Post #1 and a Mission Statement (subject to revision)

Well here I am.

After having hemmed and hawed mentally for six months over whether to start a blog or not, whether to actually commit some of the thoughts in my head to virtual paper, I'm doing it. Just doing it.

As opposed to starting up a blog about me me me, akin to a MySpace or Facebook page, but more boring and with a lot fewer nice photos to look at, I thought I'd use my virtual soapbox to attempt to answer a series of questions that have plagued me to no end for some time now: Why is it that, in the most interconnected, information-filled moment in human history, my peers are so cut off from the wider world? Why does it seem that well-informed teenagers, twenty- and thirty-somethings are the exception these days, rather than the norm? With so much of our country's future riding on our generation, it seems mind-boggling to me.

It has occurred to me recently that I could do something positive for my friends and relatives who are busy and involved in their own lives, but who are still interested in what's going on in the world. I determined that I could start a blog where I compile some of the major stories every few days that I think my friends ought to be aware of, and then attempt to couch those stories within a wider context, all the while referencing the more "authoritative" news sources that I get the stories from to ensure that people can make their own judgements. This way, anyone who wants a little shot of the news will be able to stop by the site and see what's what, in my humble opinion. At least, that's what I envision...

In addition to news and serious subject matter like that, I'm sure I'll indulge myself in some commentary about life in the Bay Area, music, food, and most certainly motorcycles. We'll see what kind of blogger I turn out to be, and if things go particularly well, perhaps I'll create some subsites that cover these other topics, but I'm getting way ahead of myself now.

Clearly I'm tweaking the blog layout right now, and I'll be adding far more to it in the very near future, but I just had to get over this initial hurdle of the first post, so apologies if it's been a terribly boring slog. Here's some Earth, Wind & Fire to make it up to you: