phoenixvoice
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A regulatory Rubik’s Cube.
(2) A litigation gold rush
Awesome! Our society, cultures, nations are not ready for an AI revolution. We can barely handle the technology that we have. Let’s slow it down, integrate the good and useful, prune the problems, etc. And by “we” I mean the run-of-the mill folk, not the elites and their henchmen.
I enjoy Tucker Carlson’s interviews…but he would make a terrible lawyer because his views are driven by principled passions and he says things on impulse that are driven by emotion which, upon measured reflection, are obvious odds with his own principles.
To whit: stripping citizenship from someone who enlists in the army of a foreign government. Um. Well, perhaps if the foreign government were in a direct war with the US then a case could be made and considered, but, otherwise, people do all sorts of foolish things. And they pay the consequences of their decisions. Enlisting in the military of a foreign government is not traitorous…it is more in the range of “colossally stupid” in my book. And…RFK Jr’s own son did this, due to strongly held personal convictions, about 3 years ago.
The Dems really don’t get it. The reason why Mamdani won is because the non-wealthy in NYC are struggling, NYC is essentially a one-party locale, Mamdani addressed many of the issues that folks are struggling with, and it is a big “middle finger” to the establishment Dems who were ignoring the real-lived problems being faced by constituents. Mamdani did not win because NYC loves socialism…but because even the wealthier in NYC are not happy with what the Dems in power have failed to address.
Trying to remake the Dem Party as pro-socialist, top to bottom, is not going to revive the D party in the long run. (It will create some short term excitement.) It is the upper classes that have been monetarily supporting the D party for many years now…once they figure out that socialism will cause them to lose their economic standing, they will no longer support it.
Government run grocery stores…what a lark! Filled with highly processed food, like “American cheese,” no doubt! I wouldn’t mind government policies that foster cooperative grocery stores — that could be very interesting. I.e. some tax breaks for essential businesses that are wholly owned cooperatively by members of the local community, to help them get going, etc.
Math/multiplication
Hunh? 1×1 means “one instance of one item,” therefore, it equals one. The language definition of “multiply” (I.e. “increase,”) differs from the mathematical definition of “multiply.”
He is using the language definition of the word to try and say that the math doesn’t add up.
Lauren Lee on RFK
This makes sense. In the short run, the “back of the napkin” data is there for any parent willing or interested to look. Changing the legality of the situation requires a very careful game plan.
Bondi, Epstein
“Tapes” of “downloaded” child porn.
“Tape” was commonly still used by some video recorders up through 2015. A system in use from before then might still use tape.
However, by the time the internet was born for the masses, computers were not running on tape — they used hard drives, floppy drives, Zip drives and optical drives. The only thing “tape” was used for were business backups, where the same bit of tape could be recorded on, over and over. A tape backup was being phased out for archival purposes by Y2K because magnetic tape degrades. Better to use optical disks or hard drives.
Epstein “tapes” suggest video recordings created “in house.” Downloaded child porn vids would never have made their way to tape.
They are lying.
Why?
I don’t buy the trope that Trump & company were lying all along and never meant to reveal the Epstein info. Quite frankly, it isn’t Trump’s style. They are hiding something, something that they found out in the past 3 months or so, and they believe that, at least for right now, it is in the best interest to keep it that way. This suggests a values conflict. For example, if Epstein was (is?) a Mossad agent, as some purport him to be, releasing the Epstein information right now (Diddy, too?) could destroy the negotiations to stop the war in Gaza. Which is more important: the US public’s desire to have this information or the potential to save the lives of thousands in Gaza? I don’t suggest that this example is reality, but it is the sort of thing that could be going on. I don’t suggest that we “trust” the Trump admin…but I also don’t believe that it is in the best interest of the US public to completely write the Trump admin off as equivalent to the wielder of the autopen under Biden.Trump admin
We forget. People are multifaceted, are not Commedia dell’Arte stock characters. Those who lead are not white knights, and few are “evil supervillains.” In our own lives, when values conflict we often must choose one to follow, one to neglect. We tend to forgive ourselves easily for such decisions, as we understand our own situations. People grow and change — they make mistakes, learn, and move forward. The very nature of a “control file” is designed to twist and manipulate these natural characteristics about people in order to control an individual’s actions, and also to control the way that others view the individual in question.
I do not know the inner workings of why there is now an attempt to sweep the Epstein issue under the rug. Most likely, it is because of value conflicts inside of the Trump administration. While I do not like this turn of events, it is not the most important issue at hand. There are trafficked migrant children to be found. Our food supply and quality is begging for improvement. There is still war in Gaza and Ukraine and there are still efforts from the Trump Admin to quell the wars, while still sending weapons and supplies to perpetuate the conflicts. The US economy is on the brink of disaster, and it is possible that the Trump Admin may improve or cushion the fall — or may make it worse! Who knows? Girls in sports will no longer be compelled to compete against biological males. The Covid vax and its mRNA cousins aren’t going down without a fight, but much of the public has lost confidence in vaccination.
I never expected that Trump would make the same decisions in office that I would make…but I don’t want to be president, so what does it matter? I will be gladdened for some, saddened or angered for others, and ambivalent for many. Every day I am pleased that Mr. Trump is in office and not the empty Biden shell with the phantom auto pen or the cackling Hollywood protege Harris. I questioned the bombs to Iran — I still do — but it didn’t result in war, or even the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. I don’t like it. But I’ll take imperfection over the nefarious charade of the last administration any day.
Germ: Chemotherapy may spread cancer and trigger more aggressive tumours, warn scientists
This is essentially what Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong said in an interview with Tucker Carlson a few months ago. Dr. Soon explained the mechanism.
America party
It’s interesting. The Dem Party is ripe to fall apart — its leadership is terrible, and it is losing support among the people. Something could rise to replace it. It will be interesting to watch this play out.
Ah, Elon Musk
It often creates problems when one’s whims and desires cannot be tempered with limits. Financial constraints often create these limits. Since his financial constraints are minimal, he makes spur-of-the-moment decisions and runs with them. Sometimes, this is brilliant. Sometimes, it is not so brilliant. I don’t know which the “America Party” will be. Musk does not have the personality to match Trump in public.
Regardless, the situation will be colorful.
Sunscreen, et al.
I researched sunscreen when my kids were babies. I purchase only specific ones marketed for babies that I have researched. Even that sunscreen is used sparingly. It is obnoxious when others use highly toxic spray on sunscreen in enclosed spaces (such as pool changing rooms), which is in violation of the instructions on the can!
People have to be responsible for “doing their own research” — and that does not mean possessing their own lab. It often means doing research to determine which “experts” are trusted and which are ignored. I don’t expect the government to always give the correct or best advice. I appreciate it when government is genuinely attempting to give correct/best guidance because that is one of its purposes.
Government mandates, on the other hand, are often truly diabolical, as they abrogate individual choice.
My sister did her own research about vaccines before having children. None of her six kids are vaccinated. I did not do systematic research about vaccines until my kids were pre-teens and Gardasil was the next one up. My kids did not receive that one, nor any others since.
I do not believe that it is my place to impede someone from getting a Covid vax who desires one. If the trial for the new Covid vax proceeds with integrity, it will document a myriad of problems with it. These can be collated into a brief literature pamphlet (or informative video) that can be required to receive (or watch) prior to vaccination. Last week my daughter had her wisdom teeth removed. The oral surgeon would only do it under “deep sedation” due to the complexity of the procedure. I had to sign a form that acknowledged that “death” was a possible outcome of deep sedation. She has undergone general anesthesia thrice before. The insurance company had decided only the bottom two teeth were “bad enough” to warrant extraction, so I paid out of pocket for the uppers. I decided that while the insurance company was willing to wait a couple of years until the uppers were “bad enough” to also be removed, I didn’t want my daughter to undergo deep sedation — risking death — more times than needed.
Life is about taking risks. Individuals must be ultimately responsible for the risks that they take. Individuals are also responsible for not bothering to do sufficient research — I can’t undo the fact that my children received all of the early vaccines then on The Schedule, because I trusted “common sense” and the government, rather than researching the issue. Neither should we prevent others from taking Covid vaccines…however, government should desist from any sort of mandate and from using the phrase “safe and effective” which was always completely bogus.
At least with those taking the new Covid vax being included in a trial we should get some good data out of the proposition…at least their willing, half-witting sacrifice will yield some benefit.
Germ
and folks are still getting death vaxxed. Extraordinary.I have noticed some vocal MAHA types excoriating RFKJr for not having completely banned the Covid vaccine yet. I disagree with them. If it were banned outright, those supporting it with religious fervor could be easily turned out en masse to create problems for HHS and hobble the power that HHS possesses. We need HHS to make many adjustments — not just changes regarding the Covid vax. While it behooves government to give out accurate health information, individuals are still responsible for their own choices. The data about the harms of the Covid vaxxes are out there, easy to find now for any who care to look. We can’t easily stop people from getting themselves and their kids vaccinated when they do it out of a religious type of fervor.
What always amazes me is how this Covid vax event is causing a self-selection of those who are willing to buck the system to survive, while the easily hoodwinked succumb and will likely die prematurely, as well as have their fertility stringently curtailed. Surely the “globalists” didn’t really think that one through….
Amex “throuple”
The most messed up part for me is how, once they got the baby-via-surrogacy that is biologically related to one of them, they left one month-long vacation — without the infant, using 4 weeks of the 20 weeks paid “paternity leave” for vacationing rather than bonding with the infant. Obviously, priorities are misplaced — the children are probably “trophies” rather than beloved projects.
Congress and the BBB…
…What Thomas Massie understands intuitively, (and perhaps the 10 holdouts as well,) is that you don’t get change by taking the usual, “tried and true” route — in this case, by compromising on 95% of the bill to get the 5% of what you want. The only way to get change is to go a different route: the “no” vote. “Nos” can be very powerful. When enough “no votes” band together, the BBB can be busted up into multiple bills.
SELF article bashing MAHA — because women would have to make “scratch” meals
What a lark! Yes, some “scratch” meals take a long time to prepare. Others (like Alfredo) don’t take very long when fixed traditionally — but it takes some practice to get it just perfect consistently. But, oh! The taste! Food made competently and well from fresh, natural (without chemical additives) ingredients just tastes so good!
Why do only the women need to make the meals? Why would any self-respecting feminist be so weak-minded as to make all of the meals herself, unless she is a single mom with young children? Other adult and older children household members can prepare meals from scratch as well! If she wants to make all of the meals (and maybe she does — cooking can be a lot more fun than many jobs out there), why also work a 40-hour per week job? Why should self-respecting women believe that they cannot be emancipated unless they work for others “full time?” Why not work for oneself or for one’s children or spouse, if that is what she prefers — she may find the work more fulfilling than “paid employment.” Why is there only one way to “have it all?”
Why train women to long to be “more like men” — fewer to zero children, sex with whomever is convenient, full time jobs — and train men to be effeminate, “trans,” and showing their emotions? Isn’t that kind of bizarre?
These were not errant missiles landing in crowded urban spaces. These were targeted strikes on homes, in residential areas, at night, when families were together. This isn’t the fog of war. It is its deliberate weaponization. The children didn’t make enrichment policy. The spouses didn’t oversee uranium labs. But they died because of proximity—because they were related to someone deemed dangerous. To call this “collateral damage” is cowardice. When decision-makers approve a strike on a home, knowing who sleeps inside, the outcome is no longer an accident. It is a choice. Some argue that in an asymmetrical war, deterrence must be personal. But this is not deterrence—it’s liquidation. It suggests that no civilian life adjacent to state infrastructure is worth preserving. It sends the message that not even scientists’ families will be spared, as if moral limits are luxuries we can no longer afford.
The Zionist Israelis do not share the morality that is embraced by the bulk of humans on the planet. For most of us, our alma mater, our church, our country, our sports team, our city, our religion, our forest or ocean or beach is “#1”…but we recognize (in varying degrees) that this judgment is subjective, not absolute, and we understand that within the framework of shared humanity that other humans on the planet are “like us” and want their own “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” We often disagree on the particulars, but our framework includes the space for valuing other humans in their humanity — we see ourselves in them. We could describe this as “The Golden Rule.” It is imperfect, but functions adequately much of the time.
It is my spouse, Jewish and raised in a Zionist, true-believing family, that rejected his family’s beliefs on the cusp of adulthood, who apprised me of the insidiousness of these Zionist beliefs. They truly believe that they are “God’s chosen” and intrinsically bear more worth than the rest of the humans on the planet. This is distinct from the beliefs of my own family — they believe in the “one true religion,” therefore bearing greater responsibility to God, and incumbent to bring others into the fold — no, the Zionist Jews believe the rest of us (goyim) are lesser creatures. The Zionist Jews do not participate in the shared, over-arching morality in which the bulk of humanity co-creates. They continue to follow an ancient, tribal mentality. They reject the Enlightenment, and likely the moral frameworks of many other religious and philosophical traditions of which I lack sufficient familiarity to cite.
This is why they behave as they do. I do not advocate genocide, but I do believe that this bestial community should not be propped up by outside forces, should not be given money and weapons. When they are granted these “benes” it only serves to confirm their own backwards beliefs — they believe: see! Our God and the rest of humanity acknowledge our superiority — look at how they shower gifts upon us!
The behavior of the Zionist Jews is abusive and anti-social to the rest of humanity. Empowering such a person or culture is a mistake.
Oh, great, so Israel is relying on “precrime” as justification of its wars of aggression. Because, if it’s from Palantir’s Mosaic software, it must be true!
I believe that everyone should use AI at least a little bit. There needs to be a general understanding that while AI can be very useful to do some “mental heavy-lifting” when there is a time crunch, or an expert is not available at the moment, or the task is mental drudgery and the person doing it is well-versed in the how, and needs to apply their own mind to something else, (not when the something else is TikTok,) AI has flaws! Big, gaping, HUGE flaws. The first time that I used it — looking through data on websites — it lied, said that it had found what I was looking for when the underlying data did not support it. My son and I sometimes get stumped on a Calculus problem or the reasoning behind a step on a calculus problem, and will throw it to ChatGPT to see what steps are used or to check an answer. Sometimes this is very helpful — the AI doesn’t skip steps, and further clarification can be asked. But sometimes ChatGPT’s answers are wrong, its methods flawed, so we have to be wary of its responses! Everyone should use AI a little, so that all understand that it has value, but is not a god.
I think that what it comes down to is that Israel *wants* to believe Mosaic’s wild guesses. So, off they go, prosecuting pre crimes.
Kunstler is hopelessly pro-Israel. Suddenly, it is okay to attack a neighboring country that was peacefully minding its own business because Very Important People trot out the decades old trope that the neighbor is probably close to weaponizing its nuclear program.
What if it were the innovation of bronze weaponry? Or steel? Or gunpowder?
Does changing the technology in question shift perspective in any way? Because new weapons technologies disrupting the status quo is nothing new. But does it justify those who already have the newer technology attacking without overt provocation those who do not have the technology, profess not to be pursuing the technology, and who — at least when it has been formally assessed — are apparently not pursuing said technology?
To me, the pre-emptive attack by Israel is based in the old principle of “might makes right.”
Dr D Rich
“ Variable schedules of reward and punishment”That is very interesting. I had never really thought of that as a cause of lunacy. The Behaviorists tell us that such practices are very effective at shaping behavior — but at what cost?
My challenging son’s autism diagnosis was recently adjusted from “level 1” to “level 2.” I already believed that “level 2” was a more apt diagnosis because of the level of support that he currently requires, and has required, since his toddler years. It was a relief, as now he and I should be able to access the supports that he requires to get him functioning on as high a level as he is capable. I tried many, many parenting styles with him over the years. The style that works best has strong elements of game theory — I structure rewards around behaviors that I am seeking to reinforce, and I am VERY consistent, always making sure that he understands the program, what will earn him his reward, what will cause him to receive no reward or a partial reward, etc. I can’t work on too many behaviors at once with him — I don’t know if that is because he can’t handle it or, (more likely,) that I can’t keep track of too many elements all at once. If this consistency is not maintained, his anxiety may get the best of him and he loses control and has meltdowns.
My marriage could be viewed as “ Variable schedules of reward and punishment”…I suppose that was a big part of what was so maddening about the situation — with my ex, I never knew if I was coming or going. His mood would turn on a dime, and then I had to deal with it.
The state of US healthcare
A few years ago I had bursitis in my hip. I sought medical attention to find the source of the pain. I spent several hours with medical people and was essentially told to rest it some — but not too much, and take ibuprofen for the pain. It occasionally came back, so I did my own research and discovered that the docs had neglected to inform me that physical therapy was an option. I obtained a referral to PT at my last primary care visit, but hadn’t gotten around to following up on it—I wasn’t then in pain. My health insurance accidentally lapsed for a month—it would be retroactively reinstated—last fall, and, wouldn’t you know it, THAT was when the hip bursitis reared its head again. This bout was persistent. I turned to YouTube. I found physical therapists sharing exercises to ease bursitis, and yoga instructors who had applied these principles to their routines. Within 3 days of starting these routines the pain lessened, within 5 days I had some days pain-free, and after a couple of weeks I was pain free. Now, as long as I keep up on the exercises I have no pain, and if I get lax I start the exercises back up and the pain subsides. All free. It didn’t require any annoying office visits.
I have realized that I have a persistent pain in my right heel. It comes and goes, but always hurts when I press on it. Stretching was not improving it. I decided that I needed to address the pain and resolve it. I could go to my primary care doctor, then get referred to a specialist, then get referred to PT…that should take at least 2 or more months. Plus all of the time to schedule the appointments, sitting in a waiting room, dealing with professionals. Ugh. I have more interesting things to do with my time.
Off to the internet. There must be a diagram that will explain what is causing this very localized pain. I found it: “Insertional Achilles tendinopathy.” It not only fits the location, it fits the description of how it behaves, what exacerbates the pain, etc. Off to YouTube for PT advice and exercises. Found.
So much more efficient than the official medical route.
And I have medical insurance.
I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the comparative size of countries in the Middle East. I had one, semester long class in high school called “World Cultures” that touched on world geography, and I believe one exam had us fill out a map of the Middle East with names of countries. I couldn’t fill it out accurately now. I just saw a map of the Middle East — an effective refresher. It is clearly obvious to me that Israel attacking Iran would be sheer and utter stupidity if it were not backed by its “protector” big buddy, the United States. The only logical, sane reaction for the US to take is to clarify boundaries: no, we won’t go to battle for your provoked fights. We will stand aside so that you learn your lesson and help with negotiating an end to hostilities.
Tulsi Gabbard’s video above is neither strange nor shocking when placed next to everything else that she has said over the years. It is completely consistent with her as a person.
Recently, I read about how the fact that many common diseases in the 19th century were discovered to be caused by microorganisms led to a belief among researchers that polio must also be caused by a microorganism. While a virus exists that can cause poliomyelitis, so can many other things, and the bulk of the childhood polio that occurred was not due to a virus. Nevertheless, millions have been vaccinated against the “polio” virus.
A similar phenomenon can occur in the world of human relations, politics, etc. We see commonalities, (humans are very good at pattern recognition generally,) and presume them to have the same source and/or the same mechanism of action. Is getting federal databases to talk to one another because Trump wants to save money for the US taxpayer or because he is in league with the Bilderberg Group? I do not know. However, I prefer to defer judgment for now — staying in the gray, uncertain area when it comes to specifics on this topic — because I don’t want to be putting my efforts into developing a “vaccine” against Trump’s perceived perfidy in this area, when further information may lead to a different cause or intent, rendering all efforts at creating and using the “vaccine” as useless and likely counterproductive. Dialectics have value.
Casper cited the states’ arguments that the requirements would burden them with “significant efforts and substantial costs” to update procedures.
Ironically, in Arizona, the state requires proof of citizenship to register to vote, not just attestation. The feds challenged the state on this issue, and the result is a Byzantine system of multiple ballots — the federal form, which only requires attestation, not proof, of citizenship will gain the voter access only to federal elections, while the state voter form, which requires citizenship proof, gains the voter access to state and local elections.
Israel, Iran — because attacking a neighboring country is always a form of defense.
Of course, I could be mocked for that statement, considering the war between Ukraine and Russia, however, Ukraine had been bombing its own provinces for years, technically, Russia entered a war that was already going on.
Which leads me to think of Israel bombing Palestine…how would I think about it if another country were to invade Israel on behalf of the people in Gaza?
I would shake my head…one thing leads to another. Subjugating large groups of people and bombing them seldom leads to positive outcomes for any involved.Zerosum
The actual error HATE, SCAM AND LIE
I couldn’t agree more. My tendency is to have compassion for people. I don’t automatically think poorly of undocumented immigrants. I live in Phoenix! I speak fluent Spanish; I’ve been acquainted with many immigrants from Spanish speaking countries. Some have their documents in order; some do not. The undocumented ones that I have met and that have been here for years tend to be very hard working, upstanding people. It would not bother me at all if they were granted a path towards legal status that was reasonable and practical..However, that is not what happened. The hard-working undocumented folks, been here for years, that time has already vetted — no path was granted to them. Instead, an easy — but still not officially documented path — was given to millions more. I can’t help but think — all of these people pouring into the country without true legal status — did they really believe that this was a long-term, permanent thing? That the free money cards, food cards, medical care and housing was just going to go on forever? That they were going to get “the easy life,” when the country’s own citizens are not granted the same? The situation is insane. And, while I do not desire to cause grief to others, and I do not wish to trample on anyone’s rights, how is it a violation of rights to simply say: you have no legal status here. You were improperly admitted. Kindly leave or we will remove you. You are free to comply (we will provide free transport! to your native country or one willing to take you!), or you will be remanded back to your native country. After that, if you still want to immigrate, proper channels are open. The court system was designed for people who committed crimes that the government desired to punish. Improperly entering or remaining in a foreign country is similar to a misdemeanor — against the law, but not egregious by itself. It needs to be rectified by enforcing boundaries and insisting that people use proper steps. Many years ago my brother was hired by a company to teach English in Japan. The company decided to skirt Japanese law and have its teachers use tourist visas for the 2-month stint. My brother was young and did not get the memo. He honestly told the Japanese official what he was there for. Japan promptly deported him back to the US. There was no need for a hearing — there was nothing to dispute! He requested entrance for an activity that required a visa that had not been obtained: end of story.
Losing jobs to AI
Yes…and no. Many years ago I hired a woman to answer phones and do bookkeeping for me, part time. In retrospect, the woman that I hired was not the best fit as a bookkeeper. I realized as time went on that she made many mistakes, which I often had to correct. However, she worked for me as my ex slid into full-blown alcoholism. After 6 months, to save costs, I closed my nearby office, and the employee continued to work, from my home office. This woman had experienced many “hard knocks” in her life, and the employment with me became a high point for her — because I treated her with respect, something few people did. As a result, she became fiercely loyal towards me. Once, when my ex had essentially collapsed due to inebriation, she helped me get him into a rolling office chair and into the passenger seat of the car so that I could drop him off at the local ER. If I was running late from a tech appointment I could text her and she would meet my son’s bus at the front door so that he could be dropped off after school — she picked up my daughter from Headstart a couple of times when I couldn’t make it on time. This was essential during those two years — my ex was in the home, unemployed, but because I never knew whether he would be drunk, sober, or strung out on his prescription meds, I did not trust the children to his care for even a few minutes. Sometimes, before or after her shift, we chatted about our kids, bad relationships, etc.
I had to let her go after a couple of years — I wasn’t making enough to pay her wages. We remained friends. She had helped me get through the most challenging two years of life that I had experienced up to that point.
An AI could never have done all of that.
@ Germ
Informative article.
The graph makes it clear…heart attacks went up in 2021. Let’s think…can it just be Covid? Unlikely, that officially started at the beginning of 2020 (was circulating prior to that.). Can it be recreational cannabis use? Could be a contributing factor, but the method cited would show up as a high blood pressure increase, and cannabis use went up gradually over the course of a couple of decades. Additionally, cannabis use increased in some states sooner than others, so if it were a major contributing factor there would be staggered increases from state to state that would roughly correlate to changes in state laws regarding cannabis. The article says that “1 in 200,000” get myo- or pericarditis from the Covid shots. Hmm… I don’t think their metric could be accurate. I don’t know that many people, and yet in my circle I am personally acquainted with two people who were confirmed to have gotten myocarditis from the Covid shots. I am certainly not well-acquainted with 400,000 people who took the clot shot.I have pondered the “what will happen if the stores have no food, the water and electricity stop” question for more than 2 decades. Ideally, I would have a well-stocked rural property with an orchard, small livestock, etc. But life these past 2 decades have not been conducive to that. So, I had to come up with a stopgap. I have resources on hand, but they are not flagrant — I don’t want what I have to be visible, I don’t want to become a target for thieves. Next, I visibly garden and I have experience making wine and beer. Things can be taken from me, but my knowledge and experience is more valuable than things. Taking my stuff will not engender my cooperation in sharing my knowledge and experience. My plan is to cultivate community with those who live on my street and the next street over, and offer my help in teaching them to grow their own food, my spouse can help them repair things. And I can turn fruit and sugars into alcohol. If I am seen by those who surround me as a resource to help them and their families survive, then those nearby will protect me and my family.
@ Dora
Thx for Robert Malone piece on AI botsYou stated:
. Maybe AI’s prime directive is to calculate an answer. The answer can be wrong, but it is an answer. Do any AIs have an ‘I don’t know the answer to your question’ function?Good point. I’ve wondered this. If we think about how language works, generally, there is continuance of the conversation — regardless of whether it is “true” or “false.” After a few years of marriage to an emotionally/verbally abusive man I learned the difficult skill of ceasing to continue a conversation, even when my emotions pressed my to continue because of the “correctness” of my views or the “unjustness” of my ex’s utterances. It would often take quite a while of unpleasant conversation before I would realize that I needed to wield that particular skill. An AI is too simple to navigate the nuances of when not to speak. Speech is most of what an AI is. In some ways, AIs remind me of the behavior of toddlers or of my daughter’s Australian Shepherd who could spend hours retrieving a tennis ball thrown again and again. Every time the dog brings back the ball, drops it, and then looks from the ball to the human, ball to the human. “Oh, please, oh, please, oh, please, throw the ball!” his eyes seem to say.
In college now, my son is doing calculus beyond what I did in high school — but I am still his study partner. So, we learn it together (online class over the summer) and sometimes a calculus problem will stump both of us. Now what? If the online textbook’s “get help” button skips too many steps in the explanation, we throw the problem to AI. The AI skips fewer steps in its explanations. However sometimes it lies — and we have to watch for that. Last week the first step in a problem was to do polynomial division. The AI cheated and did that step incorrectly. I knew that the AI was wrong…I know how to do polynomial long division.
Providing AI with the specifics of a moral compass may be difficult, but a good start would be that it does not cheat on math problems.
Casey Means opposition
What I see is a group of people who are fanatically opposed to vaccines, who are having a knee-jerk, not-thought-out reaction to anyone given a medical position in power in the Trump Admin that hasn’t espoused a position on vaccines that mirrors their own. It is like a religion — or like a team. “If you are not 100% on MY side, then you are, by default, my enemy.”
I’m very sour on vaccines. I believe that I have caused ailments to my children by vaccinating them through their early teens. I regret it. I realized a couple of weeks ago that my onset of strabismus at age 18 months was immediately following a vaccination. My mother had not realized this, but she remembered about when she noticed the strabismus, and there is the strong correlation of my vaccine record. Currently, the only vaccine that I believe that has any real merit is the rabies vaccine — if bitten by a rabid animal, a vaccination soon after can prevent slow death.
I see post after post from Mary Talley Bowden second guessing RFK Jr on vaccines, on Casey Means, etc. I’m beginning to wonder whether this amounts to anything more than attention-seeking behavior? Does Bowden feel guilt for all of the folks that, as a medical doctor, she encouraged to get vaccinated prior to becoming a “Covid dissident?” Is Bowden applying a “purity test” because she has now “seen the light” and thinks that others must measure up? Is her anger at Casey Means for dropping out of her residency program Bowden’s own regret for taking the standard medical career road, turned outward? Is Bowden jealous of Casey Means’ wealth? (I have nothing against Bowden — but her rhetoric is beginning to ring alarm bells in my mind.)
The Covid-19 vaccine should not be on the childhood schedule for a multitude of reasons. Politically, pulling it from the market entirely is a more delicate thing — there are still people who swear by it, and pulling it from the market needs to be paired with an education campaign so that people understand the true WHY behind its danger. Otherwise, it can be used as a way to pull off political shenanigans in the future.
Casey Means SG nomination
Yes, this suggests that there is much going on behind the scenes.
Does it mean that RFK Jr is totally corrupted?
No.
But it does mean that we don’t have enough of the picture to understand what’s in view. I am reminded of the parable of the blind men and the elephant.
Should we simply trust the authority, in this case, the Trump Admin?
No – but knee-jerk reactions and assumptions will only serve to muddy the waters.
Watch and wait. Patterns will reveal themselves. They always do. It is difficult to be patient through this process. Jumping to conclusions could derail an outcome that is desirable.The argument that Casey Means did not finish residency or does not have an active medical license is designed to tug at emotional strings, and cause the public to question her competency and legitimacy. If one examines the reasons why she made these choices, one finds that they are the same reasons why she is being considered for the post. Also, quite frankly, the SG is not required to see patients, which makes this an interesting argument.
The argument that her father wrote a “trans children’s book” is an attempt to smear her reputation by a family association that she has absolutely no control over. I thought that we were supposed to be judging people on their own merit, and not based upon their family connections?
I have not personally assessed Casey Means’s fitness to be SG. I don’t know whether or not she is “the best choice.” I can see why she would be nominated for the position.
*sigh*
What I find with much of the crowd who criticizes Trump admin personnel for blatant corruption at this point is that rather than evidence of corruption, we get tenuous ties, worrisome suppositions, etc., that are fanned into hyped up ephemeral catastrophes that are little more than hot air. RFK Jr was accused of only paying attention to food and giving vaccines a pass. Bondi is accused of slow-walking Pfizer. The EO against gain-of-function is accused of aiding and abetting GOF. And so forth. What I see are people outside of the Trump administration who want their pet interest prioritized above all other interests, and the moment they see that their pet interest is not given primacy they call foul, and look for “evidence” of corruption — but mostly everything found is circumstantial. Effectively, those creating this hot air are puffing themselves up and getting attention.
I don’t believe that the Trump admin is “pure of heart.” I do see them making great strides at doing what they promised to do. This shows a level of integrity that is typically missing from elected officials. I acknowledge that I don’t agree with all of their goals nor with all of their methods. I expected that.
It was frustrating last November until Jan 20 waiting to see what the Trump admin would do. I am impressed by what it has done since Jan 20, and what it is doing now. I have never seen a president put forth this degree of effort to keep campaign promises, and I respect that, even when I disagree with the particulars.
It may be that some of the Trump admin efforts are going to prove problematic for the country. We shall see. However, better to try than to make promises, get in office and then just do photo ops and surface changes, thinking more about one’s “legacy” than what is best for the country.
US Gov’t food programs
Some do well.
With the emergency food box program, the box contains shelf stable items such as dry or canned beans, rice, nuts, dry or canned fruit, canned vegetables, and pasta. Most of it is of good nutritional quality. The boxes around here do contain one item that is “ultra-processed”: one or two off-brand boxes of macaroni and cheese. The plain pasta is not organic, and carries the same concern as all non-organic wheat products — the mega farm habit of spraying the wheat with glyphosate days before harvest.
I participated in WIC many years ago. For breastfeeding moms they cover the cost of carrots and tuna, and have breast pumps that can be loaned to mothers who want to go that route. It is my understanding that the variety of items that may be purchased with WIC has increased over the years, but I am unfamiliar with the details. For bottle fed infants, WIC covers the cost of formula — with a pediatrician’s note special diet formula is available. Once the kids eat solid foods, WIC covers baby cereals, (there is the glyphosate problem with these cereals, as well as arsenic in the rice cereal,) fresh vegetables, milk, and fruit juice. The fruit juice must have no added sugar to qualify, so food manufacturers have created specially formulated juices for toddlers (“Juicy Juice”) that are super-sweet, sweetened with pear or white grape juice. I am concerned that this leads kids to a lifetime love of highly sugary drinks. When my kids were young WIC also covered peanut butter and dry beans. Most Americans don’t prepare a lot of dry beans — I remember talking with another “mother of multiples”. Once who related that she ended up with so many bags of dry legumes that she started using them for crafts with her kids.
SNAP does a great job of allowing people the dignity of choosing their own diet, however, as a gift it is not inappropriate for there to be strings attached in how it is spent. Perhaps excluding soda and candy would be wise — recipients could still purchase the ingredients and make their own sweets…but since that takes effort, fewer sweets would be consumed.
As a response to Kunstler
E pluribus unum…..out of many, one.
It is what the US has always been about. Multiculturalism did not fail everywhere. In the pocket of my high school it thrived. A couple of years after I graduated my hig( school was featured on a national news program because of its diverse student body. No one was bussed in to create it — it was just the cultural mix from the students who lived there. The student body was about 31% white. Yes, there were cultural cliques — how could there not be? — but there were also non-cultural and cross-cultural cliques. As students, it was fun to have friends from different cultural backgrounds — we talked about them and learned from each other. Some students were of mixed heritages. In a World Cultures class, when studying Asian countries a student brought in an (aged? Fermented?) Egg that was a traditional food. Strangest thing, it was.
We can be different and be composed of various groups, as long as we also have values and traditions which bind us together and also respect our differences. The left has attempted to bind the country together under its woke banner. This could never work, as wokism is diametrically opposed to many groups’ traditional values, as well as the founding values of the nation. Instead, the people of the US need to be bound together with values that complement their disparities and that remain true to the vision of the founding fathers. The Trump administration has some (glaring) flaws, but they are attempting to do this, which is commendable.
Replacing personal federal income tax with federal sales tax
Please recall that sales taxes are generally regressive, because lower income folks spend a larger percentage of their incomes on items that are taxed by sales tax. The exception would be luxury taxes. Those in the lower two income quintiles — the folks paying little to no federal income tax, and often getting tax refunds on top of that — are often families with children or other dependents (elderly, disabled, etc.). I get the idea that perhaps the bottom two quintiles would be more upset at what the federal government does if they were paying for it and/or not receiving federal handouts…but simply shifting the tax burden from the wealthy to the bottom two quintiles is not going to improve the situation. I seem to recall the Princeton study about how federal policies that the majority of the US desires are not likely to be implemented, while policies desired by the wealthiest minority do tend to be implemented. I suspect THAT is one of the greatest reasons for apathy regarding the federal government in many of those in the bottom two quintiles. The problem is related to the fact that the wealthiest have the money and connections to influence lawmaker and policymakers. Shifting the tax burden won’t change that because the wealthiest will still be positioned to
bribedonate.
