For nearly two years now, the economic recession has been foremost on the minds of most Americans. There isn't a soul who hasn't been affected by it, and CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News alike continue to devote most of their days to discussing it. Nearly fifteen million Americans are unemployed, making the jobless rate 9.7 percent - well above the predicted 9.4 percent, thus all conversations seem to be related it, and no longer is it polite to ask a friend, "How's work?" But the recession has affected more than just the newly jobless - its influence has been felt by all classes and castes, from the neighborhood millionaire to the can-shaking vagabond. So, why don't we ever hear about the plight of these other walks of life? This desperate-for-a-story freelance writer was determined to find out.
While stories of job losses and credit crunches have dominated the media, little to no attention has been paid to those Americans who have had no job to lose, and who had never been given any credit. I'm talking about squatters and thieves, those members of our society whose presence we often wish to ignore. What happens to these individuals when the economy buckles and falls? To find out, I visited with a gentleman known only as "Slum Dawg Ka-jillionaire," who had just been brought to a local prison for a criminal credit card offense. Mr. Ka-jillionire had agreed to sit with me and discuss how the economic recession has been felt in the underground, and what his people are doing to hang on.
"At first it was really good," Mr. Ka-jillionaire told me. "They was enough for everyone underground, because the people over ground couldn't afford none of it!" Mr. Kajillionaire explained that as the housing bubble began to show signs of a bust, more homeowners were forced to leave vacant homes as their houses remained unsold and on the market month after month. Squatters learned to take advantage of this, and left broken-down urban buildings for abandoned suburban homes. "It was getting more and more fancy-like for the squatters," Ka-jillionaire explained. Houses of greater and greater value were put up for sale or were being foreclosed on. Squatters began to take refuge in so-called "McMansions" and elite neighborhoods, causing a tremendous shift in their underground culture.
"They got greedy, though," says Ka-jillionaire. "The squatters, they don't just stay in one place. Always got to get better than the other guy, you know." It seems that the culture of the squatters turned into a culture of posessions, as materialistic showiness began to dominate their determination to find bigger and better places to squat. As the mortgage crisis crossed over to affect commericial real estate, the squatters found themselves in giant office buildings with endless panes of glass and flights upon flights of stairs. "Really sad," Ka-jillionaire reflects. "They gone mad with stress." Encumbered by the stress of office life, the squatters find themselves lost amongst the endless rows of empty cubicles, and the buildup of stress gives way to irregular heart beat and hallucinations. "Worse part of it is," says Ka-jillionaire, "all they's looking for is the bathroom."
I asked Mr. Ka-jillionaire to explain to me how he'd come to be locked up this time, and he laughed and shook his head. "Your readers won't never believe it," he joked, "but I was just doing my job." Mr. Ka-jillionaire is a self-proclaimed thief and "other people's treasure hunter", and has a reputation for being un-catchable. "In all my life," he says, "I stole cars, I stole TVs, I stole computers, but I never got caught." But this time was different. In an attempt to break into a home in an upscale neighborhood, Ka-jillionaire was met by the sheriff and his men, who were visiting the house to enforce a foreclosure. Ka-jillionaire escaped with only the (former) homeowner's purse and Blackberry. Ka-jillionaire then attempted to hi-jack a car, but after evicting the driver from the vehicle he found that he was nearly out of gas, so he was forced to push the car to the nearest gas station. Unable to afford the high gas prices himself, Ka-jillionaire dug into the purse he'd stolen in search of some cash. He found none. Instead, he pulled out a stack of credit cards and began to swipe. Ka-jillionaire swiped card after card, and was met with "Declined" notices and "Insufficient Funds" warnings. Fearing that the police might once again catch up with him, Ka-jillionaire took off on foot for his home, stopping only at a local drug store to drop a quarter in the "Free Bernie Madoff" can, a show of support for a close personal friend and colleague. Ka-jillionaire evaded police for three days, but found that his association to his newly-acquired Blackberry slammed him with enormous bills for off-peak minutes, and a monthly charge of a hundred fifty dollars for service. That connection was further troubled when he began to be hounded by creditors and collections agencies, asking if he would like to "negotiate a payoff," at the same time other creditors were calling, offering him a "great deal and low APR." The phone rang continuously for three days. Lack of sleep wore on Mr. Ka-jillionaire, and at the end of the third day he turned himself in to authorities. "Now I'm straight," says Ka-jillionaire. "They never going to foreclose on a prison!"'
I asked Slum Dawg Ka-jillionaire what he plans to do when he leaves prison, and he said, "I don't know. Competition's getting tight." The glory days of thieves and squatters are behind us now; they're being replaced by bored and unemployed cyber-criminals and identity-thieves, who have a habit of taking up lodging in the basements of the elderly, usually the criminal's parents. With resources like this at the disposal of the competition, traditional thieves like Ka-jillionaire are finding it hard to make a dishonest living. Even drug dealing has grown increasingly difficult, Ka-jillionaire explains. "Ever since Michael Jackson died, everybody's asking for Demerol. Now where am I supposed to get my hands on a IV?" But Ka-jillionaire is not discouraged. "I sure do hope that job market turns around by the time I get out," he says. "I guess I've got to get me a job." I asked what sort of job Ka-jillionaire might pursue at the end of his prison time, and again he laughed. "The only thing I'm qualified to do, of course," he said. "I'm going to be a CEO."
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The Case of Zombies and Cave-People
My husband and I enjoy watching movies that shock the system; movies that take the human body and turn it into a thing to be twisted and broken and slashed and demonized. We come from generations that have been desensitized to the media's grotesque dismemberment of the human body. In life, I can only remember having seen one real human corpse - that of my Nana during her open-casket wake, when I was a young teenager (and Nana's corpse looked more fake than anything I'd seen on a screen). Yet I'm insatiably drawn to the Hostels and the Saw series, not to mention the Resident Evils and Dawn of the Dead films.
Last night, John and I took advantage of a free Blockbuster rental and treated ourselves to a film called The Descent. The film followed a group of young women who, in search of adventure, found themselves trapped in a cave occupied by strange bat-people. I never really counted how many girls there were. I knew better than to develop any kind of relationship with them and instead turned to anticipating how these beauties would be mutilated and destroyed. Do you shudder at me for saying so? The success of movies like this leads me to believe that you would have felt the same, as indeed millions of us do every year.
As I watched the bat-people devour the movie's cast model by model, I found myself reflecting upon the relative strangeness of the situation. Could there be a race of humanoid carnivorous creatures living in an undiscovered cavern somewhere, who have adapted to the conditions of the cavern after having been trapped down there hundreds of years ago? Sure. I'm from New Jersey, and I believe in the Jersey Devil, so why shouldn't I consider anything possible? What seemed bizarre, however, was the ravenous appetites of the bat-people. They wouldn't stop feeding. And they were wasteful! They devoured one girl's intestines and left the rest of her pristine meat on top of a pile of bones, blood, and other unfinished meals. It was behavior so bizarre that it transcended animalistic... it was distinctly human.
Watch a show on Animal Planet or the Discovery Channel, and you see terrifying creatures with enormous fangs and unmanicured claws taking down frightened creatures who cry out for lack of defense and acknowledgment that their lives are at an end. You see great herds of beasts running for their lives, evading the predator and fighting to protect their young. But once that creature goes down, once the predator has made the kill, the herd ceases to run. It accepts the loss of the one who has become food, and continues to live side-by-side with creatures who view the herd as the original fast-food chain.
Yet our most sensational films do not follow the sensibility of the animal kingdom. Human-ish creatures like those of The Descent, Jeepers Creepers and The Hills Have Eyes, not to mention any and all zombies ever scripted, are not as logical as the big cats of Africa or the Grizzlies of North America. If you encounter a hungry lioness and your friend goes down, your chances of walking away casually with few scrapes and bruises are pretty good. In order to out run a grizzly, you must only be faster than your slowest friend (as long as that friend is not Timothy Tredwell). But zombies and cave-people will kill until we're all dead. It is the human stain, not the animal instinct or the disease of the undead, that subverts the sustainability of harvesting human meat.
And that's why these movies are so terrifying, and that is why zombies are scarier than tigers. Every day we see humans cutting into flesh, picking it apart, devouring only as much as we can to keep ourselves energized, but throwing away anything we fear might "make us fat." Or, on the flip side, we will throw wasteline to the wind and eat ribeye after ribeye, without considering how many lives were lost in order to harvest that one section of meat. Gone are the days when our prey could live comfortably beside us and accept that every so often we would have to pick off a pheasant to feed our family. It is no wonder, therefore, that we empathize with our food, recognizing the raw meat's similarities to the flesh and blood we've seen when we've accidentally cut open our own bodies. If another species were to treat us the way we treat our food, the nightmare would surely begin.
As species after species disappears from our planet, it is no wonder that somewhere in us is a fear of our own disappearance. Mankind is so burdened with eco-guilt - the belief that our original sin and neglect of Paradise has made us incapable of stewarding the earth as we promised God we would - that our fears of retaliation are manifested in zombies and cave-people. Why wouldn't somebody do to us what we've done to others? Yet we are so urbanized and sub-urbanized, that to move away from plastic-wrapped grocery store meat and toward eating something "with a face" would take a massive shift in a community psyche.
But it is possible. Curse me for saying so, but the dreaded economic recession has given us a nudge in the direction of sustainability, of returning to our roots. More and more families are raising "backyard chickens," who provide eggs and meat to sustain one family. No casualties, no waste. Hobby farms are becoming more popular, as people are acquiring their own dairy cows for milk and beef. Certainly, we must get over the hump of being the executioner of Bambi's mother, but even hunting is providing low-income families with free food for weeks on end. The fact that we are interacting with our meals before that meal's death means that we are less wasteful, more grateful, and more reverent for the sacrifice. As we move away from factory farming and grocery store shopping, we begin to see ourselves reflected in the beauty of wolves and bears and big cats (oh my!), and we will see less of ourselves in the horrifying images of zombies and cave-people. There will always be a need for zombies and cave-people, of course. If only to remember what we could have become; if only so that I can hold my husband close while I squeal in horror and fascination
Last night, John and I took advantage of a free Blockbuster rental and treated ourselves to a film called The Descent. The film followed a group of young women who, in search of adventure, found themselves trapped in a cave occupied by strange bat-people. I never really counted how many girls there were. I knew better than to develop any kind of relationship with them and instead turned to anticipating how these beauties would be mutilated and destroyed. Do you shudder at me for saying so? The success of movies like this leads me to believe that you would have felt the same, as indeed millions of us do every year.
As I watched the bat-people devour the movie's cast model by model, I found myself reflecting upon the relative strangeness of the situation. Could there be a race of humanoid carnivorous creatures living in an undiscovered cavern somewhere, who have adapted to the conditions of the cavern after having been trapped down there hundreds of years ago? Sure. I'm from New Jersey, and I believe in the Jersey Devil, so why shouldn't I consider anything possible? What seemed bizarre, however, was the ravenous appetites of the bat-people. They wouldn't stop feeding. And they were wasteful! They devoured one girl's intestines and left the rest of her pristine meat on top of a pile of bones, blood, and other unfinished meals. It was behavior so bizarre that it transcended animalistic... it was distinctly human.
Watch a show on Animal Planet or the Discovery Channel, and you see terrifying creatures with enormous fangs and unmanicured claws taking down frightened creatures who cry out for lack of defense and acknowledgment that their lives are at an end. You see great herds of beasts running for their lives, evading the predator and fighting to protect their young. But once that creature goes down, once the predator has made the kill, the herd ceases to run. It accepts the loss of the one who has become food, and continues to live side-by-side with creatures who view the herd as the original fast-food chain.
Yet our most sensational films do not follow the sensibility of the animal kingdom. Human-ish creatures like those of The Descent, Jeepers Creepers and The Hills Have Eyes, not to mention any and all zombies ever scripted, are not as logical as the big cats of Africa or the Grizzlies of North America. If you encounter a hungry lioness and your friend goes down, your chances of walking away casually with few scrapes and bruises are pretty good. In order to out run a grizzly, you must only be faster than your slowest friend (as long as that friend is not Timothy Tredwell). But zombies and cave-people will kill until we're all dead. It is the human stain, not the animal instinct or the disease of the undead, that subverts the sustainability of harvesting human meat.
And that's why these movies are so terrifying, and that is why zombies are scarier than tigers. Every day we see humans cutting into flesh, picking it apart, devouring only as much as we can to keep ourselves energized, but throwing away anything we fear might "make us fat." Or, on the flip side, we will throw wasteline to the wind and eat ribeye after ribeye, without considering how many lives were lost in order to harvest that one section of meat. Gone are the days when our prey could live comfortably beside us and accept that every so often we would have to pick off a pheasant to feed our family. It is no wonder, therefore, that we empathize with our food, recognizing the raw meat's similarities to the flesh and blood we've seen when we've accidentally cut open our own bodies. If another species were to treat us the way we treat our food, the nightmare would surely begin.
As species after species disappears from our planet, it is no wonder that somewhere in us is a fear of our own disappearance. Mankind is so burdened with eco-guilt - the belief that our original sin and neglect of Paradise has made us incapable of stewarding the earth as we promised God we would - that our fears of retaliation are manifested in zombies and cave-people. Why wouldn't somebody do to us what we've done to others? Yet we are so urbanized and sub-urbanized, that to move away from plastic-wrapped grocery store meat and toward eating something "with a face" would take a massive shift in a community psyche.
But it is possible. Curse me for saying so, but the dreaded economic recession has given us a nudge in the direction of sustainability, of returning to our roots. More and more families are raising "backyard chickens," who provide eggs and meat to sustain one family. No casualties, no waste. Hobby farms are becoming more popular, as people are acquiring their own dairy cows for milk and beef. Certainly, we must get over the hump of being the executioner of Bambi's mother, but even hunting is providing low-income families with free food for weeks on end. The fact that we are interacting with our meals before that meal's death means that we are less wasteful, more grateful, and more reverent for the sacrifice. As we move away from factory farming and grocery store shopping, we begin to see ourselves reflected in the beauty of wolves and bears and big cats (oh my!), and we will see less of ourselves in the horrifying images of zombies and cave-people. There will always be a need for zombies and cave-people, of course. If only to remember what we could have become; if only so that I can hold my husband close while I squeal in horror and fascination
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Elephants and Donkeys and Whigs, Oh My!
Our nation's Conservatives are enraged. They panic about a "socialist agenda" now being enacted in the White House. And indeed! Who wouldn't panic? Socialism conjures up thoughts of redness, an iron curtain, the forgotten common people and Animal Farm. But what is occurring in D.C. now, and by extension in our nation, is something far more American (and, indeed, far more Republican) than the foreign policies of Stalin, Marx and Mussolini. We are experiencing an internal re-definition of our political parties, representative of our very changing times.
Democrats are not attempting to secretly slip a communist manifesto into our Constitution. Rather, they seem to be taking on the posture of a party long gone - one that helped feed both the Republicans and the Democrats we know today. I'm referring to the Whig party, one of the foundations of our modern political parties.
Once upon a time, between 1836 and 1850, American Democrats' primary political rival was the Whigs. The Dems, those liberal, pleasure-seeking donkeys, were the party of tradition, pronouncing to seek reclamation of the glories of the past. Dems then were the nation's fear-mongers. They opposed federal support of banking institutions and supported the individual's freedom of choice. Dems favored farms, supported rural independence, slavery, territorial expansion through war, and were highly favored in the South.
The Whigs, conversely, were the party of modernization and progress. Rather than speaking to Americans' fears, the Whigs pivoted on the essence of Hope. The Whigs supported using federal funds to promote economic growth, especially through banking and transportation institutions. Whigs advocated prison and public schooling reform, entrepreneurship, urbanization, industrialization, federal rights, commercial expansion, opposed the Mexican War, and were strongly favored in the North. (By the way, Abraham Lincoln was a Whig leader in frontier Illinois.)
And then the Civil War happened: the great destruction of the unity of an American consciousness. The Whigs, the party of hope and forward-thinking, became divided between the "Cotton" Whigs who supported the territorial expansion of slavery and were prominent in the South, and the "Conscience" Whigs, who supported freedom of choice and were prominent in the North. Can you guess which became the elephants and which became the donkeys? Surprise - the Cotton Whigs joined the Democratic party, while the Conscience Whigs joined the Republicans.
So what happened? How did we mutate to become so opposite of our roots?
Believe it or not, there was a "Guilded Age" of American politics, in which we weren't just reaching across the aisle, we were practically spooning over it. Together, we opposed the Populist party and their platform of Big Government for the betterment of Farmers Alliances. When the farmers' situations improved, the Populist party faded into oblivion.
But, like teenage lovers, our relationship grew strained over time. Our angst got the better of us, and we rebelled against one another and the parties of our parents. Republicans found evangelical religion, which was in stark contrast to Democrats' new environmental compassion. Ronald Regan's "New Right" birthed a new breed of Republicans - the Conservatives.
Now, Glen Beck, Rick Perry, and other political/propaganda alliances threaten to destroy the Republican party and its noble heritage. By using slanderous terms like "socialism" for the party with which they were once so close, by talking about states' successions and demonstrations at the Alamo, along with the pet project of "gun rights," the hostility brewing in the country is at an unnecessary peak.
We have reached a fundamental agreement that slavery has no place in the modern world. Now it seems we squabble over anything - Cap and Trade, Abortion, Federal Finance Programs, and whether or not the first lady has the right to hug the Queen of England - just to keep ourselves separate and divorced. Such polarization is unamerican. As humans we came from Adam and Eve (literally if you're Republican; figuratively if you're Democrat), and as parties we came from the Whigs. Somewhere in our development we understood what it meant to compromise. I believe that the Dems of today are available for compromise, which, for instance, is why we're begging the GOP for their alternative to the Climate Change Bill. Republicans, on the other hand, may see a significant cotton/conscience split before the next election.
Democrats are not attempting to secretly slip a communist manifesto into our Constitution. Rather, they seem to be taking on the posture of a party long gone - one that helped feed both the Republicans and the Democrats we know today. I'm referring to the Whig party, one of the foundations of our modern political parties.
Once upon a time, between 1836 and 1850, American Democrats' primary political rival was the Whigs. The Dems, those liberal, pleasure-seeking donkeys, were the party of tradition, pronouncing to seek reclamation of the glories of the past. Dems then were the nation's fear-mongers. They opposed federal support of banking institutions and supported the individual's freedom of choice. Dems favored farms, supported rural independence, slavery, territorial expansion through war, and were highly favored in the South.
The Whigs, conversely, were the party of modernization and progress. Rather than speaking to Americans' fears, the Whigs pivoted on the essence of Hope. The Whigs supported using federal funds to promote economic growth, especially through banking and transportation institutions. Whigs advocated prison and public schooling reform, entrepreneurship, urbanization, industrialization, federal rights, commercial expansion, opposed the Mexican War, and were strongly favored in the North. (By the way, Abraham Lincoln was a Whig leader in frontier Illinois.)
And then the Civil War happened: the great destruction of the unity of an American consciousness. The Whigs, the party of hope and forward-thinking, became divided between the "Cotton" Whigs who supported the territorial expansion of slavery and were prominent in the South, and the "Conscience" Whigs, who supported freedom of choice and were prominent in the North. Can you guess which became the elephants and which became the donkeys? Surprise - the Cotton Whigs joined the Democratic party, while the Conscience Whigs joined the Republicans.
So what happened? How did we mutate to become so opposite of our roots?
Believe it or not, there was a "Guilded Age" of American politics, in which we weren't just reaching across the aisle, we were practically spooning over it. Together, we opposed the Populist party and their platform of Big Government for the betterment of Farmers Alliances. When the farmers' situations improved, the Populist party faded into oblivion.
But, like teenage lovers, our relationship grew strained over time. Our angst got the better of us, and we rebelled against one another and the parties of our parents. Republicans found evangelical religion, which was in stark contrast to Democrats' new environmental compassion. Ronald Regan's "New Right" birthed a new breed of Republicans - the Conservatives.
Now, Glen Beck, Rick Perry, and other political/propaganda alliances threaten to destroy the Republican party and its noble heritage. By using slanderous terms like "socialism" for the party with which they were once so close, by talking about states' successions and demonstrations at the Alamo, along with the pet project of "gun rights," the hostility brewing in the country is at an unnecessary peak.
We have reached a fundamental agreement that slavery has no place in the modern world. Now it seems we squabble over anything - Cap and Trade, Abortion, Federal Finance Programs, and whether or not the first lady has the right to hug the Queen of England - just to keep ourselves separate and divorced. Such polarization is unamerican. As humans we came from Adam and Eve (literally if you're Republican; figuratively if you're Democrat), and as parties we came from the Whigs. Somewhere in our development we understood what it meant to compromise. I believe that the Dems of today are available for compromise, which, for instance, is why we're begging the GOP for their alternative to the Climate Change Bill. Republicans, on the other hand, may see a significant cotton/conscience split before the next election.
Monday, April 13, 2009
In Loving Memory: Jorge M. Aguilar
On April 10th, 2009, Good Friday, my husband and I lost a dear friend, and our nation lost an amazing patriot. Jorge M. Aguilar was a soldier and a visionary, a man who had a deeper purpose for our country and her people than even her founding fathers could have envisioned. Jorge saw an America that was prosperous, healthy, moral, cohesive and prepared to lead. He devoted the final years of his life to lightening America's greatest burdens, and died just a breath away from seeing the completion of his project.
When Jorge passed during the early morning hours on Good Friday, he left his soldier's mission to us.
When we met Jorge, he was nearing the end of his life. He was quiet, dignified and resigned. He barely spoke unless spoken to, and kept all of his immense intelligence behind his lips, which would occasionally pucker to drag on his cigarette or kiss his wife and granddaughter.
It was only by chance, during a conversation over morning coffee, that we lucky enough to learn Jorge's story.
Jorge was born and raised in the Philippians during American occupation. This young and courageous man heard his call to duty during World War II, and enlisted in the American army at age sixteen. Jorge fought valiantly for the principles on which our nation was built with the 1st Cavalry Division, 7th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army, and he felt responsible for the protection of his fellow soldiers before he sought to protect himself. When his men found themselves under attack, Jorge watched a friend fall on the battlefield.
Though he could have escaped to safety, Jorge returned to retrieve his friend. In doing so, an explosion took Jorge's left arm above the elbow, leaving him forever disabled.
But his was a spirit of perseverance. Despite the loss of his arm, and with the aid of the GI Bill for Education, Jorge decided to continue his education to earn his B.S. in Chemical Engineering, and passed his Board Exam for Chemical Engineering in 1951. After his board exam, Jorge decided to pursue a post graduate degree in Management from RPI -Troy, NY. (Class 1956).
Following his graduation, Jorge worked for over 35 years, making remarkable improvements to any industry he touched. Of his vast and successful work experience, his most notable positions are:
Industrial Engineer with the Program Implementation Agency (PIA) under the Office of the President of the Philippines - creating the first industrial estate in the country and identifying rural areas with potentials for economic progress.
Economic Development Foundation (EDF), funded by the US federal government, as Head of the Project Development and Business Clinic for distressed industries.
Deputy Director of the ASPAC based in Australia, promoting cooperation between the Academe and Industries - noting the obsolete equipment of the universities and providing technical personnel to the industry.
Consultant to a desiccated coconut factory in the Philippines. Jorge was called in to solve the salmonella contamination of the their product. He redesigned the factory material handling facilities, and doubled the plant processing from 200,000 to 400,000 nuts-per-day. Thereafter, Jorge designed and supervised the construction of a desiccated coconut plant in Indonesia.
Most notably, Jorge served as the Field Superintendent for the Philippine Geothermal Inc. which developed two geothermal resources in the Philippines for power generation.
We knew Jorge best as a teacher. He had worked as an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Feati University and De La Salle University in Manila, as well as the Seminar Director for Professional Business Manager at Ateneo University.
In 1991, Jorge had a heart attack and decided to become an American citizen. Jorge migrated to Texas in 1993 where he receive medical treatment for his heart ailment. The treatment he received in Texas extended his life another 18 years; the US government provided his needs to live a good and enjoyable life.
But Jorge's story does not end there; this is where it begins. Before the rest of us did, Jorge foresaw his beloved America suffering - her world was growing hotter and more toxic, her economy was being strangled by high energy prices, and her national security was threatened by foreign petrodictatorships.
Jorge devoted the last ten years of his life to the development of WES Technology, a waste-to energy process that could take our nation's waste and convert it into renewable, 100% pollution-free biofuel with greater capacity and speed than the Green world has ever seen.
During his last year, Jorge enlisted my husband to help him with this project. He became John's personal tutor 24/7, educating him on the chemistry, business, and theology behind advanced biofuels and the Green movement. Jorge worked his last five fingers to the bone, advancing this project for the betterment of the nation he loved so dearly. Jorge expressed to us time and time again that America is deserving of this technology - she supported him through his illness, and educated a mind that was more beautiful than any I'd ever known. He never asked anything of his adopted country - and he knew what he could do for her. And he did it, with every last moment of his life.
In January of 2009, Jorge was supposed to attend a meeting with John to introduce our technology to a Missouri landfill and quarry owner. That day, his heart malfunctioned and he was hospitalized. After a few hours of silence, Jorge reached John by phone from his hospital bed. For the first time, he acknowledged his mortality, and expressed the importance of accelerating our process.
Though Jorge felt comfortable with John's ability to independently attract the nation's awareness to our project, he had another, much more personal stake in its success. Jorge's children had gotten caught up in the United States immigration system, and were not allowed to join him in the country he served so loyally. Rather than circumventing the process (or thumbing his nose at it), Jorge established his project to prove to his country that his children would be as productive and as altruistic for the US as he had been. Among those children are:
George, Jr. a Professor of Political Science at La Salle College in Bacolod
David - a Commerce Graduate, doing business development for a telephone company
in Manila
Alan - a semester away from achieving his bachelor's degree in Business Management
Carmela - a college graduate, married with three children, who is currently representing our activities in the Philippines.
Michael, who is working for ALCATEL as Director for Engineering, and with projects in Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand, with residence in Australia.
To quote an email that Jorge sent to us in the last month of his life, "They are the reasons for my pushing this projects; I want them and their families to come to the US. With our WTE projects, help me bring them over here."
Jorge collapsed in a CVS on the evening of Good Friday, the day we shook hands with Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri for the first time. Jorge's passing was a devastating loss for his family and his country. But before he died, an American soldier left his mission in our hands. We must complete his project to revitalize our economy, save our environment, and support our national security. Furthermore, we must bring home five children to the country for which their father lost a limb, and in which their father lost his life.
Jorge M. Aguilar was a soldier and a visionary. He did all that he could do for his country, and he died knowing that his contribution would secure our country to its very core. My husband is his messenger and his protégé, selected to realize his dream. What we do for that dream on Earth, Jorge is directing from Heaven.
In loving memory of Jorge M. Aguilar. "Still Serving America With Pride"
When Jorge passed during the early morning hours on Good Friday, he left his soldier's mission to us.
When we met Jorge, he was nearing the end of his life. He was quiet, dignified and resigned. He barely spoke unless spoken to, and kept all of his immense intelligence behind his lips, which would occasionally pucker to drag on his cigarette or kiss his wife and granddaughter.
It was only by chance, during a conversation over morning coffee, that we lucky enough to learn Jorge's story.
Jorge was born and raised in the Philippians during American occupation. This young and courageous man heard his call to duty during World War II, and enlisted in the American army at age sixteen. Jorge fought valiantly for the principles on which our nation was built with the 1st Cavalry Division, 7th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army, and he felt responsible for the protection of his fellow soldiers before he sought to protect himself. When his men found themselves under attack, Jorge watched a friend fall on the battlefield.
Though he could have escaped to safety, Jorge returned to retrieve his friend. In doing so, an explosion took Jorge's left arm above the elbow, leaving him forever disabled.
But his was a spirit of perseverance. Despite the loss of his arm, and with the aid of the GI Bill for Education, Jorge decided to continue his education to earn his B.S. in Chemical Engineering, and passed his Board Exam for Chemical Engineering in 1951. After his board exam, Jorge decided to pursue a post graduate degree in Management from RPI -Troy, NY. (Class 1956).
Following his graduation, Jorge worked for over 35 years, making remarkable improvements to any industry he touched. Of his vast and successful work experience, his most notable positions are:
Industrial Engineer with the Program Implementation Agency (PIA) under the Office of the President of the Philippines - creating the first industrial estate in the country and identifying rural areas with potentials for economic progress.
Economic Development Foundation (EDF), funded by the US federal government, as Head of the Project Development and Business Clinic for distressed industries.
Deputy Director of the ASPAC based in Australia, promoting cooperation between the Academe and Industries - noting the obsolete equipment of the universities and providing technical personnel to the industry.
Consultant to a desiccated coconut factory in the Philippines. Jorge was called in to solve the salmonella contamination of the their product. He redesigned the factory material handling facilities, and doubled the plant processing from 200,000 to 400,000 nuts-per-day. Thereafter, Jorge designed and supervised the construction of a desiccated coconut plant in Indonesia.
Most notably, Jorge served as the Field Superintendent for the Philippine Geothermal Inc. which developed two geothermal resources in the Philippines for power generation.
We knew Jorge best as a teacher. He had worked as an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Feati University and De La Salle University in Manila, as well as the Seminar Director for Professional Business Manager at Ateneo University.
In 1991, Jorge had a heart attack and decided to become an American citizen. Jorge migrated to Texas in 1993 where he receive medical treatment for his heart ailment. The treatment he received in Texas extended his life another 18 years; the US government provided his needs to live a good and enjoyable life.
But Jorge's story does not end there; this is where it begins. Before the rest of us did, Jorge foresaw his beloved America suffering - her world was growing hotter and more toxic, her economy was being strangled by high energy prices, and her national security was threatened by foreign petrodictatorships.
Jorge devoted the last ten years of his life to the development of WES Technology, a waste-to energy process that could take our nation's waste and convert it into renewable, 100% pollution-free biofuel with greater capacity and speed than the Green world has ever seen.
During his last year, Jorge enlisted my husband to help him with this project. He became John's personal tutor 24/7, educating him on the chemistry, business, and theology behind advanced biofuels and the Green movement. Jorge worked his last five fingers to the bone, advancing this project for the betterment of the nation he loved so dearly. Jorge expressed to us time and time again that America is deserving of this technology - she supported him through his illness, and educated a mind that was more beautiful than any I'd ever known. He never asked anything of his adopted country - and he knew what he could do for her. And he did it, with every last moment of his life.
In January of 2009, Jorge was supposed to attend a meeting with John to introduce our technology to a Missouri landfill and quarry owner. That day, his heart malfunctioned and he was hospitalized. After a few hours of silence, Jorge reached John by phone from his hospital bed. For the first time, he acknowledged his mortality, and expressed the importance of accelerating our process.
Though Jorge felt comfortable with John's ability to independently attract the nation's awareness to our project, he had another, much more personal stake in its success. Jorge's children had gotten caught up in the United States immigration system, and were not allowed to join him in the country he served so loyally. Rather than circumventing the process (or thumbing his nose at it), Jorge established his project to prove to his country that his children would be as productive and as altruistic for the US as he had been. Among those children are:
George, Jr. a Professor of Political Science at La Salle College in Bacolod
David - a Commerce Graduate, doing business development for a telephone company
in Manila
Alan - a semester away from achieving his bachelor's degree in Business Management
Carmela - a college graduate, married with three children, who is currently representing our activities in the Philippines.
Michael, who is working for ALCATEL as Director for Engineering, and with projects in Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand, with residence in Australia.
To quote an email that Jorge sent to us in the last month of his life, "They are the reasons for my pushing this projects; I want them and their families to come to the US. With our WTE projects, help me bring them over here."
Jorge collapsed in a CVS on the evening of Good Friday, the day we shook hands with Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri for the first time. Jorge's passing was a devastating loss for his family and his country. But before he died, an American soldier left his mission in our hands. We must complete his project to revitalize our economy, save our environment, and support our national security. Furthermore, we must bring home five children to the country for which their father lost a limb, and in which their father lost his life.
Jorge M. Aguilar was a soldier and a visionary. He did all that he could do for his country, and he died knowing that his contribution would secure our country to its very core. My husband is his messenger and his protégé, selected to realize his dream. What we do for that dream on Earth, Jorge is directing from Heaven.
In loving memory of Jorge M. Aguilar. "Still Serving America With Pride"
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Cap and Trade: Less Fear, More Hope
The legislation known as "Cap and Trade," along with its buzz words of "Carbon Tax" and "Carbon Credit," has been coming upon Americans on little cat feet. We've heard murmurings of the plan to cut carbon emissions for the safety of our environment since the Kyoto Protocol of 1997, but we've always had more pressing issues to discuss. Some of us don't believe in Global Warming, so to put any effort into the rectification of a problem that might not exist would seem ludicrous.
But now it's happening. Cap and Trade is quickly becoming an American reality, and like any other major change, it is frightening to those who don't know enough about its mechanics to get behind it as a policy. But it is a machine that can't and won't be stopped; it is a policy that we are all going to have to live with, and it is up to us to learn how to jump on its bandwagon for the betterment of our families, our nation, and our world.
I've heard a lot of Americans hiss and boo at the concept, and it breaks my heart. This is a policy that will single-handedly lift us out of the recession we've found ourselves in, and will allow America once again to be the catalyst of a new, profitable age. At its most basic, those who do not welcome the already-existing technology that can cap carbon emissions will be penalized, and those who do welcome those technologies will profit. If your electric company refuses to comply (which it won't, as even Ameren here in Missouri and Illinois has been adopting Green technologies in anticipation of the legislation), then it will be dismantled. It will not be able to survive. There are republicans and democrats in the Senate right now who are writing this legislation to ensure that your prices will not be gouged because of your electric company's financial penalties, and you will in fact pay less for a healthier environment. The way I see it, this nation will respond to the birth of the Green Age in one of two ways: either there will be enough of us out there with more hope than fear, and we will take the opportunity given to us to Americanize the fuel industry and guide the world to greener pastures, or there are more of us out there who live in fear before hope, and the fearful will hide from this opportunity only to be scorched by tax increases until they eventually decide to take action.
There was no stopping the Industrial Age. No stopping the Information Age. There will, therefore, be no stopping the Green Age. And Green is not just the color of trees, grass, butterflies and unicorns as we tree-huggers are slandered to worship. It is the color of cash, of profitability. It is capitalism and creationism come together: those who take the responsibility to steward the earth and protect its inhabitants, will also be those who thrive financially. Why not make money and feel good about it?
Every time we turn on a light, drive our car or cook our meals, billions of dollars leave America and are put in the hands of petrodictatorships overseas. We are homeless and broke because of it. We've ensured that "government" becomes "big-government," because we've needed somebody powerful enough to step in and re-direct a titanic nation heading for a financial iceberg. But it doesn't always have to be this way. The stimulus money that is being showered upon our states (albeit borrowed money) is right now being put toward American technologies, businesses and industry that will, in a matter of months, create jobs, generate exports, and significantly reduce our dependence on imports. We will create enough revenue not only to repay our creditors, but we will be selling to them our goods and services, once again restoring America to her "superpower" status. Imagine never needing to go beyond your own hometown for your basic needs of electricity, food, water, shelter. Imagine if not a penny of your hard-earned money were to leave your town. There would be more money in your town to buy your goods and services, more opportunity for your children to be educated and to own homes. (We rely on federal money to supplement higher education costs, remember.)
This is not a dream, a fantasy, a tease. This is the reality of what is before us, republican or democrat. Those who rage against the Green Age will still profit from it, because America will profit. And frankly, it's just a good thing to do. The Chinese ride their bicycles with face masks, because their air has become so toxic with pollutants. We are the nation who has made Michael Jackson a media freak show; we certainly don't want to have to walk our streets dressing like him. The technology that will take our stinky, nasty garbage and turn it into emission-free fuel exists, and it is sustainable, and it is American technology. As John McCain, one of the initiators of the Cap and Trade movement, has said - we are the nation who created the IPod. Why couldn't we do this? And we can! And we have! And we do, and we are right now. And I know, because I sit as Vice President for Administration for one of those American technologies - WES Technology (http://www.wesglobaleast.com/) - and I do so not just because it is profitable, and I push it not just because I want to capitalize on new legislation. It is just the right thing to do.
But now it's happening. Cap and Trade is quickly becoming an American reality, and like any other major change, it is frightening to those who don't know enough about its mechanics to get behind it as a policy. But it is a machine that can't and won't be stopped; it is a policy that we are all going to have to live with, and it is up to us to learn how to jump on its bandwagon for the betterment of our families, our nation, and our world.
I've heard a lot of Americans hiss and boo at the concept, and it breaks my heart. This is a policy that will single-handedly lift us out of the recession we've found ourselves in, and will allow America once again to be the catalyst of a new, profitable age. At its most basic, those who do not welcome the already-existing technology that can cap carbon emissions will be penalized, and those who do welcome those technologies will profit. If your electric company refuses to comply (which it won't, as even Ameren here in Missouri and Illinois has been adopting Green technologies in anticipation of the legislation), then it will be dismantled. It will not be able to survive. There are republicans and democrats in the Senate right now who are writing this legislation to ensure that your prices will not be gouged because of your electric company's financial penalties, and you will in fact pay less for a healthier environment. The way I see it, this nation will respond to the birth of the Green Age in one of two ways: either there will be enough of us out there with more hope than fear, and we will take the opportunity given to us to Americanize the fuel industry and guide the world to greener pastures, or there are more of us out there who live in fear before hope, and the fearful will hide from this opportunity only to be scorched by tax increases until they eventually decide to take action.
There was no stopping the Industrial Age. No stopping the Information Age. There will, therefore, be no stopping the Green Age. And Green is not just the color of trees, grass, butterflies and unicorns as we tree-huggers are slandered to worship. It is the color of cash, of profitability. It is capitalism and creationism come together: those who take the responsibility to steward the earth and protect its inhabitants, will also be those who thrive financially. Why not make money and feel good about it?
Every time we turn on a light, drive our car or cook our meals, billions of dollars leave America and are put in the hands of petrodictatorships overseas. We are homeless and broke because of it. We've ensured that "government" becomes "big-government," because we've needed somebody powerful enough to step in and re-direct a titanic nation heading for a financial iceberg. But it doesn't always have to be this way. The stimulus money that is being showered upon our states (albeit borrowed money) is right now being put toward American technologies, businesses and industry that will, in a matter of months, create jobs, generate exports, and significantly reduce our dependence on imports. We will create enough revenue not only to repay our creditors, but we will be selling to them our goods and services, once again restoring America to her "superpower" status. Imagine never needing to go beyond your own hometown for your basic needs of electricity, food, water, shelter. Imagine if not a penny of your hard-earned money were to leave your town. There would be more money in your town to buy your goods and services, more opportunity for your children to be educated and to own homes. (We rely on federal money to supplement higher education costs, remember.)
This is not a dream, a fantasy, a tease. This is the reality of what is before us, republican or democrat. Those who rage against the Green Age will still profit from it, because America will profit. And frankly, it's just a good thing to do. The Chinese ride their bicycles with face masks, because their air has become so toxic with pollutants. We are the nation who has made Michael Jackson a media freak show; we certainly don't want to have to walk our streets dressing like him. The technology that will take our stinky, nasty garbage and turn it into emission-free fuel exists, and it is sustainable, and it is American technology. As John McCain, one of the initiators of the Cap and Trade movement, has said - we are the nation who created the IPod. Why couldn't we do this? And we can! And we have! And we do, and we are right now. And I know, because I sit as Vice President for Administration for one of those American technologies - WES Technology (http://www.wesglobaleast.com/) - and I do so not just because it is profitable, and I push it not just because I want to capitalize on new legislation. It is just the right thing to do.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
A New Birth of Freedom - Declaring Independence from Petrodictatorships
In 1776, America declared independence from foreign oppressors. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln reminisced upon that declaration in order to illuminate the power of our mighty country (in spite of her civil division), and our country's ability to endure any test of her liberty and dedication to right. In 2009, we face more severe oppression than this country has ever known. America’s dependence on foreign oil has tied the neuse around her neck with several knots: our economy, our national security, our livelihood are no longer our own. We are under the domination of foreign petro-dictatorships, all of whom are extremely vocal about their disdain for America and their disregard for our families.
While our nation suffers, our children go without money for education and we are forced out of our homes at an alarming rate, our oppressors profit. In 2006, members of the OPEC oil cartel earned 506 billion dollars from oil exports. In 2007, that number rose to 535 billion, and by 2008, OPEC reported having raised roughly over 600 billion dollars from the sale of oil.
Meanwhile, in America, high gas prices crushed American families so much so, that by the first quarter of 2008, our foreclosure rates were up 112% from the first quarter of 2007, according to the US Foreclosure Market Report. Approximately one in every one hundred ninety-four American families became suddenly homeless.
Of OPEC’s enormous 2008 profits, 200 billion dollars was earned by Saudi Arabia. The mass murder of September 11, 2001 – in which nearly 3,000 Americans lost their lives - was perpetrated by nineteen men, fifteen of whom were Saudis. Our purchases fund conservative Islamic governments which have created charities to donate their wealth to anti-American terrorist groups, suicide bombers, and preachers. While we willingly pay our tax dollars to support the US Army, Navy, Air force and Marine Corps, with our energy purchases we are indirectly financing Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad. While we pay for our own soldiers to fight the war against terror, our hard earned money is being taken from us to finance our assassins. Now more than ever, we must commit to American-made, sustainable, and renewable fuel
America is a land that was born of revolution, from the fatherhood of some of our world’s greatest pioneers. It takes courage and strength of spirit to inspire the reversal of a mindset, but we deserve to rise above the oppression and devastation we’ve experienced as we’ve watched our world grow hotter, our safety grow increasingly threatened, and our economy suffer. We must come together and declare that these United States are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States: They are absolved from all allegiance to foreign petrodictatorships, and that all economic connection between them and the Politics of Petroleum is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.
We may not always vote the same way; may not always agree on major social issues. But we are all Americans. And as Americans, we hold as our responsibility the protection of ourselves, our children, and by our leadership, the rest of the world. America is where revolution begins: for we are the land of the free and the home of the brave.
While our nation suffers, our children go without money for education and we are forced out of our homes at an alarming rate, our oppressors profit. In 2006, members of the OPEC oil cartel earned 506 billion dollars from oil exports. In 2007, that number rose to 535 billion, and by 2008, OPEC reported having raised roughly over 600 billion dollars from the sale of oil.
Meanwhile, in America, high gas prices crushed American families so much so, that by the first quarter of 2008, our foreclosure rates were up 112% from the first quarter of 2007, according to the US Foreclosure Market Report. Approximately one in every one hundred ninety-four American families became suddenly homeless.
Of OPEC’s enormous 2008 profits, 200 billion dollars was earned by Saudi Arabia. The mass murder of September 11, 2001 – in which nearly 3,000 Americans lost their lives - was perpetrated by nineteen men, fifteen of whom were Saudis. Our purchases fund conservative Islamic governments which have created charities to donate their wealth to anti-American terrorist groups, suicide bombers, and preachers. While we willingly pay our tax dollars to support the US Army, Navy, Air force and Marine Corps, with our energy purchases we are indirectly financing Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad. While we pay for our own soldiers to fight the war against terror, our hard earned money is being taken from us to finance our assassins. Now more than ever, we must commit to American-made, sustainable, and renewable fuel
America is a land that was born of revolution, from the fatherhood of some of our world’s greatest pioneers. It takes courage and strength of spirit to inspire the reversal of a mindset, but we deserve to rise above the oppression and devastation we’ve experienced as we’ve watched our world grow hotter, our safety grow increasingly threatened, and our economy suffer. We must come together and declare that these United States are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States: They are absolved from all allegiance to foreign petrodictatorships, and that all economic connection between them and the Politics of Petroleum is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.
We may not always vote the same way; may not always agree on major social issues. But we are all Americans. And as Americans, we hold as our responsibility the protection of ourselves, our children, and by our leadership, the rest of the world. America is where revolution begins: for we are the land of the free and the home of the brave.
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