially in Newark, Patterson, Trenton, and Camden, four of the most dangerous cities in America.

There should not be a price that people pay simply because they are close to cities and populous areas. New Jersey residents claim some of the best standards of living in the world. They also claim some of the worst in the country. There needs to be some sort of community interaction so that we can continue to prosper, but also help moderate areas that need the most help.


I wonder if Tony Soprano and the Gottis are counted as part of the 16,000.

First day of work was yesterday... I'll be back soon ooo i have a new blog that is from msn...its much hotter and cooler/more interesting than blogspot. Pictures and other such things that this is lacking are easily uploadable in an easy to use and organized fashion.

NBA Finals

Game 1: Tonight. I suggest you watch if you want to see something special. Alright, the Spurs are boring. I could not agree more with this statement, but the series will not be; I promise. The series will be electric. Let's be honest, the Cavs are not all that exciting either. But... the combo of Parker Ginobli, and Duncan versus Lebron will be an epic battle. Will the King be able to slay the onslought of Spurs? I say hell no, but he will put up a fight that only a king can.

There are three reasons that the Cavs do not have a chance.

1) No inside presence. Tim Duncan will dominate the boards and the paint. This does not bode well if you are the Cavs. The Spurs cannot get second chance points if the Cavs hope to keep them under 100 points/game. Since they will only score maybe 85, it has to be low scoring for them to win.

2) The Spurs Defense...Lebron will get his 25, but after that, I find it hard to believe that the Spurs will not put a lock on Daniel Gibson. After the series he had, there will be no open three pointers for him. The big Z will have a tough time against Duncan and the only real opportunity I see for them to score is either isolating Drew Gooden on Michael Finley or in transition. It will probably not be enough.

3) Dynasty--> The Spurs are going for their 4th title in 9 years. They are the oldest team in the NBA while the Cavs are babies. After 5 days off, their old legs will be fine and their experience will more than make up for their fatigue.

While it does not look good for the Cavs, it is not entirely hopeful. Tomorrow I nmay give you the three reasons the Cavs can win a few games. Guess what: they all start with Lebron and end with James.

The King

After a game like last night's, there really is nothing else worthy of writing about. After scoring his team's last 25 points and 29 of their last 30, Lebron James has risen his game to the level that so many expected from him all along. His critics say that he cannot rise up during the fourth quarter especially during the playoffs. Critics...speak no longer (especially you Skip Baylis).

The King is here to stay. Lebron dominated all phases of the game and persevered through many obstacles; most notably the refs, his lack of offensive support, and one hell of a Piston team. I really do not see how a lineup with Daniel Gibson, Ilgauskus, Drew Gooden, and Poplovich can even compete with Billups, Hamilton, C Webb, Prince, and Rasheed Wallace. Is there anyway this should be possible? Oh wait, I forgot about King James. Anything is possible with a King on your side.

Imagine if Lebron had another all star on his team. That would be just scary. Afterall Jordan did have another top 50 NBA player on his team in Pippen and a pretty solid supporting cast including Steve Kerr, BJ Armstrong, Horace Grant, John Paxon, and Stacey King among others. Even though none of those Bulls teams had a great center, Bill Weddington, Luke Longley and Bill Cartwright were not terrible.

All I know is that Lebron is only 21 and eventually he will have an all star supporting cast. Can you say dynasty?

Stop Global Warming

I want to encourage everyone to join the virtual march against global warming to show our politicians that we are serious about this issue! Visit stopglobalwarming.org, sign the petition, and tell the world why you are marching. The website is great. It has an emissions calculator so you can see your personal impact by the number of tons of carbon you stopped from entering the atmosphere. It also offers advice on saving money while conserving energy.

With links to other sites, videos, celebrity awareness, and all the information one could hope for, the site is a great starting point to get educated and to stay updated. I joined almost a year ago when the site had only 100,000 members. Today we stand 807,785 and are growing stronger each day.

Also, check out Robert Redford's The Green Tuesday nights at 9pm to see how people are changing the world and how every person can live a sustainable and healthy life both personally and for the planet. Episodes are available on Itunes. They are interesting and well as entertaining and important. Thanks!

Memorial Day

I would like to take a break from our regularly scheduled program to step back and reflect on Memorial Day. It just hit me tonight that I had not thought for one second this weekend about those who have given their lives for the United States until ESPN showed the former lacrosse player from Duke who died in Iraq this past year.

Although no soldier will ever read this. I want to thank you all for your strength, courage, and perseverance. I cannot imagine how difficult it is to do the job you are assigned when the whole world, even some in America look down upon you. I absolutely do not agree with the reasons the United States are in Iraq, but I disagree more with the thought of a half ass job and an early exit.

We screwed up, but it is our duty to fix our mistake. You break it, you buy it. We broke it so we better be able to fix it. The only way we have a chance is with soldiers like the ones we have. Despite the violence and the differences in opinions, I am optimistic about Iraq. People have a way of surprising the world when the world counts the people out. Have faith, it has to turn around sooner or later. Right?

Yankees

I am not normally a critic of the New York Yankees, but damn they just are starting to irritate me. With arguably the most dangerous lineup in baseball history last season, the Yanks barely made the playoffs and exited early at the hands of the Detroit Tigers. Their problem? Pitching! With an even more dangerous lineup this year (Matsui is back, A Rod is having a record year, and Posada can't seem to hit the ball anywhere near the opponents glove), the Yanks problem is still, guess what? Pitching! I can only come to one logical conclusion. Brian Cashman has no clue.

Yankees manager Joe Torre is basically gone and this is unfair. Look at the rotation he has to work with. Over fifteen different starters so early in the season is just insane. I doubt Roger Clemens can stop the bleeding. For how good the Rocket is, he is in his mid 40's and is not getting any younger. And according to Al Gore, those summer day games are not getting any cooler either.

The fact that the Yankees play in the AL East, may be the only reason they make the playoffs for the following reasons. First, the Red Sox are in first place. They always flounder late in the year and if the Yankees can manage to close the gap before the All Star break, they may be okay. Secondly, the rest of the division is horrendous. They should be able to beat up on the Devil Rays, the Blue Jays, and the Orioles. They better hope they beat the Red Sox beat them up just a little less. Thirdly, with no other division with two extremely strong teams, they still have a chance at the wild card.

If I were Cashman, I would get some young arms. Trade Giambi, (damn you no trade clause) Abreu, (he is terrible) and one of the over the hill pitchers they have. Melky Cabrera will do in the outfield to fill Abreu's spot and I would much rather have Doug I don't know how to spell his last name and a 20 game winner than Giambi.

Do the Bombers have a chance? Yes. Is it dwindling? You better believe it.

Duke Lacrosse

Memorial Day Weekend is one of the best weekends of the year. It is finally hot outside, people flock to the beach and yes, the NCAA lacrosse championships are on TV. The country's fastest growing sport has more people in attendance every year. It is great to see the growing fan base and rosters that have players outside DC, Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, even if its just a few.

Normally, I am stoked to see the intense competition, the rivalries, the upsets, and the special stories heard throughout the weekend about the remarkable people that are playing the game. This year was different because one story dominated the highlights: the Duke rape case. Now over a year after the incident, Reade Seligmann and Conner Finnerty still show up in our living rooms, first as the bad guys and now as victims.

I understand that these young men experienced something that no one should have to go through, but to be hailed as role models of courage and perseverance? This should hardly be the case. The activity that went on that night was embarrassing, classless, and not at all representative of NCAA student athletes or their universities. There is no way these kids should have been put through such ordeal, but to laud them as stand up people is ridiculous.

I personally blame Duke University for allowing such behavior to occur. After multiple complaints and turning of heads from the administration, it was only a matter of time before something occurred. Duke should not allow athletes to live off campus. Boston College for example, requires all scholarship athletes to live in on-campus dormitories.

It does not matter who is at fault. The point is, I do not want to hear about it anymore. I along with many people I know could care less about the spoiled brats from Duke any longer. Just show me some lacrosse and the amazing stories of those who have persevered all their lives to get to the game's final stage.

Go Cornell!

Welcome

Musings was like a job. I had to write everyday even if I had nothing to say. Stratosphere is more like my life. I am not quite sure how my life will turn out, but I know I will end up either writing or working towards a cleaner earth, or maybe both! Hopefully the second time around, I will focus on things I really care about: Sports and the environment (obviously along with passion, emotion, humanity, love gasp, and all that crap). I am going to have fun with it and let it evolve on its own, but this time I will attempt to be challenging, provocative, and controversial. Comments and disagreements are welcomed and encouraged. I look forward to our conversations. Welcome to the stratosphere!