were sick? were very pinkish, though brief and cold; who were those people in formal wears, potential investors?, govt health inspectors? debtors? potential business partners?; “god stands before me”

Sunday Nov 27 2011: John 3, Deuteronomy 11:10-17, Philippians 3

John 3: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

Deuteronomy 11:10-17: The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possessions of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end. So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today – to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul – then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Then the LORD’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the LORD is giving you.

Philippians 3:10-16: I want to know Christ-yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Planet Earth Forever

How to Save the Drowning America: “Four Rules” by Robert Reich

America is drowning. It is on the way of going down, unless anybody does anything to change the current destructive ways of things work in this country.

Dr. Robert Reich offers “Four” Simple Rules of How To Prevent This Country from her “Disgraceful Fall”, a country which used to put the world under her command.

Supper Congressional Committee, Super Rich, Super Businessmen, whomever, should think about “Who let them have what they have now at first place?, “Who let them to grow bigger than who they used to be? It’s This Country. This Land. These people. Without them, super rich, super businessmen would not have existed “as who they are now.” If this land and people go down, super rich, super businessmen will go down together, because they will lose the source of their richness. Why don’t they pay back what they owe to the country, to people? Why don’t they let this country, the people to recover from their fall and remain well nourished enough so that they can enable super rich, super businesses to continue their business and earning profits. In a same way that farmers maintain their fields well nurished enough to make sure successful harvest every year. Wisemen will not hang on small profits but look into bigger picture in longer term. That’s what big people do. Don’t be small.

Anger from Super Rich 1% (New York Style)

The below reading is funny but seems satirically truthful.

Excerpt from New Yorker: “We’re angry. We’re angry at something we’re calling “imagined frustration.” By this we mean that, except for Congress, the White House, banks, major lobbyists, and the editorial boards of Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, no one is listening to us. And we’re tired of it.

You claim to know something about us. You think we are rich beyond comprehension, that we can do anything we please at any time, go anywhere we want at a moment’s notice, wander the earth in a state of constant bliss, enjoying abundant and fabulous sex. Perhaps you do know us.”

“There are those in the more liberal press who have questioned whether the wealthiest one per cent truly understand how difficult life is for so many Americans right now, and to that we would say— Oh, look, someone just brought in lobster and a Bollinger Grande Année.

“Except for money and the almost unnatural flawlessness of my skin, we are no different, you and I. I don’t know who you are or what you look like or how much money you have in the bank. Nor does it matter. Because we’re just men. Unless you are a woman.”

Please read the remaining at http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2011/11/28/111128sh_shouts_kenney

The Year of Water Dragon

“Water has a calming effect on the Dragon’s fearless temperament. Water allows the Dragon to re-direct its enthusiasm, and makes him more perceptive of others. These Dragons are better equipped to take a step back to re-evaluate a situation because they understand the art of patience and do not desire the spotlight like other Dragons. Therefore, they make smart decisions and are able to see eye-to-eye with other people.“

“The hippogriff in legend is said to be far faster, stronger and more intelligent than their fathers apparently traveling at the “speed of lightning.”

English County Side: In the morning of Thanksgiving

Transforming the City: Psychological Aspects

On the verge of facing potential regional risk factor, i think about the possible transformation of the city. The below is what i can think of at the moment. i bet many people have variety of different interesting ideas, too. No need to mention about professionals’ ideas.

The major concerns of this city at this point seem to be attracting money / revenue -generating businesses, business /manufacturing investments, and young workers and professionals to work to fill in those jobs to this city.

More specifically, i can think of three “Master Goals” of transforming this city: (A) Diversifying industrial bases, identifying, locating, and attracting promising, growth-oriented businesses / manufacturing / inward-bound investments from domestic and global business entities / investors; (B) Reversing the population aging process of city due to the flight of young population by inducing the migration of young workers and professionals to the city; (C) Developing the “Signature Image,” Signature Look,”, “Signature View” of the city that create the city image as an “Prosperous Urban Center,” An Ideal Place for long-term businesses, working, and living.

Let’s confess. Human being, human culture are often very superficial, shallow. Look, image often matter a lot. For example, shorter or obese men face harder challenges to become company executives or politicians than taller and square looking men do (unless they are genius or have undeniable talents). Have you ever imagined what if ex-president Clinton or President Obama had been born to be 10 inches shorter than they are?

Among mammals, male animals, male birds are often far more beautiful and bigger than their plain, smaller female counterparts. And the bigger, more colorful, decorative male animal/bird folks often attrace more female folks, win their power/domination game for reproduction rights to produce more offsprings. Think about peacocks. Male peacocks are far more colorful, decorative than their plain looking females. But, the problem with these more gorgeous-looking male species (inclusive of all mammals including human) is, as academically proven by biologists, reproductive rights tend to be more powerful drives / instincts of their behavior than their own long-term survivals. So, while often more colorful, gorgeous, bigger male birds and animals win / dominate reproduction rights, they often shorter lived than their plainer competitors. Because their more visible looks / beauty make themselves easier/more visible target for their enemies in nature, they get killed more quickly and shorten their lives than their less colorful, smaller, less visible male competitors. Regarding human, probably, this stronger drive of reproduction than long term survival explains the numerous falls of such famous politicians because of their involvements with such not so noticeable female folks, making us puzzle, “What the hell they were thinking?”

In the similar context (hummmm, i guess the talk became somewhat side-tracked. I advise not to take this comparison seriously), more urban-looking, more signature-looking, more dynamically entertainingly looking cities, urban centers (with their plus effects if there is the possibility of outdoor adventure and wilderness in surrounding areas) will attract more young workers and professionals as well as investors’ employees who desire more convenient, exciting, entertaining modern lifestyle while working really hard during daytime. Putting business/economic development strategies aside as the more serious / official matters of matters (of course, money / profit / revenue generating is the major concern of city before anything else), the first things that casually come to mind are:

(1) The Name of City. Regarding the major mega cities, such as New York, Chicago, Seattle, and others, i’m not sure whether their names carried their modern, urban, prosperous sounding images before they grew into big cities or their prosperous expansion turned the image of their city names into carrying the image of prosperity, growth, urban and modernity, exciting cities to go. It may a matter of who’s first? Chicken or eggs? It’s mystery. But, to be sure, the image carried by names often mean a lot to individual humanbeings as well as countries and cities. There have been many cases of small countries or foreign cities changing their names to change their images. What was the name of India’s major city that changed a few times? Any possibility of considering this possibility?

(2) Developing a Signature Symbolism, the Signature Urban, Modern Image of City. Something that makes people enthusiastic about the city. To strongly symbolize prosperity, expansion, development and other etcs of the city. To create “Powerful Energy, Vibration, Symbolism of the City. The city already have many good things. But maybe more embellishments too. Maybe, possibly, by copying some other cities’ cases, it may be possibly interesting to establish some kind of division within the city; division between uptowns (like NY Manhattan, to accommodate young workers/professionals’ desire of belonging to urban working/living environment) and Oldtowns (to preserve some cultural inheritance / nostalgia, and accommodate potential political resitance from oldtimers against development/urbanization; some some time ago, I remember reading news that many city residents (probably mostly natives) either don’t care about city revitalization or against it. I bet they didn’t consider or ignored money/business aspects of the city); Another example is the division of Chicago, the Northern side of Chicago (area of tourism, shopping, museums, theaters, culture, restaurants, hotels, rich residential area) and Southern side of Chicago (less developed area, accommodate more of less affluent residents). Driving poor looking facilities to the boundary area or corner of the city.

(3) Easy, convenient, well-connected Metro, bus, train, multi-lane highway, air, horse carriage, or other transportation system within and between cities (although it requires huge population density and revenue). I need to see people walking around the city days and nights. It seems to be often too crowdless, lifeless. Just cars hanging around. I need humanbeings hanging around it, too.

(4) Existence of clusters of business, entertainment, cutural, dining, or other recreational centers.

(5) Aquarium. I don’t know why. But, always I instinctively felt unexplainable difference between cities with the presence of aquarium and those without it.

(6) Will be continued if anything comes to mind later.

its so beautiful

frid

Boeing’s Potentional Closing and Local Economy

In this global economy, the speed of everything accelerates, almost at the speed of light.

Just a few month ago, i worried that this city may follow the path of Detroit. Just a weeks ago, mentioned the city’s need for industrial diversification, not to follow the faith of Detroit. Within a blink of weeks, there is this bombshell that may possibly shake the root of its single, primary industry, the aviation industry. i am agasping at the sequence and speed of all these happening, which i expected to happen at the span of a decade or so, but actually happening in a few month, a few weeks. Almost at the speed of light.

This morning, on the way to drop my kid at school, i heard this NPR news. Because the Congressional Super Committee failed to reach an agreement on spending cut, the automatic spending cut will be enforced on federal military budget of 2013, which will significantly affect Boeing’s business operation related to US military. As a result, Boeing is examining all of operations to deal with this situation and considering to close its manufacturing base in this area. The decision is expected to be made by the end of this year.

This means, in proportion to the extents of Boeing’s involvements with other regional contractors or parts suppliers of this industry, this company’s potential closing will significantly affect the presence of the aviation industry, employment and other industries’ operations such as medical and financial industries in this area. Many regional businesses may have to take account of the potential contraction of their businesses and operational/structural adjustments.

Sunday Sept 18 2011: Isaiah 40

A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain ad hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”

Sunday Sept 11 2011: Isaiah 35

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. They will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb  shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD will return (what does this mean?). They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will over take them, and sorrow and sighing  will flee away.