Nathan Taylor

Pope Benedict XVI Makes His Mark!

By nathantaylor | April 22, 2008

I was reminded this weekend when I saw the extraordinary mass held in Yankee Stadium just how remarkable the Pope of the Catholic Church really is. It wasn’t long ago when I heard of the death of Pope John Paul II, that I felt a sense of loss. Pope John Paul had been such a fixture in international and American politics. His humanitarian efforts, leadership and contagious personality made him a world icon. When John Paul’s passing was being broadcast on national television, and the selection process for a new Pope began, I remember being on the phone with a friend of mine. I knew that the next Pope had big shoes to fill and wondered if whomever was selected could measure up to all that Pope John Paul did for the Catholic Church.So today we have Pope Benedict XVI, who many of us didn’t really know until his recent historic visit to the United States. From the moment Pope Benedict stepped of the plane and was greeted by the President (whom never greets visitors directly at the airport upon their arrival) I knew this visit would bring much needed answers about this important man. To say that Pope Benedict is a courageous and brave man would be a serious understatement.

Offering his prayers and condemning past acts by former priests let everyone know that this Pope was ringing in a new era for the Catholic Church. This Pope wants more than anything to have the Catholic Church lead the way in spreading goodwill. Listening to all the Pope had to say during his visit let me know that the Catholic Church was moving on; in a positive and influential manner. To say that I was inspired by his words and impressive travel and event schedule is an understatement. This Pope made the most of his visit to America and left a footprint for many of us to follow.

Is this Pope living up to the standard set by John Paul? Pope Benedict XVI is his own man and brings his own style to the job. His energy and enthusiasm for spreading the gospel is impressive by anyone’s standard. With only 3 years on the job, I can honestly say that we haven’t even begun to see the influence this Pope is going to have on the world.

I’ll leave you with some of the parting words of Pope Benedict the XVI:

April 20, 2008

“My visit this morning to Ground Zero will remain firmly etched in my memory, as I continue to pray for those who died and for all who suffer in consequence of the tragedy that occurred there in 2001. For all the people of America, and indeed throughout the world, I pray that the future will bring increased fraternity and solidarity, a growth in mutual respect, and a renewed trust and confidence in God, our heavenly Father.With these words, I take my leave, I ask you to remember me in your prayers, while I assure you of my love and friendship in the Lord. God bless America!”

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What is Really Wrong with the U.S. Economy

By nathantaylor | April 16, 2008

These days you can’t turn on the television without hearing the pundits talking about the state of our economy. As we all know, it’s not in very good shape and the reasons for its current demise are widely varied. The majority of news contributors are searching for someone to blame and everybody has a finger pointing somewhere.

I have given the issue of our economy some serious thought, and believe that most of what we are hearing on the news is dead wrong. While it serves a purpose for news organizations to find someone at fault for all our economic woes, it doesn’t serve the greater good of the American people. The economic indicators tell us a lot about what is happening in our economy, but I have simplified those indicators into easier to understand humanistic cause and effect argument.
First, I have to start by mentioning that the United States Congress continues to spend money like its water, with no regard for the well being of the American people. Pork barrel spending, pet projects and the continued use of legislative riders have contributed to an out of control national debt. Unfortunately, I don’t have much confidence that the practices of our legislative branch will change anytime soon, so I won’t even entertain explaining the solutions to this cancer.

As we all know, America’s mortgage crisis has proved to be one of the worst examples of a negative economic ripple effect. The cost of predatory lending has found its way into the real estate market, construction industry, and manufacturing. Time will only tell, but I have a feeling we haven’t seen the total effect of the mortgage crisis on the U.S. economy. To make it simple, it is pure unadulterated greed that led to the fall of our mortgage industry. From the lenders, to investment firms, everyone wanted a piece of the mortgage pie. This led to huge losses on Wall Street, mass layoffs by major corporations, the tightening of credit markets, and now with the advent of high food prices and high gas prices; America is getting the big squeeze.

All of this culminates during an election year, when corporate spending and consumer spending is typically lower. Due to the current political climate, I don’t anticipate much movement in either direction until after the Presidential election is over. Perhaps, we won’t see any positive movement until the start of 2009. The fact remains that the full effects of the mortgage crisis won’t reach its pinnacle until the end of this summer. With that in mind and a historic election facing us in the fall, this all culminates into what I call the perfect economic storm. While I believe there is light at the end of the tunnel, the tunnel appears to be very long, very dark and extremely curvy.

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What Is Wrong With Home-Schooling?

By nathantaylor | March 30, 2008

If you haven’t heard, a high court in the State of California has ruled that parents who home-school their children are violating the law. The court stated that parents must have their kids enrolled in public schools until they are 18 years of age. As you can imagine, this has angered parents, politicians, and conservative advocates.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported on March 8, 2008, that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger adamantly disagreed with the courts ruling. “Every California child deserves a quality education, and parents should have the right to decide what’s best for their children,” said Governor Schwarzenegger.

I say amen to that and commend the Governor for taking such a strong stance in support of parents. In this day of increased regulation, taxation and continued government intrusion into our personal lives, this one really tops the lot! When the government starts telling us how to raise our children, it is a clear sign that we have an out of control institution. I was speaking with a mother today who explained to me that exposing her children to some of the ills of the public school system was not what she wanted for her children. This is very understandable in a day and age when shootings, knifings, and physical attacks at schools are at an all time high.

Is it any wonder that nationwide test scores continue to decline and the United States still ranks extremely low educationally when compared to Asian and European students. The Department of Education is a failed wing of our out of control bureaucracy that has no real plan to improve the education of our children. School districts across the country are under-funded, teachers are treated like second-rate babysitters, and accountability is a word reserved for the dictionary; not school administrators.

So my final analysis leads me to believe that those parents who wish to home-school their children are indeed doing them a great service. Not all teachers are bad and I commend those who choose to practice the profession-in fact, I myself had explored teaching and maybe someday I will. However, the world we live in today is one that presents challenges that our children shouldn’t have to face. If a parent chooses to not expose their children to many of the tribulations our society has to offer, we should support them, not condemn them.

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What is Tao Te Ching?

By nathantaylor | March 14, 2008

This was the question I asked myself when I was walking through the bookstore a few weeks ago. I stumbled across a few books with “Tao Te Ching in the title and just had to find out what it was. I grabbed a few books off the shelf and started skimming them to see if it would be something of interest. After a few pages I quickly realized that it was something I would truly be interested in learning more about.

I bought a book called “The Tao of Daily Life”, by Derek Lin. While there were about a half-dozen books that I wanted to get I settled on this one because it appeared to be an easy read. It’s a paperback, just over a few hundred pages long and has a personal touch. Mr. Lin takes the ancient teachings of the Tao and includes stories that we can relate to our daily lives.

The English translation of Tao Te Ching as referenced on wikipedia.org is, “The Scripture/Classic/Canon of the Way/Path and the Power/Virtue”. While there are a few other translations, the basic meaning is as referenced. Explaining the Tao would take a very long time and would be a long history lesson. The Tao is ancient Chinese history, and dates back many millennia. The Tao is extremely inspirational and teaches those who choose to understand it, how they can better understand life and their existence on earth.

I have often thought to myself, what am I doing here on this earth? What is my purpose in life and how can I be a better person? What steps can I take to deal with daily life in a more positive and effective manner? Well the Tao teaches these very things and Derek Lin helps to relate the Tao to our daily lives. This book is an inspirational piece of literature and truly draws the reader into the teachings.

It is my goal to apply some of the teachings in this book to my daily life. It’s philosophical in nature and like any self-help book takes time to apply the principles. Our daily habits and thoughts are not changed overnight, so if you read the book like I did and expect instant change in your behavior and attitude, that’s just not going to happen. I recommend using this book as a reference material, reading a passage or two every day to remind you of daily principles to apply throughout your day. I can assure you that if you choose to study the Tao, it will be rewarding, adventurous and fulfilling. If you’re just starting out buying a book on the Tao, I highly recommend starting out with Derek Lin’s, “The Tao of Daily Life”.

Nathan Taylor

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“Death to the Environment”

By nathantaylor | March 5, 2008

This was the term used today when I interviewed Cecil Garland “Death to the Environment”. Cecil is a rancher in Utah and has been featured in many articles over the years discussing the impact a large-scale water pipeline would have on rural Nevada communities. The Southern Nevada Water Authority is working to get final approval to build an over $2 billion dollar pipeline to deliver water from rural counties to the residents of Las Vegas, NV. It is no surprise that one of the world’s fastest growing cities that happens to sit in the desert is running short on water.

Las Vegas was never expected to grow to the size that it is today with well over 2 million residents. The region that Las Vegas sets in and surrounding areas as Cecil Garland says, “is the driest in the world”. “Desert growth cannot continue at this rate and the water issues impacting the area are on a collision course with the environment”, says Garland.

One of the most pressing issues to individuals like Cecil Garland is the effects this pipeline would have on local ranchers who rely on the desert lands and its water to irrigate their crops and feed their livestock. So what is the alternative to building a 250 mile $2 billion dollar public works project?

The alternative is using “Desalination Technology” that has been around since the early 1950’s. General Electric reports that, “The world’s water consumption rate is doubling every 20 years, outpacing by two times the rate of population growth. It is projected that by the year 2025 water demand will exceed supply by 56%, due to persistent regional droughts, shifting of the population to urban coastal cities, and water needed for industrial growth. The supply of fresh water is on the decrease. Water demand for food, industry and people is on the rise.”

So what does this all really mean? It means that there is a valid and substantive alternative to building this proposed pipeline. GE reports that oceans make up 97% of the worlds water supply. Having said that, with desalination technology we could in essence use this abundant source of water to sustain growing desert communities such as Las Vegas. The opponents of this technology as the Las Vegas Review Journal reported on February 9, 2008 say, “…It’s too complicated and expensive to address the communities needs in the short-term.” So the argument begins, what is the real cost to use desalination technology? We may not have this answer readily available to address the specific issues that face Southern Nevada. However, if explored we may find that the grass is greener on the other side.

One of Mr. Garland’s chief concerns is the environmental impact building this pipeline would have. My research tells me that the negative impacts on our environment, our ranchers and to future generations will be significant. I don’t see how you can build an 84-inch tube, run it downhill 250 miles and not have a negative impact on the environment. On top of that, taxpayers will be footing the bill to create absolute destruction of one of the most beautiful deserts in the world. If there is an alternative to building this pipeline and it costs a few more bucks, I think it’s worth it. If we can leave this place better than we found it for our children and future generations then we should do just that. If we can use desalination technology to help meet the water needs of Southern Nevada, I say lets use it. At the end of the day I favor a ballot initiative that allows voters to decide how they want to spend their tax dollars. $2 billion dollars is a lot of money any way you look at it-lets do the right thing.

Nathan Taylor

Topics: Nevada | 1 Comment »

Doctor May Have Infected Thousands

By nathantaylor | March 4, 2008

Let me give you a scenario whereas a healthy 40-year-old woman goes to the doctor to get what is to be a routine examination. However, this wasn’t your normal doctors office-this is an office that doesn’t use safe practices when it comes to their patients health. To continue the scenario, this young woman heads to another local clinic six months later to get her annual physical and during that exam she has her blood drawn. Days later she gets a phone call from the clinic informing her that she has the deadly HIV Virus. This woman is married and her husband is healthy, she doesn’t cheat on her husband and hasn’t had any blood transfusions. How in the world did she get HIV?

It pains me to tell you that she was infected with HIV by of all people, her doctor. Last week the story broke in Las Vegas, NV that a local clinic “Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada” may have infected over 40,000 people with hepatitis C, hepatitis B and HIV. This story quickly hit national news and has obviously alarmed thousands of people in the Las Vegas community and surrounding areas. You can’t imagine the anxiety of all those patients who visited this facility.

Now all the questions surrounding this horrific incident begin. Who knew what and when did they know it? Did these Doctors order their staff to reuse needles? Why in the world would a medical professional expose so many people to possible disease? How can we protect ourselves from these practices in the future? What is our government going to do in order to ensure that this doesn’t happen again, and can our government really protect us from rouge physicians?

It may take some time in order to answer many of these questions, but the feelings most of us have are pretty straightforward. Should these doctors be arrested and imprisoned for their actions? My answer is, YES, absolutely they should be arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Their medical licenses should be revoked and they should never have the ability to obtain a business license in Nevada again. I have to commend Mayor Oscar Goodman and the rest of the Las Vegas City Council for quickly revoking their business license in the city. I have no remorse for these doctors and their staff. There is one thing we should be able to count on when we go to our doctor’s office. We should know that they are looking out for our best interests, and that they are taking every means necessary to follow strict guidelines when it comes to possible contaminated materials, i.e., needles. It is now up to government and regulatory boards to make a strong example out of these doctors. We must not see another case like this again-our health is much too important.

Nathan Taylor

Topics: Nevada | 1 Comment »

Nuclear Waste and Earthquakes

By nathantaylor | February 23, 2008

The phrase “Nuclear Waste and Earthquakes” has an interesting sound to it. It sounds like two things that just don’t go together. The fact of the matter is, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit the small town of Wells, Nevada on February 21, 2008. In addition, Nevada is the site being designated by the Federal Government for the nations nuclear waste repository.”No way” you say! Well I’m sorry, but it’s true. The Nevada Seismological Laboratory based out of the University of Nevada Reno ranks Nevada third in the nation for earthquakes with magnitudes 5 or higher. Even with this scientific fact, the Federal Government still thinks this is a great place to store hazardous nuclear material.

After the recent earthquake in Wells, NV it reminded me how dangerous it would be to store nuclear material just outside of the City of Las Vegas. There are close to 7 active fault lines in Las Vegas alone, if that gives you any idea of how volatile the area is. In recent years there have been several minor earthquakes outside the area and groundwater near the proposed nuclear site seems to be dangerously high.

While politics often comes into play where the Federal Government is concerned, I don’t think going forward it should or needs to be. Nevada politicians only need point to science to defend the prospect of putting a permanent nuclear waste dump in our state. This is not a partisan, liberal or conservative issue-it’s a safety issue. Many of Nevada’s elected officials have proposed sensible alternatives to storing this waste.

It has always been my opinion that one of the most dangerous aspects of this proposed dump is the transportation of it. Unfortunately, we live in a time where terrorist threats are at the center of American security. I can’t even imagine what would happen if a terrorist was able to get a hold of one of the trucks transporting this nuclear waste. The damage to people and property is almost unimaginable. This is why Nevadan’s and the rest of American’s should start voicing their concerns to the Federal Government. Think about how many states the waste from Virginia would have to travel through to get to Nevada. That thought alone should convince everyone in our nation to take steps to find safe ways to store nuclear waste where it resides. One state’s waste could be another state’s disaster.

Nathan Taylor

Topics: Nevada | 1 Comment »

Need a Lawyer?

By nathantaylor | February 22, 2008

The other day I had a friend of mine who for the first time in her life needed a lawyer. They didn’t know what to do, who to call or where to start. For many of us, having a lawyer is just second nature. The problem that really arises is when you don’t have the money to pay the astronomical fees.Lawyers charge on average anywhere from $100.00 an hour to $500.00 an hour. Now there are lawyers that charge much more than that, but these fees are the norm. If you are an average Joe and you need a lawyer because you have been wronged, it is almost impossible to afford one.

While there are some lawyers that do pro-bono work, they are few and far between. Some communities have pro-bono associations that assist those in need, but the quality of representation may be in question. Recent law school graduates are known to do some pro-bono work, but depending on your problem they may or may not be versed in the particular segment of the law you require.

My friend needed a lawyer to defend themselves from someone who was falsely accusing them of something. In fact, they were being accused of something on the internet and the only way they could stop this was to file a libel and slander suit. However, she doesn’t have the money to pay a lawyer to represent her in a case like this. She’s a college student and works part-time as a waitress. How could she possibly afford a $5,000.00 retainer (that’s what she was quoted)?

This is just one example of a widespread problem in our society. Unfortunately, with the advent of the internet and blogging it is only going to get worse. How are we going to deal with this? How can we help others find legal representation and assist them in paying for it? Can anything be done about widespread libel and slander on the internet? I’m not sure what the answer to this is right now, but maybe if enough people start addressing the issue we can find a way to minimize the effects that are hurting so many.

Nathan Taylor

Topics: Legal | 1 Comment »

How valuable is LinkedIn and other social networks to entrepreneurs?

By nathantaylor | February 22, 2008

How valuable is LinkedIn and other social networks to entrepreneurs? I really have to wonder. And I’m really hoping someone can give me some feedback on this. I know lots of people that are using social networks to further their careers – but as EMPLOYEES. The other side of the coin is people that I know that are entrepreneurs and are poking at LinkedIn and other social networks but really have not figured out any benefit to them for their businesses.

Recruiters aside, is there any small business owners or entrepreneurs that have ‘hit the mother lode’ with social networking? If you fit in that category and have a story to tell – I’d really like to feature you in an article that I’ve been asked to write in a business journal magazine.

Thanks in advance,

Nathan Taylor
Nathan@nathan-taylor.com

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