Monday, July 26, 2010

Fair deal

Moral: Wherein we consider that the big chimera is more shell-game than fair deal.

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We all know that the basis for an economy to be just is the imperative of the 'fair' deal. Generally, we also include that the deal is 'fair' for all concerned. Now, the reality of near-zero would suggest that those 'concerned' is a much larger set than usually considered so far. Most business deals do not have a proper accounting (to be defined).

For one, the old polluters did not bring the denizens of the earth into their thinking. Too, those at the top, fat cats essentially, play havoc with the common weal with results as we have seen of late. That is, they still got their bonuses even though the majority suffered. There are people working three jobs just to stay afloat; fat cats who think that they work hard need to wake up.

Open challenge: There is no CEO of a large corporation who could stomach the stress, endure the terror of bad managers, perform with any sort of efficacy in the tasks that have been imposed, or even bear the life and the work situation of their workers. The caveat: I have to be involved in seeing that they 'fairly' have the proper experiential event (perhaps, there would be some existential realization on their part at undergoing such -- to wit, embedded boss show of the past summer did suggest some of this) in all the angst raising detail.

For the capitalist who runs around the world trying to extend the number of potential people that he or she can exploit, the 'fair' deal would include what labor needs for survival and for future security. Henry Ford knew that 100 years ago. Consumers need to make money to spend; where the 'hell' is this supposed to come from, folks, if not from wages and earnings?

It is a truism that gains on the pseudo-markets (stock, derivatives, ...) are not 'real' in that for every gain by one (or the few) there is loss by the many (if not the most).

Today, Irving Picard, the righter of the unbalances of the Made-off affair, is quoted in the WSJ as saying that he is after those who made money at the expense of others. Oh? Irving, do you not know that American business has descended to that which is doing other than 'fair' in order to line one's pocket? And, we've allowed this! That is, we as a society have allowed this, forgetting for the moment those politicos who salivate at the thought of money and downright slobber at the touch of the buck to their hand.

And, we did it under the guise that Adam Smith was the Prophet. Give me and him a break, people. Interlopers have taken over the economy of the west (however, defined - we'll get to that). And, China now has inroads to manipulate as they may and will to do so. Perhaps, we'll all learn.

Remarks:

01/20/2013 -- The bad spirit of the thing.

12/22/2012 -- Fair and open actually used in a WSJ article.

10/07/2011 -- Magna Carta, the celebration thereof. We need one of these for business. What would it look like?

Heard, from others, that the Wall Streeters jeer: we cannot help that we are good at what we do, find a job you lazy protesters. Oh, yes, Wall Streeters, you are good at what, exactly? Oh, yes, having defined the shell game, then you keep it running so that monies are sucked out of the pockets of the hapless.

09/21/2011 -- On Wealth and the CEO MVP.

04/03/2011 -- Need to look at some background. Too, tranche and trash.

03/17/2011 -- On the rise of the professional politician (will there ever be the citizen polico? that is, those who do not salivate when a buck is passed beneath the nose) toward robber barony. The M & Ms are apropos. As well, need to bring in Schervish's viewpoint.

10/14/2010 -- Capitalism, as known now, requires an endless supply of suckers.

09/27/2010 -- Capitalism is for the good of us, let's bring that forward.

08/21/2010 -- The new kings are not 'royal' by any means; they're mainly takers (exploiters) extra-ordinaire. We need a Magna Carta, for business (local and global) in which rights of the workers (how else a consumer economy?), and more, are addressed. What would this look like?

07/27/2010 -- The Boston Globe had an interesting op-ed, recently, about these types. Of course, there are several types of best and brightest, including the quants. We'll need to address this topic again using what we know of the new kings. Ah, such confidence when underdetermination reigns.

Modified: 01/20/2013


Saturday, July 10, 2010

Mastered by machines

Moral: Wherein we consider that the sirens related to the big chimera just might have the purpose of helping the interlopers to hide the fact that the shell-games are stacked more in their favor, via computation, than we would like to consider.

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Sorry state of affairs, folks.

We need to thank the USA Today for this look at what has been put on us as a yoke by the best and brightest.

Pure idiocy. All this under the name of a 'market' driven economy. Give me a break (we need to reclaim the lessons from Adam).

Some of the real founders are rolling over in their graves.

Remarks:

03/16/2015 -- Let them eat cake.

01/13/2012 -- We'll be coherent and thorough as we discuss issues (out of control) related to this theme.

03/17/2011 -- On the rise of the professional politician (will there ever be the citizen polico? that is, those who do not salivate when a buck is passed beneath the nose) toward robber barony. The M & Ms are apropos. As well, need to bring in Schervish's viewpoint.

02/01/2011 -- The chimera shines.

10/07/2010 -- Several principles need to be explored, such as the ergodic one.

08/30/2010 -- The 'chimera' need some attention.

07/27/2010 -- The Boston Globe had an interesting op-ed, recently, about these types. Of course, there are several types of best and brightest, including the quants. We'll need to address this topic again using what we know of the new kings. Ah, such confidence when underdetermination reigns.

07/25/2010 -- Not run into the ground by machines so much as by the antics of those who use the distraction of complexity to cover their malfeasance'd purposes. You see, some always use advances in technology (and knowledge, in general) as a means to obtain gain. Just taking that tact is questionable ethically, but business has adopted the jungle metaphor (albeit, without real foundation for this choice). Hence, some justification for twisting new situations for means of gains probably can be found; Lord knows, too, that some adore those who have massive collections of wealth. Some of those who bought into the one known bad guy (ah, AIG was probably full of wrongful thinking if truth be known), namely Made-off, and his game did so because they were told that they were joining an exclusive and privileged group. The solution will rest on a better foundation that goes beyond gaming and money'd politicos.

07/21/2010 -- That we let systems run wild says a lot about us. That economics requires systems means that issues of control, truth, and related are of utmost interest to any attempt at founding a better basis. We'll get there, folks, by taming several speculative thrusts that were emboldened by theory, game and otherwise.

07/11/2010 -- Every which way that we look, are there not oops?

Modified: 03/16/2015

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Early Fathers

Moral: Wherein, post the fireworks, picnics, parades, and such, we consider that the real Founders set the stage for those who are usually thought to be the luminaries deserving of our attention and that those real Founders were not of the 'new king' type.

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The U.S.A just had the annual celebration, on the 4th of July, of the Declaration of Independence. That is, the occasion of the signing is the focus. We hear about the Founding Fathers and see the portrait of the inking moment. We also are reminded about John Hancock.

Yet, the framework for this event started over a century earlier. We will be touching upon this as it applies to the contexts of the blog. For starters, let us just look at three of the folks who might be characterized as Founding Forefathers. The order is chronological.
  • Firstly, we do have the backbone, as an example, whose contributions, through his progeny, were multiple and necessary.
  • Secondly, we have the Church of England luminary who argued for church-state separation. He founded Hampton, NH with several leading families after removing himself from the clergy-run state to the south.
  • Thirdly, we have Rev John Wise who was characterized by President Coolidge as one of the inspirations behind the Declaration. Through his wife, Abigail Gardner, Rev John was a great-uncle of President John Adams.
This list is by no means complete and will extended. One intent will be to include Founding Foremothers, to boot, which will be the subject of the next list.

--- Post note, added July 4th, 2014 -----

Founders, yes, but forefathers, too. Again, we are looking at three (ggps - great-grand-parents) who, in chronological order of arrival, are considered further. None of these were heavy into the Puritan ethnic mores of the heavy-handed type. The contributions of two of these were 100 years prior to the Declaration of Independence.
    Thomas Gardner (d. 1674) - The subject of this blog, we can point to a recent Gardner Beacon issue for further information about his life. We know little of his origins, however his character is known by his children and offspring
    Stephen Bachiler (d. 1656) - Oxford graduate. Disliked the religious state that was Massachusetts. Being 70, he was not easily subdued, hence we have New Hampshire.  
    Rev. John Wise (d. 1725 - of Harvard) - Took on the King's representative, Gov. Andros, in regard to excessive taxation. Too, Andros had the notion that the colonists gave up their rights as English citizens when then left to come to the New World.  
Now, we also need to consider how the Magna Charta concerns itself with requirements that are still unresolved in terms of the life of the average American and of humanity, in general.

Remarks:

01/31/2019 -- Lots has changed in these nine years. We will be summarizing them. One context: 400 or so, for one. We're building an example portal at TGSoc.org. Coverage is broad: 10th year, Content vs configuration, Culture/history/technology, and more.

06/14/2014 -- Cognitive elitism. Will be getting back to this.

02/11/2012 -- Example of the senselessness of the ca-pital-sino give to us by the best-and-brightest.

09/19/2011 -- Not Foremothers yet, but we're getting there.

06/29/2011 -- See Gardner's Beacon for continuation on the theme.

08/21/2010 -- Some who came here were of royal descent (this characterization used to honour the heritage and yet to acknowledge that the traditions did not continue here). It would be interesting to see what overlap there is between those who take/accumulate and a royal heritage (that is, it's in the genes). However, there may be many who held to the ideals associated with the undertakings here and who live simply (meaning, they have no role in the current messes which are directly attributable to several malefactor's ones).

Modified: 01/31/2019

Friday, July 2, 2010

Perelman's lesson

Moral: Wherein we consider that there are those for whom the sirens, related to the big chimera, have no hold. These are the 'real' kings (as opposed to the interlopers who are ruining everyone's world) who allow us to hope that we can develop the real backbone of the economy which is necessary for our future and that of our progeny.

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In this day, when the www allows unconscionable exposures to the trivial, via means like twitter, we have a phenomenon like Grigori Perelman to ponder. Not only did he do work for the ages, his sense of justice is remarkable.

As said before, monkeyed up mathematics, abetted by the computer, has wrecked havoc through things like 'quant' views that are rampantly being imposed everywhere.

Yes, folks, we have allowed a type of idiocy to be superposition'd over ourselves in a mode that is accelerating quickly. Characterizing this, for the means of understanding and for the purpose of managing (that is, growing up beyond the diaper'd (yes, many CEOs and their ilk) set), seems (ought?) to be a topmost priority.

Remarks:

05/08/2013 -- We'll get back to the topic of misuse but, for now, consider this. If there is such effort and resource needs for proofs (CACM April, 2014 - we'll get back to this more fully), how can the cowboys be comfortable with the spawning systems willy-nilly upon the hapless populace? Oh, of course, money as the motivation (and principle means of measurement). God help us.

04/20/2011 -- Simple living (see Remarks 04/15/2011 - game theory), as opposed to greediness.

04/04/2011 -- Need to look at some background.

03/17/2011 -- On the rise of the professional politician (will there ever be the citizen polico? that is, those who do not salivate when a buck is passed beneath the nose) toward robber barony. The M & Ms are apropos. As well, need to bring in Schervish's viewpoint.

01/03/2011 -- Ah yes, now there are demands. The question remains: what growth other than the pockets of these types?

12/05/2010 -- Raj Patel has the proper grasp on the 'financial madness' that is threatening us.

08/30/2020 -- Can't blame Ben for liking Jackson Hole. But, those driving our money systems need to take a vow of simple living.

07/02/2010 -- Remember, our bane: politicos, and some economists, are those who salivate when a buck is passed beneath their noses. Let me have 10 Grigoris, and we would put the proper foundation beneath the economic reality.

Modified: 05/08/2014