AliveAndKickN

I Agree with Rick Warren (sort of)

On Meet the Press (or as I call it, Be Depressed), Pastor Rick Warren talked about service, giving back to the community, and of course life.  As he put it, there are millions of villages accross the globe where the only building is a church.  I agree with almost all he had to say, except the concept of abortion being akin to genocide.  The number he threw out was 47 million since Roe v Wade.  If being spiritual means caring for life throughout the course of life, not just as a fetus, we need to understand the implications.  How many of those 47 million would have been a ward of the state or federal government, either in prison or on some sort of assistance/welfare?  Again, in a world of 4 billion, do we need 47 million more that were unwanted, even in the cases of rape?  After Rick Warren, Bill Gates and his wife came on, talking about their foundation, and the good that has come from it.  Cell phones can tell people when to take their meds, remind them of when meds are available for distribution (especially where there is no electricity to keep meds cold).  Capitalism works.  It brings innovation, and cures, and more.  It also brings things like the Congo, where blood diamonds have now become blood gold and more.  When the value of a mineral outstrips the value of human life, there's a problem.  Everyone agreed that government needs to lead. 

Started reading Super Freakonomics, the sequel to Freakenomics.  So far it has explained that pre-marital sex is the reason why prostitution isn't more prevalent.  Apparently, a hundred years ago, when people waited to have sex after marriage, prostitution was bigger.  Still, prostitutes have a greater chance of having sex with a cop than get arrested by one. 

Played 2 hours of soccer for the first time since the summer.  Feels good but going to be sore.     

How Soon We Forget

As Thanksgiving is near, and the holiday shopping spree is due to begin, the talking heads are forecasting gloom and doom for retail.  Spending is down 5% since 2007, tens of billions of dollars less than when people spent like drunken fools.  So now the trickle down is a loss of revenue for retail, and the potential for commercial real estate to take an even bigger hit.  Again, is this a bad thing?  Didn't we just pass a phase in our lives where we realized that crazy debt with no chance of payback is bad?  Come on everybody - Let's overeat and spend like idiots on stuff we don't need until December 24.  Then we can join a gym for a month, never go, and somehow try to pay off the credit cards we shouldn't have gotten in the first place.  Talk about a hangover. 

The American Family Association has created their list of evil stores once again, because they don't mention Christmas in their advertising.  I've decided to only shop at those stores this year, not that I spend a whole lot anyway.  Since Gap stores recently caved into their demands, I won't be shopping there.

What if....It Were the Movies?

Today is a day off seeming irony.  If you were watching it in the movies, it would be seen as a "sign" from above.  I read in the obituaries about Thomas Graff, an expert on West Coast Water Use.  Apparently, he founded the first California office of the Environmental Defense Fund, and was a pioneer in creating the concept of putting a value on water use.  In 1992, he was able to have passed the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, creating an accounting system for water usage.  The process rewarded farmers for conservation.  At the same time, I was watching Planet Green, and they had a show called "Acid Test," esentially discussing human's effect on the oceans that have increased acidity by 30% over the last several years.  At this rate, we could see a vast wasteland of ocean by the end of the century, as opposed to the seemingly endless biodiversity we've grown accustomed to.  At the same time (obviously I multi-task), I was prepping for Thanksgiving in the kitchen, and "The Circle of Life" came on the Ipod.  Again, if this were the movies, I'd drop everything and build an ark or set out across country on foot to protest man's abuse of its natural resources.  Back to reality.

Today's talk shows spent time on the economy, breast cancer, healthcare reform and the wars overseas.  President Obama was labeled indecisive for not finalizing a decision on Afghanistan.  Somehow, Bush and Cheney were labeled as "decisive" for choosing to go headlong into Iraq and Afghanistan with no clue as to an exit strategy.  Seriously?  Now that the healthcare "reform" bill has cleared a few hurdles, the battle lines are being drawn, the two sides are picking their talking points.  No public funding for abortion - makes sense.  The poeple who typically need abortions are typically the ones who can't afford it.  Breast cancer screening after age 50.  Where are the colon cancer advocates?  I realize brown ribbons won't sell, but still.  We should have a voice.  My Bergen Cancer Coalition is mostly prostate and breast cancer oriented.  If I didn't get checked until age 50, I'd be dead twice over already.  I assume, regardless of the guidelines, there will be smarter people out there who will get checked earlier, especially if there are symptoms. 

In the end, it's all about jobs, right.  Obama and Geitner are being blamed for the economy not turning around.  Imagine trying to turn around 16 years of economic momentum in 12 months?  When you have an almost entirely service-based over-inflated economy, it's hard to imagine it ever coming back.  Is an elected official allowed to explain why there's so much employment?  Maybe people have stopped buying crap, or unnecessary items.  Seriously, what's needed - food (not pate and caviar), clothing (jeans for under $200) , shelter (without triple-height ceilings).  Do we need the rest?  Here's an idea to stimulate the economy - every person who benefited from the housing bubble should simply quit, no parachute whatsoever.  Some of these executives have made more in one year than many of us will make in our lifetime, all off of what?  If nothing else, it will make room for some to move up, and hire others.     

Work and Life Sometime Get in the Way

For the last few weeks, the business has been working on the new product line launch.  As with anything new, it's time-consuming.  Throw in an election, and I haven't had time to spend on my favorite sites.  Being a Saturday afternoon, and not having a soccer game to coach during the day, I was able to check a few of my faves.  Dot Earth had the video from two EPA lawyers talking about stuff elected officials can't - Cap and Trade only hits the edges, and in the end. won't really do anything except create new "shock doctrine" industries.  Sustainable is Good had the article about Energy Star products tending to be misleading, especially for companies that self-verify.  Re-Nest presented a Pew survey results showing what people think they need now, as opposed to years ago.  The Center for Science in the Public Interest applauded the new FDA for appearing to follow-through on threats to companies with either misleading advertisements or unsafe practices, including a potential ban on alcoholic-energy "drinks."  Tonic launched the end of the decade salvo with a 7-minute abridged video of the past 10 years. 

The bottom line - people still act in the own self-interest.  Leaders need to be the change and voices of reason. 

What's the ICD-9 Code?

It's post-election, and there's still some soul-searching and nonsense taking place, but I had to do a double-take on this one - Prayer is being covered as healthcare in the upcoming potential Healthcare Reform Bill.  So let me get this straight - not allowing gays to marry is fine.  Climate change from human acts is purely fiction.  There's an etheral being out there that will take us to heaven when we die.  But not allowing prayer as healthcare is discrimination?  What happened to limited government - smaller is better? 

Our new Governor said in his campaign speeches that he would veto a same-sex marriage bill.  We'll see if our Legislature passes a bill to reach his desk.  What happened to last year's election?  I realize conservativism had nowhere to go but up, but seriously?   

Surprise Disappointments

Election Day has come and gone, and almost all of the candidates I supported fared poorly.  Frankly, most of it was unexpected, but in hindsight, you could see the rationale.  I'm sure the analysis will go on for days.  I've got work to do, so I won't dwell too long, although I'm sure it will come up in conversation.  As an elected official, there's only so much you can do in a few years, so you can only hope the groundwork laid before you doesn't come back to haunt you.  Our globe is in bad shape, the age of frivolity with money is over, and the incumbents took the heat.  Same Sex Marriage was once again voted down, this time in Maine.

I'm proud of what I've been able to get accomplished in one year.  Cutting electricity usage in town by 50% is excellent in my opinion.  Getting rid of invasive species of plant life in and around the central pond is town is pretty good also.  Joining Sustainable Jersey is good, but only as good as what it becomes in the future.  Shared Services has been happening for years, but since it became an official referendum, has been slow to take root. 

The Chief Environmental Scientist from a local company posted a huge Op Ed about turning the world's waste into gold.  While I realize that his view may be biased, it had some serious merit. Localized processing of waste, or W2E sites could be a solution, as we have plenty of waste to go around, and we could certainly use more power created on-site instead of in wind/solar farms hundreds of miles away.  In Canada, a woman was killed by coyotes while hiking in the woods.  While tragic, I think her parents reaction to it was appropriate.  They didn't want the coyotes harmed afterward, since we were essentially in their turf when it happened.  I wish more people would think that way. 

I think the November 3 Daily Show could have been the funniest talking head segment I've seen in years.  I still say all talking heads should have something to back them up.  If they haven't coached or played at the highest level, they don't have the right to criticize those who put it on the line.  If they haven't run for an elected position, same thing.  Until you actually take a stand and vote on an issue, you don't realize the seriousness of the position.