Sudan Leader to Accept Secession of South - NYTimes.com

Sudan, from CIA World Factbook

Sudan Leader to Accept Secession of South

This July, 2011, the continent of Africa, and the world, will gain a new state.

Barring any further controversy, conflict, civil war, the country of Sudan will divide into two separate countries.

I have no idea what these countries will be named. Perhaps, "Sudan" will refer to the northern portion, with a capital at Khartoum. The southern portion of Sudan will tentatively be name "South(ern) Sudan." The capital of Southern Sudan will reside at Juba.

It is not particularly rare that new countries enter onto the global arena. Recently, we saw the independence of Kosovo (2008), and Montenegro (2006). Both of these countries arose from the fracture of the former state of Yugoslavia.

In the future, we could see Scotland become an independent state, in the British Isles. On the European Mainland, Belgium is very close to splitting into a French-speaking state, and a Dutch-speaking state.

Young Americans Increasingly Diverse, Census Finds - NYTimes.com

Young Americans Increasingly Diverse, Census Finds

Actually, the title of this article should read, "America is Less White Than 10 Years Ago." Something like that.

That American is less White than in the past should come as no surprise. White America reflects the same lack of population growth that Europe is experiencing. White America is generally more affluent, more wealthy, than other ethnic groups. I say, "generally," as there are numerically more White poor in the United States than of any other ethnic group, but represent a smaller portion of the White population.

With that affluence comes a different set of economic decisions. White people tend to achieve higher levels of education. They make choices regarding their incomes; rather than having children, they travel. They save for retirement. They buy a nicer car, a larger house, a nicer house, a second house.

In choosing to have fewer children, the White population no longer represents the same proportion of the overall U.S. population from 10 years ago.

Mississippi, Virginia, New Jersey, and Louisiana all experienced drops in the "under 18" White population .

In fact, according to demography Kenneth Johnson at the University of New Hampshire, Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics accounted for 79% of national population growth in the 10 years between 2000 and 2009.

Due to the disparity in growth rates among ethnic groups, young Whites are now the minority populations in 10 states.

That translates this way - with a large, older White population, will U.S. residents be willing to educate a population that looks less like themselves?

If you read "Comments" on Yahoo News, or other media sources, people broadcast their ignorance about these cultural changes.

These cultural changes have little to do with immigration. These cultural changes have far more to do with the center of wealth being in White America, and those members doing something other than having children.

Blacks, and Hispanics have larger families than White families. In some ways, these larger families act as the financial support system that Whites do not need, as again, Whites are much better off financially than other ethnic groups.

And, we are not talking strictly about discrete ethnic groups, either. People mingle, date, and marry people from other ethnic groups. The numbers of mixed-race children is also on the rise.

Lots of demographic changes have taken place over the last decade.

However, those changes are simply the tip of the proverbial iceberg as what is in store for America over the next 10 years.

America's Richest Small Towns - Yahoo! Real Estate

America's Richest Small Towns - Yahoo! Real Estate: "

Articles like these make great geography fodder.

Where are the most expensive small towns in America?

Most are found in New York state, followed by a small number in California. Following the money trail. Where do the leaders of business live and work? New York, close to New York City, and not that far from the likes of Boston, MA, and a few hours from Washington, D.C.

Then, we have California. From San Francisco and the Napa Valley to San Diego near the border with Mexico, the state is dotted with many small but expensive towns.

In the interior of the United State, Belle Meade, TN, just outside Nashville, is the ritzy oasis between the coasts.

Fiat reintroduces itself to U.S. with 500 model - USATODAY.com

Fiat reintroduces itself to U.S. with 500 model - USATODAY.com: "

I completely understand why Americans are so reticent to divest themselves of large cars and trucks. Our country has been built on individuality, on attempting to keep governments in check, individual freedoms, being able to set our own course. How dare anyone come and interfere with my Life, we say.

Selfish, yes, and to make ourselves feel better about our own selfish nature we donate money. Some of us actually do have a benevolent nature, altruistic, and good-hearted.

Americans do not really look around the world to see how others are living. They (we) give lip service, suggesting that we do understand, but by-and-large, we don't. Americans do not travel abroad as much as we should, not when compared to other people, Germans, Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans.

Our natural barriers, called the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, have historically provided an impediment to travel. Not only a barrier for travel, but also a barrier for attack. The United States has not had any significant foreign-based assault upon its borders in its history, chiefly as a result of the great distances any invading force would have to cross to get here.

We have become spoiled and ignorant, and soft.

We now do not want small fuel-efficient cars or trucks. We do not want our government telling us, or encouraging us, to better use natural resources. We, meaning consumers, will not make choices that use natural resources in efficient ways. Therefore, the Federal Government has to step in and help us change our ways.

And to help us change our ways, Fiat gets to sell cars in the United States, through Chrysler (who is being run by Fiat.)

The Fiat 500 is already popular in Europe. United States highway mileage comes in at 38mpg, and starts for about $17,000. That price point puts it a little higher than that of its rivals that already have a market presence in the United States, the Honda Fit, the Chevy Aveo, the Toyota Yaris, or the Volkswagon Beetle.

Automakers have to make adjustments to cars sold in the U.S. market. We like to have large beverages at hand, so drink holders large enough to hold a Super Big Gulp are necessary. We need larger gas tanks because we drive long distances. We get more insulation to buffer against noise, and a softer suspension.

American carmakers often have issues in foreign markets. Our carmakers tend not to make adjustments to their cars. Europeans like to have stiffer suspensions; they handle more like sport cars. The British want steering wheels on the opposite side of the dash. The Europeans like different color schemes, and smaller cars. Parking space is tight in most European countries.

Hopefully, though, Fiat will have a better time of selling vehicles than their previous efforts of three decades ago. While Fiat is an Italian carmaker, the engines for the Fiat 500 are made in the United States, and the car is assembled in Mexico.

The Parable of The Social Network

Early this morning, I watched, "The Social Network." Beside being a great movie, the dialogue, to those really paying attention, offers viewers some clues as to why striving to achieve more is imperative. For those that have seen the movie, remember near the beginning, when Mark Z. is talking with his girlfriend about the number of "highly intelligent people in China?" Mark says something to the effect, "Did you know that China has more highly intelligent people than we [U.S.] have people doing anything else?"

While that may be a slight exaggeration - though, probably not, they simply have more people after all - there is a degree of truth in that statement.

CNNMoney, in July 2010, ran an editorial by Jeff Colvin, warning about the lack of emphasis on learning and education in the United States, versus China. I would also add to that India, too.

According to Colvin, in 2009 China graduated 10,000 Engineering Ph.Ds. The United State graduated about 8,000 Engineering Ph.Ds. Not bad, you say? Two-thirds of our 8,000 (5,300) were not U.S. citizens thereby taking that new-found knowledge back to their home countries. U.S. immigration policy actually encourages smart, non-native people to leave.

Furthermore, while American enrollment in the sciences is falling, the fastest growing majors are "Park & Recreation," "Leisure," and "Fitness." Not there is anything inherently wrong with any of those pursuits, and, hopefully, you can see where I am going with this. Americans are not actively pursuing hard sciences, those sciences that are required and necessary for a healthy and robust economy that helps provide our standard-of-living. Then, those people that actually are pursuing hard science degrees are leaving the United States to go work elsewhere. Some do manage to engage the bureaucracy long enough to enter into the United States.

From "The Social Network," we can also examine the characters of the Winklevoss Brothers. Did they have their idea stolen from Mark Z.? Something happened because in court, the brothers received $65,000,000 as a settlement. Scrutinize the attitudes of the Winklevoss Brothers, though. They were advised to move on, invent something else, develop a new idea - that is what Harvard is about, as stated by the Harvard President. They didn't. They wanted to play the victim. Sure, they got $65,000,000, but they contributed nothing. In my mind, they should have gotten $1. One dollar is typically the damages given to simply say, yes, I agree, Mark Z. lied to, misrepresented himself, but you contributed no money, no brain effort, and your idea versus his idea are simply to far apart for me to consider that he stole it.

In China and India, Education is literally the difference between Life and Death. When I hear students poking fun of Chinese students studying in the library, or International students in the library, those American students do not understand that those Chinese or Korean or whoever, will one day - to speak metaphorically - be growing our lunch, designing our lunch, building our lunch, eating our lunch, and then telling us how great our lunch tasted. In the meantime, American students rank their education somewhere between binge drinking and XBox/Wii/Lady Gaga.

Then, Americans, playing the role of the Winklevoss Brothers, will whine and complain about how they feel robbed, somehow oblivious to the fact that they had it within their power to do something different, to change, to brainstorm, to invent, to imagine.

Now, to say that Mark Z. stabbed his only friend, Eduardo Saverin, in the back is like saying Abraham Lincoln died of lead poisoning. People can act in ethical and moral ways. For some reason we can only guess at, Mark Z. trashed his friendship with Eduardo. I can only say that this points towards Mark Z.'s youth and immaturity.

In closing, I'm using "The Social Network" as a parable for our U.S. society and our approach to Education. That is my intent, anyway. Your education is your way of investing in your future. Do not invest in attitudes such as those exhibited by the Winklevoss Brothers (Epic Fail), and being vindictive, vengeful, ruthless, or whatever Mark Z. exhibited is not necessary, either.

China's lock on market for rare earth elements: Why it matters - CSMonitor.com

China's lock on market for rare earth elements: Why it matters - CSMonitor.com: "

This article is from October 2010, Christian Science Monitor.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) also has a good, albiet not-free, article on rare earth metals.

See, nearly everything fun and good in the world, from your iPod, iPhone, iPad, laptop, Droid smartphone, those cool nighttime lights that line your walkway and are powered by solar cells, have some kind of rare earth metal involved in the product.

And most of those important rare earth metals are in China.

Or, conveniently enough, along the Congo River. Another great, easily accessible place, with no trace of corrupt governments or dangerous paramilitary groups for miles.

Sarcasm is hard to broadcast in a blog.

China currently has a lock on these materials. Can turn their supply on/off like tap water. Or, can manipulate their supply, and thus their cost, on a whim.

Therefore, finding alternate resources for these rare earth metals is crucial to future technologies.

Can A Person Be a Patriot, Yet Also Act in Their Own Best Interest?

We all do this in our own best interest. We go to school, study subjects like Animal Health, Business, Chemistry. We study subjects we either like and think we can make a living at, simply like, or subjects we may not like much but know we are pretty good at because we know we can make a living at doing.

When we shop, most of us try to save money. Wal-mart makes a profit every year because people shop there expecting to find good values for their money, to stretch their dollars. Terms like, "Black Friday," and "Cyber Monday," have become commonplace because consumers know that they can get some awesome bargains during the Christmas season on those days.

Economically, we work to our best advantage. If Target has a Sony HDTV on sale for $450, and Wal-mart has the very same HDTV for sale for $425, and its not too much trouble to adjust your driving, chances are, you will visit Wal-mart and save the $25 bucks.

Now, let's advance this scenario another way.

At both Target and Wal-mart, sitting right beside that Sony HDTV, is the RWB (red, white, & blue) brand of HDTV, made right here in the United States, with American labor. The RWB HDTV has everything that the Sony model has; they are identical in all technical regards. The RWB HDTV does not cost $425, or $450. The RWB HDTV costs closer to $1,000.

Why does it cost almost 100% more than the Sony? you ask.

Because it was made here, in the United States, with United States labor costs.

The question is, Would you buy that HDTV to keep an American employed? In other words, would your sense of Patriotism go so far as to sacrifice an additional $500 to keep a job in America?

We already know the answer to that, actually. And the answer is a resounding, No.

People, Americans, voted with their family budgets, with their disposable incomes, opting for the less expensive foreign-made cars, trucks, vans, TVs, stereos, etc.

This is precisely what happened throughout the 1970s and 1980s. While our U.S.-made TVs and other devices were comparable in quality to foreign makes, they were not competitive in price. Prices differences were highly correlated with labor costs. Foreign countries had access to larger groups of people willing to work for much less money than American workers. And, Americans were glad to oblige these new brands, like Sony, Hitachi, Sanyo.

People, the ignorant, actually, say, Well, let's stop buying those products! Let's bring those jobs back to the United States! Let's put our people back to work! Let's put an import tax on those HDTVs from Malaysia!

This is what strikes me as odd. People adamantly oppose Socialism, but cry-out to the U.S. Government to protect American jobs. Worker protection is a fundamental Socialist ideology. Therefore, when people call for more protection for American jobs, they are actually advocating for Socialism. And, they do not see that, since most Americans seem ignorant of market forces, and knowledge of how the Free Market works.

Most any attempt to tariff, tax, or somehow impose a restrictive policy on products entering a country to protect workers is, by definition, Socialism. The government steps in to adjust prices away from market forces that maintain job security, employment, wages, essentially artificially raising prices, and keeping workers employed and factories open that would close, if market forces were able to work normally.

But, it's not fair, you say, those foreign people work for next to nothing! We can't compete against people that work for $10 a day!

No one said Life is fair. Is it fair that you live in the United States and have tremendous opportunities available, and they live in Viet Nam, or Cambodia, under Communist, or corrupt governments? That these people live nearly hand-to-mouth everyday?

If the Free Market determines that workers will migrate to employment for $1 an hour, then that is the price of labor. Do not expect to get paid $10 an hour for something that others will work a $1 an hour.

Agriculture in the United States discovered this, back in the 1950s. Few Americans wanted to collect tomatoes, lettuce, or tobacco. They consider such work too hard, too demeaning, or not worth the effort. Hence, America uses migrant farm workers to harvest. Migrant workers are trainable, willing to work for lesser wages, dependable, trust-worthy, and work hard.

Back to my point.

Acting in our own best interest protects our family, protects our finances, helps us budget our money, helps us stretch our money.

By acting in own best financial interest, I posit, we do not act in very Patriotic ways. Or, I might restate the argument this way: we do not act in the interest of our country very well. We are not willing to pay the true costs of products should they be produced in the United States, with a few exceptions, like large appliances, and automobiles.

I don't think people are as Patriotic as they would like to think they are. Furthermore, they have for more socialist tendencies than they would like to think.