Jesus on a Dinosaur

Frankly, other than for funerals or weddings, I don't go to church. I have many friends and family who are avid church goers. I love them and wish them well while politely turning down their requests to join them for worship services. Church is not always bad, it is just not right for me.  I believe that some churches actually benefit our communities. Many church leaders are sincere and hardworking souls.  They put people first and religion second and politics a distant third. If you took away the holy books, these people would still do good for the world. They would feed the hungry, help heal the sick, and prepare a better future for our children.

However, there is an aspect  of religion that truly frightens me. Fanaticism exists in all organized movements and there is too much evil in our various religions. I define "evil" as hatred against our fellow beings and the planet. There are people who  rabidly adhere to the notion that their god is the only god and their beliefs are the only beliefs that people should follow. They will kill and destroy for that belief. I doubt that God really cares which day we go to church or how much money we donate to the preacher or which president we vote for. 

Yet despite these ills, most disturbing to me is the lack of intellectual curiosity that conflicts with established doctrine. There is a  movement in America that promotes "anti-thought" and downgraded education.  Dystopia is a word that science fiction writers would use to describe what may be happening to our world. (From my friend Wiki-- Dystopia:  a society, generally of a speculative future, characterized by negative, anti-utopian elements, varying from environmental to political and social issues.) 

Evil cannot overwhelm us if we are aware of it and take action. We need to expose the greedy charlatans in our churches, news media, congresses, and businesses.  The world is not flat (but the Universe could be flat).  Education from elementary to post collegiate should be free to all people (pay teachers more money).  All religions have some good and some bad elements. Jesus never rode a dinosaur because the earth is more than 5,000 years old. Evolution is real and we are still learning to cope with our existence on a planet that is heating up as a result of our activities.

Creationist Museum: http://creationmuseum.org/

The Ark: http://arkencounter.com/

Interfaith Alliance: http://www.interfaithalliance.org/

Reason and Science: http://richarddawkins.net/

Celebrations

In case you have been hiding under a rock, NASA and the United States of America have landed another robot on Mars.

 Is this a big event?

Yes!

Contrary to the misconceptions promoted by the political right, NASA is alive and doing well, and setting the organization's sights on higher goals. Almost every nation has a satellite or access to a satellite in low Earth orbit. Only the U.S.A. has a SUV cruising on the surface of Mars. Several countries are attempting to get back to the Moon. American spacecrafts have exited the solar system (any moment now) on their way to the stars.

There are oceans larger than the Pacific on bodies around the giant planets Jupiter and Saturn. NASA and its partners have plans to "Go Fishing" there. And,  later, maybe capture an asteroid or two in the Asteroid Belt.

How does all this effect the price of a price of a dozen of eggs? $2.5 billion which includes spacecraft development, science investigations, and the cost of launch and operations has been injected into our economy. This is not money squandered in some rich playboy's offshore bank account. These are salaries paid to thousands of workers who made NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission possible.  Landing on Mars allows people on Earth to buy cereal and orange  juice and gasoline and  tuition to college for sons and daughters.

That is a good reason to celebrate. 

See NASA at: http://www.nasa.gov

Atlanta Loves Onyxcon

August 17-18, 2012

Atlanta, Georgia

Be There!

Starship Africa

An African American woman is making plans to travel to the distant stars and go where no man or woman has gone before.

The Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to receive seed funding to form 100 Year Starship (100YSS), an independent, non-governmental, long-term initiative which will ensure that the capabilities for human interstellar flight exist as soon as possible, and definitely within the next 100 years. The winning 100YSS proposal, “An Inclusive, Audacious Journey Transforms Life Here on Earth and Beyond,” was created by Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence with team membersIcarus Interstellar and the Foundation for Enterprise Development.

Former NASA astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison will lead the global multi-partner organization. Dr. Jemison, the world’s first woman of color to travel in space (1992′s Space Shuttle Endeavour), brings to her leadership role her vast experience as an engineer, physician, professor, former Peace Corps medical officer, and entrepreneur. Known for achieving the improbable, Dr. Jemison also brings a spirit of audacity, innovation and inclusion to 100YSS.

“Yes, it can be done. Our current technology arc is sufficient,” says Dr. Jemison. ”100 Year Starship is about building the tools we need to travel to another star system in the next hundred years. We’re embarking on a journey across time and space. If my language is dramatic, it is because this project is monumental. This is a global aspiration. And each step of the way, its progress will benefit life on earth. Our team is both invigorated and sobered by the confidence DARPA has in us to start an independent, private initiative to help make interstellar travel a reality.”

100 Year Starship will bring in experts from myriad fields to help achieve its goal - utilizing not only scientists, engineers, doctors, technologists, researchers, sociologists and computer experts, but also architects, writers, artists, entertainers, and leaders in government, business, economics, ethics and public policy. 100YSS will also collaborate with existing space exploration and advocacy efforts from both private enterprise and the government.

In its first year, 100YSS will seek investors, establish membership opportunities, encourage public participation in research projects, and develop the visions for interstellar exploration. A 100 Year Starship Public Symposium will be held in Houston September 13-16, 2012, inaugurating what will be an annual event open to scientific papers, engineering challenges, philosophical and socio-cultural considerations, economic incentives, application of space technologies to improve life on earth, imaginative exploration of the stumbling blocks and opportunities to the stars, and broad public involvement.

The 100 Year Starship also will include a scientific research institute, The Way whose major emphasis will be speculative, long-term science and technology.

Alongside the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence, a non–]profit organization that promotes science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) awareness and achievement, the principal 100 Year Starship team members are:Icarus Interstellar, a non-profit research and development organization dedicated to the research that will enable interstellar flight; and the Foundation for Enterprise Development centered on governance, innovation, entrepreneurship, technology and R&D based organizational planning, management, and strategic planning. The SETI Institute, a private, non-profit organization dedicated to astronomy, life sciences, education, and public outreach, will hold a permanent seat on the 100YSS Advisory Council.

To sign up for e-mail alerts from 100 Year Starship or learn more about the 100YSS Public Symposium visitinfo@100YSS.org . Follow 100 Year Starship on Twitter (@100YSS). Contact 100 Year Starship at info@100YSS.org.

http://100yss.org/ -- The 100 Year Starship Website

Africa's New Mega City

Nigeria has ambitious plans to build a futuristic  community on land reclaimed from the Atlantic ocean.Within Lagos with a population of more than 10 million residents, Eko Atlantic City is literally rising up out of the waves. Daily, giant dredgers from China pump 400,000 tons of sand into a space between the shore and giant sea wall constructed of granite boulders. Reportedly, a project this size has never been seen in West Africa before. The result could be a modern, gleaming city that would turn the Wizard of Oz green with envy.

This oil-rich country may have big ambitions along with its big population of mostly poor people. Lagos with the addition of Eko Atlantic could become Africa's model mega-city. The builders and private investors seek to create a clean city with reliable power, sanitation, rapid transportation, financial and entertainment districts along with housing for hundreds of thousands of residents. This could bring jobs, education and healthcare for many citizens in the country. However, every big  urban renewal project has its big problems.

Construction of Eko Atlantic may be the cause of flooding in  sections of Lago's older slums. In news reports, some local citizens wonder if they will get a piece of the hi-tech addition to Lagos or simply be pushed away into new ghettos elsewhere and out of sight. Already, government forces have been destroying floating shacks with apparently no compensation to the inhabitants.

This brings to surface the clammy question: "Who will live in Eko Atlantic? Who will benefit from its luxuries and lifestyle elegance?" Nigeria has a very, very tiny super rich upper class, while the majority of the country is waist deep in poo and poverty. Crime and Internet scams are the norm. In Eko Atlanta not only would there be a wall to hold back the raging Atlantic surf; ordinary people who are merely seeking a day-to-day survival, may be prevented from entering and not allowed to walk the wide boulevards and  enjoy tea at an al fresco cafe under brilliant blue African skies. Rich foreigners  from the east and west stand to make a lot of money as well as own substantial real estate in  "walled"  communities that cater  to their affluent expectations.


But there is also a bright side. Eko Atlantic is still seeking investors and innovators. There are many African Americans who have the wealth and consciousness to influence this project; perhaps pool resources to build neighborhoods within Eko Atlantic. Schools and night clubs will be needed. Small consulting firms could thrive on the crumbs that the supercorps leave on the table.

Eko Atlantic is still in a larval form. This is an opportunity, now. African's new mega city could use guidance.



http://www.ekoatlantic.com/index.htm -- Eko Altanta, a new place to live and work

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eko_Atlantic_City -- Wikipedia is always a good place to start

http://www.citiesalliance.org/ -- The Cities Alliance is a global partnership for urban poverty reduction and the promotion of the role of cities in sustainable development.

http://www.cwcnic.com  -- 4th Nigerian Infrastructure & Construction Exhibition

New Visitas

After several years, I decided it was time to change my Web appearance. Actually, the decision was forced upon me when my long-time hosting service decided to up their fees. So, goodbye, and hello to the new me on line.

My views and opinions are wide and varied. I consider myself a writer and futurist, mostly; and citizen of the world whenever i find the time. Therefore, the following are the websites that I will be building to accommodate my ambitions:

• sbattle.com is where I will be blogging; daily!
• staffordbattle.com will be the home of my writing endeavors. Sample of my stories as well as links to my online bookstores (Amazon and Lulu).
• AfricanAmericanScienceFiction.com will focus on the sci-fi genre with an African flavor
• Nubianfantastic.com offers a peek into the world of sword and soul, black steampunk, horror, and fantasy
• AfroSciFi.net is current events, interviews, special announcements and social networking.