Issue 257 Itelligent Hobbies January 24, 2014

Hobbies help to shape people with respect to their intelligence and ability to deal with problems they may face. I for one was also shaped by my hobbies as I am a dyslexic who has a hard time reading (I have compensated for whatever deficiencies it has caused me). But these hobbies helped me overcome my personal obstacles and I believe it can help you or your children in the same way. As such, here is some strategies that my parents used and what I would eventually use on myself.

Board games: One hobby is board games. Starting off small like shoots and ladders helped introduce me to strategic thinking and decision making skills. From there I would learn chess and checkers which expanded on the ability to think both strategically and ahead. It has helped me greatly with my decision making skills later in life and has spawned interest in other games like "GO", Shogi, variations of checkers, and many more types of games that require higher level thinking over luck based dice throwing. It keeps ones mind sharp and enables social activity (especially for children who are isolationist). Card games like poker and its variations are also skill based and also help with these skills.

Model building, art and music: Yes I build models (though not as often as I like). Here it helps with a person’s patience and creativity. Whether it is plastic models with snap together fit or clay modeling to make pottery, it helps a person to express themselves. Obviously Music and art do the same thing in different ways (I did more art than music). At the same time the child's or the persons thoughts and emotions are expressed allowing for an outlet to the individuals frustrations (I was frustrated, I admit it).

Drawing and writing: Drawing and writing are key for helping people express themselves when they do not have access to things like models, paints or instruments. It helps the parent understand what is going on in their child's head by examining their drawings and writings while again promoting creativity. This of course also allows for the writer or artist to think out of the box which allows them to have an advantage later on in life with respect to problem solving and accomplishing tasks. It has certainly helped me with respect to my own creativity and has helped me with writing this blog.

Collectibles: Some may wonder why collectibles make this list. Well it is because collectible card games like Pokémon and later Yugioh got me to read. I hated reading because I was always behind the class. I felt inadequate. My mother did not want to buy the cards for me, but she knew that I was actually reading them and understanding them. As such she funded the hobby to the point that I finally was able to read longer and larger articles and later books. In addition, these card games can also aid in strategic thinking skills which also proved useful. Of course, this depends on the collectibles themselves as well.

Conclusion: These things helped me to progress beyond whatever handicaps I have and not only overcome them, but turn them to my advantage when opportunity presents itself. These little things made me appreciate what I can and cannot do. It has overall made me a much better person with respect to my ability to think, act, and overcome obstacles in my life. I will always appreciate the money my mother and father have spent not only on my education, but on these small (ok not always small) investments that helped me develop into the adult that I am now. In fact, I still practice these hobbies from time to time to refresh my self and I always end up learning something new either about the game or about myself. While not a comprehensive list see if these hobbies will work for you and your children.

Issue 256 Snow plow alternative January 23, 2014

Well it is winter here in New York (where I live) and the snow plows are pushing that snow around and dumping salt. But there is a problem, and this idea may just solve it.

Problem: Snow plows in New York dump ice melt (typically salt) onto roads to help melt the ice. However, that same salt ends up in the soil, our sewers, and even our oceans. As such, it harms the environment. Also, when the plow comes through, it simply pushes the snow aside and creates piles of mini icebergs which in some cases bury cars in more snow. Is there a way to solve these problems during the winter time?

The idea: Well, my idea is to instead harvest the snow. When water freezes it expands, so the plow instead of pushing the snow aside and dropping salt will harvest the snow and drop it into a tank in the vehicles. This tank will then proceed to melt the snow (which reduces its volume). At this point the crew of the vehicle has two options. One is to super heat the water inside the vehicle to spray on the pavement to melt the snow they did not collect which in turn would instantly evaporate the snow itself. In this case the sprayer will be just behind the collection plow and the superheated water vapors from the melting snow can then be recollected via a vacuum in the middle and aft of the vehicles. The other option is to take the tank of now heated water, pull up to a sewer drain, and then pump the heated water directly into the sewer. This will allow the drains to be cleared of any frozen material, clean out the sewer system and at the same time prevent the pipes in the sewer from freezing. All this combined would solve both issues all at once without the use of salt or other chemicals and without dumping snow all over the place creating large piles that take forever to melt.

Is it feasible?: Yes it is feasible, because we have the same kind of systems used for agricultural farm work. The only difference is the tank on the back which would act as a kind of oven for the melting snow so that it becomes super heated.

Problem: The only way to make the system work properly is to ensure the snow that becomes the water pumped out is super heated. If the water being pumped out does not evaporate the other snow completely, it will simply freeze. Also, a fuel source for the vehicle will be needed as that is a lot of weight to carry around. Thus, a hydrogen powered engine that performs electrolysis to harvest fuel from the heated snow it takes in would be the best option in this instance. As such, once the initial fuel (water) is added, the truck can go on perpetually simply by melting more snow.

Conclusion: This is another one of my ideas that I hope inspire someone to solve the aforementioned problems. Winter in the United States (especially in northern States like New York) can be very sever and even deadly. So solving the environmental problem and the issue of these man made ice bergs would do much to help clear the streets making it safe for drivers during winter.

Issue 255 Kill spending January 22, 2014

Yes, that is right. Spending must be killed. But how do we convince people that certain spending must be abolished in the first place? Simple, put a target on its back.

Examples on what to cut: Right now the United States subsidizes prostitutes. Yes that is correct; they give them tax breaks for breast implants, and other "equipment" and more. These tax breaks are indicative to an industry that probably should not receive any incentives in the first place. Other industries have the same kind of breaks like Mohair producers having a tax break since the civil war. Others like the singer Bon Jovi have a tax break on their property taxes because they have a farm on their property (aka a small bee farm or tiny dairy farm). As such these celebrities’ pay less in property taxes than there middle and lower class counter parts. You see, each tax break and subsidy has a face that can be put behind it. As such, outrage can be sponsored to remove such breaks from our tax code and government spending. So where am I going with this?

Target on their back: Basically by isolating a specific industry that gets these breaks libertarians (and other political groups against big government wasting our money) can garner public opinion to embarrass politicians into cutting these forms of waste out of the tax code and our federal (and even our State) budget. It is the same methods used by propagandists, but in reverse. In this case it advocates the government stopping doing something rather than doing something.

Is this moral?: That is a hard question to answer. I am sure you would agree that the aforementioned examples are all forms of wasteful spending. However, some other forms of spending like subsidizing the building of nuclear power plants, tax cuts for other types of farming and the like may be considered worthwhile to some. As such, we must examine each form of spending and see if it is actually worth the cost in comparison to cutting spending and cutting taxes as a whole. As a libertarian and other members of the community who are opposed to wasteful spending, we must be responsible in our attack on these kinds of spending. Target the most wasteful, the most useless and the most unfair first and then move on from there. So we must take our time and form our arguments more carefully when we touch such things as agricultural subsidies that go to help the poor in Africa or to aid in disaster relief as in the case of Super Storm Sandy. We have to present viable alternatives to the status quo to be successful and be on the right side of the moral high ground.

Conclusion: Yes, government spending and tax cuts for things like breast implants are bad. If we focus on them one at a time, we can eliminate them one by one by garnering community support to sponsor a protest. But, as always, we must be responsible in making such spending a target as it is key, for we must not destroy the reputations of the businesses receiving the money. Also, we must present an alternative to the tax cut or subsidy for some businesses can only continue to exist due to these government benefits (welfare). Be cautious, but be responsible in putting a target on a piece of spendings back.

Issue 254 Responsible Boycott January 21, 2014

A boycott is a protest that avoids the buying of a good or service and or the business that makes that good or service. But one must do this responsibly or the rules of unintended consequences will occur. So what can you do to avoid harming people unrelated to the boycott? How can one do this responsibly?

Step 1 Research: If you are intending to boycott a product, make sure you know why you are doing so. Is it because the chemicals in the product are causing cancer, harming the environment, or because the individuals manufacturing it are doing harm to their workers or other people. In short, know why you are going to boycott the product/service and or the business. If you do not, how can you make the boycott grow so that others will take up your cause?

Step 2 Talking points: Once research is done, you may have to make statements to the media, or more importantly potential supporters. No one wants to hear a long drawn out answer as to why you’re boycotting let alone your passion as that may turn people off. Instead, draft talking points that are short and succinct that can be told in less than 30 seconds along with follow up statements that can be used to answer questions that require more details.

Step 3 Start the boycott: Basically you need a start date to begin and a written statement handed to the business in question as to the reason why you are boycotting them. Otherwise how will they know why you are forming a picket line in front of there store or as to why your group is no longer buying what they are selling. At this point it is all a waiting game in which you try to gain support to continue the boycott further so as to force the business to change what they are selling, how they are selling it, or their business practices.

What you do not boycott: You do not boycott unrelated industries or people simply because they support the product or business you are boycotting. Keep it limited to your target otherwise you look vindictive and hateful (this will make you loose your support). Also, you do not boycott a business at people’s homes or anyplace beyond where the product is being sold. There is no reason to invade a person’s privacy to get your way. Also, if you are against a business practice such as a business resisting unionizing, make sure that it was the workers decision not to unionize because if it is then it was there choice, not the business. With that in mind, if it is not the businesses fault and your beliefs (for example: all businesses should be unionized) should not be imposed on others. If you are boycotting a specific product or service, then keep it limited to that alone even if the business sells other products of services. The reason for this is to prevent people from loosing there jobs unnecessarily do to a business cutting or stopping production of a product. In other words, you stick to your target so as to not do any unnecessary harm.

Conclusion: Always be respectful and maintain composure. Be respectful to the other businesses next to and around the business you are boycotting as you may be doing harm to them too. As such be responsive to their needs as well. You are there to boycott for a reason and to do so in a way that does not intend to harm a business, but to stop a product from being sold or to end a specific business practice. This is what it means to be responsible when conducting a boycott.

Issue 253 Heterofascism January 20, 2014

Here is a unique topic that I learned about a month ago. I did not feel comfortable writing about it until now thanks impart to my getting enough information to write about it and doing so in a responsible way. So let us begin.

What is it: Heterofascism is a kind of fascism that puts down all other forms of sexual relations save traditional man and woman relationships. However, it does not just put them down, but sponsors hatred and disgust against all non-strait individuals.

What brought this topic up?: Well, when I first heard of this topic it was in relation to a Russian comedian (who was not being comedic at the time) advocating the extermination of all "Gay" individuals. There was no outrage by the Russian people in general and the man claims to be Catholic despite this advocating of death going completely against Catholic teachings.

Is this truly a problem?: Yes it is because hardly anyone reacted in Russia. There was no boycott of the comedian, no condemnation, no nothing as far as I can ascertain. Apparently the extermination of an entire group of people is acceptable based on this comedians comments and the Russian community’s reaction to those comments. It is a dangerous line of thought that can spread and thus create another Holocaust or Holodomor.

Conclusion: On that depressing note, I ask you to speak out against such heinous ideas. This kind of thinking is what lead to the Nazi's final solution in the first place. I don't care if you believe in gay marriage or sexual relations between people of the same sex, but in the end what people do in the bedroom is not your business. What is your business is protecting your neighbor from bodily harm because of their beliefs (so long as they are not harming someone else). Remember, if they can go after the gays, they may eventually go after you too. Stop Heterofascism in its tracks by speaking out now.

Issue 252 Helping Africa part 2 January 17, 2014

We discussed yesterday on what changes can be done to change how we give charity to the people of Africa. But today we are looking at the African governments themselves and what needs to be done to improve Africa so that it no longer needs to rely on any countries for aid.

Step 1: Create a true economic union. Yes, creating a union of all the African economies will aid in helping the African people. This means a unified currency (or currencies) with a stable value is essential to giving the people of the African continent buying power. Also, basic trade rules that are simple and easy to understand work to protect and ease trade between different countries in Africa. Basically, the African continent needs a unified banking and trade system with stable currencies and a form of free trade for goods, services, capitol (businesses) and labor (people). Once accomplished, a business once inside of the African continent can sell to anyone in any part of Africa. Also, if this is done, people can move from one country to another unhindered on the African Continent to find both work and to get away from conflict. Overall, a union of this type if applied correctly will help the people of Africa greatly with Africa having an advantage over its European Union neighbors in seeing where the EU went wrong and thus not making the same mistakes.

Step 2: Infrastructure is crucial to the future of business. As such, the continued expansion of the cell phone networks and internet will further Africa towards a better future. What’s more, the African continent needs better road networks alone the lines of the United States' interstate highways and rail networks. This would improve logistics with respect to the shipping of goods and the movement of people in the African continent. Not to mention, an advanced infrastructure attracts businesses from other countries to an area which of course means more jobs.

Who is to accomplish this: The ones who should do this is the African Union (AU) which is similar to the EU, but is made up of the member States of Africa. They would need to empower this intergovernmental body with enough money and authority to accomplish these tasks. By giving this responsibility to this multi-governmental body it also ensures that all of the countries in Africa are represented along with all their interests. Thus, by the AU doing the job, it prevents centralization of power and thus avoids conflict between Africa's diverse countries.

Conclusion: These are very basic things that must be accomplished for the overall success of the continent of Africa. I only assign the job to the AU because it is less likely to be corrupted by external governments and there interests (China, U.S., EU, Russia etc.). While none of this will stop the ideological and territorial conflicts still going on, it will allow for people to escape poverty and thus escape from ideologies attempting to recruit the ignorant and impoverished. So in essence, we solve poverty while denying terrorists and other violent groups a recruitment base at the exact same time. What is not to like about helping Africa. Long story short, this is what I feel is needed to help Africa in both the short and long term, but this is by no means a cure all. It is simply my opinion on what could and maybe should be done as a means to an end. That end being a prosperous Africa.

Issue 251 Helping Africa part 1 January 16, 2014

The first step in helping the people of the African continent is changing how we give them aid. The current model is meant to help, but is also breeds dependency. As such some minor tweaks to the aid based system will help in removing this problem.

Step 1: Stop giving money to the African governments. The reason that you should not give money to these governments is not just due to corruption, but because they all take a cut of the aid to give out the aid in the first place. Yes, that is correct; the aid we give is not all being used to help the people of Africa, but to line the pockets of government officials. Unfortunately, this problem does not reside in Africa alone, but here in countries like the United States where government takes a cut of the money as well. So who do we give the money too?

Step 2: The money must be given directly to the African people for this to work. People in Africa know exactly what they need to survive and to thrive. As such, giving the money directly in some fashion would be the most efficient method to ensure that all the aid actually gets to those in need. However, giving that money as pure cash is not always the best method. So using the money to pay for the schooling of an African child, the health care, or as a cash prize for completing there education would be the best method. Limiting the number of times they would get aid is also crucial so that dependency does not develop. In fact there is a charity which is at the website "givedirect.org" that gives people one time donations of $1000 and a cell phone to keep track of how they are doing. They cited that just giving these people an education may not be enough and that they may need some sort of money to start their business or improve there lives. One of the people they helped bought a motorcycle and uses it as a taxi, while another used the money to buy welding equipment as he was taught how to weld but lacked the means to buy the equipment himself. Others use the money to buy tin roofs as opposed to the thatched roofs that can have animals living in them (this has cut down on diseases). So direct charity and done in a responsible way is essential to success.

Step 3: Do not donate clothing to the people of Africa. Yes, I sound like a tyrant here, but there is a very important reason. When you donate cloths to the African people they get them for free and you think you just helped someone. Problem is that you have actually killed off a business which creates jobs and gets people out of poverty. That business you killed off is Africa's clothing businesses. By giving cloths, you are actually impoverishing these businesses and perpetuating unemployment. If you stopped giving cloths, and instead used the money to buy cloths from the clothing businesses in Africa, then and only then would that be actually helping the African people. This is because, by buying direct, you allow that business to grow and prosper which means they hire more people to make the cloths and man the store fronts. Get it. By buying goods from the African people to help them, you will eventually not need to provide future aid because the economy in Africa will be so improved that they will be able to care for their own poor by themselves.

Step 4: Like with clothing, food is also a problem. When we ship food over, we take away businesses from the local farmers (not to mention get it stolen by pirates like those in Somalia). As such, these farmers loose revenue and stop farming. So like with step 3, buy the local food to feed the poor. This enriches the local farmers and allows them to expand there businesses which in turn creates more jobs.

Step 5: What should not change is the doctors without boarders help to these people and the education programs that directly aid in job training. These will prove essential to the future of the African economy with respect to entrepreneurs taking advantage of theirs and other people’s skills to create new businesses. Of course, I would like the $1000 cash prize and cell phone to be given upon completion of the education course as per the "givedirect.org" model. Some may be wondering what’s up with the cell phone? Well, in Africa, as infrastructure is almost non-existent, cell phones can be used to transfer money to individuals rather than traditional cash. This enables people to protect themselves from thieves as they don't have to carry cash and the phone acts as a tool for communication for both personal and business calls. In short, the cell phone and the ever expanding cell phone and internet infrastructure have become integral to the future of Africa's prosperity.

Conclusion: These steps are designed to change how we give aid to the African people. I firmly believe that the current aid system is not designed to help Africa, but to make the countries there a neo-colony for exploitation of goods and services. Lobbying groups like the farm lobby make big money off shipping food from the U.S. to Africa via the Federal Government, with some of Africa's governments taking that food and giving it only to loyal supporters. As such, the current methods must end. These changes on how we give charity are key to helping Africa become independent and wealthy and thus are sorely needed. Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow which examines what I think should happen to Africa at the governmental level for it to achieve prosperity.