Monday, February 27, 2023
No idea about his prospects..........
..................but I'll root for this attitude:
“I took the mindset that it was time for us to stop asking for a seat at the table. And we were going to build our own table,” Smith says.
Sunday, February 26, 2023
Riding the tiger..................
By the year 2020, every major institution of American culture had converted to the cult of identity.. . . As I have noted elsewhere, the motive force behind the mass conversion of the elites was a longing for control. Identity is a minority sect that imposes itself by shaming and silencing contrary opinions, even among those it purports to protect. Most Blacks don’t wish to defund the police. Most Hispanics don’t believe in open borders. Most Democrats don’t think government programs should discriminate based on race or sex. But old-fashioned liberalism is dying away with the boomer generation, and the elites, distrusted by the public, deprived of institutional authority, have gambled on riding the tiger of rule by internet mob.
-Martin Gurri, from this essay
Twilight.........................
Twilight cultures begin to show a preference for veneer and form, not depth and content; a stubborn blindness to the consequences of actions; from the leadership on down. In other words, an epidemic erosion of attention is a sure sign of an impending dark age.
-Maggie Jackson, Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age
On civilisation and belief.....
Civilisation requires a modicum of material prosperity—enough to provide a little leisure. But, far more, it requires confidence—confidence in the society in which one lives, belief in its philosophy, belief in its laws, and confidence in one's own mental powers. . . .Vigour, energy, vitality: all of the great civilisations—or civilising epochs—have had a weight of energy behind them. People sometimes think that civilisation consists of fine sensibilities and good conversation and all that. These can be among the agreeable results of civilization, but they are not what makes civilisation, and a society can have these amenities and yet be dead and rigid.
-Kenneth Clark, Civilisation
Like it's not 100%....................?
Cutting calories by 25% can slow the rate of aging in humans and lead to a significant reduction in mortality risk, according to a new study from Columbia University.
Could have fooled me....................
Every day is April Fools from now on, let’s not get fooled.
-Seth Godin, from this post on the ease of manipulation
Yep..........................
People love familiarity. That’s true not just for faces but products, careers, and styles. It’s almost like nature’s risk-management system.
-Morgan Housel, cut-and-pasted from here
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
I'm sure this makes sense...............
Let's hope this continues; let's hope the Fed doesn't feel compelled to squeeze the economy just because inflation is a little higher than they would like to see. The truth is that on the margin, inflation pressures are receding (and by some measures inflation is already back down to 2%—see Chart #1 in this post) and the best way to keep inflation low is to allow the economy to continue to grow while keeping interest rates high enough to keep the demand for money from plunging. A greater supply of goods and services, after all, will help absorb any extra money that is still sloshing around.
Monday, February 20, 2023
On getting what you deserve................
This is not a Democrat or Republican issue, nor a liberal or conservative one; it is an existential one for the country. . . .
If only he had been elected...........
There is one policy I regret not having promoted, however; for no one else seems to have taken it up. This is to make the tax system, at every level, entirely voluntary.
Sunday, February 19, 2023
learn.................
 |
| Claude Monet The Bodmer Oak Oil on Canvass 1865 |
When we shout at the oak tree, the oak tree is not offended. When we praise the oak tree, it doesn't raise its nose. We can learn the Dharma from the oak tree; therefore, the oak tree is part of our Dharmakaya. We can learn from everything that is around, that is in us.
for a war of their own....................
Things move slowly, for a long time, and then very fast. Europe has long become a museum to its own past; which is why we love it. We walk the cobblestone streets; dine in the ancient taverns under empty castles drinking wine that was made when life was lived then, raging all around and not in the rear view mirror. When people looked to the future, not the past for their ideas of the west.
-Joel D. Hirst, from here
Fifty years ago.......................
Checking in again.................
.....................with Naval Ravikant:
The best jobs are neither decreed nor degreed. They are creative expressions of continuous learners in free markets.
Intentions don't matter. Actions do. That's why being ethical is hard.
Embrace accountability and take business risks under your own name. Society will reward you with responsibility, equity, and leverage.
Following your genuine intellectual curiosity is a better foundation for a career than following whatever is making money right now.
If they can train you to do it, then eventually they will train a computer to do it.
You're never going to get rich renting out your time.
Earn with your mind, not your time.
You will never be worth more than you think you're worth.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
. . . build your character in a certain way, then your character becomes your destiny.
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