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#21
Opinions / Re: Education - the key to sal...
Last post by KevinC - Nov 19, 2019, 07:30 PMI should note that science is not infallible. Its run by people, and people are influenced by their own desires (perhaps to be published, or to receive funding for the latest scientific fad) and seldom go against the established rules. That is why science often takes generations to improve on it results. Those that dis-believe a newly discovered scientific theory simply die of old age. Those born afterward assume the theory is correct until proven wrong.
#22
Opinions / Education - the key to salvati...
Last post by KevinC - Nov 19, 2019, 07:05 PMI can't see how society will ever evolve with current social trends:
Go to any bookstore and compare the number of books on Science vs. Magic - your likely to find a 1:50 ratio in favor of magic. Everyone wants to be believe in something for nothing.
Even harder may be the change from a sports oriented society where the strong and physically gifted are worshipped to one that values those with strong minds.
Any ideas on how we can pull off such implied changes?
It basically means the end to most religions (again, I exempt, in general, karma based religions). There goes 95% of the votes...
It means the acceptance of personal responsibility for one actions (no priest to forgive ones sins).
It means understanding that scientific knowledge is a progression, not an absolute. (Rewrite laws that limit "detectable" levels of polution when our detection skills have increased 1000X (no kidding folks, what we use to be able to detect in parts-per-million we can now detect is parts-per-billion or less). Science is our best bet at understanding the universe. But knowledge evolves, like everything else. For instance: electrons are no longer considered particles but much harder to conceive of "wave forms". Howevewr, wave forms explain simple things like how electricity can travel at a serious fraction of the speed of light, which actual particals could never do (at least in the quantity we use them).
The implications span a number of subjects:
Global warning is the latest
Sex education comes to mind (no, you can't drink a capful of bleach before having sex to prevent pregnancy - yeah, many girls in the USA believe that today, and yes, you can get pregnant having sex standing up!)
Societal impacts to our longer lifetimes probably needs to be addressed as well. Perhaps marriage just becomes a voluntary contract to raise kids, renewed annually, with pre-known consequences for not renewing associated with child support and prehaps parential reintroduction to the work force for whatever parent stays home to care for the children).
Go to any bookstore and compare the number of books on Science vs. Magic - your likely to find a 1:50 ratio in favor of magic. Everyone wants to be believe in something for nothing.
Even harder may be the change from a sports oriented society where the strong and physically gifted are worshipped to one that values those with strong minds.
Any ideas on how we can pull off such implied changes?
It basically means the end to most religions (again, I exempt, in general, karma based religions). There goes 95% of the votes...
It means the acceptance of personal responsibility for one actions (no priest to forgive ones sins).
It means understanding that scientific knowledge is a progression, not an absolute. (Rewrite laws that limit "detectable" levels of polution when our detection skills have increased 1000X (no kidding folks, what we use to be able to detect in parts-per-million we can now detect is parts-per-billion or less). Science is our best bet at understanding the universe. But knowledge evolves, like everything else. For instance: electrons are no longer considered particles but much harder to conceive of "wave forms". Howevewr, wave forms explain simple things like how electricity can travel at a serious fraction of the speed of light, which actual particals could never do (at least in the quantity we use them).
The implications span a number of subjects:
Global warning is the latest
Sex education comes to mind (no, you can't drink a capful of bleach before having sex to prevent pregnancy - yeah, many girls in the USA believe that today, and yes, you can get pregnant having sex standing up!)
Societal impacts to our longer lifetimes probably needs to be addressed as well. Perhaps marriage just becomes a voluntary contract to raise kids, renewed annually, with pre-known consequences for not renewing associated with child support and prehaps parential reintroduction to the work force for whatever parent stays home to care for the children).
#23
Opinions / Money? The root of all evil?
Last post by KevinC - Nov 10, 2019, 10:24 PMI think the subject line oversimplifies this. Money is an object, its not an action. Hard to modify the behavior of an object. Trade however is a verb, its an action that can be modified. Trade has been at the foundation of our civilization since the first 2 tribed met each other and decided trading with each other would be better than killing each other.
Today we have the concept of "Free Enterprise", which basically means "Make as much money as the government bodies will let you". If its legal, or you think you can get away with it if it isn't, its fair game. Corporate profits, which rule the guidance provided by boards, is goal #1. Human rights don't play in beyond those nasty government rules, public perspection, and whatever a corporation needs to sacrifice to ensure profitability.
I wouldn't say every decission in the corporate boardroom is made with quarterly profits in mind, but I'd hazard to guess most of them are. I'd also hazzard to guess few 10 year plans get much more than lip service.
This approach to life is reflected in common sayings like "Each man for themselves" and "People will do what benefits them the most".
I have no clue how we are going to change this, but change this we must. Nothing wrong with profit, but it needs to be equitably balanced with societal impact and LONG TERM impact on the planet.
I think a good beginning would be teaching more practical math in schools and practical science. Think about it: How many of us use Algebra 2 in our daily lives, much less Calculus (when was the last time you factored a polynomial, much less solved a double integral???). Geometry and Trig - well, you do if your an engineer, but why force Sine**2 + Co-Sine**2 = 1 down everyone's throats. Teaching concepts like slopes (rate of change) and the like are a different subject. People should innately understand compounding and what an exponetial curve means - but all of that could be taught in one semester. Obviously, in todays society, understand data is crucial, so some basic statistics would be good - but anything past Standard Deviations is probably a waste. Kids should also understand that a 9.8% tax bill on a $9.99 purchase is NOT $1.50. They don't need to know it to the penny, but should understand its going to be a bit under $1. e.g. Practical math.
Once kids understand that putting money away in a 2% CD in an economy with a 3% inflation rate is NOT cool, perhaps they will grow up and change the system. I'm pretty sure the current generation is beyond hope for that.
Today we have the concept of "Free Enterprise", which basically means "Make as much money as the government bodies will let you". If its legal, or you think you can get away with it if it isn't, its fair game. Corporate profits, which rule the guidance provided by boards, is goal #1. Human rights don't play in beyond those nasty government rules, public perspection, and whatever a corporation needs to sacrifice to ensure profitability.
I wouldn't say every decission in the corporate boardroom is made with quarterly profits in mind, but I'd hazard to guess most of them are. I'd also hazzard to guess few 10 year plans get much more than lip service.
This approach to life is reflected in common sayings like "Each man for themselves" and "People will do what benefits them the most".
I have no clue how we are going to change this, but change this we must. Nothing wrong with profit, but it needs to be equitably balanced with societal impact and LONG TERM impact on the planet.
I think a good beginning would be teaching more practical math in schools and practical science. Think about it: How many of us use Algebra 2 in our daily lives, much less Calculus (when was the last time you factored a polynomial, much less solved a double integral???). Geometry and Trig - well, you do if your an engineer, but why force Sine**2 + Co-Sine**2 = 1 down everyone's throats. Teaching concepts like slopes (rate of change) and the like are a different subject. People should innately understand compounding and what an exponetial curve means - but all of that could be taught in one semester. Obviously, in todays society, understand data is crucial, so some basic statistics would be good - but anything past Standard Deviations is probably a waste. Kids should also understand that a 9.8% tax bill on a $9.99 purchase is NOT $1.50. They don't need to know it to the penny, but should understand its going to be a bit under $1. e.g. Practical math.
Once kids understand that putting money away in a 2% CD in an economy with a 3% inflation rate is NOT cool, perhaps they will grow up and change the system. I'm pretty sure the current generation is beyond hope for that.
#24
Opinions / Re: Becoming more tollerant
Last post by KevinC - Nov 08, 2019, 01:45 PMlol - thought I try and not piss everyone off with my initial post... But hey, this forum is dedicated to free speech, so:
I once saw a Quora question posted asking what the greatest fraud of all time was. I didn't have the courage to reply: "Christianity" (Forgive me for thinking narrowly since many other religions are just as bad).
My godmother was Jewish. It provided for a bit of cross-cultural experience for a boy raised as a Lutheran. In later life I came to understand a lot of the Jewish rules were simply things designed to protect the health of their society: No pork - because pork, especially that available a few thousand years ago, really was "unclean" and contained a host of speicies transferable diseases. Bitters twice a year - things like wormwood tea - because its a natural dewormer. etc.
Other religions were less clear to me. Lutheranism seemed to be about making the church look good by denoting more money. My teenage years were spent listening to a surmon that had that key messages imbedded in it EVERY WEEK. Catholism seemed to be about power (somewhat less about money) where the Priest were your only link to God. If I understand history right, Catholics invented purgatory as a means to solicit more money from survivors in order to have their Priest pray for ones ancestors to be released from purgatory... Both suffer from thousands of years of tweaking. For instance, concepts of "hell" didn't exist in Christinaity (although it did in other "pagan" religions) until the "unification" process that resulted in the King James version of the Bible created in the early 1600s.
Some flavors of Buddhism remain interesting. At its core there is no God in Buddhism, men and other living things evolve after death based on their karma balance from life. Its the only religion I'm aware of that could easily apply to other lifeforms in this universe we live in. Something Christianity would have a hard time with.
It just seems to me that if there were "one true religion" it would be obvious and adopted by all - not a source of wars.
I once saw a Quora question posted asking what the greatest fraud of all time was. I didn't have the courage to reply: "Christianity" (Forgive me for thinking narrowly since many other religions are just as bad).
My godmother was Jewish. It provided for a bit of cross-cultural experience for a boy raised as a Lutheran. In later life I came to understand a lot of the Jewish rules were simply things designed to protect the health of their society: No pork - because pork, especially that available a few thousand years ago, really was "unclean" and contained a host of speicies transferable diseases. Bitters twice a year - things like wormwood tea - because its a natural dewormer. etc.
Other religions were less clear to me. Lutheranism seemed to be about making the church look good by denoting more money. My teenage years were spent listening to a surmon that had that key messages imbedded in it EVERY WEEK. Catholism seemed to be about power (somewhat less about money) where the Priest were your only link to God. If I understand history right, Catholics invented purgatory as a means to solicit more money from survivors in order to have their Priest pray for ones ancestors to be released from purgatory... Both suffer from thousands of years of tweaking. For instance, concepts of "hell" didn't exist in Christinaity (although it did in other "pagan" religions) until the "unification" process that resulted in the King James version of the Bible created in the early 1600s.
Some flavors of Buddhism remain interesting. At its core there is no God in Buddhism, men and other living things evolve after death based on their karma balance from life. Its the only religion I'm aware of that could easily apply to other lifeforms in this universe we live in. Something Christianity would have a hard time with.
It just seems to me that if there were "one true religion" it would be obvious and adopted by all - not a source of wars.
#25
Governance / Re: Taxation
Last post by KevinC - Nov 08, 2019, 01:13 PMI once read that "Governments don't create anything - they just move resources between parties". In this case, its taxing those it can and supporting those (voters) it can't.
My mothers situation is classic: She is 94 years old and living in a nursing home. She spent her entire life cutting coupons and saving every dime to make sure she would have enough to pay her own way in her old age. My Dad was a milkman with an 8th grade education that worked himself up to being a research assistant. We were never rich, but never hungry. e.g. Middle class - 3 bedroom, 2 bath house, 2 kids, and the occassional dog.
Because she has money, her monthly residence fee (about $4000/month) comes from her savings. She does NOT qualify for Medicare Part D. She pays about $30/month for her medicines. Prescription insurance would cost her $90/month so she has elected to go without it.
The lady in the room over also grew up "Middle class", but never saved a dime. She has 3 healthy children, all doing well. No money in the bank. Medicade pays for her room and Part D covers her drugs.
This is "fair"? She doesn't think so.
My mothers situation is classic: She is 94 years old and living in a nursing home. She spent her entire life cutting coupons and saving every dime to make sure she would have enough to pay her own way in her old age. My Dad was a milkman with an 8th grade education that worked himself up to being a research assistant. We were never rich, but never hungry. e.g. Middle class - 3 bedroom, 2 bath house, 2 kids, and the occassional dog.
Because she has money, her monthly residence fee (about $4000/month) comes from her savings. She does NOT qualify for Medicare Part D. She pays about $30/month for her medicines. Prescription insurance would cost her $90/month so she has elected to go without it.
The lady in the room over also grew up "Middle class", but never saved a dime. She has 3 healthy children, all doing well. No money in the bank. Medicade pays for her room and Part D covers her drugs.
This is "fair"? She doesn't think so.
#26
Governance / Re: Taxation
Last post by Koog - Nov 07, 2019, 03:12 PMAh, one of my favorite topics --- taxation.
Taxation will grow significantly as the USA transitions from a Democratic Republic to a Quasi-Socialist country. As background, this transition to a Quasi-Socialist country started over a hundred years ago with the implementation of individual taxation (~1920), Social Security (1935), Welfare (1935)and Medicare (1965). The Medicare and Welfare programs were greatly expanded in 1965-68 and touted by President Lyndon B. Johnson as part of his Great Society program to eliminate poverty and racial injustice. In 2005 President G W Bush expanded Medicare to include prescription drugs (called part D). Add to this investment, state, local, property, personal property and fuel taxes and we currently sit close to a 50% overall rate. So, my intention with providing this background is for all to realize just how heavily taxed we already are --- and it's going to increase significantly in the decades ahead.
This taxation will result in huge societal changes. Large masses will be considered the proletariat as their labor will be their only owned asset. They won't be able to afford individually owned housing, cars and investments so they will look to government / corporations to supply those resources. Large corporations, particularly on the right and left coasts will be suppliers of those needs for those that work at their firms. This will cause decreased mobility as the impact for job changing will be massive. It will also further impact the declining USA birthrate. These factors will further fuel the anti-corporate sentiment that is growing with today's Millennial's and Generation Z age groups.
We have crossed the line with being able to change this direction and will have to adapt to the new normal.
Taxation will grow significantly as the USA transitions from a Democratic Republic to a Quasi-Socialist country. As background, this transition to a Quasi-Socialist country started over a hundred years ago with the implementation of individual taxation (~1920), Social Security (1935), Welfare (1935)and Medicare (1965). The Medicare and Welfare programs were greatly expanded in 1965-68 and touted by President Lyndon B. Johnson as part of his Great Society program to eliminate poverty and racial injustice. In 2005 President G W Bush expanded Medicare to include prescription drugs (called part D). Add to this investment, state, local, property, personal property and fuel taxes and we currently sit close to a 50% overall rate. So, my intention with providing this background is for all to realize just how heavily taxed we already are --- and it's going to increase significantly in the decades ahead.
This taxation will result in huge societal changes. Large masses will be considered the proletariat as their labor will be their only owned asset. They won't be able to afford individually owned housing, cars and investments so they will look to government / corporations to supply those resources. Large corporations, particularly on the right and left coasts will be suppliers of those needs for those that work at their firms. This will cause decreased mobility as the impact for job changing will be massive. It will also further impact the declining USA birthrate. These factors will further fuel the anti-corporate sentiment that is growing with today's Millennial's and Generation Z age groups.
We have crossed the line with being able to change this direction and will have to adapt to the new normal.
#27
Opinions / Re: Becoming more tollerant
Last post by Koog - Nov 07, 2019, 12:23 PMIMHO, your opening sentence should start with "There is too much religion in this world". Religion is the root of hate in our world. More wars and conflicts resulting in millions of deaths have been religion based. From the Crusades until now people believe "their god" is the right god. Catholics believe (arrogantly) that their religion is the only true religion. Islam teaches that Allah is the only Prophet ever revealed to Muslims. Quotes from the bible and the koran document the demented instructions from these 'gods". Even today Muslims in the Middle East throw homosexuals off of rooftops to their deaths because they're gay. They remove the clitoris from young females so they cannot experience orgasmic pleasure later in life. Some acceptance and tolerance from the religion of peace, eh?.
Our laws are very religion based as, over time, our "believers" have tried to legislate morality. Liquor laws (Prohibition, no Sunday sales for years, etc.), oral sex outlawed in southern states, drug laws --- the list can go on and on as people tried to use religion to protect us from ourselves when, in fact, it was to protect them from "we sinners".
I get that there are weak people who need organized religion as a place of acceptance. Those people just need to respect that many are non-believers and that we are good people, too.
My $.02
Our laws are very religion based as, over time, our "believers" have tried to legislate morality. Liquor laws (Prohibition, no Sunday sales for years, etc.), oral sex outlawed in southern states, drug laws --- the list can go on and on as people tried to use religion to protect us from ourselves when, in fact, it was to protect them from "we sinners".
I get that there are weak people who need organized religion as a place of acceptance. Those people just need to respect that many are non-believers and that we are good people, too.
My $.02
#28
Opinions / Sex vs. Child raising
Last post by KevinC - Oct 27, 2019, 11:50 AMI've been trying to follow the latest theories on human genetic programming and the results so far ring true:
1) We are genetically programmed to seek sex
2) Relative to the frequency of sexual desires vs. the desire to have children, sex wins big time
3) We have the technology, via birth control, to allow for sex with minimal risk of having unwanted children
4) Sex and love are related, but not the same thing
5) Americans are REALLY hung up on our bodies vs many other countries attitudes
While I'm on it, American sex education in schools is shameful. Kids growing up in the 1950s had better educations on the subject than todays kids do (by and large - exceptions exist), yets kids today are exposed to WAY more sexual advertising, porn, and visual expectations (think of most TV series where a pair are attracted to each other, finally kiss, and are typically in bed 5 minutes later). Suppose that brings us to:
6) Porn is not realistic, nor is most sex shown in TV or movies.
Culturally sex is often proscribed as the Original Sin (sorry Nextflix), yet without it, neither we, nor our parents, or their parents, would ever have existed.
Yet still, headings like "We Don't Have Sex in Russia" still make the news: We don't have sex in Russia
For a healthy, long term, society to exist, we need to change our attitudes on this rather basic subject. Personally I favor a rather liberal "what two (or more) consenting adults elect to do in private is none of the government's, or their neighbors, business. Period.".
1) We are genetically programmed to seek sex
2) Relative to the frequency of sexual desires vs. the desire to have children, sex wins big time
3) We have the technology, via birth control, to allow for sex with minimal risk of having unwanted children
4) Sex and love are related, but not the same thing
5) Americans are REALLY hung up on our bodies vs many other countries attitudes
While I'm on it, American sex education in schools is shameful. Kids growing up in the 1950s had better educations on the subject than todays kids do (by and large - exceptions exist), yets kids today are exposed to WAY more sexual advertising, porn, and visual expectations (think of most TV series where a pair are attracted to each other, finally kiss, and are typically in bed 5 minutes later). Suppose that brings us to:
6) Porn is not realistic, nor is most sex shown in TV or movies.
Culturally sex is often proscribed as the Original Sin (sorry Nextflix), yet without it, neither we, nor our parents, or their parents, would ever have existed.
Yet still, headings like "We Don't Have Sex in Russia" still make the news: We don't have sex in Russia
For a healthy, long term, society to exist, we need to change our attitudes on this rather basic subject. Personally I favor a rather liberal "what two (or more) consenting adults elect to do in private is none of the government's, or their neighbors, business. Period.".
#29
Population / The next crisis: Water
Last post by KevinC - Oct 22, 2019, 02:32 PMLess than 1% of the worlds water supply is in the form of fresh water, and most of that is underground. We, as a species, have been taping and draining those underground resources. Google Mexico City's water problem for a great example. They have drawn so much of their aquifer down that the land is shrinking about 9 inches a year in parts of the city.
Its not that we don't have enough - we do, but we use it poorly and price it insanely and unequally.
Just to wet your appetite: 47% of Mexico City's water leaks from the piping network. We irrigate alfalfa in deserts to grow food to feed cattle. A farmer in California pays less for their water than the cost of delivering it. Its insane.
Fortunately, a first-order solution is rather simple: Start charging every user of water the same price. It will be VERY disruptive. No more California desert grown lettuce. Or desert grown rice. Food prices will skyrocket. Electronic (and beer) manufactures will actually have to relocate to areas with abundant water.
This is NOT a crisis that will take hundreds of years to unfold - its happening now and only going to escalate over the next couple of decades. Those in the know claim "Water is the next Oil".
Its not that we don't have enough - we do, but we use it poorly and price it insanely and unequally.
Just to wet your appetite: 47% of Mexico City's water leaks from the piping network. We irrigate alfalfa in deserts to grow food to feed cattle. A farmer in California pays less for their water than the cost of delivering it. Its insane.
Fortunately, a first-order solution is rather simple: Start charging every user of water the same price. It will be VERY disruptive. No more California desert grown lettuce. Or desert grown rice. Food prices will skyrocket. Electronic (and beer) manufactures will actually have to relocate to areas with abundant water.
This is NOT a crisis that will take hundreds of years to unfold - its happening now and only going to escalate over the next couple of decades. Those in the know claim "Water is the next Oil".
#30
Reference Links and Recommended Reading / The hidden life of trees
Last post by KevinC - Oct 21, 2019, 04:21 PMGreat book in any form:
Amazon link
Its a bit over the top, simplifing some things that are easily explained via selective environmental activation and expression of genes, but great overall. Very humbling.
Amazon link
Its a bit over the top, simplifing some things that are easily explained via selective environmental activation and expression of genes, but great overall. Very humbling.