Time to cause more trouble.
Modern music and "literature" in the American and English speaking world stinks. Not everything, but most of it - enough to use that general statement as a working model. To paraphrase Virginia Woolf, on or about a certain day in 1954, American and English song and writing changed. For the worse, much worse: they died.
À Propos Music: Four years ago your writer proved (using abduction*) that no "good" recording for a song has been made since a certain day in 1954; two years ago he posted an update of that proof. See the link following ->
http://viewfromthebunker.blogspot.com/2009/02/end-of-good-music-reprise.html
Exceptions are recordings by Julie Andrews, Judy Garland and a few others. Sure, a song might strike an emotional chord with you, it might please you, but most likely, it is be technically deficient - no better than a "C" on any absolute scale of quality. If you disagree, read my proof and expose the errors in my logic. Or provide me a counterexample of a broad class of "good" recorded songs.
*Btw, "abduction" is a $100 Word of the Day from February 10, 2011. See below for its reprise as Word of the Day.
À Propos Writing:
Proposition: No good literature has been written in the American or English language since that same day in 1954. This is also an abductive proof.
Facts:
1. I like almost nothing written since that day in 1954.
2. Most of the writing of T. S. Eliot and all of the works of W. B.Yeats, H. L. Mencken and Sinclair Lewis occurred prior thereto.
3. Churchill won the Nobel prize in Literature in 1953, Hemingway in 1954. Steinbeck won in 1962, but for works written decades earlier. Beckett won in 1969, but for a work written in 1953. Golding won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983, but for a work published in 1954. For works written after 1954 - thin gruel indeed.
Little poetry has been written in American or English since WW II. A few novelists won the prize, but their novels seem to lack qualities for greatness. To Kill a Mockingbird was nominated by a friend, but to me, it lacks greatness for this reason: it was written in 1960 when the civil rights issue was already national, unlike Uncle Tom's Cabin, being written before the slavery issue went nuclear, and which is recognized to have caused national recognition of slavery's cruel and inhuman nature. A few other novels might claim greatness, but those of more recent Nobel laureates seem quite forgettable, unlike those of Sinclair Lewis or Mark Twain. The much lauded John Updike mostly adapted ideas of Sinclair Lewis.
No columnist matches up to H. L. Mencken, except possibly Walter Lippmann who retired in the 1960s. William F. Buckley was good, but not great; he was not in the class of H. L. Mencken.
Great nonfiction? None.
Possible counterexamples: most are translations of writing originally done in other languages: Solzhenitsyn, Pasternak, Milosz.
For now, I'll consider the proposition proven abductively.
Please post examples of whatever you think is great writing in American or English.
Actions
I own too much silver vis a vis gold, especially silver bullion. It's heavy and has little survival value in 100 oz. bars. My gold-silver ration dropped below 1:1 recently - too low; 3:2 or 2:1 is more appropriate for the long term. I'll sell 1/3 of my bullion in the next few days, and buy gold via GLD to keep the asset class appropriately sized.
Gosh, it's good I moved it to the bank vault a few years ago - the ground is frozen and covered with several feet of icy snow; digging would be impossible.
Word of the Day (a reprise today)
"Abduction" - noun [$100] Logic
Abduction means a syllogism whose major premise is certain but whose minor premise is probably.
Sentence: Much reasoning in life (investing, detective work, historical analysis, policy analysis) is neither deduction nor induction, but is abduction, where one starts with facts and creates a probable scenario / narrative that fits the facts to use in actions. Sherlock Holmes used abduction.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
A Hodge-Podge Day
When I was a boy & my parents were going out to dinner with friends or or to the horse races in Wheeling, West Virginia, they would declare a "hodge-podge" night, meaning that my brothers & I could make whatever we wanted for our dinner (usually my grandmother would provide a bit of adult supervision). That often meant peanut butter sandwiches with chocolate instant pudding for dessert, or something tasty like that.
"Hodge-podge" - noun [$2] - means a mixture of diverse ingredients.
Today is a hodge-podge blog day.
More on Public Employee Unions
A public employee union "bargaining" for anything represents Taxation without Representation and the stripping of power of the legislature. How can a bargain be struck that deprives the people of the power to legislate spending and taxation ? That's what a backroom bargain over wages or pensions or anything means. The union bosses and their cronies in the executive get together to put the State or City into a binding contract. What role does the people have ? Nothing. The government gets bound into a contract requiring it to PAY. And from where does that money come? Taxes.
When the contract is executed, the legislature finds itself having to vote taxes to fund it or be violating the contract and subject to various judicial confiscations. This is inherently taxation without representation. People getting no benefits have thus been forced to pay for endless retirement and health benefits of long retired state workers who might no longer even live in the state. This is involuntary servitude - a form of serfdom.
No legislature can bind another - no people can bind another - without their own legislature having FINAL say. That mean NO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RIGHTS for public employee unions. Those are a violation of democracy and the principles of the nation and a republican form of government as mandated by the Constitution.
A Thought on Libertarianism
Here's a fine quote I read yesterday in an essay by T. S. Eliot on the writings of the philosopher, Francis Herbert Bradley [in this case comparing his thoughts to Matthew Arnold]: "For Utilitarianism was, as every reader of Arnold knows, a great temple in Philistia", meaning that if all value to humanity is measured by "utility", then where do moral or social or fraternal values fit? All becomes decadence, hedonism, the "values" of the Philistine rule. And what is almost synonymous with Utilitarianism? Libertarianism. Thus to modernize the thought:
Libertarianism is a great temple in Philistia.
Tea party adherents, beware. You are going down a path of darkness.
An Intensive Course on Literature
Simultaneously read multiple works of the following:
T. S. Eliot, W. B. Yeats, H. L. Mencken, and Sinclair Lewis.
Those are three Novel laureates writers in the English and American languages and a hugely influential, entertaining and literate newspaper columnist. All wrote in the period roughly from 1890 to 1940, a period that created the foundation of the modern world. The first three have wonderful vocabularies; Lewis provides crucial societal scenes of America we can still recognize today.
Those writers cover poetry, essays, plays, critical prose, polemical prose, imaginative novels, etc. As one reads more and more, your ability to understand them grows. They complement each other.
Post World War II writing is thin gruel compared to their works. Why bother with it at all?
Word of the Day
"Miasma" - noun [$10] hmmm a card from high school days.
Miasma means a pervasive influence or atmosphere that tends to deplete or corrupt.
Sentence: The multi-decadal miasma brought by State Boards of Education to American schools has infected secondary education in science and literature with gangrenous tissue causing the whole limbs of the body of student knowledge to rot.
"Hodge-podge" - noun [$2] - means a mixture of diverse ingredients.
Today is a hodge-podge blog day.
More on Public Employee Unions
A public employee union "bargaining" for anything represents Taxation without Representation and the stripping of power of the legislature. How can a bargain be struck that deprives the people of the power to legislate spending and taxation ? That's what a backroom bargain over wages or pensions or anything means. The union bosses and their cronies in the executive get together to put the State or City into a binding contract. What role does the people have ? Nothing. The government gets bound into a contract requiring it to PAY. And from where does that money come? Taxes.
When the contract is executed, the legislature finds itself having to vote taxes to fund it or be violating the contract and subject to various judicial confiscations. This is inherently taxation without representation. People getting no benefits have thus been forced to pay for endless retirement and health benefits of long retired state workers who might no longer even live in the state. This is involuntary servitude - a form of serfdom.
No legislature can bind another - no people can bind another - without their own legislature having FINAL say. That mean NO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RIGHTS for public employee unions. Those are a violation of democracy and the principles of the nation and a republican form of government as mandated by the Constitution.
A Thought on Libertarianism
Here's a fine quote I read yesterday in an essay by T. S. Eliot on the writings of the philosopher, Francis Herbert Bradley [in this case comparing his thoughts to Matthew Arnold]: "For Utilitarianism was, as every reader of Arnold knows, a great temple in Philistia", meaning that if all value to humanity is measured by "utility", then where do moral or social or fraternal values fit? All becomes decadence, hedonism, the "values" of the Philistine rule. And what is almost synonymous with Utilitarianism? Libertarianism. Thus to modernize the thought:
Libertarianism is a great temple in Philistia.
Tea party adherents, beware. You are going down a path of darkness.
An Intensive Course on Literature
Simultaneously read multiple works of the following:
T. S. Eliot, W. B. Yeats, H. L. Mencken, and Sinclair Lewis.
Those are three Novel laureates writers in the English and American languages and a hugely influential, entertaining and literate newspaper columnist. All wrote in the period roughly from 1890 to 1940, a period that created the foundation of the modern world. The first three have wonderful vocabularies; Lewis provides crucial societal scenes of America we can still recognize today.
Those writers cover poetry, essays, plays, critical prose, polemical prose, imaginative novels, etc. As one reads more and more, your ability to understand them grows. They complement each other.
Post World War II writing is thin gruel compared to their works. Why bother with it at all?
Word of the Day
"Miasma" - noun [$10] hmmm a card from high school days.
Miasma means a pervasive influence or atmosphere that tends to deplete or corrupt.
Sentence: The multi-decadal miasma brought by State Boards of Education to American schools has infected secondary education in science and literature with gangrenous tissue causing the whole limbs of the body of student knowledge to rot.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Word Thoughts Arising from Cucumbers
Mrs. B and I watched the fine movie, Animal House, last Friday evening. The show is chock full of humorous innuendos, and hilarious skits and scenes.
[Otter and Mrs. Wormer are in the supermarket vegetable section]
Eric 'Otter' Stratton: Mine's bigger.
[Marion looks questioningly at him]
Eric 'Otter' Stratton: My cucumber. It's bigger. I think vegetables can be very sensuous, don't you?
Marion Wormer: No, vegetables are sensual. People are sensuous.
Eric 'Otter' Stratton: Right. Sensual. That's what I meant. My name's Eric Stratton. People call me Otter.
Marion Wormer: My name's Marion. People call me Mrs. Wormer.
Eric 'Otter' Stratton: Oh, we have a Dean Wormer at Faber.
Marion Wormer: How interesting. I have a husband named Dean Wormer at Faber. Still want to show me your cucumber?
Has that line, "No, vegetables are sensual. People are sensuous" ever struck you ? Now Bunkerman's mind was not in the gutter watching the show (some of the time), he was wondering about that line and why those two words have different usages and meanings. Why ?
Bunkerman turned to the dictionary, in this case the Oxford English Dictionary, and online academic book passages to research adjective formation by the suffixes -ous and -al. How does their meaning and usage differ?
-OUS creates an adjective with the meaning, "full of, characterized by, of the nature of". The adjectives have a sense of 'abounding in'. More: -OUS is used to form gradable adjectives, having a sense of a continuous variation [mountainous, poisonous].
-AL creates an adjective with the meaning, "of a kind or pertaining to". -AL imposes restriction on its nominal or verbal input. [annual, primal]. -AL forms adjectives with a subcategorization feature [parental, musical, traditional] from nouns. -AL adjectives seem to have a binary nature; one is either in the category or not; they are not normally gradable.
"Sensuous" - adjective [$2]
Sensuous means 1. of, relating to or arising from the senses; 2. appealing to the senses; 3. greatly appreciative of the pleasures of sensation.
"Sensual" - adjective [$2]
Sensual means 1. relating to or affecting a sense or a sense organ; 2. a. relating to or preoccupied with a gratification of physical appetites esp. the sexual appetite; b. suggesting sexuality, voluptuous; c. not spiritual or intellectual: physical; d, having no moral or spiritual interests: worldly.
Sentence: Vegetables are sensual. People are sensuous. The first usage carries meaning #2b of sensual - in shape, a cucumber resembles a male sex organ; the second usage carries meaning #2 of sensuous - a handsome young man could be appealing to the senses of a woman.
Question: What figure in Animal House best fits your personality ?
For Bunkerman, the answer is D-Day. The scene where he lights up his torch to cut the car into disposable bits always strikes a chord with me. And in the final scene, he's listed as "whereabouts unknown". Rammming Speed !!! Mrs. B agrees.
Word of the Day
Already provided today - see above for two $2 words and a $1000 analysis.
[Otter and Mrs. Wormer are in the supermarket vegetable section]
Eric 'Otter' Stratton: Mine's bigger.
[Marion looks questioningly at him]
Eric 'Otter' Stratton: My cucumber. It's bigger. I think vegetables can be very sensuous, don't you?
Marion Wormer: No, vegetables are sensual. People are sensuous.
Eric 'Otter' Stratton: Right. Sensual. That's what I meant. My name's Eric Stratton. People call me Otter.
Marion Wormer: My name's Marion. People call me Mrs. Wormer.
Eric 'Otter' Stratton: Oh, we have a Dean Wormer at Faber.
Marion Wormer: How interesting. I have a husband named Dean Wormer at Faber. Still want to show me your cucumber?
Has that line, "No, vegetables are sensual. People are sensuous" ever struck you ? Now Bunkerman's mind was not in the gutter watching the show (some of the time), he was wondering about that line and why those two words have different usages and meanings. Why ?
Bunkerman turned to the dictionary, in this case the Oxford English Dictionary, and online academic book passages to research adjective formation by the suffixes -ous and -al. How does their meaning and usage differ?
-OUS creates an adjective with the meaning, "full of, characterized by, of the nature of". The adjectives have a sense of 'abounding in'. More: -OUS is used to form gradable adjectives, having a sense of a continuous variation [mountainous, poisonous].
-AL creates an adjective with the meaning, "of a kind or pertaining to". -AL imposes restriction on its nominal or verbal input. [annual, primal]. -AL forms adjectives with a subcategorization feature [parental, musical, traditional] from nouns. -AL adjectives seem to have a binary nature; one is either in the category or not; they are not normally gradable.
"Sensuous" - adjective [$2]
Sensuous means 1. of, relating to or arising from the senses; 2. appealing to the senses; 3. greatly appreciative of the pleasures of sensation.
"Sensual" - adjective [$2]
Sensual means 1. relating to or affecting a sense or a sense organ; 2. a. relating to or preoccupied with a gratification of physical appetites esp. the sexual appetite; b. suggesting sexuality, voluptuous; c. not spiritual or intellectual: physical; d, having no moral or spiritual interests: worldly.
Sentence: Vegetables are sensual. People are sensuous. The first usage carries meaning #2b of sensual - in shape, a cucumber resembles a male sex organ; the second usage carries meaning #2 of sensuous - a handsome young man could be appealing to the senses of a woman.
Question: What figure in Animal House best fits your personality ?
For Bunkerman, the answer is D-Day. The scene where he lights up his torch to cut the car into disposable bits always strikes a chord with me. And in the final scene, he's listed as "whereabouts unknown". Rammming Speed !!! Mrs. B agrees.
Word of the Day
Already provided today - see above for two $2 words and a $1000 analysis.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Public Employee Unions ?
Should they exist ?
The obvious answer is no.
Do taxpayers have a union ? Nope.
Can taxpayers go on strike ? Nope.
Federal labor laws do not apply to States and localities. Why ? Read the 10th amendment and the rest of the Constitution. There is no Federal power to force the States to do anything (except obey the Constitution and have a Republican form of government).
Public employee unions are inherently corrupt. The union gives campaign donations of member in-kind support and money; in turn, the beholden legislator or governor gives them more pay and benefits. Where is the taxpayer ? The taxpayer is entangled in a web of corruption and self-dealing, paying and paying for ... nothing of value.
Civil service laws, service boards and other protections can and should prevent governmental corruption from harming worker groups or individual workers. Cronyism is rampant in government - it's likely an inherent nature of the beast. The balance, however, is not to put taxpayers at the mercy of more crony tactics. Why create another beast of prey to suck the blood of taxpayers ?
Taxpayers have no choice in whether to pay or not. It's pay or go to jail or be killed resisting arrest. In the private sector, a consumer can buy another product or do without. One can buy a car made in Alabama by a non-union plant. A taxpayer in Wisconsin has no choice, but to pay ... and pay ... and pay.
All powers of public employee unions should be eliminated. If public employees want to join an organization to lobby or whatever, fine. But DO NOT give that entity any powers whatsoever.
Public employee unions - no way, no how, no where. They have no place in a fair society.
Actions
None. All is in balance after yesterday's sale of some gold & silver. Budding sell signals for some stocks are now dormant. Krypto is still waiting for QE2 to end to get better prices on taxable bonds and TIPs.
Notice
Tomorrow's blog post will be R rated.
Word of the Day
"Gallous" - adjective [$10 ? or $1,000 ? unclear]; formed from the noun, "gall" [$10] but not listed in dictionaries of any value.
Gall means (usage #1) 1. impudence; 2. asperity, rancor; 3. bitterness, anything bitter.
Gallous means having a bitter, rancorous, or impudent quality.
Sentence: Gallous actions of public employees unions in extracting money from taxpayers and exercising power must be challenged and defeated. Nearly insolvent state and city governments show that their power must be eviscerated.
"Gallous" was used in the famous play by J. M. Synge, Playboy of the Western World (written in 1907 and first performed in Dublin, causing riots). The character, Pegeen Mike, says, "There's a great gap between a gallous story and a dirty deed." I read that line in a chapter in the Cambridge Companion to W. B. Yeats, page 123, as Yeats' influence on Synge was described. The title of the play is now a cliché, but the drift in meanings of words in time and space since 1907 in Ireland has caused its usage to have almost no relation to the play.
The obvious answer is no.
Do taxpayers have a union ? Nope.
Can taxpayers go on strike ? Nope.
Federal labor laws do not apply to States and localities. Why ? Read the 10th amendment and the rest of the Constitution. There is no Federal power to force the States to do anything (except obey the Constitution and have a Republican form of government).
Public employee unions are inherently corrupt. The union gives campaign donations of member in-kind support and money; in turn, the beholden legislator or governor gives them more pay and benefits. Where is the taxpayer ? The taxpayer is entangled in a web of corruption and self-dealing, paying and paying for ... nothing of value.
Civil service laws, service boards and other protections can and should prevent governmental corruption from harming worker groups or individual workers. Cronyism is rampant in government - it's likely an inherent nature of the beast. The balance, however, is not to put taxpayers at the mercy of more crony tactics. Why create another beast of prey to suck the blood of taxpayers ?
Taxpayers have no choice in whether to pay or not. It's pay or go to jail or be killed resisting arrest. In the private sector, a consumer can buy another product or do without. One can buy a car made in Alabama by a non-union plant. A taxpayer in Wisconsin has no choice, but to pay ... and pay ... and pay.
All powers of public employee unions should be eliminated. If public employees want to join an organization to lobby or whatever, fine. But DO NOT give that entity any powers whatsoever.
Public employee unions - no way, no how, no where. They have no place in a fair society.
Actions
None. All is in balance after yesterday's sale of some gold & silver. Budding sell signals for some stocks are now dormant. Krypto is still waiting for QE2 to end to get better prices on taxable bonds and TIPs.
Notice
Tomorrow's blog post will be R rated.
Word of the Day
"Gallous" - adjective [$10 ? or $1,000 ? unclear]; formed from the noun, "gall" [$10] but not listed in dictionaries of any value.
Gall means (usage #1) 1. impudence; 2. asperity, rancor; 3. bitterness, anything bitter.
Gallous means having a bitter, rancorous, or impudent quality.
Sentence: Gallous actions of public employees unions in extracting money from taxpayers and exercising power must be challenged and defeated. Nearly insolvent state and city governments show that their power must be eviscerated.
"Gallous" was used in the famous play by J. M. Synge, Playboy of the Western World (written in 1907 and first performed in Dublin, causing riots). The character, Pegeen Mike, says, "There's a great gap between a gallous story and a dirty deed." I read that line in a chapter in the Cambridge Companion to W. B. Yeats, page 123, as Yeats' influence on Synge was described. The title of the play is now a cliché, but the drift in meanings of words in time and space since 1907 in Ireland has caused its usage to have almost no relation to the play.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Washington's Birthday
Today IS the birthday of George Washington, born 279 years ago.
Tolstoy and Marxist philosophers believed that classes and masses of people determine the path of changes of a society, not people. George Washington is a counterexample.
Without this singular man, the American colonies would likely have lost their War of Independence.
Without this singular man, the independent American States would likely have split into a cacophonous mess after winning the war.
Without this singular man, the new American republic would likely have failed in its first decade of existence.
After the end of the war, even his "opposing number", King George III of England, recognized his greatness.
George Washington changed history. Without his existence, the world would be very different now. Would the United States even exist? Without the United States, would Europe be a German Empire? A Nazi Empire? A Communist Empire? Likely something of that sort would indeed exist.
The unwavering moral compass that George Washington possessed guided him. Perhaps it was connected to his dignitas - his drive to be a good, respected person. The man himself, however, gave full credit to "Providence" and / or the "Creator" and / or "Almighty God" in many letter and speeches and words in both his private and public life. His faith both motivated him, helped him endure adversity and hardship and kept him from the clutches of hubris.
Let's celebrate this great man, not by worshipping or adulating him, but by learning about him. That's how we can honor him, by learning about his values and virtues and beliefs, to use them as a model in conduct of our lives.
One wishes that the current nest of knaves in the Dark City in the Swamp (aka DC) would do this. But I suppose they will not even recognize this day for what is actually is. We need new leaders who measure up to George Washington to lead this nation into the 21st century. Just a few, maybe one, will do.
Books
Washington's God, by Michael and Jana Novak, researches many original sources to examine the nature of Washington's God. To quote a review, "This important book brings to light sorely neglected dimensions of George Washington's life and thought. Readers will better understand our country by understanding the deepest convictions of its founding father." I'll second that.
The answer: George Washington was not a deist. He was a practicing Anglican (aka Episcopalian) in the common 18th century latitudinarian manner, without any particular doctrine or needs for the surface practices of any sect beyond belief, prayer and faith. Washington's God was the God of the Hebrew, Christian and Muslim faiths. He saw the hand of Providence actively as guiding and helping him, his men in the army and the nation to become what it has become. He prayed often to Almighty God.
But read the book and form your own opinion. The book contains the facts from letters, speeches, and from his stepgrandchildren who knew him from family life.
Actions
This morning's action will definitely cause Krypto to give stronger sell signal for gold and silver. I'll sell some (about 10% of holdings) at the open, via GLD and SLV to re-balance the Krypto Fund. Proceeds to cash for now.
Word of the Day
"Intercalcate" - verb, intransitive [$10] and "intercalcating" - participle.
Intercalcate means 1. insert (an intercalary day or month); 2. interpose (something out of the ordinary course); 3. (as 'intercalcated' adjective) (of strata, etc.) interposed.
Sentence: On the day that George Washington was born, the date was February 11, 1732, but since 11 days were intercalcated in 1752 (see below), the date in our modern calendar is February 22, 1732.
From the Internet [ http://www.polysyllabic.com/?q=calhistory/gregorian ]: "Although Queen Elizabeth I initially expressed some interest in changing the calendar in 1582, the Church of England effectively tabled the idea, which was not taken up again for nearly 170 years. By that time, passions had sufficiently cooled that when the idea was introduced as an act of Parliament in 1752, it passed with hardly a murmur. The English colonies in America changed at the same time. By that time, 11 days now had to be added, which the English did by skipping from September 2 to September 14, 1752."
Tolstoy and Marxist philosophers believed that classes and masses of people determine the path of changes of a society, not people. George Washington is a counterexample.
Without this singular man, the American colonies would likely have lost their War of Independence.
Without this singular man, the independent American States would likely have split into a cacophonous mess after winning the war.
Without this singular man, the new American republic would likely have failed in its first decade of existence.
After the end of the war, even his "opposing number", King George III of England, recognized his greatness.
George Washington changed history. Without his existence, the world would be very different now. Would the United States even exist? Without the United States, would Europe be a German Empire? A Nazi Empire? A Communist Empire? Likely something of that sort would indeed exist.
The unwavering moral compass that George Washington possessed guided him. Perhaps it was connected to his dignitas - his drive to be a good, respected person. The man himself, however, gave full credit to "Providence" and / or the "Creator" and / or "Almighty God" in many letter and speeches and words in both his private and public life. His faith both motivated him, helped him endure adversity and hardship and kept him from the clutches of hubris.
Let's celebrate this great man, not by worshipping or adulating him, but by learning about him. That's how we can honor him, by learning about his values and virtues and beliefs, to use them as a model in conduct of our lives.
One wishes that the current nest of knaves in the Dark City in the Swamp (aka DC) would do this. But I suppose they will not even recognize this day for what is actually is. We need new leaders who measure up to George Washington to lead this nation into the 21st century. Just a few, maybe one, will do.
Books
Washington's God, by Michael and Jana Novak, researches many original sources to examine the nature of Washington's God. To quote a review, "This important book brings to light sorely neglected dimensions of George Washington's life and thought. Readers will better understand our country by understanding the deepest convictions of its founding father." I'll second that.
The answer: George Washington was not a deist. He was a practicing Anglican (aka Episcopalian) in the common 18th century latitudinarian manner, without any particular doctrine or needs for the surface practices of any sect beyond belief, prayer and faith. Washington's God was the God of the Hebrew, Christian and Muslim faiths. He saw the hand of Providence actively as guiding and helping him, his men in the army and the nation to become what it has become. He prayed often to Almighty God.
But read the book and form your own opinion. The book contains the facts from letters, speeches, and from his stepgrandchildren who knew him from family life.
Actions
This morning's action will definitely cause Krypto to give stronger sell signal for gold and silver. I'll sell some (about 10% of holdings) at the open, via GLD and SLV to re-balance the Krypto Fund. Proceeds to cash for now.
Word of the Day
"Intercalcate" - verb, intransitive [$10] and "intercalcating" - participle.
Intercalcate means 1. insert (an intercalary day or month); 2. interpose (something out of the ordinary course); 3. (as 'intercalcated' adjective) (of strata, etc.) interposed.
Sentence: On the day that George Washington was born, the date was February 11, 1732, but since 11 days were intercalcated in 1752 (see below), the date in our modern calendar is February 22, 1732.
From the Internet [ http://www.polysyllabic.com/?q=calhistory/gregorian ]: "Although Queen Elizabeth I initially expressed some interest in changing the calendar in 1582, the Church of England effectively tabled the idea, which was not taken up again for nearly 170 years. By that time, passions had sufficiently cooled that when the idea was introduced as an act of Parliament in 1752, it passed with hardly a murmur. The English colonies in America changed at the same time. By that time, 11 days now had to be added, which the English did by skipping from September 2 to September 14, 1752."
Friday, February 18, 2011
G-20 Garbage
Why does anyone pay attention to these G-20 meetings? They are simply utter garbage, boob bait for the world's bubbas, a form of circuses for the news junkies and policy knaves and dopes who want to think their governments care about or are doing anything to help the world's common people.
They are not.
G-20 meetings are simply press propaganda events for governmental leaders filled with phony photo ops and vacuous communiqués. Forget them. Ignore them. Don't feed the beast. Give it the derision it deserves. The public should give the G-20 the five fingered wave of good-bye.
Actions
Silver reaches a multi-year high. I'll check the Krypto Fund to see if any actions are warranted.
PS: None yet, getting closer.
Word of the Day
"Unctuous" - adjective [$10]; alternate spelling 'unctious'.
Unctuous means 1. having the quality or characteristics o foil or ointment; greasy; 2. unpleasantly flattering, oily (of behavior or speech.
Sentence: Why or why does our "press" behave like unctuous courtiers at G-20 meetings and Davos? Are they simply bending over to get ratings and interviews? Or is it more? Are they apart of the problem as allies of the hegemonic classes (aka Rich & Powerful) and their blood-sucking bureaucratic allies? I think yes.
They are not.
G-20 meetings are simply press propaganda events for governmental leaders filled with phony photo ops and vacuous communiqués. Forget them. Ignore them. Don't feed the beast. Give it the derision it deserves. The public should give the G-20 the five fingered wave of good-bye.
Actions
Silver reaches a multi-year high. I'll check the Krypto Fund to see if any actions are warranted.
PS: None yet, getting closer.
Word of the Day
"Unctuous" - adjective [$10]; alternate spelling 'unctious'.
Unctuous means 1. having the quality or characteristics o foil or ointment; greasy; 2. unpleasantly flattering, oily (of behavior or speech.
Sentence: Why or why does our "press" behave like unctuous courtiers at G-20 meetings and Davos? Are they simply bending over to get ratings and interviews? Or is it more? Are they apart of the problem as allies of the hegemonic classes (aka Rich & Powerful) and their blood-sucking bureaucratic allies? I think yes.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Center and the Fringes
The Center
The common man and woman is the center: 2/3 or more of the American people simply want to lead their lives with fairness, hope and some security. They want the government out of their bank accounts and bedrooms. They do not want to be pushed around by bureaucrats or billionaires. They are a sleeping tiger.
The Fringes
The fringes are represented by talk radio and NPR.
The Right
The billionaires on the right and their propaganda machines want to keep the people vulnerable and divided. "They" want no government so "they" can loot and pillage the people and get more wealth and power. They want to enserf the people with economic pressure.
The Left
The left wants to turn everyone into a government employee whom "they" can control with all sorts of regulations and restrictions on freedom. They despise Joe Sixpack; they think the common man and woman is stupid and unruly and needs to be "led" forcefully, like a herd of sheep, to live the life of a ... serf.
Both Fringes often team up in that Dark City in the swamp, aka Washington DC. Hmmm DC = Dark City, or maybe City of Darkness ? Certainly it's not a City of Light or that Shining City on a Hill, and definitely not St. Augustine's City of God.
The People
The principle problem the people not have is that they are being distracted and herded by the baying of the wolves on either side. They have no leader or leadership group - no vanguard party (to borrow Lenin's concept). They are pushed hither and thither, but going nowhere. Both sides are picking them off a few at a time, enserfing more and more people.
Politically, the door is wide open for a new Party of the Center; the barn door is wide open; one could drive a Mack truck thru ... if there was a driver.
The ideology would be Free Fraternalism (or something like it), but there's no driver - no leader.
Let's keep scanning the horizon for a leader, a big fellow on a white horse, an honest man (or woman) to support. Maybe one will appear.
Actions
None yet. Krypto still has a weak sell signal on some gold, but we usually wait for a strong signal in that volatile asset class. TIPs are not yet at favorable prices; those need QE2 to end to get Treasury bond prices down for less than 10 year maturities.
Word of the Day
"Revenant" - noun [$10]
Revenant means a person who has returned, especially supposedly from teh dead.
Sentence: Newt Gingrich wants to be a political revenant, but he has little support among the common man and woman.
The common man and woman is the center: 2/3 or more of the American people simply want to lead their lives with fairness, hope and some security. They want the government out of their bank accounts and bedrooms. They do not want to be pushed around by bureaucrats or billionaires. They are a sleeping tiger.
The Fringes
The fringes are represented by talk radio and NPR.
The Right
The billionaires on the right and their propaganda machines want to keep the people vulnerable and divided. "They" want no government so "they" can loot and pillage the people and get more wealth and power. They want to enserf the people with economic pressure.
The Left
The left wants to turn everyone into a government employee whom "they" can control with all sorts of regulations and restrictions on freedom. They despise Joe Sixpack; they think the common man and woman is stupid and unruly and needs to be "led" forcefully, like a herd of sheep, to live the life of a ... serf.
Both Fringes often team up in that Dark City in the swamp, aka Washington DC. Hmmm DC = Dark City, or maybe City of Darkness ? Certainly it's not a City of Light or that Shining City on a Hill, and definitely not St. Augustine's City of God.
The People
The principle problem the people not have is that they are being distracted and herded by the baying of the wolves on either side. They have no leader or leadership group - no vanguard party (to borrow Lenin's concept). They are pushed hither and thither, but going nowhere. Both sides are picking them off a few at a time, enserfing more and more people.
Politically, the door is wide open for a new Party of the Center; the barn door is wide open; one could drive a Mack truck thru ... if there was a driver.
The ideology would be Free Fraternalism (or something like it), but there's no driver - no leader.
Let's keep scanning the horizon for a leader, a big fellow on a white horse, an honest man (or woman) to support. Maybe one will appear.
Actions
None yet. Krypto still has a weak sell signal on some gold, but we usually wait for a strong signal in that volatile asset class. TIPs are not yet at favorable prices; those need QE2 to end to get Treasury bond prices down for less than 10 year maturities.
Word of the Day
"Revenant" - noun [$10]
Revenant means a person who has returned, especially supposedly from teh dead.
Sentence: Newt Gingrich wants to be a political revenant, but he has little support among the common man and woman.
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