" He who can not learn from history is doomed to repeat it " well we have all heard that one many times . it has become rather cliche . i would like to present a alternate view .
history does not repeat it self . Human Nature repeats itself over and over . history provides a record of what was learned or unfortunatly not learned . let us try greek phlisophy is it really old hat . the country of greece is still here . the idea of democracy is practised in some form in the industrial nations and it is the ideal people in the poor countries around the world struggle for .
speaking of industry the Romans gave us civil engineering which is alive and well today all over the world . the Romans also gave us the new testement of the Bible . if they had not crucified jesus . christianty would have never been born .
history is a living testimony to the progress the human race has made and continues to make . against its own human nature . there is always a mad man who wants to rule the world just as much as there is always a man who wants to save the world . the same charchters reappear through out history with every generation . history provides the stage and the props .
suppose mankind was to make a radical change in phliosiphy . instead of survival of the fittest . we worked toward survival for all of us . using our military to stop wars instead of starting them . we could change the course of history if we could change the course of human nature .
Monday, October 29, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
school daze
in all public schools they have " hall sweeps" . this is where after class starts the sentries and adminstrators walk the halls and any student in the hall is brought to the cafeteria . where they are given detension or suspension . this usually results in the student getting angry . and saying " go ahead suspend me i dont care " definatly a bad seed .
is that really true . what i see are students who are teenagers . who were pushed through the grades weather they passed or not . willie did not understand fractions , so they pushed him into algebra . willie did not understand earth science so they pushed him into chemestry . what is happening here is we have high school students who were not prepared for high school . and we blame them for failing .we blame the home life as being dysfunctional , but what about the kids who are naturally smart ? they have homes that are just as dysfunctional . but because they do well in school they are able to rise above that and become functional . blaming the victim is always fun and easy , but it never helps .
another problem is video games and tv . i am not talking about the rotting of the moral fiber . what i am saying is . we have a generation that was brought up on video games where you have to think fast and act fast . TV cartoons that have simple plots that move very fast . a generation who have created a new dialect with text messaging
you can not get this generation to sit and listen to a teacher lecture for 30 minuites . they do not have the time . even the book is to slow . education to this generation has to be delivered electronicaly . that is what they understand . we need class rooms with more computers and more learning software . i think we would be surprised how fast the students would learn .
the baby boomers created a whole new world . a world where every 10 years is a life time . but we expect out kids to learn the way they have for hundereds of years . a chalk board and a teacher . it is like asking a baby boomer to give up the power steering, power brakes , and A/C in his or her car. and go back to the old equipment .
if we are serious about education in this country . which i do not believe we are . it going to take a lot more money and teachers to get the job done , but then we would have the india scenerio . india has the problem of to many highly educated people not enough jobs for them all . if we really left no child behind . would we have enough jobs for them all ?
if we really left no child behind . would we have enough jobs for them all .
is that really true . what i see are students who are teenagers . who were pushed through the grades weather they passed or not . willie did not understand fractions , so they pushed him into algebra . willie did not understand earth science so they pushed him into chemestry . what is happening here is we have high school students who were not prepared for high school . and we blame them for failing .we blame the home life as being dysfunctional , but what about the kids who are naturally smart ? they have homes that are just as dysfunctional . but because they do well in school they are able to rise above that and become functional . blaming the victim is always fun and easy , but it never helps .
another problem is video games and tv . i am not talking about the rotting of the moral fiber . what i am saying is . we have a generation that was brought up on video games where you have to think fast and act fast . TV cartoons that have simple plots that move very fast . a generation who have created a new dialect with text messaging
you can not get this generation to sit and listen to a teacher lecture for 30 minuites . they do not have the time . even the book is to slow . education to this generation has to be delivered electronicaly . that is what they understand . we need class rooms with more computers and more learning software . i think we would be surprised how fast the students would learn .
the baby boomers created a whole new world . a world where every 10 years is a life time . but we expect out kids to learn the way they have for hundereds of years . a chalk board and a teacher . it is like asking a baby boomer to give up the power steering, power brakes , and A/C in his or her car. and go back to the old equipment .
if we are serious about education in this country . which i do not believe we are . it going to take a lot more money and teachers to get the job done , but then we would have the india scenerio . india has the problem of to many highly educated people not enough jobs for them all . if we really left no child behind . would we have enough jobs for them all ?
if we really left no child behind . would we have enough jobs for them all .
Friday, October 19, 2007
' AS SEEN ON TV '
everybody likes watching TV , me too. our entertainment choices have never been broader or more appealing . no matter what your interests are there is a segment for you . i would like to look a little deeper into this subject .
which is exactly what the entertainment industry does not want . who can blame them . when we watch TV we all " suspend disbelief " that's how movies work . have we suspended to much disbelief ?
network situation comedies started going down hill with " all in the family " Archie Bunker was mean and nasty . but there was no laugh track . it was supposed to be a honest look at American life . fast forward to " everybody loves Raymond " it is a show where everyone is nasty with a laugh track . is it shaping American life in a negative way ?
the television programmers would love it if everyone in America spent as much time as possible in front of the TV watching as many commercials as possible . over and over . they have come up with nifty set top box's that keep track of what we watch and auto record shows it thinks we will like . these box's can tell what we are watching when we watched it and if we skipped the commercials . these nifty set top box's are starting to direct advertising to out TVs suitable for our age , race. and economic status .
sales figures are analyzed like forensic evidence to make sure we see the advertising designed to pull all the right emotional triggers with us . so we will leave our TV s long enough to go shopping .
how much of what we see and hear on TV shapes our thinking and actions ? dining out used to be a special occasion now we eat out all the time . we used to save for what we wanted to buy . now we buy it and pay it off . is this good or bad or just the way it is ? are we rude when we should be polite because thats the way they are on TV
how about our attitudes towards each other . Christian stations and there shows are doing a brisk business . the reality shows have become big money winners and real police shows [cold case , forensic files] are staples on discovery and the NGC . are people tired of the fantasy Hollywood has created and want something real ?
I believe TV is the greatest invention of the past 200 years . maybe we are moving out of the childhood of TV . perhaps in the next 50 years the marriage of the Internet and television will be so complete we will start using TV in an adult way . for learning and development of our shared humanity . perhaps it truly help all of us to be healthy , wealthy and wise .
which is exactly what the entertainment industry does not want . who can blame them . when we watch TV we all " suspend disbelief " that's how movies work . have we suspended to much disbelief ?
network situation comedies started going down hill with " all in the family " Archie Bunker was mean and nasty . but there was no laugh track . it was supposed to be a honest look at American life . fast forward to " everybody loves Raymond " it is a show where everyone is nasty with a laugh track . is it shaping American life in a negative way ?
the television programmers would love it if everyone in America spent as much time as possible in front of the TV watching as many commercials as possible . over and over . they have come up with nifty set top box's that keep track of what we watch and auto record shows it thinks we will like . these box's can tell what we are watching when we watched it and if we skipped the commercials . these nifty set top box's are starting to direct advertising to out TVs suitable for our age , race. and economic status .
sales figures are analyzed like forensic evidence to make sure we see the advertising designed to pull all the right emotional triggers with us . so we will leave our TV s long enough to go shopping .
how much of what we see and hear on TV shapes our thinking and actions ? dining out used to be a special occasion now we eat out all the time . we used to save for what we wanted to buy . now we buy it and pay it off . is this good or bad or just the way it is ? are we rude when we should be polite because thats the way they are on TV
how about our attitudes towards each other . Christian stations and there shows are doing a brisk business . the reality shows have become big money winners and real police shows [cold case , forensic files] are staples on discovery and the NGC . are people tired of the fantasy Hollywood has created and want something real ?
I believe TV is the greatest invention of the past 200 years . maybe we are moving out of the childhood of TV . perhaps in the next 50 years the marriage of the Internet and television will be so complete we will start using TV in an adult way . for learning and development of our shared humanity . perhaps it truly help all of us to be healthy , wealthy and wise .
Monday, October 8, 2007
sliding down the slippery slope of over supply
the news is good wal-mart is cutting prices again . sam walton must be singing in heaven . , but wait there are flies in the ointment . why is wal-mart cutting prices on christmas toys so early ?was it wal-marts relentlas push to cut costs that lead to the lead in the chinese made toys ? are these the toys that wal-mart is discounting ?
richard nixon had no idea what he was unleashing on america . when he opened up china to trade for his corprate masters . the french knew . france watched its textile industy disappear to hong kong in the early sixities . by the way every president since nixon has done their best to make sure chinas door to our markets stays wide open . we lost the war in vietnam and as a bonus the chinese turnrd south vietnam into one huge factory making goods for the american market . who knows maybe that what the war was for .
walk into any of the retail chain stores . the shelves are groaning with the weight of the merchindise . that has to be sold to make room for the next shipment ordered automaticaly by the computer , brought by the just in time warehouse on wheels . so the robot like sales people can make nice over and over all day long .
how many tools , house gadgets and consumer electronics can the american house hold ? what happens when there is no more room , the credit card is maxed and there is no more equity left to borrow ? when even the advertising that is eveywhere pulling those emotional triggers can not over come the reality . that we have enough .
if one wants a clear view of how much all this stuff would cost if it would if it was made in america . look at autos and houses . there made in america . cars for the past 10 years have been so expensive people can only afford to lease [rent] them . houses are so big and expensive that the banks had to get " creative " to make the mortgages on them . when does this train run out of track .
it is ironic that it is all this psycho consumption that fuels the R&D for even more amazing gadgets that are almost unbelievable . it is like sci-fi come to life . it produces light speed advances in the technolgy that keeps us healthy , wealthy and wise . i can hardly concive of the technolgy we will all see in the next 30 years .
i challenge everyone to not buy anything but gas and food for just 30 days . to only pay the rent on our nessisties car, cell phone service , internet and satalite tv . not to stop to start any kind of anti consumption revloution . but just for 30 days step out of the rat race of consumption . step back and enjoy all that we already have . see a whole new perspective on blessed we truly are .
richard nixon had no idea what he was unleashing on america . when he opened up china to trade for his corprate masters . the french knew . france watched its textile industy disappear to hong kong in the early sixities . by the way every president since nixon has done their best to make sure chinas door to our markets stays wide open . we lost the war in vietnam and as a bonus the chinese turnrd south vietnam into one huge factory making goods for the american market . who knows maybe that what the war was for .
walk into any of the retail chain stores . the shelves are groaning with the weight of the merchindise . that has to be sold to make room for the next shipment ordered automaticaly by the computer , brought by the just in time warehouse on wheels . so the robot like sales people can make nice over and over all day long .
how many tools , house gadgets and consumer electronics can the american house hold ? what happens when there is no more room , the credit card is maxed and there is no more equity left to borrow ? when even the advertising that is eveywhere pulling those emotional triggers can not over come the reality . that we have enough .
if one wants a clear view of how much all this stuff would cost if it would if it was made in america . look at autos and houses . there made in america . cars for the past 10 years have been so expensive people can only afford to lease [rent] them . houses are so big and expensive that the banks had to get " creative " to make the mortgages on them . when does this train run out of track .
it is ironic that it is all this psycho consumption that fuels the R&D for even more amazing gadgets that are almost unbelievable . it is like sci-fi come to life . it produces light speed advances in the technolgy that keeps us healthy , wealthy and wise . i can hardly concive of the technolgy we will all see in the next 30 years .
i challenge everyone to not buy anything but gas and food for just 30 days . to only pay the rent on our nessisties car, cell phone service , internet and satalite tv . not to stop to start any kind of anti consumption revloution . but just for 30 days step out of the rat race of consumption . step back and enjoy all that we already have . see a whole new perspective on blessed we truly are .
Thursday, October 4, 2007
cleaning out the gene pool or police state
everyone likes the police . we think they do a good job keeping us safe from the criminal element . but if the police are such fine fellows why do people always want a lawyer with them when they talk to the police . people with money hire lawyers to mounter the police investigation and hire pathologists to do an autopsy after the police are done . independent labs do a brisk business with people who do not believe the police did a complete job with the forensic evidence.
TV shows like csi Miami are really soap operas of clashing personalities with a murder thrown in and some forensic science . shows like forensic files and cold case deal with " just the facts ma"m as Joe Friday used to say . the police work long and hard to catch criminals . it seems to me that DNA has been as effective at keeping the police honest and curing legal tunnel vision " guilty until proven innocent "as it has been in convicting people who should be in prison for a long time .
what about those people in prison . most states have the three strike law so people who are serving long sentences have earned them by habitual criminal activity . these people are also not reproducing . which is good . if there is a criminal gene it is not being passed on . there is a large African American population in the nations jails men and women . what will the effect be on on the African American population ?
have we made so many laws that it hard not to break the law ? we have the right to own a hand gun , but the law says it has to have a trigger lock and be locked in a gun safe . this pretty much makes it useless for the purpose it was purchased for .
if you have one drink in new york then drive you are legally drunk . same with seat belts . it would seem that the law is making more of our behavioral decisions for us . will we eventually lose our right to make any decisions ? are we moving towards a police state ? how many of us make our choices out of fear rather than hope ?
it will be interesting to watch over the next 50 years with the rapid development and deployment of electronic monitoring devices in our , homes , cars and work and public places . how will our lives will be shaped . we have lived in a machine society for a hundred years . we have become very machine like ourselves . we admire people who are stable and regular . you could set your watch by the time the leave and come home from work everyday . just like a machine we make the most efficient use of our time and energy . at the cost of human relationships and our own spiritual journey .
TV shows like csi Miami are really soap operas of clashing personalities with a murder thrown in and some forensic science . shows like forensic files and cold case deal with " just the facts ma"m as Joe Friday used to say . the police work long and hard to catch criminals . it seems to me that DNA has been as effective at keeping the police honest and curing legal tunnel vision " guilty until proven innocent "as it has been in convicting people who should be in prison for a long time .
what about those people in prison . most states have the three strike law so people who are serving long sentences have earned them by habitual criminal activity . these people are also not reproducing . which is good . if there is a criminal gene it is not being passed on . there is a large African American population in the nations jails men and women . what will the effect be on on the African American population ?
have we made so many laws that it hard not to break the law ? we have the right to own a hand gun , but the law says it has to have a trigger lock and be locked in a gun safe . this pretty much makes it useless for the purpose it was purchased for .
if you have one drink in new york then drive you are legally drunk . same with seat belts . it would seem that the law is making more of our behavioral decisions for us . will we eventually lose our right to make any decisions ? are we moving towards a police state ? how many of us make our choices out of fear rather than hope ?
it will be interesting to watch over the next 50 years with the rapid development and deployment of electronic monitoring devices in our , homes , cars and work and public places . how will our lives will be shaped . we have lived in a machine society for a hundred years . we have become very machine like ourselves . we admire people who are stable and regular . you could set your watch by the time the leave and come home from work everyday . just like a machine we make the most efficient use of our time and energy . at the cost of human relationships and our own spiritual journey .
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