Where do the people razing our forests think the air we breathe comes from? Do they know the forests sustain us?
The primary way in which the Earth generates oxygen for the atmosphere is through photosynthesis. Photosynthesis accounts for 98% of the world's atmospheric oxygen. It is the process plants and trees use to extract energy from the sun. Water and carbon dioxide are taken in by the plants and trees, and sunlight provides energy for converting these substances into sugars and other energy-rich substances that nourish them. Oxygen is a byproduct of photosynthesis, and when the Earth is in balance, enough atmospheric oxygen is produced to replace the oxygen that is used.
All forests have global implications not just on life but on the quality of it. Trees not only improve the quality of the air that species breath by trapping the carbon and other particles produced by pollution, they also determine rainfall and replenish the atmosphere. As more water gets put back in the atmosphere, clouds form and provide another way to block out the sun's heat. Trees are what cool and regulates the earth's climate in conjunction with other such valuable services as preventing erosion, landslides, and making the most infertile soil rich with life. Mother earth has given much responsibility to trees.
How much forest are we losing? Global annual estimates for 1990-95 show a net forest loss of 112,600 square kilometers per year. The world’s rain forests could completely vanish in a hundred years at the current rate of deforestation.
What would our world be like without trees? What will we breathe?
[to be continued]
Monday, September 13, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Who's Running Our Schools?
The Gahanna News reported that teachers' association concerns kept Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools out of the running for Race to the Top federal funds. School Superintendent Mark White said, "the federal dollars had a few strings attached, including a federal teacher evaluation process."
At the same time, voters in the Gahanna Jefferson public school district are being asked to pass Issue 5, a school operating levy, in November. The issue, if approved by voters, will generate about $10 million per year for the school district and will cost homeowners an additional $208.25 per year in property taxes per $100,000 in home value. (White) said Issue 5 is necessary to fund the day-to-day operations in the district, which includes textbooks, utilities and teacher salaries."
The Los Angeles Times recently used school district test data to rank elementary school teachers based upon how much their students improved from year to year on standardized reading and math tests. The data, which school districts across the nation possess on their own students, had never been analyzed. How can that be? What it found was that "the best teachers often taught just down the hall from the worst, and those highly effective teachers consistently raised test scores no matter who their students were".
As USA Today put it, "bad teachers don't get replaced, great teachers don't get rewarded and students' lives are blunted." Reform doesn't come easy. Michelle Rhee was hired as Washington DC's school chancellor. She was brought in to reform a failing school system. One of the reforms she implemented was teacher evaluations that combined value-added with sophisticated observations. Her firing this summer of 76 teachers has so angered the union that it is now working to oust the mayor who hired her.
"We cannot cede our responsibility to our children to appease those groups making the loudest noises and the greatest threats. Nothing will be right in this country until we put our children first." -jkt-
The D.C. schools have been awarded $75 million in Race to the Top grants. In House District 20, kudos to Bexley, Columbus and Whitehall for going after and receiving Race to the Top dollars.
At the same time, voters in the Gahanna Jefferson public school district are being asked to pass Issue 5, a school operating levy, in November. The issue, if approved by voters, will generate about $10 million per year for the school district and will cost homeowners an additional $208.25 per year in property taxes per $100,000 in home value. (White) said Issue 5 is necessary to fund the day-to-day operations in the district, which includes textbooks, utilities and teacher salaries."
The Los Angeles Times recently used school district test data to rank elementary school teachers based upon how much their students improved from year to year on standardized reading and math tests. The data, which school districts across the nation possess on their own students, had never been analyzed. How can that be? What it found was that "the best teachers often taught just down the hall from the worst, and those highly effective teachers consistently raised test scores no matter who their students were".
As USA Today put it, "bad teachers don't get replaced, great teachers don't get rewarded and students' lives are blunted." Reform doesn't come easy. Michelle Rhee was hired as Washington DC's school chancellor. She was brought in to reform a failing school system. One of the reforms she implemented was teacher evaluations that combined value-added with sophisticated observations. Her firing this summer of 76 teachers has so angered the union that it is now working to oust the mayor who hired her.
"We cannot cede our responsibility to our children to appease those groups making the loudest noises and the greatest threats. Nothing will be right in this country until we put our children first." -jkt-
The D.C. schools have been awarded $75 million in Race to the Top grants. In House District 20, kudos to Bexley, Columbus and Whitehall for going after and receiving Race to the Top dollars.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Jobs
I remember several years ago reading the results of a survey of business men and women in the surrounding area, that sought their opinions on our business environment. A "how are we doing" and "would you consider opening a business here" questionnaire. One business owner responded that he had no intention of bringing his business here because he thinks the workers are less educated and less sophisticated.
The Pew Center Education Report Card 2010 grades the states on education performance and policy. According to the Center, "the Nation scores high on education standards policies, but struggles to provide opportunities to succeed." In it "the Chance-for-Success Index grades the nation and states on 13 indicators capturing the critical role that education plays as a person moves from childhood, through the K-12 system, and into college and the workforce." Ohio ranks 25th among the states. And that raises the question...are our schools educating our children to succeed?
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of education and the role it plays in attracting businesses to Ohio and providing jobs for Ohioans. I understand that we have an immediate need to create jobs and I will work tirelessly to assist those who are unemployed to find jobs. But we need to lay the foundation for the future of Ohio and the future of our children.
No. 1 - A highly educated and highly skilled workforce will attract businesses to Ohio.
No. 2 - Agressive retraining programs for Ohioans whose companies have packed up and left the State or have shipped their jobs overseas.
No. 3 -We should not give tax breaks to companies who ship jobs overseas. Bring the jobs home.
No. 4 - There has been a change in consumer buying habits as a result of current economic conditions. We must discard old business stratagems that no longer work in today's economic environment and develop a blueprint for the future of small business in Ohio.
No. 5 - I will be looking very closely at the Ohio Department of Development; its structure and effectiveness. Peoples' livelihoods are at stake. We need to get politics out of it.
[to be continued]
The Pew Center Education Report Card 2010 grades the states on education performance and policy. According to the Center, "the Nation scores high on education standards policies, but struggles to provide opportunities to succeed." In it "the Chance-for-Success Index grades the nation and states on 13 indicators capturing the critical role that education plays as a person moves from childhood, through the K-12 system, and into college and the workforce." Ohio ranks 25th among the states. And that raises the question...are our schools educating our children to succeed?
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of education and the role it plays in attracting businesses to Ohio and providing jobs for Ohioans. I understand that we have an immediate need to create jobs and I will work tirelessly to assist those who are unemployed to find jobs. But we need to lay the foundation for the future of Ohio and the future of our children.
No. 1 - A highly educated and highly skilled workforce will attract businesses to Ohio.
No. 2 - Agressive retraining programs for Ohioans whose companies have packed up and left the State or have shipped their jobs overseas.
No. 3 -We should not give tax breaks to companies who ship jobs overseas. Bring the jobs home.
No. 4 - There has been a change in consumer buying habits as a result of current economic conditions. We must discard old business stratagems that no longer work in today's economic environment and develop a blueprint for the future of small business in Ohio.
No. 5 - I will be looking very closely at the Ohio Department of Development; its structure and effectiveness. Peoples' livelihoods are at stake. We need to get politics out of it.
[to be continued]
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Parks, Our Natural Heritage
Central Ohio has a wonderful park system. Our parks are teeming with wildlife and offer scenic vistas that can take us far away from the hectic clamor of our everyday lives. Everyone should have access to the parks. They are our Natural Heritage.
Our parks fulfill the longing in our children for adventure and exploration. By cultivating the natural curiosity and sense of wonderment in our children, we prepare them for the future. It is from a childhood well spent...days and nights filled with dreams, both real and imagined; of curiosities and longings (for what, we do not always know); of adventures, awaiting, around the next bend. It is from these children that our future leaders, our inventors and innovators, our writers and philosophers will emerge. Our parks are an integral part of the fabric of our Nation.
I was so entranced by my winter walk earlier this year, that I wrote to my friends:
"I woke up at about 8 this morning and concluded that today was the day I was going to take a long-overdue winter walk at Three Creeks Park. We'd just had new snow, but the roads were passable. I threw on my winter wear and off I went…..temperature 19 degrees. What a glorious day it was!!!
When I arrived, not another person was there. At first the sun shone down upon the frozen landscape and tiny snowflakes drifted to the ground, like sparkling diamonds falling from the sky. As I entered into the woods, the sky turned grey, enveloping me in solitary silence. I wandered off the beaten path and onto Confluence Trail, which leads to where three creeks converge into one.
I was walking along gazing left and right into the forest hoping to see deer. I turned just in time to see one leaping across my path and away, a fleeting moment....almost lost. Next I passed by geese and ducks bobbing calmly in an icy waterhole. Further on I paused to view the joining of the creeks and listened to the gurgling of water as it traveled on downstream.
Suddenly, I sensed motion to my left. I saw another deer running away from me. Then another and yet another raced by, finally stopping at a perceived safe distance from me and turning to stare. In all, there were seven of them.....6 girlies and one boy. Three of them stood their ground as I gazed upon them in awe. We stayed there for minutes studying each other, their white tails flicking as they contemplated my presence.
Finally I walked on as they disappeared amongst the trees. The trail was rough and my eyes were focused on the ground as I meandered along. Next I looked up, there stood a doe in the middle of the trail. Once again we two stood our ground, immersed in our own thoughts. She finally wandered off. Before I could move on, to my amazement, I spotted a baby deer just to the side of the trail, camouflaged by the brush. I remained a frozen observer in this frozen world of snow and ice and watched this sweet darling as she crossed before my eyes.
She and her mama finally moseyed off, while I continued upon my way. I emerged from the woods onto the main trail and headed back towards my car. The mama and baby deer raced by me one last time, as if following me to my destination. As I passed by the marsh, to my right I espied yet three more deer frolicking and prancing across the ice.
Now out of sight, I journeyed on through a stand of pines and at last crossed the foot bridge. A flock of geese flew overhead in formation, honking their goodbyes. No man did I encounter. Today, Three Creeks was all mine."-jkt-
Our parks fulfill the longing in our children for adventure and exploration. By cultivating the natural curiosity and sense of wonderment in our children, we prepare them for the future. It is from a childhood well spent...days and nights filled with dreams, both real and imagined; of curiosities and longings (for what, we do not always know); of adventures, awaiting, around the next bend. It is from these children that our future leaders, our inventors and innovators, our writers and philosophers will emerge. Our parks are an integral part of the fabric of our Nation.
I was so entranced by my winter walk earlier this year, that I wrote to my friends:
"I woke up at about 8 this morning and concluded that today was the day I was going to take a long-overdue winter walk at Three Creeks Park. We'd just had new snow, but the roads were passable. I threw on my winter wear and off I went…..temperature 19 degrees. What a glorious day it was!!!
When I arrived, not another person was there. At first the sun shone down upon the frozen landscape and tiny snowflakes drifted to the ground, like sparkling diamonds falling from the sky. As I entered into the woods, the sky turned grey, enveloping me in solitary silence. I wandered off the beaten path and onto Confluence Trail, which leads to where three creeks converge into one.
I was walking along gazing left and right into the forest hoping to see deer. I turned just in time to see one leaping across my path and away, a fleeting moment....almost lost. Next I passed by geese and ducks bobbing calmly in an icy waterhole. Further on I paused to view the joining of the creeks and listened to the gurgling of water as it traveled on downstream.
Suddenly, I sensed motion to my left. I saw another deer running away from me. Then another and yet another raced by, finally stopping at a perceived safe distance from me and turning to stare. In all, there were seven of them.....6 girlies and one boy. Three of them stood their ground as I gazed upon them in awe. We stayed there for minutes studying each other, their white tails flicking as they contemplated my presence.
Finally I walked on as they disappeared amongst the trees. The trail was rough and my eyes were focused on the ground as I meandered along. Next I looked up, there stood a doe in the middle of the trail. Once again we two stood our ground, immersed in our own thoughts. She finally wandered off. Before I could move on, to my amazement, I spotted a baby deer just to the side of the trail, camouflaged by the brush. I remained a frozen observer in this frozen world of snow and ice and watched this sweet darling as she crossed before my eyes.
She and her mama finally moseyed off, while I continued upon my way. I emerged from the woods onto the main trail and headed back towards my car. The mama and baby deer raced by me one last time, as if following me to my destination. As I passed by the marsh, to my right I espied yet three more deer frolicking and prancing across the ice.
Now out of sight, I journeyed on through a stand of pines and at last crossed the foot bridge. A flock of geese flew overhead in formation, honking their goodbyes. No man did I encounter. Today, Three Creeks was all mine."-jkt-
Capital Punishment
Ohio had not executed a convicted murderer since the seventies. I remember when the killing began again. It was the spring of 2001. I and other people of faith gathered to pray in St. Joseph's Cathedral in downtown Columbus just before the execution was to occur. I was horrified that the State was going to kill a human being in my name. Mind you, I do not forget the victims. Nor do I forgive the murderer. But I refuse to follow the tenet, "an eye for an eye". I do not wish to participate in barbarism. We, as a civilized Nation, should rise above this.
The company we keep:
Top10 Countries with the highest number of executions by population.
-China 1718
-Iran 346
-Saudi Arabia 102
-USA 37
-Pakistan 36
-Iraq 34
-Vietnam 19
-Afghanistan 17
-North Korea 15
-Japan 15
There were 52 executions in the United States in 2009.
-Texas 24
-Alabama 6
-Ohio 5
-Virginia 3
-Oklahoma 3
-Georgia 3
-Florida 2
-S Carolina 2
-Tennessee 2
-Missouri 1
-Indiana 1
There have been 111 people exonerated (freed) while waiting to be executed, and a dozen or so found innocent after execution. http://officeofstrategicinfluence.com/deathpenalty/
The death of one innocent man can never be justifed to sate the thirst for revenge.
Business
If you read my previous article, "Regulations" you might think that I am against Business. Not at all. I am not unmindful of the benefits I have reaped working for Big Business. But I think most of you will agree that things are out of balance in this country right now.
U.S. executives earn about 400 times the pay of the lowest paid workers in their own companies. In Europe and Asia, the pay of executives is about 10 times that of the lowest paid worker. And, that does not include the generous stock options or severance packages that many top U.S. executives receive that increase the value of their compensation. These compensation packages of American executives have received a lot of media attention during the current economic crisis, especially when corporations with high pay rates for CEOs and other top employees are also shipping jobs abroad, laying off employees or closing plants.
As Harvard law professor Joseph Singer put it, there is "a disconnect between widely shared moral intuitions and our prevalent economic institutions and norms. We can bridge this gap between our values and our institutions through policy and law: the law is the site where [our] values are effectuated and implemented." That includes "corporate laws that balance employee, community, and shareholder interests."
I remember reading about Aaron Feuerstein, the owner of a textile factory in Massachusetts. His factory caught fire and burnt to the ground. At that point, he could have walked away. But, instead, Mr. Feuerstein promised his workers and the community that he would rebuild. And, while he was rebuilding, he continued to pay his employees. Here is a man who was tested and did "what everyone would agree was right, but what few people actually do".
Our workers, the most productive in the world, do not deserve to be abandoned by Big Business in their time of need. It is time to bring the jobs home.
[While writing this article, I remembered the story about Mr. Feuerstein and wanted to include it. A Google search landed me at:
www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_common_interest_in_property
I highly recommend it. I am tired of the labels Conservative, Liberal, Progressive. We are all Americans, together. We should not tear this country apart for a political agenda. More on this later.]
U.S. executives earn about 400 times the pay of the lowest paid workers in their own companies. In Europe and Asia, the pay of executives is about 10 times that of the lowest paid worker. And, that does not include the generous stock options or severance packages that many top U.S. executives receive that increase the value of their compensation. These compensation packages of American executives have received a lot of media attention during the current economic crisis, especially when corporations with high pay rates for CEOs and other top employees are also shipping jobs abroad, laying off employees or closing plants.
As Harvard law professor Joseph Singer put it, there is "a disconnect between widely shared moral intuitions and our prevalent economic institutions and norms. We can bridge this gap between our values and our institutions through policy and law: the law is the site where [our] values are effectuated and implemented." That includes "corporate laws that balance employee, community, and shareholder interests."
I remember reading about Aaron Feuerstein, the owner of a textile factory in Massachusetts. His factory caught fire and burnt to the ground. At that point, he could have walked away. But, instead, Mr. Feuerstein promised his workers and the community that he would rebuild. And, while he was rebuilding, he continued to pay his employees. Here is a man who was tested and did "what everyone would agree was right, but what few people actually do".
Our workers, the most productive in the world, do not deserve to be abandoned by Big Business in their time of need. It is time to bring the jobs home.
[While writing this article, I remembered the story about Mr. Feuerstein and wanted to include it. A Google search landed me at:
www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_common_interest_in_property
I highly recommend it. I am tired of the labels Conservative, Liberal, Progressive. We are all Americans, together. We should not tear this country apart for a political agenda. More on this later.]
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Regulations
The collapse on Wall Street and of our banking system; the Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed 11, injured 17, and released millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico for three months; and, the deaths of 29 miners at the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia...all are a cautionary reminder that Big Business cannot be trusted on its own.
You know, I predicted the financial collapse long before it happened. All of the indicators were there: deregulation of the banks, leading to mergers that created financial monsters "too big to allow to fail" (did we learn nothing from the Great Depression and the Recession of 1980?); The Federal Reserve manipulating interest rates to give a false sense of security, while abetting mindless spending; our elected officials raiding the Treasury; people paying a million dollars for tract houses in California; Government borrowing from foreign countries to pay for two wars, instead of raising taxes as we had in the past; a Vice President scornfully saying deficits don't matter. Oh, the indicators were all there. And like drunken sailors our leaders just kept swimming into the abyss.
Then there's the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. Did you know that a device that costs just one half million dollars may have prevented the oil spill in the Gulf? Yes, that's right. The Orlando Independent Examiner reported that "the device is called an acoustic switch or actuator. It is a remote-controlled device deployed off oil rigs that sends acoustic impulses through the water, triggering an underwater valve or explosives to shut down the well even if the rig is catastrophically damaged or abandoned. Norway and Brazil require these devices in all offshore drilling operations. While they are not required with rigs offshore the U.K., BP elects to deploy them there. BP chose not to equip oil rigs off the coast of the U.S. with acoustic triggers because U.S. regulations enacted in 2003 do not require companies to do so."
"The Upper Big Branch coal mine", according to ABC News, "had amassed scores of citations from mining safety officials, including 57 infractions just last month for violations that included repeatedly failing to develop and follow a ventilation plan. Another Massey subsidiary agreed to pay $4.2 million in criminal and civil fines last year and admitted to willfully violating mandatory safety standards that led to the deaths of two miners."
No, Big Business cannot be trusted on its own. 5,214 workers died on the job in 2008 alone, and that doesn't count the number who died from occupational diseases. It is why we need regulations.
I have to tell you, I do not like politicians who put on a performance for television, sneering at a stack of books of regulations, just to win votes. It demeans the lives and suffering of those who have died or been permanently disabled because their employers care more for the bottom line than for them.
The Governor says a review has already been done and over 2,000 regulations have been eliminated. If elected, I would be willing to initiate a further review to do away with unnecessary ones. However I will not sacrifice the health and safety of Ohioans. I will not do so on the backs of those less fortunate. Nor will I remove any regulations that would further erode the environment, which sustains us.
Lastly, regulations are only as good as enforcement. If we are not enforcing laws and regulations, it becomes a stealthy means of doing away with them. We need to step up enforcement.
You know, I predicted the financial collapse long before it happened. All of the indicators were there: deregulation of the banks, leading to mergers that created financial monsters "too big to allow to fail" (did we learn nothing from the Great Depression and the Recession of 1980?); The Federal Reserve manipulating interest rates to give a false sense of security, while abetting mindless spending; our elected officials raiding the Treasury; people paying a million dollars for tract houses in California; Government borrowing from foreign countries to pay for two wars, instead of raising taxes as we had in the past; a Vice President scornfully saying deficits don't matter. Oh, the indicators were all there. And like drunken sailors our leaders just kept swimming into the abyss.
Then there's the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. Did you know that a device that costs just one half million dollars may have prevented the oil spill in the Gulf? Yes, that's right. The Orlando Independent Examiner reported that "the device is called an acoustic switch or actuator. It is a remote-controlled device deployed off oil rigs that sends acoustic impulses through the water, triggering an underwater valve or explosives to shut down the well even if the rig is catastrophically damaged or abandoned. Norway and Brazil require these devices in all offshore drilling operations. While they are not required with rigs offshore the U.K., BP elects to deploy them there. BP chose not to equip oil rigs off the coast of the U.S. with acoustic triggers because U.S. regulations enacted in 2003 do not require companies to do so."
"The Upper Big Branch coal mine", according to ABC News, "had amassed scores of citations from mining safety officials, including 57 infractions just last month for violations that included repeatedly failing to develop and follow a ventilation plan. Another Massey subsidiary agreed to pay $4.2 million in criminal and civil fines last year and admitted to willfully violating mandatory safety standards that led to the deaths of two miners."
No, Big Business cannot be trusted on its own. 5,214 workers died on the job in 2008 alone, and that doesn't count the number who died from occupational diseases. It is why we need regulations.
I have to tell you, I do not like politicians who put on a performance for television, sneering at a stack of books of regulations, just to win votes. It demeans the lives and suffering of those who have died or been permanently disabled because their employers care more for the bottom line than for them.
The Governor says a review has already been done and over 2,000 regulations have been eliminated. If elected, I would be willing to initiate a further review to do away with unnecessary ones. However I will not sacrifice the health and safety of Ohioans. I will not do so on the backs of those less fortunate. Nor will I remove any regulations that would further erode the environment, which sustains us.
Lastly, regulations are only as good as enforcement. If we are not enforcing laws and regulations, it becomes a stealthy means of doing away with them. We need to step up enforcement.
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