The Rapture, past tense!

I have finally figured out why Fundamentalist Christian groups are so fanatical lately, it’s because the The Rapture has already happened 😉 They didn’t get select to go, 🙁 and so few did ascend that no one noticed. 😮 They believe the liberal press refused to report it, and that if they generate enough religious Zealotry that they can get Jesus to come back around for a second pickup. Enjoy the Tribulation 🙂

My thoughts on Gambling Ads!

Gambling ads ban to be scrapped

When are we finally going to pass a law on how to wipe your ass? Do you know how much toilet paper we waste in this country? Think of the emotional harm brought to our young people fondling their behinds excessively? Think of the environmental harm we are doing by cutting down all the trees to wipe our collective behinds?

Why stop with telling people what they can do? Why not publish a book on how everything should be done. That sounds like a ‘free’ country now, doesn’t it?

Wait, They have published books on this The Bible and the Quran!

What happened to Freedom, what are we fighting for all over the world? To bring the world under a collective control? Sounds more like religious restriction and control than freedom to me!

Isn’t that what Jihad is?

Republicans are making Democrats

Prior to World War II, Americans were, much like they were before 9-11, mostly isolationist, self centered and generally ignorant of the world outside of the United States. The former, because they were turning away from Bloody World War I, and were trying to forget. The later was a forced ignorance of the world engineered by the Mass media owned and controlled by conservative big business, mostly sympathetic to GOP motivations. Years of manipulation with of the Idea that the media was ‘Liberal’ has convinced Americans that the isolation and selfishness was an American Ideal.

As an unexpected outcome of WWII, millions of Americans were introduced to the rest of the world, troops stationed all over the world, and even prisoners-of-war brought to the U.S. for internment influenced the population that there were people living in the rest of the world. People who did not share the american way of life. And Americans learned and gained an understanding, even a desire to know other cultures.

The current situation is a bit different, just as Pearl Harbor was different than 911, an unexpected difference is the decision to keep prisoners far away from the general population, partly to keep them from becoming ‘human’ and partly to keep them away from the U.S. Constitution, and the rights that it confers.

With control of the media the republicans have attempted to prevent interaction both with the truth, and any element that might make ‘foreigners’ less than the ‘evil’ monsters that the GOP needs to continue the war on the U.S. Constitution, for Iraqi oil, and to boost the Defense Industrial Complex. But keeping troops in enclaves (to prevent interaction with the Iraqi population) has lead to the uncontrolled situation that troubles Iraqi security, that prevents the Iraqi from learning about Americans, and from American troops from learning that Iraqi people are human also.

This isolation hasn’t worked, and soon American troops will be returning to the U.S. with a deeper understanding of the outside world, something the GOP did not want. And just as the U.S. became more democratic, more liberal, dare I say more international after WWII, so it will after Iraq. The Republicans are making Democrats out of Republicans, my father, a lifelong republican, is now thinking of voting Democrat. So will the pendulum swing from the GOP to the democratic party. Time will tell, the sooner the better.

A Generation lost

Crime statistics aside, much of the current crime has been committed by gangs. Gangs formed in the absence of alternatives in the infrastructure and jobs. Note also the glamorization of drugs and alcohol and the easy life. All these things are the results of neglect 10, 15 and 20 years ago of community infrastructures and youth facilities. Facilities still missing, and continuing to contribute canon fodder, in form of a lost generation, to the crime.

The old saying, the crows have come home to roost fits perfectly. And this will continue to happen until facilities, good facilities, youth centers, job training, and educational facilities. More funding for schools, and school facilities and good jobs, for students to look forward to working at, could provide alternatives to crime.

And of all things decentralization, of all things, could also be the facilitator of less crime. Rat studies years ago have noted that high population densities increase community violence. Decentralization of industrial jobs and government must lead to increased community infrastructure, schools, shopping and transport in more rural areas.

We are living in a generation lost, and it will not be mended by treating the symptoms, but by attacking the root causes. We will not save this generation until we save the next one.

The great Uniter that never was

Where was this great uniter Bush over the last 6 years? Where was this great uniter, who’s favorite words were ‘My way, or the Highway’ Great words for a uniter that never was. And never will be.

When will we see the great uniter? Right after he vetoes his first documents from a Democratic Congress. Something, anything, that he doesn’t like, something, anything he can’t control. Then we will see the true colors of this ‘great uniter’, The only thing he knows, is how to divide, he who is really only a great divider?

Soon, very soon, we will see his true colors.

Democratic change in the wind

My father who lives in the central U.S. shocked me today with the admission that should a good Democratic candidate appear, he would vote for him. This coming from a WWII vet, and life long Republican conservative. He voted for Bush twice, and now he wants him gone. If there is a barometer of political change, this is it. Forget your polls, forget rhetoric, the Republicans, the GOP, is going to loose big time this year.

With one exception, there must be a good Democratic candidate to place before the people.

Where’s a good Harry S. Truman when you need one.

Oil and the Island of Ireland

In resent years the Irish government in agreement with EU directives has handicapped it’s agricultural and fishing indrustry in order to secure funding of various infrastructure projects. And while in the short term this has benefited the Irish people, this is very much a shortsighted view, a typical Irish view of, ‘It’ll be alright’. However the issue is the assumption that the future will be, more or less like the present. And that is where it all falls down, the future of oil is not just one of increasing cost, it’s the eventual loss of oil altogether. This coupled with global warming issues poses different issues to Ireland, and to a lesser degree England.

They are Islands, truly geographiclly and economically. Issues of food production and importation are less of a concern to the continent EU than to the Islands of EU. Irish politicans are desperate to avoid thinking about what would happen without cheap oil, and the shipping of imported food and other commodities into Ireland. If food importation were to end tomorrow, vast numbers of people would starve in Ireland, perhaps worse than the famine years.

This is the future of Ireland, increasing food costs for imported food and goods, as there is less natively produced agricultural products and fishing. This will lead to economic ruin for most other industrial development as cost of living expences will drive industries to move to cheaper locations. Eventually with the complete loss of oil, Ireland will be isolated and destitute. And the Irish politicians who’s shortsightedness has destroyed Ireland, will be living elsewhere.

The Irish government should be focused on making Ireland self sufficient, less dependent on importation of food, and energy. All effort should conclude with infrastructure to support Irish food production, windfarms, and green issues.

The current government apparently does not have this perspective, and in the future, the Irish must seek to replace the narrowminded, shortsighted Fianna Fáil politicans. The future of the Island of Ireland is at stake.

Solar Maximum and Global warming

There may be a glimmer of hope, a slim one, and I can’t say for sure. But as we approach Solar Minimum, the effects of global warming are amplified by the increased intensity of solar thermal output. This current minimum is estimated to be 2007. Minimum Sunspots, maximum thermal output. After 2007 the sun spot activity increases to Solar Maximum So there is hope that global warming will slow down after 2007.
More here. Sun’s Output Increasing in Possible Trend Fueling Global Warming

Outsourcing motovation.

I was thinking about outsourcing again, and the subject of what benefit to the business results from outsourcing. As there are no costs saving for outsourcing the actual work, another reason had to be found, Pensions! News articles like; Are Pensions the Next Fiscal Crisis? and Whoops! There Goes Another Pension Plan have illuminated the chief benefit of outsourcing, the elimination of pensions. Many companies are more and more eliminating pensions in the form of contributions to 401K plans which do not need long term funding, many companies have been underfunding their pensions so long now that anyone approaching pension age should be leery of ever cashing in on one, at least without legal council. This has become the new cheat in hiring practice, promise a pension, then don’t deliver it. Or better, use the pension scheme as a tax free slush fund, then don’t deliver.

As a cautionary warning, if a big company offers you a pension, ask for cash, or have the money placed into a personal 401K or private pension fund. there is no sense trusting a company to look after their employees, that’s history.

Bush to stand trial for war crimes.

Not that it’s for real but it may have to become a reality for the United States to regain the trust and respect of the world.

Bush will have to be impeached and stand trial for beginning a war with Iraq for personal gain, violations of the U.S. Constitution, Geneva Conventions and any other treaties that may have been violated including the illegal renditions through Irish and any other country who’s sovereignty may have been violated.

At this stage I don’t see any other path to restoring respect for the U.S.

If you are of a different mindset, please comment, but I’ll bet you will be hard pressed to come up with a better way. Please don’t use the tired 9/11 issue as it really has no bearing on the incompetent GOP Neo-Con government who has squandered world respect for short term oil profits, corruption and criminal disrespect of their own citizens, let alone the world at large.

A path less taken, a chosen road

I have just given notice with the intentions of changing jobs. Knowing that this is a stressful thing, I’ve managed to do this more frequently than I ever would have imagined. I have, in a humorous way, always described my profession as “High Tech Migrant Worker” But the moves, always seem to happen in sequences not always of my own choosing. Call it fate, Karma or just blind luck it has always been a path less taken, and usually a grand voyage of discovery and learning. I have always profited, sometimes, but not always in a monetary way, but in retrospect every step a joy and a road I would have chosen had I known where the road lead. Such is the future, it’s what you make of it, not what it makes you.

The Future is how you see it.

I did not graduate from the university with a Computer Science degree, I graduated with a degree in Future Studies. I only got into Computers (as a minor in college) because I was passionate about them, and they were easy. It has also earned me a fair salary over the years. so when I see articles containing “Futurist” I am intrigued, as in this article, which has a universal applicability to such things as Web 2.0, iPods and other technology, economic and social issues.

Twelve Things Journalists Need To Know to be Good Futurist/Foresight Reporters

Can we all say “Common Sense”?

A favorite, particularly good for Web 2.0:

…any futurist who tells you that something is inevitable probably has something to sell

Global Warming Climate Science under attack again

What’s wrong with this picture when science is prohibited from researching global warming, to support a half-baked Idea of a glorious return to the moon?

NASA is canceling or delaying a number of satellites designed to give scientists critical information on the earth’s changing climate and environment…as NASA prioritizes its budget to pay for completion of the International Space Station and the return of astronauts to the moon by 2020 — a goal set by President Bush