Showing posts with label Rest In Peace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rest In Peace. Show all posts

Sunday, March 20, 2011

How Cataclysm is Reality Check

The Disaster in Japan, presently mounting towards becoming something we will only hope to determine in a couple of months could be at least worse than Three-Mile Island and probably not as bad as Chernobyl; that is the Nuclear (Environment [Energy {consumption/scarcity} Economy] Health) Situation.

The Disaster in Japan is an example of the force of the oceans, a vivid recreation of the Indonesian Tsunami, but with the million dollar yachts, middle class houses, and video cameras slushing about everywhere—all floating together equally: that the reality TV, media, yet very real Safety Preparedness issues brought front and center for the World to see.

The Disaster in Japan was also a Massive Series of Earthquakes. Three Disasters in one, and all of them begging questions. Fundamental questions that I am confident the Japanese Society, and the World with which they have built tremendous store of good will, interdependence, and fair trade can answer the questions being asked by this Natural Disaster.

To come back to simplicity, the tragedy shows beggar, rich man, and thief all equally were swept away. All died, and were spared only according to natural forces – not perceptions or falsehoods held by society. Chaos, and randomness. DONATE TODAY!

We can use this crisis soon to be molded into opportunity to better understand our Society, too.


The first question begged, Nuclear, asks us to truly have Utilities, states, and corporations acknowledge that we are currently (this includes everything from Climate Change to Household cleansers, and includes everything else we make) conducting a real-time open ended chemistry experiment with our environs and habitat for which we rely upon sustenance. I have complained very loudly in my book Metaeconomics on the subject of incorrect assessment of lifetime costs and benefit-cost analysis in resource valuation.

The second shows us that seven generations thinking (planning for 7 x 30 = 210 years in advance) is required to address the engineering challenges of Reality posed by the forces of nature, and made worsening of those disasters.

Home itself as physical object is impermanent. So, any disaster in, near, or by the home becomes a scientific and engineering issue. At the extreme end, we have to be conscious also of our massive garbage and waste streams, and thus reusability, recycle-ability, biodegrability, etc.

For example: Is it too much to ask to buy a washing machine that your grandkids could inherit (still operational)? Or imagine you could use parts from your washing machine to replace parts to fix by hand (using simple tools) your futuristic vacuum? That the broken part can be sold for scrap to the local hardware store for re-smelting?

On the other hand, living spaces are designed to ideally (looking at older cultures than ours in Modern USA) last a similar 210 years... or many, many more!

Japan has the opportunity to unleash the resources to create an actual place where they find their best and brightest technological possibilities. Entire new, green, and safe communities can arise by direct result of the response by the question being begged.

Maybe there is hope for Nuclear Safety, but clearly like Deep Sea Oil Drilling, like Trickle Down Economics, and a parade of other less than flexible ideas we have recently witnessed self-destruct (or at the very least flies in ointment canisters -- if not fact based proofs against them) in our times.

Finally, to be specific and real in my example, the idea of a California Coastal Commission has been the obvious joke in my experience (and many others) in real estate, architecture, engineering, planning, design, and other professional experience. Saying CCC in many circles is short hand for bureaucratic nightmare and red tape.

However, by looking at the scope of the challenge now before our friends in Japan, we can see clearly why certain agencies do exist for betterment of common good issues like health, safety, environment and planning. We may however need to streamline, and make efficient this series of systems and conflicting agencies.

So, we should mirror our friends as they rebuild their infrastructure, help them in doing so, and use the massive economic requirements to upgrade and refurbish our crumbling infrastructure system.


  • In these next years, the friendship between our nations and the connection and spirit of kinship can only become that much stronger by the real challenges and questions Mother Nature has now asked of all human societies around the world.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Help Fight Prostate Cancer


A cause and event very near and dear to my heart is finding a cure for the disease that took away my step-brother-- Prostate Cancer.



He had an extremely rare and aggressive variety, but that only exposed for me how little we actually know about combatting Cancer in general.



I have literally said, "I would not wish what I witnessed my brother go through onto my worst enemy!"



We must discover a better solution, but it will take lots of money, specialists, doctors, and scientists-- so what can you do?



I ask myself that often, and as many of you know I have found that "fun-runs," or raising money by running, is one way I can help.



So, I invite you all to my third and final fundraiser of the year (my fourth in eleven months):

http://www.active.com/donate/gpccabq10/kilv

I am setting the fundraising goal bar low so as to avoid donor fatigue. However, I would love if you could help me demolish this target, so we can raise another $2050 like we did for LLS, or $750 for Gilda's Club! I couldn't have done that without you all, and if you didn't get a chance to donate to those worthy causes-- now is the time to act.



What makes this event extra special is that it is being organized by my step-brother's mother, who joined the Board of ZERO, and has created this 10K in honor of my brother's memory-- I am honored to participate, and thank you in advance for your donations.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Sharing some sad news...

I want to express my grief over the passing of my brother, aged 36, and the joy the process has led me to better understand.

I have spent many hours with my brother in our youth, and found myself doubly fortunate to experience many great moments with him since his diagnosis a year and a half ago, since I moved up here six months ago, and in these last several weeks.

Of all the thoughts and emotions I am attempting to process, as I am recovering from a flu virus which overcame me not half an hour after I heard of his passing, about thirty minutes after I had left his side and over to the continued care to those, I have thanked numerous times, and thank again here, who were attending to his death bed.

It was just before 7pm on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, that Jeremy began his journey through the Bardo during the full moon, after suffering from Cancer (prostate cancer which had metastatized into bone cancer) for probably two years.

I am honored to have learned from and about my brother; I am honored to have made acquaintance with the many people who counted my brother as a member of their family; and am truly amazed at the clear example of love in the face of suffering he has demonstrated.

Rest in Peace.

Love Always,
Josh.


The Beauty of the Heart


The beauty of the heart
is the lasting beauty:
its lips give to drink
of the water of life.

Truly it is the water,
that which pours,
and the one who drinks.

All three become one when
your talisman is shattered.

That oneness you can't know
by reasoning.


From: Mathnawi II, 716-718

- Rumi

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