Not just STEM

Science/Technology/Engineering/Math education training gets a lot of attention because there's a big need for this expertise in today's job market. But that's only part of what's needed.

Employers want much more than just STEM training. Along with that, they are looking for future employees with these non-cognitive skills: 

Listening, problem-solving, teamwork, integrity, and dependability

• Employers report a need for employees with these skills and place a higher value on them than on job-specific skills.

These skills are "are rooted in infancy and early childhood experience and develop across the life cycle."

So . . how important is family life to society? Building character in your children is vital to their lives and vital to the function of the community.

Good news -- as you develop your own character along these lines, you'll be positioned for growth in your career.

Loneliness #3

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

It's easy to be around old friends. They have survived learning about your strengths and weaknesses. Since they know your story, you don't have to explain yourself to them.

But many of us are not surrounded with old friends. We are in job after job, location after location, and spending time with old friends isn't part of our lives. Loneliness sets in.

Last Friday's post told the story of an immigrant to the U.S. who, though she sometimes struggled in a new country, said "yes" to invitations to an American holiday every year. She did the right thing by saying "yes." As did this introvert in a new home.

Arthur and his wife fear lonely isolation when they go to their new home too. But this book has given them a strategy to overcome it:

"It isn’t about how I feel about any place I have lived, nor about my fear of isolation in a new city. It is about the neighbor I choose to be in the community I wind up calling my home.

"And there lies the challenge to each of us in a country suffering from loneliness and ripped apart by political opportunists seeking to capitalize on that isolation. Each of us can be happier, and America will start to heal, when we become the kind neighbors and generous friends we wish we had."

photo

Loneliness #2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

"Steady work" used to be commonplace among Americans, but the nature of work has changed to a sequence of jobs that are not held long enough for relationships to mature. So one source of "people who know me very well" is gone.

A sense of belonging to a certain place - a sense of hometown - used to be commonplace among Americans, the feeling some still get at the "hometown gym on a Friday night," a love for neighbors and community. But how mobile are Americans today.

Author Arthur Brooks says, "I asked myself where I might get that hometown-gym feeling, where I have natural roots . . No specific place came to mind . . not even Seattle, my hometown, which is a perfectly nice place, but one I unsentimentally left behind 35 years ago."

Jobs and homes are often short-lived. Social media "friendships" are shallow. Americans need to be more intentional about building relationships and overcoming loneliness. 

(cont'd tomorrow)

Loneliness #1

According to a big study done by a major health care provider, "Nearly half [of Americans] say they sometimes or always feel alone or “left out.” Thirteen percent of Americans say that zero people know them well."

In one way, I wonder, "Is that all?" Because most (or maybe all) of us feel alone sometimes. But it shouldn't be "always." 

Manipulators have an opportunity in the lonely void. The “outrage industrial complex” provides a sense of community with polarized political tribes. "Essentially, people locate their sense of “us” through the contempt peddled about “them” on the other side of the political spectrum."

(cont'd tomorrow)

Meal cost

American Farm Bureau Federation has kept track of the cost of a roast turkey meal for 33 years. Would you guess that we pay more for our food today than we did in 1986? Or less?

We pay 26% less in inflation-adjusted dollars than we paid in 1986. 

Thankful

My annual critique of Black Friday is already published 😏 

But I am publishing again today, because I found a story too good to ignore. 

Olga was an exchange student from Eastern Europe when she experienced her first American Thanksgiving in Texas. She was in the "honeymoon" phase of getting to know a culture that she eventually embraced for herself as an immigrant.

Through all the ups and downs of various life stages over the last decade and a half, one constant in my life has been Thanksgiving. Without exception, every year that I have lived here [in the U.S.], someone has always invited me over for a Thanksgiving meal. Someone has always welcomed me at their table.

Black Friday

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday! The whole point of it is to be thankful for the blessings we enjoy. There should be no objection to that, no politics.

But it may take a back seat to "black Friday," especially when the shopping frenzy starts late afternoon of Thanksgiving Day.

The sale prices may not be that good, poor retail employees have to report to work on the holiday, and "It's making us crazy rather than thankful."

Restraint would be appropriate! Restraint - from opening on the holiday, from bad behavior, from overspending -  would improve Black Friday. 

PJ's, thank you

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

U.S. Air Force pararescuemen conduct helicopter hoist training on Nov. 5, 2018, at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan

Thousands of American warriors are spending Thanksgiving week in Afghanistan. Thank you, pararescuemen, for training and serving so "that others may live."

Pararescue

"That Others May Live" -- it's the motto of some of the "most highly trained emergency trauma specialists in the U.S. military. "

If you're in combat, and really in trouble, these are the guys you want to see show up.

photo: military

A parajumper (PJ) is "a personnel recovery specialist, with emergency medical capabilities in humanitarian and combat environments. 

"PJs deploy in any available manner, to include air-land-sea tactics, into restricted environments to authenticate, extract, treat, stabilize and evacuate injured personnel. 

"PJs participate in search and rescue, combat search and rescue, recovery support for NASA and conduct other operations as appropriate."

(cont'd tomorrow)

Xi attacks

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

President Xi of China is being called "Emperor Xi" because of his growing grasp of power. He sees religion, all kinds, as a threat to his hold. Christian churches have been destroyed, even those that were supposedly approved. Thousands of crosses (symbols of Christianity) have been torn from churches. 



Fear creates social pressure:

"In one school in Xinjiang, 200 students in one high school identified themselves as Christians. After three rounds of threats and intimidation from parents, teachers and headmasters, only one 14-year-old had the strength to admit he was still a Christian. Everybody else was forced to deny their faith."

Xi oppression

Remember China's surveillance plan and the 600 million cameras for watching people?  The government judges behavior and they literally keep score. 

photo: stuff.co.nz

Now Pres. Xi is putting a facial-recognition camera on the pulpit of every "approved" church. 

So . . everyone who dares to go to church will be looking at the camera looking at them.

Oppressive much?

(cont'd tomorrow)

Resilient

"In case you hadn’t noticed, life is difficult and unpredictable. So, how do you move forward in such a complex and confusing world? UCLA Medical School psychiatrist Dr. Stephen Marmer offers 5 tips for coping with life’s unwelcome surprises"



Resilient . . not fragile.

De-monetize 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

So Peter Diamandis sees both energy and information becoming nearly free in the future, thus the possibility that basic needs will also become very cheap and maybe free - attainable without money, de-monetized.

In this video of the talk by Diamandis, Elon Musk shares his vision of ubiquitous self-driving cars (1:00) and roofs made of solar panels (about 5:40) . For a fully electric economy, he estimates that the world will need about one hundred "gigafactories" like he has built in Nevada to produce electricity-storing lithium batteries.



So, Musk is at the forefront of the solar panel/lithium battery wave that Diamandis thinks will de-monetize energy, and contribute to a future abundance.

Maybe I should issue a disclaimer at this point. Like Jonas Berg says at the end of this video (he put it together), nobody really knows what is going to happen. Diamandis and Musk are just technology elites, offering their opinion.

De-monetize 1

Multi-talented Peter Diamandis founded the XPrize Foundation ("incentivizing great minds to make a difference"), Singularity University, plus many other projects. And he's very optimistic about the future. This post is from a talk he did a year ago.

His latest book (2012) was Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think.  He thinks that the world is moving toward "de-monetization," a state in which everyone can get the things they need with little or no money. Sounds . . crazy. 

Why would he think that? (There's a clip of Elon Musk also saying in this video "Everything will get very cheap.") 

According to Diamandis, the cost of things is a function of the information (the how-to), the energy, and the raw material required to make them. If those factors are nearly free, then things/stuff will be nearly free.

If you remember a time with no internet, you know what a revolution it was when the internet made information nearly free.

What about energy? Diamandis says the sun pours energy onto the earth in the amount of 8000 times what humanity currently needs. He thinks that solar cells will improve and multiply to the point that energy is nearly free.

(cont'd tomorrow)

Border moms

Border control is a hot issue in the U.S. How about the viewpoint of those who actually live on America's southern border? It's not just a political football for them. It's personal.

"One mom [told the interviewer] that she doesn’t let her kids go outside, or even walk the two blocks to school. “I’m afraid all day long when they’re at school,” the mom said. That family had to get rid of their swimming pool, since illegal immigrants were constantly bathing in it."

"Between 2:00 and 3:00 o’clock in the morning, every morning, the family’s German shepherds “go crazy” because that’s when illegal immigrants walk through their property. “I don’t know who they are, I don’t know where they’re from,” said the mom. “I don’t know what they want. But they’re almost all men. You’ve got these random men coming through your property, sleeping in your sheds.”

Vets Day parade

When a young freshman was dropped off for the first time at Yale University by his dad, he got a sudden change in perspective. It had nothing to do with going to college. 

He remembers that moment with his father every time he watches a Veterans Day parade.

"This week I will do what I’ve done every year since I moved to Dallas. I’ll stand on Main Street and watch the bittersweet march of veterans young and old. I’ll bring along some tissues, since I know that I’ll end up blubbering — probably when the survivors of World War II start to pass me by. That’s the war my father served in, toward its end . . .

"I’ll never forget when my dad dropped me off for the first time at Yale. I hadn’t even visited the place, and now I was thoroughly nervous about living there in those Gothic dorms. For petty, silly reasons. I imagined that I’d look foolish to the “rich kids” whom I’d room with. I only had $50 a month in spending money. My clothes were garish and shabby by “preppy” standards. As I nattered on about all this, Dad wiped the sweat from his brow. (A burly letter carrier, he’d been schlepping all my stuff.) Here’s what he said: “When I was your age, I was sitting on a troop ship, puking through North Atlantic storms, on the way to serve in Germany.”

That put things in perspective."

WWI ends 1918

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Officially, the Treaty of Versailles ended World War I (WWI) in 1919. But hostilities actually stopped at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 - exactly one hundred years ago this coming Sunday. Technically it was just an "armistice," a temporary truce, but the fighting didn't resume and the truce became permanent.

That's the original reason for the U.S. holiday of "Armistice Day" on November 11: to remember and honor the end of the disaster that was World War I. Under President Eisenhower the holiday's name was changed in 1954 to "Veterans Day" in order to honor all our veterans.

To all our veterans, "Thank you for your service."

WWI starts 1914

Austria-Hungary's heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was murdered in the summer of 1914. That event started the ball rolling for the disaster that became World War I (WWI).

Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, then drew in its ally Germany. Eventually most other European countries and their colonies around the world also joined the war. That's how it became more or less global.

video: history

This global disaster resulted in at least 9 million military deaths and 5 million civilian deaths (mostly due to famine and disease). 

(cont'd tomorrow)

Election $

On the day after midterm elections in the U.S., you wonder where the huge sums of money came from to run those campaigns. 

Here is just one super-rich guy who used millions upon millions of dollars to influence the election: Michael Bloomberg, one of the richest people in the world.

"With Democrats taking back control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Bloomberg may be one step closer to his presidential aspirations. He committed $110 million this election cycle to help Democrats flip Congress, including $80 million to support candidates running for the House. The rest of the money went to Senate races and get-out-the-vote efforts. The former New York City mayor, who recently reregistered as a Democrat but was once a Republican and independent, has been contemplating a 2020 run."

Saudi oil #2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Aramco, the oil company owned by Saudi Arabia, can control the global price of oil. If they flood the global market with oil, the price goes down - as it did in 2014. If they hold back on production of oil, the global price will climb.

image: moneyweek.com

"Some analysts have floated the idea of oil prices getting as high as $200 or even $400/bbl in the event of a disruption in Saudi's petroleum output . . . Prices like that would quickly push the global economy into recession, as it helped do in 1973. That is the power Saudi Arabia holds."

"No other entity in the world has as much power to move the oil markets. Saudi Arabia could quickly bring the global economy to its knees."

"Global economic security will continue to depend strongly on the cooperation of Saudi Arabia."

Saudi oil #1

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince was the subject of a few posts two weeks ago. He ("MbS") holds power over his kingdom, and the kingdom holds considerable power in the world. Why? Oil. That power is analyzed in this Forbes article.

Saudi Arabia produces 12.9% of the world's oil, similar to the world shares of both Russia and that of the U.S.

"However, there is an important distinction when it comes to Saudi Arabia. In Russia, oil production is concentrated among a dozen or so companies. In the U.S., [it's] thousands of [independent] companies . . . But in Saudi Arabia, all of the oil production is controlled by Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company and reportedly the most profitable company in the world."

So - the Crown Prince holds global financial power similar to the combined oil companies of America - in his own hands.

(what that could mean . . cont'd tomorrow)

Simi Rotary

At the age of 25, Dennis Prager moved from New York City to California to work at a Jewish retreat center. He joined the Simi Valley Rotary Club.

"To the best of my memory, I was the only Jew in that Rotary chapter. What struck me was that my being a Jew meant essentially nothing to the other members. No one cared. Not even a little."

It meant a lot to Dennis that no one in his rotary club cared. He knew that in other parts of the world (like Europe) his primary identity would be "Dennis the Jew." It's part of what makes America exceptional for him, that being American trumps being a minority.

"To this day, a German whose grandparents immigrated to Germany from Turkey is likely to be regarded as a Turk, even if he speaks no Turkish and speaks German exactly as other Germans do. And this monumental difference goes in both directions. This third-generation Turk in Germany is not likely to regard himself as a German.

"But a Turk who immigrates to America is regarded as American the moment he becomes an American citizen (if not sooner) — even if he has a Turkish name and speaks halting, accented English."

"Only in America."

Sleep deprived

Per yesterday's post, maybe Elon Musk can sleep now that Tesla is in a better place. According to this article, he needs it. 

photo: cbsnews

"Musk is by his own admission highly sleep-deprived, a condition that in everybody who suffers from it results in impaired judgment at best, and outright disaster at worst. When you suffer from this affliction, you lose reasoning and problem-solving skills; you also suffer from short-term memory loss and stop being able to learn from your prior mistakes."

Loss of reasoning and problem-solving skill is just the tip of the iceberg. According to this article in Bloomberg, multiple health problems can be traced to lack of adequate sleep:

• inflammation
• headaches
• poor communication
• worse pain management
• risk of type 2 diabetes
• loneliness
• etc., etc.

So if "sleep deprived" describes you, then I hope you too can change that.

Tesla makes $

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

"[T]his quarter (Q3 of 2018), Tesla has not only made tons of money . . but has also fulfilled its production and distribution objectives, showing every sign of staying in the black . . ."

So Q3 was not a one-off, in this analyst's opinion, but the first profitable quarter that will be followed by more profitable quarters. He seems to be saying that Tesla has turned a critical corner, that it's out of imminent danger, that it has pulled back from the brink of disaster.

"[T]he company’s profit margin on every Model 3 it sells is now around 20%, well above the industry average in its segment, and overnight its prospects for growth and profitability now seem not only credible, but probable . . ."

photo: nypost

After years and years of hard work, Tesla is an overnight success. Maybe Elon Musk can start sleeping better.

Tesla profits!

Breakthrough has happened for the premiere electric vehicle company:

"After seven quarters of losses, Tesla had a record-breaking quarter, sending its share price soaring 9%."

"Tesla is no longer an industry quirk: many have laughed at its production difficulties . . "

" . . But the company is now outselling Porsche, Mercedes Benz and BMW, making it the best-selling domestically-made car in the United States."

(cont'd tomorrow)

TX Hyperloop

Yes, Richard Branson has quit as chairman of Virgin Hyperloop One (VH1) and it was probably a hit to the industry. But the hyperloop industry is far from done. VH1 still has a future.

HyperloopTT (HTT) and VH1 are both considering projects in the U.S., especially in Texas. According to a VH1 executive, "It's a very large state with pretty vast distances between metro areas that are densely populated. It's kind of perfect territory for Hyperloop . . ."

The growing area of Dallas-Fort Worth may be part of a triangle route also connecting Houston, Laredo, Austin, and San Antonio - a route of about 640 miles. 

Naturally there are problems, and there are skeptics who don't think the problems can be overcome. A handful of new companies trying to develop new ways of doing things - that's innovation. Americans have a strong tradition of figuring out a way to succeed.

Dick Ahlborn of HTT believes in competition. "In the end, it's a good thing that the more you have, the more likely everyone is passionate to bring this to light. We all benefit," he says. "If we fail, someone else will do it right."

I love that spirit.

Prince's problem

(cont'd)

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) wants to vigorously modernize his kingdom by 2030. But the Kashoggi affair has put the plan in jeopardy.

Journalist Jamal Kashoggi went into the Saudi consulate in Turkey and never came out again. It's assumed by many that Saudi Arabia had him killed. That's the reason Richard Branson gives for his actions (yesterday's post).

Western business leaders pulled out of a Saudi investment conference this week: 
Uber CEO, Viacom CEO, AOL co-founder and others - for the same reason. 

The Crown Prince may lose momentum toward all the good economic growth he planned for his country, especially for the future of young people according to this article.

If MbS had Kashoggi killed, he's paying a price for his mistake. 

Branson quits

British entrepreneur Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Atlantic Airlines) invested a large amount of money in Hyperloop One (H1) about a year ago and became its chairman, changing the name of the company to "Virgin Hyperloop One" (VH1).

He said, "I was very impressed and now look forward to helping turn this cutting edge engineering into a global passenger service." 

About the same time, they partnered with Saudi Arabia to build a working hyperloop, which would be the first in the world and very exciting for fans of the hyperloop concept.

All of that is now over.

Branson has quit as chairman of Virgin Hyperloop One, and has quit talks with Saudi Arabia about the possibility of their investing $1 billion in other of his businesses.

Why? Branson made his decisions "in light of the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was killed inside the consulate in Istanbul.."

(cont'd tomorrow)

Paris streets

(cont'd)

While in Paris we stayed just south and east of the La Tour Eiffel.

We walked all over the neighborhood, enjoyed coffee/croissants. Streets, though narrow, were well-lit and inviting. All the cafes had lines of customers waiting to get in for dinner. 

Our last night we walked toward the River Seine. When we got to the quai (concrete river bank with walks and stairs), I turned around and took this picture:

People were enjoying the evening - some on the quai, some getting street food (we got crepes), some strolling along the river, some in the park area around the tower. The parts of Paris that we saw were beautiful and "walkable."

Walkable city

Here is a re-post from 2014, "Walkable City." Why the re-post? Because my niece and I spent some time in Paris last week, and "walkable" really describes it. More tomorrow.

Walkable city

There's a term for it according to city planner Jeff Speck's book, Walkable City. If pedestrians are comfortable walking from place to place, if they feel safe and interested in what they see, if they are intrigued and engaged by the street life, the city has walkability.

American cities, according to Speck, are designed for cars. Wide traffic lanes, fast-moving traffic, huge parking lots, clearing of obstacles including trees, all inhibit pedestrians' sense of comfort. These features get cars into and out of cities efficiently, but they discourage walking.

Picture a boring and unpleasant street scene, then imagine how it could be made beautiful and appealing (click on the picture below). That's what this organizationdoes:

photo: walklive.org

Walkable city-scapes are high in real estate value. Millenials (~age 20-32) expect to live in an urban core, or at least 77% of them do. They - and the empty nest boomer generation too - will pick an urban neighborhood that makes city living safe, friendly, interesting. Go to walkscore.com to get an idea of the walkability of any address.

(cont'd tomorrow)