It must be assumed that anyone visiting dangerous places or doing anything life threatening at such places knows and accepts the risk of doing so. If they don’t even read the signs, how sad, too bad. I have hiked the mist trail in Yosemite many times knowing full well that one misstep or slip will be fatal. I don’t take unnecessary risks for a pic or a selfie, but the rewards, including the rush of challenging death are worth the risk. Everyone dies. The deaths of those close to me affect me, but strangers or even friends who have accepted the risk of an untimely death and die affect me no more than their death from any cause would.
A friend of mine was an extreme skier, if you watch those movies you have probably seen herm skiing off a cornice and jumping a rock and free falling hundreds of feet. His recent death, untimely from cancer, was much more tragic than any accident on the ski slopes would have been simply because hesh was not dancing with death, but running from it.
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Monday, September 30, 2019
Stonekettle: Time of Danger
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Friday, September 13, 2019
UBI not Reparations
Those who really deserve reparations and their communities will benefit the most from UBI outside income, since most who deserve reparations are living hand to mouth and will spend the UBI in their neighborhood on goods and services provided by others who may have a bit more to invest either by saving a bit of the UBI or investing other resources saved from outside jobs or other income. The economic multiplier in neighborhoods of folks who have a history of systematic discrimination is nearly 3 times. That is each outside dollar is recycled in the neighborhood three times before it is lost to goods and services outside the hood. The UBI given to the rich is sequestered in banks or investments and does nothing for the economy of the wealthy but just as the rich and the poor can live under Freeway overpasses the rich and the poor get the same UBI. Also the poor pay no taxes on UBI, but the rich may well be pushed into the next bracket in a progressive tax plan. In a progressive VAT the rich will lose most of their UBI to the douchbag tax.
Ten Most Influential Books
I’ll try to limit to 10
Steinbeck:
The Red Pony. (My first gift book. 5 yr. birthday)
Grapes of Wrath
East of Eden
Heinlein:
Have Space Suit Will Travel
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Stranger in a Strange Land
Jefferson:
The Jefferson Bible
Asimov:
I Robot
Pirsig:
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Hofstadter:
Gödel, Escher, Bach
I just read my bookshelves to see what I missed.
None displace any of the 10 but deserve a place on the list:
Niven, Pournelle:
The Mote in God’s Eye.
Oath of Fielty
Heinlein:
Most of the Juveniles
The Number of the Beast
Time Enough For Love
Card:
Ender’s Game
Jeffers:
Not Man Apart (Sierra Club/Ballantine Collection)
Church:
The Cathedral of the World
Fulghum:
All I Really Need To Know I learned in Kindergarten
Steinbeck:
Cannery Row
Thursday, May 9, 2019
On RePUBliC!!1
"We don't have a democracy, we have a RePUBliC!!1"All democracies are republics. [Edit: this is not strictly true, what I should have said is any 'pure' democracy would be, but constitutional monarchies aren't republics]. Not all republics are democracies. These are not things that are in opposition. The only alternatives to democracy are oligarchy and monarchy(and in practice, monarchies are primarily oligarchic).Our sainted Founding Fathers didn't oppose democracy in order to defend oppressed minorities. They were slavers. They were rich and powerful men whose families gained their hereditary wealth and power from service to the kings of Europe, who they'd just convinced the public were illegitimate. There was a very reasonable fear that putting the systems that legitimized and enforced their wealth and power up to a vote would result in them being rescinded. So they designed the system to insulate them from the public will.
The only minority they cared about in the slightest was the group James Madison referred to as "The Opulent Minority". Ie: themselves. The oligarchs.
I have always liked a truly democratic voting system where every candidate gets a yea or nay vote and the candidates with the least nays win.* Candidacy by petition so backing still would count whether corporate or grass roots. All regions use the same system to elect all candidates at all levels. in other words the nay votes filter up to the highest level the candidate represents.
*This not a misprint, the aye votes come with the petitions, so they don't count.
*This not a misprint, the aye votes come with the petitions, so they don't count.
More later
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Pete Seeger vs HUAC
I have sung for Americans of every political persuasion, and I am proud that I never refuse to sing to an audience, no matter what religion or color of their skin, or situation in life. I have sung in hobo jungles, and I have sung for the Rockefellers, and I am proud that I have never refused to sing for anybody. That is the only answer I can give along that line.Transcript
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Making Undergraduate Neighborhoods Work
The idea of neighborhoods might be an opportunity for Greeks to provide the seed for the social center of the neighborhood. I am assuming each neighborhood would be all classes with Frosh assigned a neighborhood at random to "grow up in". A Greek house and I still think a co-ed house is preferred, would be the social center of the neighborhood. The hook is that the Greek house would be a three class house and freshmen from the whole campus would rush as usual and move as sophomores. It is a axiom of Urban Planning that successful neighborhoods need placemaking. The Greek house social areas could be that placemaking center.
The selectivity of the Greeks would provide the social contunity and traditions essential for good parties as they would select for party people, and conformance with Greek traditions. A side benefit for freshmen is those that find themselves stuck in the wrong kind of neighborhood could opt out. I am relatively certain that some neighborhoods will evolve into PhD tracks and others will be more well-rounded due to the Greek influence. It could be pointed out that many successful non-academic track alumni came from tight social organizations on campus like Rams Head, The Band, the Daily and Fraternities.
Greeks that like the PhD neighborhoods can opt out of living in a Greek house as with co-ed housing not all members of the Chapters will fit. Nevertheless the Greeks will have a place for chapter meetings etc. so that all will be included, even those living elsewhere.
SAEs might show the way for Ms. Cole to make her neighborhoods work.
Carlin Black '62
Two Year Social Chair.
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Bringing Up Men Properly.
It has been done for many decades even before Feminism introduced some of its idiocies that made it harder. It helps if there are at least a couple of strong, competent females in the family, and the men, if any, do not preach the toxic masculinity dogma by example and word. Note that the above combination was extremely rare prior to the 21st Century as toxic males were unable to deal with strong, competent females and therefore seldom had one as a co-parent. In the 21st century the option is generally dealing with strong competent women as partners or become an incel. Note that the latter is still a common choice.
The essence of the technique is taking notice of each example of toxic masculinity and pointing out, usually satirically, how bad a particular behavior is:
- A couple of teens peeled away from a corner then slowed down for the attractive woman and the manchild with her to notice. She did. "God! Am I ever impressed." dripping with satire. It should be noted that both the manchild and the showoffs got the message clearly.
Such behavior will not get a desired response from a strong, competent woman. If the manchild is being socialized to admire strong competent women the lesson will be remembered for life.
The other component of the technique is the socialization of the manchild to admire strong competent women by example and pointing out the unattractive attributes of the traditional family next door. Not to the extent of making the family next door lesser or unworthy of respect and neighborliness but pointing out the role disequilibrium of the parents and how each compensates.
- A young woman was a concert quality pianist in her early teens. Her much younger brother learned about practice, and dedication to an art by playing in the room as she practiced. The two of them went to a major city department store where a Grand Piano was roped off for display in the lobby. She went under the rope, and started playing drawing a crowd. The rent-a-cop sarcastically asked her if she saw the rope, and she said it was roped off for her recital. The rent-a-cop got the manager of the piano department, who saw the crowd and said she was right.
- A woman activist mother took on the city to light up a major playground so children could play safely after dark long before women were allowed to be politically active. The city said no way it was too expensive but nevertheless she persisted. And won. Her manchild could recite the killowats needed to just turn the lights on, and the kWhs to keep them on.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
City Park Lighting
Lighting city parkways is critical for the people using the park; however it can be harmful to the fish, wildlife, and vegetation that make the park attractive to those users. Modern LED lighting can be directed to specifically light certain areas and avoid spillover to other areas. Modern auto headlights can light the lane ahead of the vehicle without spillover to an adjacent oncoming lane, and with just enough vertical spillover to illuminate overhead reflective signs. Any lighting design for a city park should be used to control usage to public use areas of the park. An additional virtue of this kind of lighting plan is that any person not in the lighted areas could be considered suspicious and treated accordingly.
Friday, September 7, 2018
Personal Principle Management.
From Facebook: How do you tell the difference between betraying your principles and learning new ones?
Principles are your guide for interactions with your chosen society which is a pretty small group. Your monkeysphere, if you will, whose names or at least faces you know well and consider to be important influences As your society adjusts its mores, and it does as it collectively learns to coexist with the rest of the "right thinking" people you will probably have to reexamine your principles to conform or lead your chosen society.
As an example suppose your principles support the "Me Too" movement, but your monkeysphere is essentially tenured academics. Is there an exception for long term apparantly consentual relationships between academics of unequal power? An advisor and a student, an adminstrator and a professor, or other equivalent situations? As you reexamine your principles do you differentiate between long term apparantly consual relationships and short term adventures? Does the power relationship change anything? If so how much power difference is the red line? Does the fact that all are highly intelligent, highly socialized people matter? Assuming your examined principles are still out of line with monkeysphere, do you adjust them to conform or try to lead the monkeysphere to the correct principles as you see them?
Friday, August 31, 2018
The Two Bums
The Two Bums
The bum on the rods is hunted down
as an enemy of mankind
The other is driven around to his club,
is feted, wined and dined
as an enemy of mankind
The other is driven around to his club,
is feted, wined and dined
And they who curse the bum on the rods
as the essence of all that's bad
Will greet the other with a willing smile
and extend a hand so glad
as the essence of all that's bad
Will greet the other with a willing smile
and extend a hand so glad
The bum on the rods is a social flea
who gets an occassional bite
The bum on the plush is a social leech,
bloodsucking day and night
who gets an occassional bite
The bum on the plush is a social leech,
bloodsucking day and night
The bum on the rods is a load so light
that his weight we scarcely feel
But it takes the labour of dozens of folks
to furnish the other a meal
that his weight we scarcely feel
But it takes the labour of dozens of folks
to furnish the other a meal
As long as we sanction the bum on the plush
the other will always be there
But rid ourselves of the bum on the plush
and the other will dissappear
the other will always be there
But rid ourselves of the bum on the plush
and the other will dissappear
Then make an intelligent organised kick
get rid of the weights that crush
Dont worry about the bum on the rods
get rid of the bum on the plush
get rid of the weights that crush
Dont worry about the bum on the rods
get rid of the bum on the plush
Monday, July 30, 2018
Sunday, July 15, 2018
Customs Discussion: Beyond This Horizon, RAH
To believe you can live free of your cultural matrix is one of the easiest fallacies and has some of the worst consequences. You are part of your group whether you like it or not, and you are bound by its customs.
Don't belittle customs. It is easier to change Mendelian characteristics than to change customs. If you try to ignore them, they bind you when you least expect it.
Don't break them--avoid them. Take them into your considerations, examine how they work, and make them serve you.
Claude Morden, Beyond This Horizon, Chapter 15 147 NAL, Robert A. Heinlein.
Thursday, May 24, 2018
You Asked, She Said "No," Now What?
The first thing you need to internalize is that you are just another dick in that small majority of the population that has one. The next thing you need to understand is that she is definitely not interested in your dick contrary to all that you have been told by your locker room buds, and most of your male mentors. So forget the dick pics and anything else that focuses on sexuality. She is not interested.
The one thing in your favor is that she is a human mammal and therefore interested in sexual activity of some sort, provided that the mating dance is conducted in a way that she finds interesting. Your problem is that most of the traditional mating dances are no longer relevant to many women's interests, require resources that most men these days don't have, and/or stink of patriarchy which most women have learned only gets them fucked.
The key word in the previous paragraph is "human" and by focusing on human needs for respect, good relationships, companionship, common interests, and old fashioned clean fun, you might just be able to create a mating dance that will work within your means. It is by no means a sure thing, some women have opted to avoid the mating dance floor and found other ways to satisfy their mammalian urges, but in the worst case you have helped satisfy your own human needs for companionship, and/or good clean fun.
The mating dances fall roughly into three categories:
Hookups. Not much dancing here. Ranging from on-line hookup sites to alcohol lubricated parties with trusted groups. The object is one time sexual gratification and negotiations generally revolve around types of sex and consent issues. Note that the male partner's needs are irrelevant in the negotiations you might as well realize that any dick will do. It is probably a sexist assumption but the gratification needs of the female are the only important part of the dance. It is generally accepted that no relationship status is generated by the sexual activity even if the results were wonderful. At best a future hookup might be negotiated.
Casual relationship building. The dance here is to create a friendship that allows frequent interaction in a variety of situations up to sharing a residence. Sexual activity is normally one of the interactions included in the mix but it is generally assumed that monogamy is not expected or even desireable. Each partner is expected to provide a share of the common expenses, although strictly equal sharing is usually modified by unequal opportunities for women. But the man's unequal share carries with it no special privileges. This is the most difficult dance for most men, as the paternalist ownership issues are hard to shake and are a major turn off for many women.
Long term commitment building usually involving shared resources and possibly reproduction. The paternalistic variety of this dance is well known and there are women that know it well and have ways to use it to their advantage. The non-paternalistic variety is becoming more common as men learn that it is the only way for the average man to create a household with shared long term plans and stability. The first step in this dance is to recognise that the partner has herm own goals, capabilities, and resources that must be an integral part of the dance. Traditional gender roles in these relationships are normally ignored in particular when the female partner has a full time job which is some cases is better paid than the male partner. Sometimes this requires recognition that the female partner must have the lead. A difficult step for many men to learn.
The incel phenomenon will only get worse as women indoctrinated into the patriarchal traditions discover that the Patriarchal mating dance is generally a losing proposition for women and they have many other options now that control over fertility is safe and reliable.
Friday, May 18, 2018
UBI Transition Issues
Transitioning to UBI could be as simple as transferring all welfare funding into the Social Security system along with the people administering welfare programs and providing social security benefits to all adults. A reasonable monthly stipend could be determined, and the minimum Social Security taxes increased to cover the cost. Employed people would pay a percentage over the minimum as now with no cap which would be placed in the trust fund for retirement benefits based on the 35 highest paid years earnings paid in addition to the UBI.
The gig economy will ease the transition for all including the elderly who didn't earn enough to provide for non-essentials, and the UBI would eliminate most of the exploitation currently associated with gig work since gig work would truly be optional and employers would have to make working conditions and compensation good enough to clear the market needs.
Dealing With "Isms"
It is a bad sign when the people of a country stop identifying themselves with the country and start identifying with a group. A racial group. Or a language. Or anything, as long as it isn't the whole population. Friday Baldwin in Friday. Robert A. Heinlein. 1982.
One of the unfortunate features of social media is that people are sorted out into groups based on one "ism" or another, usually on the basis of what they are against rather that what they are for. Feminism for example has a package of male behaviors that they rebel against, Paternalism, privilege, Bro networks, sexism, (as defined by feminists) and others. Many of these are justified, but men are judged by gender rather than whether they actually exhibit any of these behaviors.
Once an "ism" gains traction it generally fractionates into groups with agendas that are more important than the overall ideals of the nominally fundamental "ism." In a few cases a charismatic leader can unify the groups under a larger tent and become a political or socially potent movement. Charasmatic leaders generally are short lived, frequently literally, and their movement fractures once again into narrow interest groups.
The most important way of dealing with isms is not to get sucked up into one. The customs of your ism become a part of your cultural matrix.
To believe you can live free of your cultural matrix is one of the easiest fallacies and has some of the worst consequences. You are part of your group whether you like it or not, and you are bound by its customs.
Don't belittle customs. It is easier to change Mendelian characteristics than to change customs. If you try to ignore them, they bind you when you least expect it.
Don't break them--avoid them. Take them into your considerations, examine how they work, and make them serve you.
Claude Morden, Beyond This Horizon, Chapter 15, p 147 NAL, Robert A. Heinlein.
While I am an ally and active supporter of many isms, I am very selective in how I do so, and am very careful to avoid making the cultural matrix of the ism part of my thinking and behavior.
I was brought up by strong, independent women to believe that women were just as capable as men at anything they chose to do, and therefore chose to consider only such women as possible mates. One would think that Feminism would therefore be a natural cultural matrix for me, but none of the strong, independent women I knew would have anything to do with Feminism as they were too involved in their own ventures to have any interest. I chose to do all that I could to support their ventures, at a high cost due to the cultural matrix of the Paternalistic culture I was part of as a child, and opposition from the cultural matrix of the feminists. I expected the Paternalist opposition, and knew how to deal with it, the Feminists were a surprise.
https://jcarlinbl.blogspot.com/2016/03/why-i-am-not-feminist.html
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