NYC Subway

As a non-native New Yorker, I have a love/hate relationship with the NYC subway. Sitting in the 2 express train this morning I was contemplating my evolving feelings toward this monstrous beast, and I think I've (so far) gone through three main stages.

At first I was confused by the subway, along with most other visitors and newcomers. Now that I understand the system I realize that it's not all that complicated -- it's just explained quite poorly. The subway maps could really do a better job of differentiating the express lines from the local ones. In addition, changes in service should be posted on the trains where all can read and debate them before getting on the train, instead of being blared unintelligibly through 30 year old intercom systems by conductors who might need to learn more English, only after the train has left the station. It's no wonder most visitors take taxis everywhere.

But then, once I became familiar with the system, I became an avid subway fan. I loved it. It would take me anywhere in the city for a pretty decent price ($4 round trip is expensive anywhere but Manhattan), it's air-conditioned in the summer and heated in the winter, and it runs 24 hours a day. At times, especially if you're taking an express train or don't have to transfer, it can be faster than taking a taxi. It was, as the parlance goes, our honeymoon phase.

Recently, however, I have shifted to a more skeptical view. I still appreciate the convenience of the subway, and I truly stand in awe of its capacity and infrastructure (almost 500 stations; Times Square station alone handles almost 40 million people annually.) However, the little things are beginning to annoy me. Such as the constant "train delays" during rushour which leave you stranded for god-knows-how-long in an underground sardine can on wheels. Or the changes in service which you don't hear because (who knew?) you were listening to your ipod. Or perhaps it's just that while the subway system is convenient and extensive, it's not quite as dependable or comfortable as one would like (once again explaining the prevalence of taxis.)

I'm sure my views on the subway will evolve, after all I do have another three years in the big apple. But to those visiting NYC I'd give the following advice: if you're in a hurry, take a taxi.

Books

In this, the Summer of Kabir, I was expecting to see many movies. However, I appear to be stymied by the paucity of decent movies in theaters this summer. Even the pretty-bad-yet-everyone-sees-it-anyway movies, such as Oceans' 13, don't hold any attraction for me. Spiderman 3? The previews looked awful. Besides, I made the mistake of paying to see Pirates 3, which was not worth it at all. That'll be the last sequel I see this summer until Jason Bourne returns to kick some ass. I am intrigued by A Mighty Heart and 1408, and hopefully will get a chance to see both fairly soon.

In the meantime, I have been reading. Requests for in-depth reviews will be gladly granted, but here I will simply give an overview of the three books I have read in the past few weeks.

The Great Influenza, by John Barry
Mr. Barry does a great job with this book, notwithstanding a few minor issues. The topic is fascinating, and one that often gets overshadowed by WW1 in history books that cover the early part of the century. The book represents a synthesis of very strong research and a good storytelling, which makes for an entertaining history lesson. Several ideas of his are intriguing, such as the theory that Woodrow Wilson's battle with the flu in Paris after WW1 contributed directly to his changed attitude towards the peace process. On the downside, Mr. Barry tends to get too involved with tangents, such as the personal lives of the leading medical scientists at the turn of the century. These anecdotes, while interesting, detract from the flow of history and are not presented in a way that allows the reader to easily move back into the main storyline, making the book somewhat more of a ponderous affair. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book.

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
Amazing, and almost a masterpiece of literature. McCarthy's descriptive skills are at their peak when describing desolate landscapes and searing visual imagery, and the post-apocalyptic world he creates provides ample room for him to display these talents. As my friend Rob points out, McCarthy does not fall into the trap of explaining the apocalypse and thus moving into a sci-fi setting where he would begin to lose focus. The hallmark of great novels, of those that exhibit staying power through the years, is depicting scenarios that everyone can empathize with, and plumbing the depths of human relationships and behavior in all its complexity. In this McCarthy succeeds brilliantly - and his mastery of the english language is exquisite. At times I felt like I was reading a long poem, instead of a novel. The only downside to this book is its singular focus. There are so many intrigues, situations, and experiences in the book which could have been explored more deeply - McCarthy has shown that he has the ability to do this, as he did effectively in Blood Meridian. However, I readily admit that the simplicity of the storyline is part of its beauty, and so perhaps this is not a true downside at all.

Confessions of an Economic Hitman, by John Perkins
An entertaining read, I find this book insightful and yet annoyingly obtuse and paranoid at the same time. In this non-fiction book, Mr. Perkins recounts his life as an "economic hitman" working for a consulting company (MAIN). In his role as Chief Economist, Mr. Perkins contends that it was his duty to dramatically inflate the growth potential of developing countries. This justified large U.S. and World Bank loans to these countries which he knew they could never pay back, thus creating a system whereby these countries would be forever indebted and obligated to the United States, which then used its influence to install pro-U.S. governments as part of the Cold War. He also contends that this entire scheme was orchestrated by the NSA and CIA, although he never gives any proof of this except fairly vague circumstantial and hearsay evidence. From an economic perspective Mr. Perkins make some great observations: essentially it is the anti-globalization argument made with a firsthand account of how the companies and governments can (and have) exploited globalization trends. However, I find Mr. Perkins' larger conspiracy theory accusations hard to accept without more evidence. The CIA abuses of power in Central and South America are well documented, but a greater economic conspiracy reaching down from the top eschelons of the government, and covering everything from Indonesia to Iran and Columbia, I find hard to believe.

A Word of Explanation on the Posting Drought

As an employee of the federal judiciary, I have discovered that it is a significant faux pas for me to publicly express political opinions about major issues of the day, especially as they relate to the law. It might even be illegal...but as an unpaid intern with significantly limited influence, I doubt it. Actually, my influence is not as limited as I would have thought, which is kinda cool.

Nevertheless, in deference to the unquestioned neutrality of the judiciary (i might be apolitical for the summer, but i can still be sarcastic) I will refrain from political posting. Which is sad really, because there is lots of good stuff out there right now, and my new job is 9-5 which leaves me lots of time to post.

So what's left for me to post about? Well, it turns out there's a lot of cool stuff in NYC that I have not explored yet. I'll recount my adventure stories here, as well as book and movie reviews, and perhaps the random tangent.

Welcome to the Summer of Kabir!

Updates and Empty Promises

I have not spoken to many of you who read this blog in a while, and really I have not posted here in a while as well, so it's time for some housekeeping.

I successfully finished my first year of law school. Although I don't have my grades yet and I'm pretty sure I bombed Criminal Law, I'm confident that next year I'll be moving on to my second year as a law student. This is a very good thing for a few different reasons, but mostly because my grades won't matter nearly as much and I'll be able to take classes that interest me more. So what lessons have I learned from my first year in law school? What wisdom can I impart? Here are a few items from the top of my head:

1) Whoever said that "technicalities are the soul of the law" is dead wrong. Technicalities may be the lifeblood of the law, but policy is the soul of the law. The policy is what drives it, it is the ephemeral force that shapes it and guides it. But technicalities are the lifeblood - without them, there is no way to give voice to the policy.
2) The first year of law school is not as bad as everyone says it is.
3) A good lawyer makes all the difference in the world.

Right now I'm an intern for a federal judge in downtown Manhattan - that's as specific as I want to get here, so if you want more details just contact me in person. I'll be NYC all summer, with perhaps a trip somewhere at the end of August before classes start up again. A few weeks ago I went to Costa Rica for a week, and that was a ton of fun. I'll post more about the trip soon.

Which brings me to my empty promise. I always like to think I'll post more regularly, but I usually fail. So this time I promise nothing. Nada. Zip. Hopefully, you'll get another post sometime soon.....who knows, maybe this will backfire as well and I'll start posting regularly....