Boston Common

I've been spending the past few days visiting Boston, and I've been pleasantly surprised. Although it is still located on the wrong ocean, it has earned its right as one of America's great cities.

The morning was proving ominous, however my friend braved the clouds to meet up with me at South Station. Located downtown, and near Chinatown, this area of Boston is bleak and little more than lifeless. A few pubs and clubs line the streets, but they are mostly empty spare the occasional drunk party.

From there we had lunch at one of the ubiquitous sea food restaurants near the harbor. Sea breeze and salty air garnished crab crakes, a 2 lb lobster, and clam chowder, quickly drowned by a tasty, albeit bitter, Harpoon IPA. Nothing beats the simplicity of fresh seafood with loads of butter.

After lunch we decided to head up to the North End, the Italian District of Boston. All along the way we spotted cute cafes and stopped in a combination cafe/art exhibit to grab a Vietnamese coffee, water, and a little rest. Not too far a way a steady procession goes marching by, a tribute to Saint Anthony. The cobblestone streets take me back to the narrow streets of Capri for a moment, and the parade marches on. As we make our way into the heart of the district the crowd begins to thicken, and the booths appear from both sides. Fried dough and a collection of trinkets that would satisfy any gypsy. We exit near Madison Square Garden, and I try not to shudder when I think about Celtics fans. or Red Sox fans. or Patriots fans.

Making our way back into the city, I cannot help but to admire their infatuation with water features. In a city which the water with inveritably freeze over, I cannot understand how they would find so much space for the, but there you have it...from the zero edge pond next to the gargantuan christian science church to the many little fountains the children play in all over the city. How the maintain during the winter, I can only guess.

Eventually we make our way out to the suburbs of Boston, just south of Cambridge. Here it looks more like small-town USA, the East Coast you see in classic movies. I can't help but to be caught up in the neighborhood feel, as the playground is filled with an equal number of kids and adults lounging in the waning light of the afternoon. I grab an iced tea from Dunkin Doughnuts, discover they have jelly-filled munchinks, and believe myself to be the next Columbus...nay Einstein. Brilliant!

We wind up our day getting lost, skirting Newbury street, and back on the Metro toward Malden. My friend graciously offered to host me for the night, and her dad picks us up from the train station, along with her adorable niece.

Her home is a testament to Vietnamese-American culture. It has been a long time since I've been in such a home, for after tonight I must admit that my home is more like a house. Although it is not large, nor obnoxiously fancy, there is a quiet comfort here, a lived-in casualness. Utterly unpretentious, it is not the self-conscious American style, but filled with the unconditional love and heartbreak of family. The ceilings of the living room are lined with countless photos, a testament to each person's importance. A very large altar is set-up beyond the TV. The kitchen, perhaps most tellingly of all, is immaculate. The warm wood of the dining table calls you to sit down, and the plastic feel of the tile sticking to my feet reminds me of simpler times. I am served rice with fish and beef, along with squash soup. Impressively, the squash came from the garden just outside. Simple and filling.

I was just getting done with the dishes when my friend's niece came ambling by with a Monopoly play-set, perhaps not so innocently. I saw through her immediately, so we started to play. Unfortunately, we could only get through a few turns before she had to go home, but I hope that was enough to satisfy her. I know that as a kid I always wanted to play games, and the adults who played them were the best. I probably would have kicked her butt anyway.

The sleep over and the smell of a Vietnamese house is reminding me of my grandma, simple times, and the joys of child hood. I hope I can make my way out here again.

On Teaching

I recently applied to Teach For America, a 2-year scheme designed to offer college graduates a chance to give back through teaching before entering the workforce. That got me thinking about education, and more specifically, education reform.

There are many issues that plague the American education system, one which ranks relatively low worldwide. Short school years, an agrarian schedule, indifferent parents, and poor teaching all feed into a system which is inflexible and does not reward excellence. It seems that American parents cannot be all that much different than the average parent worldwide, so the delta cannot exist here. The problem, I think, is more acute.

Teachers. As a student not long out of public school, I know how lackadaisical or even incompetent public school teachers can be. Although there are a few teachers I can name who had the passion and professionalism to make an impact on my life, the majority of teachers fell into either two categories: incompetent or indifferent. This is, most likely, due to how the incentive system is structured for teachers. After three years of employment teachers can receive tenure, basically employment for life. The Economist recently reported that only 1.8% of all teachers are denied tenure. 1.8%!

This means that 98% of teachers will eventually be guaranteed employment for life. How would this spur competition, or attract top-level talent when good and bad teachers alike are treated equally. In the land of meritocracy, I cannot see a system that more clearly distorts the market. Teacher's unions argue that their profession is different than others…but how? Every profession is employed at the whim of their employer, and if they perform poorly then they are fired. The same should be true of teachers.

Another common belief is that teacher's salaries are too far depressed to attract the most talented. I agree, however, this is directly linked to the tenure-based system that is currently in place. By freeing the labor market from the shackles of the union's lopsided rules, the best and brightest teachers could be adequately awarded for their dedication and the worst could be paid less or let go. Once there is a system in place which reflects a teacher's performance, then and only then, would it make sense to boost the gross amount of money going to teacher's salaries. Otherwise, we would only be paying more for the same performance.

Education, as many have experienced, is the great equalizer. If only teachers unions understood how important that is.

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Follow up: Although this post focused mainly on how ridiculous the system of public education has become, that does not take anything away from the teachers and administrators who do their best every day to improve the profession and the lives of the students around them.

Boston

Walking through Boston on an overcast summer's afternoon, I can feel the distinctly American vibe emanating from the city. This preeminent college town feels so much homier than New York, and distinctly cleaner than Philadelphia. With a personality all its own, Boston is quickly becoming one of the more memorable cities I've visited.

Boston Commons, a sprawling park in the midst of downtown, is a magnificent testament to parks and recreation. Not a few minutes away is Newbury Street, a mix of hometown charm of Mill St. in Tempe and the blatant commercialization of the Magnificent Mile in Chicago. Blend these together with one of the largest Chinatowns in the nation, plenty of bars and clubs, and downtown Boston does not leave much to be desired.

 

Econo-post

There's been a lot of talk since Recession 2.0 started about the death of the dismal science (economics). The central tenet to the argument is that economists failed to predict or forestall such an event from happening.

I think that this can be debated, for there are a few economists who predicted the massive housing bubble. Because the majority are wrong does not make the science moot. If Copernicus could prove his fellow contemporaries wrong without discrediting cosmology, then so too can Roubini tack against prevailing economic winds without killing them. The hard truth is that the dismal science is also an inexact science. It is based upon extreme assumptions (rational expectations, perfect information, etc.) that do not exist on the ground, because the world is not a perfect place.

There are, however, few alternatives. The models which economists have created are largely academic, but are useful in themselves. They are simply as imperfect as the world around us.

Economists will never be able to perfectly predict human behavior or factor in every variable. For that you'd need a crystal ball, some tea leaves, and a little bit of magic. What you should get, though, is a new set of expectations for economics. Dismal, indeed.

Joe and Julie

Apparently blogging can be hard business, because I am pretty scarce at it.

Well, let's get on to a couple of movies I just saw, classic examples of cinematic bile.

GI JOE

Starring that insufferable guy who dances in movies all the time, and a few busty females, this movie is perfect if you need to find a way to self-induce a coma. Be prepared to suspend your belief, lose your hearing, and perhaps, even your faith in good script writing. There are more clichés in here than…well…I have ever seen before. If you combined the worst parts of Star Wars (new versions), Ironman, and You Got Served, I'm pretty sure you land somewhere near GI JOE. However, there are enough explosions and ninjas in the movie to make it palatable to watch till the end.

Bottom Line: Like a good rollercoaster, mildly nauseating.

 

Julie and Julia

Based on a blogger who is way too obsessed about herself and Julia Childs. I just don't understand how becoming unhinged enough to become emotionally dependant on a cook book's author makes a good story, but apparently Hollywood thought so. Although we follow modern day Julie and old school Julia (Childs) through their supposedly parallel adventure and subsequent self-expression through cooking, there is little in the way of similarity between the two figures. The most outstanding factor being that with-the-times Julie is completely dysfunctional. The only interesting bit is the unsatisfying jaunt through a constantly crowing Julia Child's efforts to write and publish her first cook book. The acting is done well, though is hindered by a subpar premise to begin with.

Bottom Line: You paid for the filet, but got a sirloin. It's still meat though, right?

 

As always, I promise to write more soon. Goodnight Saigon.