Why Do I do This? Stella Felix

To be clear: I have never met Stella Felix, I cannot guarantee she even exists, but I rely upon these sources to be accurate in their storytelling and therefore, I am able to believe at the very least, the essence of her story is true.
She lives in a remote village in Nigeria. She believes space technology will empower her nation to great things. She studies physics by candlelight.

It takes me a fair amount of time to keep blogging. I don't get paid for this. I don't get paid for the stuff I do for SpaceBlogAlpha either.
I have two young daughters now. They take a fair amount of my time as well. I don't get paid for the work that goes into caring for them, but the love is payment enough.
Just to be clear.

I do get paid for my full time job at a newspaper I dare not mention, (though would not take long figure out) and that seems to intrude at the least convenient moments, pushing my schedule further and further back...
There's the wife. She needs attention every now and then. And there's sleep. I need eight hours now, if at all possible. It helps keep my mind clear. Even if I am not sleeping the entire time. Just to be calm and resting.

But it draws me back. This mission. This blog. It draws me back because I have something to say to America: Wake up. Wake up and smell the 21st century. It's a scary place.
But space holds our salvation. It holds endless possibility. It holds a future just like Star Wars, Star Trek and whatever other science fiction inspired future you have ever heard of or dreamed up in your wildest imaginings.
It is also our right now.

China, Russia, the EU, even Nigeria, are investing heavily in space technology. It's like the whole world is in on the secret except.
Oh sure, we have the shuttle. I know, I know. And the new Orion spacecraft on the drawing boards.
And we have SpaceShipOne and Virgin Galactic and Space Adventures, and dozens of other private space launch companies eager to build rockets faster, better and cheaper than ever before.

But they have Stella Felix. And that's a tough act to follow.

All I can do is my best. To keep up the word. To get it out there. Little bit by little bit. Every chance I get...

Guangzhou Needs More LPG Buses--And So Does The Rest of China

I just returned from a two week stay in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. This is my second trip to the region in two years, but the change has been dramatic.

As anyone who travels to China regularly will tell you, the country is undergoing a firestorm of construction. Bicycles still used enmasse, are slowly being replaced by more convenient (i.e., more seating capacity) cars. Vacant lots are turning to forests of townhouses; entire city blocks converted to highrise condos in months. And still there is not room enough for everyone making the move from rural areas to city life; from agricultural living to the high-paying jobs of the cities.
It is believed China must build a city the size of Philadelphia each month just to accommodate its shifting population. I don't doubt that number. It might even be larger than Philly.



Another factor of shifting populations, beside the enormous amounts of raw materials required for all this building, is the environmental impact. Considering 70 percent of China still uses coal to meet its energy needs, and its become the largest oil importer in the world, that impact can be seen in every urban center in the country. Smog.

In Guangzhou, a city in the southern province of Guangdong along the Pearl River, a filthy yellow cloud hovers over the lush tropical locale 365 days a year. The air clings to your lungs, inducing sniffles and coughing and a constant dry throat that no remedy can remove. Even a relentless onslaught of piping hot tea cannot alleviate the symptoms.

Two years ago I breathed the air, heady from the exhaust fumes and felt the burning in my lungs. Now that the city has begun replacing its fleet of buses and taxis with clean burning liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) the air seemed less--well, it didn't actually seem any better, but it's a start. Other cities are following the example, converting their fleets to clean burning alternatives. On my next visit I expect the air will be decidedly different. Things there change fast.


In fact, all of China is embracing clean burning, energy efficient alternatives. Instead of choosing to continue using what is widely understood is a "dwindling natural resource" they are looking toward the future, making a grand attempt at reducing or eliminating their dependence on fossil fuels.

They still have a long way to go, but at least it's a start. And it's far more than is being accomplished in the United States, where automaker's continue to churn out fleets of SUVs with gas mileage little better than it was a century ago; Where Natural Gas is considered an alternative fuel source and its almost impossible to get anyone to use ethanol because--well, I don't know why people won't use ethanol, it comes from right here in the Heartland for cryin-out-loud. In fact, Brazil is poised to convert its entire economy to ethanol. Won't that be a kick-in-the-pants to farmers across the U.S.? They can't hardly give the stuff away at home, but at least they can export it to South America. No wait, Brazil is using their own crops to meet their energy needs. What a novel idea.

China, Brazil--Americans don't need to look far to find the answers to their energy needs. But they do need to open their eyes....

Bush Administration Ultimately Responsible for Sago Mine Tragedy

I said, the Bush Administration is ultimately responsible for the Sago mining accident. Just so we're clear.

It seems a bit ridiculous to believe the President could somehow be responsible for what happened to the workers at the Sago Mine. But I feel it's true. And if you consider my point, I think you'll agree.

Probes are currently be conducted to determined exactly what happened. An explosion in a closed section of the mine, possibly a lightning strike, everything is being considered.
Some have pointed to the sloppy safety record at the mine stretching back years, but the place has changed ownership so many times it will be hard to pin fault on any one organization.

No, blame rests on those who continue to pursue an economic policy based on a fossil fuel infrastructure.

In this country we still burn things to get our energy. Despite the ability to make energy from sunshine, wind and hydroelectric, digging giant holes to extract dirty rocks and sludge to burn is the best method we can think of.
We put meager resources toward the expansion of renewable sources of energy and instead pursue international cooperation on technologies that advance the further reinforcement of the status quo.
Today's SUV gets about the same mileage as Henry Ford's original Model-T. Electric cars are shunned, solar panels and wind turbines are mocked for being aesthetically displeasing by groups claiming to serve the public good.

Then 12 guys die in a coal mine, hundreds of feet beneath the earth. Where only worms and grubs survive these guys give their lives to dig up rocks so the rest of us can burn them for energy.
In the ground. In a coal mine. That's where these guys go to make a living.

Am I the only person appalled by this notion? The fact we continue to use centuries old technology, the burning of coal, to generate electricity in the 21st Century is absolutely shameful.

They say in West Virginia, where jobs are scarce, mining jobs are the best there is for a family man.
I say anyone who thinks that's acceptable for the United States of America is not a patriot. And anyone who thinks it makes good economic sense to keep doing what we've always been doing is a turkey...