Philanthropy, Etc.
Which Charities to Trust
When considering which charities to donate to, which ones actually give the most bag for your buck (ie. put the most of your dollar into programs that further their cause rather than administration or fundraising) I found it is very wise to consult sites like Give.orgor CharityNavigator.org.
Here is the sample page of information you can find on a particular charity.
Once Again: 52% People Are Stupid
Republican Nominee Edges Out Iraq War Veteran for Congressional Bid.
There used to be a time that it was practically shameful for a governmental leader to not have had military service, now we shun people who have. Quite frankly, I would far rather people who have been shot at making decisions about where, how and why we send our parents, siblings, spouses and children to die.
Shuttle
Future of Shuttle Program in Question
I would agree that it is time to mothball the fleet, except the nearest replacement is 5 years on the horizon and I have heard of no resources being devoted to its development. If the shuttle fleet is shut down, the International Space station becomes the planets most expensive piece of junk…or a platform another country to use.
Many people think that space exploration is a waste of money when we have much more imperative needs for it right here on earth, and I can completely understand that argument as being valid. In the face of starvation, the AIDS epidemic, child abuse, and the multitude of other problems in the world in which we live, space flight seems extremely frivolous.
And Gawd knows considering how much we have fucked up this planet, what right have we go to another?
However, if there is one thing I have learned from history is that mankind, civilization, needs to look to the unknown for it’s survival. Not only practical concern of developing technologies and resources, but the stimulation of thought and imagination that comes from trying to understand the universe. There seems to be, in Western Culture especially, a need for exploration and discovery. When the Emporer of China banned the voyages of Zheng He, the culture that had invented the magnetic compass and gunpowder fell into a stagnation that led to their demise at western hands in the 19th century. When the Ottoman Empire stagnated the academic growth of a region of the world that saved the greek philosophers, built the first colleges, gave us algebra, it also began to decay into factionalism and eventual dismemberment following WWI. One of the great epochs in Western Culture, the Renaissance, was coupled with the discovery of the New World (though that particular case brought out the worst in us as well, but one hopes people can learn from their forefathers mistake…then again, given the current political administration it’s obvious people can’t learn from their own mistakes. *sigh*)
Anyway, plowing on…
What did the Greatest Generation do after they got home from WWII?
No, after that.
They launched the space program, which has been one of the greatest single technological and cultural influences on American since the Industrial revolution
The challenge of new territories of space and science seems to bring out the best in us. We seem to need a frontier to give our culture direction, to fire our imaginations and make us rise to our greatest mental and physical efforts and achievements. America is especially suspectable to this for we have the western frontier for so long in our national conciousness that exploration is part of our cultural mindset. Not only for those that actually traveled there, but for the American culture as their journey was followed by the nation, ripping outward through the generations. From the Rockys to Apollo. If our minds are not being stimulated they stagnate and fall into minutia, factionalism and decay. Space exploration stimulates the mind of mankind, helping him to continue to move forward in history, rather than staying still or falling back.
Even with all the troubles we face on this planet, is there no way we can find a balance with finding our way through the world and time we live in and exploring the universe and our future? If one looks solely outward, one become purely reactionary, adrift on whims of fate. But if one looks solely inwards, one come to terms with oneself, but loses touch with the world around us, stagnating as we become obsessed with the imagined intricacies of ourselves. We should be able strike the balance between our efforts inward and outward, not only as a people, but as a society.
When considering which charities to donate to, which ones actually give the most bag for your buck (ie. put the most of your dollar into programs that further their cause rather than administration or fundraising) I found it is very wise to consult sites like Give.orgor CharityNavigator.org.
Here is the sample page of information you can find on a particular charity.
Once Again: 52% People Are Stupid
Republican Nominee Edges Out Iraq War Veteran for Congressional Bid.
There used to be a time that it was practically shameful for a governmental leader to not have had military service, now we shun people who have. Quite frankly, I would far rather people who have been shot at making decisions about where, how and why we send our parents, siblings, spouses and children to die.
Shuttle
Future of Shuttle Program in Question
I would agree that it is time to mothball the fleet, except the nearest replacement is 5 years on the horizon and I have heard of no resources being devoted to its development. If the shuttle fleet is shut down, the International Space station becomes the planets most expensive piece of junk…or a platform another country to use.
Many people think that space exploration is a waste of money when we have much more imperative needs for it right here on earth, and I can completely understand that argument as being valid. In the face of starvation, the AIDS epidemic, child abuse, and the multitude of other problems in the world in which we live, space flight seems extremely frivolous.
And Gawd knows considering how much we have fucked up this planet, what right have we go to another?
However, if there is one thing I have learned from history is that mankind, civilization, needs to look to the unknown for it’s survival. Not only practical concern of developing technologies and resources, but the stimulation of thought and imagination that comes from trying to understand the universe. There seems to be, in Western Culture especially, a need for exploration and discovery. When the Emporer of China banned the voyages of Zheng He, the culture that had invented the magnetic compass and gunpowder fell into a stagnation that led to their demise at western hands in the 19th century. When the Ottoman Empire stagnated the academic growth of a region of the world that saved the greek philosophers, built the first colleges, gave us algebra, it also began to decay into factionalism and eventual dismemberment following WWI. One of the great epochs in Western Culture, the Renaissance, was coupled with the discovery of the New World (though that particular case brought out the worst in us as well, but one hopes people can learn from their forefathers mistake…then again, given the current political administration it’s obvious people can’t learn from their own mistakes. *sigh*)
Anyway, plowing on…
What did the Greatest Generation do after they got home from WWII?
No, after that.
They launched the space program, which has been one of the greatest single technological and cultural influences on American since the Industrial revolution
The challenge of new territories of space and science seems to bring out the best in us. We seem to need a frontier to give our culture direction, to fire our imaginations and make us rise to our greatest mental and physical efforts and achievements. America is especially suspectable to this for we have the western frontier for so long in our national conciousness that exploration is part of our cultural mindset. Not only for those that actually traveled there, but for the American culture as their journey was followed by the nation, ripping outward through the generations. From the Rockys to Apollo. If our minds are not being stimulated they stagnate and fall into minutia, factionalism and decay. Space exploration stimulates the mind of mankind, helping him to continue to move forward in history, rather than staying still or falling back.
Even with all the troubles we face on this planet, is there no way we can find a balance with finding our way through the world and time we live in and exploring the universe and our future? If one looks solely outward, one become purely reactionary, adrift on whims of fate. But if one looks solely inwards, one come to terms with oneself, but loses touch with the world around us, stagnating as we become obsessed with the imagined intricacies of ourselves. We should be able strike the balance between our efforts inward and outward, not only as a people, but as a society.
posted by KiplingKat | 8:08 PM
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