The Second Cold War

Ron Paul spoke out against U.S. involvement in Syria yesterday, pointing out Russia has a legitimate security interest and may view our interference in Syria as compromising Russian regional security. Yes, Russia turned around the attack helicopter ship, but this may have compromised Russia's ability to operate in the region. Does Russia have a legitimate interest in the region? Yes, it does. Should the United States flex its power to convince Russia not to supply Syria in this rebellion? Yes.
This may leave a bad taste in the mouths of Ron Paul supporters and I have surprised myself in my statement, but the truth is, Russia and the United States keep each other in check. If the United States did not keep Russia in check, Russia would establish bases around the world and not think twice in military interventions. If Russia did not keep the United States in check.... oh. Well, it seems Russia needs to do a little better job in this. Currently, Russia is keeping America in check on Iran, not allowing the U.N. Security Council into Iran. Trade sanctions so far have been the most effective tool used by the U.S. and the EU, limiting the funds Iran has on hand to further its nuclear ambitions. There is a danger in this that I will cover later in this post. China on the other hand is doing an excellent job in keeping us out of North Korea. The DMZ is the most militarized border on the planet Earth and could become a nuclear war zone if North Korea has developed a short ranged warhead. It is certainly in the United States foreign interests to invade North Korea. The United States is reliant on her partners around the world and uniting the two Koreas would reinforce the relationship the region has to the U.S. However, it is not China by herself that has kept the United States from invading, but it is the difference in net benefit between invasion and any other solution.  As long as the United States sees a greater gain in peaceful resolution, it will not resort to military intervention. China plays a role in maintaining a greater gain in peace.

Often, trade sanctions are used in place of military threats. Trade wars pop up from time to time and these are dangerous tools in international politics. To starve a nation of resources is to make the nation lean, efficient, better at getting more out of what they have. When a country comes out from underneath a trade sanction, the economy is actually healthier in some aspects, even if it is weaker than before. Points in the economy which were inefficient are revealed and can be addressed. The old addage, do not practice war too often against your enemies, lest they learn the art of war, applies to the conflict between the United States, a country heavily reliant on trade and inefficient, and Iran, a country  who has declared a clear goal in resource independence. In imposing trade sanctions, the U.S. is forcing Iran to improve her own economy, and become a much more deadly foe for the United States.

- Servus

Luxury Jails for Pedophiles? Professional Friends for Mass Murderers

A report on a jail in Norway, where inmates are encouraged to walk around outside unguarded and enjoy the fresh air has made the rounds. Murderers and pedophiles are treated to private rooms, TVs and showers and get their meals served on quality dinner plates. Many would consider this highly offensive, but Norwegians have defended this approach to rehabilitation of convicted persons. It may seem revolutionary to some, backwards to others and a unlikely prospect for America, but the next round of reporting on Norway's way of treating prisoners will be about Breivik, the mass murderer who set off bombs in Oslo and shot up an island, killing seventy seven victims, mostly children.

Norway likely will never let this guy mingle with other prisoners out of fear he will take hostages to trade for freedom. He is the only person in Norway held in maximum security at this time. He is isolated from the population and this will be so for an indefinite time. It sounds like the right thing to do. He did some horrible acts and is a clear and present danger to those around him. Keep him isolated, he deserves it. Norway is so serious about that, they are even hiring professional friends for him.

No, you did not misunderstand the last line in the paragraph above. This caused a little anger to flash across my mind when I read about these friends, who will play sports, chess and talk with them every day. This however fits in with Norway's commitment to human rights. He will never have normal contact in the general population and Norway cannot isolate him from humanity forever according to the principles Norway subscribes to. So Norway will enlist the help of Red Cross and hire a few people to be his professional friends.

”Many precautions taken with Breivik are taken to prevent hostage taking, which would be the only way for him to pass through the many security layers that stand between him and freedom. This makes it impossible to establish normal contact with others.” said Knut Bjarkeid, director for Ila, a prison close to Oslo.

The trial for Breivik is set to run over ten weeks and is currently in its fifth week. Criminal trials in Norway normally take place in district courts before a professional judge and two lay judges appointed by local government. Appeals from this court are heard before a panel of five judges, where two are professional and it is first in the appeals court will a jury hear a case. Ciminal sentences last no longer than six years, but commitment to mental institutions can be indefinite.

The Socialist Party Threatens Government

Enhedslisten, the party that represents the strict socialist movement in Denmark, has threatened to vote against its own budget if the sitting government does not change the bill to the support party's liking. Enhedslisten, translated as The Unity Party, has also warned the government not to go to the more conservative or European Liberal parties for their votes to pass the proposed budget, underlining the party would be a thorn in the side of the government, which is social democratic, in future negotiations.

Enhedslisten is complaining over tax cuts which it claims will be at the expense of welfare recipients and retirees and has stated it will hold the sitting government to promises it had made in the last electoral cycle. Enhedslisten role in parliament is as a support party in a coalition. The previous coalition government consisted of the largest conservative party with two support parties, where a single support party had the greatest influence and had negotiated for concessions in immigration. The influence help by Dansk Folkeparti came from the party's willingness to form a coalition government with the minority parties if the conservative Venstre did not make the desired concessions. Enhedslisten however lacks any commonality or even friendliness with the minority group.

Economists, referred to in Denmark as Wise-men (Vismænd), have both praised and criticized the finance reform. While criticizing the omission of reforms in property tax, pointing out the government could have received a few billion kroner in tax money, they have praised moving tax brackets so fewer pay the top tax and increasing the employment deduction, which is given to those in gainful employment and not those who are receiving income insurance or pensions. The Wise-men have also praised the intent of allowing wages to increase a little faster than pension or income insurance.

Enhedslisten criticized the reforms, pointing out taxes will cost those on income insurance 13,000 Kr a year. Tax cuts, according to the reform plans, will in part be financed by cuts to income insurance payment periods, reducing the current period from four years down to two years from 2013 and forward. Verner Kirk, director for AK-Samvirke, which organizes income insurance organizations in Denmark, has noted it will not be as easy as it was before to convince people to buy unemployment insurance. Ældre Sagen, the pensioner advocacy group for Denmark, has also criticized the reform, noting while the Elder Check may be raised by 4,500 a year, the base payment in public pension will be cut by over 13,000 a year.

-Servus

To Physorg_com

Wanted to point you guys to a pretty interesting effect discovered in thin film experiments. Voltage differences appear out of no where. The article describes an experiment in Århus where cryocooled N2O deposited on a gold lattice had its own electric field. The scientists, post docs Andrew Cassidy and Oksana Plekan and Professor David Field discovered the effect and theorize it appears when dipoles align spontaneously. My theory is, virtual particles depart enough energy to switch the dipoles randomly and the electricity measured is proportional to the energy density attributed to virtual particles. But, I think this implies a new type of radiation, required to account for otherwise created energy.

The Daily Comment - Talent Search Shows Suck, But One Just Got Interesting

So I read in the news today, Britney Spears was just hired to be a panel judge in a star search talent show. Yawn. Saw it before with America's Idol and other generics. Getting Spears to be a judge isn't big news and wont make a show any more exciting or boring... unless she was a judge on a foreign language show... in a major European market... and expected to understand the contestants in their native languages. Do I have your attention now?

Daily three for 3-5-12

This is a bit of an important period for America. We have three current events playing out that set the stage for relationships across the globe.

The first one is Wired's opinion regarding an upcoming trial for a 9/11 plotter. The mastermind wants to die and according to Wired, it is out of egoism and not guilt. The symbolic danger of allowing him to die is how the rest of the world would perceive his death. While Europe will condemn America for another death sentence carried out, the Islamic world would see his death as a glorious sacrifice and he would consider it a victory, assuming he is put to death before the Islamic world moves on. People can remain on death row for decades appealing their sentences. Even though steps were taken to ensure appeals would be less likely in this case, this man will still be put to death first when the next generation has picked new figureheads to follow. The symbolic power of the sentence being handed down though can still rally the public though, so while we try to maintain the separation between justice and politics, political factors should be taken into consideration before a death sentence is handed down. Another option is to keep the sentence secret, lock him away from public view and just make him... disappear. The problem with that solution is how it can be applied to others in the public. Perhaps the best sentence of all is life in a super max facility. That is the deepest, darkest hole we can legally sentence any person to. No matter what the out come is though, the devil will be having a BBQ when he is put to rest.

The US had hidden a Chinese blind lawyer from abuse in China. This man was exposed to abusive conditions under house arrest and his family has been threatened by the province authorities. China has promised to investigate the case, but chastised the US Embassy in Beijing for meddling in domestic affairs. This can put a further strain on US/Chinese relations and make trading a bit more difficult for America. On the other hand, human rights is an issue on the table for most European trading partners, so China will be pressured to both act on its human rights issues and give assurances to its trading partners this is an exception, not the norm, if it is to not concede too much in treaties. Is China in the right for complaining about America's part in this? Yes, because China was just taken down a small notch in future negotiations. America should do it again.

NATO is visiting Chicago in the near future to discuss security issues. This is a well covered story already, but I asked Anders to visit my mom in Woodridge. Since my dad died, Lars Smedskjaer, one of only two Danes to ever do research at Argonne, she has felt isolated and a visit from a Dane would cheer her up so. So Anders, if you are reading this, please do stop by for a cup of coffee.

- Servus

The fudemental flaws

There are good ideas. There are bad ideas. Any campaign that involves Facebook likes, Twitter followers or the Internet as an advertising medium falls firmly into the latter of the two. While it was unknown at the time, the gold of ad revenue is only found in context of the platform. If your platform is the go to index for content on the internet, you have rich veins of ad revenue ready for you to mine because people are intentionally looking for unknown content and only want the best content to enter their mind space. If your platform, in contrast to Google, is a social networking website or dependent on the opinions of a few online, you will be wasting your time and money on a resource that can be bought for next to nothing and has been demonstrated to have no correlation to one's market share. The Pepsi Refresh Project is a prime example.

Is Klout worth it?

The idea of Klout affecting our ability to find jobs seems like a natural way for HR workers to sift through job applicants quickly, but it can also be a waste of time for both sides to focus on Klout scores. If you are gaming the system and elevating your score, because you perceive a high score as a direct factor in advancement, then HR workers are going to deceive themselves into hiring people on shallow qualifications. HR workers who use Klout score as a factor in hiring someone also end up wasting the time of interviewees who may not be so focused on what their score is, but instead focus on what they do best. In both cases, a company looking to hire a good analyst, engineer or strategist end up hiring Paris Hilton, a person who knows how to market herself better than presidents. No offense to Hilton; she is highly intelligent and knows what public relations is all about, but I wouldn't hire her to write company policy or manage a department. At the same time though, Klout scores is an indicator for how important your opinion is and its analysis can come with surprising insights, which is what is important to look at when one wants to highlight your Klout score; for what reasons do you have that score? A quick glance at that number will only tell you someone tweeted a lot about something and someone is listening. It could be a person who is applying for a position as a communications strategist is a fan about Red Bull and sky diving. It will not say this person is influential about physics, chemistry or corporate communication or give an assessment of the value of the articles, if any, this person has written, which is often a more accurate indicator of this persons value to any given company.

Is gaming Klout worth it? Not if you do not have the substance to back up the score.

Denamrks lofty energy goals

Denmark recently introduced an agreement with broad backing between all but one party. The agreement sets a strategic goal to produce one hundred percent of Denmark's electrical grid power from renewable sources. Generation from wind will play a central part in this vision of the future, but solar, bio-fuel incineration and some geothermal sources will be featured in Denmark's energy strategy. Mark that word, because it is central to understanding what is happening in Denmark right now.

The agreement is yet to pass into law, but with such wide backing, it is but a formality in the parliament to pass this strategy into law, secure financing for up to 2020. Following the bill passing into law, ministers will write policy to enact the law. This will take a few years to complete. The policies must be precise and each must have minimal effect on all other areas, so they are exceptionally long winded. While this is happening, counter arguments for natural gas will be heard. Bjorn Lomborg, author of the Skeptical Environmentalist, a highly criticized book, argues Denmark should instead invest in natural gas and close down heavily polluting coal burning power plants. His criticism (PDF) first notes why Denmark's strategy is ineffective in reducing Europe's CO2 emissions, stating other countries will be allowed to take Denmark's CO2 reduction and produce energy from cheaper coal and oil sources. He says this with the cavet, that the agreements over EU's CO2 reduction strategy doesn't encompass bio-mass and in this one area, Denmark will see a positive CO2 reduction. His second criticism makes use of economic models to calculate the true price of the project, calculating it to 10,000kr per family per year, significantly higher than the price tag the parties have so far stated.

However, these criticisms slip by the central point to this new strategy; Denmark desires to be completely independent of fluctuating oil prices. It is the prime motive to this new strategy, so CO2 reductions are not a big deal to those pushing the new plan. Shale gas, said to be the new bounty of energy, is also discounted as it is too unreliable. Martin Lidegaard thinks its price can fluctuate just as wildly as oil and is of unknown quantity. Poland is referenced, having paraded shale gas as a new major source of energy for the country, only to reduce its estimates and ambitions when the extent of shale gas held in the country were downgraded.

Predicting the future of energy in Denmark is a wild guessing game at this point. Until laws are passed, policies written and projects funded, this strategy can envoke many tactics and the outcomes can be drastically different from each other. Mr.Lomborg may yet convince the government about the benefits of natural gas before wind energy.

Equality in Science - The ways the wind blew when MLK had a dream

Equality between races and sexes is a long and storied debate. It isn't a single revolution by a single man, a campaign of suffrage in a single nation or parallel between fields. It is a progression of the tide, washing away the loose sands and weathering away the weakest of stones, leaving a bed rock representing the truths of ourselves. No single wave can move a beach, nor can any beach withstand centuries of exposure to the tide. Each wave, each tide will carry a grain with it out to sea, where it can settle and be forgotten from our memories. Martin Luther King Jr. was a tide marker, making millions aware now was when sands would be carried out to sea. We thank him for his courage in marking the times for us, but we should never forget, there were those before him that fought for equality and won, and people who came after him and still fight today. I want to present to you three people who helped expose the bedrock in science and set for people to follow, broke the social norms and laid a path for others like them to proceed into the hollowed courts of our greatest pursuit.

While many examples of black women and men breaking barriers down in modern society will be cheered for in the media, and I do pay tribute to Arnaldo Tamoya Méndez and Carol Moseley Braun, they have their equality thanks to many before them who fought for peer ship. Not all fit the image we have of pioneers on this day, but Martin Luther King Jr. dreamt of a time when race, gender and age wasn't taken into account, not just equality between black and white men. I will start by presenting to you a female scientists for the 18th Century, a period when theories on womens' place in society and relation to men ranged from total equality to complete inequality and included the Equal but Different line the world most famously knows from South Africa. It is a time when academic pursuits were seen as incompatible with the domestic duties expected of women.

Maria Margarethe Kirch was the first significant astronomer of her time, on top of being the only significant female astronomer at the time. What is impressive about her contribution to science doesn't only include her discovery of a comet, but the fact women were not allowed to attend universities at the time; Maria Kirch was taught by her father and her uncle. She later met her future husband, Gottfried Kirch through her employer, who gave her further instruction in astronomy. While she never attended the university, she would join Gottfried in his field work and many saw Maria Kirch as his assistant rather than equal. It wasn't until later in her career she was accepted as a peer, but several factors still limited her; she never was published in Germany's journal of science nor was she accepted into the German Royal Academy of Science. She was slighted by the Academy, when they replaced her recently departed husband with an inexperienced man; they Academy did not want to set a precedent by accepting her as a peer, but were happy to further insult her by suggesting she becomes her late husband's replacement's assistant. The British Royal Academy, in a wise decision, accepted her as a peer later in life. While she may not have rocked the boat, she quietly carried a handful of sand away and helped women in science by example. Her contributions to equality shouldn't be forgotten below the more brazen people who fought for equality before the public eye.

My next example is not a bold or difficult fight. I wish to illustrate the humble side of equality in science. During Martin Luther King Jr.'s most famous work, this man quietly contributed to academic pursuits as a physicist, graduating with a Ph.D. in the 30's. His gradual rise shows areas of our society were well on their way to the equality Martin Luther King Jr. dreamt about. Herman Brandson started his career in 1941 as an assistant professor of physics and chemistry at Howard University. He worked at Howard University for 27 years, becoming the head of the physics department, program director and working for the Office of Naval Research and Atomic Energy Commission Projects in Physics at Howard University. This is all during the riots, protests and civil liberty demonstrations that mark Martin Luther King Jr.'s contribution to equality. Herman Brandson shows us, it isn't great minds who make the greatest of progress, but it is the progress made by each and every individuals', accumulating with the contributions of others, that drives the tide. Every choice you make every day can help or hinder the tide.

Contemporary physicists come from a rich background. To pick one is futile in proving anything about equality in science today for the individual. Instead, this example in an entire field. Physics today is blind to race, where ideas are presented and tested, with no prejudice over who came up with the idea first. While many laboratories can be profiled, the ideas these laboratories work with today come from every part of the world, where small parts contribute to grander theories. No one part can be removed without collapsing a theory as a whole and no one nation leads the pack. The call of science has helped transplant many families who carry with them the ideas and concepts we cherish so. It has helped drive multi-cultural societies for centuries and brought us out of the dark ages when all we saw were the grains of sand the privileged relaxed on. Each physicist today brings a small hand full of sand out to sea to be forgotten. On this day, when we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr., please take a moment to celebrate those who have worked towards his dream, one grain at a time.

-Servus

Coalition agreement on Wind Energy; The Poor Pay

With a coalition consisting of all but one party, Liberal Alliance, Denmark's parliament had reached an agreement through 2050 to develop wind energy production, so 50% of electricity is produced by wind farms in Denmark by 2050 and financed through 2020 with excise taxes on central heating. This sets the stage for a transformation of Denmark's industries, providing a huge boost for companies like Vestas, who produce windmills and fulfill a large portion of the worlds demand in wind energy, but face competition from companies in China and India. Denmark will become a world leader, not in production of the windmills, but in taking the leap from coal and oil to renewable and independence from foreign energy. That last 50% will not seem like a major hurdle afterward. This article is however critical of the agreement and will cover two points; how this agreement will be financed and the mystic influence the Red-Green Party, Enheds Listen (Literal translation: The Unity Party).

While this seems like an ambitious plan for Denmark and should benefit everyone, the burden of finance is carried by the lower class, because the transport sector, cars and trucks, and furnaces, typically of the wood burning variety found in upper middle class and on the way up homes, are exempt. Central heating is more common in apartments, small town homes in the incorporated part of a city and the public sector. Collective energy production is more often used, and financed, by the lower class in Denmark. In effect, exempting private energy from any taxes, including cars, taxes specifically the people who already are economically stressed.

There are two dangers in financing such a reformation with revenue solely from the lower class. If unemployment goes up again, capital to finance this energy reformation will dry up and work will come to a halt. While everyone needs to heat their homes, people will turn down the radiator to save a little money here and there. The effects on local economies can also be traced directly back to funding short falls.

Wind farms are a collection of windmills in an area considered prime for wind energy production and put to the side specifically for that purpose. Wind farms can be found out at sea or on land and sometimes on agricultural farms. Projects to construct windmill installations can create hundreds of jobs in the local economy for years. This breath of life in the local economy can lift the standard of living for the area and continued growth after the project is completed can be expected. However, if funding for a project is cut before it is complete and people are suddenly and unexpectedly out of a job, investments made in the local economy can be lost. This lost investment, which could have gone to other projects that return the investment, adds insult to injury. Along with the lost jobs, further funding for the transformation evaporates and other projects will come to a halt. It is called an economic bubble.

The second point of this post is a question. What did the Red-Green party do exactly? They have participated in the negotiations, but kept their contribution behind closed doors. Why?

The Boob Job; Better than the real thing?

This is one of those Off Beat stories. Danish researchers have concluded fakes are better. (Danish)
No, seriously. They have become the object of reality TV shows, donation drives for breast implants and the focus of debate for years.
That doesn't mean the implants are accepted as normal across the wide social spectrum, but it is very popular for a small circle in society and the media likes to shine a light on this circle for the ratings they get.
Funny none the less.

-Servus

Denmarks 'Retsforbehold'

Denmark is indeed a member of the EU, but has stipulated and won preconditions regarding monetary policy, military actions and policy, justice and home affairs and EU citizenship. Recently, Denmark's Radikal Venstre, or Radical Left, which is a centrist party, has expressed the desire to drop the precondition on justice and home affairs in reaction to debates currently ongoing in committees Denmark, despite holding the chair for the EU, cannot participate in. These debates center on human trafficking and Denmark's access to information. Currently, the situation was described by Sofie Nielsen, 'R', as similar to Norway's; Denmark stays quiet and copies the EU in these areas.

When Denmark recently passed new legislation raising the penalties for human trafficking from eight to ten years, an amendment was desired, granting visas to prostitutes victimized by traffickers if they turned over the people behind the scenes. This amendment never became law because the EU had not included this in its own version, which Denmark was copying. Radikal Venstre is seeking influence in the EU in areas of justice for Denmark, but to become influential, Denmark must drop its precondition on matters of justice and home affairs and seeks a referendum on this issue before 2013.

Such a referendum will signal a trend in Denmark towards Euro-centric attitudes and the tides of time will remove the remaining preconditions on matters of military, money and EU citizenship. However, this also will lead to a conflict in treaties. Denmark, a member of NATO, also as a special precondition allowing the nation to spend only 1% of its GDP on defense instead of 2% stipulated in the charter, in exchange for voluntary engagement in all NATO conflicts. This is why Denmark has been so active in the Middle East compared to most other NATO countries and the United States has been nothing be grateful for this. EU directives could interfere with this arrangement though.

Currently, the referendum would see over 40% support while under 30% oppose surrendering Denmark's preconditions. The last time a referendum on the Euro was held, the vote was split down the middle with a slight advantage to striking down the proposal. Over all, the next five years will likely see the Euro replace the Krone in Denmark and home affairs dealt with outside of Denmark, depending on the outcome of the referendum.

Radikale vil af med Forbehold 

Mississippi - Immigration Law and Southern Poverty Center's Reaction

Mississippi has recently passed a bill aimed at expelling illegal immigrants from the state. The bill specifically voids contracts illegal immigrants signed illegally, bars state held organizations from any business transactions such as issuing drivers licenses and requires the police to check the immigration status of all detainees. It has so far been compared to similar laws in Arizona and Alabama.

The uproar about laws in Arizona and Alabama was about how Arizona was opening the door for police to racially profile people for immigration status and how Alabama was ripping apart families. Southern Poverty Law Center has already promised to sue the state, which may gain some concessions from the state in settlement. I am not holding my breath though.

I view these laws as reactionary to the recession of the economy. As growth stops and an economy shrinks, room for people to put down roots and start a life becomes limited. The space available becomes scarce and fierce competition for what is there starts. If there was growth and prosperity, I doubt these laws would ever be on the table unless there was a serious and threatening issue with criminal activity. However, in a move to protect their own jobs and income, the electorate has decided to start expelling those it can from even competing in a free market.

The Public Relations aspect of Southern Poverty's promise will put it on the wrong side of many in Mississippi who are struggling. They are looking for relief from a poor economy to save their homes and feed their families. People view illegal immigration as a serious contributing factor to their current situation and they are partly correct. Immigration increases competition for what is available on the Job Market.

However, the electorate still does not have the right to abuse illegal immigrants to preserve its own status. As the adage goes, Democracy is two wolves and a lamp deciding what's for dinner; Liberty is a well armed lamb. Southern Poverty in this case is on the side of liberty through law, a principle of our republic and I applaud them for protecting the liberty of the few.

Scandinavia's Job Market

Let me first, for the layman reader, separate the concept of Job Market from Labor Market.
The Job Market can be thought of as a street market, where the supplier, in this case the employer, advertises a product, the job to a customer, the potential employee.
The Labor Market can be thought of as the reverse. Each job seeker is selling him or herself to employers.
The products and services in each market can be lumped together to give a picture of the capabilities and demands of an economy. Each Job Market is competing against other Job Markets to attract the most talented employees to its associated Labor Market. Each Labor Market is competing against other Labor Markets to attract jobs to its associated Job Market.

If you have noticed how the two are interdependent, then you should also see how immigration policy sets up a gate and control for employers and employees entering the market from outside. Denmark's job market is suffering a bit of internal strife at the moment because of actors that wish to restrict immigration and a mismatch between what the Job Market demands and what the Labor Market is offering. Dansk Folke Parti, or the Danish Peoples' Party, is the nationalist party represented in the Danish parliament at the moment. The party has set immigration reform, closing the borders to far more immigrants than before, as a priority for the ruling administration. However, such policy will hamper the Labor Markets ability to fulfill the Job Markets demand and put over qualified or misqualified people in positions that are better suited for people with either on the job training or trade educations.

Currently, the service economy in Denmark is supplied by a highly educated, mostly domestically trained, labor market. 27% have a university or equivalent education. But the Job Market demands employees with basic schooling to fulfill jobs such as garbage man, retirement orderly or janitor. Sourcing people to fill these jobs at the local Labor Market is difficult because few people with a full education are willing to work, what most feel, in a position beneath them. While people strive to the top of commerce and industry, there are too few to support the service economy's activities with basic services. Putting down the gate for immigration will prevent the Labor Market fulling market demands. Yet this also may reveal some of the short comings of the current education policy. Restricting supply will force both markets to adapt to do more with less and perhaps be in a better position for future changes in the global economy.

Sweden on the other hand has an open education policy that ensures the Swedish Job Market's supply of basic service jobs will always be in demand and the Labor Market's supply of new immigrants will be snapped up by the Job Market as second and third generation immigrant families advance themselves and require services. It is a rapid growth, which looks a bit like a bubble...

The Power of the Purse - A Democrat Defends Earmarks

On Febuary 3rh, 2012, a senator from Hawaii defended earmark spending and actually had a solid argument against banning the practice. His argument is rooted in the constitutional separation of powers which grants Congress the Power of the Purse and implied if earmarks were banned, funding for local projects that meets the needs of the state the earmark funds would be left to the White House, bureaucrats not elected by the people and only be achieved through political horse trading, which is something a certain former Governor from Illinois claimed as a defense for corruption. He however also misses the point. Earmarks are seen as a corrupt way of opening the purse strings for project completely unrelated to the bill they are written into. Senators should instead seek to ensure funding is available to the Governor they represent to spend as he or she sees best fit, not grant a favor to 50 residents with a 400 million dollar bridge to nowhere.

Here is the video.

An open letter to The Honorable Mark Kirk

 Please note, I left my dad's and own name out of this published version. I am to you, Servus.

To The Honorable Mark Kirk, Junior Senator for Illinois,

I write to you regarding the recent committee hearing’s topic of discussion, held on the 8th of March, 2012, concerning the United States’ workforce competitiveness’ relation to the United States’ competitiveness in education against other nations’.

Before I continue, allow me to introduce myself. My name is ---. I am American born and grew up in the Chicago area. My parents are Danish and moved to Chicago when my dad, ---, was invited to work at Argonne National Laboratory. I have since become an expatriate American and currently live in the North Atlantic region. I intend to return to Chicago once I have completed my education in Denmark. One of my goals in Chicago is to influence the paradigms of education in Illinois.

I would like to know, to what extent do you intend for the United States to develop its own paradigm and policy in education reform and to what extent do you intend to import ideas and policy from our competitors? To what extent will adult education be influenced and can you quantify the effect the reforms will have on the labor and job markets? What conclusions have you reached as a result of the hearing?

I would also like to take the opportunity to tell you about the state of education in Denmark and my experiences. Colleges in the United States hold Gymnasium degrees in high regard. I myself took a HF degree, which is the equivalent of a GED and was informed by several colleges and universities in the Midwest I could be awarded enough credits to graduate with an bachelor's degree in one or two years. But there is a down side to Denmark’s high level of education in the labor market. Many highly educated graduates are now having difficulty finding a job that fits their level of education. While there may be plenty of job training positions in offices granting degrees in Public Administration, Finances or Business Administration, competition among new gymnasium graduates is high. Even job training programs, lasting two to four years, for trades such as plumbing, auto repair or masonry work, is in short supply compared to the number of candidates who apply for these positions. Oddly enough, the reverse is true for academic, highly technical or design sectors, as many of these career paths are seen as unattainable due to difficulty, too menial despite or boring despite the high level of technical skill required, or uninteresting.

While I am tempted to suggest Illinois would benefit from importing models from Denmark, I cannot without reservation do so. The current crisis and occupy protests have highlighted the higher than expected unemployment rate among new graduates. To improve education across the board as a solution to America’s job market woes would ignore the factors which is reflected by the high number of unemployed graduates. It is curious as to what these factors are.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter to you. I look forward to your reply and value any correspondence you offer on the subject.

Best Regards, Peter Smedskjaer.

Fate's Rollerskate

People often dream of immortality. Technically, it is possible with future technology. Gene therapy can give you a genetic make up that encourages healthier cells. Aging organs can be regrown with stem cells. Cancers will be cured one day in the future. Immorality is possible... save for the unseen bus.

Quick Three - Bad Parenting or a Joke?

WGN reports the case of a father who posted a picture of a gagged and bound child on Facebook. His defense is it was only a joke. I take this to mean either the dad was a poor sense of humor or he has a great sense of humor. It will all come down to how he is as a father the rest of the time. Currently though, he is granted supervised visits, which is a fair chance to show he is a good father.  All the best to him.

A blast from the past and the main reason why I am not quick to condemn the above mentioned father. No link to this one so I will relate what I have from memory. An American family calling Scandinavian relatives got the answering machine, which told them the family was kidnapped, the kids were bound and they needed help. Well, help was called, the police showed up at the front door and the family was in good health. It seems the answering machine recording was a joke fitting in with the regional love affair with irony and sarcasm. This happened some ten years ago, I think.

Filling this one under bad parenting because bullies need to be put in their place by their parents before someone kills themselves. KATU reports on the suicide of a 14 year old school girl. She had attempted to convince the girls to stop pushing her around, to no avail. It is a sad day when we only step in and do something when someone already has died. But why are we so focused on the kids themselves and not the parents of these kids? I think it is time we started shaming the parents of bullies in proportion to how bad the bully is. Maybe then kids will start behaving themselves.

That was your quick three for today. Next article might be an infographic about the energy market. See ya.

- Servus

The Electric Age

You will often read or hear in the news stories about smart grids, energy diversity, green houses gasses or oil imports. These are stories about energy concerns relevant to national interests. You do not hear about the 1.3 billion people who do not have access to electricity,or how delivering power to those who do not will change the world, or from what we should use to produce power for these people. More importantly, we do not hear about how lack of access to electricity prohibits the use of fundamental infrastructure such as lighting, cooling or heating or industrial applications that can create jobs in poor rural areas. Communication is also limited to what can be done without modern tools.

Parenting Gone Wrong - Boot Camps

Anyone who watches day time TV and talk shows such as Ricky Lake will know about the Boot Camp edition of behavioural adjustment in problem children. Drill sergents will yell at kids to do push up, pick up messes, dress in a uniform and do long hikes or hard runs. You will see a short time compressed version where there is a lot of yelling and tough love. A lot of people see these kids turn around and support the idea. When we hear about a death related to these boot camps, we think 'the drill instructor is at fault' and not 'this was a bad idea through and through'. Sometimes, people think they can do a better job and make sure their kids wont suffer the same fate. Well, not in Alabama.

Quick Three - Parenting

 I posted this in the wrong blog by mistake. I will post a continuation in connection to a new case.

Abuse is a pretty touchy subject. The line between doing what is best for a child and what is worst for a child can be pretty thin. Sometimes, it is just a matter of perspective that separates the two. This topic came up recently when a New Yorker from Eastern China made his son run nearly naked through the snow. The son was born prematurely and it seems the actions of this dad are premeditated, directed, pointed. From his perspective, this is was is best for his son and seen through the perspective of Eastern Chinese Philosophy, it just may be true. The Western perspective is quick to condemn this kind of behavior and may even question the Chinese ability to parent a child in the Western world.

But freedom to decide how one raises one's own child has not always been universally agreed upon, demanding decisions from the Supreme Court. Education, what kind of or if there should be any at all, is a child welfare issue taken up from time to time. In the United States, parents have a great degree of control over what their children learn. However, in Europe, education is stricter. Some commentators have questioned if teaching religion to a child is a form of child abuse by it self.

Then there are cases where the government insists on presenting a picture of a parent that doesn't match up to what the rest of the world sees. Kerry McDougall fled the UK at night for Ireland because social workers claimed she was too stupid to marry or care for a child. That kind of ruling happens...often enough that it would make more sense to ask you to Google it and pick a story than link to all of them. One would expect a judgment in one country to hold up in another country, however, the social workers in Ireland disagreed with the UK and Kerry has recently given birth to another child and seems to be doing well. Child abuse doesn't always means abuse at the hands of the parents and government systems that have the power to take children away are supposed to do it right the first time. If the Western world can screw up and traumatize kids by taking them away or by not (Baby P), what right do we have for judging a dad who makes his son run through the snowy streets of New York City if there is a specific point and benefit for the child?

The Ohio School Shooting - Where Education and Parenting Unfortunately Collided

It is a somber moment when ever a child brings a gun into a school, regardless if the gun is discharged or not, We recently have seen a school shooting come to national attention in Ohio. Two victims are dead now, three physically wounded and many more survived by those passed away. We will have a cycle of media talk about gun control, where were the parents and if teachers should have guns. We wont have a cycle of media talk about the art of teaching, where the rights of the parents intersect the art of teaching and the motivations children have in school.

The Department of Education has a new program it is pushing; Raising the Bar. I heard about this push on the Daily Show; Jon Stewart interview Arne Duncan. Teaching to Test and No Child Left Behind came up as relevant subjects. Jon Stewart's observation that teaching is an art, not a science, and current programs seems to treat education as a science with exact cause and effect, universal laws and sameness from area to area struck the nail on its head.

Hitler Chic

Adolf Hitler...
A truly hated and despised man.
A historical figure.
A fashion statement....
Wait, what the hell?
Yeah. Hitler is now a fashion statement in Bangkok. Hitler t-shirts. Hitler logos. Hitler Ronald McDonald. Thailand didn't go through Adolf Hitler's WW2. They saw Japan's war instead, so cultural sensitivity is, for a very good reason, lacking. But does this excuse Thailand's youths from turning such a hated man into an icon?

Super Powers - Ages of Humanity

Think of the largest powers in the world, otherwise known as Super Powers. I think of the U.S., as does everyone, Cold War Russia..... and China.

That last country is one few people think of when we think of the most powerful nations of the world. We otherwise think, they are an emergent economy that continues trade practices that harm the economies in the West. We perhaps think so because of how critical the U.S. is of the trade balance and the monetary basket the Chinese government keeps to inflate the value of the Yuan. When we then hear about China buying parts of infrastructure, we feel threatened by the Red Giant taking over. We protest. We pass laws. We pressure them to play our game instead. Yet, this is an acknowledgment of their position in the world, even if we are not self aware enough to realize it.

China today is an economy that is rapidly developing. Components for our goods are produced in China in ever increasing ratios. China sits on rare earth metals and other natural resources that the world demands be mined. It is educating and training people for a market reformation to compete with the State's knowledge and innovation economy. It is what the United States was in the 70's and it is rapidly making up ground, and we should be happy they are doing so. Please allow me to explain why we should forget our fears and be ecstatic.

We have gone through ages and states. We have gone through the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age and now we have recently had our Industrial Revolution and live in the Information Age. The last two I believe are mislabeled. In the last hundred years, the west has seen a rapid development with electricity and running water reaching nearly every single town on the map. We enjoy the newest of technology. Computers, mobile phones and paved roads. We have learned this is normal for us. We forget, what is normal for us is luxury for most of the world. Electricity is only common in the West and most developed part of the East.A significant part of the world is unconnected to a source of electricity. Even China, a work horse of manufacturing, is yet to connect everyone. The problem is most apparent in Africa, where only thirty percent have access to electricity in the Sahara. I so propose, we call our current age the Electric Age until 99% of the world has access to electricity and celebrate the progress China is making towards developing itself, building power networks to make a mains common and producing a significant portion of its energy from renewable sources. It is the first step towards star treks perfect world.

- Servus

The Quick Three - Evolution of Science

Marie Curie was turned down by the French Academy because she was a woman from Poland. Word went around she also was Jewish. Science back then was a gentleman's pursuit and the French were as stubernly nationalistic as we assume they are today, if not more so. There were short sighted assumptions about her abilities because other felt they knew better. These people also control the progress and direction of the sciences. If people today hold these same assumptions - they knew best - when setting limits on others, then the task carried out by institutions will be to limit and prevent good science.

Research related to deadlier flu virii has been put on hold at the behest of the scientific community. The researchers are open to debate on the ethics and risks involved. People can take sides. I will take the side of free speech and free access over censorship and restriction. One should not be restricted because one was born with a skin color, name or to parents of a centain nationality, yesterday's gender. However, the researchers did not help their own cause by saying they use the highest security standards (they do not) or by pausing it for only sixty days. Opponents are not helping their case by stating they do not need to hear from the researchers involved, but the researchers must hear from the opponents. Both sides are taking the low road.
Big Think

However, even though censorship looms large, why bother? A study in National Geographic points out scientists do far more informal censorship than any current law. Arthur Caplan could learn a thing or two. This is something many do not see happen.

Well, that is all for today. Cya tomorrow, maybe.

Iran and the EU - A story of moot points

The European Union recently declared it will impose sanctions on Iran... in ten months... pointedly to let both European refineries find new suppliers of crude... and let Iran find new buyers for its crude... so oil prices would not fluctuate.

If you were annoyed by my repeated use of aposiopesis, my thoughts keep falling short when tasked with finding a point to what the EU is doing. If the EU wishes to defund the Iranian nuclear program, then the EU should accept some consequences to unilateral actions. Instead, Iran will turn to China and China will get cheaper oil, improving its own economy and ability to compete against made in EU and made in the US products. Iran gains closer relations to a nuclear power who doesn't dance to the west's beat.

Great job EU.

The Correspondence

I will be restarting something I did on a blog while Obama was a Senator. I will write with and post my correspondence with senators in the US about issues in a more pointed manner. I will seek quantitative statements and I will start with Dick Durbin, a guy I kinda embarrassed myself to when I first started this. Hope he doesn't hold a grudge.

Quick Format - Three comments in three paragraphs

I am going to introduce a new format to this blog. I will continue the more in depth comments I have so far made, but there are some stories that deserve a comment here, but only a paragraph. Sooo, I will choose three stories to comment on and write three paragraphs about them.

So here we go. Today's subject is love.

A Maine man went into an operation to have a little body party removed only to find out he has cancer. He decided, at 59, life is too short to hesitate and decided to marry less than a week later. I hope he has found happiness. Some will say he is selfish for making his now wife a soon to be widow. I think those people fail to realize her feelings for him would have been the same married or unmarried. Right now, he is just waiting for death to take him. It is a very touching story.
Cancer patient marries in hospital

A man moved into a tent in his back yard and gave his home to his dogs. He found out it is possible to love too much. The dogs were taken care for and well off. However, for his love he lost his job at the local animal shelter. I much admit however, it is impressive he took care of 40 dogs on his own without letting them suffer. I would sooner let him continue doing what he does best. The dogs are right now up for adoption and he is looking for a new job. Some publicity can be a very bad thing, but I fail to see how this story could harm him too much. At least his home wasn't a pig sty cleared out by the police.
Man moves into tent, dogs into house

Pay It Forward was an award winning film, but there are plenty of examples of the same in every day life. One man intends to pay it forward 366 times this year with random acts of kindness. I wish him all the luck because he is showing love for his fellow man. I hope he inspires people to change their behaviour. The very least that can happen is a Hollywood film based on his project. Check out his blog and show support.
366 Acts

Iran fires a missile (again)

CNN reports Iran test fired missiles in the strait of Hormuz on Monday during naval exercises, to which the world has responded to by condemning Iran for threatening to close the international passage that supplies the west with oil, a strategic resource which drives the economies that provide the resources that support the west's capacity for war. Smart move Iran, except for the fact you reported on your own news network you have no intention of closing the water way.

You heard me correctly. Iran is huffing and puffing, but he will not blow our door down.

While I agree with the strategy as legal in war time, I also see the act as closing the strait as an act of war and starting a war is an illegal act for any nation. While my American audience will feel morally at ease about war with Iran, please keep in mind sanctions on Iran are a prelude to war and the U.S. is quite aware of this. If the U.S. wants to start a fight with Iran, it knows exactly what it has to do. If you think of the U.S. and Iran as two kids bickering in the back seat of a car you are driving, the U.S. is keeping a pointed finger an inch from touching Iran and taunting 'Not touching, not touching!'

So the ethical dilemma the United States is faced with is what tool can it use to negotiate Iran way from a legal civil nuclear program to ensure Iran isn't pursuing a nuclear weapons program. Sanctions will right now lead to war. Pride will always keep the U.S. from humbling itself and forming a close tie with Iran within Iran's program. Is war ethical if humble diplomacy can keep the peace?

More important to me is how will this affect the development of human civilization as we reach for the stars. We are a type zero civilization who has yet to survive the transition to type one. How the world handles this crisis will affect how we handle this kind of situation in the future and have a say in how often we go to war. We also will give a bad first impression during our first contact with aliens who may decide to be our judge and jury.

I think the world should cry out, no against Iran at the moment, but against the world itself for how we are handling the very real crisis of Iran with nuclear weapons.