How America can Win the 21st century - "Better Times Ahead"...

                                          Photo: Michael Fjetland, Beijing, China 1982
                                          Representing Fortune 500 company selling
                                          Pollution Control Equipment for Coal Power Plants
WINDY outside.

Putting Finishing Touches on the Illustrated, Updated "Better Times Ahead" - adding photos. Pictures are so vital, especially when you are time tripping globally over a 30 year span. Unless you have been there, its just wizard of Oz without the pictures.

With the timeline photos, which I took (not from stock) you can see how far China has come versus us in the last 30 years - and India. These two will be America's primary competitors in the 21st century. I was shocked when I went back to China in 2012 and saw the dynamic changes over 30 years.

My "Better Times Ahead" 2nd Edition will show you how we compare to them in this key area - TODAY.

I plan to send it out for HTML markup on Monday, then as soon as it comes back it will be uploaded as the "2.0"  -- which is ALWAYS better than 1.0 right? And 3.0 is even better. It's like Henry Ford went from the Model A to the Lincoln. A book with timeline photos is like a Lincoln.

The final chapter "Agenda for American Greatness" is also being updated, Post-Election. It describes FACTS (not ideology) on HOW we got into this mess AND it will also FOCUS on SOLUTIONS for America in this inescapable, high tech space age global economy....

... how do we get our mojo back after our inheritance was blown by the prior administration which run up Trillions in debt after being left a $350 Billion surplus by the Clinton administration? How do we win the future when the current Congress seems more intent on repeating FDR's Austerity Mistake of 1937 than preparing Americans with the knowledge and skills to win the global economy. They can't even see that Europe's Austerity programs have shrunk their economies, while the USA economy has grown under President Obama's stimulus, Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy initiatives to mention a few.

And how we fix it when our competitors workers have greater skills than American workers and our multinational companies have no loyalty to their native country?

But its not a policy paper - it is still an adventure story with some funny moments. Its a story about more than one failure as well as success. Much of it comes from old journals in distant lands, and here at home.

The new "Better Times Ahead" speaks truth to power and tells people what they need to hear -- not want they want to hear. Politicians are the ones who tell you want to want to hear. Since I've never been elected I can be honest and tell you the truth - after doing everything from tax research to international child kidnapping cases in nearly 50 countries the past three decades.

Anyone worried about losing a job or who has been laid off should read it to discover that even disaster can lead to a richer tomorrow. Even losing everything, as I did, was not the end of the world. In the end it lead to unimaginable paths less traveled -- and a prosperous new life. It speaks to re-invention, which pertains to countries in a pickle as well as people.

Click "Follow' if you want to know release date of 2nd Edition "Better Times Ahead: April Fool" 

Global American Values-- INSIGHTS for ordinary Americans into world events that impact America (and vice versa)...

http://globalamericanvalues.blogspot.com/

On Drones and Osama bin laden's Son-in-law

 On Drones and Osama bin laden's Son-in-law two things should be CLEAR to Americans about our rights.

After the filibuster by Sen. Rand Paul and the clarification letter from the Attorney General, it should be CLEAR - that (1) no drone gets to kill (2) an American (3) on American soil. Now if we are skinny dipping in Mexico with guys who want to blow up something American, that's different.

Under our Constitution we are entitled to an arrest if accused of a crime and a trial decided on facts beyond a reasonable doubt.

Regarding Osama bin laden's son, who was just picked up by American intelligence in Jordan after he left Iran on a fake passport, another thing is CLEAR -

The American court system works, even for the son-in-law of the man killed by American Seal Team 6 under a Presidential order!  Our civil court system is faster and more efficient than a secret military tribunal, which drag on forever and are notoriously slow.

Osama's son-in-law and his followers should see what the transparent, open, American legal system looks like - with our citizen jurors. It is not a five minute hearing and then a hand gets cut off or a person gets stoned to death.

The American legal system is still a shining jewel in a world of fake jewelry. I have seen legal systems worldwide, including many corrupt and malfunctioning legal systems.  Let the world -- especially those in the Middle East --see our normal legal system at work. Let them see its not rule by man that counts but rule by law that is our strength. Leaders come and go but the law is the foundation.

I have no doubt that American justice will be served by American jurors in an open court of record. American don't need to stoop to secret trials and torture like our enemies to  generate justice. Only in America can we spend weeks listening to sex and murder tales like the never-ending Jodi Arias trial. Meanwhile the murderer Oscar Pistorius in South Africa walked free waiting for a June trial date.

In either case, Courts rule, not bombers and terrorists... 

European Weather Model Beating American Model - Why?

8 March 2013
Global American Series

NBC just did a story with Al Roker on how the European Weather model lately has
been correct time after time while the American model has missed the forecast
completely - potentially putting peoples' lives in danger and being unreliable
compared to the competing European model.

WHY is this happening? Just "Luck" on the part of the Europeans? No. It's worse
than that.

For example, during Hurricane Sandy, the American weather model showed Sandy
going harmlessly out to sea in the Atlantic. However, the European model showed
that it would take a sharp left hook - as it did - and hit the Jersey Shore,
etc.

That failure by the American model jeopardized the lives of millions of people
on the eastern shore, who had less time to flee and prepare if they followed our
own model instead of checking out the competition.

The big storm that just hit Washington DC was predicted by the American model to
be snow. The European model said it would be rain. It rained. The Europeans know
something we should know. That's never a good thing for Americans and our
economic leadership in this high tech world.

Why is America falling behind in weather technology and forecasting?

It's because during the 80's and 90's the Europeans invested heavily into
weather technology upgrades. America did NOT. The Europeans spent ten times
what America did - so now their weather models are correct. And ours are wrong.

That should not be happening.

Belatedly, America has started investing into weather technology under President
Obama, but it is not enough. We are really late to the party and Congress seems
determined not to invest in any technology we need to lead the 21st century -
despite our falling behind China in 7 key 21st Century technologies (which I
describe in my book update coming in "Better Times Ahead: April Fool.")

America must upgrade our technology and education to catch up --not just with
the Europeans but our rapidly growing Asian competitors, China and India.
Americans will have to do even more to regain our "mojo" to be the world's best
we were for decades and should be.

Our past leaders and Congress failed to invest to keep America No. 1. President
Obama has been trying to change that to invest in areas like Clean Energy,
education and retraining that are vital in America's future, and described in
"Agenda for American Greatness."

China will have a brand new space station in 2020 when ours is due for
retirement.

During the Great Depression, FDR made the austerity mistake in 1937. In 1936
America was clawing its way back from the Great Depression due to FDR's big
investment to get people working on projects like dams, roads, bridges, etc.
But he panicked at the cost and the debt being built up, so in 1937 they decided
to try to "balance the budget." That act of austerity threw the economy back
into a deep recession --which didn't end until WWII provided the government
spendig stimulus that we had not done until then.The technology gains fueled our
industry base and global leadership for a generation. We need to do that again.

Because now, when the weather is uncertain -- and the American and European
models give different projections -- go with the European model!!!

We will suffer the consequences of being second rate until our Congress decides
to invest to make us No. 1 in all key modern technologies we need to compete
globally.

I choose the America that is second to none, even when forecasting whether to
wear snow shoes or duck a hurricane…

Michael Fjetland

Global American Series
Blog link (comment or follow)
http://globalamericanvalues.blogspot.com/2013/03/european-weather-model-beating-\
american.html

Tribute to International Womens' Day at the link:
http://globalamericanvalues.blogspot.com/2013/03/international-womens-day-2013-s\
tatus-of.html

Sponsored by Armor Glass International, Inc.
www.ArmorGlass.com
Just finished a DEA office in Houston. School and houses next week...

European Weather Model Beating American Model - Why?

NBC just did a story with Al Roker on how the European Weather model lately has been correct time after time while the American model has missed the forecast completely - potentially putting peoples' lives in danger and being unreliable compared to the competing European model.

WHY is this happening? Just "Luck" on the part of the Europeans? No. It's worse than that.

For example, during Hurricane Sandy, the American weather model showed Sandy going harmlessly out to sea in the Atlantic. However, the European model showed that it would take a sharp left hook - as it did - and hit the Jersey Shore, etc.  

That failure by the American model jeopardized the lives of millions of people on the eastern shore, who had less time to flee and prepare if they followed our own model instead of checking out the competition.

The big storm that just hit Washington DC was predicted by the American model to be snow. The European model said it would be rain. It rained. The Europeans know something we should know. That's never a good thing for Americans and our economic leadership in this high tech world.

Why is America falling behind in weather technology and forecasting?

It's because during the 80's and 90's the Europeans invested heavily into weather technology upgrades.  America did NOT. The Europeans spent ten times what America did - so now their weather models are correct.  And ours are wrong. 

That should not be happening.

Belatedly, America has started investing into weather technology under President Obama, but it is not enough. We are really late to the party and Congress seems determined not to invest in any technology we need to lead the 21st century - despite our falling behind China in 7 key 21st Century technologies (which I describe in my book update coming in “Better Times Ahead: April Fool.”)

America must upgrade our technology and education to catch up --not just with the Europeans but our rapidly growing Asian competitors, China and India. Americans will have to do even more to regain our "mojo" to be the world's best we were for decades and should be.

Our past leaders and Congress failed to invest to keep America No. 1. President Obama has been trying to change that to invest in areas like Clean Energy, education and retraining that are vital in America's future, and described in "Agenda for American Greatness."

China will have a brand new space station in 2020 when ours is due for retirement.

During the Great Depression, FDR made the austerity mistake in 1937. In 1936 America was clawing its way back from the Great Depression due to FDR's big investment to get people working on projects like dams, roads, bridges,  etc. But he panicked at the cost and the debt being built up, so in 1937 they decided to try to "balance the budget."  That act of austerity threw the economy back into a deep recession --which didn't end until WWII provided the government spendig stimulus that we had not done until then.The technology gains fueled our industry base and global leadership for a generation. We need to do that again.

Because now, when the weather is uncertain -- and the American and European models give different projections -- go with the European model!!! 

We will suffer the consequences of being second rate until our Congress decides to invest to make us No. 1 in all key modern technologies we need to compete globally.

I choose the America that is second to none, even when forecasting whether to wear snow shoes or duck a hurricane…

Michael Fjetland

Global American Series

International Womens Day 2013 - Status of Women in the World

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says "Women Hold Up Half the Sky."

Today is International Womens' Day 2013 - what is the status of  the female half of the sky in the world today? Here is my take as someone who has seen the state of women in nearly 50 countries the last three decades.

Here are some FACTS:

Literacy:  "There are nearly one billion people in the world who are illiterate, one-fifth of the world's population. In spite of the fact that most development agencies identify women's literacy as the single most important factor in development, one out of every three women in the world cannot read and write..." (Source)
http://www.globaled.org/curriculum/wlit.html

Yet in the United States, women are now a MAJORITY of college students and are getting more advanced degrees than men. Yet they are still being paid about 77% of men for doing the same job.

In 2013 it might as well be the days of Viking raiders raping and pillaging but its worse than that. It is the local men who have been swarming women on buses in place like India and Egypt and attacked them even when they have a male companion. Women are still incredibly abused in all countries worldwide. Rape is epidemic from Albania, to India to Zimbabwe --even in our own military installations.

It is estimated 1/3 of women in our U.S. military have been raped --by fellow soldiers. Even military recruiters and Air Force trainers at places like  Lackland AFB have forced women into sex without their consent. That takes a real jerk with no respect for others to do such a thing.

In Egypt, a new "democracy" and India, the largest democracy in the world which has had women like Indira Gandhi as leader -- women are routinely attacked in public by large groups of men, raped and even killed as a result. It seems to be getting worse, not better, both in the U.S. and worldwide.

In Afghanistan we all know that women can be killed for attending school and girls' schools are still attacked by Taliban.

But attacks on women, or the tendency to treat them as second class citizens is not confined to any one religion or culture. The ultra-orthodox in Israel are now insisting women walk on certain sides of the street and sit separately from men on buses.

Not that the west is any better. In the U.S. women are still not allowed to be Priests or even Ministers in most religions, although there have been inroads in some of the more progressive churches (e.g. the Episcopalians allow women to serve as head of a church. I've had the honor of meeting some of the first trailblazers).

Instead, we have sign a disturbing number of sex scandals by male Priests and Ministers involving minors.

Today we also have "pro life" groups in the west who rail against "government intrusion" yet require women who face the difficult choice of an abortion to have a transvaginal probe inserted inside them against their will. Why? Because men wanted  to show the women images of what is inside them.

It should be noted that none of the men who voted for the legislation have NOT been required to have probes inserted inside their private parts. This is an area ripe for equal opportunity!  Time to reap what they sow.

Yet once the baby is born the same men from the same party readily denies them food stamps to feed those babies, refuses to provide them health insurance, a living minimum wage or equal education opportunities. In Texas over 1 in 4 people are without health insurance - the highest number of uninsured in America.


The good news is that "Empowerment cuts Abuse." It has been shown in numerous countries that empowering women cuts the abuse they were subject to. Educating women raises the entire country's standard of living. Women pass learning on to their children and with an education they earn more money, benefiting the economy. In other words, it is a win-win to advance women's health and education.

America has not yet had a women President, but it has now had three dynamic women Secretaries of State - Madeleine Albright, Condi Rice and Hillary Clinton. Each of them, Democrat and Republican, made equality and advancement of women worldwide a core priority for these reasons. Women of both parties understand the same things that few men before them did. Few men know the sting of inequality based on gender. Women from all countries share a bond because they have had the same experiences.

To his credit, newly minted Secretary of State John Kerry who said "he has big heels to fill" has stated that he intends to continue the work of these American women pioneers to help women globally. No young girl should be shot in the head by a Taliban simply because she wanted to go to school.

Americans believe in justice and equality. Until women everywhere are paid the same for equal work, until women are free from rape at work or on the street, and until women have the same education opportunities as men, the world will remain a lesser place than it could be.

We have a ways to go before American justice and equality is available for all, including the women who hold up half the sky.  Make your voice heard by your State and Federal representatives on this special day.

Until we have equality for all there is justice for none.

If you agree, please share..."follow" for updates.

Next Big Terror Threat - Right Wing Militia's in USA

During 9/11 and for a couple years after, I was a TV Terrorism expert for a Houston TV station. Some of those videos are on YouTube, dating back to my first appearance as a Middle East expert during the first Gulf War in 1991.

Today, it appears that our biggest terror threat is not from Al Qaida - but more likely from an extremist right wing militia right here in the USA as discussed in this article.

Why do I think so? Because since the election of a black President these groups have mushroomed - to the point of being very much like the situation when President Clinton was in office.  Al Qaida members can't get here without a visa. Despite there being millions of Muslims in the U.S. we have not had any significant terror attacks.

However, right wing groups have both the extremism and access to weapons and bomb making material to launch an attack, possibly against a government entity.

Add to that volatile mix a recession and he gun control issues that have emerged from the Sandy Hook shooting.

Stay tuned. As Pogo once said: "We have met the enemy and he is us."

Or more accurately: "we have met the enemy and he is our neighbor with a gun and a grudge." With Fox News inventing outlandish stories and the Internet feeding even more hysteria, sooner or later some American nut who wants to "take back America" will act out.  They want to take us back to the dark ages, of racism and violence.

 It's a matter of time...and if it does Fox News will have blood on its hands for feeding the flames.

ARGO - Ties in to "Better Times Ahead" My Argo Near Miss

I just saw ARGO - about the Iran hostages that the CIA and Canadians helped get out of Iran after the revolution...

It ties right in to my book! I was supposed to be working for Brown & Root on the Chabahar Naval base in Iran (on the Persian Gulf)...I could have been put on a barge and pushed into the Persian Gulf instead of being at the Nile Hilton donating my room for the first ever Mideast peace treaty between Israel and an Arab country.

Chabahar Naval Base is to the right of my finger giving Saddam the finger in 1991 (first Gulf War)...


Fine tuning the final version. It should be done in a few days - then to HTML markup for uploading to Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Apple....price is going up from the current edition (warning!) But it is so much better with photos to visualize the journal entries - then showing what the same places look like TODAY 30 years later - and how they are now passing us by while our idiots in Congress don't even know since most have never been out of Small Town USA to have a clue...

Tags will be huge, from Obama to Bush, Reagan, Friedman, Pistorius, West Texas dust storms, Iowa farm houses, international criminals from Africa operating in Europe, a look at Syria during an international child kidnapping case, seeing Egypt before it turned into a Muslim Brotherhood anti-woman Theocracy - while American representatives are doing the same thing by trying to turn public schools into religious extremism of our own by teaching "creationism" in states like Louisiana instead of real science, etc...."

final chapter "Agenda for American Greatness" is about winning the future and how we fix our broken political system...

Stay tuned...Follow or subscribe if you want notice of updates.