Just noticing: Observations of a blogger
Posted by Michelle Moquin on December 22nd, 2013
Good morning!
I love finding interesting tidbits of info. This one from Upworthy came across my plate recently.
“Just noticing…”
A Science Icon Died 17 Years Ago. In His Last Interview, He Made A Warning That Gives Me Goosebumps.
*****
Readers: I thought this would inspire a bit of banter on this beautiful Sunday morning. :) If so, blog me.
Happy Sunday!
xox
Prism Princess: I HOPE that you got to be with your Love on His special birthday.
Peace & love….
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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December 22nd, 2013 at 11:04 am
That warning should give everyone Goosebumps!.
December 22nd, 2013 at 11:07 am
Hafa adai, this is in response to today’s post on yesterday’s blog.
27. Peter, GU Says: December 22nd, 2013 at 11:02 am
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What about the unemployed here on guam , what do they get?
December 22nd, 2013 at 11:09 am
27. Peter, GU Says: December 22nd, 2013 at 11:02 am –
==================================
Although it’s great that the unemployed Guam National Guard Members will be getting unemployment benefits, there should also be UI benefits made available to the unemployed population at-large.
From my understanding after living here awhile, big-business and many of the Guam government leaders are “in bed” with each other, and don’t want any such expense meted their way.
Guam seems to treat their labor force on par with Third World countries.
Hafa adai
December 22nd, 2013 at 11:11 am
Hafa Adai, I did not realize Guam had Unemployment benefits? If this is just a one time thing for the Guardsmen and women returning, how is this fair?
Before the Guard was deployed to the Horn of Africa for 4 years the Army Reserve was in Iraq and Afghanistan. I don’t recall those benefits being offered to them.
December 22nd, 2013 at 11:11 am
So who pays? The feds, Mississippi, or Guam?
December 22nd, 2013 at 11:14 am
There is another source in the US for resistance to reason that neither Rose nor Sagan mention and I think it’s at least as important to understand as pseudoscience and conventional religion. And that is the belief in the magical free market.
I like the free market, but like any other concept if you assume it’s the answer to everything you get into trouble. In the US there is a barely acknowledged cult of the free market (often tied to Christian cults such as The Family) that thinks (in spite of mountains of evidence to the contrary) that the free market is the solution to everything. The free market works great when figuring out how to build better computers and phones.
It doesn’t work great for things where there is an obvious desire to provide a basic level of service to everyone, things like healthcare and education.
One reason the Republicans shut down the office that Sagan refers to and have since shown a consistent hostility to basic data collection and analysis is that such work regularly conflicts with their dogma about the free market and healthcare, gun control, education, etc.
December 22nd, 2013 at 11:15 am
Seventeen years ago or 99 trillion miles of light travel. I somehow think he would have preferred the latter interpretation. So sad not to have his voice around.
December 22nd, 2013 at 11:16 am
Carl Sagan was the very embodiment of a “clear thinking oasis.”.
December 22nd, 2013 at 11:17 am
Very true Red and it’s no coincidence that it’s always the same people. Once the lazy mind accepts the easy case-closed answer of god-did-it for cosmological questions, it’s a small step to just collecting mantras for all other important issues as opposed to the difficult task of actually learning anything.
Maybe we can change a mantra- How about instead of “It’s the economy, stupid!” we drill in “It’s the stupid economy!” It would be easier than trying to explain why Hayek, Friedman and Reagan got it wrong. You’ll never talk them out of anything Reagan.
December 22nd, 2013 at 11:19 am
Red#6, I disagree! Its not the free market that’s at fault. Its the debt based fiat currency, interest rates on loans and the concept of fractional reserve banking (lending more than whats in reserves), that’s mostly responsible for the economical trouble of society!
December 22nd, 2013 at 11:20 am
In reply to #8 by Stafford
“Carl Sagon was the very embodiment of a “clear thinking oasis.”.
And a staunch supporter of the right to enjoy marijuana.
December 22nd, 2013 at 11:21 am
I have mostly positive, but still mixed, feelings with regards to Carl Sagan. When it comes to expressing the awe and wonder of science, it’s hard to find a better example of scientist who exemplifies this. I enjoyed reading Cosmos and Contact, and Pale Blue Dot was pure poetry. He’s certainly a tough act to follow.
On the other hand, his forays outside of astronomy are… mixed. Some of it might be a case of science marching on, but, for instance, it was a disappointment reading his passages about the triune brain theory in Cosmos.
December 22nd, 2013 at 11:22 am
Terra#10, I am no expert, but I think you have described the free market. You have essentially said “Red dog says its the free market system, I disagree, because, I think it is….. the free market system”.
December 22nd, 2013 at 11:25 am
Terra Watt#10- Please expound because on the face of it, I disagree with everything you just wrote.
1) Without debt (or credit) based fiat currencies, we’d still be in the Middle Ages. Maybe it’s evil in a twisted biblical sense but it is necessary for growth.
More on the debt base in a minute but currencies have been by fiat (I prefer trust) for most of the time there have been currencies. A dollar is only worth what people think it is worth.
And the brief time some currencies were based on bullion was just as fictitious- gold and silver are only worth what people think they are.
2) Capitalism cannot funtion without loans and interest must be charged to offset risk. Banks don’t need to be speculating like riverboat gamblers (which they are doing again even after the last collapse because there is insufficient regulation) but they need to make a buck over and above convenience fees to survive.
They have to offset not only salaries (some admittedly bloated) and plant, and loan defauts but they have to pay out interest to depositors for the “fractional” amount they are required to keep to make the loans that help run the engine.
3) Without fractional lending, there is no growth, no progress. Without fractional lending, you get the assumption that there is a finite amount of wealth on the planet which leads to the assumption that the only way to grow is by stealing from someone else- a zero-sum game.
Perhaps the the ratio of one real dollar behind every nine dollars loaned is too high for your taste but without loaning fictitious amounts of an already fictitious currency, the whole system collapses. And it was all working just fine until some deregulated free-market pigs got extra, extra greedy.
December 22nd, 2013 at 11:31 am
Hafa Adai, and thank you President Obama for bringing us together to discuss climate change. Climate issues in Micronesia were brought to the forefront as Governor Eddie Calvo recently began attending meetings for the President’s Climate Change Task Force in the nation’s capitol.
The governor says the timing could not have been more perfect, as he had wrapped up discussion at the Micronesian Chief Executive’s Summit.
Concerns had been raised about the heating of the waters and other climate change impacts to low lying islands in Micronesia. Calvo said, “Climate change has dire impacts on whether it’s environmental like an island being wiped or a very heavy toll on its gross national product; that should also be some reason for how we look at formulas for rendering assistance in terms of adaptation.”
The governor says he has some key staff working with the President’s task force to ensure Guam and Micronesia’s agendas move forward.
The Guam and the World owes a debt to the forethought and concerns of President Obama. He is fighting the Up-heel battle to get the republicans and the rest of the world on board, we in Guam want him to know we are with him all the way.
Happy Holidays.
Lia
December 22nd, 2013 at 11:33 am
Christmas is a time of goodwill.
It’s a time for our families to come together and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and our accomplishments during the past year.
There is so much to be grateful for, like our beautiful paradise, rich culture and proud community.
The Islandwide Beautification Task Force was blessed this year by the generosity and heartfelt service from various businesses, local organizations, military personnel and the Government of Guam family for our projects to keep our island clean.
Our streets are cleaner because of volunteers throughout the island who adopted roadways.
Many schoolchildren have a safe haven from rain, heat and traffic because of maintained bus stops. And several parks are now focal points of their villages because they are revitalized.
The work isn’t done. People still are vandalizing property, dumping illegally, and there are still abandoned buildings throughout the island.
You’re encouraged to continue the Guamanian spirit of service and taking care of one another. This holiday season, one of the greatest gifts we’re thankful for is your service to our island family.
On behalf of the Islandwide Beautification Task Force, we wish you a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
December 23rd, 2013 at 9:54 am
Happy Holidays, Howie, Robert, Mike, Alycedale, Zen Lill, Prism Princess, Social Butterfly, and my beloved Anonz.
OH and of course I haven’t forgotten you Michelle.
December 23rd, 2013 at 10:29 am
How about that earthquake, yesterday? I felt my friend Dana called to ask if I felt it. I didn’t but a lot of my friends did.
December 23rd, 2013 at 10:33 am
Hafa adai, Anna, Yes I felt it. It was a little after 7PM when it happened. It was not that strong, but yeah it was an earthquake tremor.