Sunday, December 25, 2011

Entry Forty Eight: Christmas Break

Christmas day is coming to a close now, its 11:14. This winter break has been absolutely wonderful, I couldn't have ever asked for anything better!  I had Christmas eve with my father as usual, he got me what was on my list - jumper cables for my car, a simple dvd player, and Saving Private Ryan. Then instead of having Christmas with mother on Christmas day we also celebrated that on Christmas Eve too. She got me everything I really wanted, and then some! I received a bottle of Cologne, a stick of luxury deodorant, Battle Field 3, and a Guitar stand! She even threw in a nice shirt from Abercrombie And Finch!  There I sat at both of my grandparents houses on the same day at different times in awe of the celebration and cheer we were all experiencing. It was the first year that I put together a wish list online and it worked out so well!

We switched it up this year because that night I drove four hours up to Templton to spend Christmas day with family I almost never see! The drive was so relaxing and needed. I left around 9:30 and was out of La by about 10:25. I hit Santa Barbara around 11:00. From there it was a clean shoot, I only shared the road with one other car for some of the drive and then he got off and someone replaced him. The last 45minutes of driving was dead silent and extremely relaxing, it felt like I was driving in the great American plains. I arrived at exactly 1:15 as perfectly planned and then was greeted by my younger cousin. We unloaded all my stuff and snuck back inside to go to bed. I stayed in his room along with my other cousin Greg (his brother) who was also sleeping on the floor.

The next morning we woke up and I (as unusual) started playing Battle Field 3 on his Xbox360. That lasted for about an hour until the rest of the family arose. After a shower and some bagels we all headed off to Church. It was a much smaller church than I was used to but still nice. It was probably the first time I spent Christmas morning at Church in two years. We then returned home and had breakfast which was served by my aunt.

After breakfast came "Christmas"! We all huddled in the family room and prepared for surprise. I thought it was really cool watching my cousins open up their gifts and see this family experience the season of giving. At my house we do things a little different - we don't have a real tree so seeing one here brought back some good childhood memories. We all received really cool stuff!!! David got a new Electric Guitar so he can start participating more in his worship group at Church. Amy got a new Xbox360 so she wouldn't have use Davids anymore. Alicia got a new ipad2. James got some really nice shirts. Greg got a european jacket. I got two nice shirts and a Emergency Bag for my car. They were great gifts! Mine were totally unexpected.

I'll be up here until Friday. OH! Something I completely forgot to mention, I also passed all my classes this semester at school which means I will be returning after break. This was the small taste of freedom I needed to hear. I thought that I was being damned to failure and another quest for meaning, purpose, or something to just fill my time. Words can not describe how happy it makes me.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Entry Forty Seven: Finals week at APU!

Finals week has come, and it has been so stressful. I cant believe the semester is almost already over! I just have two more days until school is out. I really wish I made the decision to blog more during this semester, I should have set more time for it. There is just so much I wish I could have written down to remember, the good, and the bad.

My rooms mates have still stuck with me and for the most part we get along really well. They tolerate my grouchy mood in the mornings and think its funny, which I really like. I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to live with people, who see me every day and know who I am, to assure me that I am normal. They are two great mirrors. They have helped destroy so many of my insecurities and revile the true ones. They both continuously encourage me, really help me halt some of the ways I put myself down. It hard to put blame or a valid complaint on either of them. The only thing which still irks me, is when Jeff uses a baby voice. Partially because I was raised not to, scorned constantly for doing the same thing. Also, for someone who is so desperate to become an adult, or get married... I just find it incredibly odd - immature. However, for the most part that is my problem not his. As for Brennan I cant really think of anything off the bat. The only time we ever bump heads is during discussion over a doctrine or belief.

I haven't made a lot of close friendships this semester as I expected to, actually, much of the semester didn't go as I planned. There are some secret disappointments I still hold, but they are the result of being naive, which always happens. I get so excited over something, assume drastic change is in order and a few of my major problems are going to be magically fixed. When in reality, these problems are merrily stitched up and still healing. None the less, this is still an improvement over community college. Here at APU I have met a lot of people, and these people know my name, which is much much much more then I could have ever hoped for, say at community college. Every time I hear my name a warmness enters me, I get so excited and happy, it completely makes my day! I have left the desert and entered into the spring! Next semester I will be on a role, hopefully things will continue to progress. I just need to get back on track spiritually, right with God. 

Its been really hard being here. I have the stress of performance now, the stress of making friends, maintaining friends, maintaining grades, looking good, everything which when looked at on a death bed through the glasses of reality is all undoubtably useless. It sometimes makes me feel like I was never meant for this world. Perhaps thats just the messages partial brain washing I have heard from being a Christian, all about Christians, heaven, and the filth of earth. Perhaps I have taken it all too literally, but then thats the human side of me talking I suppose. Speaking of Christian - my faith has plummeted. Being here and seeing so many people act in so many ways, being so inconsistent, divided in belief and in heart has really just made my Jenga tower fall. I mean look at grass, you know grass is grass because it always remains the same thing - grass. It acts the same way, grows the same way, remains and remains the same color. You look at Christians and they become all sorts of things. For me it begs the unending announce of this question - is there really such a thing as Christians? Yet, as my Ministry professor stated (and apart of me has thought since I was 14), "Christians" are a human created category. We shouldn't put much thought into the word, its meaning. For we know what we are supposed to do, we know what we are supposed to be, and that is all we should be preoccupied with. No where in the Bible does it say we are supposed to categorize it. The only thing to think about is "Saved", a divinely picked category that no one really knows the stats for... you can never tell from the outside and that is the truth! But then that always bothers me with the next question, it makes me wonder if there is really a God. Although, it shouldn't, because in actuality the mistake remains mine for using Human Behavior as evidence for God. 

Anyways. Right now, in this very moment, my questions about where I will be next semester, what I am going to do, where I am going to go, will not be answered. My worries about being kicked out of APU for failing my finals, my worries about not being able to find a job if it happens, should not be thought of. I forgot to mention - these are the things which have been on my mind for the past couple of weeks. I got so burned out this month on just everything that I began to throw in the towel. It was very foolish of me, incredibly stupid. Now, I face the consequence and am running around chasing my tail. I do know that this winter break is going to help me relax, unwind, find peace, and get back on track with God. I believe God has just been waiting for it like I am, he is just sitting twiddling his thumbs with patience. I mean, already, today, right now I am taking into consideration picking up my bible, the little flame still burns inside me, which is not a feeling I have felt for the past 27 days. The time is growing close when all of this will be over for a time, and I can be in line, on the path, back where I was, once again. 



Sunday, December 11, 2011

Entry Forty Six: An idea to fix slums in Africa!

Two Future Concepts of Masdar City (Borrowed)

Random thought: What would you think of a corporately run, self sustaining, charter city placed near African Slums?

Nothing like this has been done before. During the colonel days when Britain tried to colonize much of Africa, The Dutch East India Trading Company operated as a dictatorship under the power of the monarchy, they forcibly dominated communities, taxed them, and created a kind of politically corrupt economy where ever it went.

My plan would enact multiple companies operating in the same vicinity, creating more of a free market environment, like capitalism, used as an umbrella to help support smaller economic operations like local business and better finical or economic infrastructure. Eventually, once it is sustainable, will support a community based trade system, and because currency and wealth isn't fluid enough to actually sustain itself as a method of trade. And in the long run, provide the basis to support small independently run businesses, the product of an early independent economy.

In other words, companies would form an economy based on none currency labor, (not like a sweat shop) in return for a permanent start of good basic infrastructure. They would feed and then at the end of the day pay workers who run the facilities, with double portions of food, and clean drinking water. Some who are promoted to supervisor positions would  even be give temporary housing. These things initially would all be provided by the investment of the company, and in return give the company a working city, with an nearly unlimited work force, it then can do anything with, run factories in, run research in, run storage space, run logistics. This would work by using a trade for essentials, rather then a salary, not to be immoral or unethical, but because money is useless for the most part, in the slums, it cant buy anything because there is really nothing to buy...

Just imagine if your only desire, and motivation was to obtain clean water and food, you would find this amazing. With the double portion sizes you could travel, sell half and get real currency to buy clothes, other things, and eventually make something of yourself. This kind of trade would then spread. This form of operation would begin to compliment outside communities and their economy, by providing a simple base for people to provide for their families, food, water, and fill a need of others through exchange. trade would spread and become available in other places as well, allowing them to become healthy, efficient, hopeful, and eventually get to a place where they have the means to survive on their own (Buy or make a business), and have ambition.

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In a nutshell think of it this way. If you put a large farm, huge farm, and asked people to run it, you would collect 50% of the harvest for yourself and earn profit by shipping it over seas, and then pay 50% to the people who operated it, making a %100 return in cash from what you sent overseas which could be used to cover the investment. You wouldn't lose money, because the cost to pay employees would be free (self sustainable) which is a very hard idea for people to wrap there head around.

Its like paying an eight year old to mow your lawn, you make an agreement that in return for mowing your lawn you will allow him what he really needs and desires, which is that really cool happy meal for breakfast tomorrow, because it has a toy inside. It was on the spot, took the kid 15 minutes, and some instruction. Your paying him a happy meal which is 4 dollars. It would cost you, scheduling and 35 dollars for an adult or professional. What is the ratio of cost over profit?

Now if you use this model, scale this up into creating a self sustaining CITY ECONOMY, education, agriculture, food preparation, utilities, logistics, industry (factories) and storage. By using agriculture and clean water (the farm and water treatment plan), they will run everything in your city economy. You just have to build a farm large enough and create enough water for proper payment, to cover everyone. But because both of those things are easily mass produced it shouldn't pose a real problem and cost is near to nothing.

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Heres the idea reiterated one last time, with terms everyone can understand. You have a factory here in the United States which builds cars. The workers who operate this factory, are put in charge of training new employees on how to use the equipment and handle his job, each picked to help run the factory. These new employees then carry out duties of opening up food (farming) which is being delivered to the cafeteria, others are in the cafeteria preparing the food for all the workers, some are put into building the car, some are put into storing the car, and some are put into shipping the car - all of this on the site location of the Car factory. But, then some are also told to run the bank (agriculture) which also prints money to pay them all just across the street - all under the rules, regulations, and authority of the body who made such an investment or the building of the factory: the company.

Now I will further explain how this would work in a city.  You have a building for education, like Adult school in the United States, how to be a citizen 101 - people are trained in different skills and then put in different sections of the city running operations. Some decide they like working in a warehouse which stores product, food, and materials for the factory near by. Some decide to work in the factory which produces huge quantities of product to go over seas. Some really really want to learn how to drive so they are put in logistics and ship the products down to port cities. Some want to learn how to cook so they are put in a massive cafeteria / break room. Some people have a green thumb, and nick for operating massive farm equipment, so they are put in the agriculture surrounding the city, which pays for everyone to work there. Some are put in the water treatment plant.

At the end of the day, these people leave with 3 meals in their body breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Along with two pre-made meals to take home and a bucket of water. Some of it they trade to their neighbors who were not as fortunate to be picked to work on the site, and some feed their families. Eventually, their life becomes sustainable, healthy, happy, and hopeful. They become ambitious, work hard and get promoted to different positions in the company's city, get more portions, and investments are being made outside the city in other communities with currency they have collected from trading goods being taken home. This mechanism spreads to other villages, the trading of food and water for currency produces more small business, and these small business eventually becomes a sustainable economy. This economy grows, and I could go on but you get the picture - its no longer a slum.
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With this system three needs are filled

The need of the company for affordable labor and cheep product production. (Capitalism)
The need of clean drinking water and food by citizens (Human activism)
The need of most basic infrastructure for community building (Human activism)

Some may say that paying people in food and water is inhuman, but in a place like the slums money is rarely used, whatever it can buy other then food and water is useless.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Entry Forty Five: If I were President of the United States.

If I were president: Vision, academic brilliance, and calculations from mega computers will run the country, not hope, not politics, not my own perspective, small brain, all by itself.

First
, I would deal with tackling everything that is wrong with my finances, our finances, this countries finances. I would start by reconstructing the IRS. I would collaborate with 65 private universities, require the aid of academic capitalists and put together a better way of managing, and maybe even doing tax. Only and idiot would be scared enough to shun away the idea that everything is falling apart. It may be plausible that a new system needs to be put in place, something better than the idea of taxes. I would love to see something innovative, brilliant, like nothing history has every bared witness to before be implemented into this country. All to fund our means of operation. Our country is based on innovation, crazy, inspiring, life changing ideas. We need to reorganize the problems we have and get them fixed. I would help do this by gathering top advice, outside of government and social agendas, this is no longer a left or right wing problem, this is not a government problem, this becoming a global problem. I will call all hands to deck, with major fortune 500 companies, the financial advisers they use, and foreign annalists. To help keep everything stable our treasury department needs to a better look taken at it too. Right now, at this very moment I would love to put together a board of our national bankers, and forcibly require annual meetings here on the home ground by a monthly basis, and yearly at the UN, with global economic analysts, market analysis's, and 3rd party accounting firms. I never again want to ever smell, hear, or assume, that our economy is going to collapse due to the way we handle our money.

Second, I would deal with immigration and boarder control by cutting  the fingers who are controlling this bureaucratic process, government. With the help of Googles satellite system, private security and logistics firms, human traffic advisers in China, and new programs for students to participate with this process in academic bodies. We will finally bash through corrupt political and corporate agendas that desire votes or an over amount of Uneducated cheap labor. We need to organize human traffic in a sound and systematic manner and open up the pipeline by, blowing open a gate system and streamlining the process - outsourcing. I want to reform defense protocol and boarder management. With a country this big we should be able to fit a good amount of people in it, I don't want more than we can handle though, I don't want our health care system, our educational system, or our police force overburdened. More than anything I don't want everyone congregating in one state or only a few states new immigrants need to be spread across the country. To prevent these things measures would be taken, by laws being formed. Immigrants moving to the united states would be required to find a job, housing, and life aspiration, within 3 months before obtaining permanent residency.

I am not sure if this would work, hence advisers are needed, but ideally I desire for only three strategic sections of the boarder to allow people in, freely, all access - excluding terrorists, criminals, and those who would become an unreasonable burdon on society. I want a physically organized line and intense screening process on site, 12 hours per day, no more appointments or mailing paper work. I do no want anymore jumping over fences, running across private property, and causing a number of problems we cant get accurate numbers on, manage, and realize exist because no one is being properly cataloged. I don't want a paper line, I don't want a line online, I want a physical lines and doors to enter through like we currently have at airports. I mean, lets make this simple - If I became president you are fully, entirely, allowed in the country. However, you can not expect to come over here and disrupt the way our systems run, we have to know who you are, we have to know where you are from, and we have to know a few other things. If I could I would encourage over sea foreigners from Russia, Japan, Australia, Israeli and all of Europe - to help organize a more rounded, more educated immigrated workforce, and help balance ethnicity. If I am elected president, you may come at any time but this needs to be organized, there will be paperwork yes, we want you name, occupation, future plans, where you will be living and so forth. A few other things, like your fingerprint for DNA and a retina - I want this process to only take an hour to complete.

I would like to change our ID system, from now on I want citizens to be given an ID card which will hold their DNA, a place for transparent barcodes and retina scan - and of course not attached to their body, no bar codes, no microchips, no Anti-Christ stuff. I simply desire to create no easy way of makeing a false Identity. If this takes place, I will make sure green cards will no longer be issued, State ID's will no longer be issued - only this new more information holding, universal ID. As an immigrant, I will make sure this is the only simple rule you have to consent to - You will come through the gate in a organized sensible manner. Which means, you will not not jump any fence or walk over any other section of the boarder. If you do not come from one of the designated entrances and file the paperwork, if you do not obey this simple, most, unexplainably basic rule then there will be extreme consequences. If you are spotted walking or crossing the boarder at any other place for any reason, even life or death, ignoring the signs which will be there, you will be immediately shot, without any level of mercy or remorse. Your children will be shot, and whoever else is with you will be shot. The judicial system will not defend you, the people will not defend you. Your only way in is to wait in a physical line and walk through a one of three forty foot wide gates.

Thirdly - the middle east, it has been dealt with thanks to Obama, our troops are being moved home to safety and sanity - thank God. However, I would desire to keep a career fleet offshore and in the commanding hands of Israel. It would be active in a supporting role for Israeli defense minister, and whatever missions his branch desires to carry out in defense of their country, through them, and by them, keeping our fingers away from direct contact with their agenda. The operating cost of the fleet will be partially paid for by the Israeli government by stationing Israeli troops on board instead of US marines, and by providing food. I trust our defense minister to stay in contact with the fleet and its US commanders, their the team, and the Israelis. I trust the Israelis will enjoy the benefits of what that protection can offer if an act of war is clearly put upon their state, and services are needed. My hope is that this gift of chartering one of our fleets, will bluntly show the world where we stand in alliance, and bluntly show Israeli leaders who they can trust more then themselves, that they are not alone. I hope it bluntly shows other middle east leaders who they should no longer aggravate. I, no longer want to hear anything, or be apart of anything, in the middle east. If I was to be elected president, everything considering the middle east would be run by my vice president.

Fourthly - We need to better manage our health care system, improved treatments, and less drug use. Pharmasuticals are becoming like the oil companies back in the day when trains and other methods of transportation were being bought out, they have far too much influence. We live in an age where almost magical advances are being made in biotechnology and medical treatment. We need to be putting more effort into these things. None - embryonic stem cell treatment should be sped up, it should be actively funded by state governments. If I were elected president it should be FDA approved by the end of my term. But in regards to healthcare, our biggest issue is Obama care - it needs some serious remodeling... I enjoy the idea that everyone can get cheep health care, but it just doesn't work. I would begin to remove it immediately, and call forth health care experts, top notch college students, and call upon the people, show them the numbers, black and white, the secret and the not so secret. I would address the changes that need to take place. Look at the underlying issues that may be causing such a rise in health care cost. It may sit in something much deeper then most would anticipate, I want to look at all the data and go from there. If we can fix our finacial system, get it stabilized, fix the loopholes, and get our budget back on tract then health care and social security will become top priority above anything else I would like to accomplish.

Fifthly - We need to start improving our national presence in Africa. Yes, I would like to eliminate certain dictatorships and help reconstruct a few select small governments because of their valuable resources and unbelievable poverty, that is my agenda, collaborate for better political organization, human rights, and global security with an emphasis on resource collection and management. Yes, of course there is a bigger plan, long term if the American people decides to see it through, peace, and cheeper oil. I hope that through constructing relations in select port cities, and building a physical presence, it will spread across the continent and one day become a gift to the world in the future. This poverty stuff has gone on long enough, the continent of Africa is a gold mine to resources our country needs, and we have resources that compliment their needs, we are one of the largest corn growers in the world. I want to kick up our agriculture here, get the industry going even more. I want to get it booming and try to end poverty in trade for oil and precious minerals once stable environments for trade can be secured. I will recruit the help of 600 academic experts on a volunteer basis with small subsidies. I will find leaders of none-profit organizations such as the salvation army, invisible children, and anyone else who wants to be apart of this project. Separation of Church and state will remain, but religious or not the door will stay open for you to help. The more resources we pull together then the less tax payers have to sacrifice out of their own budgets, and that is always better, I am always up for saving money.

Finally - last but not least, our democracy. The Government which claims its power from congress, the senate, our judicial system and the white house... who changes, alters, and reinterprets the constitution.... if I were elected, I would forcibly correct our way of doing politics, to form the first ever, nationally recognized Federal Republic. I would open up a new branch of federal government, we have the executive, the judicial, the congressional, and now we would have a "The peoples". Giving more power, through the use of internet voting back to the people, enforcing that power by government. We have the technology to do this right now, the sites to run the servers. Let me share with you how, we have dismantled nuclear silos, which are sitting clean and abandoned. They remain a perfect place to install user voting mainframes.

Congress and the senate will act as third party accountability to the new branch of the people by the people, as they were intended to do, the judicial system will no longer hold power to change or alter interpretations of our constitution. Something in this God forsaken world needs to be absolute and that will be our constitution, as it was the purpose to begin with. I don't plan to take people back in time, go back to days which feel more comfortable, on both sides. Right now I desire to push us forward towards a new future, bright, different, off track from the current damnation this road is going to bring us to. 

My Political stance will always remain this way: The people should not have to enforce and hold the government accountable, the government should not act as a primary decision maker, instead, as it was created to be - a 3rd party judge. The people should make decisions, and government intervention should be a well respected, and honored last resort.