Taking in information

Christiansted

Well these past few weeks have been interesting internationally and right here at home. 

Today i thought i’d just make mention of things we might like to be paying attention to but may not have the time to investigate.

Europe…Increasing investment in green technologies could give Europe’s GDP a €600 billion boost, according to a report by Germany’s Institute for Climate Impact Research. Twenty four hour strike grips Greece, clashes erupt. Europe rushes to pull foreigners out of Libya.

Middle East…Tunisia and Egypt have deposed their dictators. Bahrain, and Yemen are working on getting rid of theirs. Saudi Arabia is nervously watching as are the other countries in the area.

Africa… Libya, Gaddafi says he will not go and government forces fire on civilians. Somalian pirates have resorted to killing which is a new twist in the kidnapping business. East Africa is pushing the Nile Basin countries to work out a cooperative agreement. In Nigeria crude oil production has risen to 2.6 million barrels a day. Rwanda is doing tests on an anti-HIV gel that has been approved, it is hoped the vaginal gel will reduce the risk of HIV infection among women.

Helmet Shell

Asia… The Philippines celebrates 25 years of the people’s revolt. Malaysia is going ahead with the first solar power plant. National rice production is fine says the Indonesian government. Mobile users in Bangladesh cross 70 million.

USA…There are 1.5 billion credit cards in use in the US according to the census bureau.  "The average amount owed on credit cards by 46% of owners is $15,788.00. YIKES! "Average household debt in the United States has now reached a level of 136% of average household income".

The drama in Wisconsin has spread to Indiana, New Jersey and Ohio where labor unions are standing up against conservatives who have vowed to crush their right to bargain collectively. This is our homegrown uprising and one has to question how any taxpayer is harmed personally by teachers, policemen, firemen and others fighting for their rights and benefits.

Green Turtle

Latin America…Brazils ex President Lula being probed for administrative misconduct. Mexican president claims US isn’t doing enough to help fight drug cartels. Amazon Indians in London to stop dams they say will destroy them. UNESCO claims Machu Picchu needs fewer tourists. Venezuela denies giving refuge to Gaddafi.

Australia and New Zealand…The death toll from the devastating earthquake has risen to 75 with 300 still missing, a state of emergency has been declared. Western Australian coastal communities avoided major damage as a Category 2 storm barreled through. Residents in southern New South Wales have been urged to take extra precautions against mosquitoes after a rare and potentially fatal virus was detected near the Victorian border.

News impacts all of us in different ways.  If it appeals to the emotions the audience may be likely to suffer pangs of compassion or empathy like we have recently seen with the events in Egypt.  If big news happens close to home those who may know some of the victims can feel a direct link to the events that occurred as we saw with the recent floods in Australia. Any disaster, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes can bring up long repressed Post Traumatic Stress Syndromes in those who have experienced a similar event.

Steel pan

News creates controversy.  News that involves conflicts or new legislation which will induce readers to take sides can polarize a community. Although most news sources see their role as a public service they still need to make money to survive and many times may editorialize their position on the issues. Where you get your information is important to your understanding of the issues; if you are only getting it from one outlet you are apt to be missing all the various sides and i would highly advise busting out of your rut.

Up above i picked short sound bites that most of us can read and absorb quickly. But in one piece i expressed two opinion's that i slipped in. Propaganda can be based upon facts which are skewed in such a way as to influence your opinion.  If what you are reading only tells one side of the story, you could be basing your decision making upon faulty information.  

i definitely have an agenda here at this site, i’m not a journalist just a lowly blogger who is interested in explaining that we humans are more alike than different. Explore the internet, go to sites you don’t usually go, broaden your horizon and break out, read the oppositions pieces and see if your mind isn't changed by the new information you take in. Don't depend on one or two places to get all your news and opinion pieces because you don't want to be making decisions that could be detrimental to your future and your childrens.

ley lines

An overcast morning saluted us with some mild swells and air and water had that wintry bleak feel. 

The sun peaked in and out as the wind blew and chilled our scantily clothed bodies.  Four of us swam out in visibility that wasn’t as spectacular as it could have been. 

Looking to the first buoy we established our ley lines that got some of us there faster than others. 

Ley lines you say?  Isn’t it lay lines like one would use in sailing. You know “Lay lines” the ones that are the straight line tracing the course following which a boat can reach an upwind mark (the shortest course to reach the target).

No, i mean ley line the one that brings you to some mystical energy. Some force that guides you in to a place where you can experience a random event. Some people believe that ley lines and their intersection points resonate a special psychic or mystical energy.  Hmmm you must be thinking.

My favorite fish can you find him?

People that don’t swim always ask if we just race all the time.  i explain that we usually stop for any number of reasons including turtles, flashy fish, unusual formations or anything odd looking.  If we haven’t stopped at all on the way out to the first buoy then it has probably been an uneventful swim and highly unusual. We derive a lot of energy out of these swims be it physical, spiritual, psychic or mystical.

This morning at the first buoy we got to talking about “Obamacare”, single payer health insurance, and a host of other things that involved ideology from both sides.  Up until recently i have been the only “bleeding heart liberal” with a “fiscally conservative” mindset.  i’m always beefing up the conversation with tidbits my fellow swimmers were unaware of.

Anyway we left that buoy not having finished the conversation but needing to get going.  i’m sure some of us had thought that by the time we got to the second buoy our thoughts would be more concise and we could continue the discussion by revealing points we had previously omitted. Out came our new ley lines and off we went.

Sea Fan

By the time we reached the second buoy we were to be silenced by the arrival of five gorgeous dolphins that wanted to play. Unfortunately i had left my camera at home thinking if the sun wasn’t out the picture would be dull, my mistake.  Those dolphins’ two mamas with children and one huge male swam so close to us i could have gotten beautiful pictures.

The kids rolled on their backs showing off their white bellies while the mamas nodded their heads.  The male, who was longer than me, got into a vertical position right in front of me, nodded his head and then played.  He was as frisky and happy as was one of the children who stayed with us the longest. We of course trilled our excitement and kept up with them as long as we could.

Elated, spiritually and physically we gushed over how lucky we had been to swim with them while heading to shore. i think we all genuinely felt we had been touched by something special.

We acted as a group, we experienced as a group and we shared as only groups of people can do. Those that are usually in our group but weren’t there today missed out.  Our group was benefiting from a positive environmental encounter with a species different from our own and we were all feeling the glow.

Society’s beliefs have consequences for the population at large.  We know this from our most recent experience with an economy that almost went into free fall. This morning our talk was about repealing “Obamacare” tomorrow it will be about something else, climate change, the deficit, poverty, education, wars and peace but you know we will still feel connected and act as a group.  

i believe in social safety nets, i believe in the common good, my friends do and they don’t. Unfortunately we only have time in our jam packed lives to listen to sound bites concerning the issues.  Back on shore we returned to expressing our views on "Obamacare" before splitting up.

We humans want the same things, a world of contented healthy children, families, communities, and natural systems.  We usually get along just fine as long as we aren't trying to control something. Cultural stories are used to shape our understanding and our choices. Today the choice is “Obamacare” or repeal of this care.  My cultural story is different from my friends even though we want the same things. The choice we are presented with by our government is limited because both create outcomes that will not benefit the population at large. Some of us find this a problem and some of us don't.

So what is it we all want...we all want the same things peace, contentment, prosperity, safety, healthy outcomes, strong families and communities.  What will benefit the population at large is what we all want even though we don't always recognize this.

My question to my friend is if single payer insurance would benefit you more than purchasing health insurance on the open market why in the world would you fight against it?

Change through peaceful protest

Those Egyptians in the streets are the real people. They represent people all over the world that want freedom and democracy and are willing to go out into the streets and protest peacefully for their rights.  Even in the face of thugs sent out to foment discord they held strong.  Their triumph goes against all the propaganda spewed by the powerful all over the world that change can only come about through violence. 

This is a complete slap in the face to those who believe the gun is mightier than the soul of a nation. The Egyptian people are now directly involved in creating a new future for Egypt and themselves; they wanted change and they persevered in the streets to get rid of a regime they considered out of touch.

Rulers are measured by how they treat the governed; Mubarak failed to gain the complete trust of his people.  He failed over and over again with his dictatorial mandates, his tyranny, repression and torture and the people have had enough.  The people in the streets haven’t just told Mubarak to leave they also told Al-Qaeda that violence is not the way; they have proved Al-Qaeda wrong. They have shown that peacefully demonstrating can bring about positive changes.

The people hope Mubarak is gone for good. i’m still apprehensive about those he left in place, they are the old guard still operating under a police and military mind set.  i hope the Egyptian pro-democracy campaigner Mohamed ElBaradei is right about what he told the Associated Press. "This is the greatest day of my life. The country has been liberated after decades of repression," He said “he expects a "beautiful" transition of power.”

If the actions of the protesters over the last two weeks are any indication of a will to move forward without violence, the odds are in their favor.  If the military steps aside and lets the different factions unite to create a new government then the people of Egypt have every right to expect a “beautiful transition.”

Our President last night had the moral courage to stand with the Egyptian people and i applaud him for it.  Here is the speech he made.

Statement of President Barack Obama on Egypt

The Egyptian people have been told that there was a transition of authority, but it is not yet clear that this transition is immediate, meaningful or sufficient. Too many Egyptians remain unconvinced that the government is serious about a genuine transition to democracy, and it is the responsibility of the government to speak clearly to the Egyptian people and the world. The Egyptian government must put forward a credible, concrete and unequivocal path toward genuine democracy, and they have not yet seized that opportunity.
As we have said from the beginning of this unrest, the future of Egypt will be determined by the Egyptian people. But the United States has also been clear that we stand for a set of core principles. We believe that the universal rights of the Egyptian people must be respected, and their aspirations must be met. We believe that this transition must immediately demonstrate irreversible political change, and a negotiated path to democracy. To that end, we believe that the emergency law should be lifted. We believe that meaningful negotiations with the broad opposition and Egyptian civil society should address the key questions confronting Egypt’s future: protecting the fundamental rights of all citizens; revising the Constitution and other laws to demonstrate irreversible change; and jointly developing a clear roadmap to elections that are free and fair.
We therefore urge the Egyptian government to move swiftly to explain the changes that have been made, and to spell out in clear and unambiguous language the step by step process that will lead to democracy and the representative government that the Egyptian people seek. Going forward, it will be essential that the universal rights of the Egyptian people be respected. There must be restraint by all parties. Violence must be forsaken. It is imperative that the government not respond to the aspirations of their people with repression or brutality. The voices of the Egyptian people must be heard.
The Egyptian people have made it clear that there is no going back to the way things were: Egypt has changed, and its future is in the hands of the people. Those who have exercised their right to peaceful assembly represent the greatness of the Egyptian people, and are broadly representative of Egyptian society. We have seen young and old, rich and poor, Muslim and Christian join together, and earn the respect of the world through their non-violent calls for change. In that effort, young people have been at the forefront, and a new generation has emerged. They have made it clear that Egypt must reflect their hopes, fulfill their highest aspirations, and tap their boundless potential. In these difficult times, I know that the Egyptian people will persevere, and they must know that they will continue to have a friend in the United States of America.

dance of the strandbeests

Green Cay

A friend sent me a link to go and view a contraption that lives on the beach. Both of us being water/beach people,  i guess this friend thought i would appreciate all the time and innovation the creator had put into it, plus the fact that it resided on a beach.   

i did.

Then i sent the link on to other (water/beach people) that i thought might enjoy it.

Cramer Park

After doing that i decided that even though we aren’t all “beach people” others might enjoy this contraption just as much as i did.  The more i thought about it the more people i came up with, and although not “beach people” they still might find a connection and send it on to people they think might enjoy looking at it.

Of course, before including it here i had put in even more thought and the categories of people that might enjoy it grew. Those who like the wind and what it can move came to mind; those into airplanes, gliders, sailboats etc;  anyone that builds things would be into this contraption because it is constructed out of PVC pipes and walks on its own, i felt sure they would be curious to see it. 

Lawyers, playwrights, scriptwriters and computer geeks would be sure to love these critters coming up with all sorts of ideas for futuristic movies or games, just by taking a peek at it.

Southgate Beach

Artists, architects and engineers of all types would appreciate the design.  Parents, teachers and anyone involved with educating or raising children could see this as a way to open minds to the possibilities that are available all around us.  Even medical people used to fixing our broken bodies could find enjoyment in the bone structure (legs, knees and feet) visibly moving along the beach.

Truck drivers used to driving big mammoth hulks of metal down the highways of this nation would probably find this walking graceless mess respectable in its good natured design. It might not be the weirdest thing they have ever seen on their travels but i'll bet they call it “cool”.

Coakley Bay Pond

What i like about it is its appeal to everyone i could come up with.  i can’t think of a single person that wouldn’t think these creatures were amazing feats of artistic ability and unusual engineering.  Who wouldn’t find this creation odd and yet strikingly functional.  This moving design made from some of our most basic materials will act as a full-blown connector set; connecting us all up to marvel over the amazing talents of Theo Jansen.

i love that, i love the connection. i love the ability we all have to guide each other through use of this medium. i love that it happens each and every day in our in-boxes, in our surfing of the web and in our daily communications through social sites. i wonder how many people will go on to research more or look at other innovations after viewing these creatures.

Theo Jansen is the designer of these beach animals’s that feed on wind, avoid dangers and escape from the sea. His idea is that these animals will not need food but will be able to survive on their own.  He claims that they can carry heavy loads, can hunker down during storms, and will move of their own volition.

You’ve got to go look at these things.

http://www.talkingscience.org/2011/01/the-dance-of-the-strandbeests/

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/theo_jansen_creates_new_creatures.html

Egyptian protesters

Mubarak is confined to a prison at this moment; a prison of his own making. He tried, yesterday, to project a facade of competence, control and power but he failed.  The Egyptian people rejected his lopsided compromise to remain in power until the elections, even with Mubarak saying that anarchy will occur if he is not allowed to finish out his term.

He must be one of the most miserable of men at this moment, hiding his fears while trying to exhibit the stability of a ruler who has not lost his people. He is a slave, a slave to his legacy which has been wrecked by those he thought he ruled. He is not his own master any more; he is a puppet being manipulated by everyone he has ever come in contact with.

The events of this past week have galvanized the world.  Mubarak has not been first in exhibiting kindness and justice, it is his people who are demanding a new way; a way that rids the country of corruption, terror and fear, and they are trying to accomplish it using peaceful means.

What does this say to those of this world that believe change only comes at the end of a gun? What does this do for those out there that think violence is the only way?  Will something occur to destroy this image of peaceful dissent? 

Unfortunately today there appears to be conflicts between Mubarak thugs(those too intent on violence to be regular people)and anti-Mubarak peaceful factions which have been the bulk of the protesters for the past week.  Some of us watching this believe it to be an engineered conflict;  one that will establish reasons for the police and military to crack down on all the people gathering around the country.

This morning i saw this written in a comment thread about the Egyptian uprising on the Daily Kos that a typical tactic of a repressive government is to infiltrate with “supporters who disguise themselves, join the crowd of protesters and create havoc.  Then the government/uniformed police/military can step in to "restore order" and "protect private property."  This also leaves western governments (US/Britain/France/Germany) and other autocratic (Israel/China) regimes free to claim that the protesters were infiltrated by  leftists/anarchists/communists/Muslim fundamentalists and an orderly transition of power (same regime with different faces) was in jeopardy.

Make no mistake, the people have the power, all rulers know their position is tenuous when they have lost their countrymen.  These people that are marching day in day out want the right to choose. They are defying the curfew to show that they are not afraid of the military, they want change and they are willing to demonstrate to get it. Even without the internet, the railroads etc. the people are getting their message out, they are becoming more unified. They are working together to keep the areas clean, to tend to the sick, to feed those who are hungry. The people are happy, they have found their voice and they don’t want to lose it again. They are working against those that would use violence to break up the crowds.

Some of the agitators have been captured by anti-Mubarak protesters.  You have to ask why men riding camels and horses are the ones creating violence and havoc? Why would Mubarak supporters immediately indulge in violence instead of peaceful opposition after a week of watching peaceful protesters? After being searched some are appearing to be carrying police id’s.  Apparently everyone carries an id that says on it what your job is, so they can identify Mubaraks security forces immediately.

If Mubarak really believes in change and wants to be a part of that change he should stop his security forces and supporters from injuring the people who have been demonstrating peacefully.  If there are pro Mubarak people who disagree with the anti-Mubarak forces they should also be out demonstrating peacefully.  An attack upon peaceful protesters is not the way to rule a country. What is happening today reflects badly upon Mubarak.  It is not the way to go out of power.