Russians Look to Establish Permanent Moon Colony

Article first published as Russians Look to Establish Permanent Moon Colony on Blogcritics.

The moon has always had a tug on us, whether it is causing our tides or filling the sky at night with luminous beauty. We have imagined the man on the moon, creatures large and small, and even it being made of cheese. The moon is our closest neighbor in space and occupies a place in literature and film, yet we have barely touched the surface after the historic landing of humans in 1969, and I have often wondered what it would take to get us back there.
So when I heard a report on Fox News that the Russians were planning to establish a moon base, my immediate thought was "What about us?" Had we abandoned the idea of ever returning to that celestial wonder, the place where an American flag stands in the stillness of a windless plane?

Vladimir Popovkin, the head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, revealed that he was in joint talks with NASA and the European Space Agency on a joint venture in this process. This would make more sense because NASA has not been able to orchestrate a return to the moon for many reasons, including the obvious financial burdens such a mission would entail. Hopefully, with these agencies working together, something tangible can happen to make this vision a reality.

Of course, President Obama is noted for saying that we should set our sights on Mars. I wrote about this in an article nearly two years ago, and I haven't heard much about it since. At the time I praised Obama's vision, but I think reality always rears its ugly head. Mars is a much more difficult mission and will no doubt take a much longer time to accomplish. The moon, on the other hand, can be more easily reached, and I even noted at the time that a base on the moon would make sense as a staging point for these missions to Mars.

Space has an allure for many of us, especially Star Trek and Star Wars fans, but also many others who have have turned their heads to ponder the universe. Whether you have looked at the moon on a sandy beach, from an airplane window, or through a telescope, the fascination is palable and the yearning for "infinity and beyond" is something more than a cartoon fantasy. If space is indeed the final frontier, then we must find ways to explore it, starting with baby steps that take us to the moon and then one day to planets beyond our solar system.

People living in 1869 had no idea that one hundred years later we would witness a man walking on the moon. In 1969 we could imagine many things after seeing Neil Armstrong take that amazing first step, but we had no idea that the communicators we saw in Captain Kirk's hand on Star Trek would be in our own hands when we grew up in the form of cellular phones. Now, if we could just get Scotty to beam us up to avoid that traffic jam, but that's for another story.

I think it is exciting to imagine what a moon base would be like, and 2020 certainly doesn't feel that far away. The question is would this open up an eventual opportunity for civilians to visit the moon? I would like to reserve a room in that first Marriot that goes up near the Sea of Tranquility. Ah, a room with a view!

Until then "Live long and prosper" to one and all!

Photo Credit - NASA

Labor Day Is No Holiday for the Unemployed

Article first published as Labor Day Is No Holiday for the Unemployed on Blogcritics.

I have always viewed Labor Day as an important holiday to celebrate. As Mother's Day and Father's Day make us take notice of those unsung heroes of our families, Labor Day is meant to recognize all those who labor, and across America those people who are in blue collar, white collar, and no collar jobs deserve this day set aside as a "thank you" from Uncle Sam for all the effort all year long.

If you find yourself unemployed on Labor Day, the day takes on a different significance. I have heard an unemployed friend say, "You have the day off? I wish I was working today. I would work every holiday and every weekend. I just wish I had a job." I am sure many people without jobs feel the same way, especially if they are long-term unemployed (out of work for more than twenty-seven weeks).

Right now we still have an unemployment rate of 9.1 percent. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics that means fourteen million Americans are out of work, and this figure is unchanged since April. So I do keep hearing this sector and that sector are adding jobs, but other jobs are being lost and that means there is no tangible improvement at this point.

I know Congress and President Obama are not playing nice these days. I guess expecting them to work in a non-partisan way to benefit the American people is too much to ask. I mean, it is summer after all and why should our senators, representatives, and President deprive themselves of vacations (to places we can only dream of going)? That budget problem was heavy lifting for these guys, so I guess tackling unemployment is not a priority, at least while they work on their tans, golf swings, or are rocking in a hammock somewhere.

So we may hear some politicians talking about Labor Day; some will march in parades, and others will take adds out in newspapers saluting the American worker. That is all very nice, but that does nothing to change that 9.1% unemployment rate.

We should collectively think about what can be done to get people back to work. If you own a business, is there a way to hire more workers? We can write to our local and national leaders and tell them "Make unemployment the thing you tackle first when you come back from your extended vacations." If enough people raise their voices, at least we will be heard.

As you celebrate Labor Day and throw hot dogs, burgers, and another shrimp on the barbie, remember how fortunate you are to have a job. Quit complaining about the small stuff, and recognize that you wouldn't want to be one of those 9.1%.

We are lucky to have our jobs, and some of us even have two in order to make ends meet, but there are those out there who need a break in order to get back to work and lower that unemployment rate. We Americans owe it to those people and future generations to fix this situation, now if only Congress and the President could get with the program.

Perhaps, if they don't deal with this issue, we voters can make a difference and put some of these people out of office. Then they will be out of work too and know the feeling, and maybe that unemployment rate will mean something more to them than just numbers. Come on, Washington, the clock is ticking!

Osama Bin Laden Killed in "Real Time" - The Jack Bauer Way

Article first published as Osama Bin Laden Killed in "Real Time" - The Jack Bauer Way on Blogcritics.

In reality we get Navy SEALs going in and doing a job in "real time" as the President and his staff watched half a world away. In the fiction world we used to get Jack Bauer of 24 doing the same kind of thing. It used to take Jack about twenty-four hours of real time to get the job done; these guys did it all in forty minutes. Score one for reality TV of the most surreal kind.

The pundits are all having a great time with this story. They have forgotten William and Kate's wedding faster than you can say "Gary Condit after 9-11." Of course, it is a fantastic story about a nearly perfectly executed mission into enemy territory to get the guy known for orchestrating some high profile crimes against the United States at home and abroad. Even screenwriters usually don't make it this smooth, so you know that there will be a film someday depicting this action that is probably the best of its kind since the Israeli raid on Entebbe.

Our President was also reminding me of a character in 24: President David Palmer. The coincidences are very striking as we have a composed, firm, and convincing Commander-in-Chief making a very tough call, and doing it on his own without any help from "coalition" buddies. That is what made the fictive Palmer seem like Presidential timber, and isn't it comforting to know that the real guy in the White House can do it even better than on TV.

Sometimes life imitates art. In this case we have the Navy SEALs and the President of the United States doing it better than their TV counterparts. Still, I couldn't help thinking that the guys who did this had to have a little Jack Bauer in them, just as Mr. Obama had a little David Palmer in him. The plan and execution of it seemed like something from a script, but in reality it played out better than anyone could imagine and they did it in "real time" too.

Japan Nuclear Disaster: A Wake-up Call for Us All

Article first published as Japan Nuclear Disaster: A Wake-up Call for Us All on Blogcritics.

If you have been watching reports coming out of Japan, or reading about the situation, it must by now have made you reach this conclusion: nuclear power is just not worth it. I have seen the talking heads go at it on television, and some babble about how "safe" nuclear power is. I feel like saying, "Tell that to the ten thousand plus dead and the stricken survivors in Japan."



By all accounts the Japanese thought they were prepared for the big one; they had built the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant with expectations of an earthquake. What it seems they were not ready for was the tsunami that followed, which knocked out the plant's cooling systems and caused this catastrophe. Now the world waits to hear good news each day, but all we get is more of the same grim reports and the possibility of even worse things to come, like plutonium being found in the soil outside the plant.

This inevitably gets me thinking of the other nuclear problem: weapons. The notion of anyone using nuclear weapons should by now have reached a complete zero option.  For years I have heard about a "limited nuclear response" in various situations. In other words, your country hits my country with one, so I will hit you back with one. The greatest fear comes from countries like India and Pakistan which both have nuclear weapons and have at times been on the brink of hostilities.

After seeing what has happened in Japan, any rational person would realize that it is bad enough if something goes wrong with a nuclear reactor in a plant meant for generating power, but to intentionally use a weapon that will also release these harmful materials into the atmosphere should now be seen as a reprehensible and inconceivable act of barbarism. A small scale nuclear exchange could devastate this planet, causing climate change that would alter life as we know it forever.

I have heard reports of people in California taking iodine tablets for radiation they perceive may be coming across the ocean from Japan. Apparently radiation has been detected in numerous states (even as far away as here in New York). If people are worried about this situation, think how much worse it could be if two countries start lobbing nuclear weapons back and forth at each other. It would be only a matter of time after a nuclear attack, no matter how limited, that everyone on the planet would be affected adversely.



I don't expect that nuclear power will stop anytime soon (although the process should begin to shut down all plants worldwide); however, nuclear weapons are something human beings can control, and they must realize there is no other alternative. President Obama and other world leaders should take the initiative to begin discourse about how to bring about total disarmament for all countries in the world. I know this task will be arduous and take a long time, but we have to start somewhere, so why not start right now? The nuclear disaster in Japan is a wake-up call, so we better heed the warning.

Still, even if every country with nuclear arms did neutralize its nuclear arsenal, even if every nuclear weapon on earth were rendered incapacitated, there could be the possibility of one rogue terrorist group (or rogue nation) that decided to try to make one. Even with the cooperation of all parties, the unspeakable might still happen. I don't know how we can prevent that from occurring, but we better start thinking about the process before it is too late. We need to lose the nuclear power and nuclear weapons or we may just end up losing our planet.

Photo Credits:

Map- Huffingtonpost.com
Mushroom Cloud- photobucket.com

No-Fly Zones Approved in Libya: Doesn't This Sound Familiar?

Article first published as No-Fly Zones Approved in Libya: Doesn't This Sound Familiar? on Blogcritics.
A dangerous dictator? Ruthless and willing to kill his own people? We have heard this one before: Hitler, Stalin, and most recently Saddam Hussein. Everyone in the world wants him out, or so it seems. Apparently, even Arab countries (although unnamed) have approved of his ouster. This sounds conspicuously similar to what happened in Iraq. We had no-fly zones there too once upon a time, and that really worked out well, didn't it?

If the old adage is correct - history repeats itself - then we are in for a bad case of deja vu all over again in Libya. Everyone knows Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi is a few cards short of a full deck. In fact, he makes North Korean leader Kim Jung-il look like a novice when it comes to crazy. Qaddafi has been in the terror business a long time, going way back to the Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie bombing in December 1988. The same things were said about Saddam before we went into Iraq. He was a terrorist and fiend too. The connections are obvious and annoyingly apparent, so what is going on here?

Libya is about the size of Alaska. Can you imagine fighting a war in Alaska inch by inch? Throw in tons of sand from the Sahara. scorching heat, and an indigenous population that hates us as much as they hate Qaddafi, and we have a recipe for disaster. All I keep thinking is no-fly zones today, ground war tomorrow. Yes, Mr. Obama says there will be no troops deployed there. Is that now or ever? Is he crossing his fingers when he is saying this?

So, please, let us stay out of it. It is not our fight. We don't belong there. We have lost so much in Iraq and Afghanistan and we are still there. We have been at war far too long. Just give us some peace. Let France do this, and Italy, and any Arab country that wants to get in on it. Please, Mr. President, we cannot have another war where our men and women's blood runs in the desert sands.

This is not our fight, so please let it fall to someone else - anyone else - to take this on. If we get sucked in there, it will be for the long haul again, and yet another generation will be born and know of nothing but being at war. How's that for a legacy, Mr. Obama?

Map Credit:
Maps of the World.com

The Founding Fathers Would Be With the Crowd in Egypt

Article first published as The Founding Fathers Would Be With the Crowd in Egypt on Blogcritics.

As difficult as it has been for our government to respond to what is going on in Egypt, we the people of the United States have to be in their corner because we have been there. How can we forget that we are born from revolution ourselves? We overthrew a pompous ruler who treated us unfairly, and now the Egyptians have done the same thing. Way to go Egypt, right? Then why does everyone here not seem to be so enthusiastic about it?

President Obama definitely came down on the side of the protesters well before Hosni Mubarak resigned, and that not doubt hastened the winds of change that the dictator must have seen as inevitable. Just as the writing was on the Berlin Wall, so too was it etched on the pyramids of Giza. The power of the people overcame the power and might of a strongman.

We have seen it before throughout history, but perhaps because this is the Middle East people are more worried about where this is ultimately going. People are thinking of the Iranian revolution which brought in something just as bad as it replaced, or perhaps the dismal prospects for democracy in war-ravaged Iraq and Afghanistan. Should we use these places as guides or should we not think that a different direction is in order?



Imagine how the Founding Fathers would see this revolution: would they not support their brethren freedom seekers? If Patrick Henry could say, "Give me liberty or give me death," should not the Egyptian people seek the same thing? Thanks to the immediacy of the Internet and the spirit and resolve of the Egyptian people, it did not take them years to overthrow their King George: they only needed seventeen days.

None of us can be sure where this is going, and people everywhere from Jerusalem to Islamabad to New York are no doubt thinking the worst, but I have a feeling that they should be thinking the best. An amazing thing has happened in Cairo that we should be applauding vigorously. We can't not believe in freedom for some and not for all: the Egyptians have just as much right to throw off the yoke of oppression as did the French, Germans, Russians, Iranians, and Americans.

The next steps will be tenuous, but the world should show its support in a myriad of ways to Egyptians. For now they have won the battle, but the goal for them has to be to win the war and avoid falling into chaos. If they can truly embrace democracy, can find a way to create a constitution and a government of and for the people, then they will be on their way and other Middle Eastern dictators and despots should shake in their boots because the dominoes will start to fall.

Snooki Arrested; Will Obama Pay Attention Now?

Article first published as Snooki Arrested; Will Obama Pay Attention Now? on Blogcritics.

Fate has strange ways of dealing a hand. Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, famous (or infamous) because of her reality MTV show Jersey Shore, was arrested in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, on Friday afternoon on the beach not far from the house where the television show is filmed. Apparently on a bender since the night before, Snooki passed out face down in the sand. Eventually she was arrested for disorderly conduct (as no doubt several sandcrabs called 911 to complain).

Snooki Is Arrested After Going on a Bender

What caused this poor girl to go out and get wasted? I am wondering if it has anything to do with President Barack Obama's appearance on the television talk show The View. After hearing Barbara Walters butcher his name (Bawack Obama) on the show Thursday morning, the President answered questions and was stumped when asked if Snooki should run for mayor of Wasilia, Alaska (hometown of Sarah Palin). Obama said, "I've got to admit, I don't know who Snooki is." Da-da-da-dum!

President Obama Visits the Ladies of The View

Can you just imagine how heartbroken Snooki must have been as she sat with her pals in the Jersey Shore digs? Maybe they joked with her or made fun of her. Snooki, who makes "Obama Girl" Amber Lee Ettinger seem like a rocket scientist, probably sulked all day about not being as "big" as she perhaps assumed herself to be. Could it be that when she went out partying Thursday night, Snooki started knocking them back to ease her pain? Maybe she even said to her friend and fellow Jersey Shore castmate Jenni “JWOWW” Farley, "Obama doesn't even know me. I probably can't even get myself arrested."

Flashforward to late Friday when "JWOWW" posted bail for little miss Snook, getting her out of the pokey and back to her Seaside Heights digs to figure out their next move. Meanwhile, the MTV suits must be hating all this publicity, although I do hear that they are planning several keg parties for Snooki and company in the days ahead.

Whatever happens, Snooki can rest easy because headlines were screaming out all over the place "Snooki Arrested," competing with ones about Chelsea Clinton's wedding. Snooki can be sure that Barack Obama knows who she is now. My, what a lucky girl. Now, if I could just hear Barbara Walters say "Come back, Bawack" a few more times, it would really make my day.

 

Obama Says: To Infinity and Beyond!

If you are like me, the news from Cape Canaveral yesterday was as welcome as last year’s new Star Trek movie. President Obama announced plans for NASA that were very exciting. Recently, we had heard from former astronauts that Obama had abandoned the space program, but this was a welcome shot in the arm for all of us who grew up dreaming about the stars and wishing Scotty could beam us up out of bed in our space pajamas.

Mr. Obama said that American astronauts would make it to Mars in his lifetime, echoing the inspiring words of President John F. Kennedy who in 1961 told Americans that there would be a manned landing on the moon by the end of the 1960s. As one of those kids who watched in grainy black and white as Neil Armstrong took his giant leap for mankind in 1969, I believe that Mr. Obama is setting a goal that once again can be accomplished.

“We’ll start by sending astronauts to an asteroid for the first time in history,” Mr. Obama said. “By the mid-2030s, I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to Earth. And a landing on Mars will follow.” These words show true support for a long-range plan that extends NASA’s mission in the right direction.

Those who had hoped for a return to the moon are missing the whole point, and as Mr. Obama explained it, there is no reason to look back when we can look forward. “We’ve been there before,” Obama said. “There’s a lot more of space to explore.” Indeed there is!

This is like music to the ears of someone who kept thinking and hoping for eventual deep space exploration. Yes, as a child I was caught up in the fantasy of outer space and even dreamt of exploring strange new worlds. It was William Shatner as Kirk whose voiceover in the opening credits for the original Star Trek series that got to me: “To seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

In the 1960s, many of us saw the distant future (and yes, that meant the year 2001) as a place for our space odyssey. Since then we have all been caught in a reality check. The space shuttle seemed for a long time to be the end of the line, and the International Space Station more or less a bucket of bolts that astronauts kept adding to and fixing as necessary.

Now all of us: the former space cadets and future space explorers, have something exciting to look forward to. Mr. Obama did not mince words when he said, “The bottom line is: Nobody is more committed to manned space flight, the human exploration of space, than I am. But we’ve got to do it in a smart way; we can’t keep doing the same old things as before.”

If this doesn’t put a Flash in your Gordon, if this doesn’t Buck up your Rogers and Captain your Kirk, then nothing else will. I commend Mr. Obama for looking ahead to make the program something that makes sense in this new century. Everyone should be pleased with the notion that NASA’s past work is being honored by this commitment to a bright future for the agency and the prospect of new and exciting missions to come.

While I am sure there will be some critics of the President’s initiative, the move is a sound one on many levels. The most important thing to remember is that the moon is always there. Someday it makes sense that it will be a place for bases as a jumping off point for other missions. Huge interplanetary vessels will probably have to be constructed there to take advantage of the gravity and to avoid issues with leaving our atmosphere.

There is also the thought of Mars in our collective consciousness: it is a place of mystery, of little green men, of hopes and dreams that swirl in its iconic red dust. Reaching Mars is a most necessary emotional and physical first step to exploring the rest of our solar system and eventually going beyond to the stars.

Mr. Obama’s plan is visionary, yet it also makes sense and addresses the realities of our time and place. Until we make the next big discovery (damn it Jim, we need to find those dilithium crystals fast), this is a smart way of looking beyond the clouds and reaching for the stars.

Biden's F-Bomb Is No Laughing Matter

Vice President Joe Biden apparently thinks it is funny that an open microphone caught him using an expletive when speaking with President Obama. This obviously unscripted moment came during the signing of the healthcare bill on Tuesday at the White House. Mr. Biden introduced the President and, leaning away from the cameras and microphone, was heard in a not too careful whisper to say, “This is a big f&^%ing deal.”

Of course, Mr. Obama kept on smiling, approached the microphone, and acted as if Biden had said nothing untoward. I can understand the President acting as if it were no big deal, considering the importance of that moment, but on Wednesday Mr. Biden proceeded to joke about the matter when speaking at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in Baltimore. He even went so far as to say that the President told him that his comment was “the best thing” about the ceremony on Tuesday. Oh really?

We cannot be sure if Mr. Obama said those words to Mr. Biden, but we can be certain that Mr. Biden used a curse word because the microphone picked it up. It is disconcerting to think that the second most powerful man in American doesn’t only believe that it is okay for him to curse on national television but that it is also funny.

I know what kind of language is used on the street. Growing up in New York City, I heard everything and learned what those colorful words meant at an early age. Despite having that knowledge, I did not think it was proper to use those words when I came in off those streets. I did not use them at home and certainly not in school or later on in life in a place of business. It became quite clear to me that curse words had their place, but it was also painfully apparent that some of the people using them liberally were not very aware of that fact.

We can be certain that Mr. Biden understands the nature of cursing, and he must also know that doing it on national television at the White House is not appropriate. What message is being sent to the general public, to people in other nations around the world, and more importantly to the children who may have heard him? Is it that cursing is okay? Will kids start thinking, “If he can speak that way to the President of the United States, can’t we speak that way to our parents and teachers?”

Some of you probably think I am making a big deal out of the Vice President’s faux pas, but I think it is rather important because this impropriety may not just be a slip of the lip. It could just be that Mr. Biden believes he is better than those he serves, that he has some kind of inalienable right to use street talk wherever he pleases, and that he can get away with whatever he wants.

Many of us can remember a similar arrogance coming from Dick Cheney, the former Vice President who was also older than President he served. Like Biden, Cheney provided embarrassing moments, including the famous hunting accident that almost cost someone his life. Mr. Bush seemed unable to deal with Mr. Cheney’s behavior, and it’s starting to seem like the same thing is happening with Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden.

What should Mr. Obama do? I do not think a public chiding is in anyone’s best interests, but Mr. Obama has to call Mr. Biden on this. As a father of two young daughters, he must tell Biden that this kind of language is not appropriate for public discourse, then Mr. Obama should close the Oval Office door and read Mr. Biden the riot act. Should he tell him to shape up or ship out? Yes, I think it is that serious and Mr. Obama better handle it now rather than later.

Cursing has an undeniable place in American culture, and we can hear these words being used around us more frequently. Formerly inappropriate words are snaking into network television shows. Maybe no one cares that words like “pissed,” “suck,” and “asshole” are being used and kids are hearing them, but it certainly bothers me. The parental controls on our television sets do nothing to stop this torrent of inappropriate language heading our way. We know what we can expect on cable TV, but it is becoming clear that broadcast television networks, in order to compete, are becoming more and more permissive in hopes of getting better ratings.

This means that we have to draw a line somewhere. We need to be more cognizant of how we talk around others. We need to show our children how to respect people, and the language we use is part of that. Most of us want to teach our children well, and I don’t think we have yet descended to a place where cursing is acceptable in all situations, and I hope that it never comes to that.

At this point in time it is still inappropriate for children to curse like drunken sailors on shore leave. Also, it is not okay for the Vice President of the United States to curse in public and to do so with impunity. He should hold himself up to a higher standard, realizing that what he says is not just a flippant use of the F-word but something that is going to be recorded and that makes it forever.

Maybe Mr. Biden isn’t thinking about his legacy and the history books, but I am certain that if he does that he wouldn’t want to be remembered as “the salty talking” Vice President under Mr. Obama. I believe he wants to be known as a man who made a difference in the lives of others, and he can start by being a good role model to all, especially to children who are impressionable. We should expect more from him, and now the question is can Mr. Biden expect more from himself?