Tuesday morning links

People who think there is a problem combining nationalism with socialism have missed the last 100 to 150 years of political history and are using dictionaries printed before 1900.

Classical, doctrinaire socialsist of the late 19th Century thought the main identifier was social class, and that workers throughout the world had a common cause against campitalists and the bourgeoisie. However, by the time WW I broke out, many if not most socialists were also nationalists and thought nationalism preempted class. Mussolini is the prime example. He supported Italian nationalism in WW I, and was expelled from the doctrinaire Marxist Italian Socialist Party for it. He had been a major figure in the Socialist Party until then. His Fascist party was a nationalist-socialist party. It was also totalitarian (his coinage), and it was widlely popular among progressives in both the US and Europe. There is a clip on YouTube of George Bernard Shaw promoting liberal fascism (his coinage).

Hitler gave National Socialism a bad name, but even Stalin embraced Russian nationalism during the war, and promoted socialism in one country.

Today, every socialist party in Europe (there are no other kinds) is also nationalist. Consider how the German socialists treated the Greek socialists.

#1 bob sykes on 2015-08-11 07:34 (Reply)

College education ala Hillary:
Color me unimpressed; another throwback to the 20th century. Aren’t there 9,000,000 unemployed college graduates and another unemployed 17,000,000, with some college?
The issue isn’t education, but jobs; what are the jobs of the future going to look like? Is your job an endangered species? Jobs are not as stable and long term as they used to be but just as importantly neither are the businesses that were once the employers. This is even creeping into the professions. Get a handle on this and a lot of other issues take care of themselves.
I think the public dialogue that occurred in the 70s, and 80s was more insightful. There was widespread recognition that workers ought to be prepared to reinvent themselves a couple of times in the course of a working life, hence the affordable community college system.
That said, I would like to see a solution for the generation that has been overburdened with college debt, not because I don’t think they should be accountable, but because I think many of their educations were a rip off.

#2 Exasperated on 2015-08-11 07:55 (Reply)

When I was being directed towards college in the sixties it was by older men, family and friends of the family as well as the HS guidance councilors. Who all were thinking and remembering their college experiences in the thirties and forties and the rewards being one of the few of that time with a college degree.
They were remembering Booth Tarkington, what I got were the Days of Rage. Thank God I dropped out and went to work for the phone company.

#2.1 John the River (Link) on 2015-08-11 08:19 (Reply)

Here, let me fix that NBC headline for you:

"Massive Study By Scientists Who Have Examined Only The Tiniest Portion Of Our Universe In A Relatively Precursory Fashion Reinforces Latest Pet Hypothesis that Our Universe Is 'Slowly Dying'"

"Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts."

- Richard Feynman (Ph.D. in physics, Princeton)

#3 JJM on 2015-08-11 09:29 (Reply)

rather than altering headlines, here's the study:

http://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso1533/eso1533a.pdf

now, what's your critique?

#3.1 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2015-08-11 13:10 (Reply)

More to the point: what's yours?

#3.1.1 JJM on 2015-08-11 14:11 (Reply)

"No, Donald Trump, Single-Payer Health Care Doesn't 'Work Incredibly Well' In Canada & Scotland..."

A small quibble from this Canadian: Canada has socialized medical care too inasmuch as the Canadian taxpayer foots the bill for so-called "free medical care". Actually, strictly speaking, Canada has no medical care system at all: constitutionally, that's a provincial responsibility so there are 10 separate health care systems.

Scotland has one option for those with deep pockets that Canadian provinces don't offer: you can always skip the line and pay for treatment at a private medical facility. If a Canadian wants to do that, they have to travel to the US.**

Though a surprising amount of our health care is not "free" at all. Depending on the province, there can be all manner of exclusions and fees for this and that. Woe betide you if you don't have a drug plan or pay for supplementary health insurance.

** Creating the ultimate hypocrisy: a former premier of Newfoundland defended the ban on private-for-profit health care in his province while flying to Florida for private treatment himself. Do as I say, minions, not as I do.

#4 JJM on 2015-08-11 09:54 (Reply)

By your description, it seems as if I did the same thing but in reverse. I traveled from my home in Boston to Montreal to have laser eye surgery done at a private clinic because it was a fraction of the cost (fully out of pocket) that I would have had to pay at home. The clinic's waiting room was jammed all three days I had to visit, many of the patients were already there upon my arrival and still there as I was leaving. I must have technically "jumped the line" because I was paying in cash.

#4.1 kellym on 2015-08-11 12:20 (Reply)

As I understand it, and with few exceptions, laser eye surgery isn't considered a necessary treatment in our health systems.

Hence the proliferation of for-profit clinics, especially in Ontario and Québec.

#4.1.1 JJM on 2015-08-11 13:00 (Reply)

"Bernie’s Strange Brew of Nationalism and Socialism"

I dunno.

It would seem to me that your man Bernie's big problem is that his brand of "progressive" politics is really old hat now. The left abandoned the regular working stiff in the factory as an icon of social justice years ago.

Well, that and the fact that he's not just an old white guy, he's also - shudder! - a Jew.

Patriarchy and Zionism: a double whammy.

#5 JJM on 2015-08-11 10:09 (Reply)

"DO COMPUTERS DIE OF OLD AGE? SHORT ANSWER: SADLY, YES"

Long answer, NO.

Although drives and fans will deteriorate over time, it's simple to replace them.

Reinstalling the OS is like giving your computer a new life. It is reincarnated as a clean, fast (as original) and uncluttered.

The only downside is a few hours to catch up on all the updates and reinstalling software.

#6 Earl Wertheimer on 2015-08-11 10:10 (Reply)

Mechanicals deteriorate, but so do electronics (MTBF is still part of our universe). Thermal effects, moisture intrusion, and the sheer numbers of components on a chip will guarantee this.

The vastly increased reliance on computers in automobiles is a reall disaster ready to happen as these vehicles age. Once these get our of warranty, the costs of diagnosing and replacing (often which can be done only by a dealer) can get hugely out of hand. For many of the components there are interlocks to the VIN so that junkyard components are unusable, rendering the vehicle essentially junk.

A number of us were discussing this on a classic (107) Mercedes forum were watching a discussion where an owner of a later model was struggling with multiple electronic error messages which would, for no discernable reason, periodically put his vehicle into limp mode, or shut it down entirely... and the costs each time it happened. The general consensus was how glad we were to be maintaining pre-computer machines

I can't see many of today's glamor vehicles even on the road in 15-20 years.

#6.1 jay on 2015-08-11 11:01 (Reply)

My family owns Abraham Lincolns original axe!

Yes indeed it's the original axe that Honest Abe once used, of course the handles been replaced three times and head once.

#6.1.1 John the River (Link) on 2015-08-11 14:37 (Reply)

the Navy obtained many of its new ships in the 19th century that way, it was called "administrative rebuilding".

#6.1.1.1 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2015-08-11 16:24 (Reply)

How Privileged Are You? - Check(list) your privilege.

I am among the most privileged people in the world.

because I deserve to be.

#7 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2015-08-11 12:25 (Reply)

CIA Enhanced Interrogation Techniques: Finally Getting the Rest of the Story

none of the story should be made public, but ...

buy them, bribe them, turn them or torture the shi'ite out of them. whatever works against particular individuals is what's best.

QUOTE:

During a 2006 interview with Tim Russert, Clinton proffered that there is a time when torture is justified. Ironically, Clinton used a scenario the CIA actually believed it was facing after 9/11-i.e., a terrorist who knows when and where a bomb will go off. The former president said, "Don't we have the right and responsibility to beat it out of him?"

#8 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2015-08-11 12:49 (Reply)

Universe dying: Me, too, but I'll go first. Happens to all living things.

Privilege: Mine was checked in Basic Training; it was at Zero, with all the others.

Palis: "Most interesting is the complete indifference displayed by international human rights organizations, the media and the Palestinian Authority (PA) toward the mistreatment of Palestinians in Arab countries." Nobody likes them, nobody cares about them. Not much evidence that they like themselves.

#9 Sam L. on 2015-08-11 15:50 (Reply)

Remember Alvie Singer?

"Alvie won't do his homework."

"Alvie, what seems to be the problem?"

"The universe is expanding. What's the point?"

#10 Texan99 on 2015-08-11 17:03 (Reply)

Speaking of Woody Allen:

"I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens."

#10.1 JJM on 2015-08-11 18:00 (Reply)

QUOTE:

When government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.

Thomas Jefferson Foundation: "We have not found any evidence that Thomas Jefferson said or wrote, "When government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny," nor any evidence that he wrote its listed variations."
http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/when-government-fears-people-there-libertyquotation

#11 Zachriel on 2015-08-11 17:08 (Reply)

If he didn't he should have.

#11.1 Sweetpea on 2015-08-11 19:25 (Reply)

"Thank you! I'll be here all week. Try the veal. And don't forget to tip your waitress." - John Quincy Adams

#11.1.1 Zachriel on 2015-08-11 19:49 (Reply)

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Tuesday, August 11. 2015

Tuesday morning links