Damn it has been a fantastic week!!  And that is the truth of the matter.  Hope everyone had a great Turkey Day.  I had to work but that was OK.  Someone has got to do it?  Right?  Oh well sometimes you are off and sometimes you have to work.  And this Turkey Day it was my turn to work.

I started reading a new book by Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Avis Lang called “Accessory to War.”  So far it seems like a pretty good book on the alliance between science and the military.  It is one of those things you don’t really think about to start, but when someone points it out, it is almost like an “aha moment.”  My first experience with this idea came in college years ago.  The book actually brings back memories of Art History when we studied about Leonardo Da Vinci.  Artists at the time needed people to employ them, a “patron” so to speak, and one of the ways to do that was to design and build “war machines”, “castle fortifications”, etc.… all for protection or conquest.  Leonardo was employed in 1487 for this very reason by the Duke of Milan.  At the time Italy was made up of a collection of City States that were constantly at war with each other and if you had the ability to design and build these types of implements, then you were very employable.  I am guessing that you could go back since time immortal and find evidence of alliances like this.  Again, I am not that far into the book but it seems pretty good for now.  I will let you know if I change my mind.  You can find the book at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Accessory-War-Unspoken-Alliance-Astrophysics/dp/0393064441/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542701177&sr=8-1&keywords=accessory+to+war

The afternoons the last few days have been beautiful here on the Front Range of Colorado.  Very nice weather for running and some beautiful sunsets to boot.  The four pictures below were all taken on the same afternoon/evening but at different times.  Looking at them again I am amazed how the light changed over the course of about 30 to 45 minutes.

FIRST PICTURE – LOOKING WEST.

SECOND PICTURE – LOOKING WEST.

THIRD PICTURE – LOOKING WEST.

FOURTH PICTURE – MOON RISE – LOOKING EAST.

Well… You might be wondering why I posted the quotes from different scientists?  The reason is I really believe that if we as a nation want to make “America Great Again” – this is where the focus needs to be.  As problems of our planet and society become more and more convoluted.  We need better solutions for all of us living together.  I would say that this is so important in the next 20 years that we need to make all College Level Scientific degrees free for anybody who wants one.  And if you get into one area of study and want to change then you can do it without any repercussions.  I believe America will be behind most of the developed world within the next few years if we don’t make this switch.  My personnel opinion is that all education needs to be high caliber with minimal cost.  So that even someone in a single parent household can go to school.  All schools should be merit based, not dependent on how much money you have or can pay.  Truly, putting all politics aside, if you want to help this country continue to be a world leader then you need to offer free college for Science Majors (all science majors, master’s programs, PhD programs) – pull the money you need out of the military budget.  I mean it is going to benefit them in the long run anyway.   Or tax all churches and religious organizations, put the money into science education.  Prayers do not cure you of your antibiotic resistance staph infection, only the next generation of antibiotics will.  We need to continue to move away from the comforting “make believe” of religion and put more effort into hard science.  Our future, our children’s future, humanities future depends upon it.

Science is the key to our future.  Especially if you want to avoid the massive problems that occur when major calamities strike, natural and man-made.  We are in a very interconnected world that is becoming more connected every day.  Whether we like it or not, we are a “global community.”  Let me say that again, we are a global community.  And to manage something as big as an entire global community takes a whole new understanding and level of science. As a nation we can continue to be a part of this or we can allow the world to pass us on and be eventually “told” by the rest of the world what to do and how to do it.  I believe it is in our best interest to be part of the later…..

Well that is going to be about it for me this week.  Cross country skiing is getting really good at the moment, much better than last year.  I was at Snow Mountain Ranch in Grand Country earlier in the week and the snow was great.  This time last year I could have been mountain biking on the same trails.  It is snowing in the mountains this weekend, so the skiing next week should be fantastic!!    I hope to see you out there on the trails or at the ski slope.  Take care my friends and may you have a great weekend!!