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Creative Art and Expression in Science-Stem and Stream

Art and sciences are two facets of understand the world in which we live. I would like to call this Stem and Stream. Stem offers us the opportunity to think about science from a methodological viewpoint while Stream is more of an unconscious process. Recently, I engaged in a free art class at one of the local dining establishments as both enjoyment and a "Stream" process. Of course there is nothing like a glass of wine to get the creative juices flowing. While I cannot say that I am much of an artists, or ever will be, I can say that the process of art does help me think more scientifically. In this case such classes offer an opportunity to socialize in a non-stressful environment that allows you to see new forms in images and people. In this case, it was a live model that held poses for about 5 minutes for a few hours. You don't get an opportunity to go into specific detail but just enough time to outline and put in a few features. An important benefit of atten

The Life of an Academic and Squeezed Budgets

The life of an academic is about using one's brain. There are long-hours involved but often the reward is to help people improve their lives and learn valuable skills they can apply in the workplace. If you are an academic engaged in scientific research there is the added benefit of offering new ideas and thoughts to the world. The academic life is not for everyone. With squeezed state budgets and inability of many private colleges to meet budget shortfalls the "academic" is disappearing for short-term underpaid, and often ineffective adjunct work. Those with the most knowledge are finding fewer opportunities. Knowledge is something that has been part of academic life all the way from early philosophers all the way to modern professors. This knowledge costs money and time. New knowledge doesn't come easily and often takes years of planning. It is hard to get a $$$$ out of it. States often find that new knowledge is something they can't afford and push univ

Global Warming No Longer Fiction but Supported by Science

While no one can say that the global climate change is a fact there is compelling evidence that we are destroying our environment. A Climate Science Special Report, that has been peer reviewed by the National Academy of Science, found that we are indeed heading for global warming and there are no current viable options to this theory. At present we have already started the process of weather change. The problem is that we as a species have only one Earth and have not found or advanced enough as a species to reduce the damage we have caused. Technology may some day get us there and we can serious reduce emissions and regrow forests, plankton and other needed "greens" to keep our environment living and moving. Assuming that nothing changes we should be experience more extreme heat and rainfall. That includes wildfires, flooding, and sea rising. Things will change and our lives will change forcing us to adapt even more to the environment. Our "safe" world may become

Sailing the Classics-1920 Herreshoff Wooden Catch Boat

Last week I sailed a classic 1920 Herreshoff Wooden Catch Boat that was custom built out of Japan for a wealthy family. The boat has been restored and worked on by an individual that has experience as an airplane mechanical engineer. As a cruiser this is a lounge boat used for taking out with friends and family.  The boat is a cruiser and easy to manage. Just about everything is manual and doesn't need a crank or any special items or equipment. For those with limited sailing experience it is perfect versus some of the "tupperware" boats made of modern equipment and complex designs.  Because almost anything can go wrong the use of a simple boat is sometimes better.  The owner took the boat to Hawaii and back which was about 30 days either way. The boat had minimal problems. I would not be as sure about some of the more complex boats because when something goes wrong it often can't be fixed at sea.  It was a 6 hour sail but it was nice and leisurely

Reducing Taxes to Encourage Companies to Move their Headquarters to the U.S.

Being the intellectual center of the world has advantages for economic growth. As headquarters move to the U.S., or any other nation, they bring with them their intellectual capital and significant investment in facilities within their location. To encourage companies to move their headquarters and their manufacturing centers to the U.S. it is necessary to create an investment rich environment by lowering corporate taxes. High tax rates adversely impacts foreign and domestic investment (Abbas & Klemm, 2013). As the tax rate increases, companies seek to put their money into other markets as each % of tax increase has a direct impact on the bottom line. We have experienced the effects of this phenomenon when U.S. companies invest heavily overseas by moving their administrative offices and manufacturing centers overseas to avoid tax liabilities. We have to think of this issue from a corporate investment standpoint. When the cost of taxes is significantly lower in countries and the

5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Smaller Government

The debate between larger and smaller government has raged for at least a few hundred years and doesn't seem likely to end anytime soon. Capitalism, or government forms that allows markets to determine our economic policies, and democracy, that allows for people to elect and rule themselves seems to be one of the few examples that buck the trend of Socialism, Communism, Theocracies and Dictatorships. Yet this form of government has also taken on larger and larger governmental forms with increasing debt structures resembling a more European outlook. Advantages of Smaller Government: 1. Generally a wealthier society with more investment opportunities and lower tax rates. 2. Local control of government allowing each location and culture to determine how they shall rule and be ruled. 3. More personal "buy in" into the benefits and value of the government system. 4. More freedom and less restriction on life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. 5. Natural economic cyc

Economics and Development in Microstates, Islands, and the Arctic

Economics and Development in Microstates, Islands, and the Arctic 30 November-3 December 2018, Nuuk, Greenland http://www.islanddynamics.org/economicsdevelopment.html Economies work differently in microstates and island territories than in larger jurisdictions. Small population size and/or land area, often coupled with remoteness, affect how economies function and encourage potentially problematic governance forms and practices (including conflicts of interest, anti-competitive policies, and dependency on the public sector). Microstates and islands are frequently said to suffer from skills shortages, lack of economies of scale, extreme industrial specialisation and dependence on a small number of external markets (thereby increasing vulnerability), high transport costs, and poor balances of trade. Nevertheless, many microstates and subnational island jurisdictions (nonsovereign island territories) have achieved economic success and/or stability, in part through their engaging – conscio