Both. If you had to prioritize your income — would you feed and educate your children or build a rocket? You speak of us continuing to populate the earth so that we have a better chance of Einsteins being born, and yet every 5 seconds a possible Einstein died from starvation.
I agree that we should continue to explore “and” better understand our universe. Yes, it is important to have a better lens in space just in case of a meteor, yet, we will most likely go extinct because of man’s stupidity rather than a catastrophic meteor impact.
“we will most likely go extinct because of man’s stupidity rather than a catastrophic meteor impact.” Sad, but true. I hope neither happens. Your picture of the aliens looking at earth watching us blow ourselves up over religion would apply here.
Dave, I posted a favorite video of mine in one of my blog posts a while back. I would like to share with you, but need to fetch it. I think you will enjoy. BRB.
Do kids really die every five seconds from starvation? Is it because we are inhabiting portions of the earth that can’t really sustain life, I wonder. I think hydroponic structures that run off of nuclear power could be useful in this kind of situation. These structures don’t require sunlight or rain and could create food in space, Antarctica, anywhere. If we can’t survive in Africa we sure won’t survive on mars.
It’s sort of a neat idea, keep people fed in Africa by using space investment dollars because it would be a practice environment for future Mars missions. Maybe I’ll write a letter to Nasa.
Dave, in my post, I also included this poem, so it’s fitting I should include it too. It gives me goosebumps. 😀
There are the rushing waves
mountains of molecules
each stupidly minding its own business
trillions apart
yet forming white surf in unison.
Ages on ages
before any eyes could see
year after year
thunderously pounding the shore as now.
For whom, for what?
On a dead planet
with no life to entertain.
Never at rest
tortured by energy
wasted prodigiously by the sun
poured into space.
A mite makes the sea roar.
Deep in the sea
all molecules repeat
the patterns of one another
till complex new ones are formed.
They make others like themselves
and a new dance starts.
Growing in size and complexity
living things
masses of atoms
DNA, protein
dancing a pattern ever more intricate.
Out of the cradle
onto dry land
here it is
standing:
atoms with consciousness;
matter with curiosity.
Stands at the sea,
wonders at wondering: I
a universe of atoms
an atom in the universe.
“Arch, this is just me, but I’d get rid of all insect parasites that spread disease like mosquitoes, ticks, tapeworms, flies etc.”
Where I live, Dave, they are currently spraying poison to kill mosquitoes on the off chance that some may be carrying the West Nile virus. In the process of doing that, they are killing off Ladybugs that do nothing more harmful than eat aphids that attack and destroy our plants. They’re killing butterflies migrating south to spend the winter, then come back to lay eggs. Every evening and early each morning, my yard is full of dragonflies, scooping up their daily quota of mosquitoes, once the mosquitoes are dead from the spray, the dragonflies will be out of food, then, they too, will die. Much life on the planet is interconnected,, sometimes in ways thaat we can’t readily discern – who can sat that there is a species,
I own a tv at my house. several. I own several other things that are necessities. Some have no use at all, besides that they are pleasing to look at or comfortable to sit in.
I do this while providing for and nurturing my children. I even do all this while donating a meager portion of earning to whatever cause i choose.
I do not keep from doing these things so that I can stretch every dollar toward helping starving children.
The USA is very benevolent. I think the dollars spent on space exploration have been well spend and I dont think we spend enough. Lots of benefits have come from the space program.
I dont think the starving children point is perfectly fair. I agree, if the US was letting it’s children just die so it can afford space rockets, then there’d be a real problem – as it is now, I dont think that i agree we’re miss-allocating NASA funds.
I certainly dont want kids to starve though. We are capable of doing many things at once, and I think we should.
“Do kids really die every five seconds from starvation? Is it because we are inhabiting portions of the earth that can’t really sustain life”
At least. The stats came from the U.N a few years ago. According to UNICEF, currently: “Every 3.6 seconds one person dies of starvation. Usually it is a child under the age of 5.”
They explain targeted goals — what needs to be done to make positive change. It’s interesting to note that one of the solutions to eliminate poverty and starvation is making education for girls a priority.
For some inexplicable WordPress reason, my comment posted itself before I was finished with it – to finish:
Much life on the planet is interconnected,, sometimes in ways that we can’t readily discern – who can say that there is a species that is entirely without merit, upon which, no other species depends?
I do think it’s fair to compare, William. If you were starving I think you’d have a different perspective. For example, in Mississippi is home to Stennis Space Center, 32% of Mississippi children live in poverty. That’s almost one and a half times the national poverty rate and almost twice the rate for children. Mississippi ranks dead last with a median household income.
Not only is health poor there, education too. On almost every metric, Mississippi ranks at or near the poorest performing states:
47th in 2-year college degrees
49th in 4-year college degrees
49th in high school diplomas
50th in fourth grade math scores
50th in fourth grade reading scores
50th in eighth grade math proficiency
50th in eighth grade reading proficiency
50th in average composite ACT scores
Stennis was the largest construction project in the state of Mississippi and the second largest in the United States at that time. With the exception of providing jobs (mostly to people coming from outside of Mississippi), Stennis contributes little else to the community except lots of noise when they are testing rocket engines. I know, my step-dad use to work for them.
“Much life on the planet is interconnected, sometimes in ways that we can’t readily discern – who can say that there is a species that is entirely without merit, upon which, no other species depends?”
Arch, I’m not sure if you intended for your comment to be directed to me, but I got a notification.
I agree that mississippi is a crappy place. You’ll get no argument from me on that point.
let’s say Nasa didnt build stennis. If the government gave all that money to starving children in Mississippi, would mississippi children be better off? I dont think so.
For one thing, being in the US poverty line isnt the same as starving. The majority of those in the poverty zone of the US are middle class to much of the world. I’m not excusing that or minimizing, but let’s get real – the gov can only do so much.
Now building stennis, even if with ALL out of state construction workers (which is unrealistic), the workers are staying in Mississippi, buying MS goods and paying MS taxes, which go into the MS economy and help MS residence get work, etc.
Even now, those who work at stennis are mostly MS residence and even the ones who are not, still spend their money in the MS economy. So stennis does in fact help MS and MS children.
the money that the federal government pours into that place, is only sent to that place for that purpose. It has ripple effects. And Stennis isnt raping anyone – it’s certainly not making people poor – the only economic impact on MS from Stennis, is a good one.
I dont think we can eradicate stupidity, ignorance, bad or poor parents, or the poor or hungry children. I wish we could and I think we should try to do all of those things, but i dont think that putting everything else on hold to solely focus on those things is the answer.
It includes medical stuff and food stuff, and other stuff that not only benefit adults, but even children.
I am familiar with suffering children. I don’t like it. I wish we could do more. but things like the space program are invaluable, with untold benefits to all of humanity.
and not to be a jerk, really, but how much have you done without in order to help starving children of the world or impoverished children of Mississippi? maybe the silver lining in your loss of a 7 figure bank account was the robber was a robin hood?
I’m not a fan of having the gov do everything, but i do like that they are very benevolent and I like the space program – it has impacted the world greatly, and I believe will continue to do so.
William, Mississippi is the most food insecure state in the nation, with more 28% of children unable to access enough food for a healthy life. It ranks 48th in health determinants and 50th in health outcomes. But our government poured billions of dollars into the space program here without batting an eye.
My point being — building Stennis did little to nothing to help the situation here. Look at other countries who put their people first. No, they may not be spending trillions to put man in space but there is no poverty and they tend to be the most people countries in the world.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that when you invest in people, first, the investment has long-term effects across the scale which benefit all of humanity.
” maybe the silver lining in your loss of a 7 figure bank account was the robber was a robin hood?”
Geesh William, you’re right — you can be a douche sometimes. If you’d been keeping up with the posts, I stated that the 7 figure was a debt incurred on me, not a figure in my bank account. As far as my contributions to helping others more disadvantaged then me — I spend at least 30 hours a week (most of my spare time) in advocacy and activism for humanitarian causes, primarily focuses on children and their needs.
Correction: I meant to write “they tend to be the most peaceful countries in the world.
I have not stated here that we should do away with the space program. Neither did I say that the space program has not been beneficial. I am stating that it is in the best interest of our country and as a species to make the well-being of children a priority, for they represent our future.
Thanks Carmen and Arch, and the others who tried to help Kathy understand humor. As I took a walk the other day, I thought of this blog and Kathy, and a line from an INXS song came into my mind: “Don’t suffocate on your own hate.” Kathy, you help me see mistakes I used to make and sometimes still make. It is a bit ironic, that you bring out the worst and the best in me.
“In the process of doing that, they are killing off Ladybugs that do nothing more harmful than eat aphids that attack and destroy our plants. They’re killing butterflies migrating south to spend the winter, then come back to lay eggs.”
Point taken. Spraying everything is a bad way to go.
There must be some parasites that we could do away with without disrupting the environment though. Ticks? Head lice? Or we could go to the level of a virus, certainly everyone wants Ebola to go extinct? If we can take out a harmful parasite without disturbing other organisms should we? I would.
Finding Truth 
Both. If you had to prioritize your income — would you feed and educate your children or build a rocket? You speak of us continuing to populate the earth so that we have a better chance of Einsteins being born, and yet every 5 seconds a possible Einstein died from starvation.
I agree that we should continue to explore “and” better understand our universe. Yes, it is important to have a better lens in space just in case of a meteor, yet, we will most likely go extinct because of man’s stupidity rather than a catastrophic meteor impact.
LikeLike
“Both.” Agreed.
“we will most likely go extinct because of man’s stupidity rather than a catastrophic meteor impact.” Sad, but true. I hope neither happens. Your picture of the aliens looking at earth watching us blow ourselves up over religion would apply here.
LikeLike
Indeed.
LikeLike
Dave, I posted a favorite video of mine in one of my blog posts a while back. I would like to share with you, but need to fetch it. I think you will enjoy. BRB.
LikeLike
Do kids really die every five seconds from starvation? Is it because we are inhabiting portions of the earth that can’t really sustain life, I wonder. I think hydroponic structures that run off of nuclear power could be useful in this kind of situation. These structures don’t require sunlight or rain and could create food in space, Antarctica, anywhere. If we can’t survive in Africa we sure won’t survive on mars.
It’s sort of a neat idea, keep people fed in Africa by using space investment dollars because it would be a practice environment for future Mars missions. Maybe I’ll write a letter to Nasa.
LikeLike
Dave, in my post, I also included this poem, so it’s fitting I should include it too. It gives me goosebumps. 😀
There are the rushing waves
mountains of molecules
each stupidly minding its own business
trillions apart
yet forming white surf in unison.
Ages on ages
before any eyes could see
year after year
thunderously pounding the shore as now.
For whom, for what?
On a dead planet
with no life to entertain.
Never at rest
tortured by energy
wasted prodigiously by the sun
poured into space.
A mite makes the sea roar.
Deep in the sea
all molecules repeat
the patterns of one another
till complex new ones are formed.
They make others like themselves
and a new dance starts.
Growing in size and complexity
living things
masses of atoms
DNA, protein
dancing a pattern ever more intricate.
Out of the cradle
onto dry land
here it is
standing:
atoms with consciousness;
matter with curiosity.
Stands at the sea,
wonders at wondering: I
a universe of atoms
an atom in the universe.
Richard Phillips Feynman (1918 – 1988)
LikeLike
“BRB.” lol – Nate, thanks for letting us use your blog as if it were a chat room 🙂
LikeLike
This isn’t going to be one of those “brain experiments” with zombies, right? I got nervous when it warned of flashing images.
LikeLike
Great poem! Watching now…
LikeLike
“We need the resources. we need the trees and animals. if we dont take care of them, then we’re only wasting our livelihood.”
We have the responsibility, if not the duty, to be stewards of this planet, preserving it for our children, and theirs.
LikeLike
“This isn’t going to be one of those “brain experiments” with zombies, right? I got nervous when it warned of flashing images.”
LMAO No zombies jumping out.
The warning was intended to warn people who are prone to seizures. Thanks for taking the time to watch.
LikeLike
“Arch, this is just me, but I’d get rid of all insect parasites that spread disease like mosquitoes, ticks, tapeworms, flies etc.”
Where I live, Dave, they are currently spraying poison to kill mosquitoes on the off chance that some may be carrying the West Nile virus. In the process of doing that, they are killing off Ladybugs that do nothing more harmful than eat aphids that attack and destroy our plants. They’re killing butterflies migrating south to spend the winter, then come back to lay eggs. Every evening and early each morning, my yard is full of dragonflies, scooping up their daily quota of mosquitoes, once the mosquitoes are dead from the spray, the dragonflies will be out of food, then, they too, will die. Much life on the planet is interconnected,, sometimes in ways thaat we can’t readily discern – who can sat that there is a species,
LikeLike
Really liked it. Thanks. I’ll be saving that one.
LikeLike
I own a tv at my house. several. I own several other things that are necessities. Some have no use at all, besides that they are pleasing to look at or comfortable to sit in.
I do this while providing for and nurturing my children. I even do all this while donating a meager portion of earning to whatever cause i choose.
I do not keep from doing these things so that I can stretch every dollar toward helping starving children.
The USA is very benevolent. I think the dollars spent on space exploration have been well spend and I dont think we spend enough. Lots of benefits have come from the space program.
I dont think the starving children point is perfectly fair. I agree, if the US was letting it’s children just die so it can afford space rockets, then there’d be a real problem – as it is now, I dont think that i agree we’re miss-allocating NASA funds.
I certainly dont want kids to starve though. We are capable of doing many things at once, and I think we should.
LikeLike
“Do kids really die every five seconds from starvation? Is it because we are inhabiting portions of the earth that can’t really sustain life”
At least. The stats came from the U.N a few years ago. According to UNICEF, currently: “Every 3.6 seconds one person dies of starvation. Usually it is a child under the age of 5.”
They explain targeted goals — what needs to be done to make positive change. It’s interesting to note that one of the solutions to eliminate poverty and starvation is making education for girls a priority.
http://www.unicef.org/mdg/poverty.html
I think it’s a great idea about writing NASA.
LikeLike
For some inexplicable WordPress reason, my comment posted itself before I was finished with it – to finish:
Much life on the planet is interconnected,, sometimes in ways that we can’t readily discern – who can say that there is a species that is entirely without merit, upon which, no other species depends?
LikeLike
yeah, it’s the circle of life, dave. has mufasa taught you nothing?
LikeLike
I do think it’s fair to compare, William. If you were starving I think you’d have a different perspective. For example, in Mississippi is home to Stennis Space Center, 32% of Mississippi children live in poverty. That’s almost one and a half times the national poverty rate and almost twice the rate for children. Mississippi ranks dead last with a median household income.
Not only is health poor there, education too. On almost every metric, Mississippi ranks at or near the poorest performing states:
47th in 2-year college degrees
49th in 4-year college degrees
49th in high school diplomas
50th in fourth grade math scores
50th in fourth grade reading scores
50th in eighth grade math proficiency
50th in eighth grade reading proficiency
50th in average composite ACT scores
Stennis was the largest construction project in the state of Mississippi and the second largest in the United States at that time. With the exception of providing jobs (mostly to people coming from outside of Mississippi), Stennis contributes little else to the community except lots of noise when they are testing rocket engines. I know, my step-dad use to work for them.
LikeLike
“Much life on the planet is interconnected, sometimes in ways that we can’t readily discern – who can say that there is a species that is entirely without merit, upon which, no other species depends?”
Arch, I’m not sure if you intended for your comment to be directed to me, but I got a notification.
I agree.
LikeLike
Neuro,
I agree that mississippi is a crappy place. You’ll get no argument from me on that point.
let’s say Nasa didnt build stennis. If the government gave all that money to starving children in Mississippi, would mississippi children be better off? I dont think so.
For one thing, being in the US poverty line isnt the same as starving. The majority of those in the poverty zone of the US are middle class to much of the world. I’m not excusing that or minimizing, but let’s get real – the gov can only do so much.
Now building stennis, even if with ALL out of state construction workers (which is unrealistic), the workers are staying in Mississippi, buying MS goods and paying MS taxes, which go into the MS economy and help MS residence get work, etc.
Even now, those who work at stennis are mostly MS residence and even the ones who are not, still spend their money in the MS economy. So stennis does in fact help MS and MS children.
the money that the federal government pours into that place, is only sent to that place for that purpose. It has ripple effects. And Stennis isnt raping anyone – it’s certainly not making people poor – the only economic impact on MS from Stennis, is a good one.
I dont think we can eradicate stupidity, ignorance, bad or poor parents, or the poor or hungry children. I wish we could and I think we should try to do all of those things, but i dont think that putting everything else on hold to solely focus on those things is the answer.
here’s a list of some of the benefits that we have gotten from the space program:
https://www.sac.edu/AcademicProgs/ScienceMathHealth/Planetarium/Pages/Benefits-of-the-NASA-Space-Program.aspx
It includes medical stuff and food stuff, and other stuff that not only benefit adults, but even children.
I am familiar with suffering children. I don’t like it. I wish we could do more. but things like the space program are invaluable, with untold benefits to all of humanity.
and not to be a jerk, really, but how much have you done without in order to help starving children of the world or impoverished children of Mississippi? maybe the silver lining in your loss of a 7 figure bank account was the robber was a robin hood?
I’m not a fan of having the gov do everything, but i do like that they are very benevolent and I like the space program – it has impacted the world greatly, and I believe will continue to do so.
LikeLike
William, Mississippi is the most food insecure state in the nation, with more 28% of children unable to access enough food for a healthy life. It ranks 48th in health determinants and 50th in health outcomes. But our government poured billions of dollars into the space program here without batting an eye.
My point being — building Stennis did little to nothing to help the situation here. Look at other countries who put their people first. No, they may not be spending trillions to put man in space but there is no poverty and they tend to be the most people countries in the world.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that when you invest in people, first, the investment has long-term effects across the scale which benefit all of humanity.
LikeLike
” maybe the silver lining in your loss of a 7 figure bank account was the robber was a robin hood?”
Geesh William, you’re right — you can be a douche sometimes. If you’d been keeping up with the posts, I stated that the 7 figure was a debt incurred on me, not a figure in my bank account. As far as my contributions to helping others more disadvantaged then me — I spend at least 30 hours a week (most of my spare time) in advocacy and activism for humanitarian causes, primarily focuses on children and their needs.
You?
LikeLike
Correction: I meant to write “they tend to be the most peaceful countries in the world.
I have not stated here that we should do away with the space program. Neither did I say that the space program has not been beneficial. I am stating that it is in the best interest of our country and as a species to make the well-being of children a priority, for they represent our future.
LikeLike
Thanks Carmen and Arch, and the others who tried to help Kathy understand humor. As I took a walk the other day, I thought of this blog and Kathy, and a line from an INXS song came into my mind: “Don’t suffocate on your own hate.” Kathy, you help me see mistakes I used to make and sometimes still make. It is a bit ironic, that you bring out the worst and the best in me.
LikeLike
“In the process of doing that, they are killing off Ladybugs that do nothing more harmful than eat aphids that attack and destroy our plants. They’re killing butterflies migrating south to spend the winter, then come back to lay eggs.”
Point taken. Spraying everything is a bad way to go.
There must be some parasites that we could do away with without disrupting the environment though. Ticks? Head lice? Or we could go to the level of a virus, certainly everyone wants Ebola to go extinct? If we can take out a harmful parasite without disturbing other organisms should we? I would.
LikeLike