I think he sounds like a politician who depends on votes from a base that accepts his "philosophy" as a solution to their troubles The more he can fuzz up the methods, the safer he will be- at least temporarily.
On Jan 24, 4:00 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > Back from Max's wrestle with a Boxer (lost on points) and a snowman > (won with leaping kick), we have Cameron lying on tax evasion with no > mention of Britain's role via offshore. He moves on to talk of > tackling poverty through democracy, peace, rule of law and > transparency. The worrying thing is how he manages to sound like a > champion and must, like Obama, mean none of it. Now he's saying big > bankers have told him to pursue the open society agenda! Arggh! > > On Jan 24, 8:48 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > I was only thinking out loud rigs. In science we don't even know what > > mass is, but still manage to weight it accurately for most purposes. > > Start trying to produce mass from energy (without something given in > > nature like photosynthesis) and politics looks simple! My guess has > > long been most of us don't want to know about politics but would like > > it done honestly - and there lies the snag, summed-up in the term > > transparency - this looks simple but is a double-edged sword (as in my > > tax return is due and I won't be transparent! - though I am honest and > > do pay up). I hate the way the real issues are really denied debate > > and part of that is our desires for reasonably private family life. > > > I do fear we are at a tipping point and can't see the benefits of more > > transparency and the role of machines in this. My mate Dave runs a > > second till in his pub and sells the odd bottle of spirits through it > > - thus cheating the brewery and tax man. Without this no pub - the > > business model for such pubs has collapsed. I turn a blind eye and > > hope he succeeds. I've know many business people who had to cheat, > > lie to the bank and so on to get through hard times, often creating > > successful businesses. I don't think big business should behave this > > way - but the business cycle does provide some justification. I > > wonder how many 'Dave fiddles' make a Starbucks? > > > If you look at China (allegedly communist - though some way from the > > 16th century German Christian communist rebellions) you find billions > > being invested in US/EU property by an elite - this kind of money from > > all over should be invested in more social and scientific capital. I > > think we could get to that without revolution and are largely > > restrained by fear. It's not that long since we couldn't talk of the > > Sun and planets orbiting same without doing auto da fe. I thus see > > economics restrained by instruments of torture and incapable of the > > courage once needed in science. I am pessimistic on educating a > > critical mass of people and the nightmare is the mass of people are > > breeding us to a precipice. I also fear technology may spread to > > terrorists in a way we have only yet imagined through machine > > expertise in chemical engineering. > > > In the end we run away from the reality, much as I'm about to do with > > Max and the day job - this usually works rigs - but I suspect the > > energy in the zeitgeist is low! He knows his walk is due and is now > > grumping about accusing me of stealing his 'nose time' in the universe > > outside the door I don;t 'see' like him. > > > On 23 Jan, 14:22, Allan H <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > there was a time when american politicians worked for the good of the > > > people. Today that is that has all changed.. the republican party is > > > willing to hold the nation hostage so they can support the high priest > > > of the golden calf.. making sure the poor pay the taxes and not the > > > extremely wealthy.. > > > > Oh well greed has it problems usually in less than 100 year when they > > > face their resurrection,, but the it is to late .,.,. poor souls.. > > > > On Wed, Jan 23, 2013 at 2:09 PM, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > He's also as stubborn as a mule Allan - makes him even better really. > > > > > Your pros and cons (plus margins) had me thinking rigs - I've been > > > > asked for a book chapter on 'why economics isn't a science' and saw a > > > > set of scales as I read your comments. Coincidentally, Obama was > > > > doing his inauguration speech on tv and I remembered you don't like > > > > him - he changed to a lying toad in front of my eyes (literally in my > > > > head - though I always know I'm seeing an illusion). It was the > > > > 'bringing democracy to all nations of the world' bit. Stuff lies to > > > > us in science - mass is the classic - we treat it as creating > > > > gravitational force (yet gravity is an illusion in general relativity) > > > > and also treat it in terms of inertia - experimental results > > > > coincidentally 'prove' both. US (and all other) imperialism should > > > > make a statement like Obama's impossible to perceive other than as a > > > > lie (the historical evidence is that we have subverted democracy > > > > almost everywhere). I know from my own experience as an experimenter > > > > that it is very difficult to set up measurement. Thinking of this > > > > woolly mix I went to bed and dreamed of politicians as cheating > > > > alchemists. The dream turned sour at that point when I sensed I was > > > > on to something. > > > > > I can see a machine able to flag up (say) US foreign policy effects as > > > > politicians make their promises - clanking up pros and cons to make > > > > lying in performance management more obvious. Science is aware that > > > > it still gets caught up in myths (like creation and big bang - can we > > > > think without origin) but essentially works hard on making factual > > > > databases 'anyone' can use in terms of knowing what and knowing how. > > > > The economic-political system generally prevents this altogether. > > > > Don't really know what I'm on about - but I'm not scared by the > > > > machine possibilities and suspect somewhere in this I don;t believe we > > > > are human yet - and might only become so with machine help. > > > > > Time to unleash the hound! > > > > On Jan 23, 6:56 am, Allan H <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> sounds like a great dog Neil > > > > >> On Wed, Jan 23, 2013 at 5:58 AM, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> > Maxwell is a stubby-legged Labrador and a bit of a wimp. He's a > > > >> > sweetie. > > > > >> > On Jan 22, 1:40 pm, rigs <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> >> My last was a lab-shepherd with high energy till he grew old- age > > > >> >> 13. > > > >> >> Also had a Chesapeake Bay retriever- another large dog that loves > > > >> >> water. I have a large backyard but he really needed a field- stream- > > > >> >> woods,etc. This cold is hard on paws- some fit their dogs with > > > >> >> sweaters and booties.//Yes- it does seem the Brits collapse in snow > > > >> >> and unusual weather but it's a strange year- even Jerusalem could > > > >> >> make > > > >> >> snowmen this year. Anyway- happy travels today. > > > > >> >> On Jan 22, 12:56 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > >> >> > Max loves the snow - though we rarely drop much below freezing > > > >> >> > here > > > >> >> > even with wind-chill. I'm off into Manchester today, assuming out > > > >> >> > trains run on a quarter of an inch of snow, > > > > >> >> > On Jan 22, 1:07 am, Molly <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > >> >> > > brrr. We might be there overnight. The deep freeze. Wonderful > > > >> >> > > world. We move through it regardless. > > > > >> >> > > On Jan 21, 10:24 am, rigs <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > >> >> > > > My earlier post has been diverted to outer space, it seems. > > > > >> >> > > > That loneliness may be a cover, you know. > > > > >> >> > > > Saul Bellow was a rascal. > > > > >> >> > > > The speed of information leads to surprise and a protean > > > >> >> > > > miss, often. > > > >> >> > > > I look for patterns in history/culture and try to keep two > > > >> >> > > > columns- > > > >> >> > > > pro and con with hope for the margins. The top tiers of > > > >> >> > > > government are > > > >> >> > > > usually the culprits rather than their off-spring- and it's > > > >> >> > > > true of > > > >> >> > > > tribes as well as complicated systems- the buck really does > > > >> >> > > > stop- even > > > >> >> > > > in suitcases of cash and packets of Viagra. > > > > >> >> > > > My "dog" would need diapers- we're at -30 wind chill factor. > > > > >> >> > > > On Jan 21, 6:10 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > >> >> > > > > Of course, I don't expect anything tangled-up with > > > >> >> > > > > government and > > > >> >> > > > > academic bureaucracy to produce much practical. The gist > > > >> >> > > > > was once > > > >> >> > > > > that we should aim for praxis, a form of rational action. > > > >> >> > > > > For some > > > >> >> > > > > the guide was marxism, but most of us grew up with a form > > > >> >> > > > > of Keynesian > > > >> >> > > > > guide - the economics of full employment and FDR's never > > > >> >> > > > > completed > > > >> >> > > > > second Bill of Rights. More recently we have reverted to > > > >> >> > > > > the control > > > >> >> > > > > fraud of banksters and neo-classical economics. I was > > > >> >> > > > > never much > > > >> >> > > > > interested in the 'grand theory' - as a cop I was more > > > >> >> > > > > interested in > > > >> >> > > > > what people were hiding and lying about, as scientist the > > > >> >> > > > > grand was > > > >> >> > > > > excluded as rigorously as possible a the laboratory door > > > >> >> > > > > and as a > > > >> >> > > > > university teacher I was more interested in developing > > > >> >> > > > > resourceful > > > >> >> > > > > humans than daft, religious managerial theories. As a kid, > > > >> >> > > > > my elder > > > >> >> > > > > brother and sister always claimed I changed the goalposts > > > >> >> > > > > in argument > > > >> >> > > > > and as I grew up I discovered this was what argument was > > > >> >> > > > > generally > > > >> >> > > > > about - the goalposts changing name to root metaphor and > > > >> >> > > > > paradigm. > > > >> >> > > > > Experts in argument are bought like lawyers and have about > > > >> >> > > > > the same > > > >> >> > > > > ethics. When Socrates gestures at the Sophists claiming 'I > > > >> >> > > > > know > > > >> >> > > > > nothing, but even this is to know more than they' he is > > > >> >> > > > > just being the > > > >> >> > > > > smartest guy in the room. > > > >> >> > > > > We say 'jaw-jaw' is better than 'war-war' - but there is no > > > >> >> > > > > crucial > > ... > > read more »- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --
