First Blog

  Many problems seem to persist, despite our best efforts to solve them. There are several reasons. Here are a few types. ·         We don’t have the tools (yet) to solve them, intellectual, theoretical, and/or instrumental. Example. Many a problem begins this way. ·         We don’t know what the real problem is. Example. Explaining matter - from antiquity. ·         We make a solution. It catches on. It becomes the solution until it fails. Then we begin again. New failure. Begin anew, and on and on. Example. Explaining planetary motion took several tries. Fads! ·         We assume what the solution should be and persist in using it even though it fails. ·         Special types of problems, called wicked, are so rich in variables and options, there is no unique solution in almost every sense. What are contrived is a collection of answers, inadequate all, but with no consensus. ·         Politicians intervene in the process, corrupting it, and leading to incorrect solutions. Examp

  Of late, I’ve been lied to, cheated, and swindled. Stocks, bonds, crypto, health, and politics lead the pack. Politicians lead in all categories. For them, it’s downright institutional. Only the lies and corruption are keeping up with inflation – in some caes racing ahead. Hearing all this, day after day, make me want to spit. There are lots more spitting events. Here’s my short list. ·        The next time I hear we are in a recession (or not in one), I’m going to laugh. We are all hurting, the retired and poor the most. ·        The next time I hear these carrots or those apples are organic, when there is no verification (impossible BTW), I’m going to spit. ·        The next time I hear China is our friend, I’m going to grind my teeth. The Chinese are total snobs about everyone else – always have been. ·        The next time I hear BITCOIN is going way up, I’m going to groan. ·        The next time I hear inflation is good, I’m going to gag. ·        The next time I h

 New Wars for New Times  What has changed for you and I  (i.e. old farts)  is the nature of conflict . In the olden days, there were the spies as individuals trying hard to subvert whatever. Individual or in a “cell,” they carried out operations such as a simple murder or theft of secrets. There were the armed enemies opposed by armed forces. So, we and they had spies trying to penetrate the opposition, promoting or preventing war. But now China has shown us the new method of institutional spying through co-opting congressional leaders (Swalwell, Feinstein, et al.), computer hacking for the theft of arbitrary information for future processing (everyone), co-opting of entire countries by issuing nonrepayable loans (Africa, Sri Lanka, etc), military intimidation (India, South China Sea), and penetrating corporate interests (Google, Facebook, etc) worldwide. Not a shot is fired; no armies are marshaled. The war now engaged is under cover of protocols, laws, policies, corruption, and p

I guess everyone knows this by now... The only way to eliminate corruption in government is   to control the press. 

Uncertainty is by all measures not good.   Create uncertainty in your product, and sales will drop. Create uncertainty in your future, and you are diminished.   Create uncertainty with your investors, and stock sales will drop.    It seems that Elon Musk has done all, which paints uncertainty into all his ventures. Here's a problem.  How does anyone repair uncertainty?  In the family, it takes time.  In public, who knows? --------------------- Corruption has become such a vague term that everyone simply accuses their opponents as being corrupt, without specificity.   Get to specifics.   Bribery has a meaning. Insider trading has a meaning. Diverting funds to cronies has a meaning. Incarcerating opponents has a meaning.   But corruption?   Strictly generic and with little meaning.   Admit it, in some sense almost all of us are corrupt – in some way.

Whether you lean to the left or lean to the right, you constantly hear testimony from either direction of the desire to “get to the bottom of this.”  Leaving aside what the “this” actually means, or to paraphrase Bill Clinton, what “this” “is,” we note that both sides are sincere in their desire to plumb the dishonest and embarrassing depths reached by their opponents.   Now, if both sides are successful, it may well turn out that the vaunted swamp in Washington DC may be revealed as a pit , and a deep one at that. So what’s your preference and what’s easier, draining the swamp or filling in the pit?  My guess is both tasks are nearly impossible.  Making light of this matter, or is it an indictment, does not diminish its gravity, seemingly understood only through two simple metaphors, swamp vs. pit. When every side want to get to the bottom of this or that, it signals a deep dissatisfaction, not to mention a wide division.  These are troubled times.

Corruption.  Everything is measured these days.  It has been said if it cannot be measured, it doesn’t exist. So, even corruption has been measured.  While there is no real method to measure actual corruption, it is measured indirectly by perceptions of residents.  So, we go transparent, that is to the transparency website to examine corruption*.   A total of 176 countries were evaluated.  The lower ranked countries have the lowest scores (based on a 0-100 score). They are by plagued by untrustworthy and badly functioning public institutions like the police and judiciary.  This includes bribery and extortion. Higher-ranked countries tend to have more freedom of the press, public access to information about public expenditure, higher standards of integrity for officials, and generally independent judicial systems.   Below, we show the bottom or most corrupt countries (Table 1) followed by the top or least corrupt countries (Table 2). Table 1. Most corrupt countries C

Tent Cities?  I think not.   On the TV, they are called Tent Cities. These are massive compounds supplied with basic necessities of living, commons kitchens, bedding, lavatories, showers, and the like. But they resemble in so many ways nothing less than refugee camps - a far more pejorative term. The original twin spirits of hope and helping from the early days will dissolve. Camps will be ruled by depression and despair for many. Then the bad stuff will begin.  Imagine that, refugee camps in the USA! Definition . From Wikipedia we read: Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu fashion and designed to meet basic human needs for only a short time. Some refugee camps are dirty and unhygienic. Often they are describe as shelters for those displaced by war, political, or religion. But they also exist for pestilence, and in a wide sense a natural weather disaster could be so considered. With hundreds of thousands without power and tens of thousands with destroyed homes, thes

I am always on alert to any political party where there is the near certainty there is a political elite who dominate its power, precepts and principles.   These types of political movements almost always give strong words to the equality of the people, while the leaders themselves believe they should be part of the party’s elite, the good shepherds of the movement.   It is all the others who are the sheep.    Such people justify themselves in their self-appointed roles as uniquely able, uniquely caring, and uniquely qualified.    All of this serves to make them fully self-satisfied and fundamentally good – in their minds.   Make no mistake, when someone in political power feels fundamentally good,   be concerned.    Such parties, upon assuming power, invariable become corrupt, morally and materially.     After all, when doing so much good, skimming a little by way of perks is only just.   And, helping our like-minded friends with beneficence is merely the right thing to do.   Moreove