Category Archives: Social Issues
100 Years from Now: Part 15 – Crime and Security
What can be said about crime and security 100 years from now? Keep in mind that in 100 years two significant and remarkable things will have occurred. Technology would become our willing slave meeting most of our needs making jobs obsolete and making us happy and content at the cost of privacy. But in 100 years privacy may not be nearly as important to us as it is today. Technology will also make committing and getting away with crime extremely difficult. Continue reading
Posted in 100 Years, Crime & Justice, Environment, Global Warming, Government, Life's Lessons, Personal Perspective, Science & Technology, Social Issues, Society
Tagged crime, cultural changes, future city design, future technology, Global Warming, holodeck, infrastructure, over population, shortage of resources
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100 Years from Now: Part 14 – Education
One of the primary purposes of education is to provide one with the tools to live a productive life. A large part of our traditional definition of productive is to become employable. The other is to give us other values of enjoyment and appreciation for things not focused upon work or earning a living. As describes in ‘100 Years from Now: Part 8 – Jobs and Economics’ both jobs and money 100 years from now may not even exist. Technology will literally become our willing slave making the need to make a living obsolete. Continue reading
100 Years from Now: Part 13 – Government
Social norms and values will be very different 100 years into the future as today’s values are very different that those 100 years ago. So will the function of government 100 years from now. The purpose of government is to protect the individual rights of its citizens. In a society 100 years from now where everyone’s needs are taken care of are everyone’s rights also taken care of? It largely depends upon what are everyone rights. Continue reading
Posted in 100 Years, Environment, Global Warming, Government, Life's Lessons, Personal Perspective, Science & Technology, Social Issues, Society
Tagged cultural changes, future city design, future technology, Global Warming, holodeck, infrastructure, over population, shortage of resources
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100 Years from Now: Part 12 – Population Control
Controlling the population will be a key element of Sustainable survival. Over population is a drain on precious resources. Fortunately since people 100 years from now no longer need to work a working population is no longer important. The birth and mortality rates can be carefully controlled to a sustainable level so as not to be a drain on resources. Continue reading
100 Years from Now: Part 11 – Recreation & Entertainment
I thought I’d add Recreation & Entertainment to this Series because these would be things people would spend most of their time doing together with socialization since no one worked. As I have eluded earlier in 100 Years from Now: Part 8 – Jobs and Economics people would typically live like the wealthy folk of Downton Abbey where robot like technology would serve their every needs. Continue reading
100 Years from Now: Part 10 – Shopping
As I stated in 100 Years from Now: Part 8 – Jobs and Economics money will have no value in the exchange of goods and services. Instead they will be provided freely. But there will be some rules and limits as to what one can ask for. Space and resources will be limited and there are things that are not beneficial to society so such things violating these rules will be prohibited just as we are legally limited in what we can posses today. Continue reading
100 Years from Now: Part 9 – Socializing
Socialization is in our DNA so it will be a significant part of our activities 100 years from now and beyond. I have alluded to the Holodeck in Part 2: Technology, eating out in Part 5: Food, and entertaining in Part 7: Housing. However remote socialization will become far more common in the future due to technology such as the Holodeck and other communications tools. Remote socialization is nothing new. Continue reading
100 Years from Now: Part 8 – Jobs and Economics
It is questionable in my mind whether jobs for people will even exist 100 years from now. Most certainly there will be far fewer of them. We see many signs of automation reducing the number of jobs in just about every profession today. In the not too distant future technology will largely make most if not all jobs obsolete. Continue reading
Posted in 100 Years, Economy, Environment, Global Warming, Government, Life's Lessons, Personal Perspective, Science & Technology, Social Issues, Society
Tagged cultural changes, future city design, future technology, Global Warming, holodeck, infrastructure, over population, shortage of resources
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100 Years from Now: Part 7 – Housing
The average home or microhouse will likely be about 500 sq. ft. and be largely located underground to protect it from the elements, though there may be limited above ground housing, in large energy-efficient clusters going up and down many stories. It is possible for a family of two or three to live quite comfortably in that small an area as exist in some communities in Sweden or apartments in Hong Kong. Multi-utilitarian rooms with movable walls and ceiling panels exist in places such as Hong Kong and Japan where space is at a premium. Continue reading
100 Years from Now: Part 6 – Mobility
In 100 years cars will be history. They simply use far too much energy, take up far too much space in terms of roads and parking (keep in mind that real estate will be at a premium), are too large and heavy, need too much technology and too many resources to manufacture and maintain, and produce too much heat. So bicycles, which have none of these drawbacks, will gradually replace cars. Continue reading
100 Years from Now: Part 5 – Food
Next to Water Food stand out to be among the most important things man needs to survive. Though many food products will be artificial in the future there will also be some real but genetically engineered vegetables and fruit grown using hydroponic or other such technology which uses water far more efficiently that grown on trays that circulate vertically up and down tall chain linked conveyor devices in glass-like enclosures to maximum sun light exposure and minimizes real-estate. Moisture in the air is recaptured by condensation units and recycles. Continue reading
100 Years from Now: Part 4 – Water
Water is the essence of Life. Without it all known organisms cannot exist. Yet water is so much taken for granted today. Though much of the western half of the country is in a state of drought there is still much water being wasted. However 100 years from now when Global Warming is in full swing water in the western half of continents where most of the population will be concentrated will be a desert with less than 5 inches of rain per year. So water will be a very cherished substance. Continue reading
100 Years from Now: Part 3 – Energy
Energy is a key element that enables just about all that will happen in the future. Due to Global Warming any source of energy must emit no greenhouse gas and should be as clean and safe as possible. It is best if it is compact and can be located near the communities in which it serves so that the lengthy transmission lines of today that are vulnerable to large scale disruptions and produce loss of power due to the resistance of the wires carrying power can be mitigated. Continue reading
100 Years from Now: Part 1 – Considerations
In the past year I have given some thought to what the future would look like a hundred years from now given the state of science today and the effects of global warming, diminishing natural resources, and a populations of over twice times what it is today (population control will be in effect). One thing is clear, the word Sustainable will be far more than a buzzword. It will be a way of life. Continue reading
Moral Values
My all time favorite Post is Imposing Human Rights and Moral Values on Others. It is also my most read post since its publication in December 2013. It gets to the essence of my values as outlined on the Home page. … Continue reading
Do We have a Moral Right?
Since the 1950s we have had political/economic interests and a military presence in the Middle East. It is no secret now that we are there because of Oil. In our self-interest we have attempted to maintain stability in that region so that the price of oil would remain under control. In spit of our claim of being civilized we seem to have a proclivity towards war and violence. I am sure that those who have been victimized by our civilized manner do not see us in the same light. So what Moral Right do we have for spending more money on killing people than education or any other worthy cause at home? The question of Moral Right begs an answer. I am Not asking if Arabs have a Moral Right to terrorize us. I’m asking does a civilized nation such as the U.S. have a Moral Right to impose its military might on other nations abroad who originally posed little danger to our nation? Continue reading
Posted in Do No Harm, Foriegn Policy and War, Morality Values
Tagged civilized, harms way, moral right, morally reprehensible, oil, rightious, value of human life, war
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Doctors in the Future
For the last century medical doctors have gained great respect and value in society because of their contributions to alleviating suffering, generally improving our quality of life, and prolonging human life. As a result they have commanded high salaries in relation to other professionals. However because of recent government and insurance requirements that doctors convert over to computerizing all of their records of tests, symptoms, diagnosis, and notes a database is quickly being built up that will aid networked computers in doing many of the important diagnostic services doctors used to do. So the writing is on the wall. Continue reading
Consequences of a Car-centric Culture
I heard it said that a 9/11 number of car related deaths occurs every month. More people are killed by cars than in all our wars and gun related shootings. Car related death is the leading cause of fatality among children. This is probably not a big surprise to anyone but why shouldn’t we be alarmed? Car deaths and injuries have great economic and emotional cost to those affected by it. It’s primarily because of our total dependency upon cars. America over the last 100 years has become a car-centric culture. Pedestrians and bikers use our roadways at their own peril. Kids no longer walk or bike to school or play in my city. They are driven everywhere by parents because our streets have become too dangerous for such activities. When I was young I used to bike and walk everywhere. Continue reading
Posted in Personal Perspective, Social Issues, Society
Tagged bike lanes, biking, car-centric culture, convenient, pleasant, safe streets, walking
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POT Controversy
POT is becoming increasingly accepted in various municipalities and states throughout our nation, just as with many other taboo issues such as LGBT rights, as social acceptance standards and mythical perceptions are dispelled. It has been argued for decades that POT will lead to more serious drug use, but research has shown that this is no more true than alcohol leading to harder drugs. The medical harm and addictive effects of POT have been proven to be less than alcohol and cigaret smoking and highs experienced by users to impair their senses far less than alcohol. It is time to decriminalize it and treat it just as we do cigarets and alcohol. Billions of dollars are spent annually on cost with no revenue opportunities that could better spent on education just enforcing senseless marijuana laws. Continue reading
The Value of Life
There is a belief that every life is priceless. Our culture at home is built around this belief. Murder is considered one of the worst crimes with the harshest punishment. Suicides are illegal and considered murder and unsuccessful attempts treated as mental illness. On the other hand we have no qualms about sending our young troops who have great prospects for a future in harms way to, if necessary, die in the service of their country and deliberately attack and kill human beings made of the same flesh and bones as ourselves other than living abroad and believing in a different religion. So in truth life is not priceless. Continue reading
Negative Political Campaigns are unDemocratic
Somehow negative campaigns turn me off as I am getting older but unfortunately I see how effective they can be. But they are very distracting and confusing as political campaigns tend to be. With PACs and Super-PACs and now the ability of rich individuals and corporations to contribute almost endless amounts of money to their favorite candidates, parties and voting issues as part of free expression political campaigns are very big business. And as such candidate hires very pricy spin-doctors whose job it is to make their candidate look godlike and their opponents look like pure evil campaigns get uglier and uglier. This is truly a tragedy that Democracy is no longer about the truth about candidates but about winning. That is why we have a Congress that is so inept. Continue reading
Anger, An All Too Common Response
In the last few days we heard news of a mass student shooting in a school in Washington and two policemen killed in a senseless shootout in California due to anger expressed through the barrel of a guns. Every day in the U.S. an average of 289 people are shot. But gun violence is only one of the many acts of anger. Expressing anger is far too common a response when confronted with situations we have difficulty dealing with. When we can’t resolve a situation to our satisfaction we act out. It seems we need to humble ourselves and stop getting so angry both as a society with so much gun violence and as a nation of so much war. Continue reading
Posted in Life's Lessons, Personal Perspective, Social Issues, Society
Tagged acting out, aggression, anger, gun violence, hate, injustice, love, peace, violence, war
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Time to Embrace Diversity
Though social and ethnic diversity has always been part of the American landscape it hasn’t always been generally embraced. Much of this nation is still struggling to recognize the richness and contributions that diversity inherent brings. Majority groups often feel threatened by the intrusion of other social influences such as members of the LGBT community or the physically or mentally handicapped or the Black community. This nation was created with a vision mirrored in the Constitution reflecting the openness, freedom, equality, and diversity so lacking under British rule. The Bill of Rights further embraces and protects the diversity of man to believe as they wished, speak their mines freely, and peruse their dreams and aspirations. The founders of this nation were extraordinarily perceptive in their vision for a perfect nation. They realized that the diversity of citizens would make this nation great. The diversity of each ethnicity, culture, lifestyle, and beliefs in a free environment in totality makes for a far more enriching society. Continue reading
Values Encompassing Expressions of Love
The following are my personal values encompassing expressions of Love, not what Love is. There are several different definitions of Love but the one I am focusing upon is an acknowledgment of all the Love and good I have experienced in life and my desire to enable Love to my fellow man throughout the world. My Home page states four primary values of Love by which I try to live. Love has little value unless expressed in actions. Love for me is all about caring and being engaged and invested in making this a better world for all. Continue reading
Posted in Morality Values, Social Issues
Tagged aggressiveness and competitiveness, all inclusive, compassion, do no harm, empathy, equality, happiness, love
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Education Failures Ripe for Vouchers
U.S. ranks among the lowest in math and science literacy in our public schools among developed and developing nations yet spends more per student on education than anywhere in the world. The question is how is this country to continue its leadership in technology and as an industrial nation as other nations quickly catch up and pass us by? For decades we have been arguing over how to increase the literacy and graduation rates of our public schools. While we have made some modest progress Asian and European nations outpace us in education and are on the verge of surpassing us as innovative technological and industrial nations. Since public education is failing to serve the needs of the next generation I think it about time we give serious consideration to school vouchers to give our public schools some serious free-market competition. Continue reading
ouR Social Conscience 