This is the way Bill Moyers describes the conflagration in Gaza.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Thomas Paine on The Writer's Almanac.
On the 233rd anniversary of the publication of Common Sense, Thomas Paine's famous pamphlet is commemorated by Garrison Keillor on The Writer's Almanac. This pamphlet explained the reasons the American colonies should declare their independence from Britain and was originally published anonymously. It sold roughly 500,000 copies in its first year. Thomas Paine did not profit from the sale of his work and donated all the proceeds to provisioning the continental army thus illustrating the old adage - the pen is mightier...
Friday, January 9, 2009
ABOUND SOLAR - Named a Top Startup 2008
The excitement surrounding Abound Solar and the potential for this company to bring down the cost of solar generated power on a global scale is at a fever pitch. Generating electricity at about $1 per Watt would serve as a great equalizer in an energy starved world.
I am not an economist or a stock broker but I must say that the odds that an onslaught of recently liquidated capital might flow into this promising company are high. A torrent of naysayers and worrywarts that recently yanked their assets from the ailing international banks and other old-timey blue chips are chomping at the bit to sew their wild renewable energy oats. This sets the stage for a perfectly poised flood of money which would reinvigorate and essentially recreate the economic landscape. Enter: Abound Solar and other companies like them such as Vestas - the wind energy people.
Business Week Online announced Abound Solar as one of the 25 most successful startups of 2008. Business week cites the fact that Abound raised over $104 million in venture capital in 2008 making it the most lucrative start-up in the state of Colorado.
Abound is using an old American invention to make their magic - the assembly line. By passing panes of regular window glass through a series of extremely hot vacuum chambers various chemical solids are sublimed onto the glass to form a series of photovoltaic thin films and the process of producing cheap solar cells is manifested. Owning proprietary rights to some steps in sealing off the cadmium telluride/cadmium sulfide within a glass sandwich is really what makes the company viable. Watch the assembly line in action within this blog post on Solar Power Authority.
Carl Sagan began an episode of Cosmos with the following assertion - “We wish to pursue the truth no matter where it leads, but to find the truth we need imagination and skepticism both. We will not be afraid to speculate but we will be careful to distinguish speculation from fact. The cosmos is full beyond measure with exquisite relationships of the awesome machine of nature.”
As we speculate on the success of new energy technology there is hope that human interrelationships with the machine of nature will approach a state of sustainability where humanity can thrive.
Stay tuned for updates about abound solar on Tom Paine's Ghost!
See Abound solar on CNN and their website.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Nikola Tesla
For a man obsessed with the number 3 this is a unique moment. 66 years ago, between January 5th and January 8th 1943 NIKOLA TESLA, like an electron popping out of an uncertain orbital, passed out of earthly existence in room 3327 on the 33rd floor in the Hotel New Yorker. The story of this man's life is more magical because of its truth than the most fantastic fiction ever written. I imagine his life as a heavenly existence spent in reality passing time with some of history's brightest stars - Mark Twain, John Muir, Teddy Roosevelt, and Thomas Edison. His vision for free and equitable POWER (in all philosophical and practical definitions of the word) for every man woman and child on earth has still not been fully realized. As the internet gains depth and gravity this vision is pieced together slowly and perhaps one day will be complete. The ghost of Nikola Tesla breathes life into the very medium in which I pass these keystrokes along. May he never be forgot!Monday, January 5, 2009
5 Things to Start and 5 Things to Stop in 2009
I'm publishing this right away to get it out there, though teri.mclain penned the following post.
So - we have the audacity to hope that Barack Obama will change the world for us in 2009 and we can continue to sit around on our keisters and whine. I think we all know that this isn’t going to happen. We will need change a few things ourselves.
As with most New Year’s resolutions, most of us will pick tiny things to improve our own tiny lives. But this year, imagine how improving yourself can also improve our planet.
During the 2008 election, we learned that we do actually want change and we prioritized our concerns. We elected a new guy because we are concerned about 5 whopping problems:
1. Environmental POLLUTION
2. Lack of AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE
3. Lack of quality EDUCATION
4. The ECONOMIC CRISIS and
5. The perpetual state of WAR
For those of you ready to try something different, here are some suggestions for ordinary things we can all resolve to do every single day. Things that take little time and minimal effort but could result in big and noticeable changes. Observe that the simple act of stopping can have just as much effect as starting something new.
To work on the problem of preserving our planet:
Start: Conserving
Stop: Having babies
Use a clothesline, a travel mug, a bicycle. Once you start even one simple conservation act, you will start to see opportunities to reduce waste in almost everything you do. Just pick the easiest one and start. Look in your trashcan. Try to eliminate most of that stuff from your life. And must we mention birth control? We know that this planet can sustain a finite number of humans and if we exceed that number, the whole thing falls apart. Resolve to quit arguing about the number and stop having babies. If we fail to pass this simple test of intelligence, we deserve to die a slow painful death of starvation in a miserable, polluted stinkhole.
To participate in the reform of our health care system:
Start: Exercising
Stop: Eating Junk Food
There are two very simple concepts at work here: Cause & effect and supply & demand. Bad diets and poor exercise cause disease. If you take a little time for wellness each day, you will not have to make time for illness later. People who are not sick and do not take 57 prescription drugs will decrease the demand for healthcare. When there is low demand and a steady supply, this is known as abundance. When something exists in abundance, the cost goes down. A few cases in point: SUVs, onions, air.
To improve our pitiful education system:
Start: Learning
Stop: Watching television
When we are educated, our children will be also. If we are zoned-out, TV couch zombies, our children will be also. The corruption and exploitation machine relies on a country of zombies. Stop contributing to the machine. Go learn something. Teach it to your kids. This does not require that you sign up for a PhD thesis or a Mandarin Chinese class in Mongolian economic theory. Learn something interesting every day. Use your new free time to read independent news from around the world and exercise. Unplug.
To turn the Economy around:
Start: Buying locally produced stuff
Stop: Borrowing money
Our local economies are suffering because much of our money travels on a one-way ticket to the corporate headquarters of the institutions we buy things from – most located on the Cayman Islands. If WE want to control OUR money that WE earn by OUR labor, we need to keep more of OUR dollars circulating in OUR towns so WE can use it. Buy local. Supporting your mates right here at home actually helps YOU.
We have all seen in great detail what happens when borrowing gets out of control. The banks and the government obviously have no idea how to properly regulate these things, so it looks like we will have to do this one ourselves. This is a tough one. We are addicted to easy credit. We must kick this habit or submit to more wage slavery because when we are in debt, we are desperate to have a job and will submit ourselves to almost anything.
To End War:
Start: Traveling
Stop: Being judgmental
When you travel, especially in the third world, you see things. You see what real poverty looks like. You see that foreign people are more like you than different from you. You see that it is a real crime to bomb them for any reason. You see that they really don’t hate Americans, just misguided American policies and guided American missiles. Go. Get out of your safe little rut of Las Vegas and Cancun and Disney world. Explore the planet, it’s pretty cool, really. The people will welcome you. And finally, let’s all resolve to stop being so judgmental. Let us recognize the humanity of each person that we meet in 2009 and quit comparing everyone and believing that some are going to hell and some are devils, and some are out to get us, while some are evil and others deserve death and we deserve a posh retirement on a golf course.
These are easy things to try. Pick one. Let’s see what happens.
So - we have the audacity to hope that Barack Obama will change the world for us in 2009 and we can continue to sit around on our keisters and whine. I think we all know that this isn’t going to happen. We will need change a few things ourselves.
As with most New Year’s resolutions, most of us will pick tiny things to improve our own tiny lives. But this year, imagine how improving yourself can also improve our planet.
During the 2008 election, we learned that we do actually want change and we prioritized our concerns. We elected a new guy because we are concerned about 5 whopping problems:
1. Environmental POLLUTION
2. Lack of AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE
3. Lack of quality EDUCATION
4. The ECONOMIC CRISIS and
5. The perpetual state of WAR
For those of you ready to try something different, here are some suggestions for ordinary things we can all resolve to do every single day. Things that take little time and minimal effort but could result in big and noticeable changes. Observe that the simple act of stopping can have just as much effect as starting something new.
To work on the problem of preserving our planet:
Start: Conserving
Stop: Having babies
Use a clothesline, a travel mug, a bicycle. Once you start even one simple conservation act, you will start to see opportunities to reduce waste in almost everything you do. Just pick the easiest one and start. Look in your trashcan. Try to eliminate most of that stuff from your life. And must we mention birth control? We know that this planet can sustain a finite number of humans and if we exceed that number, the whole thing falls apart. Resolve to quit arguing about the number and stop having babies. If we fail to pass this simple test of intelligence, we deserve to die a slow painful death of starvation in a miserable, polluted stinkhole.
To participate in the reform of our health care system:
Start: Exercising
Stop: Eating Junk Food
There are two very simple concepts at work here: Cause & effect and supply & demand. Bad diets and poor exercise cause disease. If you take a little time for wellness each day, you will not have to make time for illness later. People who are not sick and do not take 57 prescription drugs will decrease the demand for healthcare. When there is low demand and a steady supply, this is known as abundance. When something exists in abundance, the cost goes down. A few cases in point: SUVs, onions, air.
To improve our pitiful education system:
Start: Learning
Stop: Watching television
When we are educated, our children will be also. If we are zoned-out, TV couch zombies, our children will be also. The corruption and exploitation machine relies on a country of zombies. Stop contributing to the machine. Go learn something. Teach it to your kids. This does not require that you sign up for a PhD thesis or a Mandarin Chinese class in Mongolian economic theory. Learn something interesting every day. Use your new free time to read independent news from around the world and exercise. Unplug.
To turn the Economy around:
Start: Buying locally produced stuff
Stop: Borrowing money
Our local economies are suffering because much of our money travels on a one-way ticket to the corporate headquarters of the institutions we buy things from – most located on the Cayman Islands. If WE want to control OUR money that WE earn by OUR labor, we need to keep more of OUR dollars circulating in OUR towns so WE can use it. Buy local. Supporting your mates right here at home actually helps YOU.
We have all seen in great detail what happens when borrowing gets out of control. The banks and the government obviously have no idea how to properly regulate these things, so it looks like we will have to do this one ourselves. This is a tough one. We are addicted to easy credit. We must kick this habit or submit to more wage slavery because when we are in debt, we are desperate to have a job and will submit ourselves to almost anything.
To End War:
Start: Traveling
Stop: Being judgmental
When you travel, especially in the third world, you see things. You see what real poverty looks like. You see that foreign people are more like you than different from you. You see that it is a real crime to bomb them for any reason. You see that they really don’t hate Americans, just misguided American policies and guided American missiles. Go. Get out of your safe little rut of Las Vegas and Cancun and Disney world. Explore the planet, it’s pretty cool, really. The people will welcome you. And finally, let’s all resolve to stop being so judgmental. Let us recognize the humanity of each person that we meet in 2009 and quit comparing everyone and believing that some are going to hell and some are devils, and some are out to get us, while some are evil and others deserve death and we deserve a posh retirement on a golf course.
These are easy things to try. Pick one. Let’s see what happens.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
New York's "Obesity Tax"
A tale of aspartame and high fructose corn syrup.
While home in New York State for the Christmas holiday political matters were generally not part of familial conversation. But one piece of legislation in New York was discussed. The new "obesity tax" on regular soda. This tax essentially attempts to deter people from drinking regular soda by adding an ¢18 charge per can. After contemplating the reasoning surrounding this law I believe the intention is good but the mark is missed. Mainly because all other food products with added high fructose corn syrup, and diet sodas are excluded from taxation.
I was a fat kid. In junior high I had to wear a special "fat kid" jersey on the basketball team. I know the torment so many kids are going through now because of their weight. Wanting to understand metabolism because of my battle against childhood obesity guided my choice to study biochemistry. I'm writing this because of that fat kid jersey.
The primary reason soft drink consumption is linked to obesity is the disproportionately large volumes in which soda is sold. 12, 24, 32, even 64 oz. containers are not unusual in our fast food nation. A simple solution to the soda problem would be to tax soda per individually packaged unit on an exponential scale for any container over 8 oz.
Super-sizing the soda portion was the way Pepsi Co. and Coca Cola dealt with plummeting soda prices in the 1980's. This depression in the supply/demand curve happened when the technology to turn regular corn syrup into the much sweeter high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) finally emerged from recombinant genetic research in Japan in the late 1970's. The soda companies, along with almost all other processed food companies, were quick on the uptake and in 1980 they swapped the more expensive imported cane sugar, for cheap domestically grown and processed HFCS. To stay profitable they upped the volume sold to the consumer. When I worked at my local cinema as a high school student my manager called this strategy "up-selling." I was told to ask the customers "you sure you don't want to upgrade that medium to a large? It's only ¢50 more."
In short, the American people fell for the old movie theater pop-corn trick. For nearly 30 years our average caloric intake from soft drinks has gone up and up and up. Michael Pollan explains this phenomenon in greater depth from page 100-108 in the Omnivore's Dilemma.
But simply reducing the volume would be far too easy a solution for our high-tech world. Why rain on Pepsi Co./Coca Cola's parade? Why not make money on the other side. Run billions of ads for weight loss programs, machines, lipo-suction, Richard Simmons and that guy with the pony-tail. Why attack the cause when there is so much money to be made in the clean-up?
Speaking of money to be made on the other side of obesity, I'd like to focus on Aspartame, aka NutraSweet. This compound 
actually promotes sugar uptake from other dietary sources. This means that an individual that only consumes diet soda and no other food or beverage would indeed loose weight, but any other sugary or fatty food consumed by an individual drinking a NutraSweet drink absorbs those other calories more readily.
I would love to see a scientific paper that is not blocked by the soda, or artificial sweetener companies on weight gain in mice fed aspartame vs. cane sugar. The paper I am proposing would include a control group of mice (fed a normal diet with no added sugars), one experimental group fed a normal diet and 1 gram of cane sugar per day and a second experimental group fed a normal diet and 1 gram of aspartame per day. If the hypothesis that aspartame promotes the uptake of glucose is correct the group of mice being fed the NutraSweet should be heavier than either of the other groups.
There is another disturbing twist in the legend of aspartame. One of the main proponents that pushed legislation through the FDA to allow aspartame to be used as a food additive for mass consumption was the chief operating officer of G.D. Searle and Company - Mr. Donald Rumsfeld. 
Mr. Rumsfeld re-applied for the FDA to approve aspartame within the first few months of Ronald Regan's presidency. He filed the application despite the fact that the FDA had rejected the initial application because of unclear data relating to observed brain cancer in mice fed aspartame. The relative value Mr. Rumsfeld has placed on human life when reckoning business transactions gives me little reason to believe this man would care to look at any negative evidence about something he wanted the American people to buy into, whether it was war or soft drinks.
A recap - Solutions include; changing the tax language to include all products with added high fructose corn syrup, an exponential tax scale for all beverage containers over 8 ounces, and a ban on all artificial sweeteners until long term biological effects can be thoroughly studied.
In the meantime, raise a small glass of cane-sugar-sweetened cola; to the end of the Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Cheney, Bush error!!!
Cheers!
~The Ghost
AVA Solar
A solar cell company to keep your eye on in 2009.
Despite the unfortunately cheesy music in the background this provides one of the most encompassing views of a company I have a lot of hope for in my own back yard.
Despite the unfortunately cheesy music in the background this provides one of the most encompassing views of a company I have a lot of hope for in my own back yard.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Burned Iraq War Vet Makes Cameo on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
History Deciding.
Plato wrote - "the penalty that good men pay for not being interested in politics is to be governed by men worse than themselves." The remorse I feel in having spent the last eight years under the tyranny of a hereditary ruler in a country founded on the abolishment of monarchy ignites the flame of revolution buried deep within my genome.
If all the lamentations from the past eight years regarding President George W. Bush were collected into a singular sonic boom of public outcry, it would pail in comparison to the echoing legacy of shame he leaves festering all over our planet. Indeed, actions (and by the same reasoning - inactions) speak louder than words. All the strong words that have been flung his way in recent history are but whispers when compared to the resounding emotion that comes from witnessing consequence first hand.
Moments into the new year, during the broadcast of Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve on ABC, a certain scene resonated and has been smoldering in my mind ever since. The cameras had turned to American Idol star Kellie Pickler, where she was surrounded by three Iraq war veterans celebrating the new year in Times Square. The man in the center was staring into the camera intensely through the skin of his face pulled taught around his cheek bones by severe third degree burns. He raised his hand and cheered at the camera, while Ms. Pickler hurried to step between him and the camera to "shield" the American public from the manifestations and real consequences of war. George W. Bush has asked that history decide if his presidency was bad or good, but someone forgot to send him the memo - nowadays history is written in real time.
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