The one liners you see are just status updates sent to my ping.fm account which get cross posted here.
---
and so it goes
###
Friday, December 26, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Piorities
It is such a challenge to deal with other's priorities. Mine are
pretty simple. I tend to let tasks slide. Observers may see that as
procrastination. Its closer to indifference or maybe the Bobby
McFarrin song- Don't Worry, Be Happy. Sure, we all want things to go
our way, but . . .
pretty simple. I tend to let tasks slide. Observers may see that as
procrastination. Its closer to indifference or maybe the Bobby
McFarrin song- Don't Worry, Be Happy. Sure, we all want things to go
our way, but . . .
Mobile
I just set up my phone for mobile blogging. Look for gardeninacan.com
i just heard about this sealed seed garden product. Ok I have am talk
radio on as I drive this customer's truck. Saturday night over night
radio is the anomaly. Usually I listen to bbc
i just heard about this sealed seed garden product. Ok I have am talk
radio on as I drive this customer's truck. Saturday night over night
radio is the anomaly. Usually I listen to bbc
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Personal Statement Kevin Fillips
[begin personal statement]
[end personal statement]
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and so it goes
###
Personal Statement Kevin Fillips by Kevin Fillips is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at javachoice.blogspot.com.
I used to be tightly wound. Now I revel in the chaos and absurdity that can surround us we will stumble through life. I have done the polka. I have drunk Absinthe. I have danced naked in the rain. |
[end personal statement]
---
and so it goes
###
Personal Statement Kevin Fillips by Kevin Fillips is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at javachoice.blogspot.com.
Just can't help it
I'm addicted to Facebook. I figured that out when the other day, after having turned my ringer off before going to sleep, I puttered around online all the next day. When I finally investigated my phone, I found voice mail and a lot of concerned, and sometimes angry text messages. They were all worried about if I was asleep passed out or whatever. My heart condition freaks some of my friends out. Well when one of them saw my face book updates, he sent a text message - thanks for telling me your still alive #$%@%! ahh friends' concern, you can't pay enough for that :-)
---
and so it goes
###
---
and so it goes
###
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
High Price of Gas - The Malling (Mauling) of America
I love oil. Not personally. I kind of hate it, and treat it as a necessary evil. I use a manual push "reel type" lawn mower so I do not have to use the smelly stuff to cut my grass. Even as a taxi driver, I minimize my driving an empty cab to the point, I believe I have the highest amount of passenger revenue per gallon of any driver in the city. The other drivers are amazed at how little gas I use each day. I drive the least miles per day of any driver I know.
But I do not understand what is going on with the gas crisis. As a student of economics, I was confident to say we'll never run out of gas. The price will rise as supply drops to the point we will switch to other options over time to the point where when there is only a small amount of oil left, no one will care, because our cars will run on a "Mr Fusion". like in Back to the Future.
I expected the process to be fairly long and drawn out. a gradual rise over time that would be noticed but not a crisis. Thats what is happening personally with my gas usage in my taxi. Since I have always been thrifty when it comes to fuel usage, my fuel usage has only amounted to about 6 gallons a day. Each day, I buy 6 gallons to replace what I used the day before. On average I burn 42 gallons a week in gasoline. It does not take a math wiz to compute that fluctuations in the cents range do not amount to much in terms of daily expenses. In the parlance of the save the children - the price of a cup of coffee. I am sure, I substitute away from such luxuries as an order of cinnamon crispas at Taco Bell with my order, as I find less extra yuppy food coupons in my wallet ($20 bills). But its not the kind of behavior that creates hand wringing on my part. But thats me. I am not typical. Ask anyone.
The overland truckers and airlines are in crisis. Airlines break even with fuel at $90 a barrel. at $130 they are hemorrhaging cash. Their fuel prices are essentially fixed. The only thing than can increase their fuel efficiency is a tail wind. Flying at 100% capacity is possible, but the current way to fill seats is to discount prices. the complexity of market forces, consumers tend to fly less when prices rise. Even business customers find ways to fly less in the long run, if the price of the trip is not recouped with an increase in gross revenue.
Again, I expected fuel prices to rise slowly over time. Allowing technology to adjust and replace the smoke stack industries piece by piece. Having lived through the gas lines of the 1970s, this is not the same. That was a real supply shock. Stations were raising prices, and running out of gas anyway. Currently you can buy all the gas you want. Your only constraint is the size of your tank, and your bank account (or credit).
It does not make sense to me. Opec says this is not a supply problem, but one of speculation. Futures investors are buying up oil, and running up the price. They then store it to sell it at some future date. This is like short selling. You agree to sell something at some future date for a price of X dollars. Currently the price of that product is .90x and the cost of storage for the period between now and then is .01x so your cost is .91x and when the date of sale comes around, you have a profit of .09x on the sale. You have done nothing more than let the calendar roll by.
That happened a while back, and storage capacity topped out, and they had to stop and prices fell as a result. The oil industry says its a refining capacity problem. Refineries cannot just flip a switch and pump out more diesel less gasoline and m ore rocket fuel. The way I understand it is, it is like Raw milk. Raw milk produces a fixed ratio of Heavy Cream Whole Milk. each of which can be further reduced to component parts - butter milk & butter, and 2% and Skim, respectively. Like that the industry says the retail prices have to do with demand for different fuels being out of wack with the ability for the refineries to produce. A trivia point I learned once, was Gasoline was once a byproduct of producing diesel fuel (fuel oil, kerosene, coal oil). That is what is confusing to me about the current diesel price, which is much higher than gasoline. I suspect using the milk analogy that kerosene can be further refined into jet fuel or something not unlike the Heavy cream - butter example.
As the price of fuel ripples through the economy, and causes prices to sky rocket will other technologies become more viable, and become available for us to switch to? I'd love to convert my Taxi to run on french fry oil. But that is not the answer for everyone. We would not want the price of corn to sky rocket because of the fuel needs of the taxi industry. The idea now, is running vehicles on waste oil is efficient. It would not please the heart association to have everyone eat 3 orders of fries a day to produce the waste oil necessary for the fleet either.
I'd like to see photo-voltaic technology improved. At current capacity, a quarter of India would have to be covered in cells to produce enough power for that country. I suppose we could dome the entire continent and create some bio-dome malled environment which could be energy efficient. maybe that is our future. But would we all have to work at the gap?
---
and so it goes
###
I have crossposted this to; www.myspace.com and www.listology.com
But I do not understand what is going on with the gas crisis. As a student of economics, I was confident to say we'll never run out of gas. The price will rise as supply drops to the point we will switch to other options over time to the point where when there is only a small amount of oil left, no one will care, because our cars will run on a "Mr Fusion". like in Back to the Future.
I expected the process to be fairly long and drawn out. a gradual rise over time that would be noticed but not a crisis. Thats what is happening personally with my gas usage in my taxi. Since I have always been thrifty when it comes to fuel usage, my fuel usage has only amounted to about 6 gallons a day. Each day, I buy 6 gallons to replace what I used the day before. On average I burn 42 gallons a week in gasoline. It does not take a math wiz to compute that fluctuations in the cents range do not amount to much in terms of daily expenses. In the parlance of the save the children - the price of a cup of coffee. I am sure, I substitute away from such luxuries as an order of cinnamon crispas at Taco Bell with my order, as I find less extra yuppy food coupons in my wallet ($20 bills). But its not the kind of behavior that creates hand wringing on my part. But thats me. I am not typical. Ask anyone.
The overland truckers and airlines are in crisis. Airlines break even with fuel at $90 a barrel. at $130 they are hemorrhaging cash. Their fuel prices are essentially fixed. The only thing than can increase their fuel efficiency is a tail wind. Flying at 100% capacity is possible, but the current way to fill seats is to discount prices. the complexity of market forces, consumers tend to fly less when prices rise. Even business customers find ways to fly less in the long run, if the price of the trip is not recouped with an increase in gross revenue.
Again, I expected fuel prices to rise slowly over time. Allowing technology to adjust and replace the smoke stack industries piece by piece. Having lived through the gas lines of the 1970s, this is not the same. That was a real supply shock. Stations were raising prices, and running out of gas anyway. Currently you can buy all the gas you want. Your only constraint is the size of your tank, and your bank account (or credit).
It does not make sense to me. Opec says this is not a supply problem, but one of speculation. Futures investors are buying up oil, and running up the price. They then store it to sell it at some future date. This is like short selling. You agree to sell something at some future date for a price of X dollars. Currently the price of that product is .90x and the cost of storage for the period between now and then is .01x so your cost is .91x and when the date of sale comes around, you have a profit of .09x on the sale. You have done nothing more than let the calendar roll by.
That happened a while back, and storage capacity topped out, and they had to stop and prices fell as a result. The oil industry says its a refining capacity problem. Refineries cannot just flip a switch and pump out more diesel less gasoline and m ore rocket fuel. The way I understand it is, it is like Raw milk. Raw milk produces a fixed ratio of Heavy Cream Whole Milk. each of which can be further reduced to component parts - butter milk & butter, and 2% and Skim, respectively. Like that the industry says the retail prices have to do with demand for different fuels being out of wack with the ability for the refineries to produce. A trivia point I learned once, was Gasoline was once a byproduct of producing diesel fuel (fuel oil, kerosene, coal oil). That is what is confusing to me about the current diesel price, which is much higher than gasoline. I suspect using the milk analogy that kerosene can be further refined into jet fuel or something not unlike the Heavy cream - butter example.
As the price of fuel ripples through the economy, and causes prices to sky rocket will other technologies become more viable, and become available for us to switch to? I'd love to convert my Taxi to run on french fry oil. But that is not the answer for everyone. We would not want the price of corn to sky rocket because of the fuel needs of the taxi industry. The idea now, is running vehicles on waste oil is efficient. It would not please the heart association to have everyone eat 3 orders of fries a day to produce the waste oil necessary for the fleet either.
I'd like to see photo-voltaic technology improved. At current capacity, a quarter of India would have to be covered in cells to produce enough power for that country. I suppose we could dome the entire continent and create some bio-dome malled environment which could be energy efficient. maybe that is our future. But would we all have to work at the gap?
---
and so it goes
###
I have crossposted this to; www.myspace.com and www.listology.com
Monday, June 02, 2008
Re: I love it
I started the reply below, and ultimately quit, and wrote the Blog Post about not wanting to rile...
The free trade benefit shake down is a slow process Everyone is
always more focused on now than tomorrow What if all those out sourced
jobs create markets for things they cannot make there and the US can
export them and all of a sudden we can afford the social security melt
down when all these rust belt workers start retiring? As a person
that hs been both fired and laid off I understand how much it sucks
but no company will move where labor skills are not in line with what
they pay If now the wages are TOO LOW by our standards other companies
will arrive
---
as a reply to
> Yes, so the problem in the US is not the corporate tax rate. It is the fact
> that there are no penalties and plenty incentives in the US for corporations
> to outsource. That's my only point--taxes are not the primary reason
> outsourcing occurs in the US. Corporate America isn't really complaining
> about taxes right now. They've had it really good under George Bush. I
> don't like outsourcing either, but I don't blame the tax rate.
>
> On Sun, Jun 1, 2008 at 11:59 PM, Miller <l@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> The reason outsourcing occurs less in EU countries is because they incent
>> against it. Plain and simple.
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Jun 1, 2008 at 11:00 PM, miss x <
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I'm sorry, but corporations pay very low taxes in the US--lower than in
>>> EU
>>> countries where outsourcing occurs less. The tax argument might make you
>>> feel good (i.e. there's someone to blame), but it is not US corporate
>>> taxes
>>> that are the problem. When you open borders and allow capital to move
>>> around to search for the biggest profit, this sort of thing will
>>> naturally
>>> happen in a rich country.
>>>
>>> Opposing NAFTA in my book is fine (those policies did, after all, make it
>>> easier for US companies to move to Mex in the first place), but blaming
>>> the
>>> tax rate is a form of denial. You'd be better to question why the CEOs
>>> of
>>> these 'poor' overtaxed companies make millions of dollars to decide to
>>> move
>>> offshore in the first place. If you want to cut down on your cost of
>>> operations, why not try scaling back the salaries of your upper
>>> management
>>> and CEOs by 20%?
>>>
>>> As a side note, I'm sick to death of people going on about taxes like it
>>> is some sort of robbery. I've spent a lot of time in southern Mexico
>>> where
>>> there is minimal tax collection, and even fewer roads. Southern Mexico
>>> has
>>> a disproportionate share of the country's resources and only one major
>>> highway to speak of. If you want to pay no taxes, then be prepared to go
>>> out and buy your four wheel vehicle and pay 8$ for gas while you're at
>>> it.
>>> There are things that constitute the collective good that only taxes can
>>> pay.
>>>
>>> belva
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sun, Jun 1, 2008 at 4:41 PM, Miss z <wrote:
>>>
>>>> I don't know where you got your data on Infosys, but I have never EVER
>>>> heard of them hiring anybody from the US, yet we've been doing business
>>>> with
>>>> them for 14 years. That is my point however on the taxes. We are our
>>>> own
>>>> worst enemies. We tax the businesses here in teh US so that we make it
>>>> so
>>>> that it is more expensive for them to do business on their own homeland
>>>> than
>>>> it is from a third world country. Other governments don't easily sell
>>>> out
>>>> on their top commodities. We are our own worse enemy.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Sun, Jun 1, 2008 at 2:27 PM, Mr x <wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Both parties were responsible for NAFTA.
>>>>> RE: outsourcing, I'm not so sure I agree with you on this one. You
>>>>> can't prevent industry from moving around to the most convenient place
>>>>> to do
>>>>> business --- outsourcing happens everywhere nowadays, including many
>>>>> protectionist countries in Europe. I remember people in the midwest
>>>>> being
>>>>> in an uproar when auto parts and car manufacturing started to shift to
>>>>> Mexico. In the end, many of those shifts reversed as companies learned
>>>>> which manufacturing activities were cheaper in the US with higher labor
>>>>> costs vs. Mexico with the cheap labor and quality issues. I think it
>>>>> is all
>>>>> relative and I'm actually in John McCain's camp on most of these
>>>>> issues.
>>>>> Those manufacturing jobs will never return to the US. We should be
>>>>> focusing on education and retraining opportunities to push people into
>>>>> advanced industries. Michigan has very regressive tax policies which
>>>>> made
>>>>> many of the core companies move out of state. It also has some of the
>>>>> worst management of any state in the US (except for their new Democrat
>>>>> Governor who is doing all she can to stop the job erosion).
>>>>> The US is well into a late economic development cycle which requires
>>>>> strong R&D to keep growing. The economic hegemony we've enjoyed Post
>>>>> WWII
>>>>> is finished. The only problem is that young people today are
>>>>> graduating
>>>>> high school at lower rates than in the past and we're seeing the first
>>>>> generation of lesser educated individuals than has ever occurred in the
>>>>> history of the US. The only growth mechanism we have is to continue
>>>>> importing graduates from overseas that specialize in Science and
>>>>> Engineering
>>>>> - but now we're competing against high salaries overseas. Pilots in
>>>>> India
>>>>> now make more than in the United States. An IT professional makes on
>>>>> par
>>>>> with a similar individual in the US. Our fresh graduate middle
>>>>> management
>>>>> staff in India all make between $45-$55,000 USD per year. It's just
>>>>> below
>>>>> what we start grads out in the US -- but not by much and it also goes a
>>>>> lot
>>>>> further in terms of purchasing power parity.
>>>>>
>>>>> Infosys (a $4B USD in annual revenue and market capitalization of more
>>>>> than $30B USD) in Bangalore India hires IT grads from the US and they
>>>>> start
>>>>> out at more than $70K with furnished apartments, a built in movie
>>>>> theater
>>>>> and golf course. In 2001 they had less than 10,000 employees --- now
>>>>> they
>>>>> have more than 88,000. Countries around the world are competing for a
>>>>> very
>>>>> limited labor pool because they all want the jobs of the future....
>>>>>
>>>>> dnb
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Jun 1, 2008, at 12:19 PM, Miss Y wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Regardless, both the dems and the repubs pushed NAFTA through. The
>>>>> dems
>>>>> also opened up trade without as many restrictions as other countries
>>>>> and
>>>>> that is why we're seeing such a big push for offshoring of all our
>>>>> technical
>>>>> work. These countries are by far no better, they are just so much more
>>>>> cheaper. It's sad, because the US doesn't really have a strong hold in
>>>>> any
>>>>> other industry like they do the technical field, and now we're loosing
>>>>> our
>>>>> position in that.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Sun, Jun 1, 2008 at 10:07 AM, Mr x wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> NAFTA was negotiated by Bush prior to Clinton being elected. Bill
>>>>>> Clinton just helped it get approved by Congress because there was so
>>>>>> much
>>>>>> opposition to the agreement. I think NAFTA is a net positive for all
>>>>>> countries although there are negative effects occurring in each place.
>>>>>> The
>>>>>> kinds of jobs lost in the US because of NAFTA (textiles and
>>>>>> manufacturing)
>>>>>> probably would have been lost anyway by the free flow of capital.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I think healthcare is the biggest issue facing the US in the next 10
>>>>>> years. It is the one area that will probably distinguish the haves /
>>>>>> have
>>>>>> nots going forward and really tear at the social fabric of the US.
>>>>>> People
>>>>>> cannot afford to get sick in the US - even if they have insurance. I
>>>>>> can't
>>>>>> believe how much I pay now for insurance through the Wash Post vs.
>>>>>> what I
>>>>>> had to pay back in 2001 when I started. I can't imagine not having
>>>>>> health
>>>>>> insurance --- because I would be paranoid that any illness would be a
>>>>>> potential for financial ruin.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> dnb
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On May 31, 2008, at 11:56 AM, Mr Y wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> NAFTA was mostly passed because of a combo of Bill Clinton and
>>>>>>> Republicans.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>
The free trade benefit shake down is a slow process Everyone is
always more focused on now than tomorrow What if all those out sourced
jobs create markets for things they cannot make there and the US can
export them and all of a sudden we can afford the social security melt
down when all these rust belt workers start retiring? As a person
that hs been both fired and laid off I understand how much it sucks
but no company will move where labor skills are not in line with what
they pay If now the wages are TOO LOW by our standards other companies
will arrive
---
as a reply to
> Yes, so the problem in the US is not the corporate tax rate. It is the fact
> that there are no penalties and plenty incentives in the US for corporations
> to outsource. That's my only point--taxes are not the primary reason
> outsourcing occurs in the US. Corporate America isn't really complaining
> about taxes right now. They've had it really good under George Bush. I
> don't like outsourcing either, but I don't blame the tax rate.
>
> On Sun, Jun 1, 2008 at 11:59 PM, Miller <l@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> The reason outsourcing occurs less in EU countries is because they incent
>> against it. Plain and simple.
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Jun 1, 2008 at 11:00 PM, miss x <
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I'm sorry, but corporations pay very low taxes in the US--lower than in
>>> EU
>>> countries where outsourcing occurs less. The tax argument might make you
>>> feel good (i.e. there's someone to blame), but it is not US corporate
>>> taxes
>>> that are the problem. When you open borders and allow capital to move
>>> around to search for the biggest profit, this sort of thing will
>>> naturally
>>> happen in a rich country.
>>>
>>> Opposing NAFTA in my book is fine (those policies did, after all, make it
>>> easier for US companies to move to Mex in the first place), but blaming
>>> the
>>> tax rate is a form of denial. You'd be better to question why the CEOs
>>> of
>>> these 'poor' overtaxed companies make millions of dollars to decide to
>>> move
>>> offshore in the first place. If you want to cut down on your cost of
>>> operations, why not try scaling back the salaries of your upper
>>> management
>>> and CEOs by 20%?
>>>
>>> As a side note, I'm sick to death of people going on about taxes like it
>>> is some sort of robbery. I've spent a lot of time in southern Mexico
>>> where
>>> there is minimal tax collection, and even fewer roads. Southern Mexico
>>> has
>>> a disproportionate share of the country's resources and only one major
>>> highway to speak of. If you want to pay no taxes, then be prepared to go
>>> out and buy your four wheel vehicle and pay 8$ for gas while you're at
>>> it.
>>> There are things that constitute the collective good that only taxes can
>>> pay.
>>>
>>> belva
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sun, Jun 1, 2008 at 4:41 PM, Miss z <wrote:
>>>
>>>> I don't know where you got your data on Infosys, but I have never EVER
>>>> heard of them hiring anybody from the US, yet we've been doing business
>>>> with
>>>> them for 14 years. That is my point however on the taxes. We are our
>>>> own
>>>> worst enemies. We tax the businesses here in teh US so that we make it
>>>> so
>>>> that it is more expensive for them to do business on their own homeland
>>>> than
>>>> it is from a third world country. Other governments don't easily sell
>>>> out
>>>> on their top commodities. We are our own worse enemy.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Sun, Jun 1, 2008 at 2:27 PM, Mr x <wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Both parties were responsible for NAFTA.
>>>>> RE: outsourcing, I'm not so sure I agree with you on this one. You
>>>>> can't prevent industry from moving around to the most convenient place
>>>>> to do
>>>>> business --- outsourcing happens everywhere nowadays, including many
>>>>> protectionist countries in Europe. I remember people in the midwest
>>>>> being
>>>>> in an uproar when auto parts and car manufacturing started to shift to
>>>>> Mexico. In the end, many of those shifts reversed as companies learned
>>>>> which manufacturing activities were cheaper in the US with higher labor
>>>>> costs vs. Mexico with the cheap labor and quality issues. I think it
>>>>> is all
>>>>> relative and I'm actually in John McCain's camp on most of these
>>>>> issues.
>>>>> Those manufacturing jobs will never return to the US. We should be
>>>>> focusing on education and retraining opportunities to push people into
>>>>> advanced industries. Michigan has very regressive tax policies which
>>>>> made
>>>>> many of the core companies move out of state. It also has some of the
>>>>> worst management of any state in the US (except for their new Democrat
>>>>> Governor who is doing all she can to stop the job erosion).
>>>>> The US is well into a late economic development cycle which requires
>>>>> strong R&D to keep growing. The economic hegemony we've enjoyed Post
>>>>> WWII
>>>>> is finished. The only problem is that young people today are
>>>>> graduating
>>>>> high school at lower rates than in the past and we're seeing the first
>>>>> generation of lesser educated individuals than has ever occurred in the
>>>>> history of the US. The only growth mechanism we have is to continue
>>>>> importing graduates from overseas that specialize in Science and
>>>>> Engineering
>>>>> - but now we're competing against high salaries overseas. Pilots in
>>>>> India
>>>>> now make more than in the United States. An IT professional makes on
>>>>> par
>>>>> with a similar individual in the US. Our fresh graduate middle
>>>>> management
>>>>> staff in India all make between $45-$55,000 USD per year. It's just
>>>>> below
>>>>> what we start grads out in the US -- but not by much and it also goes a
>>>>> lot
>>>>> further in terms of purchasing power parity.
>>>>>
>>>>> Infosys (a $4B USD in annual revenue and market capitalization of more
>>>>> than $30B USD) in Bangalore India hires IT grads from the US and they
>>>>> start
>>>>> out at more than $70K with furnished apartments, a built in movie
>>>>> theater
>>>>> and golf course. In 2001 they had less than 10,000 employees --- now
>>>>> they
>>>>> have more than 88,000. Countries around the world are competing for a
>>>>> very
>>>>> limited labor pool because they all want the jobs of the future....
>>>>>
>>>>> dnb
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Jun 1, 2008, at 12:19 PM, Miss Y wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Regardless, both the dems and the repubs pushed NAFTA through. The
>>>>> dems
>>>>> also opened up trade without as many restrictions as other countries
>>>>> and
>>>>> that is why we're seeing such a big push for offshoring of all our
>>>>> technical
>>>>> work. These countries are by far no better, they are just so much more
>>>>> cheaper. It's sad, because the US doesn't really have a strong hold in
>>>>> any
>>>>> other industry like they do the technical field, and now we're loosing
>>>>> our
>>>>> position in that.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Sun, Jun 1, 2008 at 10:07 AM, Mr x wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> NAFTA was negotiated by Bush prior to Clinton being elected. Bill
>>>>>> Clinton just helped it get approved by Congress because there was so
>>>>>> much
>>>>>> opposition to the agreement. I think NAFTA is a net positive for all
>>>>>> countries although there are negative effects occurring in each place.
>>>>>> The
>>>>>> kinds of jobs lost in the US because of NAFTA (textiles and
>>>>>> manufacturing)
>>>>>> probably would have been lost anyway by the free flow of capital.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I think healthcare is the biggest issue facing the US in the next 10
>>>>>> years. It is the one area that will probably distinguish the haves /
>>>>>> have
>>>>>> nots going forward and really tear at the social fabric of the US.
>>>>>> People
>>>>>> cannot afford to get sick in the US - even if they have insurance. I
>>>>>> can't
>>>>>> believe how much I pay now for insurance through the Wash Post vs.
>>>>>> what I
>>>>>> had to pay back in 2001 when I started. I can't imagine not having
>>>>>> health
>>>>>> insurance --- because I would be paranoid that any illness would be a
>>>>>> potential for financial ruin.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> dnb
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On May 31, 2008, at 11:56 AM, Mr Y wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> NAFTA was mostly passed because of a combo of Bill Clinton and
>>>>>>> Republicans.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>
--
[Kevin]
sent via PuppyLinux.com OS
Sometimes I don't want to rile people up
Sometimes, I am up for a heated discussion. Others, I will let it go, because I know the other side is so deeply entrenched in their opinions, it is like arguing with a drunk person. Not unlike debating the bible with a fundamentalist, that may have read it, but could not comprehend the TV Guide.
Today I started a reply to a listerve that had people complaining about NAFTA. I am a long time free trade advocate. I am also, apparently heartless. People cannot seem to understand how they should be able to make $20 an hour sewing Lee Denims, yet, only want to pay $10 for them at Wal-Mart. In the long run, people can only get paid what they are contributing to the enterprise. If their costs, push up the product cost, so the company cannot make a decent return on their investment, they will shut down. With Nafta a solution to shutting down, is moving production elsewhere. The effect to the local Jeans worker is exactly the same. No Job in Jeans. But its Nafta's fault. They then point out that the "Ferners" don't make as much, and they are exploiting them etc. Perhaps at first. But as other manufacturers see the windfall of profits, they follow suit and eventually drive up the wages in the "low area". Eventually, those new jeans laborers are going to be affluent enough to travel, or buy some American goods than cannot be outsourced to wherever. Not every item is suited for production everywhere in the world.
If the low wage workers, are not of the quality of the ones they replaced, more will be required to produce the same amount of goods. This in turn increases the cost of production so after all the adjustments. things level out. Imagine if the USA did not have a Nafta between the states. We do, we just call it the interstate commerce commission. Imagine without it, Alabama decided they wanted to protect their native Orange groves, and put a huge tax on importing Florida Oranges. Maybe not much would happen. Alabama is close to the range, so maybe the southern beach coast could be converted to orange groves, and there would be enough OJ for Birmingham and Mobile and beyond. Maybe one Florida Grove would go under. Anyway. Now suppose Maine did the same thing. But to grow oranges in main, require hot houses, These hot houses drive the cost of local oranges 500% of the cost of Floridia Oranges, even with the high cost of fuel. Maybe Mainers would stop buying OJ. Maybe they would all get skurvy. Maybe they would pay the higher prices, but stop using Real Maple syrup on their pancakes. This costs a syrup maker a loss, and he decides to sell off some of his maple acreage to the loggers to pay his taxes. The loggers can no longer sell their logs to New Hampshire and beyond because of an overland transport tax. The only outlet for Main Loggers is the paper mill and book industry. The book industry is happy for the cut rate paper, since their profits have been squeezed for years too. They can finally print all the paperback romance novels wanted by the homemakers of America. But the poor ladies of Alabama cannot buy the books and put orange juice on the tables for their kids. Its titaliation or scurvy.
I am not denying the heartbreak of losing a long time job. I have been fired and laid off both, and it sucks the big egg. But if we can just suffer through this adjustment period. Allow the shakedown to work its way around North America. We should all be richer. This idea is something we have known since Elizabethan times. We need to be forward thinking. American industry is floundering largely because they are so concerned with next quarters reports to the market. The Market punishes companies for taking a long term view. We have got to find a way to create a way to pay for our future social security retiree explosion when the baby boomers retire. New industries should evolve and people may have to move or come up with a way to make their living where they are. Our immigrant ancestors, left the old country with very little. They cleared land, and created a living for themselves, which was not rich at first, but over time created value and wealth. Our current state of affluence has a lot to do with the rest of the world's production capacity being destroyed. Prior to WW2, we were not a rich and prosperous nation. We made do. I cannot think of a current analogy - maybe The Ukraine. Lots of bread, but not the juggernaut most Americans feel is our birth-rite today.
Its very possible the fabulous 50s which created the suburbs, the 2nd car, Color TV was just an anomaly in history. And we are adjusting back to our long term equilibrium. Japan had a similar expansion and retraction. In the long run, the economy does not allow windfalls to perpetuate. Of course, in the long run we are all dead.
In the long run there are no trees on Easter Island. There used to be trees. Thats is how they rolled the big Moai from the quarries to their spots on the shore watching over the sea. Did the natives understand once they used up all the trees, there would be no more? Some may have. But in the short term urgency of needing the trees to roll the heads to the ocean, and the seeming never ending supply of the trees, no one bothered conserving, or recycling the things. The last tree was probably just a scrubby sapling no one thought twice about, cutting down to make a fishing pole. Whoops.
###
Today I started a reply to a listerve that had people complaining about NAFTA. I am a long time free trade advocate. I am also, apparently heartless. People cannot seem to understand how they should be able to make $20 an hour sewing Lee Denims, yet, only want to pay $10 for them at Wal-Mart. In the long run, people can only get paid what they are contributing to the enterprise. If their costs, push up the product cost, so the company cannot make a decent return on their investment, they will shut down. With Nafta a solution to shutting down, is moving production elsewhere. The effect to the local Jeans worker is exactly the same. No Job in Jeans. But its Nafta's fault. They then point out that the "Ferners" don't make as much, and they are exploiting them etc. Perhaps at first. But as other manufacturers see the windfall of profits, they follow suit and eventually drive up the wages in the "low area". Eventually, those new jeans laborers are going to be affluent enough to travel, or buy some American goods than cannot be outsourced to wherever. Not every item is suited for production everywhere in the world.
If the low wage workers, are not of the quality of the ones they replaced, more will be required to produce the same amount of goods. This in turn increases the cost of production so after all the adjustments. things level out. Imagine if the USA did not have a Nafta between the states. We do, we just call it the interstate commerce commission. Imagine without it, Alabama decided they wanted to protect their native Orange groves, and put a huge tax on importing Florida Oranges. Maybe not much would happen. Alabama is close to the range, so maybe the southern beach coast could be converted to orange groves, and there would be enough OJ for Birmingham and Mobile and beyond. Maybe one Florida Grove would go under. Anyway. Now suppose Maine did the same thing. But to grow oranges in main, require hot houses, These hot houses drive the cost of local oranges 500% of the cost of Floridia Oranges, even with the high cost of fuel. Maybe Mainers would stop buying OJ. Maybe they would all get skurvy. Maybe they would pay the higher prices, but stop using Real Maple syrup on their pancakes. This costs a syrup maker a loss, and he decides to sell off some of his maple acreage to the loggers to pay his taxes. The loggers can no longer sell their logs to New Hampshire and beyond because of an overland transport tax. The only outlet for Main Loggers is the paper mill and book industry. The book industry is happy for the cut rate paper, since their profits have been squeezed for years too. They can finally print all the paperback romance novels wanted by the homemakers of America. But the poor ladies of Alabama cannot buy the books and put orange juice on the tables for their kids. Its titaliation or scurvy.
I am not denying the heartbreak of losing a long time job. I have been fired and laid off both, and it sucks the big egg. But if we can just suffer through this adjustment period. Allow the shakedown to work its way around North America. We should all be richer. This idea is something we have known since Elizabethan times. We need to be forward thinking. American industry is floundering largely because they are so concerned with next quarters reports to the market. The Market punishes companies for taking a long term view. We have got to find a way to create a way to pay for our future social security retiree explosion when the baby boomers retire. New industries should evolve and people may have to move or come up with a way to make their living where they are. Our immigrant ancestors, left the old country with very little. They cleared land, and created a living for themselves, which was not rich at first, but over time created value and wealth. Our current state of affluence has a lot to do with the rest of the world's production capacity being destroyed. Prior to WW2, we were not a rich and prosperous nation. We made do. I cannot think of a current analogy - maybe The Ukraine. Lots of bread, but not the juggernaut most Americans feel is our birth-rite today.
Its very possible the fabulous 50s which created the suburbs, the 2nd car, Color TV was just an anomaly in history. And we are adjusting back to our long term equilibrium. Japan had a similar expansion and retraction. In the long run, the economy does not allow windfalls to perpetuate. Of course, in the long run we are all dead.
In the long run there are no trees on Easter Island. There used to be trees. Thats is how they rolled the big Moai from the quarries to their spots on the shore watching over the sea. Did the natives understand once they used up all the trees, there would be no more? Some may have. But in the short term urgency of needing the trees to roll the heads to the ocean, and the seeming never ending supply of the trees, no one bothered conserving, or recycling the things. The last tree was probably just a scrubby sapling no one thought twice about, cutting down to make a fishing pole. Whoops.
-a Mind concious of what is right.
This is the motto on the Phillips coat of arms.
PLEASE STAND BY...
###
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Religion Faith Mystery Magic
I start to think about the theory of relativity. How, as an object approaches the speed of light time slows down and the differences of past and future don't work in the way expected.
Then as I think about my title name or "word for" my own ideas of the afterlife, I recall the phrase "Children of the Light". This is a biblical title used in Thes. 5:5 and Eph. 5:8. The Religious Society of Friends were also once referred to by this name. There is also a new age movement with a similar name as well. But ... back to my stream of consciousness.
If we are indeed "children of light" could we perhaps be evolving toward a state of being where we are light? Not unlike an astral being, or a star itself. This state of nirvana may well be our intended state and our current form is but that of pupae. And perhaps the senility state of Alzheimer's is a last stage toward the astral state of light, and our thought process mimic that of matter as it too approaches the speed of light.
I caught something on the science channel about an outgrowth on string theory called "membrane" theory - which you can imagine as to string theory what a bed sheet is to a piece of thread. Except this membrane
envelopes a "universe" and each such has its own laws of physics. They all exist in the same physical space, but are invisible to one another due to frequency. Not unlike how the same cable that used to
give us only 36 channels, not can give us 900 plus internet plus telephone and cook an egg.
Expounding on this theory, I am seeing applications that can explain - ghosts, deja vu, ufos, God, afterlife, angels, demons, dopplegangers. The interesting thing about the theory, is the match works all the way
back to the big bang. It is the only working theory that has an acceptable beginning to our universe.
The celebrity darling scientist of this theory is at CUNY, Michio Kaku. I may be switching out my who do I want to meet person on myspace.com from Fran Lebowitz to this guy. Buy I really think I'd prefer a joint meeting.
Membrane theory, is actually called M-Theory.
from wikipedia "introduction to M-Theory"
M-Theory is not yet complete, but the underlying structure of the mathematics has been established, and is in seamless agreement with not only all the String Theories but with all of our scientific observations of the universe. Unfortunately, until we can find a way to mechanically observe higher dimensions (impossible with our current level of technology) M-Theory has a very difficult time making predictions which can be tested in a laboratory, so technically, it may never be possible for it to be "proven." However, many cosmologists, including Stephen Hawking, are drawn to M-Theory because of its breathtaking mathematical elegance and relative simplicity. Physicist and bestselling author Michio Kaku has remarked that M-Theory may present us with a "Theory of Everything" which is so concise that its underlying formula would fit on a T-Shirt.
-end cite
The higher dimensions mentioned are more than 4. We currently can cognitively realize width depth height and time. This theory uses 12. I am going to introduce elementary matrices here, so see if this does not blow some minds.
- imagine a single point.
- imagine this point being expanded into an infinitely long number line.
- Now allow this line to be represented by a symbol, I will call alpha.
- Now imagine an infinite stacked series of these in a line; Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc creating a field.
- now allow this "field" to represented by a symbol, I will call Aleph
- Now imagine an infinite stacked series of these in a line, Aleph Vet Gimel, etc
- now allow this "cube" to represented by a symbol, I will call Fé
- Now imagine an infinite series of these in a line, Fé ûruz þurisaz , etc
- now allow this "thing" to represented by a symbol, I will call "Dasher"
- Now imagine an infinite series of these in a line, "Dancer", "Dancer", "Prancer", etc
- now allow this "thing" to represented by a symbol, I will call "The Datapoint 2200"
- Now imagine an infinite series of these in a line, "The Datapoint 2200", "Heathkit H-8", "TRS-80", etc
- now allow this "thing" to represented by a symbol, I will call "Battleship"
- "Battleship", "Cannon", "Toto"
- now allow this "thing" to represented by a symbol, I will call "Tootles"
- "Tootles", "Nibs" "Slightly", etc.
- now allow this "thing" to represented by a symbol, I will call "Adams"
- Adams, Aheme, Albee, etc
- Koch, Cargill, Chrysler, etc
- Masa,The French Laundry, Alinea, etc.
- Glyph-1, Glyph-2, Glyph-3, etc.
- Naughtsies: My point
- Onsies: Greek
- Twosies: Hebrew
- Threesies: Runic
- Foursies: Santa's Reindeer
- Fivesies: History of Desktop Computers
- Sixies: Monopoly Game Pieces
- Sevensies: Peter Pan Lost Boys
- Eightsies: What's My Line? Mystery Guests
- Ninesies: Largest Private US Companies
- Tensies: Priciest US Restaurants
- Elevensies: Your Own Personal Gylph design!
- Parallel Thessalonians
- Parallel Ephesians
- Homo se wha?
- My MySpace
- The "Nun Study"
- Nirvana
- introduction to M-Theory
- Lost Boys
- Relativity
-a Mind conscious of what is right.
This is the motto on the Phillips coat of arms.
PLEASE STAND BY...
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Monday, May 05, 2008
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