World class

Tesla Motors just keeps making headlines. Read this to see why Forbes places Tesla at the top of its list of "world's most innovative companies" :

"It goes from 0-60 in under three seconds in “ludicrous” mode, the fastest of any four-door production car on the planet, and is also the safest car in its class. When it collides with the crash-test machine, the crash-test machine breaks. You can order it online and have it delivered to your door, get software updates beamed wirelessly and receive maintenance alerts before bad stuff happens. Plus, it’s beautiful. The door handles reach out to be opened as you approach, then fold flat for better aerodynamics. 

"Don’t believe us: Consumer Reports called it the best overall car on the market for the past two years."

"The first thing you notice when you step onto Tesla Motors TSLA +3.44% production floor are the robots. Eight-foot-tall bright-red bots that look like Transformers, huddling over each Model S sedan as it makes its way through the factory in Fremont, Ca . ." (click on the photo to see it bigger)

Btw . .  no, Tesla does not pay me to report on their cars all the time. I'm just kind of fascinated.

Not just CA

Australia is suffering too. Right now cattle ranchers in terrible drought conditions are "enjoying the bad times - because we know the catastrophic times are still coming." They cull their herds and take down mulgo trees to feed the cattle.

The drought has been happening over years. The video below came out 6 months ago.

Free talk #2

(cont'd)

Free speech means that a person has the 1) right to say what he thinks should be said, but it also includes the 2) right of others to hear the dissenting view or the inconvenient fact (as the late Christopher Hitchens, famous atheist, said).

The first right is a matter of equal justice before the law, that one has the same right as others do to say what he thinks important. That right is also a matter of respect for the rationality and desires of all people since they too are created in God's image (not only the people who agree with me).

The second right honors truth. It is possible, even though we have good reason to think what we think, that we are wrong. We must allow for this. Under this concept, the dissenter must be allowed to bring to the discussion what we have so far rejected or neglected - because it could be a part of the truth that we missed.

And we want our decisions in society and in personal life to be based on truth, on what really is - not on a fantasy of what we'd like to pretend is true.

Free talk #1

Should we in America be free to say what we want to, what we believe? Yes, the Constitution's First Amendment guarantees that right to us. The government may not stop you from speaking. But there are pockets where free speech is not welcome.

Those pockets are the very place you'd expect free speech to be defended:  university and college campuses. Over half of them now restrict speech they don't like, and the U.S. Dept. of Education may make restricted speech mandatory in all higher education.



But why?

(cont'd tomorrow)

911

I remember September 11, 2001 ~

Here's the gist of a conversation I had with my niece Bethany and our friend Adam 3 weeks ago in NY when it was time to either go to the 911 memorial or eliminate it from our trip:

Me - I'm indifferent about visiting Ground Zero, but I don't know why, since it's so important.
Adam - It just mechanically lists the data & events with grief for the deaths.
Me - Maybe they're trying not to be political.
Bethany - There's nothing about 911 that isn't political!!
Me - That's it! That's the reason - I get the impression that the memorial is only data, no meaning.

Since I still have not been there, I wonder - are no value statements are made at the memorial? It will be a priority next time for me, but if you have been there and have an opinion, I welcome it.

Go here for the stories of four men who survived being on high floors in the two towers.

"Trees" #2

(cont'd)

Those big man-made "trees" in Singapore are made to be a useful part of the park ecology. They have solar panels to generate power, they catch rain water and moderate the tropical heat.

The huge "trunks" are made of concrete and steel, while the "branches" are big wire rods. That walkway is seven stories above ground.

At night there's a light and sound show. They expect the finished project is to be a national landmark and attraction magnet for tourism.

"Trees" #1

When we visited Singapore in 2006, we found the city/nation/island to be beautiful, clean, orderly. Possibly we could now add the words innovative and fanciful to the description.

Two months ago the big landscaping and parks project, Gardens by the Bay, opened to the public. It includes 18 man-made "trees" up to 150 feet tall. The "trunks" of these trees have solar technology and vertical gardens. Paths have been built between them.

theguardian.com

(cont'd)

Moral persons

(cont'd)

It's hard to believe that people would claim something so nonsensical as legal personhood for chimpanzees, though they are being consistent with their worldview which says that there's nothing special about human beings (you have to wonder how they can deny the specialness of humans).

William Wilberforce was one of the founders of the SPCA. As a Christian, he appealed to humans' moral responsibility to kindly care for animals - and this was consistent with his worldview that humans are accountable persons who can choose to do what's morally right.

Sometimes you hear that Christians have no business "moralizing," that they should keep their values to themselves, that God's standards are not for the world at large but just for believers. I have to disagree. God's standards for behavior are light in the darkness of a confusing world.

Personhood

Are chimpanzees people too? There's a movement that seeks legal "personhood" for chimps and other animals based on their view that humans have no transcendent value over other animals.  They call it "species-ism", discrimination that favors humans against animals.

But humans are different. One thing that distinguishes humans is their moral responsibility to treat animals kindly. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the oldest charity of its kind, was founded in 1824 for this purpose - we demand kindness from persons but not from animals.

That's the basic foundation of a recent decision by the New York court. They "refused to hear an appeal seeking to create chimp personhood."

The court says that animals cannot "be held legally accountable for their action," as persons can. 

(cont'd tomorrow)

Influence

All of us are consumers of our own culture. Some people's minds are fed nothing but conventional, mainstream, politically correct education and entertainment. But conventional opinion may be good, it may be true - or it may be neither good nor true.

Author Hugh Whelchel asks, "Have Christians Lost the Ability to Be in the World but Not of it?" For about a century, he says, the church has been absorbing more than influencing culture. 

The world would like us to conform, to just "take their word for it." They can be rough and judgmental - but the Bible says not to blindly conform to culture:

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Uber future

Just in case you're thinking of driving for Uber:  a study has shown that Uber drivers make around $19 per hour while traditional cabbies make about $12.90 per hour. (The study was done by a Princeton economist who advises Hillary Clinton.)

Clinton says that Uber drivers make so little that they drive down the income of cabbies (er . . what?) and presidential candidate Sanders just wants Uber to be highly regulated. If the California law suits against it are successful, Uber will incur the cost of treating their drivers like employees, which would include insurance and expenses. I've no doubt that consumers will pay more if that happens.

It's been a success with both drivers and consumers so far. Is Uber the evolved version of the taxicab business? Maybe it's on the right side of history.

High supply

(cont'd)

A barrel of oil costs far less all over the world now than it did just a couple of years ago, resulting in global benefits (yesterday's post).  But why did that happen?

There's more than one thing contributing to it, but the first event was this - oil industry innovation.  New fracking technology enabled American companies to extract oil from rock at lower cost. Therefore, much more oil came on the global market. 

With bigger supply, the worldwide price began to fall. Normally when oil prices fall, Middle Eastern oil producers slow down their production to reduce the worldwide supply until prices come back up. This time they did not slow down. So worldwide supply stayed high, oil prices stayed low.

When people (not just Americans) have ordered, lawful freedom, they can come up with ideas that make things better, that create wealth for themselves and for society.

Half price

The price that the world had to pay for a barrel of oil last year was cut in half. That drop resulted in people all over the world paying less for the energy they need for heating, cooling, driving, cooking, wherever oil is used for power.

"[Since] the world burns 34 billion barrels of oil every year, a $10 fall in the price of oil shifts $340 billion from oil producers to consumers. [And] the $60 price decline since last August will redistribute more than $2 trillion [60 x 34 million) annually to oil consumers, providing a bigger income boost than the combined US and Chinese fiscal stimulus in 2009."

That's just the benefit to consumers, to households. Beyond consumers, businesses are also cutting their costs because of declining oil prices. That will lead to worldwide economic growth, which supports improved standards of living.

And all this happened . . how?

(cont'd tomorrow)

CO2

Carbon dioxide gets only bad press these days, but there's a more benign story to be told. Actually, carbon dioxide is essential to life.

Balance out the story of CO2 in this quick 4-minute overview of the beneficent side of carbon dioxide:

Model Ryan

Professional football players make millions of dollars. Many then go bankrupt after their pro athlete days are done. But Ryan Broyles, receiver for the Detroit Lions, is an exception to the rule.

Making over a million per year, "he still owns the 2005 Trailblazer he drove in college."  Ryan and his wife reportedly live on about $60,000 per year - and put the rest of his earnings into investments and savings.

"Broyles wanted to make sure his NFL career, however long it lasts, really did set him up for life." Because . . he knows his pro football days will not last forever.

New school

Since IS started taking territory a little over a year ago, about 2.5 million people have been driven from their homes. They're now called "IDP's", internally displaced persons, with about a quarter of this number being children age 6-17.

photo: servantgroup.org

At Kahnke IDP camp in Iraq, the opening of a school is a rare piece of good news for refugees whose future is just unknown. Iraqi Christian pastor Yousif Matty spoke at the opening of the Shivani Medes School.

“The soldiers fight with guns, but you are fighting with pens and with your mind,” Matty told those gathered for the dedication. In a world of sectarian and religiously driven violence his ministry crosses those lines: There he stood, a Christian Arab addressing Yazidis, Kurds, Muslim officials, and a few Americans . ." at the dedication.

IS taking more

When Islamic State conquered the ancient city of Mosul, Iraq, their videos trumpeted destruction of important works of art. Now they have conquered the city of Palmyra, Syria, and again they destroy. This time it's an ancient temple that's blown up.

They control over half of Syria's territory, and now have also taken the city of Ramadi, Iraq, which has surprised American advisors.

They have so much money that they're planning to buy a nuclear bomb. Pres. Obama promises to send ground troops if that happens.

NYC #2

(cont'd)

While in New York we went to a Broadway musical. It was the first for both of us and we loved it. "Amazing Grace" is the story of John Newton who progressed from callous slave trader of the 1700's  . .  to repentance . .  to Christian priest working to end the slave trade in England.

The musical opened last October in Chicago. Now it's on Broadway and I'm glad it's done very well. 

Next time you hear the hymn, picture Newton's mindset as he wrote it because now you know the choices he made.

NYC #1

Here's the trip report I promised:

In the category of glad-I-did-this, we stayed at a B&B in Harlem. The photo isn't our street, but it looks a lot like it.

Here's what we saw in New York City:

• neighborhood - people quietly sitting on their steps and hanging out with their neighbors, and we joined them at Lulu's Taquilleria, Maison Harlem, and Hungarian Pastry Shop
• racial diversity - black, Hispanic, white, Asian, Indian, anything
• energy - my niece, energy on wheels, loved it and contributed to it
• bad behavior - verbal abuse in the subway so threatening that the police came down
• food fight - angry adults at a food cart on the street, my niece called 911
• language diversity - I could only identify French, Spanish, Chinese
• subways - we went all over Manhattan in them
• food - markets and restaurants just everywhere!

In short, those New York cliches came to life - including the electric feeling after dark in Times Square.

(cont'd tomorrow)

Come back

We got back from New York last night, and I'll be posting next Monday and Tuesday about the experience.

Come back on Monday when normal-ness resumes!

Break

The third annual August break is coming up next week, so no new blog posts will appear here until Monday, August 24.

This year I'll be in New York City with my niece for sightseeing, museums, theater, exploring neighborhoods and restaurants.

As a camping/outdoor/forest/farm/garden lover, this is not my typical vacation - but it will be good, and I'll share something about it when we get back.

IS hackers

Islamic State (IS) has a "hacking division" that has become more serious  and threatening. U.S. military and embassy staff have been warned to take precautions with social media, where they or their families might reveal too much information.

That "hacking division" has announced that they have a hit list of U.S. personnel and intend some kind of attack using the personal information they've found.

from CBSNews

Slavery

(cont'd)

What happens to those victims kidnapped by IS (Islamic State)? They wind up as slaves. A United Nations official got hold of an IS pamphlet that listed prices for the women and children they had captured.

Who buys them? IS fighters and wealthy Middle Easterners. Young children fetch the highest prices.

Defeated communities are enslaved by IS as long as they are not Sunni Muslim: Yazidis and Christians would be examples subject to slavery.

from Bloomberg

Postscript: An article appeared today (Aug. 13) in NYTimes confirming that sex slavery is now formally part of the Islamic State organization. Rules and procedures are codified and Yazidis appear to be targeted.

Taken

IS (Islamic State) is still in the business of kidnapping, assault, etc. This time it's in Syria. They took about 250 Christians from 11 families when IS conquered the city of Palmyra, opposed by Syrian Pres. al-Assad's forces.

www.britannica.com

Hundreds of both Christians and Muslims are missing. Some of the Christians taken were names on a "most wanted" list.

(cont'd tomorrow)

CA coping

California's drought is in its fourth year and it's a big problem. Farmers are restricted in how much surface water they can use, but they are free to drill water from underground. A cotton farmer has drilled five wells, each the vertical length of two Empire State Buildings.

Agriculture is being hit hard, so there's lots of tapping those water aquifers underground. But, big as they are, they are shrinking and people are plenty concerned and looking for solutions.

One is to cut back on less profitable crops like cotton and corn, and switch to tomatoes, vineyards, orchards, which give a higher return for their investment of resources.

Another is to figure out some way to easily trade or sell water rights, so that water can "flow"to places of greatest need. It involves water basins, streams and rivers, irrigation districts, and very old laws dating back to the nineteenth century gold rush.

In short, it's complicated.

from Bloomberg

Car ins drop

"Driverless cars" apparently are on the way to becoming real. Insurance companies are thinking about how the lack of a human driver is going to affect the way they do business.

Google's Sebastian Thrun has a personal motivation to develop the concept. At 18, he lost his friend to a car accident and his goal is to develop a self-driving car in order to save lives.

"Sensors, cameras, and computers can react to all kinds of driving situations." Google has already done testing on more than a million miles of roads.

The insurance companies are taking this seriously. They anticipate a future in which driverless cars make car travel much more safe, resulting in lower premiums.

"Premiums consumers pay could drop as much as 60 percent in 15 years as self-driving cars hit the roads."

Sean Little

Like Tony Evans (yesterday's post), Sean Little felt his personal identity being rebuilt by God after circumstances had wounded him.

Both Tony and Sean sensed that their old identity - built on what other people thought of them - was inadequate. Sean describes his old identity in urban hip hop culture as cold, hard, self-consumed. Let him explain what happened:

Tony Evans

Tony experienced racism in Baltimore. He has a unique response to the contempt he felt coming from other people - based on his Christian faith. Here's a little bit of his personal story of overcoming:

Only electric

Are electric cars going to replace traditional cars some day? A bureaucrat in California is doing everything she can to make sure that happens ASAP in her state. Mary Nichols "is pushing regula­tions today that could by midcentury all but banish the internal combustion engine from California’s famous highways."

"California’s goals for the adoption of elec­tric vehicle technology are the most strin­gent in the nation, but Nichols thinks they need to be even tougher . . [she] wants 100 percent of the new vehicles sold to be zero- or almost-zero-emissions by 2030."

The guy running Fiat Chrysler hopes no one in California buys his electric Fiat (which he sells in CA only because state law requires it) - since every sale costs his company $14,000.

You already know, or can guess, what car company likes the CA policy. Yup, Tesla.

Non-tech

Something is happening in the tech business world that may or may not surprise you (according to this article). The massive wave of technology companies over recent decades triggered a great need for technically trained people, but there's also a complementary need now for non-tech people.

Those Silicon Valley companies need educators, account reps, people who can "connect with end users and figure out what they want." 

"The more that audacious coders dream of changing the world, the more they need to fill their companies with social alchemists who can connect with customers–and make progress seem pleasant."