Musings from Deeptime

9/5/21  draft Quote from FS, a blog I came across First Thing (goes well with second cup of coffee); Authority So much of what we believe is based on some authority figure telling us that something is true. As children, we learn to stop questioning when we’re told “Because I said so.” (More on this later.) As adults, we learn to stop questioning when people say “Because that’s how it works.” The implicit message is “understanding be damned — shut up and stop bothering me.” It’s not intentional or personal. OK, sometimes it’s personal, but most of the time, it’s not. If you outright reject dogma, you often become a problem: a student who is always pestering the teacher. A kid who is always asking questions and never allowing you to cook dinner in peace. An employee who is always slowing things down by asking why. When you can’t change your mind, though, you die. Sears was once thought indestructible before Wal-Mart took over. Sears failed to see the world change. Adapting to change...

 9/4/21 Sept 1, 2 Quote of the day, and why I chose it. First the quote- "The goals of intelligence analysis are NOT “fairness,” “balance,” “sensitivity,” “political correctness,”or “social justice,”...The goals are accuracy and policy-relevance, which demands solid reasoning powers, sound analytical judgement, and skill at building an argument (or case) useful for decision-makers. Identification of current dynamics and future prospects, for the briefing of decisionmakers..." Wayne Selcher Why I chose this quote. I am considering opening a "School for the Dissemination of Dangerous Ideas". Graduates will hopefully become known as, Disturbers of the Peace, Trouble Makers, Independents, Free Thinkers. They will blend into society as butchers and bakers and candlestick makers. They will be Democrats, Republicans and Independents. They will be of every race and culture. Talking Heads will hold them in disdain and politicians will fear them. They shall be known as ...

9/1/21 File under, "It is never too late to learn" One of the issues that has gathered a lot of press time recently is the concept of American Exceptionalism. There is a big difference in how Americans see themselves and how much of the world sees us. The US is physically a big country (3rd largest), and many of our states have economies larger than many countries. But Americans' have a problem; We know very little of how the rest of the world thinks, what their values and what their culture consider important. We are very much like a bull in a china shop, and this attitude hurts us in so many ways. Here is an article that discusses this very issue, I have listed key points from it for those too busy to read it in it's entirety; This is from the Washington Post, which is consider a pretty good source for news. 8/31/21 at 3:51 p.m. EDT Opinion: I was a combat interpreter in Afghanistan, where cultural illiteracy led to U.S. failure. by Baktash Ahadi Baktash Ahadi se...

 8/31/21 The 2nd-best Quote of the Day; (I'm dedicating this quote to all the teachers who are dedicating their careers to educating our children, to instilling in them a love of learning, who fertilize the seedlings of Curiosity, who by example teach first principles.). To all of you, I want to say, Thank You. bobb "The two biggest divides in schools today are also highly volatile because they challenge fundamental narratives of what it means to be an American. The debate over mask mandates puts two values into conflict, collective responsibility versus personal liberty. And an examination of the country’s history of racism challenges cherished ideas about America’s founding. nyt

 8/30/21 Quote of the Day; "As always, we should be open to changing our minds as we get new evidence". David Leonhardt

 8/28/21 Maybe it is Time to Take Inventory. Then Figure What We Have To work With. Then Start Over. May, Just Maybe, It Can Be That Simple. Come on folks we can do this. bobb (Language warning) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2HKbygLjJs&list=WL&index=65

 8/28/21 Teach. It is a good thing encourage our children to develop a personal strength to entertain many different perspectives, without being attached to any of them. Our children will benefit greatly if they are able to determine which way of looking at a problem will be most useful in any given set of circumstances. bobb

  8/26/21 File Under; "I didn't know that! Discussing hot-topic issues from an informed position" I've attached a link to a real handy paper to have on hand of back grounding information on key aspects of the American World View and how and why they see things the way they do. It's title is, "Is The United States Exceptional?" It was written (and I may not get this exactly right) for foreign audiences, primarily Central and S. American whose jobs have them interfacing with Americans. In it's author's own words, "...This essay is meant as a comprehensive introductory overview from an empirical comparative politics and society standpoint. Many links to a wealth of high-quality cost-free online sources in English are offered to assist interested persons who wish to analyze further some aspects of the contemporary situation of the United States in a comparative context." It was written by Wayne A. Selcher, Ph.D. who is is Professor of ...

 8/24/21 File under "while Rome burned"; Over the past week, about 1,000 Americans per day have died of Covid; vaccination would probably have saved more than 95 percent of them. NYT ...Now let's see...1,000/day X 7 days = 7,000 X .95 =6,650 preventable deaths for just last week. That like killing every man, women, and child in Milford (1747) every two days.

 8/22/21 Perspective; a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view. Is viewing the vaxx/mask debate as a "Rights" issue, no longer tenable? Can the variant be the reason for you to change your perspective? While you quibble over your Constitutional Rights or that it is a "personal choice", the White House — and the country — has had to contend with a variant that is more than twice as transmissible as previous strains of the virus and so contagious that it behaves almost like a different virus. Those infected with it carry viral loads 1,000 times greater than earlier strains. Who would have thought, so people in the United States would refuse to get the free and easily accessible shots that others across the globe are desperate to have. July 4: The seven-day average for new coronavirus infections stood at 12,879, one of the lowest rates since the start of the pandemic. July 9: The seven-day average for new cases is 17,968, up 40 percen...

 8/21/21 August 21st,2 There is someone who is watching you. They take note of everything about you...How you walk, how you hold your body when you are in conversation, the manner that a smile breaks out across your face. They know the style you dress and the shows you won't watch. They could pick your laugh out of a thousand others, and they know the jokes you laugh at and the ones you don't. They note the tone, and inflection in your voice when you talk to a tired waitress who just got your order wrong or a coworker who is considering some very risky behavior as they say they can no longer deal with life being, "one dead end after another". They watched as you have extended your hand to a stranger and when you chose not to. They listened as you chose silence in response to a barrage of ill-chosen words by someone who just needed a listening ear. In fact they think a lot about how you listen – with patience, and total attention. I know, you think I talki...