Re: Mind's Eye Re: rigsy for President

Greed is not one of the seven deadly sins- it's covered by
covetousness and maybe envy. Oppression of the poor and defrauding
workers of their wages are in another one of four categories of sins.
I think the calf represented worshiping false gods more than greed as
the Israelis must have had to melt their golden baubles from Egypt
which makes one wonder how slaves had all that gold- plus no Google
directions to Caanan!

On Sep 21, 12:58 pm, Allan H <allanh1...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Money or shall we say greed is ruling the world... it is really strange was
> the golden calf really destroyed in the deserts eons ago..
> Allan
>
>
>
>
>
> On Fri, Sep 21, 2012 at 7:26 PM, archytas <nwte...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > I'm only guessing rigsy - but my feelings are that we are confused on
> > universals by literature that essentially copies itself.  I like
> > Joseph Heller's 'Picture This' on the matter.  The story I read in
> > history is that human beings get very confused about what matters and
> > do all kinds of mad, trivial stuff.  I'm currently watching England
> > thrash Afghanistan at cricket.  This is better than our involvement in
> > the sad country generally.  Hannah Arendt once said we can manage
> > quite nicely without romantic love.  I think technology could make us
> > distinct in history - but agree it hasn't.  Our bombs aren't much more
> > lethal than heavy infantry with short swords in the last hours of
> > ancient battles, for instance.  We still operate work through debt
> > peonage.  Legal systems still operate through fictions like witness
> > credibility and, very importantly, lack of general ability to get
> > independent investigation.
>
> > I found Shakespeare hapless as a young boy - my reasons have changed
> > but I still find the stuff trivial - though I thought Deadwood was
> > hugely funny and somewhat revealing on human nature and language.
> > Some years back, if you had (say) a Brother printer, most of your apps
> > wouldn't work with the damn thing.  You had to flip some dip switches
> > and make the machine think it was an Epson to print from your
> > wordprocessor.  I actually think this tells us more (in conjunction
> > with genetics) about human nature than literature content - other than
> > that human beings like the same old repeated dross and very limited
> > plots.  I agree the i-phone is little more than a modern cod-piece
> > accessory.
>
> > When I did systems engineering I always found that management were the
> > greatest barrier to management information systems.  The literature
> > shows they always resist any equality if access, wanting to have
> > personal advantage.  Stock trading is the current classic, with all
> > kinds of dodges in use to give time advantage just as in days of
> > yore.  We have no problems with robots doing manual work or taking
> > over factory skills through embodied knowledge, but resist making
> > professions into utilities.  We tried to do this through expert
> > systems in the late 1980s - I thought then we over-estimated the
> > skills involved and ignored the essential corruption of professions.
> > Modern films are usually dumber than westerns.
>
> > On 21 Sep, 02:05, rigsy03 <rigs...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > > Because human nature repeats itself? The classics are universal and
> > > timeless, aren't they? Strip away the surface differences- I think we
> > > are mistaken to think our modern gadgets make us unique, for instance.
>
> > > On Sep 19, 11:13 am, archytas <nwte...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > > I'm not sure human nature remains the same - it may be that literature
> > > > repeats itself.
>
> > > > On 19 Sep, 15:08, rigsy03 <rigs...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > > > > I'm in shock with your suggestion!
>
> > > > > I am reading "Le Rouge et le Noir" (Stendhal) and trying to avoid
> > > > > current events being more comfortable with 1830 France at the moment
> > > > > though there are many political similarities and human nature remains
> > > > > the same. It has had the effect of quashing my rash thoughts on the
> > > > > present.
>
> > > > > Not sure we share the same definition of leisure. Shouldn't I then be
> > > > > having more fun? Shock has melted into morning laughter...
>
> > > > > On Sep 18, 12:08 pm, archytas <nwte...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > > > > Suppose that a company earns $1 million dollars of profit in a
> > year.
> > > > > > About $400,000 must be paid in income tax. A corporate raider will
> > buy
> > > > > > the company's stockholders (equity owners), for $10 million in junk
> > > > > > bonds. The entire $1 million dollars of profit will now be paid to
> > the
> > > > > > banker or the bondholder in the form of interest. The company won't
> > > > > > report a profit, so there is no tax payment. The financial manager
> > > > > > will hope to increase the company's price (to re-sell it on the
> > stock
> > > > > > exchange) by cutting costs or selling off its pieces to make a
> > capital
> > > > > > gain. This is how Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's
> > Bain
> > > > > > Capital made money. It is "balance sheet" engineering, not aimed at
> > > > > > raising production or living standards.
> > > > > > Read more athttp://
> >www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/09/michael-hudson-on-how-finance-...
>
> > > > > > I worked for an asset-stripper in the 80s.  The rationalisation
> > back
> > > > > > then was that what we did was good for the economy because our
> > > > > > activities sharpened-up competitive practices and cleaned-up weak
> > > > > > companies with dud management.  We knew this argument was a dud
> > back
> > > > > > then.  The essential way we worked was to use private detectives
> > and
> > > > > > to bribe insiders to learn about likely targets.  We did spend time
> > > > > > looking a company accounts and what Moody's records might have to
> > > > > > say.  Key issues were to identify large cash drains to LOMBARDS
> > (loads-
> > > > > > a-money but are right dicks), undervalued properties and 'dirt on
> > > > > > senior management leverage'.
>
> > > > > > I'd vote for Don or rigsy for President or PM well ahead of clowns
> > > > > > like Romney, Obama, Cameron and Blair (seriously - me and Al are
> > mad
> > > > > > enough to be fit only for foreign policy jobs).  The article the
> > quote
> > > > > > above comes from says most of what is wrong - but I can remember
> > the
> > > > > > time when Labour politicians in Britain sounded the same - talk
> > was of
> > > > > > the 'Gnomes of Zurich', selective employment tax (to encourage
> > > > > > manufacturing) and investing North Sea Oil.
>
> > > > > > I take the criminality of financial services as read these days.
> >  The
> > > > > > metaphor in my head comes from the westerns in which the bad guys
> > sold
> > > > > > whiskey and guns to the Injuns.  The financial sector villains have
> > > > > > armed China and probably armed Hitler's Germany (see 'Conjuring
> > > > > > Hitler').
>
> > > > > > Germany is probably the most efficient manufacturing nation these
> > > > > > days, but the ultimate contradiction on all th urging towards
> > > > > > efficiency leads to super-manufacturing countries like Germany and
> > > > > > China (Britain and the US once) that have to sell products to
> > > > > > inefficient countries like Britain, the US, Greece, Spain and so
> > on.
> > > > > > As a model this is an obvious non-starter.
>
> > > > > > You can get some idea where manufacturing now is by looking at
> > steel
> > > > > > production here -
> >http://www.worldsteel.org/statistics/statistics-archive/2011-steel-pr...
>
> > > > > > It's pretty obvious we have the rules of competition and money
> > wrong
> > > > > > and that political discussion about this is either ignorant or just
> > > > > > plain lying.  Backs have been broken for all kinds of pathological
> > > > > > leadership whim throughout history.  Easter Island statues,
> > > > > > Stonehenge, Pyramids and all variety of ape wars we call history.
>
> > > > > > Economics lacks questions like 'how much work should rigsy have to
> > do
> > > > > > to be able to live in peace and make blueberry pie'?  I suspect the
> > > > > > answer in the broader case of what percentage of our effort goes to
> > > > > > providing water, food, shelter, proper protection from a hostile
> > > > > > environment (earthquakes, historical global warming etc.), the
> > > > > > advancement of science and technology and freedom from bandits,
> > > > > > religious and otherwise is less than a quarter of what we generally
> > > > > > think it is.
>
> > > > > > The issue is about producing a leisure society for all that works
> > and
> > > > > > can make work happen given slacking potential and free-riding.  I
> > am
> > > > > > totally demotivated at the thought of both earning more per hour
> > than
> > > > > > the next ten people around me in the pub and of contributing
> > anything
> > > > > > to rich donkeys like Romney or some soccer star (which happens
> > without
> > > > > > doing anything as direct as watching a soccer match).  I also
> > prefer
> > > > > > to holiday where the lager louts don't, where the attraction is a
> > > > > > brilliant German bakery with a couple of tables for coffee and
> > > > > > excellent cakes and a Bavarian lady who won't serve me more than
> > two
> > > > > > and shares a chateaubriand  with me in the evening. Sorry Don, it's
> > > > > > rigsy for President - I'm sure you follow the argument!- Hide
> > quoted text -
>
> > > > - Show quoted text -
>
> > --
>
> --
>  (
>   )
> |_D Allan
>
> Life is for moral, ethical and truthful living.
>
> I am a Natural Airgunner -
>
>  Full of Hot Air & Ready To Expel It Quickly.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

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