Peace on Earth

My last Blog included a list of some of the events and holidays taking place this month. Tomorrow is a very big holiday for millions of Christians – Christmas. If you are interested in some history on this holiday, the folks at How Stuff Works have an article on How Christmas Works .

Personally I’m a secular humanist. Never heard of one of us? I’m not surprised, there aren’t a lot of us around – at least compared to those who follow the major religions. Interested in what a secular humanist is? Wikipedia has a pretty good description of who we are, what we believe, and links to more info here .

Regardless of what religion you do or do not follow I want to wish each and every one of you a happy holidays. There is a line from a song that many sing this time of year: “Peace on Earth, good will towards everyone” [I changed that last word!]. My wish is that ‘peace on Earth’ could truly happen. Imagine how much we (I’m talking of humanity here) could do without wasting so much energy, time, money, lives, etc. on War? Do you think we can every ‘grow up’, open our eyes and realize that we all live on the same small, blue planet? Carl Sagan called our home a “pale, blue dot”. In case you missed my earlier post, go here to read an article about just how small our home is .

I wish you all life, love, happiness, friendship, and hope. This life is what we make of it. I hope we can all try a little harder to make this a better world.

Peace

Tis the Season

My goodness, but December is a busy month. Just look at this list:

• December 5th – 1st day of Hanukkah
• December 22nd – Winter Solstice
• December 23rd – Full moon
• December 25th – Christmas Day
• December 26th – Kwanzaa begins
• December 31st – New Years Eve

Depending upon your religion, or lack there of, you are probably quite busy now: shopping, mailing holiday cards, traveling to see family or friends, etc. Then too, many businesses have some type of holiday celebration (pot-luck luncheon, formal dinner, or the like) for their employees. Hope you’ve had a chance to enjoy some type of happy gathering.

Many people get upset this time of year too. Lately (last several years anyway), many people get mad if you say “Merry Christmas”, then there are those that get mad if you say “Happy Holidays”. I generally stick with “Happy Holidays” myself simply because not everyone celebrates the same event this time of year (see list above), so I stick with something generic to try and cover all the possibilities. “Happy New Year” is quite benign, so that’s another phrase I feel safe with.

I wish that this could be a happy time of year for everyone, but the reality is anything but. There is so much negativity in the world right now (and I see no reason to add to the misery by including an extensive list – you know what’s going on). Then there are so many people who find this a very difficult time of year [for many reasons]. If I could, I would wave a magic wand and make “peace on Earth, good will towards everyone” a reality.

So, try to find some happiness for yourself, where ever you can. Besides, what other time of the year do you get to say “tis”?!

Space Exploration is Important

I’m mad, not as in crazy but rather angry, upset, and quite disappointed. An elderly gentleman that I respect greatly for his wisdom and knowledge said that he felt all the money that the government spent on the space program was an absolute waste. He feels that “all that money could have been put to better use solving problems here in our country”.

This is not the first time I’ve heard someone say this. I know that many people feel this way. However, have any of them actually taken the time to look in to the issue? How much money does NASA get every year? What is that money used for? How much money does the Federal Government put to other programs? How much money have we spent on our latest “war”?

OK, let’s tackle these questions:

Has anybody really checked out the facts? In my opinion, no. If they had, they would see how little goes to NASA, how much the space program benefits EVERYONE, how much useful technology we’ve gotten as a spin-off, and how much more money the Federal Government manages to waste (ever heard of ‘pork-barrel’ spending?) in other areas.

How much money does NASA get every year? Not much, especially compared with the overall budget. Wikipedia has a very interesting article on this. NASA has received an average of $12.681 billion dollars (adjusted for inflation) per year over its forty-nine year history. That’s barely a drop in the budgetary bucket. For comparison, lets look at what the Federal budget spent on other things in 2007:

• $586.1 billion for Social Security
• $548.8 billion for Defense (not including the “war”)
• $394.5 billion for Medicare
• $367 billion for Unemployment and Welfare
• $76.9 billion for Veterans’ benefits
• $33.1 billion for natural resources and the environment
• $26.8 billion for community and regional development

Check out this other Wikipedia article for a full breakdown plus links for additional information. And here’s one fact for you: Americans spent over 19 times as much at restaurants in 1997 as the federal government spent on NASA that year.

What does NASA spend ‘all that money’ on? Well, among other things, NASA has procurements, grants, and awards that go to businesses, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations throughout all 50 United States. Millions of dollars are spread throughout the country. Check out this map showing the disbursements. As for all their space exploration programs, research centers, aeronautical programs, etc., you should check out this site by NASA.

I’ve already addressed the issue of how much money the Federal Government puts to other programs, so let’s look at our “war” spending. Much of the money for the war does not come out of the annual Federal budget, instead it is done as ‘Supplemental Funding’. For example, in FY 2006 $153 billion in Supplemental Funding was added to the base budget of which the War on Terror received $120 billion and a massive $33 billion went to events such as Hurricane Katrina. My source for this information is here. Total estimates for our “War on Terror” go as high as $2.4 trillion. TRILLION. Check out this CNN Money article and be sure to follow their link in the middle of the article.

Right now this lovely little planet is our only home. The environment is not in the best shape right now and many feel the future is only going to deteriorate. Personally, I’d like to see humanity expand beyond Earth. Our future, if we have one, is in space. Check out these folks.

Scotty, where are you when I need you?

Inspiration

What inspires you: people, places, things? For myself, among other things, it’s quotations that other people have said over the centuries that inspire me. So, lacking inspiration for a topic this week, I’ve decided to list some of my favorite ones here. They are in no particular order, mostly just as I find them from where they are stashed – my bulletin board, stuck to the side of the fridge, taped to the filing cabinet, or filed in my PalmPilot.

This one might seem wrong at first, but you need to think about it:
"Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right." - Isaac Asimov

Now here is one that you might have seen, it certainly fits the United States now [unfortunately]:
"Those who would give up essential liberty for temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Ben Franklin

Here’s a couple I wish the entire planet would follow:
"Treat the Earth well: is was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children" - Indian proverb
"Fear less, hope more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours." - Swedish proverb

The source of this one may surprise you:
"A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest-- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." - Albert Einstein

Here are some very timely ones:
"Unfortunately, prejudice comes from education and family life and all the things that are praised by religious orthodoxy." - Sir Peter Ustinov
"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B Anthony
"The more I study religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself." - Richard Francis Burton
"The biggest cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid people are so sure about things and the intelligent folks are so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Here’s one that I try hard to follow:
"I have made peace with myself somewhere between my ambitions and my limitations." - from the movie, Tea House of the August Moon

I’d like to think that this one is a good description of me:
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed." - Theodore Roosevelt

Lastly, since I just quit my job, I guess this one is really me:
"I'd rather be a failure at something I enjoy than a success at something I hate." - George Burns

Do you have any favorite quotations or sayings?

Tradition

Here in the U.S. many of us have just celebrated the annual tradition of Thanksgiving. There are many opinions of how it all started and I’m not going to weigh in on that. However, here are a couple of sites where you can read different opinions: The Thanksgiving Story (they even have a fun quiz you can take), and How Thanksgiving Works (includes information on Thanksgiving customs in other countries).

For my own part I always cook a big meal for my family and friends. I love having a house full of happy, hungry people. Yes, it’s a lot of work to prepare, but it’s about the only holiday tradition that I have left where I can get everyone to participate. Then there all those lovely leftovers – Yum, Yum!! If you love turkey sandwiches you’ll be happy to know that most people say that is their favorite way to use up leftover turkey. If you are looking for some new recipes for your leftover turkey, look here for some ideas.

Traditions are an important part of any society (and family). They bind us together, and give us a common basis to relate to each other on. Without traditions we feel lost, without guidance, like a sailboat without a keel. As families fragment (there are so many divorces and single-parent households), it is doubly important to hold on to traditions. Children need structure as they grow up so they can become productive members of society.

Embrace a healthy, happy tradition. Make it part of your life. Share it with others. The world needs all the happiness and love that it can get.

Water Wars

There’s an old saying: “You never miss the water till the well runs dry.” Much of the world lives on less than 4 gallons of water a day. Here in the U.S. we use approximately 100 gallons of water per person per day. For statistical information and other excellent information about this issue please visit the World Water Council. I must admit I am shocked by how much we in the U.S. use. Check out this site for the statistics.

Have you heard about Orme, a town in Tennessee, that only has running water for three hours per day? Check out this news story. And it's not just there: South Florida could be next because of low river levels. Check out this news story.

It is way past time we started to treat this life-giving resource with respect. Here’s some ways you can reduce the amount of water you use EVERY day:

• Don’t let water drip from a faucet. A dripping faucet can waste 20 gallons per day. I’m not just talking about in your own home either: if you are in a public bathroom and a tap is dripping or running all you have to do is turn it off.
• Turn off the water while you are brushing your teeth. Guys, don’t run the water while you are shaving – just fill the sink bowl with about an inch of water to use to rinse your razor.
• Run the dishwasher or washing machine only when full. If you need to replace either of those appliances, look for the Energy Star label. Not only will you save electricity, but water too. Consider a front loading washing machine, they wash your clothes better, and use less water and soap in the process.
• Take shorter showers. Depending upon the type of shower head you have you are using between 5 to 10 gallons of water a minute.
• If the yard doesn’t need watering, don’t water it. Once or twice a week should be more than enough.
• If you have older, high water usage toilets take a plastic water bottle and fill it with water or sand. Place that in the tank of the toilet to reduce the amount of water you use every time you flush. When you can, replace the old toilets with low water use toilets. They work just as well and use much less water.
• Here are some excellent sites for many more suggestions: Water Conservation Tips, 100 Water Saving Tips, 25 Ways to Save Water at Home
  

What are the alternatives? Remember New Orleans after Katrina? Now imagine it has been weeks since you’ve had running water, you’re thirsty, dirty, your family needs fresh water. What would you do? Here’s a story from the BBC on the looming water crisis.

Yes, these are hard truths. But we all need to work NOW to prevent water wars from tearing humanity apart. Every gallon of water that we save is a gallon that does not get removed from our shrinking water supply.

One final statistic for you: 97.5% of all the water on Earth is salt water, which leaves only 2.5% as fresh water. Here’s where I got this information.

Avarice and Envy, addendum

I’ve been thinking about my recent post and realize that I sound like doom and gloom. That’s not how I really want to be, nor is that the tone that I want for this Blog.

With that in mind I want to post my ideas for how to resolve the election/government mess:

• We have certification tests for all kinds of professions: everything from selling real estate to practicing law, medicine, and even working on computers. Let’s create a certification test for anyone who wants to run for elected office. We could create different tests depending upon the level of office, everything from local, to state, up to the national level.
• One of the big problems now is that, for the most part, the only people who can get elected are those with big pots of money (or those who have access to people who can give them big pots of money). We need to get money out of the process. There are lots of no cost and low cost ways that they can campaign:

• Blogs – there are lots of sites that don’t even charge you to post one.
• Web sites – again, there are lots of hosting companies that charge less than $5 a month to host your site.
• Sports stadiums and other large arenas could host debates or “meet and greet” events. The hosting location could hand out advertising for whatever they normally have there, vendors could make money selling beverages (no alcoholic stuff!) and food items, so it would still make money, or potential money, for the location.
• Public television and radio stations could interview the candidates and offer call-in question opportunities for the public. The public TV or radio station could even hold the event around one of their fund raising times to try and raise more money for themselves.

• We need to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions. If they are on the public dole and get caught doing some crime, then they should be punished for their crime just like any other criminal. Really punished! Especially at the national level; no more lifetime pension and health care. For that matter, why should any of them get lifetime pension and health care? Check out this letter.
• Lastly, let’s get rid of all the consultants, PACs (Political Action Committees), lobbyists, and other large organizations that use their influence and money to mold government. We make it a law that the only people who can express their opinion are the citizens themselves. Sure, many of them will be owners of, or high-ranking employees of large organizations; however, their influence would be limited to a letter, fax, or e-mail message that they send as an individual citizen ONLY.

So, there you have a few simple suggestions. Let me know what you think.

As always, thanks for listening,
Lee

Avarice and Envy

Watching the current political campaign ads has reminded me of how little things change. The cycle goes like this:

• Current politicians do something bad (lie, steal, cause harm to the citizens or nation, etc.).
• Election year comes around and new candidates run promising to “clean up”, “address wrongs”, “solve problems”, and make other encouraging noises to get elected.
• We elect the ones that promise to “clean house” and give us everything we want.
• The new politicians get into office and do the same things as the last ones.
• Next election time we do it all over again.

Don’t be too depressed by this though, you can go all the way back to the time of the Greeks and Romans and find the same basic pattern. Too bad we seem incapable of learning from the past.

There have been one or two high points in human history. One of those is the 17^th century Dutch Republic. They fought a long war, around 30 years, to free themselves from Spanish rule. They then created a free and open society that became a haven for intellectuals and other refugees. Many scientists, mathematicians, and philosophers came there. Some of the founders of the United States were inspired by these refugees.

In the Amsterdam Town Hall they put many reminders of who they were and what was important to them. One of them stands out to me: it is a relief carving of Justice, holding a golden sword in one hand and scales in the other. Justice stands between Death and Punishment and is stepping on Avarice and Envy, the gods of the merchants. The Dutch put that there because they realized that “the unrestrained pursuit of profit posed a threat to the nation’s soul.”

For many years now our country has been under the impression that what is good for business is good for the country (or at least that is what our elected officials keep telling us). The wealthy businesses owners give money to their chosen candidate and then the successful candidate obediently passes laws in favor of business (which is why wealthy people give money to candidates in the first place: to get what they want). And what benefit does the average citizen see? Here’s a small list:

• Jobs outsourced because labor is cheaper somewhere else
• Benefits cut for most workers
• Top executives “golden parachutes” turning into “platinum parachutes”
• “Made in the USA” replaced by “Made in China”

Wish I had a solution for this mess. Unfortunately all I can do is climb up on my electronic platform here and offer my opinions and hope for the best. Please think about this. I’d love to know what you think.

Oh, one last thing: while working on this post I came across an article entitled "Why Economists Should Not Be Ashamed of Being the Philosophers of Prudence". Interesting reading.

Pale Blue Dot

There may be a few folks who remember a scientist by the name of Carl Sagan. Back in 1980 he released the Cosmos series, a show that introduced the concepts of science to people in a way that almost anyone could understand. It was a great series, one that I enjoyed. If you were to view it now it may appear to be a bit dated on some topics, but his widow, Ann Druyan, re-released the show on DVD a while back (don't know when) and included some updated graphics and information. If you ever get a chance to see it, I highly recommend it.

I know that many people view science as a nasty, evil thing. It is not. It is what has brought us to where we are today (both good and bad). Do you enjoy artificial light at night? A scientist invented it. Do you every talk to someone who is far away over the telephone? A scientist invented it. What about television, microwave ovens, air conditioning (OK, a doctor created it, but medicine and science go hand in hand), the list goes on and on.

This is not to say that science is universally good. However, anything can be used for both good and evil. You can use a pen to write a love letter and use that same pen to stab someone. The choices we make determine the end result.

My concern is that so many people do not really think about most of the decisions (or maybe I should say opinions and beliefs) that they make. They follow along with "popular opinion" or what someone tells them they should believe. If you went to the doctor and they said you needed major surgery, wouldn't you get a second opinion? I'm trying to offer a second opinion on science to show that it has done good things and can continue to do good things. Please read this article posted at the American Institute of Physics.

As for the title of this blog, when the Voyager I spacecraft was beyond the orbit of Neptune its cameras were turned back in towards the sun and a portrait of our solar system was taken. Earth is only a tiny, blue dot, smaller than a pixel. Click here to view an article about it.

Thanks for listening.