Economics
Western Energy Capitol–Making the Most of What We’ve Got
Friday, July 30th, 2010Author Steve Foste
Do you really need a PhD in Energy to understand the solution to the energy problem? Do you have to be a lobbyist to line the pockets of the politicians to get anything done? Or do we have to go to the elitist to develop the system of energy control so they [...]
The Minimum Wage – How Poor is Poor?
Friday, July 30th, 2010Author Tony DeMaio
Once upon a time, many years ago, I had a Civil Service job and was making the princely sum of about $3,000/month ($150/day). At the time it was one of the highest paid Civil Service positions in the State of California. (For the most part, higher levels were political appointees.) I had a [...]
Food Vs. Gold and Silver–How to Start Your Stockpile
Friday, July 30th, 2010Author Steve Foste
One ounce of gold will just about buy you enough food to survive for one year for one person.
How much food do you have and where should you be putting your money today?
I have been looking at the food system at http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/foodpak1.aspx. Now, I understand that most of us don’t really [...]
Peace Games
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010Author James The Wanderer
The 1983 movie _War Games_ has a sentient computer put in charge (actually, it gains control) of all American nuclear weapons. The computer “games” all the possible outcomes of thermonuclear war, whether the Americans attack first, the Russians attack first, the Russians attack the Chinese who then attack America, and so on; [...]
Life, Liberty, & The Pursuit Of Happiness
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010Author Linda Brady Traynham
The idea behind the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights was to secure to citizens the blessings of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness by way of the sanctity of private property and the least possible foreign government. The same is true of the Constitutions of [...]
Return From The Darkside
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010Author Tex Norton
Yeah, I admit it. I made a mistake. I don’t even have an excuse. I thought I could work within the System and perhaps even make a difference. What a mistake!
It all started last Fall on a crisp soon-to-be-Winter day. Neighbors had seen a notice that the Census would be visiting our small, [...]
Probability and Percentage
Sunday, July 4th, 2010Author Tony Demaio
(You Fool Me Once…)
Leo Durocher once said, “Baseball is a game of percentages.” Leo was wrong. What he SHOULD have said was, “Baseball is a game of probabilities.” Of course, while somewhat correct, that is still insufficient. A correct statement is, “LIFE is a game of probabilities.”
Being a professional statistician, I often cringe [...]
Lack
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010Author James The Wanderer
Nicholas Nassim Taleb (The Black Swan, Fooled by Randomness, several other great books) has generated several good ideas, among which are:
( 1 )Events will occur which are both unpredicted and unpredictable. These he calls Black Swan events, in honor of the utter amazement of European naturalists, who KNEW all swans were white, [...]
Wood You?
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010Author David W Franklin
Recently I met a lady who like I, labors to gather, cut and split fire wood for supplemental heat in the winter months. Mutual knowledge of this shared activity provided a common ground for further personal communications.
Just recently, she informed me “I did vote for Obama. I’m still in holding pattern as [...]
Something’s Changed
Thursday, June 24th, 2010Author Linda Brady Traynham
Analysis ranges from what to do when your chemistry professor hands you a beaker with instructions to tell him what is in it by Friday to the sudden feeling mothers get that “it’s too quiet,” meaning they had better go find out what their children are up to. I could say [...]