What I Learned from Davos

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I watched some of the Davos 2022 World Economic Forum sessions and this is what I learned.  

 

First Globalization is a total success and if millions, even 10s of millions of Americans are impoverished or destroyed, the rest of the world couldnt care less.

 

Second, the Russian war with Ukraine is a European matter and outside of Europe, no one really cares, they just dont want it to affect the price they have to pay for things.  Of course they will do business with Russia, who cares about genocide?  Not them.

 

Third, China is the country that matters now, the US is decidedly second rate and obviously has a failed government.  The US is still considered to have a strong economy and military, second to China of course.

 

Fourth, no European thinks that they could possibly deal with Putin in the future. The rest of the world doesnt care.

 

Fifth, no one thinks that Finland and Sweden joining NATO will really be a big problem for Russia.

We Must Remember to Thank Putin

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Who else but Vladimir Putin, the bringer of peace, would have been able to unite NATO? Who else would convince not just the European countries but any small country near a large neighbor like China to increase their military budgets? Who else could have terminated any hope of reducing the American military budget? None but Vladimir could cause the whole world to hate him and Russia and convince the world that madness still reigns at the highest levels?
 

Now what would Mahan say? That nation that controls the sea will rule the world? Time for the US Navy to clear the sea lanes of the Black Sea to end the extortion and let the grain be delivered to the hungry?

Understanding What "Originalist" Means

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Dear REDACTED,

As you know there are many elements of the current political situations(s) that I dont understand or perhaps incompletely appreciate. Certainly I am not at all concerned whether the debate over an originalist interpretation of the constitution is political or not, of course it is. Not even a stupid moron could doubt that. My problem (well one of them) is that I dont understand what the originalist position actually is. I want to try to understand the originalist position better and nothing I have read has helped me much. So lets take the 2nd amendment, which is apparently more important than issues of racism or the right to vote among our fellow citizens.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

1. What is a well regulated militia? Whatever it is, I am pretty sure that it never was intended to be a bunch of yahoos forming vigilante squads to shoot at whoever they want whenever they want because "they need killin". To the best of my knowledge, militia's were self generating (unlike for example a regiment which usually had a designated officer responsible for raising a body of troops), but even so I am pretty sure that they were sanctioned (or not sanctioned) by official authority. Yes, no, maybe? Therefore outside of a "well regulated whatever" why does this amendment even apply?

2. By "state" here, I presume they mean the individual states & commonwealths, e.g. 13 of them. Not the federal govt, or did they mean the federal govt?

3. I am not sure what "arms" means here in an originalist sense. Are we talking about unrifled muskets, presumably flint locks or similar technology, muzzle loaded? How about artillery, which in this case would mean muzzle loaded single piece unrifled cannon firing shot or metal balls, those are certainly arms. It would not be an originalist position to say this refers to rifled, semi automatic, weapons which are wildly different in capability to a flintlock. If we are interpreting the constitution to refer to "modern personal firearms" then that would have to include antitank and antiair weapons as those are every bit as much a personal kinetic weapon as updated to our times. Certainly a modern semi automatic hand gun would not be considered to fall under this amendment in any originalist sense as the handgun as a useful technology pretty much did not exist at that time.

So which is it, original or interpreted?

Piddles Has Children!

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We think that our friend Piddles has had children.  Amazing what pistachios will do.

 

The Door to Hell Will be Opened

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They say that anticipation is the very heart of suspense.  First the author signals that something horrible is going to happen but then he or she makes us wait.  Wait until the teenager goes into the basement.  No!  Dont go into the basement!  Wait while the teenager considers the Door to Hell.  Wait while the idiot opens the Door to Hell.  But it is too late, at this point it is foretold, and the door to hell is going to be opened.  You can not stop the door to hell from being opened.   Things have gone too far. 

And so my fellow democrats and so called progressives, I am here to tell you that it is too late, it has been foretold and the time to act has come and gone.  The "50 Year Reich" will now begin.  The door to hell will be opened.  We could have stopped this particular hell, perhaps, if our leaders had led and the people had wanted to take action. But they didnt.    Too much trouble I guess.  Didnt want to be bothered, I guess.  Hail Victory!

It irritates me that time after time over the last 20 years or so, our elites and elected representatives denied reality and refused to do anything about the rather obvious process going on, and recounting all the ways is just too tiresome for me. 

But briefly, and just recounting a few recent events and then looking forward.  The Justice Department has refused to hold Trump and his goons accountable.  The supreme court has destroyed the voting rights act.  Republicans have destroyed fair elections in the states they control.  That means that the Republicans will win the senate and the house back in the midterms no matter how the people vote.  That means that the electoral college, which is dependent on elections in states in a winner-take-all fashion,  will install a Republican as president no matter who actually wins the election.  That means that the supreme court will continue to be twisted by the Republicans.  Repeat.

So its over. 

 

So much for trying to work with the Republicans, eh?

 

 

The Pernicious Impact of Frivolous use of Ancient Computers (JOSS #1)

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JOSS was the RAND Corporation's internally developed timesharing system to permit one computer to be used by many people (researchers) in their work and in a way that was more convivial than punching cards or paper tapes with machine code.   JOSS stands for "Johnniac Open Shop System".  In researching this important early system, I came across this beautiful description of an unexpected and, in the eyes of a key developer, an undesirable effect of making JOSS more available to researchers at RAND.

The researcher wrote:

In the summary and conclusions section of RM-5270-PR

Rejected Opening to an Essay on Policy Regarding Ukraine

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How do you open an essay which one is totally unqualified to write?  Well, one approach is to just go completely and volcanicly over the top.  The following is from an essay in progress on what we should do in Ukraine. 

"At the request of one of my subjects who must remain nameless, We have consented to suggest a policy or approach for the situation in Ukraine to defeat the False Vladimir, the so-called "Vladimir the Bringer of Peace", and encourage him and his degraded Boyars to reenter civilization and turn away from their bloodthirsty celebration of the most hateful of pagan devils: Belobog and Cznerobog with their obscene hand gestures in defiance of the True Way of Our Savior who died on the Cross, the murdered God of Two Natures, indivisible, who opened the Door back to God.  May the Blessed Virgin, Immaculate and Chaste, preserve us!"

 

 

Norton Sales and Equipment from the Apollo Program

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In the far reaches of the San Fernando Valley is a warehouse that contains elements of the now-distant space program of the 1960s.  Remember.  There was a prophecy that going to space would capture the hearts and minds of the world and give our civilization a sense of being great.  When science mattered.  When people and nations could be better than they were.  When racism and poverty could be eliminated and we could "reach for the stars".  Belief in the possibility of peace on earth.  There was such a time.

But projects end and some of them get terminated early and that was the case with the Apollo program.  What happened to all those people and all that equipment and those dreams?   The people were discarded.  The equipment was sold when regulations allowed.  The dreams were postponed.

So in the distant past, someone by the name of Norton was able to navigate the incredibly complicated regulations around buying used government equipment.  Maybe he knew someone and he must have had some money.  So at some point trucks containing equipment of various types was moved to a warehouse in the San Fernando Valley and various people sorted, disassembled, scrapped, and repurposed equipment that once had a lofty purpose.

Today what is left of this equipment is still there, in the back of the warehouse and can be rented as props for movies, tv shows, etc.  Three very nice people and one cat work there.   They let Jill and I wander at will through their warehouse and it made this history seem more real.

 

Norton Sales, inc.

7429 Laurel Canyon Blvd

North Hollywood, CA 91605

Carlos Guzman, President

(818) 765-1087

www.nortonsalesinc.com

company email: nortonsalesm@aol.com

 

Hungarians and Republicans are United on Voting Rights

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The last thing our republicans want are fair elections or majority rule.  No wonder they love Orban, the neo-fascist leader of Hungary.  They want to be just like him when they grow up.

 

 

Notes on the Academy Awards 2022

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For what it is worth, here are my impressions of the Academy Awards 2022.  I have no special insight but I have been around for a while.

People who dont know how this works should realize that the real test of skill is to be invited to, and be noticed at, one or more of the extremely glamourous parties after the awards ceremony itself.  Of course anyone holding an oscar from that year is automatically granted entry to any party (including the Governor's Ball).  Attending the awards itself is certainly a privilege and has a variety of entertaining aspects, but ultimately it is best to realize that it is "work" to the people who are there.  Most of them have to be there.

My observation is that in spite of all the complaints about the various versions of the Academy Awards ceremony, that the award itself retains both its glamour and its practical career benefits.  If you receive an Oscar then it is likely that your career will receive a boost and you will be more marketable.  This differs from branch to branch, I think, at least that would be logical.

The thing to keep in mind is that the Academy funds its entire operation for a year out of that one night.  They do a lot of good work from what I can tell.  Of course I presume there are always politics and some waste, how could there not be?  But they definitely spend their money on things that help us all.  Things like film restoration, for example.

The Will Smith incident is just unfortunate.  People are really highly stressed in these circumstances.  I dont know the man, but I know people who have worked with him on projects and no one has said he is a monster.  He probably just had a bad night which is a shame.