We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
Emergent Properties refer to outcomes that one cannot predict in advance in complex systems. Things to which reductionism does not apply.
Life is considered an emergent property of chemistry and physics. Consciousness is often considered an emergent property of biology.
If I provided anyone with a group of DNA molecules from any life form, could that person look at the sequence of nucleotides and accurately predict the outcome such genes? So is God an emergent property of Homo Sapiens or vice versa?
Once you get past his bit about his (14-minute) anger with the Linfield College administration's dismal treatment of him, he delivers a stimulating sermon on life, including topics of the "impartial brutality of reality"; the need to make life more difficult; the necessity of hitting walls in order to grow; that the meaning of life is in reducing suffering; the necessity of self-doubt and humility for spiritual, emotional, and intellectual growth; the dangers of isolation/insulation; the idea that to learn and develop, an old part of you has to die; and "black truths." And more.
It's a sermon with too many themes, but is there anything "controversial" enough to be banned here? "How do you radically justify your miserable existence? Start with yourself."
The true villains are the intellectuals who proposed a loosening of social mores, launched a parade of excuses for a long list of destructive behaviors, denied agency (and therefore full humanity) to the West’s euphemistically-named “poor”, built bureaucracies that reward the most irresponsible citizens with the greatest largesse, and otherwise indicted faceless society for the failures of individuals. Daniels uncovers the foolishness with elegance and wit.
Everybody knows what ingredients can result in unfortunate lives regardless of money: bad luck, bad genes, low IQ (half of the population is below average), addiction, maladaptive, annoying, (or intolerable, eg sociopathic or impulsive) character traits, poor judgement, unappealing appearance, mental illness, poor social awareness, low-functioning parents, poor child-rearing and lack of a father, etc. etc.
As we reiterate here, a stable bourgeois life is tough enough for most, even if lacking in those obstacles. Everybody is insufficient, and everybody stumbles. I know people with beautiful fulfilling lives, but have never known anybody who has not endured grievous troubles or terrible years. Peterson keeps saying "Life is suffering." No, but it has its share of it. You can count on that. Tragedy is unavoidable.
• For social justice, focus on symmetry and risk sharing. You cannot make profits and transfer the risks to others, as bankers and large corporations do. You cannot get rich without owning your own risk and paying for your own losses. Forcing skin in the game corrects this asymmetry better than thousands of laws and regulations.
• Ethical rules aren’t universal. You’re part of a group larger than you, but it’s still smaller than humanity in general.
• Minorities, not majorities, run the world. The world is not run by consensus but by stubborn minorities imposing their tastes and ethics on others.
• You can be an intellectual yet still be an idiot. “Educated philistines” have been wrong on everything from Stalinism to Iraq to low-fat diets.
• Beware of complicated solutions (that someone was paid to find). A simple barbell can build muscle better than expensive new machines.
• True religion is commitment, not just faith. How much you believe in something is manifested only by what you’re willing to risk for it.
The ballet-trained Tommy Rall branched out into Broadway, movie acting, singing, opera. And painting. Is it fair that talent is unequally-distributed? Many talents in one package, via neo's The man who could do everything: Tommy Rall
How often do most people wear evening gowns and tuxes nowadays in the US? Less and less often, for certain in New England, as even the upper classes and aristocracy prefer more informal events and dress.
Where the instructions "Formal attire" used to mean gowns and dinner dress fro men, now it means dresses and suits. Dress has obviously become small-d democratized. There is a loss in that, a loss of elegance at the least.
We're now at the point where even formal black or white-tie weddings (evenings only, please) look like silly costume shows. That ten year-old gown should be fine, and who cares?
I recently realized that I own enough formal wear, footwear, outerwear, sportswear, riding wear, ski gear, boating gear, and athletic gear to last my lifetime, not including new tennis racquets. I am done accumulating it as long as my size doesn't change, which will not.
What is most art "for"? Well, it's to be decorative or at least interesting. It can be social signalling or status-seeking. It can be used for investing or money-laundering. I suspect all of these things have applied since the Renaissance.
Took Mrs. BD to the Balanchine/Stravinsky program with the New York City Ballet last weekend. One of her Christmas presents. I thought it was a heck of a show, even though I am neither a balletomane nor a Stravinsky fan (Mrs. BD is a dance fan, regardless of style or tradition.) I do find Balanchine's style more accessible to me than classical ballet or modern dance.
NYC is the world center of dance for a good reason - tons of fans, and not all gays by any means. NYCB is almost always sold out, and there are ways to get reasonably-priced tickets.
The lobby of the David Koch theater last weekend, with cool balloon decor:
Costco on a Saturday morning is an American place. I made my every 5-6-month pilgrimage yesterday. Of course it was busy, and filled with people of every size (including an obese woman in an electric cart whose equally-obese aide could barely keep up with the cart), age, class, color - and every language known. Lots of cute little kids or all sorts of cute races.
All filling their baskets with their preferred products of American abundance at reasonable prices and in high volume. It's a kick to go for staples, but 2-3 times per year is enough for me. Mrs. BD gives me a list, but I do whatever I want.
Heard at the cheese place there, a mom to a little girl: "Honey, let's get Dad some good cheeses. He loves cheese. He's like a mouse." Of course I make some impulse buys, like their Kerry Gold Irish cheese. Good stuff, like cheddar but better than cheddar. And a pack of their amazing ribeyes of course. $50 for a 5-pack of thick and fatty ribeyes? Since Mrs. BD and I share one ribeye for a supper, that's a $5 delicious and protein-packed supper for this couple which lifts weights and exercises daily. If you exercise hard, you need that nutritional fat. Nothing to do with that silly cholesterol nonsense.
Word to the wise: their house brand (Kirkland) extra virgin olive oil is as good as anything anywhere.
It's a complicated topic. I know that I was fortunate, or some might term it "privileged", to be raised in a stable middle or upper-middle class two-parent family with plenty of travel, worldly exposure, and ivy League education. I had parents who set a good example for responsibility, affection, discipline, and self-discipline. I was also advantaged by an IQ over 100 (with which only 50% are blessed) and a fully-functional, somewhat-athletic body.
I know that I have never made the most of these gifts, but have made a good life given circumstances, chance, opportunities, and life's exigencies. I had choices. I had college classmates die of drug overdoses. Character traits and talents are far more important in managing life than IQ. I am bright enough, but without special talents, and lacking in a high level of ambition. I just like to be content and to pursue my various interests in a serene environment.
Had I been born to a single crack-addicted mother in Baltimore, God knows where my life might have gone financially and otherwise. Likely not too well, because it was only external discipline which kept me on productive tracks. I needed that because, despite some innate curiosity, I am someone who would always prefer sports, fishing, hunting, etc. than sitting in a classroom or office. Since I do like to make money, I might have been a drug-dealer although, being me, I might have had conscience issues with that. Who knows?
Nothing in life is distributed fairly, especially parents and genetics. In my case, I credit my parents for making the efforts and sacrifices to set us kids up as best they could. Doing the same for my own offspring has been my main goal and satisfaction. At the same time, my life has been rich in many other non-financial ways.
Russel Brand shows how to do a serious and earnest interview based on his own curiosity. In other words, he doesn't want to make his own points. Wants to learn. An exciting conversation, I feel, and rather deep for Youtube.
I like his point that learning new things is painful because it kills something in yourself. I do not know what they mean when talking about equality, though. What is equality?
The great cartoonist Roz Chast put her campy irony aside to produce a heartfelt and mostly hilarious cartoon book about the aging and decline of her parents. OK, lots of gallows humor.
If you have or have had declining parents, it's required reading and you will recognize everything except Brooklyn (unless you grew up in Brooklyn - the 7th largest city in the USA if it were still its own city).
"This commencement address will never be given, because graduation speakers are supposed to offer encouragement and inspiration. That's not what you need. You need a warning."
Eloquent. Extraordinary. Timeless. Paradigm-shifting. Classic. Six decades after it first appeared, Leonard Read’s “I, Pencil” evokes such adjectives of praise. Rightfully so, for this little essay opens eyes and minds among people of all ages. Many first-time readers never see the world quite the same again.
The great cartoonist Roz Chast put her campy irony aside to produce a 
Nobody writes a beach-reading book with the wit and dark craziness as Carl Hiassen, but he has a new book coming: