Sunday, October 26, 2008

No More Bad News

I don't know about you, but I've had enough! All the political fighting and mud slinging. All the bad news about our economy. Suicide bombers in the Middle East. Home invasions and murders. It's all just too much.

Since my proverbial tilt meter has gone off, I decided to try and find some good news. I must admit that it took some hunting, but there is some out there. Here are a few sites you can visit if you are like me:
There have been hundreds, maybe even thousands of self-help books written that talk about the power of positive thinking. Maybe that's what we need right now, some positive thinking. So here's my advise to everyone (myself included): turn off the regular news stations, put down that newspaper, quit reading that negative Web site, and check out one of the good news links listed above.

Maybe when we're all in a better mood we can find a way to fix the problems we're facing.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Fixing Our Economy - A Few Suggestions

By now I think even the most skeptical and conservative would have to agree that we are in, at the least, a recession here in the U.S. Personally I’m inclined to agree with those that feel this started late last year as that is when my computer consulting business saw the bottom drop out of it.

Because this is an election year there has been much mud and smoke thrown about as both major political parties describe how wonderful their plan is and how bad the other party’s plan would make things. I’m not here to say which side is best, rather I want to point out some [possible] long-term solutions that are not being discussed:

Energy

Currently we import and consume too much oil. Oil is not a sustainable resource and, while we can’t agree on when it will run out, we will eventually run out of it. There are other ways to produce energy. We need to fund, at a national level, research on alternatives. There are a number of, I feel, obvious benefits from this, including:
  • We reduce the amount of money flowing from this country and spend it here at home instead.
  • Money spent on research should spur an increase in engineering and other related fields. This country desperately needs more high-wage jobs as opposed to our current choices of “paper or plastic?” and “you want fries with that?” opportunities.
  • Reduction in air, water, and land pollution.
Check out official energy statistics from the U.S. Government showing how much we import and from which countries.
Read what the Apollo Alliance has to say on clean energy and good jobs.
I have more ideas posted on my alternative forms of energy blog post.

Science

Nations prosper that invest in science and engineering. For many years the U.S. was a leader in new technologies and we prospered because of it. Now, unfortunately, few students are interested in math and science because there are not enough new jobs being created.

I know that a lot of people feel that ‘pure science’ research is just money being thrown away. However, research spurs new ideas and new products. New products lead to new jobs. Have you seen the unemployment numbers lately? This country has been on a net job loss for too long. When people have a job they can spend money on things they need. Spending leads to investment with leads to even more jobs and a way out of this recession.

Check out what the HPC Wire has to say about current science funding.
See a comparison of U.S. to China science funding.

The future of this country

The U.S. is still a superpower, but for how much longer? China is in the process of outpacing us in both scientific funding and space exploration.

So what you say? Why waste money on science and space? Look at some of the spin-off products from our space program are now part of our daily life:
  • NASA technology gave us a "cool" laser, which provides thousands of patients with an alternative to heart bypass surgery.
  • Hubble Space Telescope technology has made it possible to do certain breast biopsies with a needle instead of a scalpel.
  • The foam insulation that covers the shuttle's external tank, developed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and Lockheed-Martin, is used to make molds for fitting artificial limbs.
  • Medical personnel can monitor fetal activity inside the womb using a small pill-shaped transmitter developed at NASA's Ames Research Center.
  • The same material used for lightweight, durable spacesuits is used as permanent covering for shopping centers and sports stadiums. NASA technology also is used to pad football helmets and baseball and soccer chest protectors and shin guards.
  • NASA-driven technology also makes possible satellite TV transmission and telephone signals that are beamed around the world.
  • It has led to microcapsules that help clean up oil spills and to satellite remote sensing technology that locates and maps forest fires.
There's a lot more. Read the full list at the NASA Solutions site.
Read about recent developments in China’s space program.
Take a look at China’s overall space program and plans.
Read about some of the medical benefits that have come from space exploration.
Space exploration is important, read more here.
Mining resources from space, read more here.
Take a look at planet Earth as seen from space.

After World War II this country invested in both science and space. Our economy boomed. People from all over the world flocked to this nation because of the availability of high-paying jobs and the many opportunities for all to prosper. If we are going to get out of our current mess we need to look at what worked for us before. We can’t afford to wait.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Taking care of ourselves

I don’t have to tell you that the news has not been particularly good lately. The bad times are going global, and about the only good news is that the price of gas is going down.

Are we headed for another Great Depression? I hope not. However, do you know how the last one started? Here is an excerpt from a commentary posted at CNN:

The Great Depression resulted from a series of economic and financial shocks -- the end of a housing bubble in 1926 and the end of a high-tech bubble in 1929 -- but also from truly breathtaking neglect and incompetence on the part of policymakers.
Sound familiar?

So while governments and the World Bank rush to bail out the big guys what happens to the rest of us? For me, the only thing that comes to mind is a line from an old Beatles song: “I get by with a little help from my friends.”


Family, friends, neighbors. We’re going to have to pull together to get through this. I’ve been using the barter system for some of my medical care, I’m hoping to use it now to trade for other essentials. Here’s a few other suggestions:
  • Carpool with neighbors when going to the store to save gas.
  • If you don’t have to go very far, consider walking or riding a bike.
  • Check out the public transportation available where you live.
  • Save money on food by cooking up a couple of big meals then freeze them in easy to heat portions. It will give you the convenience of take-out at a much lower price.
  • Instead of buying books, magazines, or newspapers, visit your local library.
  • Team up for savings. I needed to have my roof replaced, but it turned out that two of my neighbors had roofs of the same age as mine. By having all three done at once we were able to get a great deal from the roofer. The roofer saved too by having his team working in the same area.
It’s a tough world out there, but if we just pull together we should be able to get through this.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Nature Inside a Metropolis

Not far from my house is a creek that is being cleaned up by both the city and county where I live, and they have done a great job. This past week I had the opportunity to canoe along a portion of it with a group that was inspecting the cleanup progress. Looking at these photos, would you believe that I live in a very large metropolitan area? It just goes to show you that nature is still out there.

One should always expect the unexpected:

Nature is all around us. Try and take some time and look for the beauty of the natural world where you live. You'll feel better for getting out there. I know, I sure felt great when I got back from my afternoon on the creek.