Integrated Man

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As one of my amusements, I'm a ham operator, N1MVM.  Hams, like other hobbyists, tend to have areas of special interest.  Mine happens to be public service and emergency communications services during disasters and lesser emergencies.  Usually, I participate in low-level events like providing communications support for non-profit fund raising events.  Other of my fellow hams have responded to tornadoes, hurricanes and more severe events that invoke the motto of Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES): "When all else fails"  My call this Friday was to respond to a search and rescue request in eastern Connecticut.

Capitalist Papers 1 - Random Reflections on the Decline of Capitalism

This quote from the Wall Street Journal of 2008, April 3:
   

"BEIJING -- China's business establishment poses a bigger obstacle to the country's financial-sector reform agenda than the global market upheaval, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Thursday.

Mr. Paulson also called on the Chinese government to ease access to clean technology and confront the "daunting" task of improving energy consumption and the environment. 

I think that reform never moves in a straight line, and I think the biggest threat to more reform in China is the strong domestic industry that doesn't want competition," Mr. Paulson told reporters traveling with him on a two-day trip to Beijing."
        "Paulson Says Chinese Big Business Threatens Reform Agenda"

My first reaction was to conclude that Secretary Paulson had redefined the lower depths of chutzpah.  My more charitable side allowed that he must have been suffering from jet lag, and thought he was still in New York.

The Value of Words and the Meaning of "Is"

Hillary tells us that words are cheap.  And well she should know.  After all, her chief political strategist taught us to ponder what is the meaning of "is".  You can't get more existential than "is". When "is" has no meaning, it has no value.

Words may be cheap, but they're also important.  They are our chief currency in ideas, which lead to actions, which can become costly indeed. 

If words are so cheap, I wish that the leading candidates for president would go shopping for some different ones to define their campaigns and their vision. 

Random Reflections on: Space Junk and Earth Junk

2007/12/28

I'm a little behind the news on this one, but the One Eyed Monster reported tonight on recent developments in Google's challenge to private sector entrepreneurs to put a working lunar lander on the Moon. This was first announced on or about 2007, Sept. 13.  A total purse of $30 million has been established for distribution according to various mileposts of accomplishment. One of the mileposts is for the new space junk to send back photos of space junk previously deposited by governments.

This is what happens when too much money lands in too few hands. Google has announced a number of initiatives to spur technological creativity, many of them more down-to-earth in locus as well as relevance.  But this one and its predecessor, the Ansari X prize of $10 million for private sector suborbital flight, prompt a number of questions.

2007/11/04 Random Reflections on...voting our conscience

....Obama,
....Breaking the Hillary Lock
....Breaking the Guiliani Lock
....The Walmart Way

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During this week's Democratic Presidential Candidate debates, Barach Obama declared his willingness to meet face to face with the Iranian leadership to find a resolution to our issues.   No doubt some people will call this approach naive.  Some people will call this approach weak.  Some people will call it pointless because the Iranians are too stubborn and close-minded to negotiate anything with anything but a bomb.  They're not like our President!  I have a slightly different take.

In the News: 2007/10/12

Fast Cars, Fast Water and Swiftboats

CNBC reports today that GM will be opening a test facility in China, to better exploit the second biggest auto market in the world.  Meanwhile, Al Gore has just received the Nobel Prize for his work in bringing the threat of Global Warming to our attention.  I am awaiting news that NASCAR is exploring franchise opportunities in China and India.

By the way, Bob, how's the research on improved gas mileage coming?

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