A NY Times article today entitled “Ending Famine, Simply By Ignoring the Experts,” ties in perfectly with some exciting news just announced by my good friends and colleagues, T.H. and Sybille Culhane. The NY Times article discusses the fact that for years the World Bank has urged poor African countries such as Mallawi to reduce or eliminate subsidies for fertilizer and seeds. The hope was that African farmers would plant cash crops and use the extra income they generate from them to import food. Unfortunately, for Mallawi and other countries, the situation is rarely that simple.

From now on, not only will my writing be available for everyone’s enjoyment on the greatest website on the internet (andyposner.org) it will also be available on the 15th most popular website on technorati (http://www.treehugger.com). Yes, that’s right, I’m now a Cars and Transportation writer for treehugger! I get paid between $16 and $20 per post, plus I get bonuses depending on how popular my post is. I will be posting on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. My first post can be read athttp://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/11/honda_unveils_fuelcellcar.phpBe sure to “digg” my posts: that’s how I make more money! The cool thing about the job is that it forces me to become more economical in terms of my use of words.

The posts aren’t long (generally 200-500 words) and they obviously have to get people’s attention. Beyond that, I have to learn more about the latest trends in transportation.Of course, the only downside, aside from the fact that I will have to be spending about an hour to an hour and a half per post, is that I have to personally approve all the comments, and so far I have gotten about 5 in the first hour since my post was posted! Oh well, I’m pretty excited about the job. If nothing else, it seems like a great way to network, get my name out there, and add something to my CV.So, check out my writing on treehugger, but don’t let that interfere with your obsession with my website. After all, mine is the greatest website on the internet!

At first glance, my body seems to be a paradox: I have a very strong immune system, yet I get sick all the time. What can explain this most intractable of problems? Well, it turns out that my frequent bouts of illness are not related to germs, viruses or infections and, therefore, have nothing to do with the strength or weakness of my immune system. I get sick because I get overly excited. It’s that simple. Nearly every time a cascade of ideas, plans and projects washes over me, my body shuts down and starts to ache; my head begins to throb; my eyes get dry and scratchy; and my throat gets sore. It’s gotten to the point that I can predict when it will happen-and still be powerless to stop it.

The onset of these symptoms wouldn’t be so bad-and they aren’t that bad, since, as they aren’t symptoms of a real cold, they go away much more quickly-if it weren’t for the fact that they are part of a larger cycle that goes from idea to excitement to sickness to exhaustion to disappointment. But let me back up for a moment. I should mention that the underlying cause of this cycle is that I demand greatness of myself and, if i feel I am not achieving it, I push myself beyond my limits. I do so for the simple reason that ever since I “discovered” the idealism of the Romantics when I was 16, I have heard people tell me that idealism is but a phase of my life that I would grow out of. I understood even then that it’s not that the ideals are bad, but rather that most people choose not to live up to them.

Kurt Teichert, my thesis mentor, asked that I write a statement of purpose as part of early research into my thesis. What follows will, after some more refinement, serve as a kind of calling card for what I hope to do. In other words, whenever I contact someone that might be a valuable resource, I will attach this 1 page essay so that the person can get a sense of what I am looking to do and what kind of framework I am looking to make use of.

Statement of Purpose

Wednesday, November 14th, 2007
Sometime today, 23 years ago, I was born. 23. There is something about that number that is so much more mature sounding than 22. Maybe it’s the loss of that second hard “T” in “twenty-two:” alliteration smacks of youthful insouciance, does it not? Until now I have always been able to claim that I was young for what I was doing; I started college when I was 17, and I started grad school at 22. Now that I’m 23 people pretty much expect me to be where I am. In other words, my age has lost its luster.