Re: Mind's Eye Re: rigsy for President

It is no more exciting than www.drudgereport.com or a daily news story
that gets tossed in for laughs or shock. A serious writer can teach us
much about human nature and behavior. An advantage to fiction versus
film is that we are allowed the interior thought
processes>motive>actions. History often just guesses at the interior
thoughts.

On Sep 22, 6:15 am, Allan H <allanh1...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Yes and it makes for the most exciting news as it is easier to shape as
> required to fit.
> Allan
> On Sep 22, 2012 1:09 PM, "rigsy03" <rigs...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > Fiction is just another source of information.
>
> > On Sep 21, 12:26 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
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