Of course there is gravity in space, the gravity field extend to infinity so as long as there is one lonely particle in the universe there is gravity everywhere. However there cannot be space without matter. That vast expanse of night time sky did not exist at the time when the whole fucking cosmos was some itty bitty mighty speck. It wasn't just sitting there empty like a beer glass waiting to be filled. It did not exist until the expanding matter of the cosmos filled it. How can that be? I don't know. And I don't know how gravity works, or the other three forces, or why there is the specific unchanging amount of matter in the universe or why an electron has the specific mass and matter it does, and as far as I know nobody else knows either,.
But they do know that the amount of matter and energy is constant, there is as much today as there was at the time of the big bang and will be after the big rip when everything will be spread out across such a large area that there will be practically nothing anywhere. And I think they know that the laws of the four forces have always been the same everywhere, though myself, I am a little suspicious of that. Cats are not great scientists but they are avid experimenters and when they get on the table and push your spare change around, which always ends up with it being knocked to the floor, what they are testing is if gravity is the same as yesterday and the same as atop the dresser in the bedroom, which they suspect it isn't, and that's why you see that mildly surprised look on their faces when the coins fall to the floor.
Old Dog senses an increase in humanity of late. Maybe. I would ascribe it to the continuing enlightenment and, ahem, the liberal agenda. In the beginning everybody else is the other, as we grow everybody outside the family and house are other, as we get out and about and meet people they become part of the inner circle, as we learn more and travel the inner circle gets bigger still and eventually we may dismiss that whole other thing and become citizens of the world, embracing folk from other lands and of different colors and religions and sexual orientations. Also in many parts of the world we are just better off materially and if you have two apples you are more likely to share one with your hungry neighbor.
We do like conflict. I guess it is in our genes. War is a terrible thing and yet until WW I it was also looked at as a jolly good time,
Uncle Ken seems to be saying that you don't judge the morality of a culture by how they treat outsiders, you judge them by how they treat each other.
I don't know where this interpretation comes from. I've been purposely avoiding judging anybody, just tracing where our idea of morality comes from and avoiding actual behavior.
Many Muslims do treat their women badly, but not all Muslims and plenty of people who aren't Muslims treat women badly, and even in the USA of a couple hundred years ago women had hardly any rights, back when we had slaves, but, as I said, I am not judging.
But it is a valid counterpoint to my proclamation of a universal morality. I guess I could claim that this universal morality is only valid in the inner circle which may be what Beagles is referring to. It seems to me the wider you push the inner circle the better you are, but that's a judgement isn't it?
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
What About Them Muslims?
Uncle Ken seems to be saying that you don't judge the morality of a culture by how they treat outsiders, you judge them by how they treat each other. By that standard, the contemporary Muslim culture is certainly immoral. I don't know how they treat their kids, but they are notorious for the way they abuse their women. They probably think they are doing right by their womenfolk, and that the way we treat ours is scandalous, which is my point exactly. What a Muslim believes to be moral, we believe to be immoral, so the two cultures do not have the same moral standards. Of course all Muslims are not the same, they have their moderates and their extremists the same as we do. Maybe a Muslim extremist has more in common with a Christian extremist than they have with a moderate Muslim. You think?
There's something else that I didn't tell you about those Indonesian cannibals. They had a tradition of being friendly with a person until they gained his complete trust, and then murdering and eating him. They had a word for it, which translates into English as "fattening up with friendship". Just before they killed the guy, they would say that word so he knew that he had been tricked. That's why they admired Judas Iscariot and thought that Jesus was a sucker. The way the missionary overcame that was to explain that Jesus was the original peace child, and a peace child is the one person that you don't fatten up with friendship. Peace children were usually treated well by their adoptive parents, but there was at least one incident where they killed and ate one, causing the two tribes to fight a bloody war of retribution that lasted several generations. The missionary eventually persuaded the warring tribes to forgive each other because Jesus forgave the people who crucified him. Okay, it's been a long time since I read that story, so I might not have all the details right, but it went something like that.
There's something else that I didn't tell you about those Indonesian cannibals. They had a tradition of being friendly with a person until they gained his complete trust, and then murdering and eating him. They had a word for it, which translates into English as "fattening up with friendship". Just before they killed the guy, they would say that word so he knew that he had been tricked. That's why they admired Judas Iscariot and thought that Jesus was a sucker. The way the missionary overcame that was to explain that Jesus was the original peace child, and a peace child is the one person that you don't fatten up with friendship. Peace children were usually treated well by their adoptive parents, but there was at least one incident where they killed and ate one, causing the two tribes to fight a bloody war of retribution that lasted several generations. The missionary eventually persuaded the warring tribes to forgive each other because Jesus forgave the people who crucified him. Okay, it's been a long time since I read that story, so I might not have all the details right, but it went something like that.
Moving along
I haven't been giving Uncle Ken enough credit lately. It seems to me that he often pulls topics out of thin air but that is not the case. He's either clairvoyant or amazingly in tune with the zeitgeist of modern life. Case in point: his recent riff on gravity. I had no idea how that topic originated, but three days after he first mentioned gravity and its mysteries there was an article on the wired.com website about gravity in outer space, along with some scientific explanations. It could be a coincidence but I think I've see it before, when an Institute's topic of discussion appears a few days later on some website. Spooky, I say.
Anyhow, the article helped explain a few things but did not answer my question about "why?" This is what they said: In short, gravity is a fundamental interaction between objects with mass. Yes, any two objects that have mass will have a gravitational force pulling them together. Some formulas to calculate the force but not one word about why the force exists in the first place. Maybe you guys can get more out of the article than I did: https://www.wired.com/story/yes-there-is-gravity-in-space/
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Let me stick my neck out in stating that I think humanity, in general, is more moral now than it has been in ages past. I don't know what the ideal state is but it seems like we are improving, slowly, as we are always halfway "there" and will never reach perfection. I don't know about the rest of the primate world by I think humans are unique in their ability to think about the future and make long term plans, morality being part of that planning. Does the young chimp think about finding a nice mate in a few years, settling down in that big tree by the stream, and raising a family? Or is he thinking about splitting from his clan and setting out on his own to seek his chimp fortune?
There is a lot for me to read about "The Other" at Wikipedia and I'm sure there are solid connections to morality but it will take me some time to get through it. Has our sense of The Other changed over the years as human cultures intermingle and communicate more openly? It seems to me that The Other are becoming The Fewer in many cases. We don't embrace The Other as kin but we are becoming more tolerant of them, as they are of us. No worries, I'm not singing kumbaya yet.
And then I have to ask myself, are we inventing conflict because, deep down, we like it? It gets the juices flowing, you know, and maybe it will help us achieve our goals, whatever they may be. Look at a group of close friends; aren't they always giving each other a hard time, often jokingly but sometimes not? Maybe it's a coping mechanism that keeps everybody honest, on their toes, and that's what friends are for.
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I'm looking forward to tonight's State of the Union address, all ready to whip up a batch of kettle corn. Big drop in the stock market the past few days, so it should be interesting to see the spin that's put on it, if at all. I've read that there are some reported no-shows for the address, but I wonder how many. I hope Stormy Daniels can find a good seat up front.
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Hum does anybody see any parallel between Hitler coming to power by denigrating a group of outsiders and current conditions?
Surely, just a coincidence, and don't good fences (or walls) make good neighbors? It isn't like anyone keeps repeating lies in the hope that they will eventually be accepted as truth. The notion of "The Big Lie" is so 20th Century. Next thing you'll be suggesting is that the free press is threatened or that the justice system is being compromised. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.
Anyhow, the article helped explain a few things but did not answer my question about "why?" This is what they said: In short, gravity is a fundamental interaction between objects with mass. Yes, any two objects that have mass will have a gravitational force pulling them together. Some formulas to calculate the force but not one word about why the force exists in the first place. Maybe you guys can get more out of the article than I did: https://www.wired.com/story/yes-there-is-gravity-in-space/
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Let me stick my neck out in stating that I think humanity, in general, is more moral now than it has been in ages past. I don't know what the ideal state is but it seems like we are improving, slowly, as we are always halfway "there" and will never reach perfection. I don't know about the rest of the primate world by I think humans are unique in their ability to think about the future and make long term plans, morality being part of that planning. Does the young chimp think about finding a nice mate in a few years, settling down in that big tree by the stream, and raising a family? Or is he thinking about splitting from his clan and setting out on his own to seek his chimp fortune?
There is a lot for me to read about "The Other" at Wikipedia and I'm sure there are solid connections to morality but it will take me some time to get through it. Has our sense of The Other changed over the years as human cultures intermingle and communicate more openly? It seems to me that The Other are becoming The Fewer in many cases. We don't embrace The Other as kin but we are becoming more tolerant of them, as they are of us. No worries, I'm not singing kumbaya yet.
And then I have to ask myself, are we inventing conflict because, deep down, we like it? It gets the juices flowing, you know, and maybe it will help us achieve our goals, whatever they may be. Look at a group of close friends; aren't they always giving each other a hard time, often jokingly but sometimes not? Maybe it's a coping mechanism that keeps everybody honest, on their toes, and that's what friends are for.
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I'm looking forward to tonight's State of the Union address, all ready to whip up a batch of kettle corn. Big drop in the stock market the past few days, so it should be interesting to see the spin that's put on it, if at all. I've read that there are some reported no-shows for the address, but I wonder how many. I hope Stormy Daniels can find a good seat up front.
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Hum does anybody see any parallel between Hitler coming to power by denigrating a group of outsiders and current conditions?
Surely, just a coincidence, and don't good fences (or walls) make good neighbors? It isn't like anyone keeps repeating lies in the hope that they will eventually be accepted as truth. The notion of "The Big Lie" is so 20th Century. Next thing you'll be suggesting is that the free press is threatened or that the justice system is being compromised. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.
the lessons of history
I don't see where those cannibals in Dutch Guinea were outside universal morality. They loved their kids, they were loyal to their friends, I'm sure their vision of what was good and what was bad was not so different than what we live with. Of course they didn't love our Lord and Savior, and even made fun of Him, which is what irked this Richaradson guy. Oh they fought constantly with neighboring tribes but all hunter gatherer tribes do that. Along with our genes to be sociable and cooperate with others, are the genes to see others as others and to kill them or capture them and treat them like shit. Child of Satan, Child of God is the title of Susan Atkins (former Manson girl), and so are we, Of course I don't believe in Satan or God, but you know, Good and Evil. Well not Good and Evil as external powers like the law of gravity, but as things that live in our minds.
And I began this talking about beliefs and not behavior. A society can be base and venal, but still give lip service to the highest standards of good and evil Take those Nazis, they believed in a fairly Christianlike culture on the home front, Kinder, Kuche, Kirche. There's a few cable channels on the edge of the dial , AHC, SMITH, NATGEO that show a lot of WW II stuff. Lately they had one on the Fuhrer's folks' food. Hardly any meat, fresh vegetables, no butter, olive oil. They are like those foodies of today with their religion of food. A double cheeseburger with cheese fries is not just a poor culinary choice, it is like unto a sin.
So even if the Germans had a strong cooperative side they also had a lot of that seeing others as others and certainly had no qualms about treating their neighbors badly. If Beagles read somewhere that the Germans had a low opinion of the Jews surely he read a few pages further and saw that all Christiandom had a low opinion of the Jews (others), and had been regularly massacring them since hijacking their religion. What happened in Germany could have happened in any Christian country with the right mixture of events.
Hum does anybody see any parallel between Hitler coming to power by denigrating a group of outsiders and current conditions? Just asking.
And I began this talking about beliefs and not behavior. A society can be base and venal, but still give lip service to the highest standards of good and evil Take those Nazis, they believed in a fairly Christianlike culture on the home front, Kinder, Kuche, Kirche. There's a few cable channels on the edge of the dial , AHC, SMITH, NATGEO that show a lot of WW II stuff. Lately they had one on the Fuhrer's folks' food. Hardly any meat, fresh vegetables, no butter, olive oil. They are like those foodies of today with their religion of food. A double cheeseburger with cheese fries is not just a poor culinary choice, it is like unto a sin.
So even if the Germans had a strong cooperative side they also had a lot of that seeing others as others and certainly had no qualms about treating their neighbors badly. If Beagles read somewhere that the Germans had a low opinion of the Jews surely he read a few pages further and saw that all Christiandom had a low opinion of the Jews (others), and had been regularly massacring them since hijacking their religion. What happened in Germany could have happened in any Christian country with the right mixture of events.
Hum does anybody see any parallel between Hitler coming to power by denigrating a group of outsiders and current conditions? Just asking.
Monday, January 29, 2018
The Peace Child
Just so you know, I didn't make up that cannibal story. Okay, it wasn't in South America, it was in, what is today, Indonesia. Other than that, it was pretty much the way I remembered it. You can read about it in the Wiki article "Don Richardson (missionary)". I didn't remember the guy's name, but I did remember that he wrote a book about his experiences called "The Peace Child". I read a condensed version of it in Reader's Digest back in the 1970s. When those cannibals wanted to make peace with their enemies, they would exchange infant children as hostages. If anything bad happened to one of those kids, the war was back on. After Richardson found out about this practice, he explained that Jesus was God's peace child, and they bought it. After his success with those cannibals, Richardson went on to have a long and illustrious career as a missionary, so I guess they didn't eat him after all.
I suppose you could say that those cannibals were the exception that proves the rule, but maybe all of our cultures started out that way. What about Nazi Germany? Unlike those cannibals, the cultural norms of the Nazi society cannot be excused because they didn't know any better. Everybody blames Hitler for it, but Hitler didn't do it all by himself, he had help. I read somewhere that the Germans already had a low opinion of the Jews, and Hitler became popular by telling them what they wanted to hear. It's a good thing that we don't have any leaders like that in America today.
Speaking of Trump, I kind of do consider his consistency to be a virtue. What Uncle Ken calls "growing in office" may also be interpreted as betraying the people who put him there. People didn't vote for Trump so that he could grow in office, they voted for him because they were tired of the same old crap and wanted to try something different. I am starting to almost wish that I had voted for him myself, except that he's such an asshole.
I suppose you could say that those cannibals were the exception that proves the rule, but maybe all of our cultures started out that way. What about Nazi Germany? Unlike those cannibals, the cultural norms of the Nazi society cannot be excused because they didn't know any better. Everybody blames Hitler for it, but Hitler didn't do it all by himself, he had help. I read somewhere that the Germans already had a low opinion of the Jews, and Hitler became popular by telling them what they wanted to hear. It's a good thing that we don't have any leaders like that in America today.
Speaking of Trump, I kind of do consider his consistency to be a virtue. What Uncle Ken calls "growing in office" may also be interpreted as betraying the people who put him there. People didn't vote for Trump so that he could grow in office, they voted for him because they were tired of the same old crap and wanted to try something different. I am starting to almost wish that I had voted for him myself, except that he's such an asshole.
we all mean well, well at any rate we all say we do
I think gravity makes a lick of sense, at any rate it's simple, everything attracts everything else, not a lot of folderol going on here. But electro magnetism? It starts out simple enough as a reverse action to gravity, like subtraction is to addition. Every like charge repels every other one, but then it turns out that opposite charges attract, and then you wonder why two, why not a trinity, why not seven and a half? And where is this charge? It can't float around on its own, it has to attach itself to mass, but then some particles don't have any charge. Well actually it turns out they have both, so how do these antithetical forces dwell together, I think the strong nuclear force comes in here, and I go out.
I think that whenever an electric chart moves through space it creates a magnetic field. Magnetism, once I get past the two Scotty dog magnets I am lost. Why Scotty dogs? It seems to me that with that attraction/repulsion thing it should be cats.
I read some speculation about Trump's height. Obama is 6' 1" to Trump's claim of 6' 3", but when you see them together Obama seems slightly taller.. I'm not sure if I'm going to watch the state of the union. I'm sure he will be on teleprompter and under strict orders from his handlers, but he has been chafing at his handlers lately and it's a long boring speech with only polite response so he will be likely to go off the rails a bit, but Trump going off the rails is like chair tossing on Jerry Springer, it gets old.
Is Beagles trying to claim Trump's lack of capacity to change, to adapt to new information as a virtue? There is a long narrative about politicians growing in office, particularly the presidency, in Trump's case his growth amounts to lying about his height.
Beagles' story about cannibals aside I think the golden rule is pretty universal. As social animals it is in our genes, folks that don't have it are not liked by the tribe and they don't get a chance to spread their antisocial genes. If you study cultural, literary societal, stuff I think you will find that people generally have the same notion of good and bad. Honesty, loyalty, generosity, things like that always are prized. Whether people actually practice these things is a whole other issue which is far beyond the scope of a Monday morning post.
How we deal with the non-conformers whose behavior disrupts the smooth sailing of society sounds like an interesting topic for Tuesday.
I think that whenever an electric chart moves through space it creates a magnetic field. Magnetism, once I get past the two Scotty dog magnets I am lost. Why Scotty dogs? It seems to me that with that attraction/repulsion thing it should be cats.
I read some speculation about Trump's height. Obama is 6' 1" to Trump's claim of 6' 3", but when you see them together Obama seems slightly taller.. I'm not sure if I'm going to watch the state of the union. I'm sure he will be on teleprompter and under strict orders from his handlers, but he has been chafing at his handlers lately and it's a long boring speech with only polite response so he will be likely to go off the rails a bit, but Trump going off the rails is like chair tossing on Jerry Springer, it gets old.
Is Beagles trying to claim Trump's lack of capacity to change, to adapt to new information as a virtue? There is a long narrative about politicians growing in office, particularly the presidency, in Trump's case his growth amounts to lying about his height.
Beagles' story about cannibals aside I think the golden rule is pretty universal. As social animals it is in our genes, folks that don't have it are not liked by the tribe and they don't get a chance to spread their antisocial genes. If you study cultural, literary societal, stuff I think you will find that people generally have the same notion of good and bad. Honesty, loyalty, generosity, things like that always are prized. Whether people actually practice these things is a whole other issue which is far beyond the scope of a Monday morning post.
How we deal with the non-conformers whose behavior disrupts the smooth sailing of society sounds like an interesting topic for Tuesday.
Sunday, January 28, 2018
I Got Nothin'
I've been thinking about it all weekend, but I can't come up with one moral principle that is universally followed in all cultures and subcultures. A long time ago I read about this cannibal tribe in South America that doesn't even believe in the Golden Rule, admiring treachery and betrayal instead. This missionary was trying to teach them about Jesus, and the only character in the story that they admired was Judas Iscariot. Last I heard, the missionary was making some progress with them, but I haven't heard anything about it in decades. Maybe they ate him.
Even in "civilized" cultures like ours, many moral principles are honored in the breach more than in the keeping. I would like to believe that there is some kind of natural morality intrinsic to the human species but, the more I think about it, I don't think so. I think that cultures come up with rules that are intended to make it easier for everybody to live and work together, but then they have to contend with all the non-conformers who don't give a damn about the welfare of others, or even themselves.
I think I know generally how electro-magnetism works, but I don't think anybody knows how gravity works. I mean, they know what it does, but not how it does it. Einstein defined gravity as the curvature of the time-space continuum around large objects, preferring that concept to what he called "spooky action at a distance". I don't know, to me the spooky action at a distance makes more sense, but I am no Einstein.
Say what you want about Trump, but at least he's consistent. Most politicians seem to change after they've been in office for awhile, but not Trump. He's the same person now as he ever was.
Even in "civilized" cultures like ours, many moral principles are honored in the breach more than in the keeping. I would like to believe that there is some kind of natural morality intrinsic to the human species but, the more I think about it, I don't think so. I think that cultures come up with rules that are intended to make it easier for everybody to live and work together, but then they have to contend with all the non-conformers who don't give a damn about the welfare of others, or even themselves.
I think I know generally how electro-magnetism works, but I don't think anybody knows how gravity works. I mean, they know what it does, but not how it does it. Einstein defined gravity as the curvature of the time-space continuum around large objects, preferring that concept to what he called "spooky action at a distance". I don't know, to me the spooky action at a distance makes more sense, but I am no Einstein.
Say what you want about Trump, but at least he's consistent. Most politicians seem to change after they've been in office for awhile, but not Trump. He's the same person now as he ever was.
Gravity: It's the Law!
There is a point in the study of physics where my mind wants to take a break and I think "this doesn't make a lick of sense," and gravity is one of them. We can measure it and make all kinds of nifty calculations and predictions but I keep asking myself "Why?" How can a given mass exert a force simply by it's existence? A big lump of stuff floating in the frozen void will attract smaller bits of stuff; they may dance around each other for a while and then gather into a greater lump of stuff, gravity at work. I just can't figure out why they can't mind their own business and keep their distance.
Magnetism is another thing that causes my brain to wobble. We know what it is, but I'm still not sure of why it is. This might be another one of those things that I was taught at one time but have since forgotten. I recently read about magnetic fields that are stronger on one side than the other. Seems screwy to me but it is used to make more powerful brushless motors, among other things. You arrange a bunch of small magnets in what is called the Halbach Array and it's like magic, but don't ask me how it works. Electric motors can also act as generators but I haven't read about any Halbach Array generators yet. Maybe someone is already working on it.
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I'm only halfway through that damn Fire and Fury and there is nothing new except some greater details on the political and strategic infighting that was going on the early months of the administration. Trump is coming off looking more like a bystander than anything else. He is less concerned about policy and issues than he is about his perceived power and importance. If he isn't at the center of attention he is nowhere; anything else is a distraction from his golf game. One little tidbit caught my eye and was written long before his recent physical exam. Seems he lies about his height so his BMI (body mass index) won't categorize him as obese. Somebody should slip a scale under his podium to see what he really weighs.
The speechwriters are no doubt busy crafting what is sure to be the best State of the Union address, ever, if he stays on script. But I expect him to wander off topic and start jibbering about Obama and Hillary and maybe earn a few boos from the august assemblage. Catcalls from the audience would be a sight to behold, a whole chapter for the history books.
Magnetism is another thing that causes my brain to wobble. We know what it is, but I'm still not sure of why it is. This might be another one of those things that I was taught at one time but have since forgotten. I recently read about magnetic fields that are stronger on one side than the other. Seems screwy to me but it is used to make more powerful brushless motors, among other things. You arrange a bunch of small magnets in what is called the Halbach Array and it's like magic, but don't ask me how it works. Electric motors can also act as generators but I haven't read about any Halbach Array generators yet. Maybe someone is already working on it.
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I'm only halfway through that damn Fire and Fury and there is nothing new except some greater details on the political and strategic infighting that was going on the early months of the administration. Trump is coming off looking more like a bystander than anything else. He is less concerned about policy and issues than he is about his perceived power and importance. If he isn't at the center of attention he is nowhere; anything else is a distraction from his golf game. One little tidbit caught my eye and was written long before his recent physical exam. Seems he lies about his height so his BMI (body mass index) won't categorize him as obese. Somebody should slip a scale under his podium to see what he really weighs.
The speechwriters are no doubt busy crafting what is sure to be the best State of the Union address, ever, if he stays on script. But I expect him to wander off topic and start jibbering about Obama and Hillary and maybe earn a few boos from the august assemblage. Catcalls from the audience would be a sight to behold, a whole chapter for the history books.
Friday, January 26, 2018
Hey, let's be moral out there
I was expecting a report from our resident gentleman scientist about the 5.9 year oscillation cycle, but he is more of a hands on guy. I did a little research myself and discovered that the earth's rotation varies by milliseconds every day which is due to storms, ocean currents, earthquakes, perhaps H bomb tests, the flotsam and jetsam of the blue planet. But every 5.9 years there is a jerk back or forth and the earth sets into a new rotation speed until the next jerk takes it back or forward. The scientists say they suspect it has to do with the core-mantle boundary which sounds like me claiming every modern miracle which I don't understand is probably done with lasers. I wonder if there is some bigger cycle where these jerks even out, but perhaps not, the earth's rotation is slowly slowing, and that big old moon is slowly slipping away, and jolly old mr sun dreams of someday becoming a red giant. Everything changes.
Except the laws of physics remember. What about morality? Not that long ago it was okay to have slaves in the USA. At this same time it was not okay to have slaves in say Europe and Mexico, so there you have morality changing from time to time and place to place, again unlike the laws of physics. But okay, it was okay for that place and that time, but was it really okay? Aren't their higher laws of morality that transcend time and place? The laws of God of course, but gods vary from time to time and place to place, and though they are pretty similar they vary a bit.
But what about Man? I mean he is the guy who thought up good and evil in the first place, so where did he get his laws, two places I posit, in his heart and in his mind.
We know the heart part, we go through our daily lives and we hear and see things and we think this is good, this is bad, and we don't have to do a lot of mental gymnastics, it comes right from the heart, we just feel that something is right or wrong.
The mind part is a little more subtle. I think we get it from those high minded Greeks lazing around in agoras thinking while their slaves did all the work. I think they did it like they did geometry, took certain axioms like truth is good, honor is good, and reasoned them out to come up with moral laws. It worked swell for geometry, but not so swell for morality because a line is simpler than truth and a point is simpler than honor. But still we have the golden rule which is pretty good, and I think most people believe we can formulate some broad laws of morality that go beyond space and time.
Something for the dawgs to chew on as we enter the weekend, and dawgs, hey, let's be moral out there.
Except the laws of physics remember. What about morality? Not that long ago it was okay to have slaves in the USA. At this same time it was not okay to have slaves in say Europe and Mexico, so there you have morality changing from time to time and place to place, again unlike the laws of physics. But okay, it was okay for that place and that time, but was it really okay? Aren't their higher laws of morality that transcend time and place? The laws of God of course, but gods vary from time to time and place to place, and though they are pretty similar they vary a bit.
But what about Man? I mean he is the guy who thought up good and evil in the first place, so where did he get his laws, two places I posit, in his heart and in his mind.
We know the heart part, we go through our daily lives and we hear and see things and we think this is good, this is bad, and we don't have to do a lot of mental gymnastics, it comes right from the heart, we just feel that something is right or wrong.
The mind part is a little more subtle. I think we get it from those high minded Greeks lazing around in agoras thinking while their slaves did all the work. I think they did it like they did geometry, took certain axioms like truth is good, honor is good, and reasoned them out to come up with moral laws. It worked swell for geometry, but not so swell for morality because a line is simpler than truth and a point is simpler than honor. But still we have the golden rule which is pretty good, and I think most people believe we can formulate some broad laws of morality that go beyond space and time.
Something for the dawgs to chew on as we enter the weekend, and dawgs, hey, let's be moral out there.
Thursday, January 25, 2018
scientific particularism
I remember those calls from 'microsoft,' the guy's accent was thick and in the background it sounded like a vast hall of jammering and phones being slammed down, but it has been awhile since I've gotten them. I regularly get calls from some lawyer about some mythical debt, which I don't know the details of because I never answer the phone unless I happen to be in the kitchen where the phone is and see a familiar number in the little window. Seems like the people I know do the same thing since they rarely pick up their phone. Some whole conversations take place with leaving phone messages, which is fine because then you don't have to waste your valuable time gibberty gabbing about the weather.
Dan Rather is a nice enough guy, wore a suit and his hair was always nicely combed. Those Texas sayings though were just a little too odd, you got the feeling after awhile that he was making them up, which we, as writers ourselves, should admire, but still, just a little too odd. And then there was the What's the Frequency Kenneth incident.
Oh wow, I had thought that the taxi ride and What's the Frequency Kenneth incident were the same thing but Mr Google sez they were two separate incidents. .In the cab incident , November of 1980 in Chicago, Rather said the guy was trying to kidnap him, and the cabbie said Dan wouldn't tell him where to go. The Frequency incident was in October of 1986 in New York, and doing my research I see that in 1997 they found the guy. Well it was all just too weird, and Dan never became the next Walter Cronkite.
There is no scientific particularism. The laws of gravity, electromagnetism, and the weak and strong nuclear forces have always been the same and they are the same everywhere in the universe. Of course one is prompted to ask how can they know that. Maybe Mr Google knows. I googled how do scientists know that the law of gravity is constant and I didn't find an answer on the first page , but the first item to pop up was titled:
What, what the fuck? This is the way the font came out when I copied and pasted it, and normally I would adjust it, but it does capture my astonishment. But it turns out that they are not talking about the gravitational constant itself, but the measurement of it, which it turns out is due to a 5.9 year oscillation period in the rotation rate of Earth, and when you account for that everything is fine, just fine and there is no reason for you to rush to the bank and take all your money out.
Although the scientists do not claim to know what causes the G/LOD correlation, they cautiously suggest that the "least unlikely" explanation may involve circulating currents in the Earth's core. The changing currents may modify Earth's rotational inertia, affecting LOD, and be accompanied by density variations, affecting G.
Least unlikely? I think I will take a cab to the bank and ask the cabbie, whose name will surely be Kenneth, what is the frequency.
Dan Rather is a nice enough guy, wore a suit and his hair was always nicely combed. Those Texas sayings though were just a little too odd, you got the feeling after awhile that he was making them up, which we, as writers ourselves, should admire, but still, just a little too odd. And then there was the What's the Frequency Kenneth incident.
Oh wow, I had thought that the taxi ride and What's the Frequency Kenneth incident were the same thing but Mr Google sez they were two separate incidents. .In the cab incident , November of 1980 in Chicago, Rather said the guy was trying to kidnap him, and the cabbie said Dan wouldn't tell him where to go. The Frequency incident was in October of 1986 in New York, and doing my research I see that in 1997 they found the guy. Well it was all just too weird, and Dan never became the next Walter Cronkite.
There is no scientific particularism. The laws of gravity, electromagnetism, and the weak and strong nuclear forces have always been the same and they are the same everywhere in the universe. Of course one is prompted to ask how can they know that. Maybe Mr Google knows. I googled how do scientists know that the law of gravity is constant and I didn't find an answer on the first page , but the first item to pop up was titled:
Why do measurements of the gravitational constant vary so much?
What, what the fuck? This is the way the font came out when I copied and pasted it, and normally I would adjust it, but it does capture my astonishment. But it turns out that they are not talking about the gravitational constant itself, but the measurement of it, which it turns out is due to a 5.9 year oscillation period in the rotation rate of Earth, and when you account for that everything is fine, just fine and there is no reason for you to rush to the bank and take all your money out.
Although the scientists do not claim to know what causes the G/LOD correlation, they cautiously suggest that the "least unlikely" explanation may involve circulating currents in the Earth's core. The changing currents may modify Earth's rotational inertia, affecting LOD, and be accompanied by density variations, affecting G.
Least unlikely? I think I will take a cab to the bank and ask the cabbie, whose name will surely be Kenneth, what is the frequency.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Spammers and Scammers
I got an email alert about those spam comments yesterday but, when I got here, they weren't here. Then I looked in the spam file and, sure enough, there they were. I thought that the Blogger Machine had redirected them there, but now I see that it was Old Dog who did it. You done good, Old Dog. I understand that putting them in the spam file is better than just deleting them because it helps train the Blogger Machine to recognize spam messages. I deleted everything in the spam file while I was there, figuring that Blogger was done with them. Maybe I should have left them there for awhile, but no matter, I'm sure we will see other stuff like that from time to time.
Neither my hypothetical wife nor I have a cell phone, just an old fashioned land line with none of the special features like caller ID. We get our share of spammers and scammers and here's how we deal with them: If it's a live person we say "Shut up and leave me alone!", and then hang up. If it's a recording, we press "1", which usually gets us to a live person, who we then tell to shut up and leave us alone, and hang up. If pressing "1" doesn't get us a live person, my hypothetical wife just hangs up, but I like to push all the buttons over and over again until they hang up. My intent is to confuse their machine. I don't know if it works or not, but it makes me feel better. Funny thing about those nuisance calls, we don't get any for days at a time, and then we get half a dozen or more on the same day.
There is one insidious scam out there that you should know about if you don't already. Somebody will claim to be from Microsoft or Windows and tell you that they have detected a problem with your computer. Then they will try to get you to set up a "remote session" with them, which means they can take complete control of your machine. Once in control, they will put all kinds of garbage on your computer and it will require professional help to straighten it out. Truth is, Microsoft will never call you like that unless you call them first, and then they will assign a case number to you and always reference it in future calls. I had a couple of those going on back when I was struggling to learn Windows 10. Since the legitimate Microsoft people spoke with the same accent as the spammers, I wrote my two case numbers down and left them by the phone so we wouldn't inadvertently tell the nice people who were trying to help me to shut up and leave us alone. One day my hypothetical wife answered the phone and asked the caller, "Is this about one of my husband's case numbers, or is it just bull shit?" The caller replied, "It's bull shit." and hung up. (I'm not making this up!)
I looked up moral particularism last night on Wiki. it sounds like just common sense to me, although I wouldn't go so far as to say there should be no rules at all. I think you need some kind of guidelines when you are in an unfamiliar situation, but then you should have enough sense to deviate from them when necessary. It's like I told one of my school bus passengers: "The rules are supposed to be based on common sense. If you have common sense, you almost don't need the rules but, if you don't have common sense, all the rules in the world won't do you any good."
Neither my hypothetical wife nor I have a cell phone, just an old fashioned land line with none of the special features like caller ID. We get our share of spammers and scammers and here's how we deal with them: If it's a live person we say "Shut up and leave me alone!", and then hang up. If it's a recording, we press "1", which usually gets us to a live person, who we then tell to shut up and leave us alone, and hang up. If pressing "1" doesn't get us a live person, my hypothetical wife just hangs up, but I like to push all the buttons over and over again until they hang up. My intent is to confuse their machine. I don't know if it works or not, but it makes me feel better. Funny thing about those nuisance calls, we don't get any for days at a time, and then we get half a dozen or more on the same day.
There is one insidious scam out there that you should know about if you don't already. Somebody will claim to be from Microsoft or Windows and tell you that they have detected a problem with your computer. Then they will try to get you to set up a "remote session" with them, which means they can take complete control of your machine. Once in control, they will put all kinds of garbage on your computer and it will require professional help to straighten it out. Truth is, Microsoft will never call you like that unless you call them first, and then they will assign a case number to you and always reference it in future calls. I had a couple of those going on back when I was struggling to learn Windows 10. Since the legitimate Microsoft people spoke with the same accent as the spammers, I wrote my two case numbers down and left them by the phone so we wouldn't inadvertently tell the nice people who were trying to help me to shut up and leave us alone. One day my hypothetical wife answered the phone and asked the caller, "Is this about one of my husband's case numbers, or is it just bull shit?" The caller replied, "It's bull shit." and hung up. (I'm not making this up!)
I looked up moral particularism last night on Wiki. it sounds like just common sense to me, although I wouldn't go so far as to say there should be no rules at all. I think you need some kind of guidelines when you are in an unfamiliar situation, but then you should have enough sense to deviate from them when necessary. It's like I told one of my school bus passengers: "The rules are supposed to be based on common sense. If you have common sense, you almost don't need the rules but, if you don't have common sense, all the rules in the world won't do you any good."
Minor midweek musing
After reading Uncle Ken's post yesterday I noticed there was also a comment posted; a new bit of spam. I checked other recent postings and they all had a comment too, all identical comments from the same guy. I marked all those comments as spam and they went away, to some spam cache I suppose. If you guys are interested in commercial or retail rental space in the United Kingdom you can probably find those comments. I think I did the right thing.
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I hope all is well in the ivory towers. Unless Uncle Ken is out of town I don't recall him ever failing to make a morning weekday post; they're like clockwork.
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It's not surprising that Mr. Beagles has noticed East Indian accents on the telephone. American companies have outsourced phone support to India for quite some time to save a few bucks but I too find it annoying. Unsolicited sales pitches must be the latest wrinkle; I haven't heard them yet.
One of the twists of modern life is that people do not always answer the phone, something that was unheard of in my childhood days. The phone was always answered but now we can see if the caller is unknown and we can ignore it and let it go to voicemail. I ignore unknown callers unless I'm expecting a followup call for some support issue. Very few of those callers leave a voicemail and many of those are just silence, so I guess some automated system is involved. I think you can call it progress, and it's ironic that one of the least used features of modern phones is for actual calls, talking to a human being.
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At 85 years of age, Dan Rather is back on the air, sort of. He's begun a weekly half-hour broadcast on The Young Turks YouTube channel, every Monday at 4:30 pm; don't know which time zone. He did okay for his first show and didn't sound like a crazed old coot. He's got the gravitas thing nailed and it is a welcome change from the noise currently heard all over the media landscape. Whether it will make any difference I can not say.
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I hope all is well in the ivory towers. Unless Uncle Ken is out of town I don't recall him ever failing to make a morning weekday post; they're like clockwork.
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It's not surprising that Mr. Beagles has noticed East Indian accents on the telephone. American companies have outsourced phone support to India for quite some time to save a few bucks but I too find it annoying. Unsolicited sales pitches must be the latest wrinkle; I haven't heard them yet.
One of the twists of modern life is that people do not always answer the phone, something that was unheard of in my childhood days. The phone was always answered but now we can see if the caller is unknown and we can ignore it and let it go to voicemail. I ignore unknown callers unless I'm expecting a followup call for some support issue. Very few of those callers leave a voicemail and many of those are just silence, so I guess some automated system is involved. I think you can call it progress, and it's ironic that one of the least used features of modern phones is for actual calls, talking to a human being.
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At 85 years of age, Dan Rather is back on the air, sort of. He's begun a weekly half-hour broadcast on The Young Turks YouTube channel, every Monday at 4:30 pm; don't know which time zone. He did okay for his first show and didn't sound like a crazed old coot. He's got the gravitas thing nailed and it is a welcome change from the noise currently heard all over the media landscape. Whether it will make any difference I can not say.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
we caved
I don't go along with Beagles' Trumpist sentiments that it's us or them. As long as people have that attitude there will be more racial tension than there would be otherwise and our nation is weaker for it.
Last morning I decided that I needed an indigo watercolor pencil before I could complete my latest masterpiece, and when I returned with it and tuned in CNN I heard that the showdown was over. Surely my side had won, and what we'd gotten was a promise from Mitch McConnell. A promise from Mitch McConnell??? Well Durbin was for it and they had formed some centrist partisan anti-crazy faction in that senate, so maybe there was more there, but it turns out there wasn't. All they had was a promise from McConnell to bring it to a vote by February 8th. Even if he comes across there is no way the House will bring it up, and Trump is already adding things to the list he wants before he will sign it, and even if he gets that list, he will keep adding on things, the art of the deal.
Well fuck, why did we give in so easily? I haven't read all the pundits, but the most likely theory is that the red state dems got cold feet. Well shit, Schumer should have known they would before he launched the shut down, a black eye for the dems. Off with his head I say. But probably not. Maybe we can get something out of this centrist anti-partisan faction. I doubt it, but it's all we have.
Colonial powers when they partition their conquests make a point of mixing the ethnic groups in the partitions so that they squabble among themselves and not with their conquerors. Of course in Germany you had ein volk and ein reich and they all got behind ein fuhrer.
I looked up moral particularism and what I got out of it is that it rejects generalized rules of morality in favor of weighing each situation individually. In my highly unpopular example of giving a bum a buck, this would mean instead of handing them out on the principle of oh, the golden rule, every time you came across a bum you would have to decide, like court cases I guess. Sounds a little odd, but then when I look into these philosophical schools to any depth, I just get lost.
Last morning I decided that I needed an indigo watercolor pencil before I could complete my latest masterpiece, and when I returned with it and tuned in CNN I heard that the showdown was over. Surely my side had won, and what we'd gotten was a promise from Mitch McConnell. A promise from Mitch McConnell??? Well Durbin was for it and they had formed some centrist partisan anti-crazy faction in that senate, so maybe there was more there, but it turns out there wasn't. All they had was a promise from McConnell to bring it to a vote by February 8th. Even if he comes across there is no way the House will bring it up, and Trump is already adding things to the list he wants before he will sign it, and even if he gets that list, he will keep adding on things, the art of the deal.
Well fuck, why did we give in so easily? I haven't read all the pundits, but the most likely theory is that the red state dems got cold feet. Well shit, Schumer should have known they would before he launched the shut down, a black eye for the dems. Off with his head I say. But probably not. Maybe we can get something out of this centrist anti-partisan faction. I doubt it, but it's all we have.
Colonial powers when they partition their conquests make a point of mixing the ethnic groups in the partitions so that they squabble among themselves and not with their conquerors. Of course in Germany you had ein volk and ein reich and they all got behind ein fuhrer.
I looked up moral particularism and what I got out of it is that it rejects generalized rules of morality in favor of weighing each situation individually. In my highly unpopular example of giving a bum a buck, this would mean instead of handing them out on the principle of oh, the golden rule, every time you came across a bum you would have to decide, like court cases I guess. Sounds a little odd, but then when I look into these philosophical schools to any depth, I just get lost.
Monday, January 22, 2018
"I Ain't Sayin' Im No Better......"
The full quote, from the music of the play "Oklahoma!" is: "I ain't sayin' I'm no better than anybody else, but I'll be damned if I ain't just as good!"
I don't claim to be superior to anybody because of my European ancestry. Neither do I feel guilty or responsible for atrocities committed by my European ancestors long before I was born. All I'm saying is that we are in the process of losing our country as well as Europe itself to people who are not like us and don't like us. Once they have taken over, I see no reason to believe that they will be any nicer to us than our ancestors were to their ancestors. Those who are burdened with liberal guilt might derive grim satisfaction from the prospect of paying the price for the sins of their ancestors, but I don't. I didn't do it, and I ain't paying for it!
Uncle Ken is right when he says that Beaglesonia is in no danger of being over run anytime soon. Thank God for high prices, low wages, and long winters! There does seem to be a lot of those people on television, but I don't watch a lot of TV anyway. What they have really taken over is the telephones. Not only the spammers and the scammers, but most of the people who handle the phones for legitimate businesses speak with some kind of accent, I think it's Indian, (Indian Indian not American Indian). I grew up around accents, but they were regular accents like Czech and Polish. As a matter if fact, it wasn't until I moved to Cheboygan that I met somebody's grandparent who didn't speak with an accent. I remarked to the lady in question that her grandmother spoke English very well. "Why wouldn't she?" the lady replied. "How long has your family been in this country?" said I. "Since forever." said she. "Oh, they must be Indians then." said I. "Certainly not!" said she. This was on a first date and, for some reason, there never was second date.
Speaking of Indians, I don't know about the Iroquois, but their historic enemies the Anishnabe are doing verily well with their casinos. They own half the land in neighboring Emmet County, even though they account for less that five percent of the population. I used to worry about them until I found out how few of them there were. Uncle Ken expressed surprise that I wasn't upset about so few people owning all that land, but I thought it was a good thing because it might prevent other people from moving up here. Like I said before, I've got nothing against minorities, I just don't want to become one.
I don't claim to be superior to anybody because of my European ancestry. Neither do I feel guilty or responsible for atrocities committed by my European ancestors long before I was born. All I'm saying is that we are in the process of losing our country as well as Europe itself to people who are not like us and don't like us. Once they have taken over, I see no reason to believe that they will be any nicer to us than our ancestors were to their ancestors. Those who are burdened with liberal guilt might derive grim satisfaction from the prospect of paying the price for the sins of their ancestors, but I don't. I didn't do it, and I ain't paying for it!
Uncle Ken is right when he says that Beaglesonia is in no danger of being over run anytime soon. Thank God for high prices, low wages, and long winters! There does seem to be a lot of those people on television, but I don't watch a lot of TV anyway. What they have really taken over is the telephones. Not only the spammers and the scammers, but most of the people who handle the phones for legitimate businesses speak with some kind of accent, I think it's Indian, (Indian Indian not American Indian). I grew up around accents, but they were regular accents like Czech and Polish. As a matter if fact, it wasn't until I moved to Cheboygan that I met somebody's grandparent who didn't speak with an accent. I remarked to the lady in question that her grandmother spoke English very well. "Why wouldn't she?" the lady replied. "How long has your family been in this country?" said I. "Since forever." said she. "Oh, they must be Indians then." said I. "Certainly not!" said she. This was on a first date and, for some reason, there never was second date.
Speaking of Indians, I don't know about the Iroquois, but their historic enemies the Anishnabe are doing verily well with their casinos. They own half the land in neighboring Emmet County, even though they account for less that five percent of the population. I used to worry about them until I found out how few of them there were. Uncle Ken expressed surprise that I wasn't upset about so few people owning all that land, but I thought it was a good thing because it might prevent other people from moving up here. Like I said before, I've got nothing against minorities, I just don't want to become one.
So it goes
Did you guys hear about the meteor that hit South Eastern Michigan the other day?
Yes, I read about that but since it was so far south of the Beaglesonian Freehold and didn't cause any damage I didn't give it much thought. It does seem that meteor events are becoming more common, or more frequently reported; it's hard to tell. Sooner or later we are going to get smacked, hard, by a big one and then we'll have more important things to worry about. Current issues and problems will pale in comparison.
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Whether or not you are of European descent is nothing more than an accident of birth and I think it's silly to take credit for the achievements of your ancestors. Those enterprising Europeans did not do it alone, having relied heavily on the misfortunes and exploitation of others. Those living under European colonial rule didn't live the life of Reilly and many former colonies are still in political upheaval. European cultural values did not always travel well, ignoring hundreds or even thousands of years of indigenous cultural traditions. History has always been written by the winners but I think the losers should get a break once in a while. I wonder what the descendants of the Iroquois Nation and other tribes think of the current immigration flap. There were once tens of millions of people living in North America at the time of Columbus, but where are their descendants now?
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The government shutdown is another non-issue for me because I think it's part of Trump's plan, another way to ultimately "drain the swamp." Aren't there still thousands of unfilled government positions? These vacancies are causing federal departments to erode from within, and I am hard pressed to name one eminently qualified person at the highest levels with the possible exception of a general or two. And that could be a problem if the generals get too full of themselves and decide it's time to put their expensive toys to the test. Whatever happens, it will be one for the history books assuming there will be anyone to read them. But things are weird all over when you have a neutral country like Sweden issuing pamphlets to prepare its citizens for war with Russia, or so I've read. And since neither Sweden or Finland are in NATO, well, who knows?
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I don't consider minorities much of a threat, but that's my opinion. At one time or another everyone was part of a minority and, through the generations, became well integrated into American culture and society. Some more than others, I'll concede but it takes time and open minds. We will all be better off for it but we also have the right to freely associate with whomever we like and if some folks simply rub you the wrong way, that's okay too. I don't think it's worth fighting about as long as everyone is subject to the same rules of law.
Maybe my tinfoil hat has a few leaks, but it seems to me that conflict among the citizenry is a fine way for the "powers that be" to remain and grow in power. The rich are still getting richer and as long as the common folk are fighting with each other, they're fine with that. No need for a meddlesome free press to question authority, is there, as long as the economy is booming?
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The Good Place introduced a new philosophical term recently which I have yet to read up on: Moral particularism. Either of you guys familiar with it or have an opinion before I check it out? It seems a little silly that such deep philosophical meanderings are emanating from a television comedy, but so it goes. Reality isn't what it used to be.
Yes, I read about that but since it was so far south of the Beaglesonian Freehold and didn't cause any damage I didn't give it much thought. It does seem that meteor events are becoming more common, or more frequently reported; it's hard to tell. Sooner or later we are going to get smacked, hard, by a big one and then we'll have more important things to worry about. Current issues and problems will pale in comparison.
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Whether or not you are of European descent is nothing more than an accident of birth and I think it's silly to take credit for the achievements of your ancestors. Those enterprising Europeans did not do it alone, having relied heavily on the misfortunes and exploitation of others. Those living under European colonial rule didn't live the life of Reilly and many former colonies are still in political upheaval. European cultural values did not always travel well, ignoring hundreds or even thousands of years of indigenous cultural traditions. History has always been written by the winners but I think the losers should get a break once in a while. I wonder what the descendants of the Iroquois Nation and other tribes think of the current immigration flap. There were once tens of millions of people living in North America at the time of Columbus, but where are their descendants now?
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The government shutdown is another non-issue for me because I think it's part of Trump's plan, another way to ultimately "drain the swamp." Aren't there still thousands of unfilled government positions? These vacancies are causing federal departments to erode from within, and I am hard pressed to name one eminently qualified person at the highest levels with the possible exception of a general or two. And that could be a problem if the generals get too full of themselves and decide it's time to put their expensive toys to the test. Whatever happens, it will be one for the history books assuming there will be anyone to read them. But things are weird all over when you have a neutral country like Sweden issuing pamphlets to prepare its citizens for war with Russia, or so I've read. And since neither Sweden or Finland are in NATO, well, who knows?
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I don't consider minorities much of a threat, but that's my opinion. At one time or another everyone was part of a minority and, through the generations, became well integrated into American culture and society. Some more than others, I'll concede but it takes time and open minds. We will all be better off for it but we also have the right to freely associate with whomever we like and if some folks simply rub you the wrong way, that's okay too. I don't think it's worth fighting about as long as everyone is subject to the same rules of law.
Maybe my tinfoil hat has a few leaks, but it seems to me that conflict among the citizenry is a fine way for the "powers that be" to remain and grow in power. The rich are still getting richer and as long as the common folk are fighting with each other, they're fine with that. No need for a meddlesome free press to question authority, is there, as long as the economy is booming?
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The Good Place introduced a new philosophical term recently which I have yet to read up on: Moral particularism. Either of you guys familiar with it or have an opinion before I check it out? It seems a little silly that such deep philosophical meanderings are emanating from a television comedy, but so it goes. Reality isn't what it used to be.
shutdown Monday
Isn't that what the more militant side of my ilk has been saying all along, that it's not primarily about border security, or losing jobs. or drugs coming in, or whatever, it's about keeping non-whites or non-Europeans out, it's about making America whiter again? So perhaps Beagles would have preferred some racist guy who was more genteel, more sophisticated.
I'm going to wager that Cheboygan is not overrun with non-European, non-white types, so I wonder where he sees this dreaded race-mixing. Maybe he sees it in those brief glimpses of his tv or when he peers under his bed before he turns in.
This is the first working day of the shutdown It is foggy, but I don't think that has anything to do with it. If I wanted to fly out to New York and walk and get inside the Statue of Liberty (bring me your tired, your huddled - but only your white European - masses) that would not be possible. Beagles is right that not much becomes of these shutdowns, but that is because they are mostly ended shortly after they begin. Potentially after maybe a month the whole army would pack their bags and go home much as George Washington's did back in those wintry Valley Forge days. I wonder if that would be a bad thing.
We do lose a lot of money on these affairs, primarily from government borrowing which will have to be done at a higher rate of interest, which grows the national debt further, but who cares about that anymore? Likely the polls will decide. Right now they are on the dems side, and it looks like the dems are standing steady. The thing about DACA is the dems are only asking for a vote on the matter. Most likely it would pass in a straight vote, so the reps are holding up the government rather than allow a vote on what most Americans want anyway. I can't see where the reps can claim to be the good guys on this one.
And if and when the reps cave, well how can they do that? With Trump and the freedom caucus and what all, they don't even control their own party. How can the dems accept a compromise from them when Trump will come down against it the next day, or if the not the next day, maybe the day after that, maybe any old time. How can the dems trust anything the reps might offer.
Friday, January 19, 2018
Tough Shit Indeed
It is indeed tough shit that our country is being over run by non-Europeans. I prefer that term over "non-White", because a lot of them are technically White. Middle Easterners are mostly Semites of the Caucasian persuasion, and Hispanic is not a race, it's a nationality. This tough shit situation is one of the primary reasons that Trump was elected you know. I didn't vote for him myself, but enough other people did to tip the electoral vote in Trump's favor. Too bad there wasn't a legitimate candidate with the same agenda, but we'll take what we have to get.
Another fake government shut down already? Didn't we just have one of those? Or course they are not really going to shut down the government, they will just close facilities like national parks and veterans' memorials. The last time they did that, people removed the barricades and went in anyway. Good for them! We should be so lucky they really shut down the federal government. Then each individual state could decide whether or not they want to be over run by non-Europeans, or anybody else for that matter.
Did you guys hear about the meteor that hit South Eastern Michigan the other day? Lots of people saw it in the sky, but I don't think anybody saw it hit the ground. At first they figured that it did actually hit the ground because it set off their earthquake detectors. Yesterday some guys claimed to have found some fragments of it, but no crater or other visible damage, so now they're saying that it might have been an air burst.
Another fake government shut down already? Didn't we just have one of those? Or course they are not really going to shut down the government, they will just close facilities like national parks and veterans' memorials. The last time they did that, people removed the barricades and went in anyway. Good for them! We should be so lucky they really shut down the federal government. Then each individual state could decide whether or not they want to be over run by non-Europeans, or anybody else for that matter.
Did you guys hear about the meteor that hit South Eastern Michigan the other day? Lots of people saw it in the sky, but I don't think anybody saw it hit the ground. At first they figured that it did actually hit the ground because it set off their earthquake detectors. Yesterday some guys claimed to have found some fragments of it, but no crater or other visible damage, so now they're saying that it might have been an air burst.
Shutdown without a Cause
A lot of the reason that the increase in US population is due more to immigration lately is that people here aren't having as many kids as they used to so immigration has become a bigger percentage. But Beagles's main complaint seems to be that there are too many nonwhite people coming in. Well tough shit. Maybe he can send the portion of his social security paid by nonwhites back to the gummint as a protest.
Kudos for Old Dog and shirt-hole. That seems a fine derivation. I was thinking of tuning in to The Good Place, but that shutdown drama swept me up like a whirlwind. I was watching CNN but they kept pitting a Trumpist vs a liberal, and I just find that unenlightening because like a romcom, you know what words the players are going to say before they speak them, it's all heat and no light. Hannity had some congressman from bumfuck who thought that ISIS was behind the Las Vegas shooting. He had no actual evidence (evidence is for the unhip these days) or anything like that, but dadgum, things sure looked fishy. In desperation I tuned into MSNBC which I usually don't because I am a liberal democrat so what do they have to say that I wouldn't, and that Rachel Maddow, she's so smug.
She was smug alright, but she was also enlightening. She was reading transcripts from the house hearings and explaining some interesting stuff about Russian money and, dare I use the word, collusion.
I'm a bit discomfited that Old Dog takes offense at the term scourge. I mean it in the nicest of ways, in relation to Attila the Hun (Do we really need, the Hun, how many of us have dry cleaners named Attila?), who was like five hundred years ahead of Old Dog's horned hat hordes. But wait I mean it in relation to his full appellation, The Scourge of God, of God, gentlemen. He was called the scourge of god because some Christians didn't think they were living right, well not themselves but those other Christians over the hill who called the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit. and The Scourge was sent by God to set them straight.
Anyway Ken admits to being a sinner, tossing down coffee and drunk on his own rhetoric, I sometimes go too far and don't bother to check wiki, and you know, sometimes I allow a bit of oh, balderdash, to spice up a good story, I think the Institute is well-served by a resident scourge.
Perhaps more interesting than discarded characters is the fact that not that long ago English had no punctuation, not even the space sothateverythingwrittenlookedlikethisyouknowthisishardtotypebecausemyfingersinsistonthespaceeventhoughmymindcommandsotherwise. But when I try to introduce the Oxford comma controversy I get a yawn that can be seen from one of those asteroids which are currently whizzing by way to close if you ask me.
I have not heard of David Cay Johnston nor his book, maybe I should look it up, but right now my eyes are locked on the shutdown drama. The thing is, I don't see how it is ever going to get started again. Oh that's right the polls, whoever is getting the blame will probably cave, any reasonable political faction would, but wait, there is the Trump factor. Remember the chicken scene from Ca? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7hZ9jKrwvo still good viewing) James Dean is the dems and the reps are that other guy, the guy with the comb in his mouth. and Trump is the door handle that catches his sleeve.
Kudos for Old Dog and shirt-hole. That seems a fine derivation. I was thinking of tuning in to The Good Place, but that shutdown drama swept me up like a whirlwind. I was watching CNN but they kept pitting a Trumpist vs a liberal, and I just find that unenlightening because like a romcom, you know what words the players are going to say before they speak them, it's all heat and no light. Hannity had some congressman from bumfuck who thought that ISIS was behind the Las Vegas shooting. He had no actual evidence (evidence is for the unhip these days) or anything like that, but dadgum, things sure looked fishy. In desperation I tuned into MSNBC which I usually don't because I am a liberal democrat so what do they have to say that I wouldn't, and that Rachel Maddow, she's so smug.
She was smug alright, but she was also enlightening. She was reading transcripts from the house hearings and explaining some interesting stuff about Russian money and, dare I use the word, collusion.
I'm a bit discomfited that Old Dog takes offense at the term scourge. I mean it in the nicest of ways, in relation to Attila the Hun (Do we really need, the Hun, how many of us have dry cleaners named Attila?), who was like five hundred years ahead of Old Dog's horned hat hordes. But wait I mean it in relation to his full appellation, The Scourge of God, of God, gentlemen. He was called the scourge of god because some Christians didn't think they were living right, well not themselves but those other Christians over the hill who called the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit. and The Scourge was sent by God to set them straight.
Anyway Ken admits to being a sinner, tossing down coffee and drunk on his own rhetoric, I sometimes go too far and don't bother to check wiki, and you know, sometimes I allow a bit of oh, balderdash, to spice up a good story, I think the Institute is well-served by a resident scourge.
Perhaps more interesting than discarded characters is the fact that not that long ago English had no punctuation, not even the space sothateverythingwrittenlookedlikethisyouknowthisishardtotypebecausemyfingersinsistonthespaceeventhoughmymindcommandsotherwise. But when I try to introduce the Oxford comma controversy I get a yawn that can be seen from one of those asteroids which are currently whizzing by way to close if you ask me.
I have not heard of David Cay Johnston nor his book, maybe I should look it up, but right now my eyes are locked on the shutdown drama. The thing is, I don't see how it is ever going to get started again. Oh that's right the polls, whoever is getting the blame will probably cave, any reasonable political faction would, but wait, there is the Trump factor. Remember the chicken scene from Ca? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7hZ9jKrwvo still good viewing) James Dean is the dems and the reps are that other guy, the guy with the comb in his mouth. and Trump is the door handle that catches his sleeve.
Thursday, January 18, 2018
The New Minority
"Prior to 1965, the demographics of immigration stood as mostly Europeans; 68 percent of legal immigrants in the 1950s came from Europe and Canada. However, in the years 1971–1991, immigrants from Hispanic and Latin American countries made 47.9 percent of immigrants (with Mexico accounting for 23.7 percent) and immigrants from Asia 35.2 percent. Not only did it change the ethnic makeup of immigration, but it also greatly increased the number of immigrants—immigration constituted 11 percent of the total U.S. population growth between 1960 and 1970, growing to 33 percent from 1970–80, and to 39 percent from 1980–90.[19] " - from Wiki
I think I know what led to the confusion. While the percentage of Europeans went down, the total number of immigrants went up, so the same number of Europeans would be a smaller percentage of the total. Uncle Ken is right that nothing here indicates that it's any harder for Europeans to get into the country than it ever was. The fact still remains that there are a lot more non-Europeans getting into the country than Europeans. Since non-Europeans generally have a higher birthrate than Europeans, it's only a matter of time until we become a minority in our own country if the present trend continues. You Chicago guys don't seem to mind being in the minority, but you're used to it.
When a politician says the word "reform" he means "increase". We don't need immigration reform in this country, what we need is to fix the immigration problem, and Trump's shithole outburst has insured that is not going to happen any time soon. I don't care what you guys say, I think he did it on purpose.
Words are mere playthings
What is the derivation of shirt-hole?
I made it up, inspired by The Good Place. Whenever a character swears, they use words like shirt and fork instead of shit and fuck, an elegant end run around the network censors.
As a wordsmith, Uncle Ken can appreciate this following item but maybe he already knows it: the English alphabet had ten more characters than it does now. Ever hear of a thorn or ethel? Me neither. Here's a video that spells it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUrDUxh5xS0
Any student of current affairs can appreciate the importance of words and their meanings, especially when it comes to determining facts and truth. That's why it still bugs me when it is said that "we have it on tape." Tape? I guess you can find blank tapes at Walmart, right next to the carbon paper.
There is one word that Uncle Ken has been using which the Old Dog finds offensive, and that is his use of scourge, with one definition being a person or thing that causes great trouble or suffering. Other synonyms are affliction, bane, curse, plague, menace, evil, misfortune, burden, cross to bear; blight, cancer, canker. Are you getting delicate in your old age, Uncle Ken?
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There has been a lot of immigration legislation since 1965 and, overall, I think current policy is very reasonable but I'm not trying to pander to any political base or special interest group. The current flap is a phony issue to me but there are a lot of phony issues flying around, so what's one more? A good rundown of current immigration policy is found here: https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/how-united-states-immigration-system-works
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I don't think Puerto Rico is recovered from the hurricane and may still be lacking drinking water and electricity in some areas. Is Trump trying to create a shirt-hole on US soil?
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That light-hearted romp of the antics in the White House, Fire and Fury, was merely a prelude. A few days ago, the Pulitzer Prize winning author David Cay Johnston dropped his latest: It's Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America
From the few pages available on Amazon, it looks pretty meaty and well written. The author shows up once in a while on the news shows and a few lectures of his are on YouTube. This guy doesn't bullshirt but may be too academic for record setting sales to the general population. I'm still waiting to read the reviews from the big cheeses of fake media; maybe I'll buy the book if it seems worthwhile.
I made it up, inspired by The Good Place. Whenever a character swears, they use words like shirt and fork instead of shit and fuck, an elegant end run around the network censors.
As a wordsmith, Uncle Ken can appreciate this following item but maybe he already knows it: the English alphabet had ten more characters than it does now. Ever hear of a thorn or ethel? Me neither. Here's a video that spells it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUrDUxh5xS0
Any student of current affairs can appreciate the importance of words and their meanings, especially when it comes to determining facts and truth. That's why it still bugs me when it is said that "we have it on tape." Tape? I guess you can find blank tapes at Walmart, right next to the carbon paper.
There is one word that Uncle Ken has been using which the Old Dog finds offensive, and that is his use of scourge, with one definition being a person or thing that causes great trouble or suffering. Other synonyms are affliction, bane, curse, plague, menace, evil, misfortune, burden, cross to bear; blight, cancer, canker. Are you getting delicate in your old age, Uncle Ken?
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There has been a lot of immigration legislation since 1965 and, overall, I think current policy is very reasonable but I'm not trying to pander to any political base or special interest group. The current flap is a phony issue to me but there are a lot of phony issues flying around, so what's one more? A good rundown of current immigration policy is found here: https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/how-united-states-immigration-system-works
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I don't think Puerto Rico is recovered from the hurricane and may still be lacking drinking water and electricity in some areas. Is Trump trying to create a shirt-hole on US soil?
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That light-hearted romp of the antics in the White House, Fire and Fury, was merely a prelude. A few days ago, the Pulitzer Prize winning author David Cay Johnston dropped his latest: It's Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America
From the few pages available on Amazon, it looks pretty meaty and well written. The author shows up once in a while on the news shows and a few lectures of his are on YouTube. This guy doesn't bullshirt but may be too academic for record setting sales to the general population. I'm still waiting to read the reviews from the big cheeses of fake media; maybe I'll buy the book if it seems worthwhile.
A new world, fellow Stonians
What I was unable to find, after a deep ten minute search, was not the Hart Cellar Act, but any indication that the act made it more difficult for Norwegians to get into this country, and my reading of it likewise failed to reveal anything within it that indicated so. I believe that here I will stand, being able to do no other.
So as so often happens when the light of the Institution is shined on a subject knowledge is revealed and it turns out that Norway is pretty dang rich, and I got to wondering if Old Dog's countrymen, from a land known for dourness and lewd dances, swam some river to bus tables in pickled herring restaurants in Helsinki. But it turns out there is no river, and I guess I should have known that since the border is the spine of a mountain range.
No it's not, that's Sweden and Norway. There is some river but there are also a couple of cairns, which are piles of rocks I believe. The whole thing is very complicated because it is so near to the north pole and there was that little unpleasantness during WW II. Oh, and it is an open border, aren't those people nice.
And when I say those people I mean all those folks who ravaged semi-civilized Europe at the turn of the last millennium, lopping off heads and carrying away screaming virgins, I get them mixed up. As The Scourge, rightly points out, I have confused Danish and Norwegian surnames. The fault was mine not CNN's, as I recall them speaking of Danish names, but it was late at night for Uncle Ken, and I guess I misrembered things in the morning.
Back in the day, days before a young lad like Old Dog, in Gage Park DP was what we called WW II refugees. Well we didn't have any actual refugees in the hood, but we were familiar with seeing them on tv, pushing wheelbarrows of family treasures over rutted roads, and not dressed, I have to say, terribly snappy. It was the latter that caught our attention. If we saw anybody whose attire did not match the high standards of Gage Park finery we would inform them that they looked like DPs.
Always up for ethnic slurs, I looked up herring choker wondering if it was what the other horned hat guys called the Swedes. or if it was something that they call called each other, but google says it is a slur on the good folk of New Brunswick. New Brunswick?
Another day of cable news on the horizon. Fire and Fury has given way to shithole, and now we are on DACA and the gummint shut down, and now Kelly has left his post to wander down to capital hill to tell the folks there what Trump really means, and Bannon has shut his pie-hole claiming executive privilege, but last I heard The White House (whatever that means) is claiming they told him no such thing. You know I get up early and I post to the Stonian (hip new appelation, what do my brother Stonians think?) and read the paper and then I turn off the radio and play music while I paint, and maybe about eleven I am done painting and I turn on CNN and it is a whole new fucking world.
I'll try to catch Good Place tonight. What is the derivation of shirt-hole?
So as so often happens when the light of the Institution is shined on a subject knowledge is revealed and it turns out that Norway is pretty dang rich, and I got to wondering if Old Dog's countrymen, from a land known for dourness and lewd dances, swam some river to bus tables in pickled herring restaurants in Helsinki. But it turns out there is no river, and I guess I should have known that since the border is the spine of a mountain range.
No it's not, that's Sweden and Norway. There is some river but there are also a couple of cairns, which are piles of rocks I believe. The whole thing is very complicated because it is so near to the north pole and there was that little unpleasantness during WW II. Oh, and it is an open border, aren't those people nice.
And when I say those people I mean all those folks who ravaged semi-civilized Europe at the turn of the last millennium, lopping off heads and carrying away screaming virgins, I get them mixed up. As The Scourge, rightly points out, I have confused Danish and Norwegian surnames. The fault was mine not CNN's, as I recall them speaking of Danish names, but it was late at night for Uncle Ken, and I guess I misrembered things in the morning.
Back in the day, days before a young lad like Old Dog, in Gage Park DP was what we called WW II refugees. Well we didn't have any actual refugees in the hood, but we were familiar with seeing them on tv, pushing wheelbarrows of family treasures over rutted roads, and not dressed, I have to say, terribly snappy. It was the latter that caught our attention. If we saw anybody whose attire did not match the high standards of Gage Park finery we would inform them that they looked like DPs.
Always up for ethnic slurs, I looked up herring choker wondering if it was what the other horned hat guys called the Swedes. or if it was something that they call called each other, but google says it is a slur on the good folk of New Brunswick. New Brunswick?
Another day of cable news on the horizon. Fire and Fury has given way to shithole, and now we are on DACA and the gummint shut down, and now Kelly has left his post to wander down to capital hill to tell the folks there what Trump really means, and Bannon has shut his pie-hole claiming executive privilege, but last I heard The White House (whatever that means) is claiming they told him no such thing. You know I get up early and I post to the Stonian (hip new appelation, what do my brother Stonians think?) and read the paper and then I turn off the radio and play music while I paint, and maybe about eleven I am done painting and I turn on CNN and it is a whole new fucking world.
I'll try to catch Good Place tonight. What is the derivation of shirt-hole?
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Let's Back Up
"Perhaps the phrase , the Hart–Celler Act allowed increased numbers of people to migrate to the United States from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East caught Beagle's eye, but note this says nothing about a decreasing number of Europeans, because both are now at the same level, It is as easy for a Norwegian to get in as it always was, and in fact it's a little easier for Beagles's ancestors to get in than it was in 1965. I think what Beagles is saying is that it used to be harder for non-Nordic immigrants to come in, but then it was made equal and now we should make it unequal again to even up for the time it was even. Or in other words, Nordic Europeans good, blacks and Bohunks bad." - Uncle Ken - 1/16/18
I provided a source for my comments about the Hart-Celler Act, which is something I am not always able to do. I quoted a short paragraph, which Uncle Ken seemed to imply was taken out of context. He also said that he was not able to find anything about it on the internet, which seemed to imply that he didn't believe it existed. I admitted that I didn't understand all the particulars, and suggested that he read the whole article if he wanted more information. I don't know if he did in fact read the article, but now he asserts that it's now just as easy for Norwegians, and even easier for Czechs, to get into the country as it ever was. I have read the article three times, and I didn't get that out of it. Some of that stuff is pretty complicated, so it might be in there and I just missed it. I will read it again after I sign off and get back to you tomorrow. It would be helpful if Uncle Ken would point out the part of the article, or any other source, that supports his assertion.
I provided a source for my comments about the Hart-Celler Act, which is something I am not always able to do. I quoted a short paragraph, which Uncle Ken seemed to imply was taken out of context. He also said that he was not able to find anything about it on the internet, which seemed to imply that he didn't believe it existed. I admitted that I didn't understand all the particulars, and suggested that he read the whole article if he wanted more information. I don't know if he did in fact read the article, but now he asserts that it's now just as easy for Norwegians, and even easier for Czechs, to get into the country as it ever was. I have read the article three times, and I didn't get that out of it. Some of that stuff is pretty complicated, so it might be in there and I just missed it. I will read it again after I sign off and get back to you tomorrow. It would be helpful if Uncle Ken would point out the part of the article, or any other source, that supports his assertion.
What's in a name?
Immigration is a hot topic and I don't know enough to render any comments with confidence. One thought I have is that the driving forces of earlier European immigration such as wars, poverty, and religious or political oppression are no longer in play. It is possible that Europe, as a whole, has become prosperous enough that there is no longer a need to seek opportunities elsewhere. But aren't those folks from the shirt-hole countries driven by the same forces as the earlier European immigrants? Like I said, I don't know enough. I do remember, though, that post-uprising Hungarian immigrants were called DPs (displaced persons), and not always fondly.
It seems possible to me that all the hubbub about immigration is a distraction from a possible greater threat, that being the ownership of US assets by foreign companies. Mr. Beagles mentioned the role of the Chinese government in the ownership of Chinese companies, and that is correct to the best of my understanding; they have a piece of everything. And those companies have deep pockets, investing in or outright purchasing American factories, banks, insurance companies, entertainment companies, and even farmland. I don't want to beat up on the Chinese for this, as there are many foreign companies doing the same thing but what happens when their governments start yanking their chains? Is the US for sale, being sold out under our feet?
Or maybe turnabout is fair play, and now it's our turn in the barrel. The US has a shady record of corporate greed, interfering with sovereign nations to the extent that governments have been toppled. Oh, we were fighting Communism, too, as if that matters much nowadays. The system is rigged, with everyone's hands in each others pockets; Capitalism at its finest.
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Speaking of fact bending, I saw where the secretary of homeland security, Neilson (a Norwegian surname as CNN helpfully pointed out)...
Possibly more fake news from CNN, according to Wikipedia. The name is Danish, the most common surname in Denmark and it is Nielsen (son of Niels), not Neilson. It is used in Norway, but Nelsen and Nilsen are more common. Nilsson is used in Sweden. It is very uncommon in Finland, probably originating from Danish immigrants.
This is why facts are important, you can't have a good liberal discussion if they change from day to day.
Maybe the lady is Norwegian, after all. Or a "herring choker," if you prefer. Those Scandinavians are known for their friendly rivalries. Even the Germans like to get in on the act. An old German guy from my childhood church referred to black people as "sunburned Swedes." At least he didn't use the N-word.
It seems possible to me that all the hubbub about immigration is a distraction from a possible greater threat, that being the ownership of US assets by foreign companies. Mr. Beagles mentioned the role of the Chinese government in the ownership of Chinese companies, and that is correct to the best of my understanding; they have a piece of everything. And those companies have deep pockets, investing in or outright purchasing American factories, banks, insurance companies, entertainment companies, and even farmland. I don't want to beat up on the Chinese for this, as there are many foreign companies doing the same thing but what happens when their governments start yanking their chains? Is the US for sale, being sold out under our feet?
Or maybe turnabout is fair play, and now it's our turn in the barrel. The US has a shady record of corporate greed, interfering with sovereign nations to the extent that governments have been toppled. Oh, we were fighting Communism, too, as if that matters much nowadays. The system is rigged, with everyone's hands in each others pockets; Capitalism at its finest.
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Speaking of fact bending, I saw where the secretary of homeland security, Neilson (a Norwegian surname as CNN helpfully pointed out)...
Possibly more fake news from CNN, according to Wikipedia. The name is Danish, the most common surname in Denmark and it is Nielsen (son of Niels), not Neilson. It is used in Norway, but Nelsen and Nilsen are more common. Nilsson is used in Sweden. It is very uncommon in Finland, probably originating from Danish immigrants.
This is why facts are important, you can't have a good liberal discussion if they change from day to day.
Maybe the lady is Norwegian, after all. Or a "herring choker," if you prefer. Those Scandinavians are known for their friendly rivalries. Even the Germans like to get in on the act. An old German guy from my childhood church referred to black people as "sunburned Swedes." At least he didn't use the N-word.
watching cable late Tuesday night
Prior to 1965, US immigration policies favored immigrants from Northern and Western Europe at the expense of everybody else. Since then, those policies have been biased against people from Northern and Western Europe.
Beagles: 1:15:2018:11PM
I don't know how difficult it is for Northern Europeans to get into this country anymore, but the fact that they represent less of a percentage of total immigration suggests that they are being kept out for one reason or another.
Beagles: 1:16:2018:10:40PM
So on Monday it is that act of 1965 keeping out the Norwegian bikini team, in favor of those, ahem, less than white people. and on Tuesday, it is some other reason that Beagles declines to denote, so why quote the 1965 act if it is irrelevant?
This is why facts are important, you can't have a good liberal discussion if they change from day to day.
Speaking of fact bending, I saw where the secretary of homeland security, Neilson (a Norwegian surname as CNN helpfully pointed out), fresh on a roll of saying she never heard the word shithole, further added that she was not aware that most Norwegians were white. Maybe she saw that Jamaican bobsledding movie and assumed that since it was bobsledding it must be Norwegian and noticed all those darkie Norwegians on the sled.
And did you notice Bannon being driven here and there in big black cars like he was Chelsea Manning on the way to the hoosegow? He didn't say shit because the White House is claiming executive privilege. John Dean, yes that John Dean, said that it wasn't binding on Bannon and he could have spoken freely, but by now Sloppy Steve realizes he was just the moon to Trump's Sun, and not a star in himself and he would crawl through greasy grimy gopher guts just to one more time kiss the ring on the tiny finger. By the way I've been reading Brietbart before and after his departure and I have noticed that it has become much more virulent since Sloppy Steve's departure. I don't know what that means.
Well that house investigative committee is crap anyway, and I don't think the Senate is much better. The only game in town is Mueller where the CNN pundits chortle he will have not even a lawyer to hold his hand. But I think he will chose the slammer rather than sing. What life does he have anymore in the outside worlf?
Stormy Daniels that's her name. Kind of nostalgic, reminds me of Tempest Storm who used to be all over the back pages of those feelthy magazines we devoured in our adolescences, ahem, I mean that I've heard other kids devoured in their adolescences. But she's not singing and I've heard that everybody who does business (gets screwed) with Trump has to sign a lengthy non-disclosure form so likely she inked one before the tiny wick was dipped.
Beagles: 1:15:2018:11PM
I don't know how difficult it is for Northern Europeans to get into this country anymore, but the fact that they represent less of a percentage of total immigration suggests that they are being kept out for one reason or another.
Beagles: 1:16:2018:10:40PM
So on Monday it is that act of 1965 keeping out the Norwegian bikini team, in favor of those, ahem, less than white people. and on Tuesday, it is some other reason that Beagles declines to denote, so why quote the 1965 act if it is irrelevant?
This is why facts are important, you can't have a good liberal discussion if they change from day to day.
Speaking of fact bending, I saw where the secretary of homeland security, Neilson (a Norwegian surname as CNN helpfully pointed out), fresh on a roll of saying she never heard the word shithole, further added that she was not aware that most Norwegians were white. Maybe she saw that Jamaican bobsledding movie and assumed that since it was bobsledding it must be Norwegian and noticed all those darkie Norwegians on the sled.
And did you notice Bannon being driven here and there in big black cars like he was Chelsea Manning on the way to the hoosegow? He didn't say shit because the White House is claiming executive privilege. John Dean, yes that John Dean, said that it wasn't binding on Bannon and he could have spoken freely, but by now Sloppy Steve realizes he was just the moon to Trump's Sun, and not a star in himself and he would crawl through greasy grimy gopher guts just to one more time kiss the ring on the tiny finger. By the way I've been reading Brietbart before and after his departure and I have noticed that it has become much more virulent since Sloppy Steve's departure. I don't know what that means.
Well that house investigative committee is crap anyway, and I don't think the Senate is much better. The only game in town is Mueller where the CNN pundits chortle he will have not even a lawyer to hold his hand. But I think he will chose the slammer rather than sing. What life does he have anymore in the outside worlf?
Stormy Daniels that's her name. Kind of nostalgic, reminds me of Tempest Storm who used to be all over the back pages of those feelthy magazines we devoured in our adolescences, ahem, I mean that I've heard other kids devoured in their adolescences. But she's not singing and I've heard that everybody who does business (gets screwed) with Trump has to sign a lengthy non-disclosure form so likely she inked one before the tiny wick was dipped.
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
We Don't Need No Stinking Google Search!
Like I said, the quote I cited yesterday was copied and pasted from the Wikipedia article "Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965". I selected that short paragraph because I thought it pretty well summed it up. If you want to see more data, you can read the whole article for yourself. I don't know how difficult it is for Northern Europeans to get into this country anymore, but the fact that they represent less of a percentage of total immigration suggests that they are being kept out for one reason or another.
As I have said in the past, I have nothing against minorities as long as they remain minorities. It's when a minority threatens to become the majority that makes me nervous. Last I heard, Europe was being over run with immigrants from Africa and Asia (including the Middle East). It hasn't been in the news lately, but I have not heard that it stopped happening either. When that Brexit thing was in the news, it was widely reported as being one of the primary reasons for its proposal and ultimate passage. I haven't heard about Brexit lately either but, last I heard, they were planning to dick around for several years before implementing it. Meanwhile, the hordes keep surging into Europe. I have also said in the past that, if we want more immigrants in this country, there should be a ready supply of European refugees being pushed out of their homelands.
I knew that about the Chinese, I was just making a small joke. I was reading a book about Chinese history during the time we were going through that bailout fiasco a few yeas ago, so I put the two stories together. That's not lying, that's creative story telling.
It is my understanding that the Chinese government owns a controlling interest in all the major corporations in their country. I heard this from an American guy who works for a Japanese owned company that has business interests in Red China. Sounds like a reliable source to me!
As I have said in the past, I have nothing against minorities as long as they remain minorities. It's when a minority threatens to become the majority that makes me nervous. Last I heard, Europe was being over run with immigrants from Africa and Asia (including the Middle East). It hasn't been in the news lately, but I have not heard that it stopped happening either. When that Brexit thing was in the news, it was widely reported as being one of the primary reasons for its proposal and ultimate passage. I haven't heard about Brexit lately either but, last I heard, they were planning to dick around for several years before implementing it. Meanwhile, the hordes keep surging into Europe. I have also said in the past that, if we want more immigrants in this country, there should be a ready supply of European refugees being pushed out of their homelands.
I knew that about the Chinese, I was just making a small joke. I was reading a book about Chinese history during the time we were going through that bailout fiasco a few yeas ago, so I put the two stories together. That's not lying, that's creative story telling.
It is my understanding that the Chinese government owns a controlling interest in all the major corporations in their country. I heard this from an American guy who works for a Japanese owned company that has business interests in Red China. Sounds like a reliable source to me!
In good health
It took me a while to figure out the hot topic of "groovy font." There it was, right in front of me, and I didn't notice. But it doesn't look too groovy to me, more like a version of Times Roman. Is that what you guys are talking about?
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As far as I can tell, the great naval expeditions of Zheng He were ended by Imperial decree, heavily influenced by the more conservative Confucian faction in the imperial court. Too expensive, they thought, and since China did not have aspirations for conquest or colonization, that was that. Some of the great ships were burned, others were left to rot in dry dock, and it was ordered that no ships with more than two masts were to be built in the future. Besides, they were happy enough for the merchants and traders to come to them for their precious jade, silk, and other exports.
The China of today is very unlike the China of my childhood memory, still Communist but no more dull gray Mao uniforms worn by all its citizens. Those commies have turned capitalism on its ear, excelling in both trade and manufacturing. They've become the world's factory, and folks from the villages are still lining up to work in the urban factories despite deplorable working conditions.
I wonder if Putin's Russia considers China a threat. The Russians dumped communism, and where are they now? Except for energy supplies and weapons there doesn't seem to be a lot that Russia can offer the global market. Oh, I forgot caviar.
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None of the pundits are yapping about the book Fire and Fury anymore; that didn't take long. Since then, it's been nothing but the shirt-hole dialogues and that's about to change. I caught snippets of the press conference about the president's physical exam and damn!, exceptional health for a man his age and he even aced that Montreal Cognitive exam they threw at him at the last moment. We're not going to hear the end of this. Remember when, before the election, that goofy personal physician of Trump was talking about how healthy he was? He may have been right, all due to good genes. Reality tips on its axis once again.
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So, Bannon got a subpoena from Mueller; that should make things interesting for the White House. My current working theory is that it's all going to revolve around financial irregularities and money laundering, with no political influence by foreign governments. Hard to say at this point. I'd like to hear more about that $130,000 (allegedly) paid to that porn star. Did Trump claim it as an expense on his taxes? No wonder he isn't making those records public.
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As far as I can tell, the great naval expeditions of Zheng He were ended by Imperial decree, heavily influenced by the more conservative Confucian faction in the imperial court. Too expensive, they thought, and since China did not have aspirations for conquest or colonization, that was that. Some of the great ships were burned, others were left to rot in dry dock, and it was ordered that no ships with more than two masts were to be built in the future. Besides, they were happy enough for the merchants and traders to come to them for their precious jade, silk, and other exports.
The China of today is very unlike the China of my childhood memory, still Communist but no more dull gray Mao uniforms worn by all its citizens. Those commies have turned capitalism on its ear, excelling in both trade and manufacturing. They've become the world's factory, and folks from the villages are still lining up to work in the urban factories despite deplorable working conditions.
I wonder if Putin's Russia considers China a threat. The Russians dumped communism, and where are they now? Except for energy supplies and weapons there doesn't seem to be a lot that Russia can offer the global market. Oh, I forgot caviar.
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None of the pundits are yapping about the book Fire and Fury anymore; that didn't take long. Since then, it's been nothing but the shirt-hole dialogues and that's about to change. I caught snippets of the press conference about the president's physical exam and damn!, exceptional health for a man his age and he even aced that Montreal Cognitive exam they threw at him at the last moment. We're not going to hear the end of this. Remember when, before the election, that goofy personal physician of Trump was talking about how healthy he was? He may have been right, all due to good genes. Reality tips on its axis once again.
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So, Bannon got a subpoena from Mueller; that should make things interesting for the White House. My current working theory is that it's all going to revolve around financial irregularities and money laundering, with no political influence by foreign governments. Hard to say at this point. I'd like to hear more about that $130,000 (allegedly) paid to that porn star. Did Trump claim it as an expense on his taxes? No wonder he isn't making those records public.
Blacks and Bohunks go back
That the current immigration policies favor nonwhites over whites, was news to me, I hadn't heard this from even the likes of Stephen Miller or that other Steve, what was it, oh yes, Bannon, it's hard to remember he is fading so fast. I did extensive internet research, five, maybe ten, minutes, and I could find nothing to back up this notion. I guess if I had gotten down to the level of the Daily Stormer I would have found something of this nature, but the first two pages of the google search brought up nothing.
Perhaps the phrase , the Hart–Celler Act allowed increased numbers of people to migrate to the United States from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East caught Beagle's eye, but note this says nothing about a decreasing number of Europeans, because both are now at the same level, It is as easy for a Norwegian to get in as it always was, and in fact it's a little easier for Beagles's ancestors to get in than it was in 1965. I think what Beagles is saying is that it used to be harder for non-Nordic immigrants to come in, but then it was made equal and now we should make it unequal again to even up for the time it was even. Or in other words, Nordic Europeans good, blacks and Bohunks bad.
It was Rich Lowry who brought up the idea that maybe Trump actually said shithouse, although scouring his magazine, The National Review I don't see where he got that idea. But it would make some sense. Trump originally said that he didn't say shithole, but that he used strong language, shithouse would certainly apply there. And Perdue and Cotton, in their denials, say he didn't use that word, so shithouse would work for them. Lindsey walks right up to saying it was shithole but then dances away. What a little fuck. He was all noble speeches when he was an anti-Trumpist, but now that he thinks he can get Trump to bomb the fuck out of all our enemies he is Trump's sweetheart.
And those poor DACA kids, what's to become of them? Trump shitholed them, then said well maybe I'll let DACA come back, but the dems will have to give up some stuff (the wall, or the fence, or the digital blah blah blah, it changes every day (see my earlier discourse on documenting Trump) though I'm pretty sure Trump has his heart set on brick and mortar), but then when the dems give up some stuff Trump still puts the kibosh on the deal. The art of the deal my ass. The only kind of deal that Trump likes is the one where he robs you blind.
I get that thing on email, where I import some text and then its rules seem to take over for the rest of the doc. Let me try something.
"For a while they had a hell of a navy with some amazing expeditions led by Zheng He, a famous eunuch.
Did that change anything? Well it's different, but not all that groovy.
Perhaps the phrase , the Hart–Celler Act allowed increased numbers of people to migrate to the United States from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East caught Beagle's eye, but note this says nothing about a decreasing number of Europeans, because both are now at the same level, It is as easy for a Norwegian to get in as it always was, and in fact it's a little easier for Beagles's ancestors to get in than it was in 1965. I think what Beagles is saying is that it used to be harder for non-Nordic immigrants to come in, but then it was made equal and now we should make it unequal again to even up for the time it was even. Or in other words, Nordic Europeans good, blacks and Bohunks bad.
It was Rich Lowry who brought up the idea that maybe Trump actually said shithouse, although scouring his magazine, The National Review I don't see where he got that idea. But it would make some sense. Trump originally said that he didn't say shithole, but that he used strong language, shithouse would certainly apply there. And Perdue and Cotton, in their denials, say he didn't use that word, so shithouse would work for them. Lindsey walks right up to saying it was shithole but then dances away. What a little fuck. He was all noble speeches when he was an anti-Trumpist, but now that he thinks he can get Trump to bomb the fuck out of all our enemies he is Trump's sweetheart.
And those poor DACA kids, what's to become of them? Trump shitholed them, then said well maybe I'll let DACA come back, but the dems will have to give up some stuff (the wall, or the fence, or the digital blah blah blah, it changes every day (see my earlier discourse on documenting Trump) though I'm pretty sure Trump has his heart set on brick and mortar), but then when the dems give up some stuff Trump still puts the kibosh on the deal. The art of the deal my ass. The only kind of deal that Trump likes is the one where he robs you blind.
I get that thing on email, where I import some text and then its rules seem to take over for the rest of the doc. Let me try something.
"For a while they had a hell of a navy with some amazing expeditions led by Zheng He, a famous eunuch.
Did that change anything? Well it's different, but not all that groovy.
Monday, January 15, 2018
Restore the Balance
"The proponents of the Hart–Celler Act argued that it would not significantly influence United States culture. President Johnson called the bill "not a revolutionary bill. It does not affect the lives of millions."[16] Secretary of State Dean Rusk and other politicians, including Senator Ted Kennedy, asserted that the bill would not affect US demographic mix.[2] However, the ethnic composition of immigrants changed following the passage of the law.[17][18] Specifically, the Hart–Celler Act allowed increased numbers of people to migrate to the United States from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East." - From the Wikipedia article "Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965".
Prior to 1965, US immigration policies favored immigrants from Northern and Western Europe at the expense of everybody else. Since then, those policies have been biased against people from Northern and Western Europe. I think what Trump wants to do is go back to those thrilling days of yesteryear. I don't know if that's desirable, or even possible, but I would like to see some kind of fair balance restored. I don't see why it should be any harder for an immigrant from Norway to get into this country than it is for an immigrant from one of those other countries. I understand that the intent was to make up for previous injustices, but I think that those injustices should be all made up for by now. I keep hearing that, except for the Native American Indians, we are all descended from immigrants but, if the Hart-Celler Act had been in force when our ancestors came here, they likely wouldn't have been allowed to come here.
I knew that "The Good Place" was back on, but I can't watch it because it runs opposite to "Young Sheldon", a new show that was spun off from "The Big Bang Theory". I do like "Young Sheldon" at least as much as "The Good Place", but I still want to catch up on "The Good Place" someday. I understand that Season 1 is already out on DVD, so I'm looking forward to when Season 2 comes out. Either that, or maybe they will eventually run the re-runs in a different time slot.
I don't know how I produced that "groovy font" in my last post. Maybe it was because I opened with a quote, copied and pasted from Old Dog's last post. Today I opened with a quote from Wiki, so let's see if that has the same effect.........Nope, the quote was displayed in a different font, but everything that follows is in the same old grey crap.
super powers of the Trumpists
Well did he say shithole, or did he didn't? Seems likely he did because he didn't deny it for like 24 hours and there are reports that he was chortling over it, thinking this would help with his base, you know like teenagers of our day who would go to the movies and giggle if somebody said a dirty word. Somebody said Lindsey Graham said he did, but last I heard Lindsey hasn't personally said he did. Those other guys, anti-immigration reps to a man, at first couldn't remember, but then later they remembered distinctly that he didn't. In the whirlwind of the Sunday talks shows I heard one guy, can't remember his name, said the word was actually shithouse, which seems less graphic and even has pleasant connotations, as in built like a.
Seems to me that the evidence is pretty solid that he did, so it was a little disheartening to see half a dozen or so reps wearing blue ties and saying they were red. When you jump on the Trump train you leave your integrity behind, but you do gain super powers like lying with a straight face and no inner qualms.
But the word is not so much a big deal as the context, like why are we letting in people from shithole countries implying that they are shithole people, unlike those blonde Norwegians who surely have some kind of bikini team. Seems pretty clear that he is saying white people good, black people bad. Which makes me wonder about Beagles tending to agree with him on the immigration issue But quoting Trump is like quoting the bible. You don't just say, the book of Leviticus, you say Leviticus 1:15, and you say Trump 1/6 12:14PM.
Beagles brings up a good point about the Chinese having a high technology without monotheism. I'm caught a bit flat footed here. I'll say that I was talking about science and not technology, but I admit that that's a little weak. Someday soon we should have a talk about the difference between science and technology.
I've said before that I don't like the way my ilk tosses around the term racist. It doesn't shed any light and basically it is name-calling, and I don't see where it does anything other than excite the base and I prefer a thoughtful base to an excited base, well maybe not on election day.
Oh hey, remember we were talking about the Miller/Tapper kerfuffle, and how Miller wasn't answering any questions just saying over and over how great Trump was, which Tapper said he was doing only to get brownie points because everybody knows Trump watches these shows and would never read like a memo you sent him, so saying it on tv is the only way to get his attention. Miller is a big anti-immigration guy, and the next thing you know DACA is squashed.
Shirt holes, I like it. I didn't know The Good Place was back on tv. Thursday nights right?
Hey, where did Beagles get that groovy font?
Seems to me that the evidence is pretty solid that he did, so it was a little disheartening to see half a dozen or so reps wearing blue ties and saying they were red. When you jump on the Trump train you leave your integrity behind, but you do gain super powers like lying with a straight face and no inner qualms.
But the word is not so much a big deal as the context, like why are we letting in people from shithole countries implying that they are shithole people, unlike those blonde Norwegians who surely have some kind of bikini team. Seems pretty clear that he is saying white people good, black people bad. Which makes me wonder about Beagles tending to agree with him on the immigration issue But quoting Trump is like quoting the bible. You don't just say, the book of Leviticus, you say Leviticus 1:15, and you say Trump 1/6 12:14PM.
Beagles brings up a good point about the Chinese having a high technology without monotheism. I'm caught a bit flat footed here. I'll say that I was talking about science and not technology, but I admit that that's a little weak. Someday soon we should have a talk about the difference between science and technology.
I've said before that I don't like the way my ilk tosses around the term racist. It doesn't shed any light and basically it is name-calling, and I don't see where it does anything other than excite the base and I prefer a thoughtful base to an excited base, well maybe not on election day.
Oh hey, remember we were talking about the Miller/Tapper kerfuffle, and how Miller wasn't answering any questions just saying over and over how great Trump was, which Tapper said he was doing only to get brownie points because everybody knows Trump watches these shows and would never read like a memo you sent him, so saying it on tv is the only way to get his attention. Miller is a big anti-immigration guy, and the next thing you know DACA is squashed.
Shirt holes, I like it. I didn't know The Good Place was back on tv. Thursday nights right?
Hey, where did Beagles get that groovy font?
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Chinese Junks
"For a while they had a hell of a navy with some amazing expeditions led by Zheng He, a famous eunuch. Almost ninety years before Columbus set sail in his puny ships Zheng He was cruising in nine-masted ships with four decks, 400 feet long. Not just a couple of ships either, there were hundreds (mostly smaller), with tens of thousands of men aboard. As a conquering force they may have been unstoppable, but since that wasn't in their game plan we will never know. Inscrutable, indeed." - Old Dog
It is my understanding that Zheng He sailed around so much that he wore out all their ships. The Chinese couldn't build the new ships they needed because all their shipbuilders went bankrupt due to corporate mismanagement, and then squandered their bailout money on executive bonuses. I don't remember the source of that information, maybe it came to me in a dream. One thing I know for sure, Chinese ships are called "junks" even unto this day.
Tempest in a chamber pot
Quite a media frenzy lately but I don't see why it such a big deal. Trump has a profound lack of sensitivity and decorum and the use of the term shithole in a closed meeting should come as no surprise. A case can be made that the term is accurate if you consider the poor infrastructure and lack of proper plumbing in some of the nations mentioned; raw sewage qualifies you for being a shithole. And if Trump hadn't mentioned Norway I don't think there would have been so much yammering about racism. I still can't tell if he is racist or not but he is certainly prejudiced against those of a lesser social standing than he thinks he has attained.
The guy is in a hole and yet he keeps digging but this will all roll off his back because he likes the attention these conflicts provide, maybe an attitude he picked up from his friends in the professional wrestling community. He doesn't talk about polls or opinions, all that matters to him is ratings. When things go wrong others will get the blame but if things are going well he will take the credit. The guy is spiritually bankrupt and doesn't deserve the attention he is getting, and I'm growing weary of giving him mine. But the possible results of his words and actions are frightening and that is something I can't ignore.
It's too bad that none of the media outlets took a page from the scriptwriters of The Good Place and referred to "shirt holes" That would have been funny. You guys know that new episodes have been airing for a couple of weeks now, right?
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Mr. Beagles mentioned that Chinese gave up global exploration because their ships became junks but I can find no evidence of that. My understanding is that they turned inward because of social and political considerations, not seeing any advantage in expanding trade with other nations.
For a while they had a hell of a navy with some amazing expeditions led by Zheng He, a famous eunuch. Almost ninety years before Columbus set sail in his puny ships Zheng He was cruising in nine-masted ships with four decks, 400 feet long. Not just a couple of ships either, there were hundreds (mostly smaller), with tens of thousands of men aboard. As a conquering force they may have been unstoppable, but since that wasn't in their game plan we will never know. Inscrutable, indeed.
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Last week the Russians reported that its Syrian air base was attacked by a swarm of drones. The future began earlier than I thought.
The guy is in a hole and yet he keeps digging but this will all roll off his back because he likes the attention these conflicts provide, maybe an attitude he picked up from his friends in the professional wrestling community. He doesn't talk about polls or opinions, all that matters to him is ratings. When things go wrong others will get the blame but if things are going well he will take the credit. The guy is spiritually bankrupt and doesn't deserve the attention he is getting, and I'm growing weary of giving him mine. But the possible results of his words and actions are frightening and that is something I can't ignore.
It's too bad that none of the media outlets took a page from the scriptwriters of The Good Place and referred to "shirt holes" That would have been funny. You guys know that new episodes have been airing for a couple of weeks now, right?
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Mr. Beagles mentioned that Chinese gave up global exploration because their ships became junks but I can find no evidence of that. My understanding is that they turned inward because of social and political considerations, not seeing any advantage in expanding trade with other nations.
For a while they had a hell of a navy with some amazing expeditions led by Zheng He, a famous eunuch. Almost ninety years before Columbus set sail in his puny ships Zheng He was cruising in nine-masted ships with four decks, 400 feet long. Not just a couple of ships either, there were hundreds (mostly smaller), with tens of thousands of men aboard. As a conquering force they may have been unstoppable, but since that wasn't in their game plan we will never know. Inscrutable, indeed.
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Last week the Russians reported that its Syrian air base was attacked by a swarm of drones. The future began earlier than I thought.
Saturday, January 13, 2018
The Big Stink
So Trump said "shithole", and now there's a big stink about it. So what else is new? Truth be known, I tend to agree with him on this immigration issue, although not with the way he expressed it. Now there will be a reaction and they will let more of those people into the country than ever before. Trump had to know this would happen, which tends to confirm my theory that his primary agenda is to give all us decent conservatives a bad name.
It hadn't occurred to me before, but Uncle Ken may be onto something with his theory that monotheism has something to do with the proliferation science and technology. On the other hand, China (long before it was red) was a leader in those fields until they had to give up global exploration because all their ships had become junks. I don't think they were monotheists at the time, but it's hard to tell because those people have always been inscrutable.
Funny how we call it "Western civilization" when its origins are traced to the Middle East, which is actually part of Asia.
It hadn't occurred to me before, but Uncle Ken may be onto something with his theory that monotheism has something to do with the proliferation science and technology. On the other hand, China (long before it was red) was a leader in those fields until they had to give up global exploration because all their ships had become junks. I don't think they were monotheists at the time, but it's hard to tell because those people have always been inscrutable.
Funny how we call it "Western civilization" when its origins are traced to the Middle East, which is actually part of Asia.
Friday, January 12, 2018
Holy shit!
Just Tuesday I was writing about how Trump had become humdrum. You can only throw a chair so far after all. I saw him at that bipartisan committee where he was acting all reasonable and polite and shit, and even a CNNer or two were daring to say something like is this the long awaited New Trump. With the banishment of Bannon had he been cleansed by The Light? Har. You can teach a bear to dance, but once the dance is over and you have given him his fish he will be wondering what you would taste like.
So Trump was tossing the chair a little further than usual yesterday. There was that whole FISA thing in the morning where seconds after the Foxies warned him to be against it, he was tweeting that very message in their words, and it took his handlers most of the morning to clean up that mess. And then there was the Flake gang of six or so announcing proudly that they had hammered out a deal on Daca, and it only remained for Trump to ink it, which he had said he would do when he was doing his ursine dance, and he put the hammer on that. So two Trumpian acts within a few hours, and both of them pretty good tosses of the chair even by Trump's high standards, but still not that big a deal.
And then holy shit, there it was, the shit-hole remark, the chair, make that a sofa, that cleared the studio and out the window and was last seen approaching orbit. I was watching CNN of course, and when it first broke the breaker actually said shit-hole. By the time it got to the higher reaches of Wolff he was calling it a blank-hole. On the feed it went through shit-hole, sh*t-hole, s*-hole, *-hole, and so on. Putting all other things aside, I was wondering had Trump done what George Carlin could only whine about? I skipped through the opening of the network news. I don't remember which was which, but one said shit-hole, one said blank-hole, and one said scatological term. This morning NPR, in its hoity toity manner was calling it a vulgar term.
And the morning papers have just come over the transom, and both the Trib and the Sun-times are calling it a vulgar term in the header, but are using the term shithole in the text. When I began writing this I was using the term shithole, but I didn't like that th together, it looked a little like shi-thole. But anyway, can we now add to Trump's litany of triumphs, changing the seven dirty words to six?
Speaking of anyway, we did get an orange-headed nod to the Norwegians as fine fellows, that that old Finn, Old Dog, might well bask in the glow of, though I imagine he might resent being lumped in with the Norwegians, but when those guys come charging at you with their battle axes it's hard to tell one horned head from another.
Okay, so there were some fine posts from the dawgs that deserved a longer response, but Trump has again stolen the show and exhausted my morning. Let me just respond to them briefly.
I meant western civ in a pretty general way, maybe dating from the renaissance, basically technology, and I consider globalism an extension of western civ, just my personal thought, just a way to smooth things for my argument that monotheism was a force in developing science and technology.
And I'm going to defend Jack Tapper. Miller came in there loaded for bear and obviously intending only to put on a show for Trump. Tapper was interrupting him to get a response to his questions, it being his show after all. I was glad to see Tapper interrupting him because if I wanted to hear orange boasting I could hear it from the horse's ass's mouth himself.
And those wars over ideology that Beagles speaks of, I assume he means the reformation, well shit happens and in fact those wars led to a lot of advances in technology which I think is the main thrust of western civ.
I don't think that The Apprentice formed Trump's personality. I think he has always been the same guy, a guy surrounded by yes men who has had no reason to believe he was ever wrong about anything. Occam's razor.
Oh, and this just in.Trump denies using that language.
So Trump was tossing the chair a little further than usual yesterday. There was that whole FISA thing in the morning where seconds after the Foxies warned him to be against it, he was tweeting that very message in their words, and it took his handlers most of the morning to clean up that mess. And then there was the Flake gang of six or so announcing proudly that they had hammered out a deal on Daca, and it only remained for Trump to ink it, which he had said he would do when he was doing his ursine dance, and he put the hammer on that. So two Trumpian acts within a few hours, and both of them pretty good tosses of the chair even by Trump's high standards, but still not that big a deal.
And then holy shit, there it was, the shit-hole remark, the chair, make that a sofa, that cleared the studio and out the window and was last seen approaching orbit. I was watching CNN of course, and when it first broke the breaker actually said shit-hole. By the time it got to the higher reaches of Wolff he was calling it a blank-hole. On the feed it went through shit-hole, sh*t-hole, s*-hole, *-hole, and so on. Putting all other things aside, I was wondering had Trump done what George Carlin could only whine about? I skipped through the opening of the network news. I don't remember which was which, but one said shit-hole, one said blank-hole, and one said scatological term. This morning NPR, in its hoity toity manner was calling it a vulgar term.
And the morning papers have just come over the transom, and both the Trib and the Sun-times are calling it a vulgar term in the header, but are using the term shithole in the text. When I began writing this I was using the term shithole, but I didn't like that th together, it looked a little like shi-thole. But anyway, can we now add to Trump's litany of triumphs, changing the seven dirty words to six?
Speaking of anyway, we did get an orange-headed nod to the Norwegians as fine fellows, that that old Finn, Old Dog, might well bask in the glow of, though I imagine he might resent being lumped in with the Norwegians, but when those guys come charging at you with their battle axes it's hard to tell one horned head from another.
Okay, so there were some fine posts from the dawgs that deserved a longer response, but Trump has again stolen the show and exhausted my morning. Let me just respond to them briefly.
I meant western civ in a pretty general way, maybe dating from the renaissance, basically technology, and I consider globalism an extension of western civ, just my personal thought, just a way to smooth things for my argument that monotheism was a force in developing science and technology.
And I'm going to defend Jack Tapper. Miller came in there loaded for bear and obviously intending only to put on a show for Trump. Tapper was interrupting him to get a response to his questions, it being his show after all. I was glad to see Tapper interrupting him because if I wanted to hear orange boasting I could hear it from the horse's ass's mouth himself.
And those wars over ideology that Beagles speaks of, I assume he means the reformation, well shit happens and in fact those wars led to a lot of advances in technology which I think is the main thrust of western civ.
I don't think that The Apprentice formed Trump's personality. I think he has always been the same guy, a guy surrounded by yes men who has had no reason to believe he was ever wrong about anything. Occam's razor.
Oh, and this just in.Trump denies using that language.
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