The article linked below illustrates how the cost of spaceflight has dropped since the private sector introduced competition in this sector of human endeavors. Whether measured in dollars per kilogram put into orbit or by the cost of putting a person into space (and hopefully bringing them back again), the cost was relatively stagnant for many years. Indeed, major aerospace corporations and their subcontractors competed against each other for government contracts, but the governments were calling the shots, managing system integration, and micromanaging parts of the rest of the enterprise. That changed when the private sector began building its own technical systems (e.g., reusable rocket boosters) to move people and payloads into space.
Read the article for a quick overview of how the private sector was able to bend the cost curve downward. Food for thought as we consider the value and cost of government dominance in other areas of the US economy.
We are blessed to live in a country in which we are free to travel, at least to the extent we can afford the time and cost. The article linked below caught our eye as a short summary of popular international travel destinations. We have been able to visit a handful of them over the years, and hope to see a few more in the future. But wait! There’s more!
International travel is not cheap, but fortunately there are many local, regional, and national destinations worth our time and energy. Better yet, if they are within a day or less of driving time, a visit does not have to cost all that much.
At the top of our list is visiting kids, grandkids, and extended family. Our family is scattered across at least six states (we have to stop and count it up on our fingers), which gives us plenty of reason to hit the road.
Next on our list are regional attractions like Point Reyes National Seashore, the San Mateo Coast, Point Lobos, Mount Diablo, Sycamore Grove, and other local parks and land preserves. Many of these make a fine day trip while others can fit into a couple hours of free time.
Casting our view more widely, the US is home to many well-known national parks as well as a few lesser-known parks. Our favorites include Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Grand Canyon, and (of course) Yosemite, but these are the big-name parks that attract scads of visitors. Other parks include Lassen Volcanic, Mesa Verde, Zion, Arches, Pinnacles, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon. Some of these do not seem as widely known as the big-name parks, so maybe we should not mention them. You can keep it quiet, right? Other national parks and monuments that come to mind include Cuyahoga Valley, Hawaiian Volcanoes, Mount Rainier, Olympic, Everglades, Dry Tortugas, North Cascades, Golden Gate, Death Valley, Saguaro, Joshua Tree, Mount Rushmore, and Theodore Roosevelt. And there are more! Suffice it to say, national parks and monuments provide a wonderful, target-rich environment for travel destinations.
Spring is coming, with summer right behind. If you suffer from cabin fever, relief is at hand! So where have you traveled, and where would you like to go?
In a sense, perhaps the letters of the alphabet are to words what atoms are to molecules. And while the theories of particle physics explain how sub-atomic particles make up atoms, what explanation do we have for the origins of letters in our English alphabet? The article linked below attempts to explain the evolution of markings that eventually became letters that, in turn, eventually became our alphabet.
I don’t have the technical background to assess this history of the alphabet, but it does make for a short, interesting read. Meanwhile, we can whimsically point out that the letters of the alphabet, like gold, are not distributed equally from one part of the world to another. Hawaii and the South Pacific, for example, seems to have an abundance of vowels but not very many consonants. Eastern Europe, on the other hand, has plenty of consonants but maybe not enough vowels. Maybe we can work out some kind of trade? Regardless, a little bit of gentle humor is good for the soul.
The information packed into this graphic is but a snapshot in time. It would be interesting to see a time-series presentation showing how the various geographic parts of the world economy shrink and grow as the world goes through a major cycle of recession and expansion. I have seen time-series plots of how individual nations experience a recession followed by recovery, but not one that presents many nations and geographic regions simultaneously as this static figure shows.
Just as maps provide fascinating ways to show information, charts and graphs can provide a lot of information in a tight, well-designed format. Interesting to study, and limited only by the imagination of the designer and the usefulness of the product.
One of my favorite quotes for organizational development comes from Canadian poet Stephen Leacock. He wrote about a fellow who “flung himself from the room, flung himself upon his horse and rode madly off in all directions.” Stop for a moment to visualize the attitude and the imagery! This quote provides a good starting point for discussing the working relationships, organization, and leadership needed to avoid such wild behavior.
Sadly, and in spite of posturing to the contrary, much of our political leadership and national news media seem more interested in cultivating a divisive neighbor vs neighbor mentality rather than speaking the whole truth or serving a common good. This kind of leadership sets us up to ride madly off in all directions. A comical image if it were not so counterproductive. So, what can we do?
First, with various 2022 elections coming up later this year, please think twice before voting to re-elect any incumbents. Do the candidates have any tangible record of achievement in serving the electorate, or is it all words? There is a big difference in specificity between “we solved this problem” and “I fought for you on the right side of history blah blah blah.” Did they create solutions or did they create bureaucratic paperwork? Did they lead and serve, or did they divide and manipulate?
Second, if you don’t like the leadership or what they produce, maybe you should consider volunteering in your community, taking a more active role in your organization, or even running for office. (Many Christians forget that Jesus gave His disciples two prayers to pray: 1) the Lord’s prayer, and 2) to ask God to raise up workers for the harvest. We don’t seem to pray that second one as often as the first. Maybe we are afraid that God would raise us up for service, religious or otherwise?)
Third, remember that the us vs them mentality we hear about so often from the political and media types may be a feature rather than a bug in their leadership style. It may be a desired perception rather than a reflection of reality. The hair-on-fire tone we hear in the news somehow does not reflect the sense of community that we can see with our own eyes in our neighborhoods, business districts, churches, parks, and restaurants. Indeed, there are genuine needs all around us, but the sense of community we see as neighbors help neighbors is reassuring!
Last but not least, remember who is in charge. It is not ultimately the politicians or the talking heads. We can vote, we can turn off the hair-on-fire news, and we can bring our concerns and needs to the Living God who is actually in charge of all. Food for thought, and for encouragement.
