Philosophy to Astronomy

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE?

2011-07-09T21:11:00.017-05:00

Lol. Far from it.

We are clearly not the masters of the universe. If we are then why are our units of distance (miles and kilometers) and time (year, decade, even lifetime) inadequate for describing the size of space?

In this beautiful image, the center of our galaxy is encircled.

Here's how I imagine this image to be.

Our destination is our galactic center. There it is, encircled in black. It's at the end of a very long transparent tunnel that extends from the earth. This is the sight we'll see as we rush through the tunnel.

Human distances (miles and kilometers) are inadequate for the job of space travel. Even the speed of light, which we'll use, is not impressive as a measure of speed.

Even if we traveled at the speed of light, it would take 35 minutes to pass the first object, the planet Jupiter (encircled in red). Then we would have to wait 600 years before we pass the next object, the beautiful star, Antares (encircled in white). Finally, after countless lifetimes, in 26,000 years, we would reach the center of our galaxy.

Come to think of it, human time (years, decades, and lifetimes) is also inadequate!

Antares

Antares is the alpha star of the zodiac constellation Scorpius.

If you follow astrology and your birthday falls between October 24 and November 21, you're a Scorpio.

Stars in a constellation are lettered (as opposed to being numbered) using the Greek alphabet. Most of the time, the brightest star is alpha, the second-brightest, beta, and so forth.

Source of Image

The astrophotography site of Mr. Jerry Lodriguss.

SOCIAL MEDIA IN ACTION

2011-05-21T23:48:00.011-05:00

SOCIAL MEDIA IN ACTION

What started it.

The article that started it was the one on the left. Notice the many social media buttons. And notice also the Microsoft ad. It's using tweets in the ad content. Tweeting is another social media tool, a powerful one.

I returned to the Philippines after 25 years in the States. That's what I'm blogging about.

IT'S DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE, TO VISUALIZE THIS.

2011-05-06T06:43:00.011-05:00

This is an item I am re-posting from its source. A flare-up in a jet of matter blasting from a monster black hole is giving astronomers an incredible light show.

The outburst is coming from a blob of matter, called HST-1. It's embedded in the jet which is a powerful narrow beam of hot gas produced by a supermassive black hole residing in the core of the giant elliptical galaxy M87.

HST-1 is so bright that it is outshining even M87's brilliant core, whose monster black hole is one of the most massive yet discovered.

The glowing gas clump has taken astronomers on a rollercoaster ride of suspense. Astronomers watched HST-1 brighten steadily for several years, then fade, and then brighten again. They say it's hard to predict what will happen next.

Source: Hubblesite.org

2010-10-04T23:29:00.006-05:00

DEPRESSION PLUS HEART DISEASE A PARTICULARLY LETHAL COMBINATION

This is an item I am re-posting from its source.

September 21, 2010 — Patients who have both coronary heart disease (CHD) and depression have a significantly higher risk of dying than patients who have just one of these conditions, according to new research published online September 16 in the journal, Heart.

Compared with patients without depression and CHD, the risk for all-cause mortality was 3 times higher, and the risk for cardiovascular disease mortality 4 times higher, in patients who had both, after adjusting for age and sex, report Hermann Nabi, MD, from Hôpital Paul-Brousse, Villejuif, Paris, France, and colleagues.

This study provides further evidence that the relationship between depression and morbidity–mortality is real,” Dr. Nabi told Medscape Medical News.

Depression and mortality have been studied separately in patients with CHD and in healthy patients, but this does not allow comparisons across risk-factor groups according to depression and CHD status.

In the study, Dr. Nabi and his team examined the effects of both on mortality in nearly 6,000 middle-aged men and women whose mental and physical health were followed-up for about 5.6 years.

Need for a More Integrated Approach: The study findings have implications for research and clinical practice, Dr. Nabi said.

For clinical practice, it implies the need for a more integrated approach in the healthcare system and a shift toward a more “mind–body medicine” approach.

An important step would be to identify cardiac patients who also have depression, he said.

“In this study, depression worsened heart disease, because we observed that participants with both depression and heart disease were at increased risk for death when compared with those with heart disease only. So we should identify those cardiac patients who have clinically significant depressive symptoms.”

Dr. Nabi expressed the wish that his study findings will prompt clinicians to be aware of and look for depression in their patients with heart disease.

He also discussed some limitations of the study. “This study is based on a cohort (population) of civil servants and did not include blue-collar workers, unemployed, or individuals with precarious jobs. This may have underestimated the magnitude of associations observed in our study because the prevalence of depression and the mortality rate are higher in these latter individuals. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that the effect of depression would be greater in studies including various populations.”

Reference: MedscapeCME Clinical Briefs: “Depression Plus Heart Disease a Particularly Lethal Combination”

2010-08-26T22:56:00.030-05:00

EFFECTIVE HOSTAGE-NEGOTIATION

Earlier this week, the Philippine National Police embarrassed itself and the nation by bungling the outcome of a hostage situation. (Click here, here, and here for three accounts of the incident: by a local TV station, by Reuters, and by CNN.)

A good friend of mine sent me an email describing how Chinese authorities, in a situation with many similarities, handled their hostage situation. Here it is:

FIRST, I have three demands. Meet them or I shall kill this hostage.

SECOND, The authorities confer in the next room.

THIRD, The head negotiator speaks with the hostage-taker.

FOURTH, Negotiations continue.

FIFTH, Negotiations conclude.

SIXTH, The mess is cleaned up and life move on.

As you can see, the situation was resolved quickly, inexpensively, and effectively. To illustrate one similarity between this situation and the recent Philippine incident, the photo below shows the hostage-taker in the recent Philippine incident. It was was taken during his negotiation with the Philippine authorities.

Why wasn’t he just shot at this point?

Another example of the police’s mistake occurred when they attempted to shatter the bus windows with a sledgehammer. The windows simply bounced back. They should have used a spring-loaded pointed tool or even this $15 pointed hammer:

SKYPE IMAGES 2009 TO 2010 (TO DATE)

2010-05-06T15:25:00.001-05:00

RESTRICTED

NEARLY 54 YEARS

2010-05-06T14:04:00.005-05:00

RESTRICTED

2010-03-24T13:48:00.006-05:00

Whether true or not, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

After tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to grab a snack and get on-line. She logged on under her screen name and saw GoTo123 was on.

She sent him an instant message:

ByAngel213: Hi. I’m glad you are on! I thought someone was following me home today. It was really weird!
GoTo123: LOL. You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you? Don’t you live in a safe neighborhood?
ByAngel213: Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination cuz’ I didn’t see anybody when I looked out.
GoTo123: Unless you gave your name out on-line. You haven’t done that have you?
ByAngel213: Of course not. I’m not stupid you know.
GoTo123: Did you have a softball game after school today?
ByAngel213: Yes and we won!
GoTo123: That’s great! Who did you play?
ByAngel213: We played the Hornets. LOL. Their uniforms are so gross! They look like bees. LOL
GoTo123: What is your team called?
ByAngel213: We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really cool.
GoTo123: Did you pitch?
ByAngel213: No I play second base. I got to go. My homework has to be done before my parents get home. I don’t want them mad at me. Bye!
GoTo123: Catch you later. Bye.

Meanwhile, GoTo123 went to the member menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up, he highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write down what he knew about Angel so far.

Her name: Shannon
Birthday: Jan. 3, 1997
Age: 13
State where she lived: North Carolina
Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall.

Besides this information, he knew she lived in Canton because she had just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 p.m. every afternoon until her parents came home from work. He knew she played softball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the eighth grade at the Canton Junior High School She had told him all this in the conversations they had on-line. He had enough information to find her now.

Shannon didn’t tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ballpark that day. She didn’t want them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from the softball games. Parents were always overreacting and hers were the worst. It made her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if she had brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn’t be so overprotective.

By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the footsteps following her. Her game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her. It was then that the memory came back. She glanced up from her second base position to see a man watching her closely. He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he smiled when she looked at him. He didn’t look scary and she quickly dismissed the sudden fear she had felt.

After the game, he sat on a bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He noticed her name on the back of her shirt. He knew he had found her. Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her. It was only a few blocks to Shannon’s home, and once he saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car. Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until the time came to go to Shannon’s house. He drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there until time to make his move.

Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room.

“Shannon, come here,” her father called. He sounded upset and she couldn’t imagine why. She went into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa. “Sit down,” her father began, “this man has just told us a most interesting story about you.” Shannon sat back. How could he tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before today!

“Do you know who I am, Shannon?” the man asked. “No,” Shannon answered. “I am a police officer and your online friend, GoTo123.” Shannon was stunned. “That’ s impossible! GoTo is a kid my age! He’s 14. And he lives in Michigan!”

The man smiled. “I know I told you all that, but it wasn’t true. You see, Shannon, there are people on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But while others do it to injure kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I came here to find you to teach you how dangerous it is to talk to people on-line. You told me enough about yourself to make it easy for me to find you. You named the school you went to, the name of your ball team and the position you played. The number and name on your jersey just made finding you a breeze.”

Shannon was stunned. “You mean you don’t live in Michigan?” He laughed. “No, I live in Raleigh It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn’t it?” She nodded.

“I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn’t as lucky. The guy found her and murdered her while she was home alone. Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line. The wrong people trick you into giving out information a little here and there on-line. Before you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you without even realizing you have done it. I hope you’ve learned a lesson from this and won’t do it again. Tell others about this so they will be safe too?”

“It’s a promise!” That night Shannon and her Dad and Mom all knelt down together and thanked God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.

Reposted from our Yahoo Group. Thanks Benj.

2010-02-11T11:37:00.020-06:00

ASSERTING YOURSELF

ASSERTING YOURSELF
Poster: http://shop.climb.org

As the poster says:

express your feelings
ask for what you want
say no to something you don’t want
be aware of your emotional intensity
be sensitive to the risk of violence

BEFORE YOU CAN BE ASSERTIVE

You must be aware of your self before you can be assertive. Being aware of your self is not at all similar to being aware of yourself. When you are aware of “your self,” you are aware of you as another person. You are aware of your feelings, your reasons, and the risk to your personal situation. “Yourself,” by contrast, refers simply to you. It is merely a pronoun.

You must believe that you have the right to ask for what you want. You must prepare your mind and spirit, sometimes on the spot, for the situation that will arise after you become assertive. Be prepared for anything and above all, always be in control of your own emotions. Do not lose control. Let the other person lose his. He who loses it loses.

DID YOU KNOW?

When you act assertively, you help develop your own sense of self-respect and self-worth. Also, assertive behavior generally wins more respect for you from others. In the long run, being assertive also helps make other people more comfortable with you since they will know where you stand. A few people will decide not to like you but they will be few.

WHY IS IT DIFFICULT TO BE ASSERTIVE?

It can be difficult to act assertively when you are anxious or anxiety-prone. However there is no choice. If you decide to act assertively, you must set aside your anxiety. Do whatever it takes to set aside your anxiety. That is necessary in order to act assertively successfully.

Remember that you can’t be nice or pleasing to everyone. This concern can hold back a person from becoming assertive. Realize that it is possible to become nice or pleasing to people even after being assertive with them. In truth, it depends upon the maturity of every other person. Most people will recognize that you are just being assertive. A few will misinterpret your assertiveness. There is nothing you can do about that. It is a question of maturity of every other person.

In a sense this is the largest risk you take with being assertive. People will reveal, through their individual reactions, some of their inner character.

ALTERNATIVES TO BEING ASSERTIVE

The alternatives are undesirable. You can submit (i.e., be submissive). Submission brings up its particular set of negative consequences. Or you can be aggressive, passive-aggressive, or manipulative. Each is discussed below.

DO NOT CROSS THE LINE. DO NOT BECOME AGGRESSIVE YOURSELF.

You can act too assertively also. Assertive becomes aggressive. And aggressive behavior can cause violence. Refrain from communicating in a demanding, abrasive, or hostile manner. Those are aggressive manners. Unchecked aggression can lead to violence and violence ultimately creates a lose-lose situation.

PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE

When you react this way, you appear to go along but constantly express your anger and aggressive feelings in covert fashion. Behaving in a passive-aggressive manner tends to be corrosive. The issue that caused your anger becomes sensitive and, unchecked, could grow and dominate your relationship with that person. You’re angry at your boss, so you’re always late for work. Your boss may never understand why you’ve started coming in late. Unless you tell him your boss may attribute your frequent tardiness to another reason. Passive-aggressive behavior tends to confuse other people. Confusion tends to turn into resentment or anger. As illustrated, corrosiveness brings on negative consequences.

MANIPULATIVE

A manipulative person attempts to get what he wants by making others feel guilty or sorry for him. Instead of taking responsibility for his needs, he tries to make others feel guilty or sorry for him. He does this by casting himself as a victim or martyr. If this doesn’t work, he may become openly angry or feign indifference. Be prepared for either reaction. Manipulation only works as long as those to whom it is targeted fail to recognize what is happening.

BACK TO ASSERTIVE

Assertive behavior resembles controlled aggression, in my opinion. It is mostly a matter of intensity. You can be assertive without communicating in a demanding, abrasive, or hostile manner. Be controlled and firm. Be steadfast and clear about your message. Present your message as a direct request. Do not present it as a demand or command. “Boss, I really think I should have been reimbursed.” Say that and stop being late for work.

Source: Marital Counseling

2010-01-04T13:00:00.012-06:00

A DISAPPOINTING INTERFACE SPOILED THIS USER’S EXPERIENCE.

Pros: Lightweight, Strong Signal
Cons: Difficult To Use, Awkward Keypad
Best Uses: Making Calls
Describe Yourself: Business Professional, Gearhead, Practical

After becoming accustomed to the iPhone’s touchscreen, this was a disappointment. The importance of the user interface moved to the forefront for me. The trackpad is an awkward substitute. For instance, there doesn’t appear to be any way to modify the tracking range of motion. Consequently, navigating between fields requires a delicate touch and that luxury isn’t always available.

Two lesser reasons for dissatisfaction are the plain-vanilla browser and the difficulty of learning some of the ways to modify the default settings. The browser is merely adequate. Even RIM acknowledges that. As for modifying the default settings, I particularly want to learn now how to (1) reset the clipboard, (2) prevent the phone number from being assigned to the work field when the number is added to contacts, and (3) assign Opera as the default browser.

Unfortunately, my dissatisfaction with the user interface overshadows the rest of this phone’s good features. It makes phone calls very well. As a regular phone therefore it’s been doing a good job. That can be attributed to the phone’s design and the robust coverage of the carrier. As a smartphone, it’s inadequate but that can be attributed to my prior experience with the iPhone.

2010-01-03T20:14:00.006-06:00

AVATAR
The movie’s well on its way to becoming a success. It will probably create a cult-like following like Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and other megahits.

I saw it today in 3D. The plot was familiar but that didn’t detract from the story. The movie’s visual effects were impressive and very enjoyable. My enjoyment of the movie, however, arose from the emotional connection that it made with me. That’s what separates Avatar from other movies that were also rich in visual effects. Waterworld (1995), for instance, was a relative dud despite Kevin Costner’s star (which might have been soaring higher than anyone else’s when the movie was released).

I think that Avatar will succeed on two levels: commercially and as a pop culture icon. There should be nothing deregatory about becoming a pop culture icon. Pop is short for popular and popular culture refers to the “totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture.” (Wikipedia)

Incidentally, “avatar” is a fairly new term. One of my first encounters with it occurred in Second Life. However its roots, according to Wikipedia, can be traced to Hinduism where its meaning loosely refers to the descent of a deity into the physical world. In the movie, the human protagonists are projected into the alternate reality of the alien inhabitants of the fictional planet Pandora.

I recommend it. I think you’ll enjoy it.

2009-12-18T20:13:00.006-06:00

TO OUR FINANCE PROFESSOR
Dear Keith: Thank you for a course well done.

Students will learn many things in a course but realistically, only several things will be remembered with the passage of time. One of an instructor’s goals therefore should be to facilitate that.

An instructor must make a decision concerning his teaching philosophy. Should he try to teach them everything or should he teach them only enough? The answer makes a significant difference.

The first approach, in my opinion, is full of complications. How can one reasonably expect to teach students everything, even when the topics are defined by a set of Terminal Course Objectives (TCOs)? Consider the students’ attitude. Many of them probably enrolled in the class because it was necessary and not because the subject interested them. This approach has a tendency to lead an instructor who believes that these TCOs are set in stone to evaluate the performance of his students against his personal standard. An instructor, by definition, is a master of his subject. Consequently, everything that he teaches, he knows very well. That poses a dilemma, whether the instructor realizes it or not. How can a student, no matter how diligent, understand much less master, the nuances and aspects of each TCO? I contend that this approach creates a hurdle so high that students will not be able to measure up. Every nuance of each TCO counts. Every time that mastery of each nuance is not demonstrated, it counts against the student.

TCOs should serve as a guide, I think. A prudent instructor, in my mind, will use the TCOs in a flexible manner. He could, for instance, at the start of the course, survey the students in order to learn their academic objective. Someone pursuing an MBA with a concentration in Project Management would have a different perspective than someone pursuing a Master’s degree in Project Management. A survey will give the instructor more insight into the needs of his students. This might sound absurd but like anything else, instructional style can be dogmatic. To dogma I contend that one size will not fit all. Address the needs of the customer and realize that the customer is your student.

Focus on the essentials. Follow the Pareto rule. Twenty percent of what you teach will account for 80% of what is important. Might it not be wiser to focus on that 20% then? The challenge in fact is determining the content of that 20%. This is where your expertise and experience as a subject matter expert will help you.

Your method was certainly different but I think you exhibited an uncommon touch in focusing on that 20%. Thanks to this course I am more cognizant of the importance and operation of the finance side of the house.

Within the healthcare sector, my field, hospitals are a key institutional player. Since the 1990s their environment has become more competitive. Looking back I now realize that there are still plenty of managers who don’t appreciate why creditworthiness, for instance, matters. Creditworthy organizations, as you taught, enjoy improved capital market opportunities. A higher credit rating means lower interest costs. A small decrease in the capital rate will, over the life of a bond, translate into significant savings. Creditworthy hospitals also enjoy less restrictive covenants that, in turn, extend their financial flexibility. Creditworthy hospitals also experience lower costs associated with their bond issues. I did a cursory study of the performance of A-rated and C-rated hospitals and noticed that the stronger organizations tend to consolidate markets by acquiring weaker competitors. Apparently, the latter can’t compete because they lack access to cost-effective capital. One author pointed out that winners in the competition for capital are hospitals and systems that can invest in their future. Capital-poor organizations are forced to sit on the sidelines, unable to expand or upgrade their facilities. (Coile 2002).

In the face of ongoing reform initiatives, the environment will only become more turbulent. Hospitals must adopt EMR or face reductions in their Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. Rising bad debt and charity care are becoming contentious issues as several lawsuits filed by the IRS demonstrated. Commercial health insurance payments are in flux as more and more cost shifting related to consumer-directed health plans take root. A substantial number of hospitals with aging facilities are facing new financial and operational challenges. Tight labor markets continue to exert pressure on salaries and benefits. Regulatory compliance has multiplied and become more complicated. This has increased compliance costs. And competition continues to increase due to industry consolidation and the growing presence of physician-sponsored niche operations in the most profitable service areas. In the face of these sweeping challenges, my education will certainly prove useful!

Thank you again.

2009-12-08T12:30:00.006-06:00

BALL ON A STRING

The ball will change color if you can click on it.

This is an interactive game that uses Adobe Flash. You control a ball that dangles from a string. If you can click on the ball, it will change color. Click here to try it.

Thanks to my former boss for referring me to the site.

2009-10-06T18:48:00.012-05:00

SOUND OF MUSIC | CENTRAL STATION ANTWERP (BELGIUM)

Since a nephew pointed it out, I’ve watched this YouTube video time and again without tiring of it.

Click here and enjoy!

About this video: In this promotion, more than 200 dancers danced to “Do-Re-Mi” at the Central Station of Antwerp. It took the morning commuter crowd of 23 March 2009 by surprise. It was organized by a Belgian television program that was looking for someone to play the leading role in its version of “The Sound of Music.” This video was even noted in Wikipedia.

It is truly a feel-good video!

2009-09-23T12:52:00.024-05:00

IMMORTALITY IN THE NEAR FUTURE?

If not for his record, I wouldn’t give this a second thought. Immortality! Most people would like that I think.

Scientist Ray Kurzweil claims humans could become immortal in as little as 20 years’ time through nanotechnology and an increased understanding of how the body works.

The 61-year-old American, who has predicted new technologies arriving before, says our understanding of genes and computer technology is accelerating at an incredible rate. He says theoretically, at the rate our understanding is increasing, nanotechnologies capable of replacing many of our vital organs could be available in 20 years time.

Mr Kurzweil adds that although his claims may seem far-fetched, artificial pancreases and neural implants are already available.

Kurzweil’s version of immortality may not fit most people’s vision though.

Ultimately, nanobots will replace blood cells and do their work thousands of times more effectively.

Within 25 years we will be able to do an Olympic sprint for 15 minutes without taking a breath, or go scuba-diving for four hours without oxygen. Heart-attack victims—who haven’t taken advantage of widely available bionic hearts—will calmly drive to the doctors for a minor operation as their blood bots keep them alive.

Nanotechnology will extend our mental capacities to such an extent we will be able to write books within minutes. If we want to go into virtual-reality mode, nanobots will shut down brain signals and take us wherever we want to go. Virtual sex will become commonplace. (It better be as good as the real thing!) And in our daily lives, hologram-like figures will pop in our brain to explain what is happening.

So we can look forward to a world where humans become cyborgs, with artificial limbs and organs.

I’ve followed Mr. Kurzweil for the past two decades. According to Wikipedia, among his accomplishments are:

a statistical processing program that he wrote at age 15 that was later used by IBM.
a pattern-analysis program that analyzed classical music and synthesized its own. Because of it, he appeared on national television, was recognized by the prestigious Westinghouse Talent Search (now known as the Intel Talent Search), and was personally congratulated by then-President Lyndon Johnson.
the first successful OCR software. In turn, this required the invention of two other technologies...

There’s more and you can read about it at Wikipedia.

In my opinion, he’s a first-rate genius. He has that rare ability to visualize possibilities and actually make them happen. If it requires tools and techniques that don’t exist, he creates them.

His genius is similar to that of Sir Isaac Newton whom I think deserves as much, if not more, praise than Albert Einstein. (By nature, we tend to be more cognizant or aware of events that happen more recently.)

Mr. Einstein, who is undoubtedly a first-rate genius, made his mark in the first half of the previous century. At least one of his discoveries assumed practical importance during the Second World War. This was his famous equation that identified the relationship between matter and energy.

This equation served as an important theoretical foundation for the development of the atomic bomb.

Sir Isaac Newton, on the other hand, lived in the 17th and 18th centuries. He was, according to Wikipedia, a physicist, mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, alchemist, and theologian. Two of his accomplishments impress me personally: his invention of a new type of telescope and his creation of a new form of math, calculus.

Consider that these accomplishments were just by-products of his pursuit of other goals.

The new telescope design came about due to his research into color. He was trying to prove that the color of light does not change whether it is transmitted or received (i.e., whether it originates from a flashlight or is the green that we see in leaves). His theory, for example, explains why the sky is blue. (It is not blue because it is blue. Rather it is blue because air molecules scatter blue light more than any other color. In space, where there is no air, the sky is black. Black is the color by default, i.e., the absence of color leaves only black. For more on color, click here.)

He created calculus, the new math, to help him understand the movement of bodies. The reflecting telescope (also known as the Newtonian telescope) is the most popular telescope design. The famous Hubble telescope is a reflecting telescope. The world’s largest and most modern telescopes are all Newtonians. Calculus, on the other hand, is the bane of many students. I hated it myself. On the other hand, all physical sciences use calculus to some degree. What is calculus? A good and simple definition is provided by answer.com:

Calculus is the study of the “rates of change.” There are two main branches of calculus: Differential Calculus and Integral Calculus. Differential calculus determines the rate of change of a quantity, integral calculus finds the quantity when the rate of change is known.

For more on calculus, click here.

At any rate, this is quite a prediction even coming from Mr. Kurzweil. For the moment, I just hope to be around in 2030 to learn if this or something resembling it comes true.

Links to several Kurzweil sites:
• Kurzweil Technologies
• Biography

The source article is here.

2009-08-30T19:22:00.006-05:00

COFFEECUP SOFTWARE COMMENDATION

According to The Free Dictionary, a Web-based reference, a commendation is a message expressing a favorable opinion.

Creating webpages is detailed work. It can be frustrating. I looked around for an editor to help me write correct HTML code. (Microsoft WORD is a general-purpose editor. I was looking for a counterpart: an HTML editor.) I experimented with a few but I only rose up the learning curve after switching to Coffeecup Software’s HTML Editor. I’ve been using it since 2003.

Coffeecup’s homepage hints at the casual easygoing nature of the group. Their motto is “fresh software, warm people.” Their nature may be casual but their products are top-notch. And their prices are reasonable. The icing is this: buy a particular application and all future upgrades of that application are free.

Back in 2003, I downloaded a trial version of HTML Editor. It was a trial version so it didn’t cost me anything. Well one of their marketing points is that they would provide free support for their software even if they were trial versions. I took them up on it. I emailed them a request for assistance. And they responded. I was impressed. That’s how I became a customer.

At any rate, I was recently notified of a new version of HTML Editor. I clicked on the emailed link and was surprised that my account was not recognized. My account is my original order number. That tells Coffeecup the specific applications that I had purchased. That’s how Coffeecup knows the free upgrades that I’m entitled to.

I emailed them about it yesterday. Today, Sunday, I received a response from Suzanne Miller, their Sales & Office Manager. Apparently my original order was linked to another email address. Suzanne updated my account and took care of the problem.

It’s not often enough that I take the time to express my appreciation for good service so I’m going to change that. I want to thank Suzanne for her prompt response. And I want to thank Coffeecup Software for having employees like Suzanne. Way to go!

This links to their free software.

This links to the trial versions of their software.

This links to their About Us.

2009-08-19T19:39:00.005-05:00

THE IMPORTANCE OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION
I believe that one of the most important factors in a successful relationship (whether it’s between a couple, a group, societies, or countries) is the ability to resolve their differences constructively. Having compatible values is important but knowing how to resolve conflicts constructively is even more so. Regardless of how compatible the parties are, if either of them don’t know how to resolve the inevitable conflicts, their relationship is going to be difficult, if not doomed.

Conflicts are inevitable in any relationship regardless of the mutual interests or compatibility that brought them together.

There are five ways to deal with conflict:

1. Force the issue. One party forces the issue.
2. Acquiesce to the other person. Just give in.
3. Ignore the issue. Pretend there is none.
4. Compromise. Give something up in exchange for another.
5. Resolve it. Confront the differences.

The first three are obviously short-term palliatives. The fourth is the most common approach (probably because it seems most natural). But it frequently falls short of a win-win situation. I leave you to ponder that on your own.

It is the last approach that works. Seek to understand each other’s real needs and wants and develop your solution from there. I found Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” very useful in this regard. That, by the way, is one of the most influential and useful books that I have ever read. I highly recommend it.

2009-08-17T11:30:00.009-05:00

HOW DO JUDGES DECIDE?

Available at Amazon

Click on any image to enlarge it. Use the back arrow on your browser to return to this page.

2009-07-30T09:37:00.017-05:00

THE PRONOVE-BARTTER SYNDROME

In 1960, a team of medical scientists working at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) identified a syndrome that affects the kidneys. A syndrome is “a group of symptoms that collectively indicate a disease, disorder, or other abnormal medical condition.”

The kidney is one of the body’s vital organs. A vital organ is one that performs an essential life function. Total failure of a vital organ will cause death. We have six vital organs. These are the brain, heart, lungs, liver, pancreas and kidneys.

We have two kidneys. Their function is “to keep the blood clean and chemically balanced. Wastes in the blood come from the normal breakdown of active tissues, such as muscles, and from food. The body uses food for energy and self-repairs. After the body has taken what it needs from food, wastes are sent to the blood. If the kidneys do not remove them, these wastes build up in the blood and damage the body.”

Persons suffering from this syndrome have kidneys that fail to keep the blood chemically balanced. They lose excessive amounts of potassium. It’s a relatively rare but serious condition.

I wrote this entry simply to thank a medical historian for clarifying the origin of the syndrome’s name.

Dear Mr. Enersen,

I am a nephew of the late Dr. Pacita Pronove-Irreverre. She was the lead author of the paper that first described the condition commonly known as the Bartter Syndrome. As you know, naming rights typically belong to the lead author.

In June 2008, I successfully persuaded Wikipedia to include my aunt’s name in the Wiki entry for the Bartter Syndrome. As you also probably know, Wikipedia is edited by the user community. It is a system that ensures rigorous verification. My primary evidence consisted of the relevant entry found at your website.

Apart from expressing gratitude, I want to corroborate your detailed explanation with a firsthand account of my late-aunt’s narration about the incident. This is more trivia than anything but as a historian you might enjoy it for the life it brings to your tale.

Several years before my aunt died and definitely before I knew about the syndrome’s existence, she told me the corroborating story. Auntie Pat had narrated it to her other nephews and nieces as well. (She and her doctor husband had no children themselves.) Auntie Pat told me that after she realized that injustice had been done, she looked Fred Bartter in the eye and Fred was unable to maintain eye contact. There was a smile on her face when she narrated that.

You can picture the times. She was a diminutive Asian woman in a field populated and dominated by white American men. She was still new to the U.S. The medical paper was published in 1960, only several years after she arrived. We can speculate why she partnered with Bartter. He has a Wiki entry and it reveals that he was the son of American missionaries who were stationed in the Philippines. So our aunt, a Filipina, had a common link with him. She must have felt that she had found a friend at her place of employment, the NIH.

She maintained her association with him even after the incident. They published a second paper together. She even had her sister accompany Fred and his wife back to Baguio to locate the graveyard of his parents. When she did this, I am unsure of—I will check with my cousins if they know whether this occurred before or after the incident. She was a gentle and generous soul so either time frame was possible.

Mr. Enersen, we are grateful to you for coming up with the idea for your website. It helped us add a satisfying footnote to both medical and our family’s history. I am sure that future generations of other people will appreciate and thank you for creating such a resource.

On behalf of our extended family, I thank you.

Sincerely,

Alex Pronove

P.S. Our family is preparing Dr. Pacita’s biographical sketch for Wikipedia as well.

2009-06-26T09:28:00.006-05:00

THE POWER OF ATTITUDE

I’ve long admired those framed motivational posters I see in many offices. Here’s the one about attitude.

Our lives are not determined by what happens to us, but by how we react to what happens.

Our lives are determined not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life.

A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst...a spark that creates extraordinary results.

2009-06-12T16:23:00.023-05:00

2-WHEELED IMPROVISATIONS
Vietnamese ingenuity

These photos were recently emailed to me. As you can see, necessity is the mother of improvisation.

The next photo shows a water buffalo being transported. A small adult will weigh nearly 900 pounds (400 kilos).

The next photo shows several roasted dogs being brought to the market. That’s correct. These are dogs. They will be eaten.

The next photo shows two hogs being transported. They will also be eaten.

2009-06-11T21:29:00.008-05:00

THE CASE OF THE DEFECTIVE POSTAGE STAMP
A new version of a familiar theme

The current President of the Philippines is arguably a crook. My sister sent me the following joke and I just had to share it. The joke is a version of a familiar theme.

PhilPost, the Philippine postal service, recently issued a stamp with a picture of President Arroyo. Her full name is Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The stamp was captioned “Gloria Forever.”

There was a problem however. The stamp would not stick to envelopes. This reportedly enraged the President who demanded a full investigation.

After a month of testing and spending 100 million pesos, the special Presidential commission presented their findings:

The stamp was in perfect condition.
There was nothing wrong with the adhesive.
People were just spitting on the wrong side.

2009-04-25T16:10:00.021-05:00

IT SHOOK OUR PLANET
It happened on Christmas Day, 2004*. It was the largest earthquake in 40 years. It triggered a tsunami that killed over 200,000 people. It moved islands. And it was powerful enough to tickle our planet.

The blog entry about the Himalayas led me to better understand that deadly earthquake on Christmas Day 2004*. Remember that? It generated a killer tsunami that claimed about 230,000 lives.

(* It was 7 pm, U.S. Central time, on Christmas Day. It was 8 am, at where it occurred (local time), on December 26. Thanks to Malu for catching the original error. I still used Central time since I couldn’t think of a succinct subtitle for December 26.)

According to the Global Seismographic Network (GSN), as quoted by about.com, at every spot on Earth, the ground was raised and lowered by at least a full centimeter. Surface waves traveled around our planet several times before dissipating. ... In effect, the Sumatra earthquake made the Earth ring ... like a hammer rings a bell!

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred near the junction of three tectonic plates: the Indian plate, the Burma plate, and the Australian plate. In the map above, the “A” marker in the center indicates the quake’s epicenter.

(You can enlarge any image by clicking on it. To return to this page, click on the back-arrow of your browser or press the Backspace key on your keyboard.)

This blog entry discussed the origin of the Himalayas. It uncovered that the Himalayas are being formed by the relentless northward push of the Indian plate against the Asian landmass. Right alongside the Indian plate, is the much smaller Burma plate. Apparently, the Burma plate inches northwards too but at a different pace. (Willingham, 2005)

… the players in this megathrust, as geologists call it, were the Indian and Burma plates. For almost 200 years, these two plates have been pressing against one another, moving at the rate our fingernails grow-about 2.5 inches a year. … the Indian plate, after two centuries of pushing, finally slipped about 15 meters in the direction of Indonesia. In the process, it released the tension from butting up against the Burma plate, causing the Burma plate to bounce upward with violent consequences.

Here, with appropriate credit, is a description of the effect the quake caused to our planet.

As a result of the springing Burma plate’s incredible energy release, the oceans gathered up the energy in the form of powerful tsunamis, surging waves that spread from Sumatra to India to East Africa, surging onto shores and wiping out everything in their paths before dragging thousands of people out to sea to their deaths. A fault beginning in the ocean floor opened up along a stretch of 745 miles, about the length of the state of California, and with the upward bounce of the Burma plate, islands and the mainland underwent some major changes.

… most estimate that some small islands in the area shifted as much as 66 feet from their original positions, and the northwestern tip of Sumatra itself may have moved southwest about 118 feet. … The regional capital of Banda Aceh in western Sumatra was still under a few feet of water even after the waves receded, indicating that the city now lies below sea level.

And the Earth itself wobbled. Like a top when you touch it with your finger in the middle of its spin, the planet, whirling in its orbit, may have bobbled a bit when the temblor hit. Most experts agree that such a wobble is likely because of the huge amount of energy released. As for the redrawn maps, experts with hand-held global positioning system devices are attempting to reach some of the areas in question to obtain the new coordinates for the islands around the epicenter.

SUMATRAN EARTHQUAKE LITERALLY SHOOK THE PLANET
Plexus Encyclopedia of Medicine, Science, and Technology. Volume 2, Issue 39. January 17, 2005. Emily Willingham, Ph.D.

As I was drawing the boundaries of the plates, it became apparent that most of the seafloor is already etched with the boundaries. That, indeed, is powerful evidence of the existence of tectonic plates.

Where plates meet, there’s geological activity. In September 2007, for example, I blogged about the four strong earthquakes that hit Indonesia in a 24-hour span.

I find it so humbling to realize that the same movement that creates mountains also causes these gigantic events.

2009-04-24T12:14:00.032-05:00

WHAT FORCES CREATED THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAIN RANGE?

Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, towers nearly nearly nine kilometers. Everest is the most famous peak of the Himalayan mountain range. And that range, in turn, is one of the most celebrated features of our planet. What forces created it?

(You can enlarge any image by clicking on it. To return to this page, click on the back-arrow of your browser or press the Backspace key on your keyboard.)

An earlier post noted that four of the most accomplished climbers in the world began ascending Mt. Everest. What forces created Everest and the mountains around it?

The Collision of India and Asia
India did, or more precisely, the tectonic plate that India sits on, did. India’s plate has been pushing against the Asian landmass for the past 50 to 55 million years. The collision of two landmasses caused the earth to buckle up at these points of collision. The earth, at these points of collision, is literally being pushed up to form mountains.

(You can enlarge any image by clicking on it. To return to this page, click on the back-arrow of your browser or press the Backspace key on your keyboard.)

Plate Tectonics
Early in the 20th century, a scientist named Wegener proposed that continents “drift.” Any world map will show the bulge on the eastern side of South America and the “hole” on the western side of Africa. The bulge appears to fit into the hole, doesn’t it? It appears that the two continents may have been one in the distant past. It appears, therefore, that South America and Africa separated. This observation among other, prompted Mr. Wegener to propose that continents drift. Later on, geologists confirmed that the uppermost layer of our planet moves around. Imagine the land that we see actually sits on a plate and that plate, in turn, rests on thick mud. The plate moves—albeit very slowly—and the land sitting on it naturally moves as well.

It’s such a radical notion, isn’t it? Land, after all, is the ground. Expressions such as “feet on the ground” or “grounded in reality” suggest a pragmatic let’s-be-real attitude. It also explains why earthquakes terrify us. After all, if the very ground that we believe is solid shakes, then what is solid?

Science believes that in the distant past, there existed only one landmass (that was named Pangaea). Over time—as in 225 million years—this single landmass separated into the seven continents we know today.

India sits on its own plate and that plate is currently moving northeast at five centimeters per year (that’s two inches per year). According to the Paleomap Project, before India collided with Asia, India was moving at more than 15 centimeters per year. No modern plate moves that fast. (India’s northward race towards Asia may be something of a plate tectonic speed record!)

The Himalayas, therefore, were created by the collision of India with the rest of Asia. Tectonic forces, in other words, created the Himalayas.

Two things about this knowledge amaze me. First, these mountains originally constituted the seafloor. What was once, perhaps, eight kilometers below sea level are now eight kilometers above it. And second, these mountains—already the concentration of the tallest in the world—will continue to rise even more over the next millions of years.

Isn’t that something?

2009-04-24T10:30:00.019-05:00

RETURN TO EVEREST

As reported by National Geographic, that’s what four of the most accomplished climbers in the world are doing right now. They’re ascending Mt. Everest—the tallest mountain in the world (above sea level.) It towers nearly 8,850 meters. That’s nearly nine kilometers tall! (In feet and miles, the mountain is about 29,030 feet or 5.5 miles tall!) Commercial airlines cruise at about 35,000 feet or 6.6 miles or nearly 11 kilometers.

(You can enlarge any image by clicking on it. To return to this page, click on the back-arrow of your browser or press the Backspace key on your keyboard.)

The following came from the National Geographic article.

The team began its ascent on March 30. Over the next two months, the climbers will make their way up the world’s tallest mountain in dangerous conditions, fighting hypothermia, altitude sickness, and sheer physical exhaustion to achieve something few can boast.

Mountaineer Peter Whittaker gathered the group as part of a quest to continue his family legacy; he is the nephew of legendary explorer Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mount Everest in 1963. Joining Whittaker is Ed Viesturs, a veteran mountaineer who has summitted all 14 of the world’s highest peaks without the aid of bottled oxygen; Dave Hahn, who is going for a record 11th Everest ascent; and Melissa Arnot, who is attempting to become the first female American to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen.

Mt. Everest belongs to the Himalayan range. Have you ever wondered what force created these mountains? India did, or more precisely, the tectonic plate that India sits on, did.

Click here for an explanation.

2009-04-23T14:20:00.006-05:00

BILLIONAIRE’S SPACE ODYSSEY ENDS

So far, none of my friends seems convinced at my assertion that commercial space travel will be a reality in our lifetime, or at least by 2024. That’s only 15 years from now.

Clicking on the blog entry title will open a new window or tab. The International Space Station is shown in photo #1. This lead photo of the parachute landing is shown in photo #9.

A Russian Soyuz space capsule lands in Kazakhstan on April 8. The capsule carried a U.S. astronaut, a Russian cosmonaut and the billionaire space passenger Charles Simonyi from the International Space Station. Simonyi made his fortune at Microsoft by managing the development of the Microsoft Office suite.

This was Simonyi’s second trip to space. Simonyi was already the fifth space tourist in 2007 when he took his first trip.

I think I can now revise my estimate to 2019, just ten years from now. But doesn’t this all depend upon the definition of commercial space travel? What is it? What constitutes commercial space travel?

2009-04-10T00:08:00.012-05:00

HOW TO GET TO TAAL VOLCANO FROM MANILA

In the preceding entry, I described the false peak of Taal Volcano. You might want to see it for yourself. The volcano is less than two-and-a-half hours away from metro Manila. It’s an easy day trip.

In this aerial photo, north is at 2 o’clock. The plane was traveling southwest, as if from 2 o’clock to 8 o’clock.

VISITING THE VOLCANO

From Manila, the most direct way to the lake is to take the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) to the Sta. Rosa exit. Follow the signs to Tagaytay City. When you reach the T-junction, turn left. Follow this road for about five kilometers. Caution: this roadis known by two names: Tagaytay-Calamba Road or Tagaytay Ridge Road. Watch carefully on the lefthand side for the Tagaytay Elementary School. Once you see it, stop! Directly across it, on your righthand side, is Ligaya Drive. Turn right and drive down Ligaya Drive to the lake. You’ll come across a motley array of dwellings and new developments. At the bottom, follow the signs to Taal Lake Yacht Club (TLYC).

GETTING THERE

Ligaya Drive can be difficult to find, hence, this blog article. Ligaya Drive lies east of Tagaytay City proper. When you face the rotonda (there’s only one), you can only turn left or right. Turn left.

Ligaya Drive can be difficult to find because it is inconspicuous. Look for your first landmark. Look for it on the lefthand side. When you see it, stop! On the righthand side, or on the other side of the road, is Ligaya Drive!

The intersection of Tagaytay Ridge Road (also known as Tagaytay-Calamba Road) and Ligaya Drive looks like this.

For emphasis, here’s a close-up of the same intersection.

To enlarge any of these photos, simply click on it. To return to this page, click on the [left arrow] of your browser.

How will you know if you missed it? Well, you’ll have to turn around if you see Tagaytay Southridge. This is a prominent landmark on the lefthand side of the road. Seeing it indicates that you overlooked and missed Ligaya Drive.

If you overlook the intersection of Tayatay and Ligaya Drive, you will pass several structures that can also serve as landmarks to indicate that you should turn around and go back. A good example is the building of the Development Academy of the Philippines. However, none of them are as prominent as Southridge, hence Southridge was used.

If you discover that you missed it, you have to turn around. This time, the elusive Ligaya Drive will be on your lefthand side. On your righthand side, watch for this direction sign. Once you see it, stop!

This sign is directly across Ligaya Drive. The direction sign indicates that Ligaya Drive will not only lead you to the lake but, if you continue along the drive, it will also lead you to the town of Talisay, which is five kilometers distant.

TAAL LAKE YACHT CLUB

You’ll be on Ligaya Drive for less than ten minutes. Follow the signs and go to the yacht club. We did and we rewarded ourselves with a satisfying lunch at the club. The air is fresh and the wind, strong. From there we could have rented a sailboat or taken the boat tour that would take us to the volcano island. According to the staff, the sailing season lasts from October to April. That’s when traffic is highest.

The photos below shows the marker for the yacht club at lake level. Apart from being a proper yacht club it’s also the home of the Philippine Hobie fleet. The Hobie Cat is one of the most popular small sailboats in the world.

2009-04-08T18:40:00.047-05:00

THE FALSE PEAK OF TAAL VOLCANO

Taal Volcano is unique in the world. It’s a volcano—an active volcano. It has one large crater and that crater is filled with water making the crater a crater lake. On the lake is an island. It’s a tiny island but it is an island.

So far, it’s a description of a volcano with a single lake that has a tiny island.

Now, add this. This volcano is also in the middle of a lake. This lake, obviously, is larger than the entire volcano. That makes the volcano an island in this larger lake.

Now it’s complete. In the Philippines is a lake. On that lake is an island. That island is a volcano. On that island volcano is a smaller lake and on it, is another island. The smaller island is not a volcano but the island it’s on is. That volcano’s name is Taal.

Isn’t that unique?

Taal volcano (pronounced as two syllables: TA-AL; “TA” as in tar and “AL” as in alex) is considered to be the smallest active volcano in the world today. Signs of its activity will be visible if you take the boat tour and walk on the volcano island itself. You’ll spot fumaroles. A fumarole is a vent in the Earth’s surface from which steam and volcanic gases are emitted. (The Latin root of “fumarole” is fumus meaning smoke. In Spanish, “fumar” means to smoke.)

The volcano is 60 kilometers (nearly 40 miles) southeast of the city of Manila proper. Metro Manila’s population creep has nearly halved that distance. For example, some of metro Manila’s affluent inhabitants live only 40 kilometers (25 miles) away from the volcano. For comparison, this is the distance between Chicago O’Hare airport to Chicago’s downtown area (the Loop).

Its last major eruption occurred in 1965, or 44 years ago. Local inhabitants are willing to live within its proximity. There’s even a tourist resort based in the volcano island itself. With the exception of the fumarole photo, the other photos in this post were taken on 7 April 2009 from the same orientation—north facing southwest (approximately 210 degrees).

THE FALSE PEAK

To the casual observer, Taal’s peak seems obvious. Look at the first photo again (reproduced below). It’s a panoramic view of the entire volcano island. Can you see its peak?

The next photo below shows another view of the island from a higher elevation. Can you still see its peak? Is the peak on the left or right side of the island?

The next photo identifies the false peak. The peak that appears to be the volcano crater is an illusion. In this photo, the volcano’s actual crater is located between the left end and center of the island. The crater (which contains water and is a lake) is at ground level but the water level, naturally, is a little lower. The crater lake, therefore, is not visible in these photos. The illusion is explained at the end of this entry. The illusion, namely the false peak, has a name. It’s called Binintiang Malaki.

To enlarge any of these photos, simply click on it. To return to this page, click on the [left arrow] of your browser.

THE VISUAL ILLUSION EXPLAINED

If you review photos of Taal on sites around the web, you’ll realize how frequently this error occurs. The illusion mars what would otherwise be accurate captions of beautiful photos.

Here are several sites that fell prey to the illusion:

Back in the Islands

e-Philippines Adventure Travel and Destinations

TrekEarth The photographer-author unfortunately began his photo’s description by stating that “Taal Volcano (at the foreground, cone-shaped) has been called the smallest active volcano in the world.”

To enlarge any of these photos, simply click on it. To return to this page, click on the [left arrow] of your browser.

In each example above, it seems that the false peak was incorrectly identified as either the peak of the volcano or the volcano itself.

To understand why this happens, one must know that most trips to the volcano island originate from the north (frequently from the town of Talisay). Tagaytay City which sits on the ancient rim of the original volcano (before it blew itself apart) also lies to the north of Taal. If the face of a clock were superimposed on the area, Tagaytay City and Talisay would be at approximately 11 and 1 o’clock, respectively. Equally important, one must realize that most photographs are taken from those locations as well.

LOOK AT THESE IMAGES

Below is a satellite image of the area (courtesy of Google Maps). North is at 12 o’clock.

To enlarge any of these photos, simply click on it. To return to this page, click on the [left arrow] of your browser.

Below is a terrain image of the area (also courtesy of Google Maps). Again, north is at 12 o’clock.

Finally, below is the same terrain image rotated so that north is at about 6 o’clock. Note how the island is viewed. Note that the right side of the image shows the false peak of the volcano. The actual crater (i.e., the crater lake) sits betwen the left side and center of the image. Can you visualize it? If you can, then you understand why most observers and photos mistakenly think that the right side of the island is the volcano peak or even the volcano itself.

Several links to related photos, maps, and websites

Let’s not save the best for the last. This blog entry was taken from the website of the Astronomical League of the Philippines. It has better photos of fumaroles. It shows Binintiang Malaki (the false peak). Best of all, it has photos of Crater Lake and the tiny island on it!

This description of Taal came from the Public Information Office of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on November 18, 1994

This is an image of Taal volcano, near Manila on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The black area in the center is Taal Lake, which nearly fills the 30-kilometer-diameter (18-mile) caldera. The caldera rim consists of deeply eroded hills and cliffs. The large island in Taal Lake, which itself contains a crater lake, is known as Volcano Island. The bright yellow patch on the southwest side of the island marks the site of an explosion crater that formed during a deadly eruption of Taal in 1965. The image was acquired by the space shuttle Endeavour on its 78th orbit in October 1994. The image shows an area approximately 56 kilometers by 112 kilometers (34 miles by 68 miles) that is centered at 14.0 degrees north latitude and 121.0 degrees east longitude. North is toward the upper right of the image.

Click here to see the image.

Click here to read a comprehensive background on Taal. It appears that this blog entry identifies the correct crater although it doesn’t specify each photo to the geological feature.

If this entry helped observers understand the true topography of Taal Volcano, it has accomplished its purpose.

2009-03-30T06:17:00.020-05:00

TAG CLOUDS & TEXT CLOUDS

Flickr is among the top 40 most popular websites on the Web today. It’s not surprising since it serves a very useful purpose. Instead of attaching photos to an email, a person can simply upload the photos to Flickr and then refer people to it. Most photos are meant to be shared and after it’s been seen, it’s archived. In short, most photos have a very brief life. Look at them once then move on.

Aside from the typical user, bloggers—like me—use Flickr as a photo repository. As of November 2008, it claimed to host more than 3 billion images. That’s according to Wikipedia (a site even more popular than Flickr).

(You can enlarge any image by clicking on it. To return to this page, click on the back-arrow of your browser or press the Backspace key on your keyboard.)

Flickr was the first popular website that used tag clouds.

What’s a Tag or Text Cloud?

It’s a visual depiction of the word content of a website. The most frequent words are depicted. Additionally, each word in the cloud is emphasized according to its frequency. Numerous variations exist but this is the basic idea.

What’s the difference between a tag and text? Tags are text that are placed at strategic locations in the code that comprise webpages. Tags are important because search engines like Google use tags to add webpages to its database. For an example, look at the bottom of this blog entry. Its tags are: analysis, cloud, depiction, father, flickr, google, photo, psychology, seo, tag, technorati, text, visual, wikipedia.

Since I created those tags, they’re referred to as user-generated tags.

Let’s examine a text cloud example that was created from this paragraph. The word “word” appears seven times. In this paragraph’s text cloud (shown below), the word “word” is emphasized by its size and thickness. The word “word” is the largest and thickest word in this paragraph’s text cloud.

This text cloud was created through Wordle.

The first text cloud above is a one-time depiction of some content found in one of my father’s published books. “One-time” means that it’s a snapshot. It’s a static depiction of content. Dynamic clouds also exist, like the one at Flickr’s. Dynamic clouds update at periodic intervals or on demand. Dynamic clouds are typically created by third-party web-based services such as Technorati or Wowzio. These services are currently free.

This blog’s dynamic cloud is hosted by Technorati. It’s on the left sidebar. The other blog that I maintain has a dynamic cloud that’s hosted by Wowzio. I use two different providers because providers are not always operational. I wanted to spread the risk so if this blog’s cloud doesn’t appear, it will in the other blog.

Cloud Psychology

Clouds are an example of innovation being spurred by a new medium (the Web) running on technology (the Internet). A Stanford student explained it this way:

When we look at a text cloud, we see not only an informative, beautiful image that communicates much in a single glance, we see a whole new perspective on text.

TagCrowd is taking tag clouds far beyond their original function:
as topic summaries for speeches and written works
as blog tool or website analysis for search engine optimization (SEO)
for visual analysis of survey data
as brand clouds that let companies see how they are perceived by the world
for data mining a text corpus
for helping writers and students reflect on their work
as name tags for conferences, cocktail parties or wherever new collaborations start
as resumes in a single glance
as visual poetry
The list goes on and continues to grow.

In the future, TagCrowd will develop into a suite of experimental tools and tutorials that empower social and collaborative uses for text clouds and related visualizations.

Our mission is to push the innovation envelope in online and face-to-face communities of all stripes.

Would you like to play with clouds?

These three sites create static clouds. Enjoy!

2009-03-26T09:46:00.003-05:00

THE ESSENCE OF SURVIVAL

I’ve long admired those framed motivational posters I see in many offices. Here’s the one about survival.

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.

It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed...every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle...when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.

2009-02-17T13:33:00.015-06:00

FACEBOOK’s TERMS OF SERVICE: BECOMING SLEAZIER?

I’m reluctantly being sucked into the Facebook vortex.

I had little interest in joining, much less being active, in Facebook. However, when you start receiving emails through Facebook from people that you actually know and would like to stay in contact with, then you have little choice.

One of the things that repelled me when I initially joined was the intrusiveness of Facebook and its numerous third-party applications. Third-party applications are applications that are not part of Facebook but are written to work with Facebook. Third-party applications offer those features that make Facebook more interesting.

An example is SuperPoke. According to Wikipedia, “poking" is Facebook’s analogy to the action of “tapping and/or softly jabbing another person using a finger, stick, or similar object to gain their attention."

SuperPoke was made by slide.com. According to slide, “SuperPoke lets you do stuff to the people you know. And you can do almost anything: try high-fiving, dropkicking, or throwing a sheep at your friends!”

All this is well and good but I’m concerned about all the personal information that is being divulged. It’s one thing to interact informally with another person in private but it’s an entirely different matter if you use a third-party channel (such as Facebook) to do that interaction.

This issue has been debated previously and will undoubtedly be discussed more in the future. However, my nephew linked me to a recent article in the online edition of New York Times that caught my attention. Entitled “Facebook’s Users Ask Who Owns Information," the article revealed that Facebook recently changed its terms of usage.

The pages, called terms of service, generally outline appropriate conduct and grant a license to companies to store users’ data. Unknown to many users, the terms frequently give broad power to Web site operators.

This month, when Facebook updated its terms, it deleted a provision that said users could remove their content at any time, at which time the license would expire. Further, it added new language that said Facebook would retain users’ content and licenses after an account was terminated.

Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, said in a blog post on Monday that the philosophy “that people own their information and control who they share it with has remained constant.” Despite the complaints, he did not indicate the language would be revised.

The changes in the terms of service had gone mostly unnoticed until Sunday, when the blog Consumerist cited them and interpreted them to mean that “anything you upload to Facebook can be used by Facebook in any way they deem fit, forever, no matter what you do later.”

It appears that young Mr. Zuckerberg has learned the art of doublespeak.

Be aware of this especially if you’re young and impulsive. You want to minimize the amount of anything adverse to return and haunt you in the future. It may, for example, hurt your chances of becoming the President in the future. ;-)

2009-01-29T16:56:00.010-06:00

THIS SHAMELESS CROOK HAS BEEN KICKED OUT OF OFFICE!
Governor Rod Blagojevich has been impeached. And the vote was 59 to 0!

I’m going to follow the advice that if you don’t have anything good to say about a person, then don’t say anything.

Let the Chicago Tribune report the news.

*****

Senators vote to oust Blagojevich

4:58 p.m. Senate votes to ban Blagojevich from ever holding office again. The state Senate voted 59-0 to ban former Gov. Rod Blagojevich from again holding elected office in Illinois. The vote is the equivalent of the political death penalty.

4:53 p.m. Senate vote now official. The Illinois Senate has voted 59-0 to remove Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich from office.

4:50 p.m. Senate now voting. The Illinois Senate is now voting on whether to remove impeached Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich from office. As each senator’s name was called, they and spoke their vote, either “yes” or “no.”

The question posed to them was: “Shall the Senate sustain the article of impeachment against Rod R. Blagojevich and remove him from the office of governor?”

The vote right now is 58-0 with one vote not yet counted due to some sort of technical issue. Senate President John Cullerton, who is to cast the final vote, could not get his vote recorded.

They’re now going to redo the roll call by allowing senators to press a button.

They did, and it’s 59-0 to remove Blagojevich from office.

*****

Blagojevich was caught actively trying to sell the Senate seat that President-elect Obama vacated. Obama was an Illinois Senator. Naturally, after he was elected President, Obama's Senate seat became available. The constitution of the state of Illinois vests the Governor with the power to appoint a replacement. Blagojevich was trying to sell the seat to the highest bidder.

After his impeachment, he is going to have to defend himself in a criminal lawsuit.

Here's the timeline; courtesy again of chicagotribune.com.

2009-01-06T04:59:00.018-06:00

A CHRISTMAS-NEW YEAR IN EASTERN EUROPE

In Orthodox societies, Christmas and New Year are celebrated differently. In the former Soviet republic of Ukraine, for instance, Christmas (December 25th) is a non-event. Christmas is celebrated on January 7th instead. The country works through December 31st and then goes on holiday from January 1st to the 7th.

First, a country background. Ukraine is ancient. It lies along the many routes of conquerors and the conquered. From the north came the Vikings and the ancient Germanic tribes. From the west came the Romans, from the south, the Turks. And from the east came the Mongols. As can be expected, its people are a varied lot. Ukrainians share their Slavic roots with people of the surrounding regions—the Russians, Poles, Serbs, and Macedonians—to name some of them. The Slavic heritage, in turn, comes from the Vikings. Around 1000 AD, Ukraine, specifically its capital—Kyiv—was the seat of a kingdom called Kyivan Rus. The seat of this kingdom eventually migrated north, to present-day Moscow, to form the offspring that we now call Russia.

Second, a political background. Ukraine has a tortured past. Its national anthem, for example, can be translated as “Ukraine is still standing" or "Ukraine is not yet dead.” While it implies heroism, it also conjures an image of desperate bravery. In fact, with the major exception of Kyivan Rus, Ukraine has always belonged, in whole or in part, to more powerful kingdoms. After the Nazi occupation, it became an important cog of the defunct USSR. The Soviets exploited Ukraine to the hilt. It was simultaneously its “breadbasket” as well as its heavy metal (steel) source. In addition, many of the USSR’s engineering talent had Ukrainian origins. Most of the USSR’s navy was built in Ukraine. Its space program was based in Ukraine as was its nuclear missles. Indeed, after the USSR’s collapse in 1991, Ukraine suddenly found itself with the world’s third largest nuclear arsenal (after Russian and America). One of the longest-lived Soviet leaders, Leonid Brezhnev, was Ukrainian by birth although he did not bestow any special benefits to his native land during his era. Today, Ukraine is divided. Its president is pro-West and has been driving his country towards membership in NATO and the European Union. Ukraine’s prime minister, on the other hand, prefers the status quo and stay close to Russia. The division divides Ukraine along nearly geographic lines. With Kyiv in the center, the eastern half—the one adjacent to Russia—is pro-Russian. And it can literally be heard on the streets. The dominant language is Russian. The western half, by contrast, is more nationalistic if not pro-West. Similarly, Ukrainian is the lingua franca.

Dnipropetrovsk

Dnipropetrovsk, “Dnipro,” as the locals call it, is Ukraine’s third largest city (1.1 million). It’s in the eastern half and lies along the banks of the great Dnipro river (known in Russian as the “Dnieper”). During the Cold War, it was a “closed city.” Admission into and out of Dnipro was tightly controlled. Among other things, most of the USSR’s InterContinental Ballistic Missles (ICBMs) were produced there. So tight was its security that this city of 1 million did not officially exist in any map.

Padlocks seal the new marriage

People practice different customs in their part of the world. In Ukraine, newlyweds carry on a cute tradition. A bridge connects the city center (downtown) to an island on the river.

This island, Monastyrskiy, contains the earliest evidence of human inhabitation in the area. Today, the island houses a rebuilt cathedral and one of the tallest statues of Ukraine’s most heroic figure, Taras Schevchenko. A transplanted New Yorker, Michelle, explained a custom that newlyweds engaged in after getting married. They lock a padlock to the bridge’s rails. As you can see, the city has had many newlyweds.

(You can enlarge any image by clicking on it. To return to this page, click on the back-arrow of your browser or press the Backspace key on your keyboard.)

2008-12-09T02:57:00.002-06:00

A MOTHER'S BIRTHDAY

2008-11-28T07:22:00.007-06:00

TABLE TENNIS

To see this sport played competitively, one has to watch Asian and European players. Another sport that’s best appreciated in similar manner is badminton. In Asia and Europe, table tennis and badminton are taken seriously.

When I was in high school, I was a pretty good table tennis player. My classmate happened to be the national champion and although he did beat me in straight games I did give him a good workout. That’s how I knew that I was a decent player. The national champion told me so. ;-)

At any rate, look at the two videos below. The first one is for laughs and you’ll see why. The second one baffles me. Is he playing table tennis with a nunchaku for real? A nunchaku is a deadly weapon but in the video the man wields it like a racquet. Enjoy the videos!

For laughs

For real?

2008-11-24T06:05:00.010-06:00

IMPOTENT NAVIES ENCOURAGE MORE PIRACY

Back in September I reported what was then the most serious piracy incident—the hijacking of MV Faina, a Ukrainian-owned freighter that happened to be carrying 33 Russian T-72 tanks. The US Navy promptly dispatched the USS Howard and Russia followed by sending the missile frigate Neustrashimy (Fearless).

A few days later, on 2 October, I provided an update. (1) I simply had to repeat what the New York Times reported:

In a 45-minute interview, the pirate spokesman explained what the pirates wanted (“just money”) to why they were doing this (“to stop illegal fishing and dumping in our waters”) to what they had to eat on board (rice, meat, bread, spaghetti, “you know, normal human-being food”).

He said that so far, in the eyes of the world, the pirates had been misunderstood. “We don’t consider ourselves sea bandits,” he said. “We consider sea bandits those who illegally fish in our seas and dump waste in our seas and carry weapons in our seas. We are simply patrolling our seas. Think of us like a coast guard.”

IMPOTENCE

Well to my disbelief I have to report that the MV Faina is still in the hands of the pirates. It has been surrounded by four US warships and the Russian warship for the last six weeks. I am at a loss for a rational explanation for the impotent behavior of these major powers.

There are currently 14 warships in the Gulf of Aden. Eight of them come from the combined task force of the coalition that is fighting the war in Afghanistan. NATO has four. Russia has one. And India has one. (2)

NAVIES HAVE THEIR HANDS TIED

ABC News recently reported that most of the navies have declared that shipping companies must protect themselves:

There is no consensus among the world's powers, however, to go after the pirates despite the fact that the ships that have been captured are anchored in clear view off the coast of Somalia.

The U.S. Navy said Wednesday that it’s not about to use its military might to free a giant oil tanker or any other ship captured by Somali pirates because if naval forces recover one ship, they would have to recover them all.
Besides, a Pentagon official asked, what would they do with all the captured pirates?

The U.S. Fifth Fleet has dozens of ships patrolling the pirate-infested waters off the Somali coast in the Gulf of Aden and in the Indian Ocean. They have been joined by warships from several other nations trying to create a safe corridor through the busy shipping lanes. (3)

But so what? I wonder why President Bush hasn’t made a decision. This is so unlike him. The presidential elections are over. His administration will be in power for just two more months. (The presidential inauguration of Senator Obama is scheduled for 20 January 2009.) Does he intend to hand over this problem to his successor?

BAD EXAMPLE

This impotence can only make the pirates bolder. Thugs like them only understand one language and that is the language of power. Apparently while they don’t understand the lack of action, they’re not wasting time pondering this. Since the MV Faina incident, about 15 more vessels have been hijacked.

According to the same ABC News article, 95 ships have been attacked so far this year and 39 have been captured.

A TIMELY EXCEPTION

Last week, on 19 November, Wednesday, the only Indian warship took offensive action at the first opportunity. (4) The INS Tabar first saved two merchant vessels on 11 November and followed it up on the 19th by destroying one of the mother ships of these Somali pirates.

INS Tabar encountered the pirates’ mother ship with two speed boats in tow and there were about 20 pirates on board the ship, it is learned.

“This pirate vessel was similar in description to the ‘Mother Vessel’ mentioned in various piracy bulletins. INS Tabar closed in on the vessel and asked her to stop for investigation,” a Navy spokesperson said.

But the pirates threatened to blow up the warship if it sailed closer to their mother ship, despite repeated calls from INS Tabar to stop and let the Navy personnel to inspect the ship, he said.

The Navy noticed that pirates were roaming on the upper deck of the vessel with guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers in hand, and they continued the threats and subsequently fired upon INS Tabar.

In their retaliatory action in “self-defence,” INS Tabar opened fire on the mother vessel of the pirates. “As a result of INS Tabar's guns booming, fire broke out on the pirate vessel and explosions were heard, possibly due to exploding ammunition that was stored on the vessel,” he said.

Congratulations to the Indian government and its navy for setting a good example.

THE LARGEST INCIDENT YET

Today, the Swiss news website, swissinfo.ch, reported that:

Somali pirates holding a Saudi supertanker after the largest hijacking in maritime history have reduced their ransom demand to $15 million (10 million pounds), an Islamist leader and regional maritime group both said on Monday.

The November 15 capture of the Sirius Star—with $100 million of oil and 25 crew members from Britain, Poland, Croatia, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines—has focused world attention on rampant piracy off the failed Horn of Africa state. (5)

Hopefully this will prod the powers to finally take action. The cry has been building:

Tom Barnett of ScrippsNews—a major US media conglomerate—wrote an op-ed (opinion-editorial) that plainly said “when piracy threatens global commerce, great powers need to fight back—collectively.” (6) I might add that the US navy should be able to do it by itself if the President ordered it. After all, if the US can invade two countries, surely it can exterminate several thousand pirates.

Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky of the Russian Navy was quoted by the Russian News & Information Agency (Novosti) as saying that warships from all of the Russian Navy fleets will be involved in measures to fight piracy in the Horn of Africa region. (7)

And back to the good-example-maker, India. Outlook India claims that India has been given the UN’s blessing to take on the pirates:

With international maritime nations identifying Somalian waters as the source of increasing piracy threats, India today said the UN Security Council has granted it permission to “suppress” the sea brigands there.

“So far India’s encounter with the pirates has been in the international waters. Our desire to fight piracy through the UN route has been conveyed and confirmed through the UN Security Council via the UN Permanent Representative of Somalia in UN,” Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) N Ravi told reporters here.

Navy officials, on their part, said the UN has given permission to navies operating in that area to take action against pirates, as enshrined in the UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions 1814, 1816 and 1838.

They said the go-ahead came after the Transitional Government of Somalia approached the UN welcoming action against pirates in their territorial waters. (8)

As my daughters would say, "whatever!" Let’s see what happens next.

REFERENCES

(1) “PIRACY UPDATE - 2 October 2008.” Retrieved from http://philosophytoastronomy.blogspot.com/2008/10/piracy-update-october-2-2008-when.html on 22 November 2008.
(2) “FACTBOX: Foreign ships off Somalia.” Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKTRE4AK4M020081121 on 22 November 2008.
(3) “Shipping Companies Must Protect Themselves.” Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=6292014 on 23 November 2008.
(4) “Indian Navy Sinks Pirate Ship in Gulf of Aden.” Retrieved from http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=635226 on 23 November 2008.
(5) “Somali pirates want $15 million for Saudi ship.” Retrieved from http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swissinfo.html?siteSect=105&sid=10005525&ty=ti on 24 November 2008.
(6) “Barnett: Fight the pirates.” Retrieved from http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/38139 on 23 November 2008.
(7) “Warships from all Russian Navy fleets to fight piracy off Somalia.” Retrieved from http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081123/118473138.html on 23 November 2008.
(8) “India gets UN nod to take on piracy in Somalian waters.” Retrieved from http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=636464 on 23 November 2008.

2008-11-21T21:18:00.013-06:00

NINE MONTHS RACING AROUND THE WORLD

10 legs. 9 months. 8 competitors. And 37,000 nautical miles. It started at the port town of Alicante, Spain and will finish at the port city of St. Petersburg, Russia.

The race began 40 days ago and is expected to finish in late-June of 2009.

All eight racers finished the first leg safely (from Alicante to Cape Town, South Africa) and had departed from Cape Town six days ago.

The race began in 1973 and was known back then as the "Whitbread Round the World." In 2000, Volvo became the primary sponsor and renamed it the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR).

The boats are essentially giant surfboards because of the way they perform. These are huge vessels, 70 feet long (21 meters), and manned by 11 maniacs. The maniacs come from Britain, Russia, China, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Uruguay, etc.

From the official website:

During the race the crews will experience life at the extreme: no fresh food is taken onboard so they live off freeze dried fare, they will experience temperature variations from -5 to +40 degrees Celsius and will only take one change of clothes. They will trust their lives to the boat and the skipper and experience hunger and sleep deprivation.

The race is the ultimate mix of world class sporting competition and on the edge adventure, a unique blend of onshore glamour with offshore drama and endurance.

It is undeniably the world’s premier global race and one of the most demanding team sporting events in the world.

After looking at these videos, tell me if you don't fall in love with the sport!

2008-11-14T18:45:00.032-06:00

A DISCOURAGING NOTE ABOUT THE DECISION TO LAUNCH A WAR IN IRAQ

Earlier, I explained the concept of marginal analysis. Although marginal analysis is an economic concept, it can be applied to many situations-war included.

The question I want to answer is this: are we getting our money’s and lives’ worth in the ongoing war in Iraq? In other words, after $350 billion (although estimates vary widely) and the lives of 4,500 troops, what has America really accomplished? Has America received the benefits it expected? What, in fact, are those benefits?

On March 9, 2008, MSNBC.com reported that a Nobel Prize-winning economist (J. Stiglitz) reported that the US government is burning through $12 billion a month to fight that war.

I recently concluded that this was a totally unnecessary war. And before I proceed, note that this entry discusses contemporary US politics. And politics, as my second favorite uncle said, is one of those topics where the discussion never ends. (The other is religion.)

VOICES OF DISSENT

Shortly after the US invaded Iraq, various politicians—most of whom come from the Democratic party—described the Iraq War as a “war of choice” or phrases to that effect. (President Bush belongs to the opposing party-the Republican party.) Various political commentators echoed the same observation.

USA Today reported on August 26, 2004 that:

“Iraq was a war of choice, and the United States is bearing virtually all of the cost,” according to John Podesta. Mr. Podesta was the chief of staff of former President Clinton. He now heads the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. He is, unquestionably, a liberal Democrat.

Boston Globe reported on September 9, 2004 that:

CINCINNATI —— Senator John F. Kerry, campaigning at the same site where President Bush laid out his case against Saddam Hussein two years ago, yesterday called the Iraq war a “catastrophic choice” that has cost $200 billion while inspiring terrorist groups and yielding “the most incalculable loss of all”—more than 1,000 US military deaths.

“George W. Bush’s wrong choices have led America in the wrong direction in Iraq, and they have left America without the resources we need so desperately here at home,” Kerry said, in a bluntly worded attempt to contrast his views on Iraq with the incumbent’s war policy. “I call this course a catastrophic choice that has cost us $200 billion because we went it alone, and we’ve paid an even more unbearable price in young American lives and the risks our soldiers are taking. We need a new direction.”

TIME WILL TELL

For my part, I withheld judgment about the wisdom of waging war in Iraq until I read Scott McClellan’s book. Scott’s book explains his belief that the Bush administration fabricated evidence to justify the assault on Iraq.

Who is McClellan? He’s the former Press Secretary of President Bush. Mr. McClellan was a loyal worker for the president since 2000. He became the Press Secretary-the official mouthpiece of the White House-on July 2003 until he resigned on April 2006. In June 2008, his book, "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception," was published.

I found the book credible. I don’t think Mr. McClellan had an axe to grind. Instead, I think his conscience was weighed down by his knowledge and he wrote it to both clear his conscience and to inform the American people of his belief that the president deceived the American people. It was this book that clinched the case and convinced me that America did not have to invade Iraq.

According to the Washington Post (October 10, 2004), the rationale behind the invasion was...

In announcing 19 months ago that the United States was poised to invade Iraq, President Bush told the nation:
Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised...
The people of the United States and our friends and allies will not live at the mercy of an outlaw regime that threatens the peace with weapons of mass murder.
But the argument that the United States faced a moment of maximum peril in early 2003 from Iraq has been greatly weakened by the release last week of the comprehensive report of chief U.S. weapons inspector Charles A. Duelfer. Click on any of these links: Link-1, Link-2, or Link-3.

The report found that the 1991 Persian Gulf War and subsequent U.N. inspections destroyed Iraq's illicit weapons capability, leaving it without any chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.

Saddam Hussein hoped to someday resume his weapons efforts, the report said, but for the most part there had been no serious effort to rebuild the programs.

I looked for corroborating evidence and found it in the official press release by the White House on October 7, 2002:

Tonight I want to take a few minutes to discuss a grave threat to peace, and America’s determination to lead the world in confronting that threat.
The threat comes from Iraq. It arises directly from the Iraqi regime’s own actions-its history of aggression, and its drive toward an arsenal of terror.
Eleven years ago, as a condition for ending the Persian Gulf War, the Iraqi regime was required to destroy its weapons of mass destruction, to cease all development of such weapons, and to stop all support for terrorist groups.
The Iraqi regime has violated all of those obligations. It possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons. It has given shelter and support to terrorism, and practices terror against its own people. The entire world has witnessed Iraq’s eleven-year history of defiance, deception and bad faith.
We also must never forget the most vivid events of recent history. On September the 11th, 2001, America felt its vulnerability—even to threats that gather on the other side of the earth. We resolved then, and we are resolved today, to confront every threat, from any source, that could bring sudden terror and suffering to America.
Members of the Congress of both political parties, and members of the United Nations Security Council, agree that Saddam Hussein is a threat to peace and must disarm. We agree that the Iraqi dictator must not be permitted to threaten America and the world with horrible poisons and diseases and gases and atomic weapons. Since we all agree on this goal, the issues is: how can we best achieve it?

We know now that the answer was war.

ONE OF THE UNIQUE THINGS ABOUT AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

America is unique in the sense that its leaders must convince its people that its military action is justified. America’s military power is such that it can win practically any war. Its military’s weakness-if that’s what it should be called-is the American people’s attitude towards any military action. The American people must support it since public attitude will ultimately support or undermine the might of the military.

I thought the president did a fine job during his first term but he really screwed up his second. Most of that screw-up revolves around the war in Iraq.

I also think that he capitalized on the trust that he had built after he led the post-9/11 America. I believe that the evidence supports the deception. And I am discouraged to acknowledge that the president did what many others have done before him—betray the public trust.

Next, let’s see if marginal analysis can determine the benefit of waging the war in Iraq. It can. And the conclusion is terrible. I would like to submit a suggestion. It’s an illegal suggestion unless Congress can be convinced to change the law. It’s a pragmatic suggestion that makes a lot of economic sense. By that, I mean that the cost-to-benefit ratio will be low and that's a good thing. We want the most bang for the buck. It should cost considerably less than a hundred million dollars. Compared to the war effort, this is a simple operation. The beauty of it lies in the likelihood that it will deliver most or all of the benefits that were originally expected.

What are those benefits anyway? Answering that question will require answering two more. Who should own these expectations—the American people or the government? And what benefits does an aggressor typically derive from a victorious war?

To be continued in a few days...

2008-11-11T17:34:00.006-06:00

SAILING ON LAKE MICHIGAN
Listen to Anthony! He is just so alive!

Boat: J22
Total cruise: 3 hours
Destination: Chicago Water Crib

2008-10-26T12:20:00.015-05:00

A DECEPTION OF GARMENT SIZES

A previous blog entry discussed the epidemic of obesity that exists now in America. Concurrent with this is an unspoken but accepted agreement betwen suppliers to "benevolently deceive" the American market.

The original article was reported by CBS News in 1995. Click here for the full text of the article. Salient points follow:

A common way of making overweight people feel smaller is by expanding the world around them. Architectural designers call it “framing.” What is its relation to garments? Well, clothing designers “frame” constantly. Garment sizes depend heavily upon perception so fashion designers frame sizes to project the image that consumers want.

Garment sizing is a major topic in fashiom design. Over the past 20 years, the American fashion industry has manipulated clothing sizes to accommodate its widening public, especially women. To show how sizing has changed over time, size-eight dresses from the 1980s, 1990s, and today were compared. The waist circumference on a 1984 dress was 25 inches. On the 1995 dress, it was 26 inches. And on a 2004 dress, it was 27-1/2, a two-and-a-half inch difference from 1984 to 2004. Furthermore, “the sizing deception is a product of American ingenuity. Sizing standards in other parts of the world have remained constant. The Europeans have an entirely different view of fashion and their sizing hasn’t changed.”

The deception is intentional, because although the woman has gotten bigger, her garment size stays the same or gets even smaller.

2008-10-25T05:36:00.036-05:00

AN EPIDEMIC OF OBESITY

There were far fewer overweight people in 1985 when I arrived in America. That recollection didn’t come to me until I read the following article: Ten things the food industry doesn’t want you to know.

Another investigation behind the scenes. Okay, it was worth skimming. Unfortunately, as I went down the list I slowed down. Hence this entry.

Yes, 23 years ago there were far fewer overweight Americans. I do remember that.

So I let my curiosity do the walking and I unearthed one article. It was a sign of the times and also quite disturbing.

THE WIDENING OF AMERICA

CBS News reported it in 2005. The original article links here. Here are the salient points.

Note that this article was written just before the housing bubble burst (brought about by the sub-prime crisis). Its significance? McMansions. Sorry but this is a high-context entry. These two links will explain the term but it’s up to you to connect the dots. Link-1. Link-2.

Here are the salient points:

NEW YORK, July 24, 2005

(CBS) All over America, the buzzword is big: big houses, big malls, big cars, and big Americans inside them.

“Sixty-five percent of Americans are overweight or obese. Overweight is the new average," observes International Design magazine. Designers and urban planners are creating an America that accommodates its increasingly overweight population, but you'd never know it.”

“There is tremendous profit potential out there for companies and designers who cater their products to obese people. The challenge, though, is to give them that product that allows them to function in everyday life more easily and more comfortably without making them feel disabled, without calling attention to themselves. Fat is a four-letter word.”

One of the most common ways of making overweight people feel smaller is by expanding the world around them. Architectural designers call it “framing.”

“A person who is big does not want to look big. So if their house is bigger, they will look of a more average proportion.”

Big homes, bathrooms, beds and cars can provide a large frame for people in private and now, when they go out to public spaces, architectural regulations make it so everyone fits most anywhere, anywhere, that is, that was designed recently.

A stadium seat from 100 years ago like Soldier's Field in Chicago might have been 16 or 17 inches, maximum. When they designed the new Soldier’s Field the expectation for new seats was many inches more than that.

The same applies to public transportation around the country. It has become roomier.

AN INHERENT CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Now, go down that list with me. For brevity, each item was stripped of further explanation. You can read the entire article by clicking here.

Ten Things the Food Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know
by Adam Voiland, Oct. 20, 2008

Two nutrition experts argue that you can’t take marketing campaigns at face value.

With America’s obesity problem among kids reaching crisis proportions, even junk food makers have started to claim they want to steer children toward more healthful choices.

In a study released earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that about 32 percent of children were overweight but not obese, 16 percent were obese, and 11 percent were extremely obese.

Food giant PepsiCo, for example, points out on its website that “we can play an important role in helping kids lead healthier lives by offering healthy product choices in schools.” This page offers to provide nutrition information for all Pepsi products. The company highlights what it considers its healthier products within various food categories through a “Smart Spot” marketing campaign that features green symbols on packaging. PepsiCo's inclusive criteria—explained here—award spots to foods of dubious nutritional value such as Diet Pepsi, Cap'n Crunch cereal, reduced-fat Doritos, and Cheetos, as well as to more nutritious products such as Quaker Oatmeal and Tropicana Orange Juice.

But are wellness initiatives like Smart Spot just marketing ploys?

Such moves by the food industry may seem to be a step in the right direction, but ultimately makers of popular junk foods have an obligation to stockholders to encourage kids to eat more—not less—of the foods that fuel their profits, says the pediatrician co-author of a commentary published in the Oct. 15, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that raises questions about whether big food companies can be trusted to help combat obesity. The other author, a professor of nutrition at New York University, both of whom have long histories of tracking the food industry, spoke with U.S. News and highlighted ten things that junk food makers don’t want you to know about their products and how they promote them.

COMMENT: There is, in other words, an inherent conflict of interest. It doesn’t mean that these companies are doing wrong. It just means that there is a natural conflict of interest.

Junk food makers spend billions advertising unhealthy foods to kids.
The studies that food producers support tend to minimize health concerns associated with their products.
Junk food makers donate large sums of money to professional nutrition associations.
More processing means more profits, but typically makes the food less healthy.
Less-processed foods are generally more satiating than their highly processed counterparts.
Many supposedly healthy replacement foods are hardly healthier than the foods they replace.
A health claim on the label doesn't necessarily make a food healthy.
Food industry pressure has made nutritional guidelines confusing.
The food industry funds front groups that fight anti-obesity public health initiatives.
The food industry works aggressively to discredit its critics.

2008-10-21T20:32:00.003-05:00

THE FIVE SECRETS YOU MUST DISCOVER BEFORE YOU DIE

This is one of those special messages that should mean something to everyone. Normally, I’m skeptical about unsolicited or chain letter-type messages but I clicked on this one because I’m familiar with the publishing house, Berrett-Koehler (BK) Publishers. BK is an independent publisher with an ambitious mission: to create a better world.

But back to the five secrets. The content was created by John Izzo. It’s a six-minute movie with musical accompaniment so confirm that your speaker is turned on. Click here for the message that I think will touch you.

2008-10-20T16:22:00.017-05:00

A BIG BET ON RUSSIA: BP's PREDICAMENT

BP—formerly known as British Petroleum—is currently facing the largest crisis in its storied 99-year history. The crisis is full of superlatives. By any measure, it’s enormous. It involves tens of billions of dollars and the direct employment of almost 100,000 Russians. It’s being closely watched as a harbinger of Moscow’s real intentions—economically and militarily. It has the potential to bring down a giant company. And it involves numerous ethical and legal issues.

Befitting the largest British company, BP shares trade primarily at the London Stock Exchange. Energy is currently a hot industry. Last year, BP was the fourth largest company in the world measured by revenue, preceded only by Exxon-Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell.

In 2003, BP bet big. For starters, it invested $6.15 billion for 50% ownership in a joint venture called TNK-BP. This was just for starters. BP took this gamble not only because of the enormous potential of Russia’s Siberia but also because it’s traditional haunts in the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska had become prohibitively expensive, its proven reserves were perilously low, and its global oil production (on which its revenue depended upon) was declining. In short, BP was desperately looking for new fields (literally) to mine.

But why Russia? Virtually all the other oil majors, with the exception of Royal Dutch Shell, had steered clear of it. BP’s peers had concluded (and it appears, rightfully so) that Russia’s legal fabric was still unproven. Why is its legal fabric so important? Russia has historically been an autocratic state. Its recent behavior in Georgia is indicative of the way the Russian government pursues its objectives. It shoots first and then presents the world with a fait accompli.

BP was undeterred. It forged ahead. The promise of enormous gas and oil reserves, low cost, and the advantages of vertical integration—from the ground through the pipes to the consumer—was irresistible. It was willing to risk bad governance, a corrupt judiciary, venal bureaucracy, combative local partners, organized crime, and capricious legislation. It boldly proclaimed that Russia is changing for the better. Russia’s fledgling democratic society is becoming stable. Russia needs foreign investment and will give its investors at least a level playing field. It has to behave like a civilized country of laws for it to retain its status as an inviting place for investment.

It seems to have fooled itself. Whether or not it deluded itself, this is a dangerous type of managerial delusion. It puts a lot of jobs, not to mention resources, at risk—if the decision, in fact, was a product of managerial delusion.

A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

I think Senator McCain, the current Republican candidate for the US presidency, said it best. In a campaign interview last month, he said:

Let me put a little bit of historical perspective on this. I think all of us had [developed] a kind of a romanticized view of the world after the fall of the Soviet Union. There was a period of time when we saw dramatic progress around the world of countries attaining democracy [referring primarily to the former vassal states of the USSR]. Many assumed that it was almost automatic that China and Russia would inexorably [follow] a path toward democratic and free societies. Then we saw Tiananmen Square, the chaos [including the attempted coup d’état] in Russia and their diminished stature in the world. Now Vladimir Putin and company are eager to reassert [their centuries-old self-image of being one of the major powers in the world].

So, in other words, great economic progress did not mean the diminishment of autocracies. I still believe that history will show that democracy and freedom go hand in hand with economic development, sophistication, and the technologies that enable the free flow of information. I think we all are realizing that progress is not going to be as rapid as we may have thought it was going to be in the halcyon days of the 1990s.

Assassination continues to be one of their tools (referring to Alexander Litvinenko), oil, brazen attacks on civilians (in Chechnya, etc.), outright attacks on the pretext of protecting its citizens (in the breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia).

I don’t think we’re going to reignite the Cold War. I don’t think there’s going to be a nuclear confrontation with Russia. I do think there’s going to be a dramatically different relationship.

We should always try to maintain relations and communications with every country in the world. But never confuse national interests with personal relationships.

Comment: Incidentally, that’s what President Bush did back in 2001. His famous remark was “The more I get to know President Putin, the more I get to see his heart and soul ...the more I know we can work together in a positive way.” Sorry George, you’re very wrong on that one. Putin is a former KGB agent. What were you thinking?

Three short years later, by 2006, TNK-BP went on stream. In its 2007 Annual Report, BP announced that TNK-BP accounted for 25% of its global oil production and contributed 15% of its net income. From 2003 to 2006, BP claimed that it had earned enough dividends to recoup its initial investment. Indeed, by the third quarter of 2006, BP’s share of revenue amounted to $6.9 billion. (I’m not clear on the source or nature of these “dividends.” The term might be used generically.) Not so prominently mentioned was the fact that BP has no other major projects on stream that could take TNK-BP’s place.

The economic climate turned around in 2007. Russia had tasted the wealth and power that comes with being the major supplier of Europe’s energy needs. Now the real Russia came out.

RUSSIA MAKES ITS MOVES

In December 2006, it forced Royal Dutch Shell along with its Japanese partners, Mitsui and Mitsubishi, to sell its controlling stake in Sakhalin-2. This was a $22 billion stake. This is not an amount to trifle with—even for the oil majors. Russia was able to impose its will anyway. How? It used a government environmental agency (just like the EPA of the US government) to threaten to freeze work on the project.

Since then, Russia has focused its efforts on harassing BP. It uses a combination of tactics—the same environmental agency, the tax revenue police, the justice police, and, most ominously, the FSB (the modern-day successor of the KGB).

The results were predictable. There is no contest between one of the largest companies in the world against the largest country in the world.

By June 2007, BP agreed to sell one of TNK-BP’s prize assets—one of the world’s largest natural gas fields—to Gazprom. The latter is a Russian state company and a monopoly. The leverage used by the Russians was typical: the threat to revoke the company’s license to develop the gas field. The Russians window-dressed the transaction. Gazprom would “buy” it from BP for $700 to $900 million. BP will take a huge opportunity loss on this. Analysts estimate that the gas field, called “Kovykta,” was capable of earning between $1.5 to $2 billion. Furthermore part of BP’s compensation will be the opportunity to invest another $3 billion and form a joint venture with Gazprom.

Comment: Thank you very much. First, you force me to sell at a loss. Second, you’re generous enough to give me another opportunity to lose more money.

BP’s reaction was puzzling, to say the least. Its CEO welcomed the arrangement as the start of a new strategic partnership with Gazprom. Furthermore, in the same speech (given in Moscow, incidentally), BP’s CEO praised BP’s business progress and encouraged other companies to invest in Russia. He called the gas field dispute just “one of those bumps in the road.” Of course, this was probably smoothing the crisis on the surface. Wait and see and until then, pretend everything is going smoothly.

Thirteen months later, in July 2008, BP-TNK’s CEO was effectively ousted. Moscow’s tactic: the non-renewal of the expatriates’ work permits. Affected with the CEO were 150 senior engineers of BP. Moscow presented BP with one small consolation—the CEO was still the CEO and could continue to run the company albeit from overseas.

CAN WE DRAW SOME CONCLUSIONS?

Would you agree that the following conclusions can be drawn from this story?

Russia is pursuing a policy of state control. It lures Western oil companies and, over time, makes them junior partners. It needs Western investment and technology and is only intent on building its own capabilities.
It will not use bald-faced tactics to expropriate Western investments. Instead, Moscow uses its entire arsenal of laws and regulations to harass its foreign partners until it achieves its goals. Time and location are on Russia’s side.
Russia’s power elite, led by Putin, will not hesitate to apply these same tactics to domestic enemies. The former owner of Yukos, Russia’s first large oil company, dared defy Putin in 2003. Yukos was looted and eventually absorbed by Russia’s state owned oil company, Rosneft. As for the billionaire who defied Putin, he now languishes indefinitely in an obscure penal colony close to the Russian-Mongolian-Chinese border. Apart from him the other big losers were Western banks who were owed more than $1 billion.
It’s obvious that Russia is leveraging its power as the single largest fossil fuel producer (second after the entire OPEC cartel) to re-arm itself. Russia’s goal is to return to its place as one of the world’s superpowers. This goal can only be attained by developing its industrial and military capabilities. To this end, it is vital for Russia’s oil and gas to stay within Russia’s border until it reaches its European customers. This is a major reason for its hostility to the West and to its former satellite states for daring to build a trans-Caucus pipeline.

WHY DID BP MAKE THIS DECISION?

Why did they take such an enormous risk especially since most of their peers, save another one (Royal Dutch Shell), played it safe?

It won’t do much good to second guess the board’s decision. The agreement to go ahead was signed with much publicity. Putin even flew to London for the event. BP’s decision doesn’t seem like it was made secretively.

A clue may be found in the reported condition of BP’s board in 2001 till 2003. It seems that BP’s board was dysfunctional. The CEO, Lord Browne, led autocratically and not by consensus. He was forced out in 2007—for reasons unrelated to BP’s Russian investment. Various unflattering portraits of him can be found on the Web. Four examples are:

The Houston Chronicle - BP is the largest investor in US energy development. Most of that is in Texas.
USA Today
BusinessWeek
Wikipedia about Lord Browne

I mentioned decision-making delusions that plague executives earlier. Click here for a link to a blog entry that discusses the subject. It’s based on a critical review of a book entitled The Halo Effect.

Click here for a link to a guide for making good decisions:.

Bottom line: The shareholders (among many other observers) probably held their collective breath for the first few years. They must have been pleased, even euphoric, at the results as reported by the 2007 Annual Report. The rapidity of successive setbacks that began in 2007 to the present day must be shocking them.

I suspect the board fulfilled its responsibilities—ethical and legal—to its shareholders and to the greater society. Fortunately for management, the results from the first few years validated their decision. I wonder if any activist shareholders plan to file a derivative suit or the equivalent in the UK. But what would the suit’s legal theory be based on?

A final note about Lord Browne: he was rewarded with a parachute (a very, very modest one by US standards—it was only $4 million!) when he retired.

THE ROCKY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE US AND RUSSIA

The relationship of the US with Russia has always been rocky. The US helped Russia beat back the Nazi onslaught. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that without the help of the US, Russia would’ve fallen.

After the USSR fell in 1991 and the US poured billions into assisting the former adversary, I wondered what the heck was going on. I could understand our assistance in so far as the USSR’s former nuclear arsenal was concerned; we certainly don't want any of those weapons to fall into the wrong hands. Unfortunately the technology, i.e., the skills, is more difficult to control. Witness the rogue Pakistan physicist who shared his knowledge with countries whose relationship with US is currently on edge (North Korea, for example).

WHAT NEXT?

In retrospect, it appears that BP was reckless (or bold, depending upon how things would turn out) in investing in Russia. A capitalist-based economy is still new to them. The majority is not used to democracy or freedom. Their present system is merely a continuation of the corrupt system of Communism.

A badly skewed socio-economic system invites corruption on a massive scale. Russia’s entire wealth is concentrated in the hands of about 100 families. It has a population of almost 150 million and a GDP of about $2 trillion. There is a very thin middle class. In many ways, despite its imposing military, Russia is a third country. (National Geographic, 2008)

So returning to BP and its current predicament, it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the next 24 months.

2008-10-12T11:03:00.014-05:00

CAN WE OBJECTIVELY MEASURE THE BENEFIT OF FIGHTING THE WAR IN IRAQ?

I believe it’s possible. There’s an economic tool called marginal analysis that can do it. After reading both parts of this blog entry, tell me if you agree.

Are you familiar with the concept of marginal analysis?

It’s an economic concept that you actually apply in everyday life. We make important decisions based on the concept all the time. Let’s use a real-world example.

How many laptops would you like to have? One or two? For most people, one laptop is sufficient, would you agree? You enter a store with $10,000. This is more than enough money to buy two powerful laptops. Would you buy one or two? If you’re like most persons, you’d buy only one and either save the remainder or spend it on another toy. The additional benefit you would derive from a second laptop is marginal (i.e., minimal). That’s the reason why you probably wouldn’t buy a second one. But let’s say you bought that second laptop anyway. How likely is it now that you would buy a third laptop? You probably wouldn’t, would you? In fact, only a very few would.

MARGINAL ANALYSIS EXPLAINED

This is the concept of marginal analysis. The marginal utility (i.e., the additional benefit) you would derive from a second laptop is minimal compared to the marginal utility you would derive from a first laptop. A third laptop will provide even less utility than second.

Marginal analysis, therefore, is concerned with analyzing the value of additional benefits compared to the cost of additional resources. In this case, your resources consist of $10,000. If each laptop cost $3,000, your marginal benefit from the first laptop exceeds the marginal cost of $3,000. In other words, you felt that you gained more—a lot more—by exchanging $3,000 for a laptop. Will you feel the same gain if you bought a second laptop? Probably not. If you’re like most, you would decide that one laptop is enough. In other words, the marginal cost of exchanging another $3,000 outweighs the marginal benefit of owning a second laptop. But let’s say you bought the second laptop anyway, would you take it another step further and buy a third laptop? At this point, 99% of you would say “No.” In other words, 99% of you will decide that the marginal cost of spending another $3,000 outweighs the marginal utility (or benefit) of a third laptop.

Instead of laptops, you can substitute your weekly grocery money and your list of groceries to buy. You could also substitute your appetite. Would you fill yourself up on one dish and not leave room for another? Or would you rather have one of this so that you leave room for that.

This is marginal analysis in action and as this example illustrates, you use it every day.

Marginal analysis is useful because it determines the optimal or best combination of goods and services for a given amount of resources. How about another example? This time we’ll use your hunger as the resource. You sit down to eat. There are three kinds of equally tasty and nutritious dishes on the table. Would you satiate your hunger by eating all of one dish or by eating some of all three? If you ate only one dish, you would deny yourself the benefit of the other two. If you ate two dishes, you would have a tastier and more balanced meal. But if you ate some of all three dishes, you would have eaten the tastiest and most balanced possible meal. It’s in your best interest, therefore, to eat moderate portions of each food in order to have the most satisfying meal. Would you agree?

Marginal analysis determines the point where your marginal benefit is equal to your marginal cost. At that point, you have optimized your choices. Each dish adds to your marginal benefit. Each dish also “costs” you something in the sense that it partially satisfies your hunger.

Marginal analysis can be applied to many things. It can be applied to complex decisions. Like war. Should you wage war on an enemy or find another way to resolve your conflict?

Continued here.

2008-10-02T23:20:00.006-05:00

PIRACY UPDATE - 2 October 2008

When a religion doesn’t have a defined center, it can become a problem. Islam doesn’t have an equivalent to the Catholic Pope. Instead Islam has a multitude of holy men called imams.

From Wikipedia:

An imam is an Islamic leader, often the leader of a mosque and/or community. Similarly to spiritual leaders, the imam is the man—an imam is always a man since female imams never have been recognized in Islam—who leads the prayer during Islamic gatherings. More often the community turns to the mosque's imam if they have an Islamic question. In smaller communities an imam could be the community leader based on the community setting.

There are conservative imams and there are radical ones. An extremist would have little difficulty finding an imam to support his cause. Need to justify the violence that will kill innocent Muslims during a suicide bombing? Well, try that imam. He doesn't agree? Try that imam instead. You can just keep on going until you find one to justify it.

THE HOLY WAR

In the ongoing piracy, the Christian Science Monitor reported that the French news agency...

Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that those militants have urged the pirates to destroy the ship and its cargo if they do not get the $20 million ransom they are demanding for the release of the cargo and crew.

A spokesman for the militants told AFP they had no links to the pirates, but would gladly use the tanks in their “holy war” against the Somali government if given the chance.

“It is a crime to take commercial ships but hijacking vessels that carry arms for the enemy of Allah is a different matter,” added Robow [spokesman for Shabaab], whose movement nearly stamped out piracy when it controlled southern Somalia last year....

“The Ukrainian ship is loaded with military hardware that is very important for our holy war against the enemy of Allah and it would have changed the war in Somalia if that military shipment falls in our hands,” he said.

What a convenient excuse, isn’t it?

PIRATES ARE ALSO HUMANS

Let’s not forget that these thugs are also human beings. Today's New York Times quoted the pirates’ spokesman as saying...

NAIROBI, Kenya — The Somali pirates who hijacked a Ukrainian freighter loaded with tanks, artillery, grenade launchers and ammunition said in an interview on Tuesday that they had no idea the ship was carrying arms when they seized it on the high seas.

“We just saw a big ship,” the pirates’ spokesman, Sugule Ali, said in a telephone interview. “So we stopped it.”

The pirates quickly learned, though, that their booty was an estimated $30 million worth of heavy weaponry, heading for Kenya or Sudan, depending on whom you ask.

In a 45-minute interview, Mr. Sugule spoke on everything from what the pirates wanted (“just money”) to why they were doing this (“to stop illegal fishing and dumping in our waters”) to what they had to eat on board (rice, meat, bread, spaghetti, “you know, normal human-being food”).

He said that so far, in the eyes of the world, the pirates had been misunderstood. “We don’t consider ourselves sea bandits,” he said. “We consider sea bandits those who illegally fish in our seas and dump waste in our seas and carry weapons in our seas. We are simply patrolling our seas. Think of us like a coast guard.”

Imagine that! The pirates are the volunteer Coast Guard of Somalia! They just saw a big ship and decided to stop it.

They must think we’re as stupid as they are.

2008-09-30T00:46:00.016-05:00

MODERN DAY PIRACY

Several days ago, a Ukrainian freighter bound for Kenya was hijacked by modern-day sea pirates.

The latest criminal exploit of these thugs has now made front-page news. There is nothing romantic or movie-like about these sea-going terrorists.

Consider this. At sea, the dynamics of a group change. No longer does the group feel subjected to the rule of law. Instead real and perceived authority switch to the officers in command. The captain, the head honcho, is the ultimate authority. He can put offenders in the brig (jail). Or he can marry a couple.

Once pirates capture a boat, they become the authorities. Can you imagine how absolute their power becomes at that moment?

Curious, I did some Internet research about piracy and learned several interesting facts.

THE ORIGIN OF THE PRESENT-DAY US NAVY

The present US Navy came into being in order to fight the pirates operating in what was then called the Barbary Coast. There was a Continental Navy that was established during the American War of Independence against the Kingdom of Great Britain but it was disbanded after the US won its independence.

The US Congress passed the Naval Act of 1794 that formally created the present US Navy. It consisted of six frigates—one of which is still an active commissioned ship of today’s navy, the USS Constitution.

This is a photo of the USS Howard, the first US Navy ship that responded to the hijacking.

The US Navy fought two Barbary Wars. The first one—from 1801 to 1805—ended after the pirates seemed soundly defeated. The second one, in 1815, finally defeated the Barbary pirates for good. The US from the early 1790s had been paying tribute to the pirates—a tax, if you will—and it stopped doing so after 1815. The US paid taxes to pirates for nearly 25 years!

The Barbary wars also created the fighting reputation of the US Marine Corps.

THE ORIGIN OF THE PRESENT-DAY US MARINES

The nickname for the US Marines, “leathernecks,” originated from the battles that the marines fought against the pirates. To protect their necks, the marines wore uniforms that had a high and stiff leather collar. This collar was meant to protect their necks from cutlass blows delivered by the pirates in the one-on-one combat between the marines and the pirates.

The opening verse of the well-known Marines Hymn—From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli—makes reference to the First Barbary War.

Without words

Tripoli, the capital of Libya, is one of the modern-day nations that comprise the Barbary Coast. The other countries are Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.

With words

THE CURRENT SITUATION (as of 0700 GMT, September 30, 2008)

Returning to the ongoing story, the Somalian pirates happened to seize a cargo ship that was carrying 33 Russian T-72 tanks and (literally) a boatload of ammunition.

This is another photo of the USS Howard.

The latest—from BBC News—states that the US Navy has surrounded the hijacked ship. Furthermore, reports now indicate that despite the Kenyan government’s claim, the ship was bound for Sudan. A Russian warship is part of the flotilla guarding the hijacked Ukrainian freighter.

What drama on the high seas…

2008-09-19T12:40:00.016-05:00

THE RECENT BAIL-OUT OF FANNIE MAE & FREDDIE MAC

Draw your own conclusions from this video.

The first part shows the interim CEO of Fannie Mae speaking in front of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). The speech was delivered in 2005, the year that the housing bubble peaked. It's interesting to hear the CEO admit the existence of serious problems already brewing inside Fannie Mae.

It's followed by a Fox News commentary and analysis that explains the relationship of the CBC to Fannie Mae. It also reveals Senator Obama's role in the Congressional Black Caucus.

At the end of this post, is a copy of the article that appeared in the website of Washington State's Herald newspaper. (I do this to minimize the frustration of clicking on a dead link.)

The article explains the significance of this two quasi-government institutions and why they had to be bailed out.

FANNIE MAC, FREDDIE MAC BAILOUT HAD TO HAPPEN
Published Sunday, September 14, 2008 by James McCusker

The story was that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had no choice. They would either agree to a federal government takeover or, alternatively, the federal government would take over anyway.

The back story, though, is that the Treasury Department didn't have a choice, either.

Two factors forced the decision to take over the mortgage giants. The first was that a review of Freddie Mac's books revealed that its accounting methods had overstated its capital position. When this information was made public the financial markets would again be in turmoil, something the Treasury Department neither needed nor wanted.

The significance of the accounting issue should not be understated.

Both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae had made a point of their capital adequacy as each presented its best face to the markets and the public. And, in fact, both of the mortgage giants appeared to have capital levels that not only met but also exceeded regulatory requirements.

If the capital accounts were built on sand, though, lenders and investors would feel that they had been deceived. A reputation for deception is not a good thing to have in financial markets. And an accounting mess is certainly not a good thing to reveal while the Treasury Department was inside these organizations and backing them up. Its reputation would be smeared, too.

We should not underestimate the importance of human nature, either. Almost certainly Freddie Mac's accounting made the feds wonder, "What are we going to find next?"

Financial markets do not like the unexpected and have been on edge ever since this mortgage finance mess began to give off its distinctive odor. Clearly, the Treasury Department could not afford to play a losing game of "Whack-A-Mole" with either Freddie Mac's or Fannie Mae's accounting surprises.

The second factor was not raucous Wall Street, but the quiet, paneled rooms of central banks in Europe and Asia, which together hold nearly $1 trillion in mortgage-backed debt guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. China alone holds an estimated $300 billion of this debt and has reportedly made it very clear that it has no taste for either accounting surprises or the legal subtleties of government-sponsored-entities. As far as China was concerned, it held the U.S. government's IOUs and expected to be paid in full. Europe has been quieter but, we would guess, no less insistent.

The net effect was that the Treasury Department had no choice. In order to take responsibility it had to take over.

The takeover means that stockholders in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are moved to last place in terms of their claims on the companies' assets—effectively rendering the stock worthless. There will be few tears shed for those who hold common stock. After all, the bad news and the precipitous decline in the mortgage companies' share prices over the past few months, it would be a singularly uninformed investor who did not consider the stock to be speculative.

The preferred stock, however, is another matter, and some steps may need to be taken to deal with the takeover's collateral damage. Preferred stocks do not carry voting privileges, so the owners bear no direct responsibility for Freddie and Fannie's bone-headed management.

Many banks that hold that preferred stock will be looking at big holes in their balance sheets. The losses are so significant that analysts estimate as many as 40 smaller banks around the country will be forced to find replacement capital to stay afloat.

Even banking giant Wells Fargo, widely praised for its skillful avoidance of the sub-prime credit mess, finds itself staring at a $480 million loss from its Fannie and Freddie preferred stock holdings. It is not a big enough loss to impair its capital position, but it's no fun, either.

Treasury's takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac was organized as a conservatorship, a flexible structure which allows for a considerable exercise of judgment. Perhaps the government will review the unintended consequences of its takeover and make some adjustments to accommodate the holders of preferred shares. Certainly, the Treasury Department does not wish its takeover action to bring further woe to the banking system.

The final cost to the taxpayers of this takeover may not be as much as now projected. If the takeover calms the financial market waters and gives hope to the housing market, the write-downs may not be as severe as predicted. And as the critics of the takeover come out of Wall Street's woodwork, we need to keep our perspective: Treasury, in fact, had no choice.

2008-09-01T23:40:00.006-05:00

THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO ARRIVE AT A DECISION

Through advocacy or inquiry

Arriving at a decision, as far as the concept of advocacy is concerned, is a contest. An advocate enters into a discussion solely for the purpose of convincing the decision makers. An advocate is a spokesman for his position. He will lobby for while defending it at the same time. Dissenters are discouraged or dismissed. Advocates fight to win since the alternative is to lose.

Inquiry, on the other hand, treats decision-making as a problem that needs to be solved. An "inquirer" enters into a discussion for the purpose of evaluating hypotheses. They think critically and present and listen to balanced arguments. Their attitude keeps them open to alternatives even when these viewpoints are submitted by the minority. In the end, this approach leads to a sense of collective ownership of the final decision by the entire group.

Politics, unfortunately, is one of those topics that can inflame the heart. It is hard to maintain an inquiring nature in this subject. Passion has a way of turning people into fierce advocates for their positions.

As my uncle often said, there are two topics of discussion that never end: politics and religion. And he wisely refrains from participating in both.

The presidential election is less than 90 days away and the incumbent president has certainly had a tumultuous administration. It is no wonder that passions run high especially among the Democrats.

I heard Senator Obama, the Democratic candidate, give a rousing speech at his party's national convention. As a former member of Toastmasters, I applauded his masterful delivery of his message. However, sometimes the delivery is so good that it is hard to review the meaning of the message.

I want to do that with both candidates.

I was surprised, therefore, when I read the analysis of Obama's speech in this political opinion article by Mr. Robert Tracinski. Entitled "Obama Offers a Beautifully Packaged Lie," I read it with a critical eye. I was looking for flawed partisan logic but saw none.

Here then, I present for your own review, are excerpts of Tracinski's article:

Barack Obama can fake sincerity, and that, more than the words of a speech or the pageantry that precedes it, is the key to his power as a speaker.

His speech last night was brilliant and perfect. It is too bad that the whole thing was a lie, which depended on the smoothness and apparent sincerity of Senator Obama's delivery to lull the listener into a state of credulity and prevent him from asking too many questions.

Here's an example that is small but revealing. Obama led with the best sales pitch he has to offer: that he is not George Bush. But of course, Obama is running against John McCain, not Bush. So he attempted to justify the substitution by claiming that "John McCain has voted with George Bush ninety percent of the time." This statistic has been used throughout the Democratic convention, but it makes no sense. Bush is not a member of Congress and casts no votes there--so how can you compare his voting record to that of McCain?

But don't examine this folly; ask only what it accomplishes. It allows Obama to run against an unpopular president who will not defend himself because he is not actually in the race.

2008-08-27T23:02:00.011-05:00

APPEASING RUSSIA?

This is the same title of an excellent article that appeared in Newsweek two weeks ago. It was written immediately after Russia counterattacked Georgia.

The author, John Barry, carefully constructs his point using the lessons of history. He drew parallels with Hitler and Stalin's Soviet Union.

Nature abhors a vacuum and the United States has filled that void. Whether Americans like it or not, America, the most powerful country in the world, is also the world's top cop.

What if America does not live up to that role? Well, other powers will step into that void. Nature abhors a vacuum. This law of physics apparently applies to human affairs as well. Ignoring a problem does not make it go away. After you read excerpts of the article below, ask yourself how differently the future would have turned out if Hitler's early probing attempts were rebuffed strongly.

Let me quote the second, third, fourth, and fifth paragraphs of this article:

As those of a certain age will recall, "appeasement" encapsulated the determination of British governments of the 1930s to avoid war in Europe, even if it meant capitulating to the ever-increasing demands of Adolf Hitler. The nadir came in 1938, when British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain acceded to Hitler's demand to take over the western slice of Czechoslovakia—a dispute Chamberlain so derisively dismissed.

It is impossible to view the Russian onslaught against Georgia without these bloodstained memories rising to mind. In history, as the great French President Charles de Gaulle remarked—no doubt plagiarising someone else—the only constant is geography. And through centuries of European history the only constant has been that small countries, doomed by geography to lie between great powers, are destined to be the cockpit for their imperial ambitions. That's held true since the Low Countries' agony under Spanish power in the 1500s. And the lichen has not yet spread over the gravestones of Europe and America that mark the toll of the two European wars of the 20th century—both having their roots in struggles between rival empires to assert power over the luckless nations of central Europe.

This time, the cockpit lies further east. In the wake of the cold war, the West providentially summoned the nerve to push NATO eastward to incorporate the former Warsaw Pact vassals of the Soviet Union—presciently doing this while post-Soviet Russia was too weak to resist. But once Moscow got its breath back, anyone with historical wit could foresee a revived Russian push for influence in central Europe. Many argued against this NATO expansion, calling it "premature" and "sure to inflame Russia." The usual arguments. Those naysayers might now look at the Russian offensive in Georgia, and ponder how much greater this crisis would be had it involved, say, Poland or Hungary or the Czech Republic. At least central Europe is now under the umbrella of NATO Article 5 guarantees.

Instead, what we see are conflicts at the new margins of the West's sway: Ukraine, the Balkans, now Georgia. These conflicts have one common factor: a resurgent Russia determined to exploit local grievances to beat back Western influence—in shorthand, democracy—on its shrunken frontiers. Using, in all cases, precisely the argument (a Russian right to protect its citizens, in Serbia its co-religionists) that Hitler used in the 1930s. The Sudeten Czechs were Germans, after all. Just as the South Ossetians now are, well, sort of Russian—having at any rate been issued Russian passports.

Doesn't it make sense?

Click here to open a new web page or tab to read the original article.

The graphic came from here.

2008-08-12T06:52:00.018-05:00

GLARING GAPS IN THE CURRICULUM OF PUBLIC EDUCATION

The US public educational system has been criticized for many things. One is its ethnocentric view of languages. Ethnocentric refers to “the tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one’s own culture.”

Sometime last year I came across a statistic that will put America at a disadvantage compared to its second largest trading partner, China. (Canada is America’s largest trading partner.) The statistic compared the number of Chinese students studying English (several million) with the number of American students studying Chinese (100,000). A second language is always an advantage. The next generation of Americans will be at a disadvantage unless America addresses this disparity soon.

Teaching Spanish is a good start but why stop at French? I am referring to the two languages that I think are being taught in most public schools: Spanish and French.

¿HABLA ESPANOL?

Spanish makes sense for three reasons. First is the growing Hispanic population in the US. Second is the fact that it is the third most widely-spoken language in the world. Its widespread use is the reason that Spanish is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. According to Spanish Language Programs:

Why is it important to learn Spanish? Spanish is spoken by about 400 million people worldwide, which is reason enough to learn the language. But it’s even more compelling when you realize that about half of the population in the Western Hemisphere speaks Spanish, making it the primary language for as many people as English in this region of the world. The entire continent of South America speaks primarily Spanish (aside from Brazil), as does just about all of Central America, Mexico and Latin America—over 15 countries in total. In addition, within the United States, Spanish is the second most widely spoken language after English—by a very wide margin. In the US, more and more, opportunities are increasing for those who are fluent in both Spanish and English due to the explosion in the Spanish-speaking population. This means that the ability to speak both Spanish and English will continue to become more and more valuable for people who live in the US with each passing year.

And the third reason has to do with trade. Mexico is the third top trading partner of the US. Venezuela is the tenth. The languages found among the top ten trading partners of the US are English, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, German, Korean, French, and Portuguese.

ETHNOCENTRICTY

I think that the public educational system’s ethnocentric attitude has two roots.

First, not enough Americans know, much less care to visit, other countries. And I don’t count sanitized tours such as can be experienced on cruises as visits. Passengers are firmly tourists who remain isolated from the native population. There’s nothing wrong with that but I want to emphasize my view that sensitivity or even awareness of foreign cultures can only be attained through direct contact in that culture’s environment. I’m referring to active interactions with other people. This probably partly explains the average American’s woeful ignorance of geography. Sorry but it’s true, isn’t it?

ZIMBABWE IS NOT IN EUROPE

In the past three months, I was trading laughs with two gentlemen, both of whom spoke good accented English. One is a graduate student who, when I asked where he emigrated from, replied that he came from Zimbabwe. After some verbal sparring, it became obvious to him that I knew he wasn’t from Zimbabwe and that his name (that he gave me) was not “bin Laden.” We laughed about the regularity with which he is believed. Some, he says, think that Zimbabwe is in Europe because he looks European (even though there are a lot of Dutch descendants in South Africa). The second foreigner works and lives in West Virginia. He lives in “red neck” country, as he put it, and the locals have no idea where Ukraine is. They may not know that seven continents exist. Heck, they may even think that the Middle East is a country.

TO GIVE IS TO RECEIVE — TEN FOLD

And second, I think many Americans have become too self-absorbed. Our culture stresses the importance of the individual and the individual’s self-interest. As a consequence, for many people, most of everything that they do is all about them. Now, it’s a pity because self-absorption blurs everyone and everything else. The irony about focusing excessively on your welfare is that challenges will always occur regardless of how carefully you manage your life. And if you are unable to see these challenges to a desired outcome then you inevitably feel disappointed and frustrated. This brings up the consequences of self-absorption. You may agree that the best way to improve your spirits is to help others. If so, then you realize that it’s true that you receive more when you give. By helping others you experience a connection that creates a level of satisfaction that ranks up there with your best accomplishments.

FINANCIAL LITERACY

I am personally concerned about another deficiency in the public educational system. It is the abject lack of teaching financial literacy. I believe it’s a more serious gap. I would like to cover that in the next few months.

2008-08-03T19:55:00.008-05:00

ANOTHER NEW WAY TO LOOK AT THE WORLD

Animation in real-time, courtesy of early-21st century technology

Animation has advanced greatly since the first Walt Disney movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
(released in 1938), to the top-grossing Pixar classic, Toy Story (released in 1995).

Early-21st century technology now enables us to see reality through a different perspective.

Rather than explain it, click on this BBC link to see Britain in a whole new light!

2008-06-25T16:54:00.007-05:00

THE ESSENCE OF OUR DESTINY

I’ve long admired those framed motivational posters I see in many offices. Here’s the one about destiny.

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Choose your words, for they become actions.

Understand your actions, for they become habits.

Study your habits, for they will become your character.

Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny.

2008-05-21T06:03:00.011-05:00

TOASTMASTERS. A GREAT ORGANIZATION. DEVELOP YOUR COMMUNICATION SKILLS. BUILD YOUR CONFIDENCE!

I was at a low point in my life when I joined Toastmasters International. I had heard of the organization before and knew it provided a venue to improve your speaking skills. It exceeded my expectations. My communication skills improved but more important, my confidence soared.

Toastmasters, in case you have not heard of it, is a large and distinguished 84-year old organization. From its website, I quote:

From a humble beginning in 1924 at the YMCA in Santa Ana, California, Toastmasters International has grown to become a world leader in helping people become more competent and comfortable in front of an audience. The nonprofit organization now has nearly 235,000 members in 11,700 clubs in 92 countries, offering a proven – and enjoyable! – way to practice and hone communication and leadership skills.

Most Toastmasters meetings are comprised of approximately 20 people who meet weekly for an hour or two. Participants practice and learn skills by filling a meeting role, ranging from giving a prepared speech or an impromptu one to serving as timer, evaluator or grammarian.

There is no instructor; instead, each speech and meeting is critiqued by a member in a positive manner, focusing on what was done right and what could be improved.

Good communicators tend to be good leaders. Some well-known Toastmasters alumni include:
Peter Coors of Coors Brewing Company
Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies
Tom Peters, management expert and author
Linda Lingle, Governor of Hawaii

THE TOP TEN FEARS

You might have heard that in the list of top ten fears, public speaking ranks higher than death itself! In one list, fear of public speaking occupies the third position, only after fear of failure and fear of rejection. Toastmasters will help you conquer that fear. You might have also heard that you get back what you put into it. This is especially true for this club. Alas, many members start but only about 25% remain active enough to finish the beginner’s program.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU JOIN

A neophyte is given a goal when s/he joins. The goal is to become a Certified ToastMaster (CTM). The certification was renamed several years and is now known as Certified Communicator. A second initial goal is to become a Competent Leader (CL). Click here to read about these two tracks of the educational program. Incidentally, one of the skills you will learn in addition to speaking well is listening. Active listening is rarely practiced but it is an important aspect of communication.

Stop and think about your formal education. How many years were you taught how to write? How many years were you taught to speak? How many minutes were you taught how to listen? If you’re similar to 99% of us, your answer to the last question will be nil. Active listening requires one to shut down all the other conversations going through one’s mind while communicating with other people. Once you learn how to listen actively, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the natural improvement of your communication skills.

Membership dues are very affordable. Toastmasters is a non-profit organization. The dues vary slightly from club to club but it hovers around $75 to $80 for one year! That is only about $6.50 a month. Clubs typically meet on a weekly or biweekly basis. At each meeting, the more experienced members assume various roles. The more active roles are that of the Toastmaster for the meeting, the Assistant Toastmaster, the Evaluators, the Timer, and the Grammarian.

It takes ten timed speeches spaced over many months that are delivered before the group to earn your CTM. It takes several leadership positions in Toastmaster events to earn your CL.

The format works because the speaker—the person who joined specifically to overcome his/her fear of public speaking—will speak in front of a sympathetic audience. Nobody will ridicule you. And you will have an attentive audience. Every speech is evaluated—in writing and in a speech. Written evaluations are submitted by everyone present at the meeting (even guests are usually invited to evaluate). The spoken evaluations take the form of a speech given by the official Evaluator. To recap, you give your speech, everyone fills in a written evaluation that you receive before the meeting ends, and another member, your official Evaluator, will stand up and evaluate your speech in his or her own speech!

In addition to the usual club activities, the district that your club belongs to, holds speech contests. Toastmaster’s hierarchy in ascending order starts with the:

Club
Area
District
Region
World

MY CLUB

I belonged to a club called “People Into Public Speaking.” We met (and they still do) every Monday lunchtime at the world headquarters of McDonald’s Corporation in Oak Brook, Illinois. Our club belonged to Area-5. The area, in turn, was a part of the Chicagoland district. We belonged to a region that encompassed four or five states.

PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITIONS

There are district-level contests and world-champion contests. Yes, there is a world champion every year. I am proud to say that the 2005-06 world champion of public speaking, Ed Hearn, came from the Chicagoland district! And he won it on his first attempt! The current world champion is the first woman, a black woman, to win the crown. Many world champions become professional speakers or coaches and easily earn six figures.

The 75th president of the parent organization, Toastmasters International, from 2006 to 07 is a Filipino, the first Asian, to hold that distinguished post.

Here are several sites that discuss Toastmasters.

This posting turned into a ringing endorsement of Toastmasters even though it was not my intention! Well, it represents my feeling about the organization. I was active for three years, from 2002 to 2005, and earned my CTM and CL. I definitely plan to rejoin it in the future.

It is great fun and it is a self-improvement commitment as well. I urge you to consider it as well.

2008-05-02T20:23:00.003-05:00

A BEST PRACTICE FOR BOSSES

One of the more difficult aspects of working for a boss is learning the boss’s communication and decision styles. Considering that the single most significant factor in determining your job satisfaction is your relationship with your boss, it pays to pay attention to that. In turn, when you’re the boss, you should communicate your personal style clearly.

(Dilbert's Pointy-haired Boss, inspired by my PM professor)

Here’s one technique I learned early in my project management “bossing” career from a mentor.

Create a list of guidelines for your team. Its purpose is to communicate the ground rules for interaction. This was one of my early lists.

I strongly believe in trust and dependability. If somebody says that they’ll do something, they should. If some unforeseen circumstance interferes, that person has the responsibility of notifying all that will be affected. If s/he wasn’t able to do that before the event, s/he must do it with an apology and explanation as soon as possible. And, may I add, to not do this repeatedly.
I will treat you professionally and I expect the same.
Refrain from accepting or committing to changes to the project unless you have that authority. All changes must go through the change control process. All requests, regardless of the medium it was sent in (e.g., email) must be transcribed to the official change request form.
Email headings. Maximize the use of the subject line. Identify the nature of the message according to its content. An email for action should be labeled ACTION. An FYI should be labeled FYI. Incidentally, I can’t think of any other type of email besides a Call for Action or an FYI. If I missed a category, please advise me.
Email headings again. Break the chain! At some point, it becomes silly to continue receiving and sending emails with the same heading over and over again. Here's what I mean: ACTION ----> re: ACTION ----> re: re: ACTION ----> re: re: re: ACTION ----> re: re: re: re: ACTION. Please break the chain!
Email length. Keep it to several paragraphs if possible. Longer content should be created as a separate document (e.g., Word or Excel) and attached to the email.
Email legalese. Our employer can legally monitor all email sent through its facilities. This includes your personal emails.
Email ccs and bccs. Refrain from carbon copying (that’s what “cc” stands for) and blind carbon copying (“bcc”) persons who do not need to know. CC-ing me to protect your rear may work but it may also lead me to form an incorrect impression about you.
Presentations. We’ve all heard of “death by PowerPoint.” If the expression is unfamiliar, please Google it. Learn how to make effective presentations.
Start and end meetings on time. Unless circumstances dictate otherwise, distribute the agenda at least 18 hours before the meeting.
It is sometimes easier to seek forgiveness than to ask permission. If you have to make a decision and, for whatever reason, you aren’t able to contact me or another manager, decide in the best interests of the company. You can do it.
I enjoy receiving most surprise presents from my family. I do not enjoy most surprises that come from stakeholders, customers, and fellow employees. Please advise me if you see something that should be brought to my attention.
Grammar and spelling. There are checkers in MS Word. Please use them. Typos and bad grammar annoy me especially if customers will read them.

2008-04-02T21:00:00.004-05:00

THE TALKING STICK

Meetings should be an opportunity for people to get together and discuss what they think and feel. They should be there to listen as much as to talk. If they do that they will learn from each other. They will have gathered all the information available at that moment. They can make a decision with this information or decide that they need more information. Either way, isn’t gathering all information available at that moment the usual purpose of a meeting?

It doesn’t happen like that most of the time. There are bold personalities, shy ones, and every shade in between. New ideas may immediately meet skepticism and the proponents are immediately put on the defensive. Behavior like this creates discouraging and intimidating environments.

Is there an alternative? Yes, there are many. But one stands out for its simplicity. Its effectiveness has been proven over centuries when battling tribes had to communicate. The alternative originates from the traditions of native American Indians. They sat in a circle—the formation that’s most conducive to equality. One of their communication tools was a “talking stick.” Whoever held the stick had the right to talk. Everyone else could only listen. When the person finished, the stick returned to the middle of the circle. Anyone who had a contribution to make could then reach for the stick. This simple technique prevented contention and gave everyone a chance to speak.

I first heard about it in “The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness” by Dr. Stephen Covey (pages 197 to 198). The image is click-able, by the way. It leads you to an artisan’s website.

DESCRIPTIONS

Here’s a beautiful description of the talking stick by Dr. Carol Locust, PhD:

The talking stick has been used for centuries by many American Indian tribes as a means of just and impartial hearing. The talking stick was commonly used in council circles to designate who had the right to speak. When matters of great concern came before the council, the leading elder would hold the talking stick and begin the discussion. When he finished what he had to say he would hold out the talking stick, and whoever wished to speak after him would take it. In this manner the stick was passed from one individual to another until all who wished to speak had done so. The stick was then passed back to the leading elder for safe keeping.

Some tribes used a talking feather instead of a talking stick. Other tribes might have a peace pipe, a wampum belt, a sacred shell, or some other object by which they designate the right to speak. Whatever the object, it carries respect for free speech and assures the speaker he has the freedom and power to say what is in his heart without fear of reprisal or humiliation.

Whoever holds the talking stick has within his hands the sacred power of words. Only he can speak while he holds the stick; the other council members must remain silent. The eagle feather tied to the talking stick gives him the courage and wisdom to speak truthfully and wisely. The rabbit fur on the end of the stick reminds him that his words must come from his heart and that they must be soft and warm. The blue stone will remind him that the Great Spirit hears the message of his heart as well as the words he speaks. The shell, iridescent and ever changing, reminds him that all creation changes—the days, the seasons, the years—and people and situations change, too. The four colors of beads—yellow for the sunrise (east), red for the sunset (west), white for the snow (north) and green for the earth (south)—are symbolic of the powers of the universe he has in his hands at the moment to speak what is in his heart. Attached to the stick are strands of hair from the great buffalo. He who speaks may do so with the power and strength of this great animal.

The speaker should not forget that he carries within himself a sacred spark of the Great Spirit, and therefore he is also sacred. If he feels he cannot honor the talking stick with his words, he should refrain from speaking so he will not dishonor himself. When he is again in control of his words, the stick will be returned to him.

Dr. Locust is affiliated with the Cherokee tribe.

Another and more succinct description came from here. The talking stick is:

a Native American tradition used to facilitate an orderly discussion. Usually speakers are arranged in a talking circle and the stick is passed from hand to hand as the discussion progresses. It encourages all to speak and allows each person to speak without interruption. The talking stick brings all natural elements together to guide and direct the talking circle. The stick is made of wood, decorated with feathers or fur, beads or paint, or a combination of all.

Here's another one.

Practice using the talking stick. The next person to speak should begin by paraphrasing the remarks of the preceding speaker. The preceding speaker will have the opportunity to confirm the accuracy of the paraphrase. The idea is to ensure that the next person has a clear understanding of the preceding speaker's message. (Incidentally, this idea can be expanded to ensure that the group and not just the next person, understands the preceding speaker's message.)

A talking stick can bring order to a group meeting.

The talking stick was used by Native Americans to show who had the right to speak. The chief would hold the talking stick and begin the discussion. He would pass the talking stick to the next speaker. Only the individual holding the stick could speak.

Communication in Native American culture differs from contemporary American-style communication. The former values cooperation over competition. When Native Americans engage in conversation they listen intently. They usually look down and do not establish eye contact until the person speaking has completely finished talking. Each man was assured that he could talk and finish his thought without interruption.

PRACTICAL USAGE

By now it should be obvious what the Talking Stick can do. Whether the stick is returned to the middle of the circle or passed to another person, the stick serves as a token of the right to speak, or more accurately, to be heard without interruption.

Here’s how I first used it. I broke a flimsy branch off a tree in winter (it was about to fall off anyway). I brought the branch into the restaurant and requested the staff to cut it down to a manageable piece. My party came in and after eating I explained the Talking Stick and how we would use it. There was some initial hesitation but after the first person spoke, everyone went with the program.

Why don’t you try it yourself?

RELATED LINKS

For kids
From Wikipedia
From A native American Indian website (nice description!)
Amazon: The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

2008-03-27T18:53:00.004-05:00

CAN THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF INFORMATION BE CALCULATED?

Contrary to popular belief, the value of information can be calculated and expressed as a dollar value! Or so says Mr. Doug Hubbard.

Credit goes to Hubbard Decision Research that wrote a white paper entitled “Applied Information Economics: A New Method for Quantifying IT Value.”

I’ve been reading more of this author’s works. I think they’re impressive. So does Lucent, the Department of Defense, and his other clients.

This is how Mr. Doug Hubbard explains the calculation process:

1. Information reduces uncertainty.
2. Less uncertainty improves decisions.
3. Better decisions result in more effective actions.
4. Effective actions improve profit.

He concludes by stating that:

These four steps can be stated in unambiguous mathematical terms. The mathematical model for this has been around since the late 1940s.

Do you agree with the process as he explained it?