We should also be talking about automation, good work and the economics of wealth redistribution as AI accelerates into the workplace. Unfortunately “the public” is far too busy cheering Donald Trump.
Excellent article in Atlantic regarding the end of work.
The war on drugs has made a lot of people very rich. So no surprise that the pushers are protesting.
From the Globe and Mail, Weds Oct 21 2015 – Leadership, Jeffrey Simpson
FYI: Simpson is a political pragmatist. Facts come first. The kind of integrity in journalism that is becoming increasingly rare. This is extracted taken from his article.
” Politics will and must always feature robust, vigorous debate. Politics is how we sort out choices and priorities in a democratic society. And since we do not all agree on these matters we debate them endlessly and make a rough choice every four years or fewer, among ideas and leaders. But it helps protect or restore our faith in the way we make these choices if the debates around them are attended by some measure of restraint and dignity.
We can do debates better if the one at the top of our political institutions, the prime minister, leads with a tone of civility and respect; if he indeed calls upon the “better angles” of our country’s “nature”.
Such calls have been in short supply. Those with the fortitude for sour memories will remember the shrieking, ceaseless partisanship of the Harper government, epitomized by such ministers as John Baird and Pierre Poilievre; the bulldozing of parliamentary scrutiny with omnibus bills; the negative advertising campaigns seeking to denigrate the persona of opposition party leaders; the disdain for the media; the instructions from the Prime Minister’s office to Conservative MPs of how to manipulate and control parliamentary committees; the flagrant and persistent misuse of taxpayer funds to support pro government advertising; the targeting of non-governmental groups critical of those in power; the deliberate attempt to drive wedges among groups using trivial but emotional issues; the disregard for objective facts provided by scientists or civil servants; the pervasive, sickening spin surrounding every government deed; the sense of being enveloped by “enemies” largely harbored among “elite” groups; the bunker mentality and the daily operational axiom that every action had to be part of the “permanent election campaign” so the even the most mundane of announcements and decisions had to deliver some sort of partisan political punch.”
The father of Canadian Medicare speaking some time in the fifties put to an animation…
We got our last (Conservative) majority by vote splitting.
Vote splitting example: Libs 32%, NDP 31%, Conservatives 35% = possible Conservative majority, despite almost 2/3 of electorate clearly against their policies.
Here is a simple rule if you are ABC (Anything But Conservative):
To avoid vote splitting in your riding (between Libs and NDP) use the polls as a guide. i.e. if the closing polls show Liberal lead, vote Liberal, else vote NDP. This is a positive feedback algorithm. It has the potential to go exponential!
See the poll tracker
Also check out VoteTogether
Right now it looks liberal.
I know, right?! If only there were a huge project that involved every government on Earth and all the people who know what they’re talking about (i.e. scientists) and every 5 years produced a 3 volume, 3000 page, 30,000 footnote report that scrupulously documented the current state of human knowledge about the human dimensions of climate change!
Fifth Assessment Report – Synthesis Report
Good news! Start with the synthesis report.
If you want a three-sentence summary of the situation:
Fact: CO2 in the atmosphere has increased from about 250 ppm to 400 ppm in the last 150 years.
Fact: CO2 blocks infra-red (heat) radiation from the earth to space.
Fact: Ocean levels are rising. Mostly from the ocean warming up for now, but also from melting glaciers.
Fact: Oceans are getting more acidic. Shellfish in places no longer can make shells. Corals are dying.
Fact: It’s getting warmer. This one is often disputed. We are measuring very small differences, and so a lot of thought has to go into how you use the data. (E.g. A weather station that used to be in the country is now surrounded by city, so it reads warmer. A weather station uses a different kind of paint on it’s weather hutch, and the average temperature falls by .02 degrees.)
Fact: Mountain glaciers are smaller than they were 50 years ago.
Fact: Greenland is melting.
Fact: Mountain glaciers are smaller than they were 50 years ago.
Fact: Greenland is melting.
Fact: Parts of Antarctica west shelf are melting at rates up to 60 feet a year.
Fact: The USDA has produced new climate zone maps (plant hardiness maps) in 1990 and in 2012. In both case zones moved north.
Models: The mechanisms that heat moves through the atmosphere are complex. Different models give different results in detail, but give the same general overview: It’s getting warmer. It’s going to continue to get warmer.
Part 2.
Are we doing all we can?
Not hardly. We are barely doing anything at all.
We should be:
Start with this website: Climate Etc. It is written by Dr. Judith Curry, Professor and former Chair of the gatech.edu School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciencesat the Georgia Institute of Technology. It is balanced and very thorough in its coverage of the issues. Beware, though, it will take many, many hours to even begin to explore the complexities reflected on her blog.
Really, would Jesus of Nazareth have driven to church in a Jag? Or how about an Escalade or a Land Rover or a big old Suburban?
Hey we want him to be safe.
And to go with that gas guzzling shrine to conspicous consumerism would he have also worn something “prosperous” like a sold gold cross on a solid gold chain?
No surprises to this study – who drives what.
At the root of intelligence is self organizing networks – example, slime mold.
Source: http://houseofdebt.org/2014/03/07/wealth-inequality-and-stock-market-gains.html
