About sp34n119w
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When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle. - Edmund Burke
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Tropical Blogs
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Chapman Farms
Santa Paula, CA
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| Elevation: |
239 ft
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| Temperature: |
63.4 °F
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| Dew Point: |
50.1 °F
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| Humidity: |
62% |
| Wind: |
6.0 mph
from the SW |
| Wind Gust: |
6.0 mph
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Updated: 7:20 PM PDT on May 25, 2013
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APRSWXNET Santa Paula CA US
Santa Paula, CA
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| Elevation: |
291 ft
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| Temperature: |
67.0 °F
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| Dew Point: |
52.0 °F
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| Humidity: |
58% |
| Wind: |
3.0 mph
from the SSW |
| Wind Gust: |
11.0 mph
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Updated: 6:46 PM PDT on May 25, 2013
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RAWS ANACAPA ISLAND CA US
Port Hueneme, CA
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| Elevation: |
276 ft
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| Temperature: |
58.0 °F
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| Dew Point: |
53.0 °F
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| Humidity: |
84% |
| Wind: |
21.0 mph
from the WNW |
| Wind Gust: |
29.0 mph
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Updated: 6:23 PM PDT on May 25, 2013
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Page: 1 | 2 — Blog Index
Good one. Wonder if the "I am the alpha and the omega" line refers to Janus in some way.
As for other cultures, had a very interesting dinner the other night with a Romanian family. The mother whose english is getting better, (and probably really wants to talk to people besides her daughter and grand kids),was particularly chatty.
What I learned is that even in "these modern times", there are still places in Europe that have cultures and customs that vary greatly from county to county.
Each little territory within the country is almost it's own mini-country. The exceptions being the large cities. Hmmmm.
Thus most of us here have no tribe. We're a post-tribal mishmash. That's why we have so many cultural remnants gathered around the solstice celebration. You can take your pick, or you can try to observe them all.
Americans are still equipped, psychologically, to belong to a tribe. We look for substitutes. We join clubs and churches. We root for teams. Young people who are not otherwise engaged form gangs. People who travel a lot feel alienated. We invent our culture as we go.
Meanwhile, in the backwaters and deep hollows of Europe you can still find something like the real thing. People today are free to travel and leave their roots behind, but some of them stay home. They keep their culture going as best they can, subject to invasions by passing armies or homogenization via the television. But they have something to belong to: unbroken history going back millennia.
gg - did think you'd like the reference. I started watching the series last year (didn't mention it here) and got all caught up on the "new" Doctor. Kind of like it. Did not like one aspect of last season so we'll see what happens next. Haven't watched the Christmas special yet but it's dvr'd.
That sounds like a great dinner :) There was a documentary about Romanian gypsies I saw on, oh, Linktv maybe? and it showed that the traditional way of life is still alive and well. Though that tradition involves bigotry and discrimination, it is interesting to see. The music was awesome :)
Bogon - NOLA, The South, Maine, Texas, the Midwest ... we have lots of geographically delineated subcultures. They may seem artificial without the long history but it has to start somewhere.
What you say about our tribal nature is certainly true. Humans did not evolve to live in groups of 30 million Others. About 500 to 1000 is about all we deal with well, and even that is far more than the norm, day to day, for the bulk of our history.
So, clubs and churches and the like work for that. You get your family (genetic or chosen) for everyday "tribe", plus a group of like-minded family-type groups for occasional use, and that's enough to handle. As long as those groups have some baseline rules for dealing nicely with the Other groups, it works out. Problems arise when one such small group decides that their group is the only one that matters and that they can dictate the behavior of the Other.
That unbroken history you speak of looks nifty from here but consider that it causes enmity over problems that have not been problems in thousands of years. It becomes a habit to dislike someone because they come from that place over there and wonderful We have always hated evil Them.
I have known people from our southern states who are still angry with Yankees about the Civil War. Nevermind that their own ancestors were in Poland or Nigeria or wherever, at the time, it has become part of the local culture. And folks think that Afghanis and Iraqis should love us by now, LOL
As happy as I am to have the Iliad and such to read and enjoy, I also realize that the story of that war (real or not) has provided justification for ongoing hostilities between folk of that region of the world. They have been constantly adding new grievances on top of past grievances, so that the original war needn't even be remembered for the hostilities to continue.
oops. Got tugged towards rant. Will stop.
You folks have better things to say, anyway - thanks :)
.....
Summer-in-winter is over. The wind died down yesterday and last night was closer to seasonably cold. Today is still meant to be a bit warm but we're heading back towards normal winter temps. Ah, well. I enjoyed it! And, hopefully, some rain will be part of the change.
Time out to look up OMFSM. Flying Spaghetti Monster?! Wonder whoever came up with that one. Fun. Some might take offense, but some get their shorts in a wad over just about anything, so don't worry about it. Not your problem; theirs.
I can relate to the discussion of our tribal nature and agree that often whole tribes of people forget why they hate someone else, but they seem to love the hate and want to keep it going at all costs. That's the negative side of tribalism.
There is a positive side, as well. That sense of community. The need to belong to something or someone. The craving to matter to someone or have a purpose. To be useful or helpful and thereby gain the comfort that there is some meaning to life after all.
Too many times, the loneliest people are those surrounded by millions. We tend to shore up our personal defenses when we are one of too-many. We become more isolated, the more crowded we become. Why else a need for Facebook or Match.com or all the other social networking places on the interwebs? Why else have we created our own little tribe here on WU, of all places??? Weather and outdoor photos are interesting and all that, but tribes have formed and evolved in the blogs here. To the point where my being here and participating is an important part of my life. I may take a breather for a few weeks here and there, get some needed alone time, but then I just have to come back. And I know I'm not alone in feeling that way about this WUtribe to which I belong.
As Bogon aptly put it, "Americans are still equipped, psychologically, to belong to a tribe. We look for substitutes." Even though we'll never meet face to face, this is a pretty good substitute.
I'll be back to see how the "mashup of Greek epic, Roman god, FSM, and the Doctor all together" evolves. Should be interesting...
Perhaps it will turn out that post-tribal is the way to go for security and happiness. Maybe tribes are more trouble than they're worth.
I'm thinking that the fundamental problem lies within the Mark I human. That basic model is all we have to work with. No matter how you tweak the culture, it all comes back to a bunch of primates banging on the walls of their cage.
We humans do seem to have laid down a few centuries of more or less steady improvement behind us. Can we keep it up? News at eleven.
Add: we're already seeing instances of intertribal warfare, viz. WU versus DOOMCON.
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BC - I'm glad you stopped in, too :)
People do need to belong and there are many ways to satisfy that need. Personally, I favor your game nights :)
I don't do Facebook but see the value for keeping in touch with family and friends. So many people move around for jobs or whatever that it's hard to keep in touch. Still, it seems impersonal, to me. I have several friends who think that an update to their Facebook page is enough to maintain a friendship. So I get the occasional conversation like -
Me: Wait, what? When did you get a new job?
Them: About two months ago - didn't you see that on my Facebook page?
Me: Um, no, but I've spoken to you 3 times since then. Did you not think to tell me something that big?
Them: I did tell you - I told everybody on my Facebook page!
Me: Awriteythen. Byenow.
LOL
I've never used a dating site but know folks who've had good luck with Match.com and even craigslist for meeting someone special. Oh, meetup.com is a great and safe-ish way to find face-to-face friends, too, through common interests.
I think that's what people really want and, as awesome as wu is (and it has become very important to me), nothing feels better than seeing smiles and making eye contact, you know? Text does not convey full meaning, and I wonder if some people are actually isolating themselves by pretending that online relationships are enough. They seem easier but that isn't necessarily better.
Kind of going off-track there from where you were because it relates to a conversation I had with my niece and I'm still thinking about it. It seems like many folks are having a hard time in the Real World precisely because they can't relate in real-time. Anyway ...
Thanks for 'catching up' and for adding so much :)
Oh, and, the Church of the FSM offends me, LOL
Bogon - Mark I humans. Hmmm. If we look at our human ancestors, and present-day primates, we see a lot of variation in behavior and intelligence.
Improvement is relative. If murdering your neighbor and all his children improves your own children's chances for survival and reproduction, then that behavior will be selected for. If helping your neighbor feed his kids means that he and they will help you and yours, improving your own genes' chances of being passed on, then that behavior will be selected for. There is nothing in evolutionary theory that says things get "better" in terms of intelligence or what we call morality. Improvement, in this case, just means better chances to pass on genes.
Sharks have stayed about the same for millions of years (I don't remember how long, lol), being under little selection pressure to "improve".
It looks like there were a few humans who were skilled craftsmen and artists 30,000 years ago. Those abilities were lost and had to be reinvented by later iterations of the model. Why? Perhaps the folks who spent time honing their artistic skills were not prepared for changes in environment - like the invasion of other humans who were inclined to spend their time honing spearheads instead.
I'm wandering again and have my mind on other things (there's a playoff game today! lol) but I guess what I'm trying to get across is that I don't think we are Mark I - I think we are far beyond that. And what the future holds for our species will depend on our actions now. If cooperation and compassion on the part of the majority of individuals improves their reproductive chances (and that of their offspring) then that's where we're heading. If being selfish, hateful, and murderous accomplishes that purpose better, then that will win out for the species. Post-tribal or tribal. Who knows?
What's fascinating is that we, alone of all the animals (so far as we know), are capable of understanding our own evolution, our own biology, and of considering the future of our species and all other life on the planet. What's clear is, that makes absolutely no difference in how we act, LOL
Wish I could be around 500,000 years from now to see the Mark LIV ;)
.....
I know that both those responses were all rambly. I'll try to collect my thoughts better next time and thank you both, most sincerely, for your contributions and for getting me thinking!
.....
Now, off to check on the early game and get some stuff done before falling fully into game-day hyper-anxiety. I'd better eat now, too. It's like it matters, somehow, even though it doesn't. Stoopid animal brain ;)
And now SP is tempting fate with a gladiatorial tribute? Ancient gladiators did have their own warrior-tribe ethos and fan following, at least those gladiators who survived their first few outings in the arena.
See, I told you this mashup would be interesting. Stay tuned...
SP, I haven't read all the worm/allergy story yet. I guess it is a bit repugnant to me, LOL!
I agree with everything you all have said in your above comments and I recommend a book by E.O. Wilson called 'Consilience'. E.O. Wilson is a sociobioligist that has some very interesting theories as to why humans are of a religious nature, tribal and many other things.
The GOP debate is causing my brain to malfunction! Did Mit really say nothing all that makes any sense and did Ron Paul actually say things that made sense!!! And was Santorum sorta backtracking on his statements on gays. And Huntsman who is the only one I thought wasn't part of the Republicans who try to out do each other in conservatism and religious beliefs totally blow it with speaking Chinese to an audience that hates the Chinese. Maybe TV wasn't such a good idea, ignorance was sorta nice :)
Enjoy your week, SP!
Still need some recovery time, lol - be back later
With respect to human model numbers, my remarks assume that cultural evolution can happen much faster than genetic evolution. Thus over the last century or three we have seen radical progress in technology. We can point to some gains in overall social and political structure as well, though those lessons have been learned the hard way. We're apt to forget them, too, because each generation must be taught civilization anew. We can always revert to cavemen, both as individuals and collectively.
The good news, if you want to call it that, is that we are on the cusp of being able to reinvent ourselves, genetically as well as culturally. In other words, from now on we humans are likely to be the beneficiaries of unnatural selection. Will we still be human at the end of that process? The Mark LIV model might not be something we would recognize or approve. Depending on how things go, it might not even be able to whip Mark I in a fair fight. The conditions for which it will be designed will surely be altogether different from those in which we evolved.
Calpoppy , thanks for the book reference. It surely couldn't hurt to inject some of E. O. Wilson's wisdom into the conversation. Trouble is, I'm all backed up on books right now. There's one I've been reading before bed. I got one for Christmas. A couple of people have handed me paperbacks, saying, "Hey, you've gotta read this!" Okay, maybe by next year. I'm not a fast reader. 8oJ
“I bet if I thought about that in the morning, I could write it in three sentences”
and, while I think that's overly optimistic, I would like to try to whittle a bit.
So, I will post these words, for now …
First, something shiny for my peeps - Why don't Navajos eat fish? - which is a blog on an old paper about ... the obvious. And linguistics. Just for fun :)
Oh, I've just realized - it's on topic! LOL Honestly, I came across it by accident.
BC - good guesses! I wouldn't have known either with just that to go on. I asked somebody what happened and got the scoop awhile back. As much as I cared to know, anyway.
It looks to me like you learned a lot. Just not what you were after! Never know when that'll come in handy.
Yup, modern-day gladiators have their own tribes built around the fight, and so do I - my entire family are fans, lol
calpoppy - I should read E. O. Wilson. He's very smart. He is also prone to play a bit fast and loose with the data in that particular area, which is not exactly his specialty. Still worth reading, from what I've seen about it, and your recommendation adds to that impression. Thanks!
I really want to read more of his stuff on ants. He knows a LOT about ants and I find his writing and speaking on that topic riveting.
Ron Paul often makes sense to me. Then he keeps talking and ruins it.
Mitt and the rest say what they need to say to get money, either from campaign supporters or from book sales.
There's nothing wrong with your having a tv. You just need to learn how to tune it ;)
Interesting that the evil erstwhile wuers have not just been perma-banned but are now Those Who Must Not Be Named. Good on WU.
Bogon - being a Steelers fan is required of me. If, as a child, I had shown any inclination to root for another NFL team, I suspect I'd've been taken on a nice car ride to the desert and unfortunately "lost" there. Luckily, the early indoctrination held, for a change.
Not surprisingly, your comment prompted the rest of the 80,000 words, lol
For now I will note that humans have been the subject of unnatural selection since we started using tools and, especially, making fire. Currently, there are billions of humans on the planet as a direct result of just several decades of things like vaccines, antibiotics, and large-scale agriculture, who would not be here otherwise, and would not be passing on their genes to the next generation. We have absolutely changed the evolutionary game for ourselves (and for most other life on the planet) through technology in a way that no other species (so far as we know) has ever done. Whatever happens when we start tinkering directly with dna may actually pale in comparison, from an evolutionary standpoint.
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I'm going to bed now.
Happy Monday! :)
Whoa, eighty thousand words? You could create, like, a whole new blog entry with that! I don't know whether to be flattered or flabbergasted.
You're right, of course. "Unnatural selection" surely includes activities beyond genetic engineering. There's a whole universe of dog breeds, not to mention cats, horses, cattle, sheep, goats and camels that never would have existed without human intervention. Each time we pick a mate for ourselves, we're doing that manual selection thing. Nothing 'natural' about it. :o)
One of the books I'm reading is about feudal Japan. In that society it was common for parents to select mates for their children in order to, for example, cement a political or business alliance. One wonders what effects that practice might have had on human evolution.
On the technological side, there's another angle I didn't mention: the man/machine interface. Future humans are apt to be cyborgs. We're already building some amazing prostheses, and we're imagining so much more.
I feel that I owe an apology for straying so far from Janus and The Doctor. I surveyed what Wikipedia had to say about Janus. Not quite what I expected. As for the latest incarnation of Doctor Who, I confess I have not been a steady viewer. (But then, I'm hardly a regular viewer of anything on TV.) Didn't the Daleks stem from a race somewhat like ours?
From imgur.com
Bogon - we are looking back in time and forward in time. We are as close to on topic as my blog has ever been this far in!
gg - Now I'm going to have nightmares about Daleks in pink bunny slippers, LOL! Thanks :)
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Hope to be back soooooooooon .....
For tonight and through Monday...
[snip]
It should
definitely feel more winter-like (at least by Southern California
standards) Sunday and Monday.
[haha]
[snip]
Tuesday through Thursday will be rather quiet days
with some weak offshore winds and gradually warming temperatures
(climbing to slightly above normal levels by thursday).
[*sigh*]
[snip]
Further out into the weekend...models indicate the potential for
some measurable rainfall across most areas at various times.
Admittedly...nothing looks to be a potential soaking rain...but
at least it should be something in the buckets. Stay tuned as we
draw closer to next weekend for further details.
[oh sure. will do.]
Cloudy here but high 60's for temp and still low humidity of about 20%.
Kind of a nice change in skyscape.
Just wanted to note the weather here.
Happy Saturday :)
If you didn't know, you might like to, so, now you do.
I love that line. It should be in a future episode... or maybe it was already a past episode...
Re. the DOOMCON tribe's new name: It is auto-filtered [by WU] from blog entries, comments and WUmail as a response to their [*eather *unker's] quest to gain subscribers by relentless spamming and attempts to disaffect WU members.
[Modifications for clarity.]
You can google for FLdewey.
Add: I do not in any way endorse the site. I just believe in freedom of information. You can't make good decisions without good information.
Add too: It's not altogether impossible to make a good decision based on bad or missing information, but it would be a random thing, and it would happen for the wrong reasons.
I don't know if that line has been used. A lot gets stuck in my head without my knowing it, LOL
Now that I think on it, it sounds to me more like an original DW-type storyline than a new one.
Hey, LC and Bogon - I didn't say not to talk about that. I won't ask you to remove your comments since they could, technically, be in response to BC's question of some 10 days ago. I think it's funny that you two are talking about trolls in my blog when you both make good use of wumail and oh, yeah, have your own blogs to chat in. And I now respectfully and formally request that you and all others keep mention of the ever-so-dull blog warriors out of my blog from this point forward. I mean, I'm sure it was all really really, in fact earth-shatteringly, important to those involved, because nothing could be more so, and I'm sure it's still going on at some level and will go on as they always go on and on and on, but, honestly, it's been weeks, now, hasn't it?
Thank you for your consideration.
.....
Been a very good week, so far! :)
Tonight I got back to listening to the Iliad and I'm confused, LOL I'm on Book 8 and the situation seems to have gone through a complete flip from Book 7. May need to re-listen to 7. Or, maybe it just doesn't make sense! I should try reading those two, I suppose, and shouldn't let so much time lapse.
.....
I read "Consider Phlebas" by Iain M. Banks in the meantime. It was on the Nook and I was stuck waiting and started and decided to finish. Meh. I love a long series but now am wondering if I want to read the rest. Anybody read the Culture books?
.....
I suppose everyone's seen daddy gorilla taking the family to the zoo? It's been around a lot.
I find that incredibly moving and terrifying. More, too, but words fail me (I know!).
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Gosh, I had a ton of random to put here and just couldn't get it done ... oh! Here's another sort of tangent to the tribe thing and I did not read the article referred to, nor have I followed up on the research in the links, so do tell if you think that's worth doing and I'll make the effort :) I think the blog essay is interesting in itself, though.
.....
Weather. We're supposed to get some! Rain for the weekend, most likely Saturday, anyway. Not a soaker, by any means, but we'll all take what we can get and hope it is another sign of that pattern change everyone's been looking for.
I know BC got snow (hurray!) and that's a good sign, too.
Oh I just yawned. I almost never actually yawn when I'm tired. That's a sure sign that my head's about to make a pattern change on my pillow.
Yikes that was bad ... sorry ... g'nite and
Happy Thursday! :)
I hope your good week continues.
You can see it starting up there around the Bay area and heading this way. One quarter to half an inch is all that's forecast for us. Just about perfect!
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calpoppy - maybe the pattern change will bring Kodiak some relief. Then again, it IS Alaska ;)
Forget getting work done - your day trip looks like much more fun :)
BC - So, Pull then Push to open a friendship window? Okay ...
I have no idea what that means! LOL
Thanks for the laugh :)
Sorry about your headache :( I get those, too, usually with the first Santa Ana event of the year. Been pretty good this year, knock wood.
I hope the weather settles to normal so your sinuses can, too!
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I accidentally ran across some good news today ... where was it ... oh, just this -
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Mims v. Arrow Financial Services that consumers injured by violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), which outlaws abusive telemarketing practices, may bring lawsuits in federal courts as well as state courts. Public Citizen represented Marcus Mims, the successful plaintiff in the case. The court’s opinion, written by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, accepts without reservation all of the arguments we made in support of his right to choose a federal court to assert his claims.
That links to the press release and it's brief and worth reading. I didn't even know that half the calls I get are illegal! I ought to go read that old law. Anyway, that's a pretty big win for consumers, to be able to argue in Federal court.
.....
Probably going to avoid wu tonight and get some work done ... after being a wee little bit lazy today ... well, it's going to rain, see, and it was sunny this morning, you know, and sorta warm, um ... okay. A lot lazy ;)
Which is weird because there ain't nothin' on radar, and yet ...
IT'S RAINING AT MY HOUSE!!!!!
'k. done sharing. nites.
:)
The sun is out and everything is shiny :)
Temperature stayed above 50 degrees overnight and it's nearly 60 now.
Some chance of rain for Sunday/Monday night, I guess.
Warm and dry by Wednesday!
Rocking horse rocks.
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Today's apod is soooooo coooooooool.
I followed the link to the camera. I'm not sure I'd have the patience, LOL, but it's definitely easy!
.....
I have no real plans today and thought I might work on the sweater. I don't know ... it's all sunny and pretty out there ... :)
Glad you got some rain!
You know, that sweater ain't going nowhere.... :)
Are you going to make a pinhole camera? Glad you found the link. I have apod on my set of homepage tabs (whatever that's called) so I don't miss it.
I have become too good at ignoring my RSS feed, LOL!
.....
I've spent the last little while wandering youtube.
I heard this song on the radio three times in the last week. I thought of posting a link to it at gg's but it's a very sad song.
This morning I was reading about the results of the elections in Egypt and the song started running through my mind. So, I'll post it here, and hope that'll get it out.
A comment on one of the versions of the tune said something like "You can't listen to this song without singing out ZO HOM BIE at least once" and it is hard not to, LOL
Happy Saturday night! :)
******** saves the day!
(I don't want to spoil it either ;) )
What an interesting set-up, too. Kids these days have all the cool toys, lol
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It's raining again. I'm not as excited as last time. Very wet outside. No sun.
Well, duh.
Less than half an inch so far and maybe more coming.
.....
A rare unanimous decision by the SCOTUS and this one on privacy, GPS, and warrantless searches.
Go Fourth!
Law enforcement will find ways around that, or use the Patriot Act or the newer, broader, laws in the latest defense budget thingy. But, you know, it shows that even a politically divided court can agree on some portion of Constitution.
Perhaps they will serve as an example to Congress ... ? harhar
.....
Happy Monday!
[hey i like mondays]
Pretty sky. I'm done.
LOL
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I just watched a video, 30 Renowned Writers Speak About God, and found it interesting. So, I bring it here.
I've watched a few of that youtuber's other videos. He puts so much work into them. It's quite impressive.
Two things to note:
In this video, most of the writers are atheists/agnostics/humanists/[insert evil-person label here].
The video is a little long - 25:40 - but there are thirty of them, after all. Each is brief.
Oh, third thing - funnily enough, Iain Banks (mentioned in my comment above) is in there. Honest, just found the vid today, via a post at WEIT yesterday.
There is a list of the writers shown in the description.
There. Random. As it should be ;)
The latin saying translates; "We know what your reading and we aren't telling".
This shirt came about from an FBI memo that stated that the reason NY agents were not finding any terrorists was because all their efforts were being thwarted by "Radical Militant Librarians".
Apparently the librarians would not allow the FBI to access peoples library records without a warrant.
I'm thinking this January weather we are enjoying will last through Feb - now we have a 'Fire Weather Warning' for even drier (can't be any sunnier) conditions. We have barely a third of normal rain for Jan with none on the horizon.
Shore's video was cool, the patience to do stop motion is amazing to me.
Paul Zak: Trust, morality -- and oxytocin | Video on TED.com
gg - not only is that totally awesome - the tee and the story behind it - but it sent me off looking for it and I found other cool stuff, too!
I may have to buy one or two of those shirts for the radical militant librarians I know ;)
WTS - that made me laugh! Librarians can be a bit, um, militant about quiet, too.
Actually, at my public library, I often wish they were a little more "quiet and shoosh"!
I've got a good feeling about February rain ... not that that means anything, LOL
LC - nice find! Thanks for bringing it by. I am making an effort to keep my comments to myself at least until other folks get to watch it, if they want to. Aren't I good? LOL
Hey, I never saw a rain report from you! Join the fun of counting drops! ;)
.....
So, interesting that LC brought that because it sort of relates to something I found at the site that sells those t-shirts that gg brought and that relates to something I'd considered blogging about, perhaps in a comment. So, here it will be.
I heard something on tv (I think it was tv because I only heard a snippet and that usually happens with tv as I'm walking through the room that has the tv on but I'm not sure - it may have been elsewhere) several days ago that got me thinking. Someone was saying (no, I really don't remember and it isn't important right now, okay?) that the word "moral" has been co-opted and narrowly redefined by one group of people who seem to have, over the decades, managed to get that definition to stick in the public's mind through constant repitition. Their definition includes only sexual morality and then only as they see it. This goes back to the "moral majority" (who were neither) folks in the 80's, of course.
But, that is not the sum total of morality, is it? I mean, there are other issues that have usually been included in discussions of morality, but, not with these folk and no longer in public discourse. So, I was going to write about that. Then, at the site that sells the t-shirts, I found this bumper sticker which says pretty much what I wanted to say in 13 words.
[WU knows I could never do that. I can't even point you to it without writing an essay. I have no future in writing bumper stickers.]
What would happen if people gave morality more thought? What if people talked about all moral issues? What would happen if people voted based on moral issues?
Well, that's what I've been thinking about ... not for the first time, you'll not be surprised to hear, but triggered by the way whoever that was said whatever he said, reinforced by the random find of that bumper sticker.
.....
That's my rambling for tonight.
Thanks to BriarCraft and her blog buddies I've got a hankering to play a game so am off to find a challenger :)
In theory it would be possible to track down, for each candidate, such data as his voting record and his personal performance with respect to various moral questions of interest. That turns out not to be a trivial exercise. When it comes to elections, the media are full of hype and image making. Those sorts of communication are worthless for ordinary purposes such as comparing apples to apples.
Unfortunately the most useful information one could have in hand as one enters the polling place, namely each candidate's future performance record, is universally unobtainable. For that we just have to wait and see what happens. Talk about random...
I've heard it said that the best predictor of future performance is past performance so, yeah, a voter can check voting records and other activities of any candidate, down to the local level, and see if those coincide with what the voter thinks is moral behavior. That might not be the be-all and end-all of the decision making process but it isn't a bad place to start, imo.
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Very windy and dry and fairly warm today. Totally cloudy this morning but sunshine now. It's always weird when there are thick, high clouds going one way while the wind is going another.
Gusts to 38mph by the river and 27mph at the high school. Temps at 74 and 78 degrees, respectively.
Another couple of warm days over the weekend and then it cools back down to 'normal' on Monday. All good :)
As long as nobody starts a fire, of course.
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Forgot to post this bit of random -
Why We Enjoy Experiences More Than Material Things
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Somewhat relatedly, I've started reading a book titled, "Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture" by Ellen Ruppel Shell, and am finding it enlightening and frustrating. I wasn't going to read it but it was recommended by two people who know me well enough to know what I like and whose opinions I trust. Plus, one read to me from the book and it did sound like I'd get new info and insight. Such is the case so I'm passing it along.
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Happy weekend :)
No politicians required.
Very loud night and still 65 degrees at 2 AM.
Crazy, man. Crazy.
calpoppy - yeah, a 2.8! I saw that on WU but didn't feel it. Neither did anyone else I know in SP. Seems to have been felt to the east of us. Weird, huh?
The wind gusts are shaking the house, though!
Bogon - maybe because it's Saturday, I'm not following - but I'd like to if you can elaborate!
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Mayor Booker! Really clear argument here -
Too bad he's stuck in Newark ;)
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Oh did you see that Epstein died? The actor who played Juan Epstein on "Welcome Back Kotter", that is. Only 60 years old :( He was my favorite sweathog.
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I think I have figured out why knitters often have so many projects going at once. Sometimes it gets boring - like when you have 17 inches of stockinette to knit for the front of a sweater, and then there's going to be the back, and the sleeves ... kinda dull. So I went through the yarn I bought a couple months ago to try out and pulled out the cotton to make a dishcloth. A little something to break the monotony that is stockinette. I will finish the sweater, though. I'm not going to be one of those knitters!
Oh lordy I hope I'm not going to be one of those knitters!!!
I can't be. I don't have the storage space. I'd have to get rid of books and that ain't happenin'.
Somebody help!
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Happy Saturday!
Will ordinary citizens have enough free time and be sufficiently well informed and motivated to put politicians out of business? It may never happen, but, if it doesn't, it won't be for technical reasons. The technology is there, waiting to make our democracy increasingly participatory.
I had been curious about current info on internet accessibility, anyway, and the Prez' speech the other night, and now your comment, made me more curious, so I actually got around to looking it up.
The pfft of all knowledge says:
Based on a survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau in 2009 (N=50,000, unit: household), people with high incomes, those who are younger, more highly-educated, Asians and Whites, and the employed, have higher rates of broadband use at home. People with low incomes, minorities, seniors, the less-educated, and the non-employed tend to have lower rates of broadband use at home. Besides, there are rural/urban differences as well. People in rural areas are less likely to adopt the Internet.[12]
According to NTIA (2011),[13] almost one-third of American households still lack a broadband connection. “The rates for White (68%) and Asian non-Hispanics (69%) exceed those for Black non-Hispanics (50%) and Hispanics (45%) by 18 percentage points or more. Rural America lags behind urban areas by ten percentage points (60% versus 70%).”
So we aren't there, yet, and the perenially under-represented would be, still. In my wanderings I did see many proposals for universal access to broadband. I thought Obama was just being populist in his speech but, evidently, plans are afoot.
Personally, I like representative government. I don't have time or expertise to understand everything that requires some level of government approval.
There is the problem of "mob rule" in a straight democracy. Not really into that (ref. Mr. Booker, there).
Have you ever read the scifi (very) short story "We, The People" be Jack Haldeman? Things are more complicated than that but I like the idea in principle.
Broadband internet connectivity has been slow to extend into rural areas, because we depend on commercial enterprises to provide the service, and providing rural service is not an attractive economic proposition. Cities get all the best service, because a company can enroll a lot of customers by installing a short line. People who live in remotest Alaska are not likely to get good (wired) internet service any time soon. For purposes of voting, however, broadcast (cell phone, wifi etc.) service would suffice.
It might be worthwhile to point out that universal suffrage is an ideal. We assume that many people will make an effort to get to the polls. Some people won't be able to make it. Some people will choose to stay home. That is the case now, with paper ballots or voting machines. In practice the electorate is self-selecting. It would continue to work that way with on-line voting. Some people would never install the app.
The story illustrates that there is a continuum of possible choices, whereby the people of the United States cede more or less control of their government to intermediaries. Since voters are nominally in charge, they can presumably set things up however the majority wills.
I imagine that it would take time to work out a system that a majority could agree on. It might be that we would use the on-line system only for unofficial polls, a quick assessment of "the will of the people". We have that now, actually, but it's an informal ad hoc system. If we go farther -- if we actually pass laws, allocate budget etc. -- we might want to make rules about what constitutes a quorum (both geographically and as a percentage of total population), or whether we might be prepared to allow some questions to be decided by a small group of interested parties.
It may be that the practice of on-line voting will grow from the grassroots up. Certainly on the level of individual neighborhoods and towns, we are wired right now.
There's obviously a lot to think about on the social side. To the extent that I can claim any expertise, it's mostly on the technical side.
And "We, the People" story had a fun and interesting concept.
Side note on internet voting discussion. In Washington and Oregon, we all vote by mail. No one has to go to a polling place. We don't receive a ballot unless we're properly registered. We have at least two weeks to study the ballot issues/candidates. And no one needs to be tech savvy or connected. I submit that an internet connection requirement for voting would be a type of poll tax in that only those folks with the money to be connected get to vote. Pretty much everyone can afford a black ball point pen and a postage stamp. And there's always to option to drop off the completed ballot at the county auditor's office. Easier for everyone and saves tax dollars, too.
Have a great week and happy knitting!
Also, the internet system we have now is pay to play, but that need not be true for a public voting facility. For instance, we might follow United Nations guidance and declare that an internet connection is a fundamental human right, and that therefore some effort must be made to provide access for people who cannot afford it.
The internet makes possible continuous real-time public oversight of government. I think that is an idea worth pursuing.
Warm, sunny, and not so windy. So, I played :)
Today has lots of at-the-computer work so I'm not too bummed that the temp has dropped into the 60's (like that's cold in winter!). Supposed to warm up again in a few days.
I know - we need rain. I know, okay? But, I can't do anything about that, so I'm going to enjoy what is here as much as I can :)
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Bogon - I guess I'm a bit of a Luddite, in this regard. I would worry about access; about mysteriously dropped service in, perhaps, certain areas only on voting day; and about general security. Even the on-site electronic voting machines have been unreliable and, with no paper trail, it's hard to prove what went wrong and who was responsible. Still, I'm willing to take your word for it that it can be done, as I don't have the technical knowledge that you have.
I read that Australia has mandatory voting and those who don't vote pay a (small) fine. Thus, they have a 98% turnout. I think we have, what, 40%? How can you have a government "by the people, for the people" when the people don't vote? But, Americans have been convinced (by politicians who don't want to be watched or managed, I'm thinking) that their vote doesn't count and government doesn't listen. Well, a vote doesn't count if it isn't cast and they can't hear the silent.
Haldeman's idea is a good one, with some refinements, I think. I could write a whole blog entry on that, LOL
I'd posted that before but it's been years. Glad I remembered as I thought you'd like it!
Basic literacy is required for voting in person, no less than mail-in, isn't it? The ballots are identical.
If people use the internet to monitor government, that's great. How many use it to monitor celebrities, instead? ;)
BC - Booker is a good guy, overall, for sure. Mayors and Governors have a lot more leeway in what they can say than national politicians.
I don't know why it has taken so long to frame Gay Rights as Civil Rights in public discourse. It is so obvious, and Booker does a great job there of drawing the parallels.
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I had a nightmare of sorts last night. In real life, I have an important appointment this evening. In my nightmare it was 11PM Monday night before I realized that I'd missed the appointment entirely! Oh, it was awful. I felt so bad and was considering texting the person I'm meeting with, even that late, to apologize. I kind of woke up but thinking that it was Tuesday and that the dream was real. Eventually I realized, by a monumental effort to cut through early morning fuzzy-headedness, that today is Monday and I have not yet missed the appointment. Whew!
Why did I have this nightmare? Because I am not properly prepared for the meeting, that's why.
Bye! :)
In some situations there will be huge incentive for unscrupulous parties to subvert the voting process. That's true today, and it will be true in the future, regardless of the technology employed. Technically speaking, we can try to make election fraud difficult. We carefully identify each voter to determine that he is eligible to vote. We take pains to make sure that each legal vote gets counted and that illegal votes are never cast. The procedures and technology should be as simple, open and transparent as possible. Each stage of the process should be monitored by representatives of all interested parties. There should be redundant verification (which is the purpose of a paper trail). If the power goes off, it should still be possible to reconstruct the election results.
Well-designed encryption should guarantee that traffic on the internet is immune to tampering. Internet traffic consists of packets, and encrypted packets could be anything. There is nothing about them that says they are carrying votes. Only at the endpoints, the source and destination, are the packets readable. Thus we have to worry about physical security of the voter and at the places where the votes are collected and counted.
There are surely many ways to set up a system to tolerate service outages and to minimize the incentive to tamper with results. Our Congress has rules about what constitutes a quorum, and a quorum is necessary to pass a bill. You could have similar rules for on-line voting. If the whole system goes down, everybody would have to wait until it gets fixed or reverts to a backup system.
To me, the point of an on-line system would be to solicit rapid feedback from the electorate. Thus a poll would happen quickly. Everybody has a minute to press a button. In case of technical glitches it could be repeated just as quickly. The goal would not necessarily be to conduct a general election or poll every citizen, but only those citizens who are on-line and paying attention at any given time. It would operate 24/7. It would prevent a small group of people in a dark room from subverting the processes of government. It would act to keep politicians honest. It could break deadlocks. It would ensure that all points of view are considered. Hopefully it brings more eyes and more brains to bear in service of good governance.
I'm just brainstorming here. Probably somebody else's turn now. :o)
I hope the boys like basketball. I think it's a fun game, with non-stop action. They just need to be more familiar with it to truly enjoy it. They are in a rec league, so they are exposed to different sports about every 8 weeks. Never really enough time to get deep into the sport, but basically an introduction to see what might eventually appeal to them. I think they will eventually go with soccer, although they liked T-ball too.
Another warm up later this week. I am enjoying this weather, but like you, I know we need more rain. I don't know if I should be scared of our summer, or look forward to it, since it seems like we're getting it now!
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