Next Agricultural Revolution Is Underway

Posted: 12/28/2018

This time, the agricultural revolution is happening at several fronts and it is very high tech:

1. Genetically modified crops to increase yields & resistance etc.
2. Growing plants is going indoors (modern, computerized, climate controlled green/hot houses) and vertical using LED lights

None of this is very new. It has been going on for decades, but at a rather smaller scale and located in few geographic locations (e.g. Netherlands, Israel). It appears, we are entering or we have already entered a phase were these two factors will be more combined and are ready to be applied to large scale agricultural production worldwide.

This could dramatically change the landscape of agriculture (no pun intended) as we know it. The benefits could be tremendous: It promises e.g. a lot less resources consumption (land, water, chemicals, pesticides etc.).

And this may only be an intermediate step when humans are ready to have bacteria produce any food we like.

Sources:

1. Das perfekte Gewächshaus (6/8/2018)
2. Growing the future High-tech farmers are using LED lights in ways that seem to border on science fiction (11/6/2018)

Among The Earliest Western Music Composers Was A Woman

Posted: 12/22/2018

Just watched the second part of the excellent BBC documentary Howard Goodall’s Story of Music (Source 1). He also told a story about Kassia.

“Kassia ... 805/810 - before 865) was an Eastern Roman abbess, poet, composer, and hymnographer. She is one of the first medieval composers whose scores are both extant and able to be interpreted by modern scholars and musicians. ” (Source 2; emphasis added)

This lady during a bride show turned down a marriage proposal by Byzantine emperor Theophilos. If one can believe the reports by early chroniclers of this event, then her rejection was based on contrasting Eve (sinful woman) and Maria (mother of Jesus).

“The most famous of her compositions is the eponymous Hymn of Kassia (also known as the Troparion of Kassiani), which is chanted each year at matins on Holy Wednesday (which in usual parish practice is sung Tuesday evening) at the end of the aposticha.” (Source 2)

Another wonderful example why religious freedom is so important.

Sources:

1. BBC Howard Goodall's Story of Music 2of6 The Age of Invention
2. Kassia

Not Money But For The Love Of Money Is The Root Of All Evil

Posted: 12/18/2018

Just watched this excellent and very recommendable Prager University video about John D. Rockefeller by Hillsdale College professor Burt Folsom. Rockefeller was no robber baron or anything like it. He gave away money all his live for charity.

Folsom explained that Rockefeller was deeply religious and believed in “1 Timothy 6:10 King James Version (KJV) For the love of money is the root of all evil ...”, but money itself is not an evil! Money legitimately earned is to be respected and congratulated!

Why Are Boyle, Faraday, Davy, and Newton Spinning In Their Graves?

Posted:

Briefly & Selectively About The Royal Society

It is with great schock when you realize that even a famous institution like the The President, Council and Fellows of the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge (better known as Royal Society) actively spreads the disastrous propaganda of Global Warming (a.k.a. Climate Change). The Royal Society is one of the if not the oldest national scientific institution in the world.

Former presidents and members of the Royal Society:

1. Isaac Newton was the first president
2. Humphry Davy was a president
3. Michael Faraday was a member (However, when you use the Royal Society’s website search function no results are returned)
4. Robert Boyle was a founding member and an elected president, but he declined the office (Royal Society’s webpage on Boyle does not even mention that)

The society's motto, Nullius in verba, is Latin for "Take nobody's word for it". I am afraid the Royal Society needs a new motto!

Modern Purveyor Of Propaganda & Demagoguery

The Royal Society e.g. recently released a publication titled Keeping global warming to 1.5°C (dated 11/22/2018). On the webpage of this publication it reads (emphasis added):

“Challenges and opportunities for the UK

Holding warming to 1.5°C would considerably reduce risks from climate impacts to people in the UK and around the world.

In response to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C, the Royal Society has produced a summary of the IPCC’s findings and what these mean for the UK.

The summary identifies what UK policymakers can do now, both in terms of UK policy and globally, to enable the UK to play its role in limiting warming to as close as possible to 1.5°C.”

You cannot find a single critical word about the long discredited and debunked IPCC! Absolutely appalling!

Last But Not Least

Global Warming (a.k.a. Climate change) is a hoax; a hysteria; a religion; a cult; a superstition of our time! Worse. It is based on  pseudo/junk science! E.g. relying on massively massaged/manipulated data and climate models that project climate in 100 years, when we cannot even predict weather accurately for more than 24 hours.

Mona Lisa In An Age Of Beauty Obsession?

Posted: 12/13/2018

Today, I saw this picture of Mona Lisa posted in my LinkedIn account:

Shocking, stirring, provocative, or plain stupid …?

The great human drive or urge for self improvement or vanity never ceases. Some prefer quick and easy cosmetic surgery for outward only change …

The painting of Mona Lisa has been used and abused many times over the century for all kinds of purposes. This is just a latest example of artistic provocation by adopting a well recognized piece of art.

President Trump Urgently Needs To Adress Runaway National Debt

Posted: 12/13/2018

Trigger

U.S. federal debt keeps on rising to unsustainable levels and it has been doing so under President Trump as well.

President Trump Made Some Progress Towards Stabilizing Or Reducing Debt

President Trump’s rescission request in May 2018 to the U.S. Congress of $15.4 billion was a valiant effort and it was a much appreciated step in the right direction, but far from enough. Unfortunately, the chronically foolish Democratic Party failed again by voting it down in the U.S. Senate in June 2018.

Trump also proposed to reform federal government employee salary and contributions so that employees pay more for their lavish benefits. A very welcome reform! (Source 4, 5)

I believe, there were more proposals by Trump to reduce federal expenditures.

A Brief Summary

U.S. National Debt has:

1. Tripled since 2000 to now $21.5 billion, while GDP less than doubled
2. Relative to GDP, national debt climbed from a very benign 55% in 2000 to over 100% of GDP in 2017. Only good news is that in 2016 and 2017 it stabilized at about 104%.
3. Among all OECD countries, the U.S. ranks 5th in terms of highest debt to GDP ratio (in 2015; latest available data), only surpassed only by countries like Portugal, Greece, Italy, and Japan. This is really bad!
4. The high national debt of the U.S. and other OECD countries is the major reasons why central banks have kept interest rates at extremely historical low levels for over a decade or otherwise the government net interest payments to service national debt would have become explosive
5. Obama added about $10.6 billion or roughly $1.3 billion per year in office. Had Obama and the Democrats not willfully prolonged and exacerbated the Great Recession, this dramatic increase in national debt would not have occurred
6. Trump has added so far less than about $2 billion or less than $971 billion per year in office

Here are the hard and very unpleasant facts (in $ billions):

Year	Nominal GDP	Debt	Debt Increase	Debt/GDP
2018		$21,516	$1,271
2017	$19,485	$20,245	$671	104%
2016	$18,707	$19,573	$1,423	105%
2015	$18,219	$18,151	$327	100%
2014	$17,522	$17,824	$1,086	102%
2013	$16,785	$16,738	$672	100%
2012	$16,197	$16,066	$1,276	99%
2011	$15,543	$14,790	$1,229	95%
2010	$14,992	$13,562	$1,652	90%
2009	$14,449	$11,910	$1,885	82%
2008	$14,713	$10,025	$1,017	68%
2007	$14,452	$9,008	$501	62%
2006	$13,815	$8,507	$574	62%
2005	$13,037	$7,933	$554	61%
2004	$12,214	$7,379	$596	60%
2003	$11,458	$6,783	$555	59%
2002	$10,936	$6,228	$421	57%
2001	$10,582	$5,807	$133	55%
2000	$10,252	$5,674		55%

Sources:

1. Treasury Direct Historical Debt Outstanding – Annual
2. BEA NIPA Table 1.1.5. Gross Domestic Product
3. OECD Data General government debt
4. Trump Proposals Would Cost Federal Employees, Retirees above $143 Billion
5. Trump thanks federal employees with $143.5 billion in retirement cuts