For some time now I have been sitting back and watching the management of money in the world. And I think a majority of people actually do not know what money actually is and why it came to be used in the first place. So I am going to endeavor to paint a picture of what money was initially used to do and why it becomes a integral part of life, as well as why restricting it’s flow can be exceptionally bad.

The infancy of Money

Money or rather currency has been in use as a means of evaluating work and skills for thousands of years. But really how does it compare to what essentially is to happen?

Here is a scenario to equate how money began to be used and why it was important to life:

We are taken back to a small community of people found on a secluded island. These people are rather industrials and they work to build things within their community, and they see the value of helping each other to better enhance the quality of life. So you have one family that builds things, they love to build structures and are the primary menders and builders in the community. Another fixes things, and mends metals, and yet another works with stone and clay. And on and on the skills expand as each does tasks for another and in turn those tasks are shared. You have farmers, and potters and fisherman and carpenters. And they all exchange skills for another’s services. But as the community grows it is found that there are needs for others and these people are not in the community but in neighboring lands. The only recourse is to communicate with those lands and see if those particular people would come and help out, but then how do the members of the community re-pay these travelers? There needs to be a universal means of exchange that is valued in terms of the skills communicated. And thus money was born and widely used as a means of equating skills done and skills shared. As the community grows skills are traded to money and money is traded for goods and services (skills) and this worked for the most part well.

The Maturity of Money

The global economy is built around the transfer of funds for services (Skills) and thus we use these funds to communicate our thankfulness for offering those skills. However, with the advent of recessions and housing bubbles it has become apparent that people are not totally in understatement of what money actually is. And why over leveraging money is more of a gamble then of a sure thing. Also the lack of payment and exchange of money has pushed the globe into a state of insecurity and placed millions of lives into flux and despair because others have refused to share with them their skills.

It is said that money is the root of all evil, but technically that would mean that me working and being willing to share my skills with another is the root of all evil. Money should be seen as my skills, if money was not in place for this transfer of skills then I would be working in your yard for you doing something you can not or will not do. Same value. But if you for example decide, “Hum I am not going to buy that item because I am scared for the future” now the person who is sharing his skills to make that item is being punished. I know punished sounds like a strong word but technically it is like looking into your neighbors eyes and saying, yes your valued but no I do not want you to work with me anymore. This places your neighbor in a bind and his family and pretty much 100 people surrounding him, it also put into a bind people he is associated with and anything he buys, or is already paying for. The snow ball affect of not gracing your neighbor with sharing his skills is nearly endless and often comes around to affect you as money is connected to money.

I know people that have money, that have contributed skills and shared expertise all their lives but deliberately seek to get things free. When I first meet them I thought maybe they where in dire need but this isn’t the case and they have gone out of their way to locate free things and to break the laws in areas to assure they could do things cheaply. Being thrifty is one thing but denying your fellow man the right to live is quite another and I believe that this couple is setting out to deny their fellow man with funds because they seek to be greedy. Now biblically speaking, your to love your neighbor as your self and as I see this if I love my neighbor I should want to do things for them that would grace them. Thus if I buy something from my neighbor or a merchant in a lot of respects the God given skills and talents I posses are being shared with someone else to bless them, the assure their families can also be blessed. So ultimately limiting or turning off the flow of money is placing focus on the money rather than the skills graced you by God to be able to share them with others.

Gracing others

If tomorrow money became worthless and we where back to gracing others in exchange for goods and services I do not think we would have many people understanding how to act. With the advent of money I think many people have decided to separate themselves from society and to equate their fellow man as more of a Dollar sign then a person. This can be really seen with any kind of funds allotted for outreach and to help a person get back on their feet. Money has to be wrestled out of the hands of people through government demands and shared at a premium to those struggling. But really if people understood the mechanics of money they would see that everyone is entitled to a honest days work and a honest days pay. And that so many are working to provide a life for their families and themselves. Payment is often defined in terms of what a market place can bare, so within that community if you had two black smiths and they where competing for business the market would bare lower pricing as there is an abundance of skills. However, I find that people and companies do not always evaluate the cost of a person’s life or the market value when determining what skills are worth. If a person becomes a master in his skill, then he can be exceptionally focused and efficient in what he does. Time is saved and more work is done with less effort. This should warrant better pay as the skills are at such a high level that a company saves by leaps and bounds with this person, however I see companies run by penny pinchers who strive to limit a person’s life but still demand the same output of skill. This would be the same as asking that person to work for free or forced charity.

A person who openly seeks charity while knowingly hoarding finances will find themselves facing their maker to explain for why they did nothing to grace their neighbor with the ample resources assigned to their stewardship. We are stewards of those things we are given and it is up to us to manage those things to best bless others so they can equally manage things. But i so find that when we are given things we do not see them as gifts daily but as things to abuse and destroy only to expect more to be given. Like the spoilt child who always has their hands out of more and more candy, ultimately has their teeth fall out and dies.

So the moral of all this is to see yourself as a steward of the things your given, your skills and the money that those skills convert into, because your given these things to bless others.

It has been said that Humanity has put their spin on something so pure as Christ coming and saying that there was no other way to his Father but through him. This message was not well received because it threatened power centers that where already established to control and manipulate people. Sadly, Christ was nailed to a cross as the ultimate humiliation for challenging the predominate power movement. And yet by doing this it proved that Christ would prevail.

There is currently a MASSIVE change happening within formalized religion, humanity has strived to adopt the rules, regulations and rites of old testament law and justified taking vengeance on all who oppose them. This mindset is being abolished in lue of following what Jesus said, long standing religionist are diligently fighting for the rules.

So to truly see a Christ-follower look for a person focused soully on love and acceptance of everyone. Those imposing rules and segregation do not walk in Christ. Seek out the book, “The End of Religion, by Bruxy Cavey” Bruxy outlines the mechanics that is Christ and why it is important to abandon Religion in lue of Christ’s direction. How to see religion and how to walk in a light that demonstrates the light Christ exampled.

If any stumble across this blog I hope that these words find a home and that you look at those that have put you off from religion to see past their controlling nature to Jesus. For Jesus never came to start a religion but to abolish one. Stand for Jesus.

I keep getting pressures from various religions on how I should come through their doors, but I can’t help but recall the passage that taking up my cross from Christ would mean I would see torment, reticule and punishment.

I would encourage anyone struggling with religious types kicking you to the curb because you don’t fit into the mold they have set for followers to seek out this book, “The End of Religion.” If anyone should act towards you counter to love and understanding with truth they are not following the teachings of Jesus but their own wicked directions. Seek a body of believers that help, nurture and teach you about Jesus and walk within his teachings. Jesus hated religious types and openly made examples of he rules and rites they professed would bring you closer to God. Sorry, the only way it through Jesus. And frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

A women i got into a conversation with once told me that Christians (not Christ Followers) kick you and degrade you first before they will help you, and then only will help those who are already Christians. Initially, i was put off by this but I have come to see her point and to really see why she said this. After all this is what happen to me and why I abandon any kind of faith for nearly 30 years.

Here is a thought to take away from this, Jesus did not come to start a religion. He came to abolish all religions and to say that there was no need for any spokesman to intervene on your behalf that he was the only way and that without him no one would connect with his father that sent him. But so many make you believe that your passage is through them rather than directly through Jesus. If your struggling take it Jesus, no church or religion is needed.

I felt that this was the best place to put this somewhat startling suggestion that came into my life today. Generally, i do not put rants on this page but this one happened to really show true colors from people I thought where better than this.

Over the past couple of years i have been looking for work, with the advent of a market down swing many IT people lost their jobs and I was no exception. As a result it was agreed that once my house was gone that myself and two other roommates would share the responsibilities for a house that we rented in the southern Alberta area. It was also agreed that because I was not making a lot of money and until I found work that my rent would be less and subsequently I would be responsible for all the less then desirable chorus in the house. Some of them where; mowing the lawn, tilling the garden, repairing vehicles, keeping the walk clean, dishes, and collecting the recyclables and taking them to the depots.

Now in November I ended up finding work and have since assume more of my monetary role within the household, but strangely enough I am still saddled with the same duties and even less help for them. Now the problem I think that has resulted of this, is now I don’t trust either of them. It is apparent that their word means nothing unless it is written down. And no amount of past grace ever factors into anything moving forward.

And then another massive bombshell was that when I buy a vehicle they are going to sell one of their so they can use mine. Um, right. How exactly is that fair? When I use one of their vehicles I make sure I spot them for mileage or fuel and I make sure the maintenance is done and I pay for one of the vehicle’s insurance. So how does this become fair?

I really think that with each new constraint and monitory consideration a deeper and deeper wedge is being pushed between us. I know that I have known these two people since I was 8 years old, but I think as people get older they get more and more like their parents. And frankly, some of the habits of these two people’s parents I could do without.

So I think ultimately I will have to part ways with them, I know they are very bent on getting a house in the coming year. But I think for me I would be best to get my company rocking and making some serious money and then buy a house where I want to live with what I want in it. Run the company the way I want it to be run and grasp the dreams I want in life. And not embrace those who drag me down, instigate negativity into my life or otherwise want to capitalize on my good fortune for free.

Don’t get me wrong i do understand charity, and I believe that everyone needs a leg up at some point to help them see the top of the gutter and get back into their own. But I do not think that it is right to life on someone else’s grace indefinitely because you believe it is your right to do so. And I do not think the bible commands you to seek out cheapness and to strive to cheap out on things. I think it more so focuses on you paying your way, either to work or money.
The idea behind living on someone else’s dime

I always think it is strange that there are people who despise welfare and at the same time strive like it is a sickness to get the best deal, to get something free or to take advantage of someone else’s kindness or fortune. Isn’t it exactly the same as being on welfare? Humanity can become addicted to many things, and I believe the desire to constantly get a deal, to pay less and to seek out free things is very much an addiction that has yet to be defined. This kind of attitude sickens me because everyone in the world has to make a living and for some people to strive to cheat you out of that living means that your stealing from the lives of others. I believe that there is a balance in the world and that this balance is maintained when money moves, but when it doesn’t then that is when children go without shoes and families without food.

But one thing I will be looking for within counsel and all the various campaigns out there, is a emphasis on business in the community. over the past couple of weeks i have witnessed first hand how difficult Okotoks has made their systems to deal with in terms of being a local business. And you know I get the distinct feeling that counsel and the town is bent on not having business set up in town. Oh, wait. they are friendly to restaurants, liqueur stores and shopping malls. But in terms of true industry they are not all that keen on accommodating them. is it any wonder that High River was voted one of the best places to do business in Alberta. I was told High River was not always this way but seems they are trying to get on the Airdrie bandwagon and enticing business to the community.

now the real key to this, and what I guess most people just do not understand is that business and manufacturing brings in jobs and taxes. Business tax can be some of the highest paid taxes in the country and thus play a major part in funding the town ventures. But if a town doesn’t entertain business then they lose in many ways:

• Infrastructure suffers as there is more out bound and inbound traffic to work outside the community.
• People often spend money earned in other centers because after all they are working there and it is more convenient to do this then shop at home.
• Often the youth do not stay, because there is no incentive to stay. lack of skilled jobs and ability to advance is owned in other communities.
• There is often out migration and those that want to start business take that venture elsewhere, which means lost dollars.

All these things add up to a hike in taxes and changes in property values. Investment doesn’t want to look at areas that do not show signs of growth and maturity. You need jobs and the promise of higher paying jobs to encourage investment.

So anyone out there looking to start up a company do your due diligence first and make sure where you want to situate will let you grow into the future. Because currently in Okotoks they aren’t happy with letting anyone grow, and they certainly are not business friendly.

Oh, but wait this was the topic of the book The Skeptical Environmentalist which points out that recycling is the only industry in the world where is it ok to pull a loss because after all we are saving the planet. But if you really look at legislation in cities and town centered around recycling isn’t this more like a tax then a levy? Because after all you are working for free to sort and clean all the products you have already paid for and then you pay into fuel and transportation to willing do something that an industry would do if there was one. And still once the plastics are reground and pellitized they can’t be sold as virgin polymer because they can’t make virgin products again because of public out cry. There are a few products that can be made that take higher concentrations of recycled polymers but for the most part anything that is colored is where they end up.

Now something i do not agree with which I over heard at my last attendance to the recycling center was a lady being told that if they by any chance mixed up the plastics in the bin that it would screw up the recycling process. Well, I ran plastics for 21 years. Setup extrusion lines, ran shifts and pretty much was involved in plastics ground up and any time we ever got cross contamination it did not thing more then plugged the screens. Which I might add happens with all the dirt that is sucked up because of the static plastics give off. Often with profile lines there are continuous screening systems that pull anything foreign out of the flow of plastic anyway. Cross contamination just isn’t a big deal.

Personally, i think that the public should look into how plastics are handled and how cost effective recycled plastics are. I doubt the trading system has changed much in the last 10 years, it use to be you took a really big gamble when you bought recycled polymer. You never knew if the product in the boxes had been recycled more then 4 times and would make nothing but garbage, or someone had a couple of pails of stones in the bottom of the box. Often you never got to sample the boxes prior to buying it and in my experience you might have 1500 pounds of good product and then 1500 pounds of scrap. Regrind that would not run got put into products that where expendable, pool noodles are one of those expendable products which often end up in the land fill anyway.

I would encourage everyone to check out Bjorn Lomborg

But even as the oil film grows in the gulf there is one other oil spill that most probably never denote as being a spill at all. And yet every day thousands of people set out to clean it up and assure that reclamation of the oil is in the highest regard. I am talking about the Fort McMurray oil sands projects. Oil has bubbled up in the sands and requires cleaning, and essentially that is the process adopted to separate the sand from the oil. Trucks are laded with dirty sand, and taken to a giant washing machine where the oil is washed out and the sand is returned to the pit. Certainly a much safer and more friendly alternative to processing oil.

But more so I think with the spill in the Gulf that legislation will come into play after the damage has been tallied to force drilling of this kind to stop. I think pressures will be such that more incentives will be placed on alternative fuels, and the primary oil suppler to the US will be just over the boarder to the north. Maybe this is a risky statement but in terms of safe viable solutions to energy, the oil sands demonstrates that it can compete and that the process is much safer than drilling holes into high pressure deposits. I think that much like the re-assessment of safety concerns on the part of Nasa after Challenger and Columbia so will such deliberations take affect within the US oil industry. And less dangerous means will come to light as being favorable. Now granted fort Mc is not without it’s challenges, there are still implications to address with respect to the tailings ponds and reclamation of water for the process. But I believe once oil sands becomes the only option on the table these concerns will be worked out quickly.

May become a the world's sacrificial cow

Insatiable Appetite

I find it somewhat strange that the various oil companies out there never thought this might happen. But this crime is bigger, companies like BP are just figure heads of the real criminals. Every person that drives, and consumes the products that this sticky fluid is made into. We as a society have become so connected to oil that the world will become a sacrificial cow in order to locate it all.

There are so many greener initiative to work on and funnel money into that would greatly eliminate the need for oil. But like this article suggests, this well could go uncapped until August, at which time the relief well will be in place. This in my opinion should be a wake up call to the planet that their actions have to stop

I often wonder, where are all the green jobs that are to be present now. But then judging by the oil influence green jobs can’t get a foot hold, and I guess this is a matter of public discussion. The public is so disconnected from tragedies like this oil leak that they continue to drive day in and day out. But I think it is more then that, those people are hinged to jobs that leave them saddled to servitude, so even if they wanted to stop and enjoy life they couldn’t.

Many people blame big oil for control and domination of the market place, but take little time to really understand the market themselves. Crying like whinny children expecting their next meal they complain, but every couple of days venturing down to the pumps to drain yet another couple of liters into their vehicles. You know it isn’t big oil that sets the price it is customer demand in relation to environmental sanctions and supply. Very much of the oil industry is set around the thoughts and feelings of the public, when there is unrest and turmoil in a country that contributes oil then feathers get ruffled and the cost of oil goes up. So just like we all are directly responsible for the food we eat, the exercises we adhere to and the entertainment we participate in we are connected at the hip to the cost of fuel.

Some day soon

Through out my career I have worked for a number of companies that manufactured component parts used within housing construction. I have worked within a variety of roles for these organizations and in dealing with the contractors that used these components I have managed to formulate a need that should be looked at in terms of automating. When a house is scheduled for construction the contractor lines up various sub trades to complete these parts and hopefully complete the house on time and under budget. But as money becomes a factor certain roles are harder and harder to locate sub contractors for. Some of the roles i know of personally are:

• Insulating after the initially rough in
• Painting
• applying flooring/screwing down flooring
• Landscaping
• Concrete work

So within the world of automation and manufacturing you always try to automate tasks that are hard to employee people to do, that are repetitive, or that are hazardous. And thus i think that automation and robotics should be tasked into these areas to eliminate them as it is increasingly hard to find employees to do them for a reasonable wage.

So my idea would be to build a robotic system that would insulate using spray in insulation, to be escorted into a house, be feed foam in installation and have it map each room, foam the wall cavities full and move to the next room. This would allow a handler to just have basic knowledge and to move the unit from site to site. All the intelligence would be built into the robotic system. This is should be entirly possible considering industrial manufacturing robotic systems have been doing this for years. This system could be just a smaller robotic arm system with a mapping system.

In terms of landscaping I believe that the scrapper or caterpillar could tirelessly move materials all day and night, having mapping systems and GPS location the system could be completely integrated into a entirely new power unit. Not having an operators cab the scrappers/caterpillars could be built to take advantage of torque and blade placement to pull the most from the vehicle. essentially the robotic system would be like a larger Roomba that would have a map encoded in it’s software that it would have to culture to a specific level. This posses some incredible benefits as it could work without restrictions of sight and fatigue, things that greatly inflate the costs of roads, landscaping, and construction these days.

I had read recently, that in Fort MacMurry they where working on robotizing mining trucks to be able to tirelessly haul oil sand from the pit to the watering centrifuge and clean sand back to the pit. Apparently, the hauling of these materials and the long hours of mundane, repetitive tasks result in a great many accidents along the pit roads and highways. i had read that they have had to encourage the drivers to drive on the left hand side of the road just encase the trucks collide so that the operators would not be kills with the shear mass of the operators cabs hitting.