2009 - The Year of Change

This New Year looks to be the Year of Change.

What exactly does that mean?

If we are to survive and grow as a species, it means the change has to be monumental.

In short - no more status quo - and you can bet those who believe themselves to hold some kind of power over others will NOT be wanting THAT to happen.  Politics has always managed to muck up what always starts out as a good thing - making the waters murky and prone to navigational disasters and managing to de-rail careers and/or good ideas at every turn - especially when those in power decide their way IS THE ONLY WAY.  Small minded leaders always use intimidation and threats to strike fear into their flocks - sheeple must in this New Year decide whether kissing butt is worth the loss of their soul or not - for it is the very survival of our planet that is at stake here.

Listen to your heart and soul and STAND UP for what you believe in - WALK your TALK and do not give in to fear.  Find a way to do what you want to do without having to kowtow to some power-hungry leader who has no importance except in his or her own eyes.  If you find that you cannot express your true feelings within an organizational structure without being slapped on the wrist or worse  - it is time for you to decide whether belonging to such a group is worth the cost of the loss of your freedom of speech.

The health of our planet is absolutely worth more than anything else at this point.  And politics is what is killing this planet.

May 2009 be your Year of Change - and may you have the Courage and the Endurance to stay your course.

The Essence of Time

I no longer wear a watch.  The idea of not always knowing what "time" it is is a little disconcerting at first - but then, after a while - it becomes quite liberating. And it's funny to recall how many times I looked at my blank wrist wondering what "time" it was - and then realizing - hey - no watch!  I've been  sans watch for about a year now - and I can tell you that I now eat when I am hungry and sleep when I am tired - and I realize this may not be practical for those whose lives are based upon tight schedules. And that's what got me to thinking about TIME and how we relate to the concept or the essence of time.

We are slaves to our clocks. They tell us when to get up, when to eat, when to get to work - when to drive to the airport, post office, grocery store etc.  In short - we have little choice in our carefully constructed world but to follow our watches.  For the vast majority of us - time can sometimes be our friend and sometimes our enemy, depending upon how we use it or abuse it.  And if our watches are a few seconds off - well - not a big deal. However - for the scientific community - it's vital that clocks be accurately synchronized. Broadcasters also rely on time synchronization. And just HOW is all that accomplished? 

Well, let's just say that there are people and organizations (The International Earth Rotation and Reference System Service -IERS) whose job it is to make sure that all the atomic clocks in the world are all synchronized - down to the second. And understand that a second - which comes and goes so quickly - IS the base unit for modern time keeping. In a nutshell - atomic clocks the world over keep a steady pace - BUT the Earth manages to slow a little as it rotates over time - so therefore - corrections in the world's clocks are necessary and vital - else over a matter of time - give or take a few thousand years - 12 Noon would fall at 12 midnight. (It's more like every 500 days one second is lost.)

And so we come to the crux of this post - this December - just before the New Year - a leap second will need to be added to all the atomic clocks to keep our clocks synchronized with the rotation of the Earth. The time is inserted at the same time all over the world - but because time zones are different - each regional time zone will add the second at a specific time.  

For those of you who have felt that you just don't have any time left - you actually are getting an extra second to play around with. Enjoy it. 

If you felt this was a waste of your time - let me know. Maybe I can make it up to you in a few thousand years.

2008 In Review

Another year coming to an end  - but this one feels different. Perhaps it's the new face in the White House - for despite the gloominess of the news about the economy - I am still feeling hopeful. Perhaps it's something more than that - the knowledge that cycles spin and then move on. Perhaps we are at the low end of one cycle and there is no place to go but "up".  For whatever reason - 2009 feels more like a friend than something to be dreaded.  I am actually looking forward to 2009. "Bring It On" I silently shout to no one in particular. Maybe I just like to hear myself talk.