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Today's Economics

Some economics as I understand it. Jobs are created by companies when they think they need people. Only when they are forced to hire because they would lose business if they don't. Not one job is created because business is nice or feels a duty to. Regulation has little, if anything, to do with it. They need jobs when they have someone to buy the stuff they do or make or sell. That can be the public, the government, other people in the world, or other governments. If they don't have the money to buy anything, they don't. As a result, many companies sit on their cash waiting for opportunity. As a result of the crash, most people don't have the cash for anything but the basics or are saving because of uncertianty of the future. That is the case for most Americans today, evidenced by the slow GDP growth and the decline in personal debt (small silver lining). With the public not buying and other countries not buying, there is one way to give the economy a little kick. Break the cycle. Not drive the economy, just stimulate it in the right direction. Government spending. But with the loss of incomes comes the loss of tax revenue. Kind of a sick circle. We need government spending anyway and it was started when Obama came into office and the short time he had a fillibuster proof Senate. It did work if you look at actual data, there wasn't enough of it, but it made a difference. But that ended in the fall of 2009 with the death of Kennedy and the fillibuster proof Senate. From then on the GOP could block with fillibuster any legislation for stimulus the White House proposed, and did. The use of the fillibuster by the GOP has been many times more in the last 5 years than all combined previously. Why? Because of the debt fear. Austerity! Austerity! Cut government! Save money! And it happened, your "dictator" Obama made concessions left and right. Hundreds of thousands of government (local, state, AND federal) workers have been fired, their paychecks removed from the economy just when paychecks were needed. That is FACT. Look it up. And the economy? The austerity hasn't worked. Here or in Japan or in Europe. The Japanese have come to their senses after 20 years of stagnation, Europe shows the signs of coming out of the austerity delusion. But the recovery the GOP wants is happening, slow, painful, not one that makes Obama look good. The GOP is happy. They want Obama to fail, they said it the day he was elected and have worked endlessly since to make it happen. Constant lying about ACA, the economy, the budget battles, everything.

We have now a great opportunity to make our economy boom. Or maybe had. Money is cheap, interest rates low, and there are many things to go do with it. Construction all across the country. Energy independence (not fucking carbon). Research of all kinds. But no. The GOP would rather the economy gets crushed first. 

The GOP is going to die over this. A small radical far right faction will split off and wither away. I am not sure what the rest will do.  Today, I don't fucking care what the cowards do.

How I told/tell people I am atheist

As a kid (10 yrs old):

My 5th grade friend and I were playing with an electronics kit and he said if Ii didn't believe in Jesus I would go to hell.  I just looked at him and said I didn't think so.  He said uh huh.  I said uh uh.  And then we made the kit produce a siren sound and his mom came running afraid that the police would come.  This was in Dacca, East Pakistan in the late 60's, they were Baptist missionaries.  My dad is a geologist.

At work late 90's (43 yrs old):

I sneezed at my desk one day and an engineering co-worker at a cubicle across the aisle said "bless you".  I said nothing and then as an afterthought joke he asked "What does an atheist say after he sneezes and you say 'bless you'?"  He didn't know I was atheist and I don't know why he thought it would be funny but I said "I generally say 'Thank you'." He looked at me and then went back to his desk, my impression was that he was surprised, especially since I was his manager.  From that day on I made it clear that I was atheist at work.  Being a manager of the group may have stymied some discussion, but I don't think so.  My mentions are matter of fact only when the subject comes up.  I have one Catholic co-worker who will question and joke with me about it which shocks others sometimes, especially since I hold my own and joke back at her.  But then I've had one come to me on the side and agree with some of my replies, Facebook rants or a comment from the news, especially when it concerns the Pope.  These gals I'll often send science nerd news that shows them how the universe really works, trying to get them to see the real perspective of where we are in the universe.  My morals are probably what has surprised them the most.  Why am I so nice?  Why don't I just want to rape and murder?  What keeps me from trying that?  Seeing the charity things I do used to just baffle them.  I had to explain how altruism benefits a population and that it is natural for me to be good.

Meeting for breakfast the Baptist minister parents of my girlfriend's roommate, who happened to be a Methodist pastor at the time herself.  (Yes, my lapsed Catholic, almost atheist, girlfriend lived with a Methodist pastor when I met her.)  I knew I was going to be asked about my religion at this breakfast but had no prepared answer, mainly because I didn't know how it would come.  Tarah's dad turned to me and asked how I was brought up.  I said, "I was brought up pretty much straight."  What did that mean?  I don't know.  That is what came out of my mouth.  I then qualified that I didn't have any religion growing up and don't have any now.  He was so amused by the "growing up straight" that the topic ended there.  That forced me to have the "I'm atheist" answer ready to use.  One of many moments in life I'd like to do over again but at least learned from.

At the airport in the 2010's:

Friends at the airport, fellow pilots, event volunteers who are also friends on Facebook have seen my posts about atheism.  Three have come up to me on the side and said that they don't believe either.  I hadn't read Why Atheists are so Angry yet so didn't encourage them to come out.  I've read that now and also participate in the Santa Cruz skeptics meet-up group.  That has honed my ability to discuss the issues of religion.  

I am proud that I am atheist.  I feel I dodged a bullet when I realize how much of my life was not wasted with religion.  I've not once regretted expressing my atheism and have been pleasantly surprised by the agreement I've received, even quietly.  But then I live in Santa Cruz county and work in Santa Clara county, pretty safe place to be atheist with bumper stickers and open discussion about religion.  I've been flipped off a few times on the road but never had anyone in my face about being godless.  Online is a different matter… but then I will comment on religious FB and Twitter posts without too much hesitation.  Yes, I can be a troll.  Not actively all the time, but it happens.  I've been angry and I've been reasonable and patient.  Maybe it has gotten through to someone on the sidelines.

I went to AirVenture...

Untitled, a photo by fly44d on Flickr.

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"I'm at Oshkosh! #osh13 "

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"Different kind of fixed gear! #OSH13 "

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"This is one way to get to #osh13 AirVenture. We're on our way!"

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Getting ready to go to AirVenture!

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"Young Eagles in 44D. #EAA119"

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3D Movie

Liz and I went to see our first 3D movie yesterday. Star Trek Something Something 3D. Very sad. Liz is one of those people you sometimes wonder which eye to look at when she's talking to you. Her brain doesn't use both eyes at the same time, she normally wears one contact for far vision and the other eye can see near. She just switches between them as necessary. Her glasses are the same, one eye has a prescription to see far, the other has no correction. No bifocals necessary! Lucky girl! So... of course the 3D effect in the movie... totally lost on her. She had to wear the glasses to avoid the blurring on the screen, but no 3D. I didn't think the effect it was worth watching through the narrow field of view with scratched and fogged lenses. Only with large clean lenses will I try this again. We had fun anyway and got to see the planets later that evening.

Twilight of an Empire

From Daily Kos
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/05/24/1211496/-Twilight-of-an-Empire-More-than-Just-Bridges-are-Crumbling-in-America#

Iconic of the state of American civilization in general? "Too expensive... let it rot." "Too difficult to have a functioning government... let it do nothing." Infrastructure and institutions of a once proud nation, dwindling away into embarrassment and farce. Our leaders no longer care about providing the American people with even basic public goods that can be relied upon. So we -- supposedly the greatest country in the world -- let roads and bridges in major American cities collapse.

It used to be that America put men on the moon.

We have become a society deeply in decline. And for anyone who is proud to be an American, it is sickening to watch it unfold.

The only question that remains is this: Will the American people rise up, with renewed pride in what their country once was and could be again, and demand better of its leaders?

This is not their day.

We are better than those who did this. This is not their day.

The Thinking Atheist · 128,185 like this

7 minutes ago · 

• We look at the horrors of Boston today, and we're again shaken to our core. 
  
  Throughout our history, there have always been monsters among us, their terrible deeds searing us with confusion and pain. They've peppered our history books and our headlines with terrible acts done for terrible reasons, and they will always be among us. 
  
  But I will not give them this day.
  
  I give today to those who could have run from the chaotic scene, but instead broke through barriers and rushed to the sides of total strangers in pain. I give today to the paramedics, police, firefighters and physicians who worked to heal what another had so horribly hurt. I give today to the communities, both physical and online, working to find avenues that might provide financial and emotional support to the wounded and grieving. I give today to the best of us.
  
  It is a terrible day. But when I look at humankind, I will not define it by the anonymous cowards bent on destruction and chaos. I will define it by so many more who demonstrated something beautiful in the face of so much ugliness.
  
  To the good, the compassionate, the brave, the helpful, the kind, the loving and the generous...I give the day to you.
  
  -Seth

Intellectual Collapse of Islam... and US?

From 800 to 1100 AD, the Arabic world was the center of knowledge in the world.  Mathmatics as we know it today was developed, the stars were named as navigation and astronomy were refined.  We’d be speaking Arabic today but for one thing.  Around 1100 AD, a Muslim scholar, Hamid Al-Ghazali, declared that mathematics was the work of the devil.  That was the beginning of the end of the 300 year Arabic renaissance and intellectual domination.  Today, out of the billions of Muslims on the planet, only two are Nobel prize winners.  Out of only 15 million Jews, one quarter of the prizes have been given to Jews.  Significant scientific discovery by the Muslim world ended in 1100.   Is the US headed in the same direction?  The religious right and social conservatives seem to be trying to drag us into the dark ages.

http://youtu.be/Fl1nJC3lvFs

Facebook rant:

The 2014 Obama NASA budget proposal. Essentially unchanged from 2012 and 2013. It should be doubled. Where is this out of control spending I keep hearing blather about? IT SHOULD BE DOUBLED! This country is going down the tubes, heading the same way the Arab world went in 1100AD, the moral religious right got it in their heads that math was the devils work and now the Arab greatest accomplishments (algebra, math, astronomy, navigation) are from 900 years ago and they are still beheading and stoning people. Without investment, research, and exploration, we will follow the Arab world. Fuck the Tea Party.
  

An atheist's ten commandments.

From Adam Lee's Daylight Atheism blog his "ten commandments".

First Commandment: Do not do to others what you would not want them to do to you.

Second Commandment: In all things, strive to cause no harm.

Third Commandment: Treat your fellow human beings, your fellow living things, and the world in general with love, honesty, faithfulness and respect.

Fourth Commandment: Do not overlook evil or shrink from administering justice, but always be ready to forgive wrongdoing freely admitted and honestly regretted.

Fifth Commandment: Live life with a sense of joy and wonder.

Sixth Commandment: Always seek to be learning something new.

Seventh Commandment: Test all things; always check your ideas against the facts, and be ready to discard even a cherished belief if it does not conform to them.

Eighth Commandment: Never seek to censor or cut yourself off from dissent; always respect the right of others to disagree with you.

Ninth Commandment: Form independent opinions on the basis of your own reason and experience; do not allow yourself to be led blindly by others.

Tenth Commandment: Question everything. (Including these commandments.)