Japanese kids learn what to do when earthquake strikes while Israeli kids learn how to deal with incoming rockets.
When are we, the grown ups, going to learn?
Archives for posts with tag: Mutual Respect
Initially politics was an activity. “Was” and not “were” because it was something in which every concerned citizen played an part, a collective effort. Oh, I forgot to tell you that this happened in Ancient Greece during what we now call the ‘first stage of democracy’.
Then, after a little less than two millennia, it became an occupation. People who had successful careers behind them were deemed trustworthy by the rest of the community and elected into government positions. The countries which used this ‘democratic mechanism’ thrived: the US, Britain, France, …to name just a few of them.
Lately politics have become a profession. People study it in Universities and engage in it without any prior experience outside the field. I believe you all know what ‘community organizer‘ means, right?
No, I’m not going to discuss this notion right now. The results can be both good or bad, exactly as it happens with almost all human professions: both Mengele and Albert Schweitzer were MDs…
For now I’ll refrain myself to observing that people have less and less tolerance for digression on the part of the politicians.
“Nicholas Sarkozy arrested over corruption allegations”
Gerhard Schroeder, lionized in his time for cutting down to size the German welfare state is now widely criticized for his involvement with GAZPROM.
Silvio Berlusconi is serving time, disguised as ‘community service’, for tax evasion.
Need I go on?
And this is happening in what we call ‘democratic countries’. In other places former rulers are stabbed to death or brought to justice in a cage.
In fact we have indeed progressed, as a species. The last time the French got really pissed off by their leaders quite a few people lost their heads…
The most disturbing thing in all this is that the politicians were supposed to be the ones capable/willing of doing ‘the good thing’ AND professional enough as not to exaggerate in anything they do….
Is there anything to be done about all this?
How about upping the ante?
I keep hearing ‘we need a strong leader’ or ‘we need more true leaders’. Are we really sure about that? Leaders would do almost anything to take us where THEY see fit.
How about politicians acting as ‘administrators’?
Right now politics is played, in a lot of places, as a beauty pageant. Would be rulers (leaders) come up-stage to make promises and we choose the ‘best-looking’ charmer. After a while he unfailingly fails so we ‘boo’ him out of office.
Switzerland, for instance, has another way of doing things. They talk a lot more among themselves, many ideas are put forward and then some of them get to become policies and other get dumped.
When have you last heard about a Swiss political leader or about a Swiss political scandal?
So this is what ‘intelligent design’ is about!
In fact it’s funny even if rather inappropriate since pigs appeared on the face of the Earth long after dinosaurs went extinct.
Thanks to “I fucking love science” for this subject and for the cartoon.
So what do we have here?
Four crafty teenage Nigerian girls have put together an ingenuous rig for a ‘science and technology’ fair.
- Urine is put into an electrolytic cell, which separates out the hydrogen.
- The hydrogen goes into a water filter for purification, which then gets pushed into the gas cylinder.
- The gas cylinder pushes hydrogen into a cylinder of liquid borax, which is used to remove the moisture from the hydrogen gas.
- This purified hydrogen gas is pushed into the generator.
A well meaning ‘eager beaver’ journalist wanting to help promote their exploit has branded the whole contraption as an ‘urine powered generator’.
An then the hell broke loose:
I’m not in the business of apportioning blame all over the internet but after finding out about this succession of events I started to have serious doubts about who is wrong and who should be ashamed of themselves….
I’m sure that most of you have already understood where I’m headed to but please bear with me.
So OK, the ‘eager beaver’ has indeed stretched the reality a little bit. It’s not an ‘urine powered generator’ but an ingenuous ‘science project’ presented by some teen age students.
So what was it that brought the wrath of the ‘eco-scammer’ on those ‘poor’ girls? Or even on the writer of the original article…
Who, and where, claimed that the contraption produced more energy than it consumed? Yes, those arguments involving thermodynamics and all that scientific mambo-jumbo that he is mentioning inside his article are absolutely correct (“trust me, I’m an engineer”, a real one that is) but perfectly misplaced.
As is the original title but while that title is an innocent exaggeration the second article is a malicious (or myopic?) and undeserved rebuttal.
Getting back to what had started all this, that ‘thing’ is not a ‘generator’ but can be used as an accumulator!
Solar panels produce energy when the sun is up but people need light at night, obviously.
Even more importantly, solar panels produce a type of current (DC) which can be used to ‘split’ water into hydrogen and oxygen and to light a special kind of bulb but for little else. If you want to power a ‘modern appliance’, a refrigerator for instance, you need an inverter – a pricy device that transforms DC into AC.
On the other hand the type of gas powered generator used by those crafty students is relatively cheap and common enough almost everywhere in the world. Adapting it to run on hydrogen is easy, this feat was not even mentioned in the original article.
So the real meaning of what those 4 girls did is that they came up with a way to replace a costly scheme comprising a lot of batteries and an inverter with a gas bottle, an already largely available gas powered generator, an electrolytic cell and two filters.
Not a small feat, by any means!
If you take some time to think about it, of course.
And yes, there are four girls that did this, not three like the ‘eco-scammer’, who probably didn’t even bother to read the original article, wrote insouciantly after merely taking a glance at the photo that came with the inappropriately titled news.
The original story can be read here: http://makerfaireafrica.com/2012/11/06/a-urine-powered-generator/
and the ‘eco-scammer’ rebuttal here: http://www.eco-scams.com/archives/790
For some 30 years now the western press is periodically awash with news about the impending doom that is going to engulf China. If not now then soon, very soon.
While I’m not particular fond of the Chinese communists – every political force that enjoys monopolistic control over the space where it resides eventually becomes too rigid and looses ability to cope with the day to day challenges – I must give them what is theirs.
By drawing from the rich experience of the Imperial China the current rulers have learned something. Don’t push it unnecessarily hard, don’t appear to be callous when there is no need for such thing. Not because it would be immoral or anything like that but because it is ‘a mistake’ to do such a thing.
In most countries if something like that would have happened it would have meant that the ordinary people were getting fed with the callousness of the government officials and that generalized riots will follow. Like what happened in Tunisia at the start of the Arab spring.
In China when ever something like this grabs the attention of the public eye the ‘Party’ springs into action and promptly punishes the perpetrator instead of trying to shield him/cover up for him. This way the ‘Party’ preserves it role in the society and makes sure it remains relevant.
So please put those doom scenarios on hold, at least for as long as things like that will continue to be severely sanctioned by the ubiquitous ‘Party’.
Click here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2666147/No-free-rides-Chinese-government-worker-sacked-picture-emerges-riding-employees-flood-avoid-getting-wet.html if you want to read the whole story and thanks Veooz http://www.veooz.com/news/WHHU7ev.html for the picture
There is a intense debate going on in some circles about this subject.
Some think that vaccines are poisonous because some of them contain traces of mercury.
Some others believe that autism can appear, at least in part, as a reaction to certain vaccines.
No real proof has ever been presented for any of those assertions yet the storm is raging on.
Here is my take on this.
Basically we have two kinds of infectious diseases that can be prevented through vaccination.
Some that have high mortality rates or survivors are left with permanent damages: small pox, polio and rabies come to my mind right now.
Others that are milder or just a nuisance, for most people at least. Measles, mumps, chickenpox… Of course, there are people who develop serious consequences from having one of these, for instance mumps can be a real problem if had at an older age and chickenpox is really dangerous for pregnant women, but on the whole this second category is less dangerous than the first.
Now what I would really like to know is would anyone seriously consider not vaccinating their children for the first category of diseases IF MOST OF THE GENERAL POPULATION HADN’T ALREADY BEEN VACCINATED?
I know that there are some religious extremists who try to disrupt immunization against polio in their countries. This only fuels my dilemma: what does it really mean to be a rational human being?
Luni seara se discuta de zor la ‘Jocuri de Putere’ despre noul consiliu de administratie al BNR.
Cum ii sade bine unei emisiuni de televiziune erau prezenti oameni cu diverse pareri asa ca atmosfera era destul de dinamica.
Se degaja totusi si un oarecare consens, nu neaparat in legatura cu subiectul in sine ci cu privire la faptul ca ‘in toamna PSD va pierde majoritatea si de aceea isi pun acum, cat mai au posibilitatea, oameni in posturi cheie’.
N-am urmarit emisiunea de la inceput asa ca nu stiu pe ce se bazeaza aceasta asertiune dar stiu ca un calcul electoral simplu, pe care l-am si facut imediat dupa europarlamentare, arata ca dreapta ar putea castiga alegerile prezidentiale.
“Ideea e ca PSD-ul (si aliatii sai) va avea mult de munca sa scoata mai multi oameni la vot decat a scos acum. Cam asta e, asta au putut, asta au scos. (2093234 voturi) De unde si invitatia facuta PNL-ului de a reveni in USL. Si sa nu uitam ca erodarea partidului aflat la guvernare’ va produce in continuare efecte. Asta inseamna ca PSD-ul nu-si va putea permite inventarea vre-unui nou impozit sau altceva de genul asta, cel putin pana dupa prezidentiale.
Pe dreapta situatia e si mai incurcata. Aici se poate conta cu adevarat doar pe cele 10% ale PDL-ului. Problema care se pune e ‘vor putea anticomunistii furiosi sa treaca peste alianta pe care a facut-o PNL-ul cu PSD-ul pentru a-l debarca pe Basescu?’ Altfel o dreapta ‘scarbita’ nu va avea nici o sansa in fata nucleului dur al PSD-ului care va iesi disciplinat la vot.
Miscarea inspirata a lui Antonescu de a se muta la PPE va lua probabil apa ‘germana’ de la moara lui Basescu ceea ce ar trebui sa atenueze semnificativ lupta fratricida din aceasta zona a esichierului politic.” (“Da’ noi cu cine am votat?”)
‘Ar putea castiga alegerile prezidentiale’, intr-adevar, dar cu o conditie!
Sa gaseasca un candidat credibil!
Ori pana acum si-au tot dat cu stangu’- in – dreptu’…
Da, stiu, asta e caracteristica liberalismului, libertatea de idei si exprimarea lor cu aplomb – iar ambele partide ‘mari’ ce se revendica a fi de dreapta au acest termen cheie in numele lor cu toate ca acum s-au mutat cu arme si bagaje la ‘populari’ – numai ca desi ‘exagerare humanum est’ ‘perseverare’ tot ‘diabolicum’ a ramas.
Pe vremea cand era candidat Antonescu cel mai mare dusman al sau era tot un om de dreapta. Basescu, bineinteles. Si dusmania asta nu a inceput o data cu constituirea USL-ului – si atunci ar fi fost explicabila. La fel de inacceptabila – ma refer aici la modul in care aceasta dusmanie s-a manifestat prin acte politice, dar macar explicabila. Sa ne aducem bine aminte ca USL a fost infiintat tocmai pentru ca Basescu sa fie debarcat de la putere – deci dusmania acerba intre PNL si PDL a precedat si motivat crearea USL-ului si nu invers. Si sa ne mai reamintim ca USL a inceput sa scartie din momentul in care referendumul pentru demiterea lui Basescu a fost ratat, adica atunci cand guvernul Ponta a cedat presiunilor facute de Merkel.
Ce s-ar fi intamplat daca o tineau inainte si daca rezultatul referendumului ar fi fost validat in Parlament? Antonescu ar fi fost deja presedinte de vreo doi ani? Da, e o speculatie…sa revenim…
Acum, dupa retragerea lui Antonescu, e o adevarata forfota. Din fiecare parte sunt impinsi in fata candidati mai vechi si mai noi, care mai de care cu mai putine sanse reale de a fi votati.
Ce-ar fi insa daca ne-ar veni mintea la cap si am gasi o personalitate, o adevarata personalitate, pe care sa o propulsam ‘in fata’?
Si poate chiar ar fi mai bine sa nu fi fost direct implicata in mediul politic? Oricum o data aleasa persoana respectiva va trebui sa renunte la orice afiliere politica asa ca n-ar fi mai bine sa nu datoreze, de la inceput – politic, bineinteles, nimic nimanui?
Nu are ‘aparat politic’? O candidatura la presedentie e altceva decat una la europarlamentare, ce a facut Mircea Diaconu nu se poate repeta in cazul asta?
Pai parca vorbeam despre ‘mintea cea de pe urma’… asta implica ca le va veni mintea la cap tuturor celor cu simpatii de dreapta, inclusiv membrilor de partid.
Ne-am putea da seama ca acest lucru e pe cale sa se intample tocmai daca discutand intre noi vom identifica o astfel de personalitate, o vom propune publicului larg si o vom sustine eficient.
Adica vom merge sa ‘lipim afise’ din convingere si nu pentru a fi rasplatiti dupa alegeri. Vom accepta sa facem parte din comisii electorale de circumscriptie din simt civic si nu pentru orice alte motive. Iar aparatele de partid; cele de dreapta, bineinteles, pot participa si ele foarte bine la acest efort colectiv.
Pana la urma este vorba despre viata noastra, nu a altora.
PS. Sa fie asta motivul pentru care Isarescu a fost numit din nou Guvernator al Bancii Nationale?
Ar fi un candidat extrem de credibil…
Da, probabil ca i-ar placea sa fie la carma Bancii Nationale atunci cand Romania va intra cu panzele sus in Uniunea Bancara Europeana si in spatiul Euro dar ar putea prezida acest proces si de la Cotroceni, de pe ‘duneta’. Nu trebuie sa faca acest lucru neaparat de la ‘timona’.
Duneta: puntea de comanda a vaselor cu panze.
A guverna un vas: “A menține sau a schimba direcția de deplasare a unei nave cu ajutorul cârmei.“
Stirea asta face turul internetului de vreo doua zile insa abia astazi mi-am dat seama cu adevarat de semnificatia gestului facut de Inalt Preafericitul.
Toata tarasenia este profund ‘anticonstitutionala’, adica nesocoteste/batjocoreste niste obiceiuri adanc inradacinate in ritual.
Toti stim ca in mod “normal” agheasma este imprastiata asupra celor ce urmeaza a fi sfintite cu ajutorul unei legaturi de busuioc.
Fiecare dintre noi are cate o explicatie pentru acest lucru:
-Credinciosul autentic invoca traditia.
-Cei cu oarecari cunostinte in domeniul plantelor medicinale stiu ca busuiocul este un puternic dezinfectant.
-Paganilor le place pentru ca miroase frumos.
Eu unul inteleg de ce a folosit Daniel un trafalet, ca doar nu era sa se apuce sa stropeasca haotic cu apa, oricat de sfântă, intr-un studio TV plin de aparatura electronica extrem de scumpa.
Problema este ca actiunea sa deschide larg poarta indoielii:
Oare ce alte traditii mai este dispus sa incalce intai statatorul bisericii autocefale romane?
Incotro isi conduce turma, catre mântuire sau către mântuială?
Somehow I don’t think the 2nd Amendment is that much about guns as it is about trust.
That your neighbor can be entrusted with such powerful tools.
That more individuals being powerful enough to defend themselves will bring about safety for all while power becoming concentrated in the hands of the few will eventually lead to tyranny.
nicichiarasa 