An Introduction to Science with a hint about Self-Development and Knowledge

 Science: It's an Introduction

 

A Method of Understanding: 

               Science is the practice of a method of understanding and of communication. It may be called the scientific method. This method can be a great help in self-development and in being a successful human being.

                As you become better acquainted with this method of understanding you become a more effective person. You will also develop a better understanding of the sciences in general and of each individual science, even ytterbiumology.

Scientific Doings:                

                The scientific method generally includes the following doings: observation, identification/recognition, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of natural phenomena. So, a scientist observes a doing or happening and begins to explain it. The method is much about how she does this. That is, how you do it may be more important than what you do.

                To start well, let's try to define some of our terms. We can begin with the word 'science.' Starting at the beginning we see that science means knowledge, the business of knowing. Just how one knows is a serious subject. A subject we could check into later. Early in its history science became knowledge gained  by study. Science brings its history with it. It still means knowledge and it still means knowledge gained by study. The science quickly came to be the study of particular and specific subjects. In its more modern meaning it has come to mean the technical and mathematical study  of a subject. However the basic method of doing science is both a simpler and more powerful attitude then one might suppose.

                We already know that "method" means "the way how." So, science is a particular way of understanding, a particularly effective way of understanding. It may be useful to remember that the suffix -ology means study. So anthropology is the study of human species, of humanity in most of its aspects. It has often been a comparative study of behavior, biology, societies. Whereas biology is the natural scientific study of life and of living organisms. It is one of the more nicely developed sciences. Cells and genes are now important factors in this study.

Observation:                

It is important that a person interested in science develop a good grasp on the nature of scientific: observation, identification, explanation, knowing, researching,  and theoretical description. Also to develop their ability to recognize and observe natural phenomena is helpful to their use of scientific methodology.

                To gain and to communicate scientific knowledge one needs to become familiar with its concepts and vocabulary. As interest is shown, I hope to write more on the topic. I believe that you already have an understanding of the scientific method as a way many have found useful for gaining practical, productive knowledge and of communicating that knowledge.

                You probably already have the understanding that science is well begun and carried out with studied and practiced observation. 

                The ways of scientific observation are important to the development of knowledge. My dictionary says this about "to observe:" to notice, to perceive, to watch attentively, to make a scientific or systematic observation. "Systematic," that implies that there is a system to be learned. It seems that the way of a scientific doing is, at least, as the what.

                Observation is the act of observing; that is the act of noting and recording of a phenomena, doing, or happening, perhaps with instruments. Observation might lead to developing a judgement or inference. What are the methods for developing a judgement or an inference!

                "Identify" could be our next term to examine. If you would like me to continue some sort of exposition of science, please leave a comment to that effect in the "comment" window below.

                Identifying a phenomena is, in large part, for the purpose of being able to recognize the phenomena yourself and to enable others to also recognize it. There is more to say about the recognize/identify part of of our scientific process,  but I will leave it for another time.

                Oh, yes. Ytterbiumology is beyond my present knowledge; still it can be studied, known, and used. Its a chemical element with the symbol Yb and atomic number of 70. I may not live long enough to get deeply into the study of this element. Perhaps you can tell us more about it.

                                                                                            RCS                              

More Than Virus Its Us

                     The water's ten foot high and rising; seems a good time to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, and not mess with mister in between.
                    

                    We see some thought provoking happenings and doings around us these days. Some few trained expert observers, some few men and women are keeping an expert eye on the happenings in our arctic and sub arctic around what we have called the north pole and they are saying that what they see happening there is happening more than twice as fast as are the worldwide changes. Did you get that last sentence?
                  

                     I have checked out some of what we have been being told for many, many decades. It seems that since the early '70s a significant number of began to hear and even understand what was being said. I began to pay better attention just before the first Earth Day when I was asked to write an appropriate paper. I even recalled my 7th and 8th grade science teachers telling us that we were living in calm and mild times on Earth and to expect greater and more rapid change in the future. Without scaring us they seemed to be that they were saying that we had best consider ways of adapting. Anyway when I started this paper three or so years ago I began to think that it may be useful to sound a definite alarm now. An alarme our great grandfathers might have sounded is "High water! Its ten foot high an risen'!"  "High water" Meant it was time to get the women, children, and stock to high ground. They probably ought to have already put the homestead on high ground. But the did already have a way to safety in mind.
                    

                    Here I am trying to say that now may be a very good time to consider ways to safety for our families and our culture. I began to write briefly and sensibly about how to put the "homestead on high ground" and what to do if it is too late to do that. It is not too late to seriously considering what we do now. It is not easy because the changes to are Earth may be sooner and bigger than many of us expected. We are already seeing  big ongoing change. We are seeing the biggest changes in 100 years. We may come to see the biggest changes in 1000 years or more. The changes are so big and life changing that people are leaving their homes for safety. The food crops that have been harvested in county may no longer grow well enough in your country. Adaptation is necessary for survival. Our adaptation may be necessary. 
                    

                    In the US the new settlers had much adapting to do.
                    

                    The changes we see may be bigger and more life changing than anyone of us likes to believe.
                    

                    It may be pleasing to know that many of the changes, perhaps most of them, are not our fault. The fact seems to be that we don't have s snowball's chance in hell of changing many of them. Perhaps we can't change most of them. We can adapt. We are very adaptable beings. Humanity has adapted to many changes. We can adapt and we can even co-operate in doing so. We can consider what we can do to help are children and youth survive and thrive. We can help them to do much for themselves. 
                    

                    There is that we cannot stop or even change. We may not be able to stop the truck coming toward us. but we may very well be able to get out of its way. We can act. We can adapt. We have made crosswalks, and pedestrian over- passes and underpasses to! We can make preparations for the future, even a fast approaching future.
                    

                    Many changes are celestial. To us many of us, those changes seem very slow some, others very fast. Most of them we cannot change. We can adapt to a great many of them.
                   

                     It may be pleasant to know that many problematic changes are not our fault. Still we causing ourselves trouble by avoiding even thoughts of some problems we can take care of or make corrections for. If we will, there is much we can do. There is that which each one of us can do, which we can do now. We are adaptable and able, each of us. 
                    

                    There are climate changes we do not welcome and which are causing more and more problems. However, there are problems which do not seem directly related to climate changes or our lack of understanding. What about volcanoes. There are times of more volcanism and times of more.There are times of less earthquakes and times of more. There are times when it is not easy adapt more. Major changes to the Sun ocure which we cannot, but have adapeted to. Large comets and asteroide seem to have had times of being more or less active. There are happenings which we have been unable to stop, but we have often had the ability to adapt before or after the effects of such happenings. 
                                     

                For now I just offer a view of that which seems to  have begun to cross our path.
    

                To avoid being overwhelming, I'll restrict myself to telling a bit about melting ice and thawing permafrost, and that which is being released.
     

                    Here goes, to begin with its water, a lot of it. Ten feet high and rising. Not surprising, but true.
   

                     A few years ago some 75 year old anthrax was released and it killed about twenty reindeer and one boy. Merry Christmas. Some snow and ice was bulldozed over it. That snow and ice is melting. 
    

                    Some radioactive waste has been exposed. And oh, oh. Some think more is being exposed.
   

                    Some very old antibiotic resistant bacteria is being released and no one is stopping that release. And, other bacteria are reviving.

    

                    Happenings keep happening.
   

                     Who is to blame. Not me. A fair number of good scientists say that slow and not so slow shifts, and wobbles, and such of our Earth's axis have been causing changes in our climate since long before Noah. Right now the best of them are saying that such axial tipping has led to a warming of our northern hemisphere, because we are tipping so as to get a bit more sunshine each year. That's probably not the fault of anyone we know.
     

                    Now that you might be semi-stunned, I'll put out some more thoughts, information, a couple of questions and a suggestion that you begin to check some of this out for yourself.
    

                    There is now a rapid release of antique methane gas from arctic and subarctic melts and thaws. Could that include the release of  ancient virus?
    

                    Could such melting and thawing turn out to be an existential threat to humanity?
   

                     May pay us to wake up and be more aware.
     

                    Permafrost, by the way, is frozen wet soil and plant matter that has frozen many yards down. Its been frozen so long that it has been called permafrost and houses and airports have been built on it.
   

                     Among the matter being released from thawing permafrost are gases including CO2 and methane. We have a lot to learn. You may have to look stuff up. I did.
    

                    Methane burns and causes burning which puts more CO2 in our atmosphere--which is our "greenhouse gas." Greenhouse gas causes warming of the Earth which causes the melting of  Earth's ice and permafrost which releases ... Of course  burning causes  the release of other stuff too. Like soot. Black soot covers white snow and frost and being as dark as soot, absorbs heat from the sun and so causes the melting of snow, ice, and permafrost which releases... You can start to figure it out.
   

                    Methane and other stuff being release can be useful. Methane's the main part of "natural gas" widely used for cooking and heating.
    

                    Then again methane is  suffocating, colorless, odorless and is increasing as a percentage of our atmosphere. I remember it being called swamp gas and as causing mysterious fires in swamps.
    

                     I hope our youth find more time to learn more about chemistry than we did. There is a lot to learn. We might end up learning a thing or two ourselves. This "new" world may be a tough place for an old man and not so easy for an older woman either.
     

                    Just about thawing and melting there is much more to learn. For example, northern ice in contact with warming sea water is melting and releasing  ancient matter into the sea and that includes mercury. Mercury accumulates in plants and animals and often does them harm. Top feeders, like humans, get harmed a lot.
    

                    Now I find that shallow seas and not so shallow seas have at their bottom earth and vegetative matter frozen to great depths much like permafrost. And now like permafrost it has begun to melt and release methane and much else. There in the sea depths CO2, virus, bacteria, and uncounted other materials are being released into the water and air.
    

                    The sun shines east and the sun shines west. The sun shines best on that part of the Earth tipped toward it. That's us here in our northern hemisphere. Earth's axis slowly and not so slowly wobbles and tips a bit differently each year. The tip we are now experiencing is one of the more extreme tips of recent centuries. Lucky us.  
    

                    Changes are a bit more extreme than we have experienced in our history. So, for example, Canada may soon have the best far north year round sea ports seen in our time on Earth. They can expect some competition from Russia. Canada may grow tropical fruit in their south. However they may both hundreds of years before either grows another good wheat crop. I may be exaggerating a bit but, great climate changes lead to great changes in growing patterns
   

                     Some of this stuff needs to be repeated to sink in. From the thaws and melts in our north come massive emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases, and also a variety of microorganisms. These emissions lead to other changes. 

    

                    Metals are being released, among them, mercury. Mercury is toxic, causes brain damage and it accumulates in human bodies as well as in fish, fowl, cattle, etc. Mercury accumulates in seaweed I'm told. We use a seaweed product to make ice-cream.  So, one way we may help our children is to take away their ice-cream.
    

                    Sorry, but stuff is happening and more shit is coming. Its a good thing that we can learn, We have a lot of learning to do. We still have the job of taking care of ourselves and our children. There are not only massive emissions of CO2 and methane already here, but ancient and new sources of disease are also being released. And we are still having trouble protecting ourselves from one weak little c19 virus.
     

                    Frozen fungi, spore, bacteria, and virus are being released from 500 years ago, 1,000 years ago, 10,000 years ago, 20,000 years, 30, 40, an 50 thousand years of frozen sleep! Many are reviving. Some have been revived. Most are of little danger to us even when they are very live. Some are of value to humanity. Some others would sicken and kill us. Where did C19 come from. Weak little bugger.
   

                     Researchers have revived one virus which had been frozen for more than 30,000 years. It was reactivated, revived right before their eyes. It is one, it seems, which does us no harm.
     

                    There are things we can do to protect ourselves and our children. You can think of a thing or two yourself. With friends and neighbors, more. With the help of students of the problems and of scientists, even more. With cooperation we can do a lot. We can organize, We can handle these dangerous changes. Trying seems a lot better than calling one another names.
    

                    Some few persons began to do what they can some years ago. They have been doing what they can to protect themselves and others. Some have been collecting and saving seeds and storing them in 'safe'' places. Crops that were once grown on one continent may no longer grow there. That's a big change which can cause massive movements of people and crops. Some people will find it useful to have seeds which will grow where they are. One of the largest and most famous of these 'safe' sites for seeds came to be called the Doomsday Vault. That vault for preserving seed has been invaded by melt water. Melting is proceeding faster than anticipated.
         

                    Change continues at a faster rate then we have been accustomed to.
    

                    Bacteria dormant for many centuries and trapped in permafrost and ice are reviving with warming and melting, and thawing. This release is happening much more rapidly than we were prepared for. Time to get busy.
    Some good things may happen automatically. Perhaps one of the few bacteria that can be deadly to humans will kill enough of us so that we will no longer feel the need to kill so many of one another as we have for so long.
    We know that vectors for anthrax, smallpox, Spanish flu have long been trapped in ice and permafrost. And now that some are reviving. Might we be able to learn something from our public health expert that we can use to help one another.
    We were once accustomed to cooperate to protect one another. I bet that there are some truly helpful things we can do. We could try killing fewer foreign health experts. I'm willing to try.
     Recently history seems to be catching up with us. A couple of years ago a 30,000 year old non dangerous virus revived. An 8 million year old virus is said to have revived. A giant virus has revived. Potentially dangerous virus are reviving. Recent studies suggest that antibiotic resistant bacteria many millions of years old are reviving. Holy Moly!
    It might be good to start some conversation about practical doings for interested parties to take up. We could ask experts what's what. We can get ourselves taught. We could try to arrange to cooperate to live.
    Do you think that this has been less than a pile of words. Check it out for veracity. If you don't know how to check it out, this might be the time to learn.

                    Some blame for our state of affairs may correctly be placed on us, but a large number of good scientists suggest some causes are universal or, at least, solar systemic. The speak of slow and not so slow shifts, wobbles and such, of our Earth's axis have been causing changes in the Earth's climate since long before Noah and to this day.Right now the best of them are saying that it is clear that such axial tipping has led to warming of our northern hemisphere, because we are being tipped so as to get more sunshine here. Others say the results may be complicated by other factors. That's probably not the fault of anyone we know.

Still, if we want to be comfy here on Earth we need to make some adjustments in our lives.

                    I suggest that it would be useful for more of us to continue checking this stuff out. We can learn how to do so.

                    We know that one thing leads to another. There is now a rapid release of antique methane gas from arctic and subarctic melts and thaws, and that leads to other changes. As an example methane gas has a stronger greenhouse effect than does co2. An interesting side effect is that the melts and more specifically the thaws lead to the release of reviving ancient virus.

                    So melting arctic ice causes a number of threats to humanity. I also means that Canada and Russia are getting some new sea trade routes.

                    It is healthy for us and our youth to keep up on that which is going on with a bit more understanding of what it means for our well being. It pays for us and ours to be aware of our situation so as to be more ready to adapt.

                    I have probably already said that permfrost is no longer permanent and is made up mostly of frozen soil and plant matter which has been frozen deep into the earth and even deep into the earth below the sea. That matter releases microbes, methane, co2 and more, most of which has deleterious effects on us. The permafrost seemed so permanent that constructed buildings and airports on it. It is now quickly changing from cement like ice to slush and the remains of  ages.

                    We have a lot to learn. Many of us are just hearing about  the nature of co2 and methane. You can tell us what you are learning by using the "comments" app below.   

                    Methane can catch on fire with no help from us. That fire releases co2 which leads to climate warming. That will be good to know when another Ice Age begins. We have come to know co2 as a greenhouse gas which causes warming of the Earth which causes the melting of polar ice leading to a rise in sea level and the release of methane,etc.

                    Of course burning causes the release of other stuff too. Stuff like soot which is damaging to lungs. Black soot also lands on white snow and frost. being dark it absorbs heat from the sun and so transmits heat to snow and ice melting it; that melting has is own effects and around we go.

                    There is probably a way to capture some of the released methane. We can use it for cooking and heating, but that releases co2. Methane is the main portion of the natural gas we use in our homes. We know it as a colorless suffocating gas. The percentage of methane in our atmosphere is increasing. I do not think that our sky will burn, but I do remember that what we called swamp gas is methane and it caused mysterious fires in swamps.

                    I hope our youth will have time to learn more chemistry than we did. There is a lot to learn. Much of it good and interesting. We could do some learning on our own. This new world may be a tough place for a old man and not easy for an older woman either.

                    There is a lot to learn just about melting and thawing. Polar ice in contact with sa water is melting and releasing ancient matter faster than ever.

Just the addition of so much fresh water so quickly causes problems for sea life and even so changes the flow of sea water so much that it causes other climate changes. The matter released includes mercury. Mercury accumulates in plants and animals doing them harm.We eat sea life. Top feeders like humans can get harmed a lot. We can find out what to do about that.

                    Not very long ago, I learned that in shallow seas and in some not so shallow, that there is soil, plant matter, and more which has frozen deeply into the earth at the bottom of the sea. It is subsea permafrost and it is melting, quickly. It has been frozen long and long. That melting permafrost is releasing methane and much else. I don't think the sea will burn, but the gas might as it bubbles to the surface.Among other things being released are co2, virus, bacteria fungus, and heavy metals like mercury. Ancient life is reviving. 

                    The sun shines east and the sun shines west. The sun shines best on that part of the Earth tipped or turned moat toward it. That seems to be us in our northern hemisphere. Although here in the Colombian highlands the sun does shine but its often cold and rainy. All the Earth's climate is affected by our changing relationship with the Sun, bit each part a bit differently. Over time the orientation of the Earth changes; sometimes slowly at other times not so slowly. The tip we are experiencing is one more extreme for a long time. Lucky us. We are having a learning experience.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

     

 

We Can Work

 Let us work with testing and tracking.

Put us to work with testing and tracking.

Testing and tracking. Testing and tracking.

TESTING & TRACKING! 

What ought to be done with the testing and tracking info? Shouldn't we have that in mind before the next plague?

RCS

A Democtactic Meeting

RCS Posts governance including: all democracy is participatory and look at a political meeting.

     

                Below find hints on how to recognize a democratic meeting. Its okay to some more about participate in one.

                As you look them over you may find it useful to keep in mind that all democracy is participatory. Each democratic meeting ought to be a powerful learning experience for one who has eyes used to see and ears used to hear. You may find that you are learning some rules that generally make meetings more effective for most participants.

Other happenings at a meeting, democratic or not:

~ Politics may be being practiced.

~ Some may be consciously practicing dialogue skills, methods, and techniques.

~ Some are finding that their respect and courtesy are good for them and theirs. 

~ Others may be increasing their understanding of the vocabulary of the business at hand.

OK, on to the hints.

A meeting is likely to be democratic when it is:

~ of, by, and for its participants.

~ as free as possible from outside powers.

~ autonomous.

~ held in a safe place. An attribute of a safe place is that it is neutral.

~ designed and redesigned to meet the needs of participants.

~ better when participants realize that it is an important listening experience.

~ designed to enhance the equality of participants, each and every participant.

~ better when leadership roles are kept to a minimum and are of wide participation. Take turns.

~ a "teach-in" and a learning experience. A chance to learn the nature of another's point of view. 

~ often a time more for understanding and less for decisions.

~ less authoritarian and hierarchical and more horizontal, and egalitarian.

~ a time for thinking together.

~ a time when your your comments and communications are best addressed to the group as a whole.

~ time to practice good manners and honesty. 

~ an opportunity to observe the nature of the effectiveness of participatory democracy.

            These hints are not about an arrival, but rather about an intended direction.

            We have more to learn.

RCS

Lebanon: Not Blown Away

RCS Posts history:

                    A look at Lebanon. Long a seat of world culture has passed through enormous changes and is now nearer than every to being blown away.

                    Divided, dominated, and blown up. Is that a way to describe Lebanon? Is that what we know of this Mediterranean country?

                    Lebanese are the people of Lebanon. The Lebanese deserve to be honored for who they have and for who they are. They merit our moral support for the building the nation they can be on the world stage and for the beauty and goodness they may provide us.They can also be profitable people with whom to do business.

                This tiny and durable country has a history of contributions to our world. Its people have been for their cosmopolitan diversity of culture, including religion. They are a modern republic and the smallest recognized sovereign state on the mainland of of the Asian continent. And I thought it was in North Africa. I have much to learn.

                    There is strong evidence of a rich, well developed culture going back to 6,000 BC. More recently Lebanon was a seat of Phoenician culture. That maritime culture was active there from about 3,200 BC to539 BC and shared that culture from Lebanon, around the Mediterranean, and beyond the Pillars of Hercules to as far as Ireland. In 64 BC, the region of Lebanon came under the rule of the Roman Empire, where it became a leading center of Christianity.

                    Mount Lebanon was home to the early Maronite Christian Church and maintained its identity through the Arab conquest. The Druze took over the Maronite homeland. The Druz are, to this day, a small but important presence in Lebanon. Druze are considered to be an Abrahamic religion which is neither Muslim nor Jew; not Christian either. Maronite Catholics and the Druze are considered by many to be the founders of modern Lebanon. Druze are only about 6% of the population today and are not Jew, Christian or Muslim. Still they may be more important to their country then their number suggests.

                    Lebanon was conquered by Ottoman Turks in the 1600th century and remained under their dominion for 400 years. At the end of WWI, they came under the French Mandates. Under that mandate, Lebanon grew a bit but it did not grow more united.

                    From 1975 to 1990 there was a bloody civil war in Lebanon, which led to the country being occupied by Syria and Israel.

                    Despite all the divisions and dominations, this 4,000 sq mi republic lives. There has never been a republic like it. It is accepted within international law as a “unitary, parliamentary, multi-confessionalist republic.” It seems that “multi-confessionalist” refers to the countries acceptance of many religions, but that is not completely correct.

                    Others have called Lebanon “a parliamentary, democratic, republic,” but add “within the overall framework of confessionalism.” This is beginning to look like a discussion in political philosophy! It seems that “confessionalism is a form of consociationalism in which the highest offices are proportionally reserved for representatives of certain religious communities. “Confessionalism, it appears, is a mix of politics and religion which usually entails distributing political and institutional power proportionately among confessional communities. We begin to get the picture. “Constitutionalism” is a form of power sharing sharing in a democracy. The goals of consociationalism are: stable government, the survival of democracy, and the avoidance of violence. Seems “tough row to hoe.” It has worked.

                    Lebanese are respected in Europe, the Arab world, and around the world for their culture and there continued existence as a nation. Lebanon has also been known for its large and influential diaspora. When it has had less need to struggle against foreign intervention, it has promptly become a stable financial power. It has profited from tourism and had busy agricultural production. Its people would appreciate the opportunity to do more. Left to guide itself it came to rank high on the U.N. human development index. It was a founding member of our United Nations.

                    I like to look at the depth of our cultures. Lebanon has been around for a long time. It is mentioned in written history from about, at least, 5,600 BP. It is mentioned in Sumerian tablets and in the Epic of Gilgamesh. It was the center of the Canaanite City States. Byblos kept records of dealings with Lebanon. The Bible contains references to to Canaan Lebanon. This little country can be called a source of cultural influence on Greek, Jew, and Phoenician, and to much of Western culture as well. And, as I am beginning to understand, a home for the Christian, Muslim, Druze, and more.

                    I have mentioned that the capital city of Lebanon is Beirut, haven’t I? When France was a diplomatic center of the world and the people of Paris were called the most cosmopolitan, those people of Paris call the people of Beirut cosmopolitan.

                    I know we can let Lebanon be, if we will. Maybe there is even an approriate way we could be supportive.

 

                                                                                                                RCS

Boulder Dam Memories

 RCS Posts history: Memories of an early visit to the great Hoover Dam in the desert.

            They begin with times during WWII. You may know WWII as The Second World War. I knew it as The War. But this is not exactly about that war.

            My father was driving us around the U.S. Southwest. It was a big deal, with gas, oil, tires, and tubes being rationed as a part of the war effort. That brings back a lot of memories. Many things were rationed and lines to get them were long. We stood in lines for meat butter, and nylons. My father may have been combining touring with looking into new work. However, I will try to stick with the "Boulder Dam" story.

            Soon we were at that new dam and parked right on it. Then we were going down on an elevator to below water level. I was wide eyed, looking, and listening, perhaps with my heart beating faster than usual. On the elevator were some workmen who were still working on the dam. My father was talking with them. I think they were talking more about the war, the depression, and the president, than about the dam. For the times, a great dam.

            We saw some plaques telling about the great Hoover Dam, the great desert lake that it formed and the electricity that it was providing. The workmen on the elevator were telling my my father that they called the dam Boulder Dam, in part because of the great boulders moved while building it. But mostly the did not like to call it Hoover Dam, because Hoover had been such a bad president that he didn't deserve to have the dam named after him. They did not want the dam to be named after him.

            President Hoover had been of the Republican party. The President at the time was FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, of the Democratic Party. Most people liked President Roosevelt and so did the workmen. Both parties were different then from now. FDR is the first president of which I have living memories. I am back in memories of more than 70 years ago, damn.

            I have just looked at an old newspaper online. It was dared March 4th 1929 and in it I read "Herbert Clark Hoover is inaugurated as President of the United States." A bit father along it goes on. "He announces tht the government should assist and encourage these movements of of collective self-help." That announcement makes me think that he may deserve to have the dam named after him. 

            I do not remember those "movements of collective self help." They were before my time. Still, they have a pleasant ring to them.

            But, I acknowledge that I have liked the name Boulder Dam since that family visit there.

            FDR was our president then and he was OK.

            President Hoover may have died in 1964, I think. If so he live long and prospered. The year 1964 felt like a turning point in US history. The country felt different after that, especially the politics. About that time everyone seemed to have begun to use the word "them" when speaking of the government. Before then I remembered everyone using "us" and "we" when speaking of the government. We didn't say "the government" we said "our government."

            Anyway President Hoover was a Progressive Republican and raised a Quaker. All to the good. He was interested in getting rid of inefficiency in business and government. Sounds good to me. He was president  as our country fell into economic depression. Tough on him and nearly everyone else. He lost some points and votes because he supported the unpopular Prohibition of the drinking of alcohol.

            Hoover Dam was part of a good public works program designed as a practical method to get wealth flowing and put people to work. The dam is still a useful part of our national infrastructure. Hoover deserves some credit for that program.

            I might find incentive to write about FDR later.

            Writing this little piece has brought many memories to me. I remembered much of the dramatic beauty of the American Southwest, our awareness of economics and politics, the World War, the high hopes, the memories of a child

            We have a lot to learn as we continue to interpret the doings and happenings of our not so distant past. We will need all of our experience, good sense, and cooperative skills as we move into our future. 

            Thank you to those who use our comment section.

            How far back do your early memories go? The 1990s? The 80s, '70s? "60s? Tell us a bit? 

            I appreciate your visit and reading.

            RCS