Feeding Metacognition, Ideas, Reflection, Innovation

Reading blogs have become an important source to exchange information, across this planet. I have been noting that almost 50% of the visits to HG'S World, are from countries outside the United States. I want to welcome those readers and encourage all who feel the urge, to make comments and open a dialogue.

This week there were several post that deserve attention for their thought provoking and reflective themes.

Howard Bloom offers up a post, In Praise Of Consumerism - It Was Good Enough For Marco Polo So It's Good Enough For You.
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Consumerism is responsible for some of the most important events in Western civilization. Consumerism has produced empowerments that have radically upgraded the lives of even the poorest people on the planet. And consumerism has even advanced the grand ambition of biomassto kidnap, seduce, and dragoon as many inanimate atoms as possible into the 3.85-billion-year-old enterprise of life.

And complementing the human spirit, is the Medici effect blog, where Frans Johannsen writes about the result of diverse ideas coming together to create new innovations.

Another U.S. Navy ship has joined the blog world. The USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) Blog will follow the daily life aboard a hospital ship as it preforms a mission that should make every American proud.

Captain Bob Wiley, is the civilian skipper of the USNS Mercy, currently on a voyage to the Southwest Pacific.

Dear Family & Friends,I am not a professional writer; however, I spent most of last night having what professional writers call “Terror of the Blank Page.” I knew I needed to write something…anything… But what? It was as though the “writing lobe” of my brain went ashore for a couple of beers and left me here on the ship to fend for myself. Come on, Mr. Lobe, it’s time to go to work! Today at lunch I realized the answer was sitting all around me. Aboard this vessel we have so many different people from so many different organizations. There are Civilian Mariners (like myself), Helicopter Pilots, Doctors, Nurses, Seabees, and Veterinarians. We have professionals aboard from partner nations - Australia, Canada, Japan, and the Philippines.....
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Yesterday, was the 64th anniversary of D-Day, the invasion of Europe by the Allies. Several blogs noted the day, but two deserve special recognition.
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6 June, 1944 is the moving post by Zenpundit his introduction speaks to it's message.

I decided that I didn’t have any better commemorative than this post from two years ago. Thank you to all of the veterans of D-Day for your courage and sacrifice:

Often overlooked in recounting the action on D-Day, is the role played by Naval Air, Steeljaw Scribe honors their bravery in this post. Flightdeck Friday: Naval Air and D-Day - 6 Jun 44.

Turning to Iraq, the intrepid independent correspondent Michael Yon makes An Open Offer to U.S. Senators to be his personal guest and join him for a tour of the progress in Iraq.

I hereby offer to accompany any Senator to Iraq, whether they are pro-or anti-war, Democrat or Republican. I will make this offer personally to a few select Senators as well. Our conversations during the visit would be on- or off-record, as they wish. Touring Iraq with me, as well as briefings by U.S. officers and meetings with Iraqis, would provide an accurate and nuanced account of the progress and challenges ahead, so that the Senators might have a highly informed perspective on this most critical issue.

And finally, my good blogger friend Brad of potbangers has returned to explain his absence.Updates...