Hurricane Response Concept to Shorten Response Time

As we watched Hurricane Katrina near landfall we saw what could have been even worse. The storm was a full Category V Hurricane and then went down to Category Three, unfortunately the storm surge literally wiped out much of the Gulf Coast. Then it took over 16 hours for the winds to die down under Tropical Storm levels. (75-mph on the Saffir-Simpson Scale). This meant for 16 hours FEMA and all the rescue efforts had to wait it out before coming in to render assistance.

Then when the storm cleared and the winds died down, there were no land routes accessible anymore. I-10 was out at several locations and there was more debris by tonnage than after Hiroshima in WWII. I propose a new strategy involving the United States Navy, the most capable and largest Navy in the World by a factor of 20. That's right!

I propose that the US Navy bring in helicopters on top of aircraft carriers and ships with fuel and water with them and come in behind the storm and as soon as the storm dies down we hit the beaches like Normandy and we flat take control of the situation to get the job done. We have the most powerful fighting force on the Planet and there is not greater foe than a large Category Hurricane, let me tell you. By coming in behind the storm we can save upwards of 10-25 lead-time to the rescue efforts so please consider this in 2006.

I Talk with Herman the Hermit: How to Tell if You are Atheistic?

Folks are always having their faith shaken.

They look at the typhoons, ulcers, bedbug bites, wars, pestilence, and television and say, "God would not put up with all this crap."

I decided to have a chat with Herman Volker Hilton. I heard that the famous hermit was thinking about becoming an atheist and worth looking for. I figured that I could sell any article that came from the interview to Confirmed and Nearly Confirmed Atheists Magazine.

In fact it was the editor of that magazine, Peter Moses Isaac Aaron Greenburg, who gave me Herman's whereabouts.

Before I left the editor's office he said, "Whatever you do, don't tell him I sent you and don't ask him for one of his beers either. He's on Baker Island."

I looked in the CIA's World Fact Book to see exactly where the atoll was. It's halfway between Hawaii and Australia. I thought, That should be easy to find.

Baker Island is uninhabited since they stopped mining the bat poop, or guano as they say in New Mexico. It's a wildlife refuge operated by the Department of the Interior. (It's just like the U.S. Government to have the Department of the Interior stick its nose into the Department of the Exterior's business.)

The Island gets a couple of official visits each year. The Coast Guard and the Department of Interior take turns.

When I got to Baker Island, I found Herman stark naked sitting on a log looking out over the Pacific. His fine red beard was down to his belly, so I figured he'd been there for a while.

He was smoking a corncob pipe and seven bottles of Sam Adams® were cooling in a tub of ice next to him, each bottle within easy reach.

Herman wasn't expecting Taylor Jones, the hack writer, despite the fact that I can show up anywhere that sparks my interest.

He looked up at me with those steel blue eyes and said, "Who in all of God's creations are you? Where did you come from?

Wherever that is, GO BACK!"

I apologized: "Sorry to have startled you, Herman. I hope you didn't spill too much beer."

"There are only two of us on this godforsaken atoll. Who introduced us?"

I was glad that Herman the Hermit had a sense of humor. I decided it was best to lie and said, "I decided to canoe over here from Howland Island. I'm doing a story on Amelia Gerhardt. I though I might find her aircraft here." I decided it better not to mention the editor of Confirmed and Nearly Confirmed Atheists Magazine.

He stood up and pointed back towards the abandoned airstrip. "Look in the brush back there."

I was ecstatic.

He had found her airplane!

I would be famous if I could get back to civilization with color photographs.

I snapped a couple of shots of Herman with my trusty C-3® camera and ran and ran and ran.

Then I looked and looked and looked. I heard a gasoline engine and found that it ran an electrical generator hooked to a refrigerator. I looked in and the fridge was nearly full of Sam Adams®. I didn't dare snitch a beer. I took a bottle of water.

Finally, I decided that I needed more information to find the plane. I walked back in the white-hot, blazing sun to find Herman.

When I found him, he was fishing in the surf. He said, "I figured you would be hungry when you get back. Grab a piece of fish off that hot rock. Don't mess with my beer. I see you've already stolen a bottle of my water."

I sat on my haunches. I learned to do that during the Korean War. You could tell how long a G.I. had been in Korea by how low on his haunches he could sit. The Koreans could put their butts all the way down to the ground. I make it about half way on these old knees.

I drank the water and ate the fish and said, "Couldn't find it?"

He said, "Find what?"

"Amelia's airplane. You said to look--"

"Did I tell you that I had seen the airplane?"

"No."

"Did I tell you that the airplane was in the bushes by the airstrip?"

"Well, no. But you said--"

He had a big fish on and didn't say anything until he had pulled the flipping thing up on the beach. He went crazy. He said, "That's a new personal best!"

I said, "It's what?" He hadn't been away as long as I though he had.

He ignored my comment and gutted the fish. I knew he had jived me about the personal best thing.

Herman studied the stomach contents of the fish with great detail and said, "Look! The famine is going to end."

I said, "That's good news. What famine? You learned that from looking at fish guts?"

"Our famine! We have fish to eat."

I gave him my best look of credulous despair.

He said, "You were assuming again! You'd think you would learn something after almost dieing of heat prostration tramping around on this godforsaken island in this white-hot, tropical sun."

I decided to try to at least salvage my original article idea. I said, "Looks like a storm is brewing. I've got a friend that says that God causes storms, war, and pestilence."

He said, "What storm? What has a storm to do with war and pestilence?"

He had me there.

There was no storm brewing.

Now he was suspicious. That's when he said, "You can blame God for storms and pestilence if you want to, but what good will it do you? It's better to learn what really causes storms and pestilence just like it is good to know what causes smallpox and polio. Then you can do something about it."

I had to agree so I nodded my head. He said, "As for war, like television, that can only be blamed on man."

Well, I didn't have an article. Herman had mentioned God three times. But I was determined to do something of great significance for God and mankind. Herman had inspired me.

The human gnome project is completed.

I decided to look for life on Europa. When I got home, I would call Xrytspet from Fanton in G10009845788899990766.

Pop! There was Xrytspet. She said, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get off this godforsaken atoll with its white-hot, tropical sun."

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com), a retired college professor and business executive, Former editor of an international engineering magazine. To learn more about Wealthy Affiliate University go to his info site. If you desire a flagpole to Fly Old Glory, go to the business site.

What if Humans Were Ethical?

What if all people were ethical? What if all people could be trusted? What if 85% of what you heard during the day wasn't hokum? What if you could believe more than half of what you read? What you could believe everything you can see?

What if we could trust our politicians? What if we could trust foreign nations who make treaties with our country? What if everyone one you made a deal with honored their promises? What if what you learned in school was really true?

Where would all the lawyers work if we could trust business partners? Why would be need police? What would we use all those prisons for? What if no one cheated in contests or sports? What if no one ever cheated on their spouse? What if we all could trust everyone we meet?

What if someone who told you they were a Christian; you knew that it really meant something? What if you could trust your stockbroker, car salesman, or Annuity salesperson? What if we could trust the Catholic Priests with our children? What if no one ever used the Islamic Faith wrongly to recruit suicide bombers?

What if we could trust the Judicial System in our nation? What if people returned those things they borrowed from you? What if you could trust someone on the Internet during an online dating conversation? Yes, what if... What if Humans Were Ethical?

Altered States of Consciousness Are Intriguing to Drug Users

Alternative cognitive states and the drugs induced to get there seem to be an innately common theme throughout human civilization and society. Recently this topic came up in an online think tank, where a think tanker had decided to make it a point to state:

"When someone discovers something new and intriguing, and lets face it, altered states of consciousness are always intriguing?"

Always is always an absolute word and therefore problematic when dealing with abstract and/or critical thinking crossover conversations to get at the heart of issues and move towards solution enriched answers to mankind's most pressing problems. Thus this quote was immediately followed by another think tanker countering this argument of intrigue as an excuse to drug use or experimenting which often can lead to drug abuse and drug addiction. The counter argument was stated as such:

"Well, getting wasted or drunk and falling down and such is not so much intriguing to everyone. Such lack of control ought to be telling you something, about the substance."

The original think tanker who had experimented with drugs in the past and felt he was therefore better prepared to address the subject then stated on the topic of experimentation that:

"I at least think this is what happens when you produce a generation of intelligent, open minded, free thinking individuals."

Of course the anti-drug use sentiment from the other think tankers stated that; "Drugs are not okay, they are not good and they cause harm to you and your brain. Additionally they cause irrational behavior. An intelligent group thinking through the pros and cons of drug use should come to that conclusion."

Many people have comments of this type to discuss with regards to the problems in America with drugs, yet so few have any answers as to what to do about it. If we fail to act decisively the problem will only get worse. This issue must be addressed and we need a national discussion on this subject because it is just too serious to sweep under the carpet. Consider all this in 2006.

Airline Pension Reviews Are Necessary

United and USAirways, while under bankruptcy protection, managed to jettison their respective pension plans. While there is legal precedence for them to do so, these airlines have tossed their plans away on the back of their employees, many of whom have little else to draw upon in their retirement.

Now that both companies have emerged from bankruptcy protection, what we are now seeing are fully scaled down companies ready to do battle. Lest they each forget, their very livelihood was built on the back of pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, customer support personnel, and so many other unnamed and unsung employees who breathed life into their respective airlines.

UAL, in particular, is poised to let 400 executives profit from an upcoming stock IPO. Many executives will be instant millionaires once the I.P.O. is complete. On the other hand, long time employees of United are without a pension plan. There is something terribly wrong with this picture.

Fortunately, the U.S. Government Accounting Office will soon be conducting a thorough investigation of the pension plan set asides. In my opinion, the federal government owes this to airline employees who have worked their hearts out only to lose the security of retirement. The airlines, for their part, have benefitted from billions of dollars of government aid over the years, particularly copious sums gained after 9/11. Thus, there must be some accountability on the part of the airlines for the decisions they have made that are now affecting current and retired employees.

Social Unrest or Preamble to an Industrial Revolution in China

As China builds up its war machine it has forgotten one thing. Industrial Revolutions and civil unrest go with rapid growth, which is unchecked. History for tells this and of all countries China should realize this. Yet they have never had true capitalism there and indeed this will be a problematic issue, as it is hard to rule with an iron first and simultaneously enjoy the fruits of capitalism. That leads to an over throw of government.

Of course if they fail to let lose of the reigns a bit they will not be able to continue this growth rate. Indeed the Beijing Club along with their friends and partners in the international financier groups are smart fellows, they must read the writing on the wall. Additionally if they think they can dig out of this mess by having a war and use wartime propaganda and spending on war to save themselves from financial ruin, they may find themselves battling an uncooperative population base with real world, real time Internet World Wide news, along with whomever they choose to fight.

If China moves to squash free speech and freedom of the press or doesn't take a low key approach to their extended growth, then they will create enemies that abroad and there will be a changing of the guard. You see it has been reported that there is much civil and social unrest in China these days;

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Social_Unrest_In_China_On_The_Rise.html

There are some tough choices coming up for China and those who have the largest stakes and committed financial assets, as they have other critical issues now. And an 850 Billion Dollar Surplus is not squat compared to what they need to maintain this growth, while keeping up with infrastructure needs. Think on this in 2006.

Coal Miner Rescue System Using Human Hibernation Safety Box

Coal Mining below ground is a most dangerous job. All Coal Miners know this each time they enter a mine and get on the portal bus. Coal Miners know there can be explosions and or collapses of the tunnels.

The Coal Miners work in teams and they work together using techniques that they have been trained for. They carry with them some life support systems with limited ability to sustain one for a brief time, hopefully long enough to find good air or a ventilation system.

They will work together as a team and get into a safety box if one is nearby. They generally get themselves secure and in a place with "good air" and then wait for the rescue team to come and get them out or make contact with them.

Each company has certified rescue teams on-call and ready to go in the rare event of such a potential eventuality or catastrophic horrific situation.

I propose an additional coal miner rescue system in each safety box, which would be used in case the Coal Miners are completely out of oxygen and surrounded by only poisonous gases such as Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide or other gases. This additional system would have in it hydrogen sulfide gas.

The hydrogen sulfide gas would be taken as a last resort, which could be breathed in and thus set their bodies would be lowered to only 10% of their normal.

This would give them 10-times the length of time until the rescue and thus improve their chances of survival during that critical time needed to dig them out or mount a rescue from another adjacent tunnel. Think on this in 2006, as this could be a great invention.

How Our Schools Create Corporate Drones

We are all brainwashed and trained at an early age by parents, teachers, and society to believe that getting a job is what we are supposed to do. Maybe this was a good thing to do in the 50s, 60s, and even 70s. I'm not sure.

But things started changing rapidly in the 1980s with technological advances and the first big wave of corporate downsizing. Corporations no longer provide lifetime employment and technology has enabled anyone to start a business from anywhere.

What is true today is that having a job is not a good way to build wealth or achieve financial security. Unfortunately, our schools still train people to be good workers. They are not equipped to teach people to be great entrepreneurs.

Bill Gates said at the 2005 National Governors Association meeting that "High schools are obsolete...Our high schools were designed 50 years ago to meet the needs of another age. Until we design them to meet the needs of the 21st Century, we will keep limiting - even ruining - the lives of millions of Americans every year."

Schools teach children to sit still, be quiet, memorize information, and take tests. Schools teach children that they are worth more when they get an "A" versus a "C". These are not skills and beliefs that make people good entrepreneurs.

Schools give children the message that they don't know what is best for themselves. They must look to the teachers and administrators to decide how they will spend their time. It doesn't matter if they are enthralled with a book or science experiment, when that bell rings, they better stop what they are doing and hurry on their way so they are not late for the next class. It doesn't matter if they are hungry or thirsty - they must wait until lunchtime to nourish their bodies. And it doesn't matter if they are tired, they can wait until they get home to rest.

These are the lessons that I learned in my 23 years in school, college, and graduate school:

Lesson #1: My worth as a human being is determined by my performance. This has grown into an adult belief that I am not OK unless I am getting A+'s in life: important jobs, promotions, lots of money, big house, etc. (After all, our culture tells and shows us what material possessions you need to prove to the world you are getting A+'s.)

Lesson #2: I must look to outside authorities to show me how to live my life. This has grown into an adult belief that my inner intuition, feelings, and body sensations are not to be trusted. I lived my first thirty years in my head, practically cut off from my inner world.

Lesson #3: Life is NOT supposed to be fun. I have lived my life with the belief that life was full of struggle and hardship, that work is not fun, and that I have limited choices.

Schools condition us to look outside of ourselves for answers and guidance. Schools show us that we are not responsible for our own well-being. School conditions us to ignore our inner guidance systems.

Some of our most innovative contributors to society were not model students - remember Albert Einstein?

You may be thinking, "C'mon Debra, lots of kids don't like school. It's not the end of the world!" And I say, "Well, why can't we create a school system where children love to learn? Why can't we trust kids to know what is best for them?" This won't happen until adults start un-brainwashing themselves from the lessons they learned in school. Adults need to stop passing the misery onto their children.

I intuitively knew what was best for me at a young age but wasn't even permitted to express this knowing. I spent most of my 20's following society's false promise of happiness and most of my 30's trying to unlearn the destructive lessons that were force-fed to me in school.

The good news is that it is possible to seize control of your life by undoing destructive social brainwashing. But first, you must get clear on which false beliefs you still hold and replace them with positive fear-free beliefs. It is a journey worth embarking upon.

Find out how to break free from the corporate world. Debra Lea Thorsen helps individuals create real wealth and happiness without 9 to 5 jobs. Visit Fearless Guides for free tips on career change, wealth building, and living without fear.

Read This Article if You Want to Stop High Oil Prices

Do you want to stop the high oil prices, which might further damage the economy? Are you tired of paying $100 to fill up you SUV or mini-van? Have you significantly altered your driving habits to deal with the high oil prices and the gasoline prices at the pump? Are you sick and tired of excuses every time the prices spike? Hurricane Katrina, Rita or Middle Eastern Politics; has this all become immune to you and you do not care about any of it, you just want more fair prices on your gasoline? If so you are not alone in this thinking or sentiment. In fact even the commentators on TV News are starting to make waves about this. Yet, you somehow feel helpless, because you need lower prices at the pump and any rational from higher prices is not helping your family budget one bit.

One way you can help bring down oil prices is to keep the environmentalists from blocking all the new refineries, planned pipelines, power plants and natural gas distribution infrastructure. And you voice your opinion in the media and to politicians and even infiltrate the environmental groups to knock some sense into their heads from the inside of their organization. Additionally you can rally lawmakers to come down hard on lawyers who file these lawsuits and make these lawyers have full disclosures of who is paying them to file these suits. You might be surprised when you find out the truth. Then you can also write articles of this problem and also see about bringing up discussions about natural resources in your community. Most of all you can demand real data from environmentalists that meets the criteria of being legitimate. Demand proof over political correctness and the hokum of sound and fury that these groups are purporting. Think on this.

Super Hurricane Wilma Marries Tropical Storm Alpha

Hurricane Wilma has married Tropical Storm Alpha off the coast of Florida in a beautiful marriage of magical meteorology. Indeed, it was a match made in heaven and with all the celebrity marriages in 2005 it seems only fitting. As they head up the Eastern Seaboard on the honeymoon, some folks in New England are a little concerned, as they have had just about all the Super Storms they can handle this year.

The over saturated area has been flooded with new members moving into their area, cause a stress on their infrastructure, as they just cannot handle the population increases in storms and most of the Christians in the area are in fact against the Happy Horrific Hurricane marriages of this kind. They much prefer the marriages of opposite types of storms. Cold front, warm fronts or warm front to cold front, as these Hurricane Marriages are simply not holy and somewhat unnatural. They have had enough of perfect storms in their NorEaster History.

On the whirlwind fast paced Honeymoon of Hurricane Wilma, sister of Katrina and Rita and Tropical Storm Alpha, best man to Hurricane Stan will be meeting an old friend and former jealous lover born of the cold front family of storms. It proves to be quite a jealously cat fight, as the lightning between the group as been known for some time now.

What does this mean? It means that the combination of these three means more flooding and torrential rains of which the New England States could do without right about now. Think on it.