For the past few weeks, I start my days with looking at the latest news and statistics about the future of our confinement. Yesterday, the news was good. It appeared that we peaked with new infections and daily deaths. Then this. The daily death rate in the US more than tripled in two days. It went from 1,452 on the 14th to 4,928 on the 16th. Continue reading →
Partisan virology
Nobody would be shocked by the revelation that Politics is partisan. There is nothing surprising about this poll:
The Pan(ic)demic trolley problem
“Eleven is more than three” was the title of a radio drama that made a strong impression on me when I listened to it in my early teens. Continue reading →
42 or the fairness of life
I was asked in a discussion group: “Is life fair?”
My answer was 42. Continue reading →
Keynesian dysfunction
I chanced upon an interesting TED talk about porn addiction. The points made there are that internet porn watching is an addiction, working just like any other, exploiting our biology and eventually becoming seriously harmful. What I did not know, even though it makes perfect sense, is that excessive stimulation creates insensitivity that will lead to dysfunction. What I did not know is that there is a widespread erectile dysfunction problem among men in their twenties. Continue reading →
Control and intelligence
A few years back, while I was working for a large IT outsourcing company, I told to my boss that “there are two ways to handle security: intelligence and control.” He started laughing. At first I was puzzled, then I realized that he misunderstood me. A few days prior, we had another conversation about intelligence. Continue reading →
The only thing we have to fear
We are in the middle of Covid-19 madness. There is no better way to describe it.
I am filled with indignation and anger looking at what we are doing to ourselves. Governments and the media whipping up the panic, shutting down the economy in full display of their incompetence.
Continue reading →
Politics is personal
I spent two wonderful hours out on the ice. 7-9 knots of wind, not too gusty, easy breezy lazy, giving me a lot of time to think. About how my doing this relates to the crisis of democracy. Bear with me, you will get it by the end. Continue reading →
Home is where your experts are
(the crisis of democracy #2)
The January 18th 2020 issue of The Economist has a special report on housing. It is troubling in more ways than I can say, but it is also a perfect illustration of some points I was trying to make in my previous post about epistocracy. The Economist prides itself on being a leading publication on economic questions in the English language world. It has a prestigious history, but in the past decade it started to shift dangerously toward the left. Continue reading →
Epistocracy vs Idiocracy
A friend sent me a link to an article by Zsolt Kapelner titled “Shouldn’t we entrust experts instead of low-information voters with political decision making?” The article is a loose review of Jason Brennan’s book “Against democracy,” also commenting on some articles discussing and debating the book.
My friend wanted to know what I think about it. Continue reading →
Vote as if you had a brain
I came across this meme again. It is not new but not too old either. Transgenderism was not an in thing ten years ago. I dismissed the meme a few times, but now I commented when I saw it in a Facebook post. I asked a simple question:
“How and why should any of these circumstances influence how we vote?” The reply was disappointing:
“Any. All, in an even better case. Empathy based on knowledge forms the “volonté” of choosing.”.
Not an answer to my question but since the question is important, let me elaborate.
Grab them by the quid pro nihil
As I am watching, reading and listening to the news, I am in a permanent state of amazement observing the political left’s ability to get away with ever more disgusting manifestations of their immorality.
Venom for peace
I do not like Donald Trump. I honestly don’t. He is a painfully inarticulate narcissist and I find both of those aspects seriously unappealing. Still, he is the duly elected President of the Unites States. His administration just brokered a peace between Turkey and the Kurds. Donald Trump made the announcement on the 23rd of October. Continue reading →
The spiritual meaning of money
The following two PragerU videos made me realize that I have to expand on the points I made about the stupidity of socialists when it comes to money.
The first of the videos, What Creates Wealth, makes the simple point that knowledge is the main source of our wealth; the second, Why Private Investment Works & Govt. Investment Doesn’t, explains what it says in its title. While knowledge is undoubtedly the most important element and while incentives make a lot of difference, what I consider to be the most basic, the most generic function of money seems to be missing from any discussion of the subject I can find. Continue reading →
Weathering the Greta Storm
I few days ago I had another morning when nothing I saw made sense. To help you understand why, you should watch this Youtube video analyzing the Pipi Longstocking marketing idea. But that is old news. It has been analyzed to death. Continue reading →