PROPAGANDA
Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present controls the past. — Geo. Orwell, 1984
When future historians write about the 20th Century, it would not surprise me to find it had been nicknamed The Century of Spin. Today more than ever we see that the battle for the minds of the people revolves around the manner in which events get interpreted, not necessarily the events themselves.
Social observers have long noted this trafficking in interpretations. Who decides what is good and what is bad? Who decides who the good guys and bad guys are in this battle for control of the narrative?
We live in a mediated world. Before entering World War One, very…
Two views on the pursuit of happiness.
I am proposing that what the Founding Fathers meant when they wrote “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” is totally at odds with what it has come to mean today. To elaborate on how this came about is not my aim here. Instead I wish to compare two ideas about happiness and suggest that somehow we’ve now got it all wrong.
What I’m attempting to express here comes from notes I took in response to a lecture on Aristotle that our philosophy club discussed a number of years ago.
Aristotle, one of…
NOSTALGIA
“My work is a moving thing.” — Bob Dylan
The Minnesota music scene has produced some sensational talent through the years. Rock, folk, jazz, blues, bluegrass and even gospel music circles have developed exceptional performers and recording artists. One of these was David Curtis Glover, better known as Tony “Little Sun” Glover. A harmonica player with the folk group Koerner, Ray and Glover (inducted into the MN Music Academy Hall of Fame in 1983) he was also a notable rock critic who wrote for many of the best-known music mags including Crawdaddy, Sing Out, Creem and Rolling Stone.
WORK LIFE
“We are not a team because we work together. We are a team because we respect, trust and care for each other.” — Vala Alshar
For years I have referenced data from the Gallup organization for insights on various topics. What I like about Gallup Polls is that they stake a claim on getting the most diverse viewpoints from the broadest field of data. They have the resources to do this because they do it well and have become trusted for it, unlike many news polls that pretend to do so.
When companies measure ROI, they are measuring results after the fact. …
ETHICS
“Ideas have consequences. Bad ideas have victims.” — J Stonestreet
It is quite astonishing to consider how widespread the acceptance of eugenics was in this country 100 years ago. History.com describes Eugenics as “ the practice or advocacy of improving the human species by selectively mating people with specific desirable hereditary traits. It aims to reduce human suffering by ‘breeding out’ disease, disabilities, and so-called undesirable characteristics from the human population.”
It all sounds so noble. Let’s produce a “better human race.” Where it led is quite disturbing.
What follows is a brief overview of the rise of the Eugenics movement. …
The Final Frontier
Mars is too cold, Venus is too hot, Earth is just right. — Andrew Ingersoll
In 2018, Bill Anders, lunar module pilot for Apollo 8, which was the first human spacecraft to leave Earth’s orbit, was interviewed on BBC Radio Live. Because of the renewed interest by NASA and others in sending humans to Mars, he was asked his opinion. He wasn’t afraid to share his thoughts, calling the idea “almost ridiculous” and “stupid.”
I know there are a lot of romantic notions about space travel out there, in part because of Star Trek and Star Wars, which makes our explorations of the Universe seem inevitable. …
MARKETING
“Secrecy is a mark of Fraud.” — Lord Coke, 1602
For nearly a decade Bob Hoffman, the Ad Contrarian, has been beating the drum that digital advertising is a shady region awash with fraud. Even so, like a shiny new toy businesses have poured billions of dollars into the coffers of its advocates (ad agencies) and platforms, especially Facebook, YouTube and their ilk.
MONEY MATTERS
Wine makes merry: but money answers all things. — Eccles. 10:19
Here’s a Tweet I saw recently. Seeking Alpha is an online community offering research tools, investment analysis and forums for investors.
Nathaniel E Baker
a senior editor at Seeking Alpha
https://twitter.com/natbakerSeriously, we talk about teaching financial literacy in school. Maybe we should start by teaching it in Congress?
What Is Financial Literacy?
According to Investopedia, financial literacy is the ability to understand and effectively use various financial skills, including personal financial management, budgeting and investing. The lack of these skills is called financial illiteracy.
Having Money Doesn’t Solve All Problems
…
FICTION
Just a little break from the routine…
On October 29, 2014 Ken Nicholson keeled over.
The day began like any other dark morning in late October. He’d gone out to get the paper, returned to the house to drop it on the kitchen counter as he grabbed his car keys and satchel to go to the office. He stepped out of the house and latched the door behind him.
COMMODITIES
“You gotta know when to hold them, know when to fold them.”
Copper had a drop
Silver a pop,
Brent Crude is currently even;
With the VIX on the rise
Expectations revise.
It’s only most natural, a given.
“Sell! Sell!” some shout
as they flail about,
“The economy’s a real disaster.”
“Buy! Buy!” others scream
(They’re the Optimist Team)
’Cause they know what it is they are after.
When fear’s on the rise
Opportunist’s surmise
They can get the best stock at a bargain,
for as novices step back
with their cash in a sack
Prices sink and get buried in jargon.
Now that Ethanol’s red And Palladium dead You can look…
Ed Newman
An avid reader who writes about arts, culture, literature & other life obsessions. @ennyman3 Look for my books on Amazon https://tinyurl.com/y3l9sfpj
