Outsource This!

Let's see, what can I outsource offshore? I hear outsourcing is SO much cheaper than local help. Well, my bills. I hate doing them. And I trust that when I outsource them, the outsourcees will come up with the money, too. Oh! And I'm going to outsource opening my front door to: door-to-door solicitors, electric company tree trimmers and kids selling candy.

I'll bet my outsourcees do bathrooms, windows and ovens, too. Outsourcing has been going on for so long, I'm sure they can handle the offshore logistics. I could use someone to attend boring meetings for me. And I think I'll outsource any contact with the government. Hey, I heard George was doing it, so why can't I? Now my life will be MUCH better!

Do I Like Polluted Chinese Fish?

The more we learn about Chinese imports, the worse it gets. Did you know that Walmart has different quality standards for brand name products manufactured in China? And guess whether or not those standards are higher or lower than others?

I know where my clothing is made from looking at the label. Too bad I can't tell where my food originates. Not that I don't enjoy polluted fish or anything. I'm just curious when the box, carton, can, container says, "Distributed in XXX, IL". Nice to know. But what about before they distributed it? I guess my curiosity will eventually be quenched, when I die of food poisoning.

The Myth of Electronic Healthcare Records

Articles are popping up about the presidential candidates' take on fixing our broken health-care system. People need to consider one piece of information as they make their decisions. The problem with electronic medical records used between physicians' offices and medical centers is an issue of privacy, or more accurately, a lack of privacy. Despite assurances of security, there is no such beast. Any physical attempt to provide hacker-proof security is a myth. Technology simply has not reached that level at this time. Add into the equation the humans operating on the input and output sides, and there is a perfect storm for identity and health record theft. How do I know? Because I began working in medical computer systems in 1980. I also invented and implemented the first commercial computerized patient chart.

And They Call Her Hillary

India just elected a woman president, Pratibha Patil. And I can list thirty or forty other countries, ranging from Sri Lanka to Argentina to Latvia where people actually believe a man can take orders from a woman. So what is the hang-up with the US?

Words. They call her "Hillary". But what do they call the guys? Mitt? Fred? Sam? (Sam who?)

I agree with Donatella Versace's suggestion that Senator Clinton should ditch the pants suits. But I also think that Newt should control his cleavage. Fred should watch the size of his hips. And Ron's wardrobe may have sapped his self-esteem.

And let's not forget the other presidential candidates' fashion statements. I've never heard anyone refer to John's (McCain) pert bangs or Rudy's dominatrix eyebrows. More importantly is Sam really plain-faced or Mitt's shape not perfectly symmetrical?

I would rather see Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, as our next president instead of Senator Clinton. But then I prefer rum raisin over pistachio ice-cream. Actually, I think that our only concern about Senator Clinton's appearance should be the thickness of her skin.

Toy Soldiers

Who are these young people whose blood flows red on sands a world away? They are the innocents. The boy who cut my lawn, the freckled kid who sold Girl Scout Cookies, the child earning legal entrance into our country. And they are also mothers, fathers and children- just like us and whose greatest difference is simply language.

But who are these teens [thrust harshly into adulthood] to the men who glory in battles and victories? Exercises in power and the profitable spoils of war. They are the abstract. The numbers. They are the not-privileged-children. Named coldly: collateral damage. They are the throw-aways...at least to them, the war mongers, the blood-excited men who play at war. The grown children who callously engage in this gruesome game of "toy soldiers".

With Regret, A Call for Impeachment

The ancient great civilizations fell from internal decay. It was not one leader or one governing body. The erosion came from a serious flaw in the government structure. Our country's fourth President, James Madison said, "If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy." After seeing constitutional attorneys, Bruce Fein and John Nichols on PBS's Bill Moyers show on July 13, 2007, I am convinced that our country is at risk, because Congress is not doing its duty to preserve the balance of power.

Instead the President and Vice-president (whose names I do not use, because they will be caught in the illegal technical sifter these men implemented), have disregarded the Constitution and usurped great powers through high crimes and misdemeanors under the pretext of an endless war against terror. To preserve the balance of these offices now and in the future, and since this is not a totalitarian government, I call for the impeachment of these two men to reinstate the genius of our Constitution.

Brilliant Documentary - SiCKO

I watched the people surrounding me as we left the movie theatre after seeing Michael Moore's new documentary, SiCKO. They were acting as they did in the weeks immediately following the terrible 911 tragedy. People smiled at strangers. They opened doors for one another. And a current ran through the crowd. SiCKO touched a collective nerve. SiCKO has set in motion a tidal wave of purpose. It is a movie you cannot miss. It will change your life!

Celebrating Life

Within a 12-month period the world lost 3 of its most compassionate women. Princess Diana. Mother Theresa. And Barbara Christie Mansfield who was my sister, best friend & wisest advisor. Barb loved her work with Alzheimer's & other nursing home patients. As we celebrate Princess Diana's life, let's celebrate the lives of all of those who have made this world a better place.

THE DOWNSIDE OF GLOBALIZATION

It doesn't take a genius: No jobs, no profits. I am continually amazed that nearly all economists base the health of our economy of data that does not accurately reflect the general population's situation. Their statistics indicate near full employment based upon unemployment claims. But what about long-unemployed who have exceeded unemployment timeframes or who have given up after years of searching for comparable jobs? What about those people who have taken dramatic pay cuts, because those are the only jobs available to them? Last night on the Charlie Rose Show, an Indian economist said that his corporation is growing 30% every year (net & profit & stock value) for a significant number of years. He added that Indians are only taking jobs for which there are no qualified US workers. This is a myth. This is about the bottom line. Off-shoring is less expensive than paying workers in our country - whether at call centers or in high-tech fields. Our country's purchasing infrastructure is weakening. No jobs, no purchases.

Understanding Stem Cell Research

Just What Is Cloning?
- Cloning basically describes 3 different procedures.
- And each procedures produces 3 very different results.
- The first is a solution for infertility problems.
- The second is cloned animals, like Dolly the sheep.
- The last is stem cell research on life-threatening diseases like diabetes, Parkinson's and many others.

Why The Confusion?
- One major problem is definitions. I speak 14 industries fluently. And they are undoubtedly all different languages. Take just one example.

"Abort!!! Abort!!! This has been reported."
- These words running across a computer screen in front of a unit secretary on a hospital floor means she has been written up for discipline. And that write-up is now a black mark in her personnel file. Abort sounds to her like abortion...maybe even her termination.
- To a computer person, though, these words are not menacing. They mean that a computer program has stopped itself. And the computer has told the computer department about the problem.
- And just like words took on new or different meaning when computers came into our world, the same is true of science.
- Unfortunately, scientists have used the term "cloning" loosely. It means something entirely different to them than to the general public. When we hear the word, we see rooms full of babies that look alike waiting for an evil scientist to harvest their organs. And we shudder.
- When scientists hear the word “cloning”, they see 5 or 10 cells duplicating.

- What they see is like putting a piece of paper in the copy machine, and the machine gives them back 5 copies or the original. I believe this is a big source of the problem.
- Another word that is confusing. "Embryonic" does NOT mean fetus.
- It does NOT embryo like we mean it in infertility clinics.
- It does NOT even mean a fertilized egg.
- It refers to the first part of a process that MAY continue on to becoming an embryo. Or not.

In Artificial Sexual Reproduction
- Couples undergoing infertility treatment choose in vitro (different from normal, artificial) fertilization.
- This is called in vitro fertilization (IVF). Here a sperm and an egg are united (fertilized) and result in a cell which grows into what we think of as an embryo.
- The embryo is then incubated by placing it in a woman's uterus. And at that point the embryo becomes a fetus and eventually a child.
- For people who believe life begins at inception, part of their definition is missing.
- The full statement should be, "Life begins when a sperm fuses with an egg and is in the womb."
- This is part of the definition was omitted, because when the Bible was written, there was no other possibility even imagined.
- Interestingly, there are other Bible literalists who believe that life begins when the “blood quickens” which occurs when a fetus is about 17 days old.

When Embryos Do Not Become A Fetus
- Out of all the embryos created through sexual intercourse, approximately three out of four do not last long enough to produce a baby.
- About half of all the fertilized eggs are lost even before a woman misses her first period after conception.
- More embryonic cells are created in vitro than needed in infertility clinics, to make certain the couple has every chance of success.
- The extras are stored in special canisters at a very low temperature.
- If they are not used, these embryonic stem cells are destroyed.
- We don't know yet how long these embryonic stems will remain in good shape. Over time they may well deteriorate.
- Fertilization clinics destroy embryos; because the patients, who own them, do not need them, and clinics cannot store them forever. As in most businesses, the bottom line is key. Most often the patients' wishes are followed. This leads to the stem cells being:
- Discarded as medical waste and placed into a medical waste bin for pickup and incineration.
- Flushed down a sink.
- Allowed to thaw, which kills them in no more than three or four days

Cloning Animals
- The second use of stem cells occurred when Dolly the sheep was cloned in 1997.
- Scientists created what was her genetic twin, although not when twins usually occur.
- First scientists find an animal they want to bear the clone.
- This animal donates a cell.
- The DNA removed from that cell.
- A nucleus is added from the animal scientists want to clone.
- In the third step, scientists implant the modified cell into the womb.
- But even after 40 plus years of research, this procedure is still not perfect.
- Regarding Dolly, scientists don't know if she will be healthy or not.
- The act of animal cloning could well cause weakness that lead to diseases.
- Few species have been cloned. They include: sheep, cattle, pigs, goats, cats, and mice.
- People who want to clone pets may be disappointed to find that the cloned twin may not even look like their original pet.

Why Cloning Is Unsafe for Humans

- Cloning is unsafe, unethical, and unnecessary for humans.
- Why? Very few cloning attempts are successful.
- Many cloned animals die during the pregnancy.
- Many cloned animals die soon after birth.
- Those that survive often have severe birth defects.
- The female carrying the fetus may die from clone-related complications.

More about Why Cloning Cannot Be Used in Humans
- A cell must divide between 8 and 10 times for it to be placed in a woman‘s womb.
- And every time a cell divides, it ages. The number needed for cloning is greater than that needed in fertility clinics.
- We don't know if aging affects the ability of stem cells to develop normally.
- There is only a limited number of times these cells can divide.
- When Dolly was 5 1/2 years old, she acquired arthritis, which may be caused by her cloning
- Cloned mice die significantly earlier than those born through more natural conception.
- The National Bioethics Advisory Commission said in 1997, that it is morally unacceptable to try to create a child using somatic cell nuclear transfer at this time.
- In 2001, the National Academy of Sciences issued a report banning human reproductive cloning.
- Especially because of what has happened to animals in research.
- And because it would be too dangerous for the woman, the fetus, and the newborn.
- And last, it would probably fail.

In Research
- There is no fertilization.
- Instead, scientists take the nucleus out of an unfertilized egg and replace it with the nucleus of a cell that cannot reproduce, like a skin or heart cell.
- If this egg could actually “hatch”, there would be no baby. Instead it will be something like a little heart.
- Stem cell research does not involve a potential baby.
- Unfortunately, scientists call this new growth an "embryo". It is something like an unfertilized chicken egg. An unfertilized chicken egg could not grow a chick, even if it was placed in an incubator.
- Even if a research egg from a woman was placed inside of her womb, a baby could not grow.
- Another point. If a chicken egg is never incubated, it is physically impossible to get a chick. Instead the egg is used to nourish our bodies. So, too, human eggs must grow in the womb.
- In research, scientists take a part of the egg (the nucleus) and replace it with the nucleus of a cell that cannot reproduce, like the heart cell.
- The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in 1999, said that human “embryonic” cells are not a human embryo.
- Because they do not have the capacity to develop into humans.
- Even if transferred to a uterus.
- Research is not the destruction of an embryo of a baby.

Why Use Stem Cells?
- Stem cells are unique.
- Because they keep reproducing themselves in our bodies.
- And renewing tissue throughout a person's life.
- They are the most versatile cells.
- And because they are less committed to a specific body part than adult stem cells.
- They offer cures to debilitating and fatal diseases.
- They have been proven to reduce Parkinson's disease in mice.

History
Human cloning became a criminal offense in July 2001. But President Bush made an exception to that law, based upon the DHHS decision, and allowed federal monies to be used in research using 60 stem cell colonies already existing (not those stored for IVF). Unfortunately, these were not all in good shape.

The Final Question
If a fire was raging, and you only had time to save one thing. Would it be a 5-10 celled embryo? Or a child?

Missile Defense System's A Dud

The Prime Minister and President of Poland, twin brothers Jaroslaw and Lech Kaczynski respectively, appear to favor placing a U.S. anti-missile facility in Poland. The $9 billion dollar per year global anti-missile system is being designed to shoot down ballistic missiles carrying nuclear, bacteriological or chemical warheads. The origin of these incoming missiles are hypothetical regimes, described by Washington as "rogue". Russia is less than enthusiastic.BMD Focus: Why Russia fears BMD

This project is fatally flawed, because: 1. The Alaska-based project bypassed normal military oversight. 2. The defense system has trouble differentiating between incoming missiles and satellites or chunks of ice. 3. The technology on incoming missiles is far simpler than that of the defense system which means it is far easier for the incoming missiles to avoid the missile defense. 4. The defense system bypassed traditional implementation protocol with a build-it-and-they-will-come attitude. In other words it fails trial tests, but this administration continues to move the project along anyway.

The government turned the ill-fated defense system into a computer game and gave it to our Senators and Representatives in the hopes that the game would win approval for the mega-billion dollar project. The only difference between the game and the real system is that the game actually works. In other words, it is an outrageously expensive dud.

G. C. Christie is an international complex systems problem-solver. Christie has consulted with U.S.-based defense systems.

No Jobs, No Purchases

Former Secretary of State under President Clinton, Paul Rubin, believes the current undersizing of the middle class is a problem. Good for him. But he also says that this country can do well in a global economy. I wonder how he thinks that can happen? Sure businesses do well when they manufacture in Mexico or China, because labor costs are dramatically cheaper. The stock market is at its highest, so stockholders are generally doing better. But I have trouble seeing how the working and middle class profit from the global economy.

Walmart alone sent 30,000 manufacturing plants to China. The tired response to that problem is a better education. And what would they have everyone study - provided anyone could afford the wallet-busting college tuition? A friend in middle IT management at a Fortune 500 company received his pink slip, because his job was shipped out to India. He looked for a comparable job for two years to no avail. They lost their home. Finally he went to Baghdad as a consultant...and you know the downside of that opportunity.

So manufacturing and IT have been exported. What about other blue-collar jobs? My brother-in-law, a union electrician crew lead, crossed the country for a year as he searched for work. Nada. He finally changed careers and works for less than half the salary he earned before. What happened to electrician and other construction jobs? Business has imported illegal immigrants to undercut the unions and overcut the bottom line.

But here's the thing. The foundation of our economy is built upon these very jobs. And everyone knows what happens when a structure has an emasculated foundation. It will eventually, inevitably collapse. So tell me, how is the global economy is profiting the blue-collar and white-color jobs?

Remember no jobs - no purchases.

Brain Waves

• Whether we leave Iraq now or later does not matter. This war was lost before it began.
• Our public schools' greatest deficits are the instructor's lack of passion, the inability to escape the status quo and the dearth of respect for students
• Poverty is not a character flaw.
• I am dyslexic. Contrary to public speculation, neither my brain, vision nor hearing is impaired. My dyslexia is not due to mental retardation, brain damage nor a lack of intelligence. My brain is just built very differently. Fortunately. If everyone's brain was like mine, teachers would teach kids using an alterate system.
• Each elected Federal official should be required to live on the same income as the constituent with the least for one month before taking office.
• The Manufacturing Era left us bereft of the millenniums-old small business knowledge base. Now corporate skyscrapers are falling one after another like dominoes. So as we move from the Information Age into the Ideas Era TM, our choice is to either recapture that knowledge and survive. Or not.

Coming Soon

• Economy Solution: No jobs. No purchases.
• Education Solution: Failed decisions made by those who have always been in education or those who have never been in education.
• Political Solution: States walk in where the Feds dare not tread

43's Folly

The President's argument against redeploying our troops from Iraq President's Address to the Nation is, "This would bring Al Qaida closer to its goals of taking down Iraq's democracy, building a radical Islamic empire, and launching new attacks on the United States at home and abroad."

Are we sure? What will happen when we leave Iraq? This fearsome question should have been asked before we sent in troops...as in worse case scenario. But now the question stands before us, an unyielding visitor that cannot be ignored. Since this administration neglected to make use of trial-and-error problem-solving, Iraq is an imbroglio today. So would it make any difference at all when we leave?

Nearly four thousand years ago, in 1950 B.C., the Elamites Iraq invaded the land where Iraq currently lies. Later the Mongols attacked Baghdad A timeline of the Arabs, the Turks and the Persians. There has been invasion after invasion among Turkey, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Britain and Iraq throughout the centuries. And various warlords continue to fight as they have always fought for power and control. Iraq lives in history as a boiling cauldron of destabilized upheaval.

In 1920 after the British occupation and subsequent fall of Turkey, the Iraqi’s became dissatisfied, because the Brits did not fulfill their promise of sovereignty. So Iraq waged war against them British Colonialism and repression in Iraq- Global Policy Forum .... Britain quickly realized that a military solution was impossible. Iraq could not be contained.

We cannot change a culture ingrained for millenniums. But we can learn from history. We might possibly tie Iraq’s boundaries to its various groups of inhabitants. Ultimately, though, will it make a difference now whether or not we accelerate or redeploy? Not to Iraq. The sands of her borders will continue to shift and blood will run.

But it should matter to us. We have the power to halt the destruction of our soldiers, their families, innocent Iraqi citizens and our economic security. This war was lost before it began. Yes, we stirred up a hornet’s next. And we can continue in this ineffective manner. Or not. Either way, a multitude of people have been badly stung.

The YouTube (registered trademark) in My Head

Associative Thinking vs Neurotypical Thinking

I think in pictures. The process does not resemble visualizing George Washington's famous portrait in my mind nor the painting, "Dogs Playing Poker" nor a photo of Bertrand Russell, 20th century philosopher. Although in 1991, I was compared to "Bertie" Russell by a person who formerly met with him weekly.

No I have a virtual YouTube(R) in my head. I assumed everyone thought in moving pictures, but I was wrong. Most people are neurotypical. I believe thinking in pictures is a product of genetics, because my daughter also has YouTube(R) thinking. This ability is rare, especially in non-autistic people. While my daughter and I are not autistic, we do possess some traits of autism.

Dr. Temple Grandin, is world renowned professional designer of humane livestock facilities and author of "Thinking in Pictures". She says, "I think in pictures. Words are a second language to me.." (1) Like, Dr. Grandin, words are mysecond language. Unless I visualize a person's name written on a page or numbers on a telephone pad, they have absolutely no meaning to me.

"...visual thinking is characterized by associative thinking versus the linear, analytic processes of the typical non-autistic person. The amygdaline limbic system is a very powerful associative memory in terms of its processing speed. It can recognize and create a response to a stimulus before the signal even reaches the slower neocortex." (2)

While I always understood that I processes thoughts and information differently, it was a little difficult to catch myself thinking in order to analyze that process. Try it. You might find YouTube(R) in your brain.

(1) Dr. Temple Grandin, "Thinking in Pictures", www.grandin.com
(2) http://www.doyletics.com/_arj1/thinking.htm

Economic Solutions # 1 - From A Liberal

Factor In ALL Variables

Ethiopians live on $2.00 a day. That is poverty. Mexicans live on $5.00 a day. That is poverty. Twenty percent of Kansans live in poverty. And that is poverty, too. But isn't the U.S. a rich nation? Yes. For some. But purchase power based upon the Cost of Living varies substantially from country to country. Why is this important variable absent in “the facts" presented by elected officials and the media?

It is easy to understand that the U.S. dollar will buy more in Canada than in the U.S. For example, $1.00 here will buy $1.17 worth of goods or services in Toronto, which is one of Canada's more expensive cities. A person would only have to have about $66,000 to live as well as a person in Chicago earning $100,000. A well-placed one-bedroom apartment in Toronto cost only $400 per month in 2003.

How can the "Cost of Living" variable be omitted? That one U.S. dollar can purchase between $10 to $11 worth of goods or services in Mexico is well understood. The U.S. purchase power in Mexico, except for popular travel destinations, is quite substantial. And conversely, Mexican citizens find the cost of living in the U.S. substantially more expensive.

If a U.S. citizen earned the current minimum wage, that person could buy $10,712 worth of goods and services, minus taxes, every year. The same is true for an illegal alien living in the U.S., on the condition that the employer takes out taxes. But what about the money earned in the U.S. and sent back to Mexico?

That same money would purchase the $117,832 equivalent in Mexico.
In Mexico, a middle class family lives comfortably on $250 to $300 a month or $3000 to $3600 per year. Tortillas and beans are subsidized by their government, and gasoline is substantially less expensive. In the U.S. that same $250 to $300 barely covers a car payment or lunch out every day. When I lived and worked in Mexico, I lived in a four-star hotel complete with an art gallery and stringed-quartet for the price of a modest Holiday Inn room. A dinner consisting of a plate-sized steak, side dishes, appetizers, drinks, and desserts cost the equivalent of two McDonald's meals here.

The U.S. is the only industrialized country with no universal health care and no cap on prescription drugs. The average wage earner in the U.S. earns $3000 less per year than in the 1970's. In many states when a minimum wage earner purchases a gallon of 2% milk, she spends one hour's worth of income minus a few quarters.

The only reason anyone would omit the Cost of Living is to manipulate the facts.
http://thequantumthinker.blogspot.com

The Social Security Solution

What is the solution to the Social Security conundrum? 1. Elected officials must not deplete the Social Security funds to pay for other expenses. 2. Remove the taxable wage cap. 3. Rescind the recent tax cuts for those earning over $200,000 4. The country cannot afford to give Social Security to non-cit zens. 5. U.S. companies must not evade paying for their off-shore employees'.

George David, CEO and Chairman of the Board of United Technologies made $88.7 million in 2004 (1). So how much did he pay into Social Security in 2006? He paid $5,840. This is exactly the same as the guy who made $94,200 taxable income.

Why? A person earning $94,200 in taxable income pays $5,840. After that he or she doesn't pay another dime. This is called a cap. Once people reach the income cap, they no long have to pay 6.2% of their taxed income into Social Security (2).

Opponents of eliminating the income cap argue this is a huge tax increase. Or is it equitable taxation? They say Social Security would go bankrupt. But would the elected officials keep stealing Social Security funds if everyone contributed proportionally? Opponents say change would reduce family budgets, but middle class income ends at $77,300 (3). Would it weaken our economy by decreasing jobs? No, because the rich do not spend extra income in their communities and on salaries or goods such as washing machines, cars, or clothing. They invest their money.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual wage in this country was $39,354 in 2004 (up from $35,323 in 2000). So the average person paid 6.2% of their taxable wages into Social Security, or $2,439.94 in 2004.

Had George David paid 6.2%, he would have paid $5,499,400. The five highest paid CEO's earned an average of $55 million a year in 2005 (4). They each paid $5,840 into the Social Security fund. Not $3,410,000 each, $17,050,000 total if they paid 6.2%.

The 100 largest companies' CEO made a "median income of $1.14 million, up 46.4%, the highest in five years.(5) At 6.2% they would have paid $86,800 each, total $8,680,000. They paid only $5,840 each or $584,000 total.

With the recent tax cuts the top 1%, who earn $400,000 +/- per year, the country loses $1+ trillion in the next decade. $200,000 earners make up 40% of all the new tax cuts.

We only need $12.7 trillion to keep Social Security solvent and $30 trillion for Medicare. The solution is: Don't raid Social Security monies, rescind tax cuts for the wealthy, make citizenship a requisite, eliminate the cap and corporations paying what they owe.

1. Michael Brush, MSN Money, Company Focus, March 16, 2005. 2. Social Security Department, 2005. 3. Congressional Budget Office's Quntile System 4. Michael Brush, MSN Money, Company Focus, March 16, 2005. 5. Ibid