First Blog

 10/5/22. This very day the national debt hit $31 trillion, comparable to credit card debt as there is no equity involved. Many discount this as insignificant, but is it? The total income to the government is about $4 trillion annually. This means the government owes almost 8 times its income. Forget the $4T is almost totally encumbered, i.e. spent. Let's now measure this debt in comparison to your debt. Suppose you make free and clear $100,000 annually.  Suppose you owe in credit card debt 8 times this amount. Your debt would be $800,000. (Your house and car, as equity, don't figure in.) Most people would consider a revolving credit card debt of $10,000 as huge to the max.  Now you have a personal idea of how much the government owes.  It also tells us why the Fed doesn't want to increase interest rates to curb inflation. An increase of just 2% in the prime rate requires the government to pay more than $600 billion in additional interest - each freaking year! Translated th

  All people want to feel good about themselves. Many are poor and many are rich, but all want that same feeling or sense of value, importance, independence, and well-being. These are the “highs” of life. Hard work, even if not well paid, gives these senses. Achievement gives the same. They allow the natural down turns and down days everyone has. Achievement modulates depression. Achievement stimulates well-being. Drugs give an artificial high without work, achievement, or anything else. It’s temporary and chemical. It ends quickly, but more drugs boost the spirits high again. A cycle. Welfare is similar. It gives the illusion of value simply because you can pay for food or other needs. Like a drug, you can become addicted to this easy cash*. Your sense of value disappears, and you become dependent on your provider. As you need more, you are re-cycled. *You may see this all around your world. My first experience was in grad school with Teaching Assistants, grad students teachin

  One fact never mentioned about inflation is this. Suppose by miracle, inflation goes to zero tomorrow and forever. The prices of goods, gas, utilities and all will remain about 12-13% higher than previously. To get back to 2020 levels we need to have huge negative inflation for a considerable period. Not likely.

Men's intelligence evolved by hunting the savage beast. Women's intelligence evolved by taming the savage beast. Both difficult. Note: Savage beast may has two different meanings.  ------------------------------------- When you identify human kind as abstract objects struggling for survival, it becomes a cooperative, peaceful, and kind species. I guess humans are not abstract.

 A new currency is available. Have you invested?  It is available now only in Ukraine. Called " Ukraine Bucks ," you invest in dirt paying in blood.  However, in this market you can buy sell back the dirt for units of blood.  The exchange rate is not yet known, even though traders are active every day. So far, there's an ample supply of dirt, but the blood supply is somewhat depleted. You can also buy your way into this market paying in bullets, tanks, and other hardware.  If Ukraine bucks aren't your preference, look for "Taiwan bucks" - coming soon to your local exchange. Dirt for Blood for Bullets. Or is it Blood for Dirt for Bullets?  Let's call all this blood money, or maybe dirt money. 

  Things not free are things that require giving. For some, the price is everything. For some, the price is recurring. Experience Freedom Respect Peace Knowledge Security Happiness Excellence Consistency Independence Friendship Loyalty Love Leadership Power Fame (not the 15-minute variety)

 Many workers prefer working at home. They save money in several ways, from time saved to pure money. They can do the work just as well, lunch at home, and no travel.  So, what can be wrong? Let me count the ways.  The water cooler. First, you are no where near the water cooler, where office gossip from who's in and who's out is discussed - and everything so mundane but important in a working organization.  You miss day-to-day contact with co-workers. Don't misconstrue the importance of the social aspects of your job.  You lose the possibility of promotions, as your boss only sees your work and never you.  You lose learning of the possibilities of other jobs in the neighborhood. This diminishes probable  changes in your career.  Finally , and nobody talks about this because large scale work from home is so new... Gradually, over years, you slowly become detached from your company. You hardly know it's happening, but you know less about it, beyond your daily tasks. You s

 

  When you live on a diet of hate, it affects you, your outlook, and your worldview. It singles out defeating the hated target at all costs. It supersedes and changes other goals, likes, loves, and desires. Even your sense of humor changes.   After a time, you are permanently changed. If the target is defeated, you become lost, as your addiction to hate is unrelenting. You find new hate. Don't hate too much. It takes too much energy. It changes you. It consumes you. Ultimately, it destroys you. 

  Cosmetics, according to the New York Post: American women spend an average of  $115 for makeup and beauty treatments per month , or $1,380 per year. They also spend an average of $65 per month on creams, lotions, moisturizers, and anti-aging treatments. This is not new. Women have spent big on makeup since ancient times. 

  Continuing with our problem-solving theme, we now take up the question, “What is a Solution?” In it, we try to account for many types of solutions. Not just the math questions, but the whole spectrum of presentations we call solutions. From parents to politics to planning, we consider a variety of solution types. In addition, we take up the question of “How do we approach finding solution?” You will be surprised at how many vastly different paths folks take. Sometimes, people take multiple paths, and this can lead to the notion of “no solution ever.” As mentioned before, the mind works with many differing solving systems - often in mysterious ways. If only the brain was logical, but it ain't. Link to paper. or https://www.linkedin.com/posts/g-donald-allen-420b0315_discovering-just-what-a-solution-can-be-activity-6956251153730867200-mq_i?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web

 Why is there so much war? Here are a few short answers, all of which you will not like. A. Evolutionary. Humans evolved from the predator class of subspecies. It is natural for us, therefore, to consider predation, i.e. war, to solve problems. Had we evolved from, say a prey species, war possibilities would be much diminished, but so would our relentless quests for power. Even the Meerkats wage wars, the cute little things - but predators. B. Deistic. If you believe in a creator, you must then consider why did God create such an aggressive creature as the human being. However, who can speak for God? C. Pragmatic. Most agree that humankind is pragmatic, and certainly you can view war as a pragmatic solution to problems. D. Algorithmic. In the language of algorithms, humankind solves problems using greedy algorithms, that is, it tends to optimize the shortest term solutions to a conflict, to kill.  How many wars were thought to last only a few week, when begun? Many.  If man had a predi