Q) give two problems with the global spread of popular culture
A) one problem is how to spread it faster, and another is how to spread it to resistant populations like Muslims.
academic A) one is it destroys the environment, and another is it forcibly suppresses local snail cooking traditions.
over the course of history, a number of ppl have stood out, and most haven't. most of these key figures helped shape the world as we know it, or at least one country. some were good people; some were mass murderers.
one thing we can say about almost all of them is that their place in history was no accident and was not random. it came from their values, and some sort of skill at something. some skill or set of values shared w/ very few ppl.
even a thug like saddam was *skilled*. and not just at beating and intimidating people. i was reading an interview of him by dan rather in Misunderestimated, and he's actually good at twisting questions too.
anyhow i conjecture that almost all major historical figures were, at least in a few ways, significantly better than avg person of the times. or another way: commoners, by and large, were common.
PS secret police based governments by a minority over a majority only last w/ the consent of the "victims"
Israel's unexpected victory over terrorism
Good piece.
Especially No Right To Self-Determination
And also The Lasting Consequences Of Rathergate
As for me, I'm working on war3 stuff. Here are some pics:
we need more guns. for example we should arm teachers (and pilots too!). Do it for the children.
Cartels (right word?) are illegal. They are when all the companies in an industry band together and stop competing, thus acting like a monopoly. The problem is they could raise prices and there would be no competition.
Compare this to unions, where all the workers in an industry band together to threaten companies. Why do unions work? Because they have a monopoly on the workforce -- if companies don't like the demands, too bad, there is no competition.
But unions aren't illegal like cartels. In fact, the left even worships them. I guess because the left hates business so much.
On a somewhat unrelated note, I saw a TV program crediting improved working conditions since the industrial revolution to advocates. sheesh! if the change was just advocates being listened to, then what would happen is a higher percent of budget would go to safety, and less wealth would be created. but we're hella rich today! why? because the overwhelming change was not from advocates, it was from everyone being richer and from better technology. working conditions were poor because we were poor, and there was a high demand for jobs, even bad ones. these people chose to work, and chose to send their kids to work for an extra dime. all the companies did was offer jobs people wanted.
Why we need TCS: link
was swimming. this kid cut swam in front of me ... so i swam around him. his father then punished him despite me insisting i was fine.