Saturday, September 20, 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
Odds & Ends #9
1. Elephants have large brains, even considering their body size. Their intelligence approaches that of bottlenose dolphins and chimpanzees. In fact, their problem solving ability, empathy, self-awareness and sense of altruism are particularly striking, as described in this moving wiki article.
An elephant's prodigious spatial memory and dexterous control of its trunk allows it to paint realistic pictures like no other animal--even a chimpanzee--can do. Here's a video of elephants playing soccer and painting (also this and this painting).
Elephants can do some other amazing things, such as dancing while playing the harmonica, , playing in a "symphony", chumming with friends, demonstrating their memory skills, and performing for tourists, (also here). After seeing these videos, it makes one wonder if--in many ways--an elephant shares as much or more in common with humans than even a chimp or a dolphin, especially in the most important areas of human empathy, altruism and social bonding.
Finally, here's an article with videos of some other clever animals as well.
2. This article and this article (and a lot of other articles) argue that we're at a stock market and bond market top that's overdue for a correction, with few if any safe havens. This seems to be the worst-kept secret of all time, yet many are still invested in the stock market "for lack of a higher-yielding investment" and in the bond market out of fear--the kind of paralyzing fear that an animal might have as a lion is crouching to pounce. If there is a crash (or even a slow decline), it probably won't just be limited to a U.S. stock/bond market crash and debt /currency crisis. It will probably also accompany a Chinese real estate bubble burst, another debt crisis in developing countries and much greater political and economic turmoil throughout the world. But the sun will still come up in the morning. :-)
3. Here's a sobering article about China's soon-to-be scientific dominance over the U.S.
4. Asthma is on the rise, as shown by this map. So is the worldwide incidence of lupus, childhood leukemia and brain cancer. Worldwide increases in lung cancer and heart attacks are being blamed on air pollution. In fact, the World Health Organization blamed air pollution for 7 million deaths worldwide in 2012.
Other diseases on the rise are celiac disease (gluten sensitivity), autism, and multiple sclerosis. Some have theorized this might be due to increased population mixing, although the evidence seems weak. Others point to the growing of GMO crops, with the attendant herbicides showing up in our foods. This article seems to provide evidence that these herbicides have resulted in more cancer. Still others point to more basic, down-to-earth explanations such as over-eating and obesity. (Then, of course, there is the rise in preventable diseases, fueled by silly ideas that cause parents to resist getting their children vaccinated.)
Infectious diseases--many of them drug-resistant--are also on the rise. And humans are not alone in this--dogs and cats are getting more and more deadly diseases as well.
In addition to the possible disease culprits already mentioned, there is water pollution, radiation fallout (i.e., Chernobyl and Fukushima), various chemical additives and hormones added to the food chain, commercial fertilizers, pesticides, and even the increased stress and decreased exercise associated with our modern world.
So, what's the biggest culprit? I'm not sure. Could things gradually build up to a tipping point, such that we experience another great plague? Throughout history there have been regular occurrences of one plague or another. It's amazing though, how relaxed we can be about such a subject when there are already millions of people each year whose lives are cut short by these diseases or by man-made poisons. At the same time, a terrorist incident involving a few lives lost immediately becomes a national sensation via the news media.
5. Here is one of the hazards of high altitude that you might not have considered. And finally, a famous quote by Abraham Lincoln: "Don't believe everything you read on the internet."
An elephant's prodigious spatial memory and dexterous control of its trunk allows it to paint realistic pictures like no other animal--even a chimpanzee--can do. Here's a video of elephants playing soccer and painting (also this and this painting).
Elephants can do some other amazing things, such as dancing while playing the harmonica, , playing in a "symphony", chumming with friends, demonstrating their memory skills, and performing for tourists, (also here). After seeing these videos, it makes one wonder if--in many ways--an elephant shares as much or more in common with humans than even a chimp or a dolphin, especially in the most important areas of human empathy, altruism and social bonding.
Finally, here's an article with videos of some other clever animals as well.
2. This article and this article (and a lot of other articles) argue that we're at a stock market and bond market top that's overdue for a correction, with few if any safe havens. This seems to be the worst-kept secret of all time, yet many are still invested in the stock market "for lack of a higher-yielding investment" and in the bond market out of fear--the kind of paralyzing fear that an animal might have as a lion is crouching to pounce. If there is a crash (or even a slow decline), it probably won't just be limited to a U.S. stock/bond market crash and debt /currency crisis. It will probably also accompany a Chinese real estate bubble burst, another debt crisis in developing countries and much greater political and economic turmoil throughout the world. But the sun will still come up in the morning. :-)
3. Here's a sobering article about China's soon-to-be scientific dominance over the U.S.
4. Asthma is on the rise, as shown by this map. So is the worldwide incidence of lupus, childhood leukemia and brain cancer. Worldwide increases in lung cancer and heart attacks are being blamed on air pollution. In fact, the World Health Organization blamed air pollution for 7 million deaths worldwide in 2012.
Other diseases on the rise are celiac disease (gluten sensitivity), autism, and multiple sclerosis. Some have theorized this might be due to increased population mixing, although the evidence seems weak. Others point to the growing of GMO crops, with the attendant herbicides showing up in our foods. This article seems to provide evidence that these herbicides have resulted in more cancer. Still others point to more basic, down-to-earth explanations such as over-eating and obesity. (Then, of course, there is the rise in preventable diseases, fueled by silly ideas that cause parents to resist getting their children vaccinated.)
Infectious diseases--many of them drug-resistant--are also on the rise. And humans are not alone in this--dogs and cats are getting more and more deadly diseases as well.
In addition to the possible disease culprits already mentioned, there is water pollution, radiation fallout (i.e., Chernobyl and Fukushima), various chemical additives and hormones added to the food chain, commercial fertilizers, pesticides, and even the increased stress and decreased exercise associated with our modern world.
So, what's the biggest culprit? I'm not sure. Could things gradually build up to a tipping point, such that we experience another great plague? Throughout history there have been regular occurrences of one plague or another. It's amazing though, how relaxed we can be about such a subject when there are already millions of people each year whose lives are cut short by these diseases or by man-made poisons. At the same time, a terrorist incident involving a few lives lost immediately becomes a national sensation via the news media.
5. Here is one of the hazards of high altitude that you might not have considered. And finally, a famous quote by Abraham Lincoln: "Don't believe everything you read on the internet."
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Advice From the Most Influential American of All Time
Benjamin Franklin just might be the most influential American who ever lived...more influential than George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy or Franklin Roosevelt, or even Einstein.
"Why Ben Franklin?," you might ask. After all, he is not even listed as one of the "20 most influential Americans of all Time" by Time Magazine. However, based on my own reading, I would propose that he may have done more to influence the future course of the U.S. than any other person.
Ben Franklin was an eighteenth-century Renaissance man, the "most accomplished man of his age." His monumental reputation preceded and accompanied him in all of Europe as well as the colonies. Here are some of his accomplishments:
1. He was an extremely hardworking and successful merchant, printer, newspaperman and publisher; and later on, postmaster general for the Crown, and then the colonies. As postmaster general, he made numerous improvements that cut average mail delivery times in half. Franklin also managed to mobilize reluctant Quakers and others for defense against Indian raids during the French and Indian wars.
2. Prior to the declaration of independence, Franklin's time as the most important representative in England saw him fight valiantly for peace with England. He tried to show that if the colonists were granted rights equal to those of Englishmen, peace could be made. He teased Britishers about their ignorance of America by writing witty, exaggerated stories.
3. As a skilled diplomat in many capacities and at different times, he was a polymath who spoke six languages and negotiated treaties with Great Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, and Spain and helped secure America's place in the world. His unprecedented international celebrity status, along with the corresponding admiration and goodwill that he had while in France undoubtedly secured its crucial help in winning the revolutionary war, despite the fact that France itself was ruled by a king. His influence on British public opinion resulted in low public support for the war against the colonists, and also resulted in later reforms in England that limited King George's power. His influence on France undoubtedly helped later fuel the French Revolution, and he was known and revered as a great scientist and diplomat throughout Europe. His "beyond rock star" status was further bolstered by his electric personality, and the plain, homespun, polite, witty and agreeable way in which he conducted himself at all times.
2. Prior to the declaration of independence, Franklin's time as the most important representative in England saw him fight valiantly for peace with England. He tried to show that if the colonists were granted rights equal to those of Englishmen, peace could be made. He teased Britishers about their ignorance of America by writing witty, exaggerated stories.
3. As a skilled diplomat in many capacities and at different times, he was a polymath who spoke six languages and negotiated treaties with Great Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, and Spain and helped secure America's place in the world. His unprecedented international celebrity status, along with the corresponding admiration and goodwill that he had while in France undoubtedly secured its crucial help in winning the revolutionary war, despite the fact that France itself was ruled by a king. His influence on British public opinion resulted in low public support for the war against the colonists, and also resulted in later reforms in England that limited King George's power. His influence on France undoubtedly helped later fuel the French Revolution, and he was known and revered as a great scientist and diplomat throughout Europe. His "beyond rock star" status was further bolstered by his electric personality, and the plain, homespun, polite, witty and agreeable way in which he conducted himself at all times.
4. He was the first famous American writer, cartoonist, social commentator and humorist:
--As a social commentator, Franklin wrote various essays deploring slavery, the massacre of American Indians, unfair laws relating to women, and a vast number of articles on a wide array of other subjects. His last public act was to send to Congress a petition asking for the abolition of slavery and an end to the slave trade, having written several essays on the subject prior to this occasion. This was one of the very few initiatives in which he actually failed.
--As a humorist, Franklin was known for putting subtle jokes in many of his other papers that only the most astute would spot. He was so famous for this that, according to Ormand Seavey, editor of Oxford’s edition of Ben Franklin’s autobiography, when they were deciding who should write the Declaration of Independence, they partially chose Jefferson over the significantly more qualified and respected Franklin, as some feared Franklin would embed subtle humor and satire in it that wouldn't be recognized until it was too late to change. Knowing this document would likely be examined closely by the nations of the world at that time, they chose to avoid the issue by having the less gifted writer, Jefferson, write it instead, with Franklin and three others to help Jefferson draft it.
--Ben Franklin is perhaps best known for nearly 700 pithy sayings, aphorisms, astute observations and admonitions for self-improvement in his popular Almanack as well as in other writings. Here are just a few examples:
Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75.
He who falls in love with himself will have no rivals.
One today is worth two tomorrows.
The absent are never without fault, nor the present without excuse.
Where sense is wanting, everything is wanting.
Never confuse motion with action.
Fish and visitors smell after 3 days.
He who falls in love with himself will have no rivals.
One today is worth two tomorrows.
The absent are never without fault, nor the present without excuse.
Where sense is wanting, everything is wanting.
Never confuse motion with action.
Fish and visitors smell after 3 days.
5. Ben Franklin was also the first American Scientist:
--He observed that prolonged exposure to lead would cause sickness (1768)
--He surmised that the common cold was passed from person to person through indoor air (1773)
--He observed that prolonged exposure to lead would cause sickness (1768)
--He surmised that the common cold was passed from person to person through indoor air (1773)
--He described and demonstrated electrical nature of lightning, and was first to use the words "positive" and "negative" to describe electricity (1747)
--He observed that storms can move in an opposite direction from the direction of the wind and proposed one of the first correct explanations for storm movement in the northern hemisphere (1743)
--He helped draw up and published a chart of the gulf stream with the help of his cousin, a whaling ship's captain. The British initially ignored it to their detriment, perhaps because they couldn't admit that colonial fishermen knew more about the ocean than did highly trained and experienced British mariners. (1768)
6. In addition, he was known for a number of practical inventions, all of which he refused to patent, instead wanting to share "freely and gladly:"
--lightning rod
--franklin stove
--improved street light
--glass armonica, a special type of musical instrument
--reaching device
--library chair
--3-wheel clock
--bifocal glasses
--flexible urinary catheter
--swim fins
--odometer
7. He established many social and governmental institutions that were "firsts"--an incredibly awesome testament to the power of his influence:
Franklin had written his own epitaph in 1728, which reappeared after his passing.
The Body of B. Franklin, Printer; like the Cover of an old Book, Its Contents torn out, And stript of its Lettering and Gilding, Lies here, Food for Worms. But the Work shall not be wholly lost; For it will, as he believ’d, appear once more, In a new & more perfect Edition, Corrected and amended By the Author.
--lightning rod
--franklin stove
--improved street light
--glass armonica, a special type of musical instrument
--reaching device
--library chair
--3-wheel clock
--bifocal glasses
--flexible urinary catheter
--swim fins
--odometer
7. He established many social and governmental institutions that were "firsts"--an incredibly awesome testament to the power of his influence:
--America's first circulating library, The Library Company of Philadelphia (1731)
--America's first volunteer fire department, Union Fire Company (1736)
--America's first liberal arts academy, Pennsylvania Academy & College, now the University of Pennsylvania (1751)
--America's first public hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital (1751)
--America's first mutual insurance company, The Philadelphia Contributionship (1752)
--First to suggest the colonies join together in a federation, The Albany Plan (1754)
--Designed the first rate chart used by postmasters (1753)
--Proposed Daylight Savings Time (“An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light”)
--America's first volunteer fire department, Union Fire Company (1736)
--America's first liberal arts academy, Pennsylvania Academy & College, now the University of Pennsylvania (1751)
--America's first public hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital (1751)
--America's first mutual insurance company, The Philadelphia Contributionship (1752)
--First to suggest the colonies join together in a federation, The Albany Plan (1754)
--Designed the first rate chart used by postmasters (1753)
--Proposed Daylight Savings Time (“An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light”)
--Founded America's first learned society, the American Philosophical Society (1727)
--Established the practices of public street cleaning, street lighting and paving in Philadelphia
It's difficult to imagine any American who left a larger or more lasting imprint on American thought, society and government, not to mention his influence on the European world. 20,000 people attended his funeral--remarkable considering the entire population of Philadelphia was only 28,000. The Federal Gazette announced ...Died on Saturday night, in the 85th year of his age, the illustrious BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. The world has been so long in possession of such extraordinary proofs of the singular abilities and virtues of this FRIEND OF MANKIND that it is impossible for a newspaper to increase his fame, or to convey. The French National Assembly went into mourning. He was able to restrain thunderbolts and tyrants, said Count Mirabeau.
--Established the practices of public street cleaning, street lighting and paving in Philadelphia
It's difficult to imagine any American who left a larger or more lasting imprint on American thought, society and government, not to mention his influence on the European world. 20,000 people attended his funeral--remarkable considering the entire population of Philadelphia was only 28,000. The Federal Gazette announced ...Died on Saturday night, in the 85th year of his age, the illustrious BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. The world has been so long in possession of such extraordinary proofs of the singular abilities and virtues of this FRIEND OF MANKIND that it is impossible for a newspaper to increase his fame, or to convey. The French National Assembly went into mourning. He was able to restrain thunderbolts and tyrants, said Count Mirabeau.
Franklin had written his own epitaph in 1728, which reappeared after his passing.
The Body of B. Franklin, Printer; like the Cover of an old Book, Its Contents torn out, And stript of its Lettering and Gilding, Lies here, Food for Worms. But the Work shall not be wholly lost; For it will, as he believ’d, appear once more, In a new & more perfect Edition, Corrected and amended By the Author.
So, how did Benjamin Franklin exert such great influence? I took some notes while reading his autobiography, and here are--I believe--his "secrets." If you want to learn from the very best, I believe Franklin is your "go-to" guy when it comes to exerting influence:
1. A good reputation is more influential than mere words, demeanor, or anything else, for that matter. Franklin's own life and his prodigious accomplishments are testament to the power of reputation; his was renowned on two continents. It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it. And elsewhere, Well done is better than well said. And elsewhere (speaking of his own reputation as described by a petitioner), At length he came to me with the compliment that he found there was no such thing as carrying a public-spirited project through without my being concern'd in it. "For," says he, "I am often ask'd by those to whom I propose subscribing, 'Have you consulted Franklin upon this business? And what does he think of it?' And when I tell them that I have not (supposing it rather out of your line), they do not subscribe, but say they will consider of it."
2. Realize you just might be your own worst enemy. Ben Franklin is famous for his self-reflection and his resulting scheme for gradually eliminating his vices one by one. Observe all men, thyself most. And elsewhere, Search others for their virtues, thyself for thy vices. And elsewhere, Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.
3. Don't use dogmatic words or phrases in your speech. Don't use words like "definitely, "always," "never," "absolutely," "obviously," etc.
Say, 'I conceive or apprehend a thing to be so and so; it appears to me, or I should think it so or so, for such and such reasons; or I imagine it to be so; or it is so, if I am not mistaken.' And this mode, which I at first put on with some violence to natural inclination, became at length so easy, and so habitual to me, that perhaps for these fifty years past no one has ever heard a dogmatical expression escape me. And to this habit (after my character of integrity) I think it principally owing that I had early so much weight with my fellow-citizens when I proposed new institutions, or alterations in the old, and so much influence in public councils when I became a member; for I was but a bad speaker, never eloquent, subject to much hesitation in my choice of words, hardly correct in language, and yet I generally carried my points.
4. Speak with modesty, diffidence and humility, not cockiness. "To speak, tho' sure, with seeming diffidence. / For want of modesty is want of sense" (part of his quote is from Alexander Pope). And elsewhere, He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.
5. Don't be close-minded. Items (3) and (4) will make it easier for you to be more open and willing to consider the opposite argument and to change your own mind when warranted: For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged, by better information or fuller consideration, to change opinions, even on important subjects, which I once thought right but found to be otherwise.
6. Obtaining someone's good will is far more useful than winning an argument. You never really "win" an argument, you only create an adversary. Those disputing, contradicting, and confuting people are generally unfortunate in their affairs. They get victory, sometimes, but they never get good will, which would be of more use to them. And elsewhere, ...without fondness for dispute, or desire of victory... (listing the rules of engagement within his "Junto" club)
7. Convince others by making them think they have come to the conclusion themselves; and do not give them the impression that you think you know more than they do. Men should be taught as if you taught them not, and things unknown proposed as things forgot. (quoted from Alexander Pope)
8. Understand and appeal to what actually motivates your audience. If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect.
9. If you would attempt to push through a new initiative, never claim it as your own idea; otherwise it will only cause resentment and a lack of cooperation. The objections and reluctances I met with in soliciting the [library] subscriptions, made me soon feel the impropriety of presenting one's self as the proposer of any useful project, that might be suppos'd to raise one's reputation in the smallest degree above that of one's neighbours, when one has need of their assistance to accomplish that project. I therefore put myself as much as I could out of sight, and stated it as a scheme of a number of friends, who had requested me to go about and propose it to such as they thought lovers of reading. In this way my affair went on more smoothly, and I ever after practis'd it on such occasions; and, from my frequent successes, can heartily recommend it. The present little sacrifice of your vanity will afterwards be amply repaid. If it remains a while uncertain to whom the merit belongs, someone more vain than yourself will be encouraged to claim it, and then even envy will be disposed to do you justice by plucking those assumed feathers, and restoring them to their right owner.
10. Allow someone to do you a small kindness, and thank them heartily and graciously. People are naturally more disposed to those whom they've helped. (Franklin was a consummate networker.) I therefore did not like the opposition of this new member, who was a gentleman of fortune and education, with talents that were likely to give him, in time, great influence in the House, which, indeed, afterwards happened. I did not, however, aim at gaining his favour by paying any servile respect to him, but, after some time, took this other method. Having heard that he had in his library a certain very scarce and curious book, I wrote a note to him, expressing my desire of perusing that book, and requesting he would do me the favour of lending it to me for a few days. He sent it immediately, and I return'd it in about a week with another note, expressing strongly my sense of the favour. When we next met in the House, he spoke to me (which he had never done before), and with great civility; and he ever after manifested a readiness to serve me on all occasions, so that we became great friends, and our friendship continued to his death. This is another instance of the truth of an old maxim I had learned, which says, 'He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another, than he whom you yourself have obliged.' And it shows how much more profitable it is prudently to remove, than to resent, return, and continue inimical proceedings.
11. Prepare. By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
12. Often, what you avoid saying (despite being tempted) is at least as important as what you say. Don't stir the pot. Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
13. Speak and write with clarity and brevity. I have already made this paper too long, for which I must crave pardon, not having now time to make it shorter." And elsewhere, "He that speaks much, is much mistaken. And elsewhere, Speak little, do much.
14. Start with a core of support, then leverage this to your advantage; i.e., (when fundraising): I advise you to apply to all those whom you know will give something; next, to those whom you are uncertain whether they will give anything or not, and show them the list of those who have given; and, lastly, do not neglect those who you are sure will give nothing, for in some of them you may be mistaken.
15. Don't say something foolish in a moment of passion. Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one. And elsewhere, He that composes himself is wiser than he that composes a book.
16. Learn patience and persistence. Sometimes you have to first plant the seed and get people accustomed to an idea. He that can have patience can have what he will. And elsewhere, Energy and persistence conquer all things. And elsewhere (speaking of founding the first public hospital), Previously, however, to the solicitation, I endeavoured to prepare the minds of the people by writing on the subject in the newspapers, which was my usual custom in such cases...
17. Be well-read. An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. And elsewhere, We [as a result of the "Junto" club and subscription library] are more thoroughly an enlightened people, with respect to our political interests, than perhaps any other under heaven. Every man among us reads, and is so easy in his circumstances as to have leisure for conversations of improvement and for acquiring information.
18. Dress appropriately. Franklin himself dressed neatly, but avoided all ostentation. Eat to please thyself. Dress to please others.
19. View a crisis as a unique opportunity to push through needed change. Those who govern, having much business on their hands, do not generally like to take the trouble of considering and carrying into execution new projects. The best public measures are therefore seldom adopted from previous wisdom, but forc'd by the occasion.
20. Take your present gains and losses in stride, not allowing yourself to be either discouraged or overconfident. And lastly, we learn by chess the habit of not being discouraged by present bad appearances in the state of our affairs, the habit of hoping for a favorable change, and that of persevering in the search of resources. The game is so full of events, there is such a variety of turns in it, the fortune of it is so subject to sudden vicissitudes, and one so frequently, after long contemplation, discovers the means of extricating one's self from a supposed insurmountable difficulty, that one is encouraged to continue the contest to the last, in hopes of victory by our own skill, or, at least, of giving a stale mate, by the negligence of our adversary. And whoever considers, what in chess he often sees instances of, that particular pieces of success are apt to produce presumption, and its consequent, inattention, by which more is afterwards lost than was gained by the preceding advantage; while misfortunes produce more care and attention, by which the loss may be recovered, will learn not to be too much discouraged by the present success of his adversary, nor to despair of final good fortune, upon every little check he receives in the pursuit of it. And elsewhere, While we may not be able to control all that happens to us, we can control what happens inside us.
How to Exert Great Influence
(based on my notes from Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography & his other writings)
1. A good reputation is more influential than mere words, demeanor, or anything else, for that matter. Franklin's own life and his prodigious accomplishments are testament to the power of reputation; his was renowned on two continents. It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it. And elsewhere, Well done is better than well said. And elsewhere (speaking of his own reputation as described by a petitioner), At length he came to me with the compliment that he found there was no such thing as carrying a public-spirited project through without my being concern'd in it. "For," says he, "I am often ask'd by those to whom I propose subscribing, 'Have you consulted Franklin upon this business? And what does he think of it?' And when I tell them that I have not (supposing it rather out of your line), they do not subscribe, but say they will consider of it."
2. Realize you just might be your own worst enemy. Ben Franklin is famous for his self-reflection and his resulting scheme for gradually eliminating his vices one by one. Observe all men, thyself most. And elsewhere, Search others for their virtues, thyself for thy vices. And elsewhere, Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.
3. Don't use dogmatic words or phrases in your speech. Don't use words like "definitely, "always," "never," "absolutely," "obviously," etc.
Say, 'I conceive or apprehend a thing to be so and so; it appears to me, or I should think it so or so, for such and such reasons; or I imagine it to be so; or it is so, if I am not mistaken.' And this mode, which I at first put on with some violence to natural inclination, became at length so easy, and so habitual to me, that perhaps for these fifty years past no one has ever heard a dogmatical expression escape me. And to this habit (after my character of integrity) I think it principally owing that I had early so much weight with my fellow-citizens when I proposed new institutions, or alterations in the old, and so much influence in public councils when I became a member; for I was but a bad speaker, never eloquent, subject to much hesitation in my choice of words, hardly correct in language, and yet I generally carried my points.
4. Speak with modesty, diffidence and humility, not cockiness. "To speak, tho' sure, with seeming diffidence. / For want of modesty is want of sense" (part of his quote is from Alexander Pope). And elsewhere, He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.
5. Don't be close-minded. Items (3) and (4) will make it easier for you to be more open and willing to consider the opposite argument and to change your own mind when warranted: For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged, by better information or fuller consideration, to change opinions, even on important subjects, which I once thought right but found to be otherwise.
6. Obtaining someone's good will is far more useful than winning an argument. You never really "win" an argument, you only create an adversary. Those disputing, contradicting, and confuting people are generally unfortunate in their affairs. They get victory, sometimes, but they never get good will, which would be of more use to them. And elsewhere, ...without fondness for dispute, or desire of victory... (listing the rules of engagement within his "Junto" club)
7. Convince others by making them think they have come to the conclusion themselves; and do not give them the impression that you think you know more than they do. Men should be taught as if you taught them not, and things unknown proposed as things forgot. (quoted from Alexander Pope)
8. Understand and appeal to what actually motivates your audience. If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect.
9. If you would attempt to push through a new initiative, never claim it as your own idea; otherwise it will only cause resentment and a lack of cooperation. The objections and reluctances I met with in soliciting the [library] subscriptions, made me soon feel the impropriety of presenting one's self as the proposer of any useful project, that might be suppos'd to raise one's reputation in the smallest degree above that of one's neighbours, when one has need of their assistance to accomplish that project. I therefore put myself as much as I could out of sight, and stated it as a scheme of a number of friends, who had requested me to go about and propose it to such as they thought lovers of reading. In this way my affair went on more smoothly, and I ever after practis'd it on such occasions; and, from my frequent successes, can heartily recommend it. The present little sacrifice of your vanity will afterwards be amply repaid. If it remains a while uncertain to whom the merit belongs, someone more vain than yourself will be encouraged to claim it, and then even envy will be disposed to do you justice by plucking those assumed feathers, and restoring them to their right owner.
10. Allow someone to do you a small kindness, and thank them heartily and graciously. People are naturally more disposed to those whom they've helped. (Franklin was a consummate networker.) I therefore did not like the opposition of this new member, who was a gentleman of fortune and education, with talents that were likely to give him, in time, great influence in the House, which, indeed, afterwards happened. I did not, however, aim at gaining his favour by paying any servile respect to him, but, after some time, took this other method. Having heard that he had in his library a certain very scarce and curious book, I wrote a note to him, expressing my desire of perusing that book, and requesting he would do me the favour of lending it to me for a few days. He sent it immediately, and I return'd it in about a week with another note, expressing strongly my sense of the favour. When we next met in the House, he spoke to me (which he had never done before), and with great civility; and he ever after manifested a readiness to serve me on all occasions, so that we became great friends, and our friendship continued to his death. This is another instance of the truth of an old maxim I had learned, which says, 'He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another, than he whom you yourself have obliged.' And it shows how much more profitable it is prudently to remove, than to resent, return, and continue inimical proceedings.
11. Prepare. By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
12. Often, what you avoid saying (despite being tempted) is at least as important as what you say. Don't stir the pot. Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
13. Speak and write with clarity and brevity. I have already made this paper too long, for which I must crave pardon, not having now time to make it shorter." And elsewhere, "He that speaks much, is much mistaken. And elsewhere, Speak little, do much.
14. Start with a core of support, then leverage this to your advantage; i.e., (when fundraising): I advise you to apply to all those whom you know will give something; next, to those whom you are uncertain whether they will give anything or not, and show them the list of those who have given; and, lastly, do not neglect those who you are sure will give nothing, for in some of them you may be mistaken.
15. Don't say something foolish in a moment of passion. Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one. And elsewhere, He that composes himself is wiser than he that composes a book.
16. Learn patience and persistence. Sometimes you have to first plant the seed and get people accustomed to an idea. He that can have patience can have what he will. And elsewhere, Energy and persistence conquer all things. And elsewhere (speaking of founding the first public hospital), Previously, however, to the solicitation, I endeavoured to prepare the minds of the people by writing on the subject in the newspapers, which was my usual custom in such cases...
17. Be well-read. An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. And elsewhere, We [as a result of the "Junto" club and subscription library] are more thoroughly an enlightened people, with respect to our political interests, than perhaps any other under heaven. Every man among us reads, and is so easy in his circumstances as to have leisure for conversations of improvement and for acquiring information.
18. Dress appropriately. Franklin himself dressed neatly, but avoided all ostentation. Eat to please thyself. Dress to please others.
19. View a crisis as a unique opportunity to push through needed change. Those who govern, having much business on their hands, do not generally like to take the trouble of considering and carrying into execution new projects. The best public measures are therefore seldom adopted from previous wisdom, but forc'd by the occasion.
20. Take your present gains and losses in stride, not allowing yourself to be either discouraged or overconfident. And lastly, we learn by chess the habit of not being discouraged by present bad appearances in the state of our affairs, the habit of hoping for a favorable change, and that of persevering in the search of resources. The game is so full of events, there is such a variety of turns in it, the fortune of it is so subject to sudden vicissitudes, and one so frequently, after long contemplation, discovers the means of extricating one's self from a supposed insurmountable difficulty, that one is encouraged to continue the contest to the last, in hopes of victory by our own skill, or, at least, of giving a stale mate, by the negligence of our adversary. And whoever considers, what in chess he often sees instances of, that particular pieces of success are apt to produce presumption, and its consequent, inattention, by which more is afterwards lost than was gained by the preceding advantage; while misfortunes produce more care and attention, by which the loss may be recovered, will learn not to be too much discouraged by the present success of his adversary, nor to despair of final good fortune, upon every little check he receives in the pursuit of it. And elsewhere, While we may not be able to control all that happens to us, we can control what happens inside us.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Odds & Ends #8
1. SO YOU THINK IT'S TOUGH to become a major league baseball player or an Olympian? Imagine training to be a concert pianist. Impelled by a love of music, classically-trained musicians often work extremely hard to excel, while knowing they may have little chance of "making it big."
Incidentally, I considered learning to play Paganini's Moto Perpetuo, but was slightly daunted as to how to go about it, so I decided to listen to a Youtube video of it. The first video I pulled up was of 40 Chinese youngsters playing it together by ear in perfect synchrony. I'm no longer daunted; instead I'm merely discouraged (ha). I think I'll learn something else instead. :-)
2. COWS IN ZOOS?...Perhaps they will be 20 years from now. "Artificial milk" is not a new concept; it has been produced since 1912 in small quantities. Today we can buy milk that's made from almonds, coconuts, rice, soy, even hemp. If you've ever toured a dairy up close and personal, you probably like the idea of these substitutes...not to mention the fact that dairies are now lobbying hard to add aspartame to regular cow's milk without labeling it as such. They probably figure if Monsanto can push through GMO products without labeling, they ought to be permitted to secretly put aspartame in milk. Of course, this and other food industries have a backup plan if that doesn't work: they'll attempt to hide it by labeling aspartame with a new, fifth brand name in an effort to fool consumers (after "nutrisweet", "equal", and "spoonful"): "aminosweet."
But why stop with milk? Why not also produce vegetable-based beef and chicken meat as well? Today you can buy "Beyond Meat" branded 'chicken' and 'beef' at Whole foods stores, and will very soon be able to buy them from Safeway and Target. Supposedly, it's a pretty good approximation in both taste and texture, although I haven't personally tasted it. Ultimately, it may take far less energy to produce and it represents a greener and potentially healthier option. Note, however, it may also have to compete with "franken-meat", another emerging alternative that could be synthetically grown from (for instance) bovine stem cells.
The Chinese have made plenty of illicit attempts to produce artificial food...reminding us that human advancements and new ideas can often have a dark side, especially when money is (almost always) involved.
3. INTERESTING SOLAR STATISTICS: Like wind power, solar power is now already cheaper than natural gas, coal and nuclear power in some areas of the country. In the interest of continuing to "beat the drum" on solar, here's a chart showing solar cell efficiency trends; and here's a list of defunct solar companies. This list is reminiscent of the list of defunct car companies or piano companies or, for that matter, wind turbine companies at the beginning of the boom in these respective industries. It's part of the natural process of product evolution and growth. Finally, here's an article that takes the reader through some simple math to dispel some persistent myths regarding the amount of land (or rooftop) required for solar power production.
Alas, most consumers still haven't got the message that solar prices have plummeted.
4. A CLEAR WINNER is emerging from Warren Buffet's bet with the hedge fund industry. The idea that a hedge fund is likely to increase your returns is being proven as total bunk. If you're invested in a hedge fund, you're merely making the hedge fund manager wealthy. You'd be better off just putting your money in an S&P index fund. Now ask yourself: Am I smarter, more knowledgeable, more experienced, better informed and have more powerful tools at my disposal than a hand-picked group of the best hedge fund managers in the world? If so, you can beat the stock market...go for it, you might get lucky. Just a warning...the house (i.e., the S&P, DOW, etc.) usually wins. Active trading is a zero-sum game of luck (or worse) that just runs up your expenses. But if you insist on 'betting' on certain stocks, bet on businesses or technologies you're more knowledgeable about than most people, and then completely forget about your investment for several years. I'll bet the vast majority of you would not be able to do this...and that's a pretty sure bet. For most of us, it's much easier, rewarding and time efficient to just invest in a "boring" index fund.
5. If you haven't seen it already, this documentary preview pretty much has the last word on childhood obesity. It makes sense that the latest generation of kids have not suddenly become couch potatoes, are not suddenly lazier than all previous generations, and have not suddenly become more susceptible to food cravings than all previous generations. And you can't blame it all on the internet, either. Its thesis sounds pretty credible to me.
Incidentally, I considered learning to play Paganini's Moto Perpetuo, but was slightly daunted as to how to go about it, so I decided to listen to a Youtube video of it. The first video I pulled up was of 40 Chinese youngsters playing it together by ear in perfect synchrony. I'm no longer daunted; instead I'm merely discouraged (ha). I think I'll learn something else instead. :-)
2. COWS IN ZOOS?...Perhaps they will be 20 years from now. "Artificial milk" is not a new concept; it has been produced since 1912 in small quantities. Today we can buy milk that's made from almonds, coconuts, rice, soy, even hemp. If you've ever toured a dairy up close and personal, you probably like the idea of these substitutes...not to mention the fact that dairies are now lobbying hard to add aspartame to regular cow's milk without labeling it as such. They probably figure if Monsanto can push through GMO products without labeling, they ought to be permitted to secretly put aspartame in milk. Of course, this and other food industries have a backup plan if that doesn't work: they'll attempt to hide it by labeling aspartame with a new, fifth brand name in an effort to fool consumers (after "nutrisweet", "equal", and "spoonful"): "aminosweet."
But why stop with milk? Why not also produce vegetable-based beef and chicken meat as well? Today you can buy "Beyond Meat" branded 'chicken' and 'beef' at Whole foods stores, and will very soon be able to buy them from Safeway and Target. Supposedly, it's a pretty good approximation in both taste and texture, although I haven't personally tasted it. Ultimately, it may take far less energy to produce and it represents a greener and potentially healthier option. Note, however, it may also have to compete with "franken-meat", another emerging alternative that could be synthetically grown from (for instance) bovine stem cells.
The Chinese have made plenty of illicit attempts to produce artificial food...reminding us that human advancements and new ideas can often have a dark side, especially when money is (almost always) involved.
3. INTERESTING SOLAR STATISTICS: Like wind power, solar power is now already cheaper than natural gas, coal and nuclear power in some areas of the country. In the interest of continuing to "beat the drum" on solar, here's a chart showing solar cell efficiency trends; and here's a list of defunct solar companies. This list is reminiscent of the list of defunct car companies or piano companies or, for that matter, wind turbine companies at the beginning of the boom in these respective industries. It's part of the natural process of product evolution and growth. Finally, here's an article that takes the reader through some simple math to dispel some persistent myths regarding the amount of land (or rooftop) required for solar power production.
Alas, most consumers still haven't got the message that solar prices have plummeted.
4. A CLEAR WINNER is emerging from Warren Buffet's bet with the hedge fund industry. The idea that a hedge fund is likely to increase your returns is being proven as total bunk. If you're invested in a hedge fund, you're merely making the hedge fund manager wealthy. You'd be better off just putting your money in an S&P index fund. Now ask yourself: Am I smarter, more knowledgeable, more experienced, better informed and have more powerful tools at my disposal than a hand-picked group of the best hedge fund managers in the world? If so, you can beat the stock market...go for it, you might get lucky. Just a warning...the house (i.e., the S&P, DOW, etc.) usually wins. Active trading is a zero-sum game of luck (or worse) that just runs up your expenses. But if you insist on 'betting' on certain stocks, bet on businesses or technologies you're more knowledgeable about than most people, and then completely forget about your investment for several years. I'll bet the vast majority of you would not be able to do this...and that's a pretty sure bet. For most of us, it's much easier, rewarding and time efficient to just invest in a "boring" index fund.
5. If you haven't seen it already, this documentary preview pretty much has the last word on childhood obesity. It makes sense that the latest generation of kids have not suddenly become couch potatoes, are not suddenly lazier than all previous generations, and have not suddenly become more susceptible to food cravings than all previous generations. And you can't blame it all on the internet, either. Its thesis sounds pretty credible to me.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Can You Identify These Villains?
When we were children, we learned from our story books that evil people always look ugly. They have long, crooked noses and misshapen bodies and, for good measure, a witch's broom or perhaps some horns or some vampire-sharp teeth. And bad people never slip up and do something nice. Never. Just as the protagonist never does anything bad. Ever.
We all know that in real life it's not so easy to distinguish good people from bad people. It can depend on your perspective; for instance, how they're characterized by the news media (freedom fighter or terrorist), or the clothes they wear (soldier or gang member), your relationship to them and so on.
However, most humans agree on certain universal truths--truths that define acts as good or evil, motivated by either kindness or malice, generosity or avarice, wisdom or folly. The problem is, every human is, to some extent, a mixture of these qualities. Compounding this problem is the fact that we don't always know how to put an appropriate weighting on different aspects of their character. Is a very generous person who cheats on his taxes a good person or a bad person overall? Or what about a loving parent and good father who cheated on his wife? Or an honest, well-meaning politician who is addicted to heroin? As if this weren't enough, there is much evidence that some of the worst criminals have certain abnormalities in their brain function, raising the question of to what extent their behavior should be blamed purely on their character or as the result of an injury, disease or genetic defect in their brain.
In most cases, people who personally knew a criminal (perhaps as a next-door-neighbor) were shocked to discover the truth about them. They "seemed so normal."
So here's my challenge: See how many of these well-known people, either from current events or from history books, you can identify. (Hint: These are all bad people.) Scroll down for answers, after you've finished taking the quiz.
HOW MANY OF THESE VILLAINS CAN YOU IDENTIFY?
We all know that in real life it's not so easy to distinguish good people from bad people. It can depend on your perspective; for instance, how they're characterized by the news media (freedom fighter or terrorist), or the clothes they wear (soldier or gang member), your relationship to them and so on.
However, most humans agree on certain universal truths--truths that define acts as good or evil, motivated by either kindness or malice, generosity or avarice, wisdom or folly. The problem is, every human is, to some extent, a mixture of these qualities. Compounding this problem is the fact that we don't always know how to put an appropriate weighting on different aspects of their character. Is a very generous person who cheats on his taxes a good person or a bad person overall? Or what about a loving parent and good father who cheated on his wife? Or an honest, well-meaning politician who is addicted to heroin? As if this weren't enough, there is much evidence that some of the worst criminals have certain abnormalities in their brain function, raising the question of to what extent their behavior should be blamed purely on their character or as the result of an injury, disease or genetic defect in their brain.
In most cases, people who personally knew a criminal (perhaps as a next-door-neighbor) were shocked to discover the truth about them. They "seemed so normal."
So here's my challenge: See how many of these well-known people, either from current events or from history books, you can identify. (Hint: These are all bad people.) Scroll down for answers, after you've finished taking the quiz.
HOW MANY OF THESE VILLAINS CAN YOU IDENTIFY?
1. He was credited with leading the first public anti-smoking campaign. He wrote My Struggle Against Four and a Half Years of Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice, in which he expresses his frustration with the administration. Some book critics say he is a paranoid racist who wraps himself in the flag and represents himself as a true patriot (in contrast to the "liberal" and communist ideologies he opposes) to gain credence with hardline conservatives. His book argues that the country needs to reclaim its self-respect, dignity and greatness in the aftermath of an extremely costly and humiliating war. However, one of the recurring themes is his animosity towards minority immigrants who (to paraphrase) "don't deserve to be citizens, are taking advantage of the system; are not loyal, trustworthy or productive; and who will be responsible for the economic ruin of the country."
2. He started the "Eradication of Illiteracy" program designed to help illiterate people learn to read in 1997. He was once an ally of the U.S., a country that tacitly supported his war against a neighboring country and sold him helicopters, materials to manufacture poison gas, nuclear development instrumentation and hazardous biological agents.
3. He was an accomplished leader who was called a genius of war. He used his own money and time to train patriot forces. Frustrated by troops who were poorly trained and equipped, he used is own money and time to train patriot forces. He claimed several victories for the patriots, most notably the Battle of Saratoga--a turning point in the war that led to France entering the Revolutionary war as a U.S. ally.
4. He liked Star Trek and science fiction novels, and became interested in computers in High School. He was skilled enough that he managed to hack into government defense systems. His high school recognized his computer talents, declaring him as "the school's most promising computer programmer" his senior year.
5. He composed six operas, including Sea of Blood, which has recently received rave reviews in China. His book, On the Art of Opera can be purchased at Amazon.com.
6. He was once a promising amateur poet under the pen name "Soselo," known for such lines as:
The rosebud flowered
entwining the violet
and iris awoke
greening in the breeze.
7. Though he was expelled from several schools for bullying and defying school authorities, he eventually obtained a teaching certificate in 1901 and, for a brief time, worked as an elementary schoolmaster. He was an accomplished violinist. He was named after the leftist Mexican President (Juarez). He was once a rabid atheist, but once in power, he became pro-Catholic church. Pope Pius XI referred to him as the “man whom providence has sent us.”
8. He once worked a suicide hotline and rescued a child from drowning.
9. As a child, he frequently rescued stray pets, beggars, and fought bullies. He preached integration, racial equality and nuclear disarmament. He adopted 3 Korean children, a Native American child, and became the first white family in Indianapolis to adopt an African American child. He headed the Indianapolis human rights commission which desegregated hospitals, churches, restaurants and the police department. He leaked information from American Nazi leaders on racial militarism. He headed the San Francisco housing authority and ran free homes and food kitchens for the elderly and mentally ill.
10. He was a fan of Miami Vice, The Wonder Years and MacGyver on TV.
11. He wrote "Never Learn Not to Love" for the Beach Boys.
(Scroll down for answers)
Answers:
1. Hitler. The title of his book was shortened to My Struggle (Mein Kampf) by the publisher.
2. Saddam Hussein. Donald Rumsfeld acted as a secret envoy to sell him the materials during his war with Iran in the late 1980's.
3. Benedict Arnold
4. Timothy McVeigh
5. Kim Jong Il
6. Joseph Stalin
7. Benito Mussolini
8. Ted Bundy
9. Rev. Jim Jones
10. Osama Bin Laden
11. Charles Manson
The majority of this information was shamelessly copied from Cracked.com's "List of 23 most surprising facts about awful people."
The majority of this information was shamelessly copied from Cracked.com's "List of 23 most surprising facts about awful people."
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Odds & Ends #7
1. Here's a neat video (with some computer imagery) that shows how we landed the Mars rover. And while we're at it, here's a video of Felix Baumgartner's jump from 24 miles above earth. Or how about something closer to earth, like this mountain bike video, also these insane bikers?
2. Anybody have a house cat like this?
3. If you've been following the Edward Snowden saga, you might find this interesting. Hopefully we won't be unfortunate enough to see a headline like "Nobel Prize winner imprisoned in U.S."
Incidentally, would you like to compete with the NSA? Better yet, get the NSA to pay you for spying on "persons of interest" (that's your neighbors, of course!) This little helicopter drone is just the ticket. Stalin would be proud.
4. In a much earlier post, I mentioned once that I suspected that our current understanding of gravity would eventually give way to a better, more elegant theory. Some new hypotheses that are potential candidates for a new theory of gravity are here, here, here and here. Soon we may even be able to test whether Einstein's theory of gravity "falls apart" under extreme conditions and whether a new theory fits better--hopefully a theory that does away with singularities and eliminates the need for the "dark energy" and "dark matter." Those "things" (in my opinion) ought to be looked upon as huge, inexplicable errors associated with our current theory rather than as some sort of mysterious but real phenomena. Perhaps it would be too much to hope for a theory that seamlessly integrates with quantum theory as well?
2. Anybody have a house cat like this?
3. If you've been following the Edward Snowden saga, you might find this interesting. Hopefully we won't be unfortunate enough to see a headline like "Nobel Prize winner imprisoned in U.S."
Incidentally, would you like to compete with the NSA? Better yet, get the NSA to pay you for spying on "persons of interest" (that's your neighbors, of course!) This little helicopter drone is just the ticket. Stalin would be proud.
4. In a much earlier post, I mentioned once that I suspected that our current understanding of gravity would eventually give way to a better, more elegant theory. Some new hypotheses that are potential candidates for a new theory of gravity are here, here, here and here. Soon we may even be able to test whether Einstein's theory of gravity "falls apart" under extreme conditions and whether a new theory fits better--hopefully a theory that does away with singularities and eliminates the need for the "dark energy" and "dark matter." Those "things" (in my opinion) ought to be looked upon as huge, inexplicable errors associated with our current theory rather than as some sort of mysterious but real phenomena. Perhaps it would be too much to hope for a theory that seamlessly integrates with quantum theory as well?
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
12 Reasons Why Hiking the Minimum Wage is Not Necessarily Bad
I have read many articles (both pro and con) on the issue of raising the minimum wage, and here is my own conclusion. Feel free to disagree.
There are many reasons why a minimum wage that is too low can actually be bad for the U.S:
1. It forces the government (and taxpayers) to subsidize low-value labor: Any minimum wage that results in the wage earner being eligible for food stamps and other government assistance means one thing and one thing only: This person's labor is being subsidized by the government--by taxpayers. We all know that when you subsidize something, you get more of it. Therefore, a low minimum wage encourages companies to behave as if they are dealing in a third-world country. As a result, they will exploit the cheap labor. They will hire more low-wage employees. GDP per capita will go down. That's bad for all of us.
2. It discourages competitive technological advancements: When given the option of hiring low wage workers, employers will not work to leverage and maximize their laborers' value via training or education. They will not utilize modern, computerized, robotic technology and so will ultimately lose out to more advanced countries in the long term. Overall GDP per capita will go lower and lower until the U.S. resembles a third world country. Everybody will lose, since our "old and flabby" industry will look more and more like the obsolete technology associated with former communist regimes, while more and more U.S. factories close down because they cannot compete globally. And once we reach that tipping point, it's almost impossible to reverse the downward spiral.
3. Attempting to compete globally on the basis of low wages is a losing game: We cannot possibly compete globally on the basis of "low" wages because there are plenty of developing countries that will always beat us soundly at that game. Instead, we must compete via technology and know-how, which requires that we treat our employees like valuable assets with many potential skills to be developed, rather than like minimally-trained monkeys.
4. It encourages illegal immigration of poorly-qualified workers: Whether or not it is truly a bad thing, many people worry about the millions of illegal immigrants flowing into the U.S. People immigrate illegally to the U.S. because they believe they can get a job requiring minimal skills. They believe it because it is true. They can work in a packing plant, or make beds in hotels, or pick fruit, or flip burgers. (Many such jobs would otherwise quickly go extinct.) So let's say you own a large orchard. You can either invest in a big, expensive fruit picking machine that requires 5 educated, knowledgeable American operators, or you can hire 500 seasonal illegal alien fruit pickers. For those who want to curb illegal immigration, it only makes sense that a higher minimum wage would encourage the orchard operator to purchase the machine and employ legal American citizens. Bottom line: a lower minimum wage attracts illegal immigration. And if, on the other hand, you're actually wanting to attract immigrants, why not instead attract immigrants who have valuable job skills, who know they will be paid accordingly, and who will truly benefit this country? Or at the very least, immigrants who are willing and able to work hard, learn English, get an education and learn a skill? Once again, you get what you encourage.
5. It perpetuates an unfortunate and dangerous myth: A low minimum wage gives American children the false impression that they can leave high school and get a job without learning how to read and write. Unfortunately, that job turns out to be a low-paying job that traps them for the rest of their lives.
Tragically, it has been reported that less than half (44%) of 25-to-34 year old high school graduates operate at literacy levels of 3 or higher. That means that more than 4 out of 10 working age adults don’t have the functional literacy skills to perform even the most basic jobs. Yet we allow these people to graduate based on the erroneous belief that they will find "some sort of job." What do we get instead? People who either aren't willing or aren't capable of working at, say, a packing plant for minimum wage. In other words, unwed mothers, drug dealers, welfare recipients and prison inmates.
The sooner we explode this diabolical myth, the better. It will force us to not allow children to leave the educational system until they are truly employable. Our education system--which should include practical training programs--would still be far less expensive than the cost of welfare, crime and incarceration. Having a decent minimum wage drives this ugly-but-true reality home to everybody--parents, educators, politicians and the students and job searchers themselves.
6. It's demoralizing and short-changes human potential: Psychological studies show that people conform to their own and others' expectations. Implementing a low minimum wage and forcing people to go on welfare, food stamps or "disability" is demoralizing to them, beats them down, and quells the human spirit. Worst of all, it causes them to be addicted to government assistance, which costs us all. Why promote a tragic system like this? Why not have a society in which every human being is treated with a certain minimum dignity and is expected and encouraged to learn and grow? It costs the same either way. The human landscape is littered with human failures who became failures because they were led to this expectation and embraced it.
Pretending that people ought to be able to support themselves on a low minimum wage without government assistance is a deception that's not only unfair to unskilled laborers, it's unfair to everyone else as well. Our economic system must be based on honesty, not deception; otherwise it soon crumbles...and it must be based on encouragement rather than demoralization.
Is this a touch-feely reason that has more to do with psychology than economics? Yes!...and for this very reason it just may be the most important argument of all.
7. It doesn't solve the problem of unemployment: The true unemployment rate in the U.S. is much higher than the official rate of 6.7%; it is estimated to be upwards of 37.2% However, lack of jobs is not the primary reason behind high unemployment in the U.S. It is lack of job skills. You can lower the minimum wage down to 10 cents and it's not going to result in those good jobs being filled.
So what about the "crappy" jobs...i.e., those unfilled minimum wage jobs? If we have such a high unemployment rate, why aren't those jobs all filled immediately? It's easy to say the reason is because they pay less than people get on welfare or dealing drugs or whatever. That is often true...but would YOU be willing to work at one of those dead-end jobs for the rest of your life? Are you sure? One thing we can say for sure: It's NOT because the wages are too high.
Would a lower minimum wage create more job openings? Possibly...but not jobs that people would want. Not jobs that would support them. Not jobs that would actually raise GDP per capita. Instead, it would create domestic service jobs (most likely filled by illegals) that would add virtually nothing to overall GDP growth, but would instead benefit wealthier people whose employees would be effectively subsidized by the government. For instance, people might hire a few more servants (read: virtual slaves) who would tend to the geraniums in their back yard, scrub their floors, cook their meals etc. At least half of this "catering to the privileged" would be funded by our own taxpayer dollars via food stamps, etc. I don't know about you, but this is not the kind of society or country I would want to live in. It's state-supported feudalism that further enriches the few at the expense of the many.
8. Reasons typically used to argue against the minimum wage...are myths: Here are three common reasons given as arguments against a higher minimum wage:
a) The minimum wage kills jobs
b) Increasing the minimum wage hurts small business
c) Increasing the minimum wage only helps teenagers
These all sound like logical, believable reasons for opposing a minimum wage hike. Trouble is, they aren't true.
9. Increasing the minimum wage would help to mitigate wealth inequality: Wealth inequality is growing at an alarming rate. Half the world's wealth is now owned by 85 people (out of 7 billion total.) A country like Mexico--which has the worlds wealthiest individual, Carlos Slim--illustrates rather nicely this grotesque wealth inequality. Some people would call this a modern form of feudalism & serfdom. At least with the feudalism of the early middle ages, the lord had some motivation to look after the welfare of his serfs.
10. Increasing the minimum wage helps fight deflation: Increasing the minimum wage tends to result in all wages rising, not just the minimum wage. This would fight deflation much more effectively than QE, and would would help the U.S. inflate its way out of debt.
11. A low minimum wage does not make a country wealthy: Some people question why we ought to have a minimum wage. Some countries still do not have a minimum wage. I would not want to live in most of these countries. Germany is an exception, but I know from personal acquaintance that while they've increased their level of employment, their lowest wages are very low, and do not really qualify as "jobs" in that respect. Also, their government assistance programs are extremely liberal. The U.S. minimum wage is actually relatively low compared to other developed countries that do have a minimum wage.
12. The benefits of a decent minimum wage is supported by history: The chart below shows two things:
a) a couple of hikes in the minimum wage in the 1950's--effectively doubling the wage rate!--spurred a long positive growth trend in GDP growth per capita. (Imagine what people would say if someone proposed doubling the minimum wage rate today!)
b) The current minimum wage is not high by historical standards, especially in relation to GDP per capita.
No longer do we have children working 14 hr days in dirty, dangerous environments. No longer are coal mining accidents commonplace. Instead, workers are accorded a degree of dignity and respect...all because of laws that were passed as a result of the revulsion the American people felt when they observed the way some workers were being mistreated. Did huge hikes in the minimum wage cause rampant unemployment and bring the U.S. to its knees? History says that, on the contrary, it benefited everybody.
“Today, you and I are pledged to take further steps to reduce the lag in the purchasing power of industrial workers and to strengthen and stabilize the markets for the farmers’ products. The two go hand in hand. Each depends for its effectiveness upon the other. Both working simultaneously will open new outlets for productive capital. Our Nation so richly endowed with natural resources and with a capable and industrious population should be able to devise ways and means of insuring to all our able-bodied working men and women a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. A self-supporting and self-respecting democracy can plead no justification for the existence of child labor, no economic reason for chiseling workers’ wages or stretching workers’ hours. Enlightened business is learning that competition ought not to cause bad social consequences which inevitably react upon the profits of business itself. All but the hopeless reactionary will agree that to conserve our primary resources of man power, government must have some control over maximum hours, minimum wages, the evil of child labor and the exploitation of unorganized labor.”
Friday, January 24, 2014
Surprising Facts
Here are some facts that might surprise you. I did not research many of these facts, but instead parroted them from other web sites, so I cannot verify the accuracy of every fact.
Facts that directly contradict popular perceptions shaped by the media:
1. The fastest-growing demographic on Twitter is the 55-64 year old age bracket.
2. Einstein's brain weighed 12% less than a normal male brain.
3. Napoleon Bonaparte was just shy of 5 feet 7 inches, or nearly 2 inches taller than the average Frenchman of his day--certainly not short by the standards of that time. He would be about 1 inch shorter than a typical Frenchman today. So much for the Napolean complex.
4. Gallop polls done throughout the 1960s showed that young and educated people (meaning college students) were far more likely to support the war than their old and uneducated fellow citizens. In fact, it was the over-50 crowd that opposed the war more than anyone.
5. President Obama is the smallest government spender since Eisenhower. Okay, this is one viewpoint. Another viewpoint which came out immediately afterward: "Obama is biggest spender in world history." This is a great example of how two people can selectively use facts to come to opposite conclusions.
6. Saturated fat and cholesterol are not unhealthy and will not make you fat. A low-fat, high-carb diet (with lots of starches and sugars) is what makes you fat and unhealthy. This has been shown by all recent health studies.
7. 63% of Arab-Americans are classified as Christians.
18. There are 10 times more bacteria cells in your gut than there are cells in your body. (Bacteria cells are smaller.) Researchers believe what's in your gut may affect your mental state.
19. The acid in your (empty) stomach is strong enough to dissolve razor blades. When your stomach is full, the acid level decreases from a pH of 2 to a pH of 6, making you more vulnerable to such things as salmonella. The acid in a dog's stomach is slightly stronger yet (pH ~ 2). The acid in a vulture's stomach is much stronger still (pH ~ 0), making them very effective disease-fighting agents that greatly benefit us humans by gobbling up potentially dangerous disease transmitters.
20. If you could stretch out all of a human's blood vessels, they would circle the world twice.
21. The surface area of a single human lung is equal to that of a tennis court.
22. Every year, 98% of the atoms in your body are replaced.
23. The world's most toxic and deadliest substance is a new type of botulinum toxin. 10 to 12 grams of it would be enough to kill the entire human population of the earth.
24. In the unlikely event that all the polar ice were to melt, the sea level all over the world would rise 500 to 600 feet. As a result, 85 to 90% of the Earth's surface would be covered with water as compared to the current 71%. The U.S. would be split by the Mississippi Sea, which would connect the Great Lakes with the Gulf of Mexico.
25. Since the 1950s, around 90% of the large predatory fish in the ocean are gone.
26. The federal government is still paying two Civil War pensions (to children of soldiers). The last Civil War widow died in 2003.*
27. The maximum area of the Roman Empire was an impressive 2.51 million square miles. It was actually only the 19th largest empire in history.*
28. All British tanks since 1945 have been equipped with Tea-Making Facilities.*
29. In 1598, Queen Elizabeth ordered a banquet featuring a food source from the new world--potatoes. The royal cooks, having never prepared potatoes before, threw the veggie away and cooked the green part or eye instead, sickening the whole royal court. Elizabeth banned the vegetable for 100 years.*
30. The current 50 star flag was designed by then 17 year old Robert G. Heft, as part of a school project. For his effort, he received a grade of B-. When his design was chosen and adopted by presidential proclamation, his teacher changed his grade to an A.*
31. Over 3500 hours of recordings were made by the taping system established in the White House and other executive offices by Richard Nixon during his presidency. Of these, only about 200 hours contain references to Watergate. By the time of Nixon's death in 1994, only 63 hours had been made public.*
32. Seven of the ten deadliest wars were fought in China alone. More people died in each of the two largest of these wars than in WWI.*
33. The pony express is part of the lore of the Old West. Most people don't realize that it lasted barely nineteen months, from April 1860 to October 1861.*
34. John Tyler became the 10th president of the United States in 1841. He still has two living grandchildren.*
35. In 2005, George W. Bush was nearly assassinated in Georgia by a man named Vladimir Arutyunian, who threw a grenade at the president. It did not explode.*
36. The citizens found guilty during the Salem witch trials were not actually burned at the stake. They were hanged.*
37. At its height in 480 BC the first Persian Empire covered 44% of the world's population, the highest of any empire in history (the British had just 20%). This was just 70 years after Cyrus the Great began his conquests. Alexander destroyed this empire just 150 years later.*
38. The pyramids weren't built by Egyptian slaves. They were built by paid laborers.*
46. More American soldiers die from suicide than from fighting in combat.
47. Since 1989, 303 convicted felons have been exonerated by DNA evidence. 18 were on death row. 25 percent had confessed. 28 of them pled guilty. Meanwhile, in 2013, 39 inmates were executed in the U.S. The U.S. is among 20% of the countries in the world still practicing capital punishment in law and in practice...countries such as Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, China, Pakistan, Sudan and South Sudan.
Facts that directly contradict popular perceptions shaped by the media:
1. The fastest-growing demographic on Twitter is the 55-64 year old age bracket.
2. Einstein's brain weighed 12% less than a normal male brain.
3. Napoleon Bonaparte was just shy of 5 feet 7 inches, or nearly 2 inches taller than the average Frenchman of his day--certainly not short by the standards of that time. He would be about 1 inch shorter than a typical Frenchman today. So much for the Napolean complex.
4. Gallop polls done throughout the 1960s showed that young and educated people (meaning college students) were far more likely to support the war than their old and uneducated fellow citizens. In fact, it was the over-50 crowd that opposed the war more than anyone.
5. President Obama is the smallest government spender since Eisenhower. Okay, this is one viewpoint. Another viewpoint which came out immediately afterward: "Obama is biggest spender in world history." This is a great example of how two people can selectively use facts to come to opposite conclusions.
6. Saturated fat and cholesterol are not unhealthy and will not make you fat. A low-fat, high-carb diet (with lots of starches and sugars) is what makes you fat and unhealthy. This has been shown by all recent health studies.
7. 63% of Arab-Americans are classified as Christians.
Facts that reflect disturbing trends:
8. There are various ways of tabulating unemployment. But if you count all the people who theoretically ought to be working based on age, etc.--which admittedly includes some people who never did seek employment--the unemployment number is 37.2% rather than the "official" rate of 6.7%. (I do not know whether the 37.2% estimate includes the 3.4% of Americans on disability; if not, the true number might be worse yet.) When the "official" unemployment rate goes down, what it often means is that more people have become discouraged and have stopped looking for employment. 20% of American households are now on food stamps--an all-time record.
9. Here's one possible explanation for the seemingly intractable unemployment rate: The U.S. has a (very) basic skills shortage that is getting far worse, relative to job requirements. More than one-third (37 percent) of the 25-to-54 year old U.S. population does not have the basic ability to write a letter explaining an error on a credit card bill, use a bus schedule, or use a calculator to determine a 10 percent discount (Level 3 literacy).
Tragically, it has been reported that less than half (44%) of 25-to-34 year old high school graduates operate at literacy levels of 3 or higher. That means that more than 4 out of 10 working age adults don’t have the functional literacy skills to perform even the most basic jobs. Worse, nearly 55 percent of workers 55 to 64 year old have literacy skills at level 1 or 2. For your reference, Level 1 literacy is the ability to locate the expiration date on a driver’s license, total a bank deposit slip, or sign their names; Level 2 is the ability to locate an intersection on a street map, understand an appliance warranty, or total costs from an order.
These statistics may soon put us in the category of a developing nation. And it has been shown that a 1% increase in literacy results in a 1.5% increase in GDP. We're on the wrong side of that curve.
These statistics may soon put us in the category of a developing nation. And it has been shown that a 1% increase in literacy results in a 1.5% increase in GDP. We're on the wrong side of that curve.
10. Around 72% of black children are born out of wedlock. It was 25% in the 1960′s and that was considered an epidemic at the time.
11. 58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school. 42% of college graduates never read another book.
11. 58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school. 42% of college graduates never read another book.
12. By the age of 4, the average child in a professional family has heard 20 million more words than a child in a middle-class family, and about 35 million more than a child raised in a family that receives welfare assistance.
13. In 1955, there were more than eight workers paying into the U.S. Social Security system for every beneficiary. Today, that number is a bit less than three workers paying in, and it's projected to be close to two workers by 2031. (Now do the math.)
13. In 1955, there were more than eight workers paying into the U.S. Social Security system for every beneficiary. Today, that number is a bit less than three workers paying in, and it's projected to be close to two workers by 2031. (Now do the math.)
Science & Health Facts
14. 50% of healthcare dollars in the US are spent on the last 6 months of life.
15. You are nearly 5 times more likely to die falling out of bed then dying in a plane crash, and 15 times more likely to die in a car accident. The 5 top causes of death in the U.S. are heart attacks, cancer, strokes, a land vehicle accident, and suicide. Cancer will soon be the leading cause of death.
16. CPR only works 2% to 16% of the time, depending on the situation.
17. In the US, there’s an average of 217 millions white blood cells per liter of cow's milk. Those white blood cells come from the pus of the infected teats of the cows.*15. You are nearly 5 times more likely to die falling out of bed then dying in a plane crash, and 15 times more likely to die in a car accident. The 5 top causes of death in the U.S. are heart attacks, cancer, strokes, a land vehicle accident, and suicide. Cancer will soon be the leading cause of death.
16. CPR only works 2% to 16% of the time, depending on the situation.
18. There are 10 times more bacteria cells in your gut than there are cells in your body. (Bacteria cells are smaller.) Researchers believe what's in your gut may affect your mental state.
19. The acid in your (empty) stomach is strong enough to dissolve razor blades. When your stomach is full, the acid level decreases from a pH of 2 to a pH of 6, making you more vulnerable to such things as salmonella. The acid in a dog's stomach is slightly stronger yet (pH ~ 2). The acid in a vulture's stomach is much stronger still (pH ~ 0), making them very effective disease-fighting agents that greatly benefit us humans by gobbling up potentially dangerous disease transmitters.
20. If you could stretch out all of a human's blood vessels, they would circle the world twice.
21. The surface area of a single human lung is equal to that of a tennis court.
22. Every year, 98% of the atoms in your body are replaced.
23. The world's most toxic and deadliest substance is a new type of botulinum toxin. 10 to 12 grams of it would be enough to kill the entire human population of the earth.
24. In the unlikely event that all the polar ice were to melt, the sea level all over the world would rise 500 to 600 feet. As a result, 85 to 90% of the Earth's surface would be covered with water as compared to the current 71%. The U.S. would be split by the Mississippi Sea, which would connect the Great Lakes with the Gulf of Mexico.
25. Since the 1950s, around 90% of the large predatory fish in the ocean are gone.
Historical Facts:
27. The maximum area of the Roman Empire was an impressive 2.51 million square miles. It was actually only the 19th largest empire in history.*
28. All British tanks since 1945 have been equipped with Tea-Making Facilities.*
29. In 1598, Queen Elizabeth ordered a banquet featuring a food source from the new world--potatoes. The royal cooks, having never prepared potatoes before, threw the veggie away and cooked the green part or eye instead, sickening the whole royal court. Elizabeth banned the vegetable for 100 years.*
30. The current 50 star flag was designed by then 17 year old Robert G. Heft, as part of a school project. For his effort, he received a grade of B-. When his design was chosen and adopted by presidential proclamation, his teacher changed his grade to an A.*
31. Over 3500 hours of recordings were made by the taping system established in the White House and other executive offices by Richard Nixon during his presidency. Of these, only about 200 hours contain references to Watergate. By the time of Nixon's death in 1994, only 63 hours had been made public.*
32. Seven of the ten deadliest wars were fought in China alone. More people died in each of the two largest of these wars than in WWI.*
33. The pony express is part of the lore of the Old West. Most people don't realize that it lasted barely nineteen months, from April 1860 to October 1861.*
34. John Tyler became the 10th president of the United States in 1841. He still has two living grandchildren.*
35. In 2005, George W. Bush was nearly assassinated in Georgia by a man named Vladimir Arutyunian, who threw a grenade at the president. It did not explode.*
36. The citizens found guilty during the Salem witch trials were not actually burned at the stake. They were hanged.*
37. At its height in 480 BC the first Persian Empire covered 44% of the world's population, the highest of any empire in history (the British had just 20%). This was just 70 years after Cyrus the Great began his conquests. Alexander destroyed this empire just 150 years later.*
38. The pyramids weren't built by Egyptian slaves. They were built by paid laborers.*
39. In the 18th century it was believed that blowing tobacco smoke up someone's rectum would resuscitate them from drowning. It was such a widely held belief that equipment was hung up all along the Thames in London.
40. Jesus' real name was Yeshua (as in Joshua). The New Testament was first written in Greek, not Hebrew or Aramaic. Greeks did not use the "sh" sound, so "s" was substituted. Then, to make it masculine, they added another "s" at the end. The "J" didn't even come until the late middle ages, making it "Jesus." This etymology is actually a simplification of the real story that may trace the name's earliest origins from a combination of YHWH and Hoseah.
41. After Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery made it to the Pacific, they spent the Winter of 1804-05 trading what was left of their personal effects for sexual favors from the Clatsop women, who gave them syphilis. Because the prevailing treatment was an oral dose of mercury, we can say with certainty where many of the Corps' camp latrines were located, thanks to the mercury that remains in the soil today.*
42. 80% of all Russian males born in the year 1923 didn't live past their 22nd birthday.
43. Lincoln's Gettysburg address was most likely influenced by his sometime reading of Pericles' Funeral Oration by Thucydides, which praises the uniqueness of Athens' commitment to democracy.
44. Non-violent resistance was a concept expounded upon by Tolstoy in his writings as a result of studying the Bible. Gandhi was a friend of Tolstoy, and the older Tolstoy's influence on the young man was profound, despite their religious and cultural differences. Gandhi influenced other later reformers such as Martin Luther King.
45. Bill Clinton sent a total of two e-mails during his presidency.
40. Jesus' real name was Yeshua (as in Joshua). The New Testament was first written in Greek, not Hebrew or Aramaic. Greeks did not use the "sh" sound, so "s" was substituted. Then, to make it masculine, they added another "s" at the end. The "J" didn't even come until the late middle ages, making it "Jesus." This etymology is actually a simplification of the real story that may trace the name's earliest origins from a combination of YHWH and Hoseah.
41. After Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery made it to the Pacific, they spent the Winter of 1804-05 trading what was left of their personal effects for sexual favors from the Clatsop women, who gave them syphilis. Because the prevailing treatment was an oral dose of mercury, we can say with certainty where many of the Corps' camp latrines were located, thanks to the mercury that remains in the soil today.*
42. 80% of all Russian males born in the year 1923 didn't live past their 22nd birthday.
43. Lincoln's Gettysburg address was most likely influenced by his sometime reading of Pericles' Funeral Oration by Thucydides, which praises the uniqueness of Athens' commitment to democracy.
44. Non-violent resistance was a concept expounded upon by Tolstoy in his writings as a result of studying the Bible. Gandhi was a friend of Tolstoy, and the older Tolstoy's influence on the young man was profound, despite their religious and cultural differences. Gandhi influenced other later reformers such as Martin Luther King.
45. Bill Clinton sent a total of two e-mails during his presidency.
Unfortunate Facts
47. Since 1989, 303 convicted felons have been exonerated by DNA evidence. 18 were on death row. 25 percent had confessed. 28 of them pled guilty. Meanwhile, in 2013, 39 inmates were executed in the U.S. The U.S. is among 20% of the countries in the world still practicing capital punishment in law and in practice...countries such as Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, China, Pakistan, Sudan and South Sudan.
48. The amount of American dollars spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars could have paid for solar panels on the roof of every house in America and dramatically spurred our economy as well as eliminating a significant portion of U.S. greenhouse gas.
49. The US spends $660 billion a year on the military, or about 20% of the federal budget. (The total the US has spent on NASA in its 55 year history is $526 billion.) Yearly expenditures on foreign aid total about $33 billion, or 1% of the federal budget.
50. The budget to send the Curiosity Rover to Mars is less than the worldwide military expenditure for 13 hours.
51. In the last 3,500 years, there have been only 230 years of peace throughout the civilized world.
52. Young black males without a high school diploma were more likely to be in prison or jail (37 percent) on any given day in 2008 than to be working (26 percent). The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world.
53. 70% of murders in Detroit go unsolved.
51. In the last 3,500 years, there have been only 230 years of peace throughout the civilized world.
52. Young black males without a high school diploma were more likely to be in prison or jail (37 percent) on any given day in 2008 than to be working (26 percent). The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world.
53. 70% of murders in Detroit go unsolved.
*Shamelessly copied from this source
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)