The commission appointed by the governor is again going to release its recommendations on closing the educational achievement gap and guess what? They will recommend vast expenditures of funds and will criticize the educational establishment for failing to achieve this noble goal. And what is likely to be the result; in ten years the situation will be worse and we will then appoint another commission to reexamine the issue.
There are two fundamental facts which are ignored in these studies and yet they both fundamentally impact the results. The most important predictor of IQ in society is choice of mate and the second predictor of IQ is the educational achievement of the parents. In a meritocracy IQ is the most important indicator of success, whether in school or the workplace. If we normalize the achievement gap to measured IQ we find the gap disappears!!! Parents instinctively know this and generally use school choice as prime criteria for home selection
What we are trying to change is inherent in the very nature of the society we have chosen to live in. The overwhelming failure of Marxist ideology in modern society is further proof of this insanity. We cannot dictate any desired outcome no matter how noble the outcome would appear to be.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Welcome to the New Normal Temperature
As we set new all time records for heat and humidity in the East this summer; I thought is this the new normal? If the climatology scientists are right; this is what will be the new normal temperature range at some time in the not to distant future. I am not saying this was proof of global warming because the time frame is too small and there is far more real climatology data which is indicative of global warming. For example the worldwide retreat of glaciers is almost impossible to explain without resorting to global phenomena. I have personally witnessed this all over the world; from the Artic to the Antarctic. If someone had told me in 1977 when I first saw the glaciers near the Eiger in Switzerland that in 33 years they would have shrunk by 60% I would have laughed. That however is the new reality.
I am sure my grandchildren will adjust to the new normal but think of what they will have lost. I live in New England by choice, the lovely fall weather, and the new snow in December and the new wildflowers in early spring are all going to change and unfortunately not for the better. We will have to devote more of our scarce resources to staying cool in the summer much as our neighbors in the south now do. Much of the grain production in the US will likely move north to the prairies of Canada. Maybe we will find other things to export or more likely our grandchildren will find their new normal lifestyle to be less than that of their grandparents.
Unfortunately most of these changes will now occur because we either did not make the changes that were necessary or we failed to recognize what was happening. The truth is a species of dominant apes on this planet overcame the natural stability of the planet and we will suffer the consequences for countless generations in the future.
I am sure my grandchildren will adjust to the new normal but think of what they will have lost. I live in New England by choice, the lovely fall weather, and the new snow in December and the new wildflowers in early spring are all going to change and unfortunately not for the better. We will have to devote more of our scarce resources to staying cool in the summer much as our neighbors in the south now do. Much of the grain production in the US will likely move north to the prairies of Canada. Maybe we will find other things to export or more likely our grandchildren will find their new normal lifestyle to be less than that of their grandparents.
Unfortunately most of these changes will now occur because we either did not make the changes that were necessary or we failed to recognize what was happening. The truth is a species of dominant apes on this planet overcame the natural stability of the planet and we will suffer the consequences for countless generations in the future.
Are We Alone?
When I recently read of the discovery of two Saturn size planets orbiting a sun size star 2,000 light years away I was absolutely amazed. The existence of the planets did not surprise me but simply the fact that we could detect them at these distances. For those of you who do not normally think of distance in light years; that is 63,000,000,000 miles from earth. We were not only able to detect them but to determine their approximate mass. That is truly amazing and also humbling for a number of reasons.
The universe is estimated to be 4,730,000,000,000,000,000 miles in diameter therefore the distance to the planets is 1/77,000,000 of the diameter of the universe. We have now detected over 500 exo-planets and have only been able to detect them for the past 10 years. With the new (2009) Kepler telescope now in orbit we are likely to expand the number of planets detected by several orders of magnitude and yet we will still have only been able to see extremely close stars.
Are we truly alone in this universe? The scientific data seems to point in the direction of life existing in multiple places in the universe, but because of the immense distances involved we may never interact with any other life forms. Steven Hawking thinks that is a good thing and points to the destruction of the Native American population after Columbus. I would like to live long enough to see that question answered definitively but I think that highly improbable. Hopefully my grandchildren will know with certainty, but they and all of mankind will have to integrate that knowledge with our present primitive religious beliefs.
The universe is estimated to be 4,730,000,000,000,000,000 miles in diameter therefore the distance to the planets is 1/77,000,000 of the diameter of the universe. We have now detected over 500 exo-planets and have only been able to detect them for the past 10 years. With the new (2009) Kepler telescope now in orbit we are likely to expand the number of planets detected by several orders of magnitude and yet we will still have only been able to see extremely close stars.
Are we truly alone in this universe? The scientific data seems to point in the direction of life existing in multiple places in the universe, but because of the immense distances involved we may never interact with any other life forms. Steven Hawking thinks that is a good thing and points to the destruction of the Native American population after Columbus. I would like to live long enough to see that question answered definitively but I think that highly improbable. Hopefully my grandchildren will know with certainty, but they and all of mankind will have to integrate that knowledge with our present primitive religious beliefs.
Stupidity Reigns in the Lame Street Media
Just when I conclude the dopes in the Lame Street Media have bottomed out in their stupidity, I open my Sunday paper and what are the lead stories? A laid off art teacher in New Britain is going to be hired back and a Murder trial in New London will start jury selection Sept 7 after an eight year delay. Then on page 4, I find that their were two rallies in Washington DC one lead by Glen Beck and one by Rev. Al Sharpton of Tawana Brawley fame. The two rallies are intercom pared as if they were comparable; except for one glaring difference, one is attended by at most 2,500 and one is attended by over 300,000+. This may in itself be a record for attendance at any event in Washington’s history.
Given the attendance at Beck’s rally (300,000 +) there was obviously something important that the crowd expected to hear. The article sums this up by stating “Beck makes a call for renewal while Sharpton decries setting, timing”. Is that all there was; or are we once again treated to shameless media bias of the Lame Street Media? I suppose the same reporter would have proclaimed, “The Ford theatre performance was sold out and President Lincoln was shot.
It is becoming more and more evident that the disconnect between the so called media elites and the population is such that one side finds itself totally incapable of comprehending what the other believes. That is a sad state of affairs in that we do need a vigilant media to maintain the trust of the population for the government. When that fails we are likely to experience a change for the worse in our Republic. Unfortunately I see no evidence that is likely to change any time in the future and given the publics mistrust of the media; that does not bode well for our future.
Given the attendance at Beck’s rally (300,000 +) there was obviously something important that the crowd expected to hear. The article sums this up by stating “Beck makes a call for renewal while Sharpton decries setting, timing”. Is that all there was; or are we once again treated to shameless media bias of the Lame Street Media? I suppose the same reporter would have proclaimed, “The Ford theatre performance was sold out and President Lincoln was shot.
It is becoming more and more evident that the disconnect between the so called media elites and the population is such that one side finds itself totally incapable of comprehending what the other believes. That is a sad state of affairs in that we do need a vigilant media to maintain the trust of the population for the government. When that fails we are likely to experience a change for the worse in our Republic. Unfortunately I see no evidence that is likely to change any time in the future and given the publics mistrust of the media; that does not bode well for our future.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Islam and the Lame Street Media
The LAME street media has determined that 75% of Americans are dupes and bigoted for their opposition to a Mosque at Ground Zero. I personally am amazed at the tolerance of Americans in the face of Islamic idiocy. What face does Islam present to us on a daily basis? The murder of 3,000 citizens because a group of Islamic nut cases were incapable of killing more. A US Army major who murders his fellow soldiers in the name of Islam. A daily indictment of home grown Islamic terrorists. How about the public beheading of Danny Pearl or the weekly parade of honor killings by good Muslims who felt the daughter or wife’s behavior brought shame on their family.
How about the daily murder of people in Iraq and Afghanistan by so called suicide bombers carried out in the name of Allah; with the belief that they will go to heaven and be given a bevy of virgins. Unfortunately it is not simply our problem but a world wide problem. A young girl in Iran is hanged at age 15 for having sex with an older man. In the US we would have arrested the man and sought treatment for the girl. In Iran today there is a woman awaiting a Sharia sentence of being stoned to death. Last week a couple was stoned to death in Afghanistan for adultery. This is Stone Age barbarism.
How about the annual riots in France in areas the police are now afraid to go. Or Holland where a prominent journalist has his throat cut because he dared to question the beliefs of Islam. Even merry old England where on weekly basis the crazy imams curse and vilify the country that gave them shelter. How about the visceral hatred of Jews in the Muslim world. The leadership of many of the Arab countries believes the “Protocol of the Elders of Zion” to be factual, rather than the sick concoction of The Russian Czar’s Intelligence Service. How about the charter of Hamas which is begins with ”In the name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate” and then goes on to describe how Muslims have an obligation “to kill the Jews, all of them”. And the leader of Iran tells us that the Holocaust never happened.
Have the Lame street media ever wondered why their opinions have become trivial to the public and there readership in a dramatic decline. They like to pretend it is the internet but how does that explain the increase in readership of the Wall Street Journal or the explosion of Fox News. The truth is they pretend to be the face of reason but ignore reality. The simple truth is: Islam seems to breed a particular brand of insanity that the civilized world left behind 500 years ago. Not all Muslims of course subscribe to this insanity but because they fail to speak out in opposition to it they are assumed to be party to it. It is not the American people who are the fools and dupes it is the sick Lame street media, who dares to call us racist.
How about the daily murder of people in Iraq and Afghanistan by so called suicide bombers carried out in the name of Allah; with the belief that they will go to heaven and be given a bevy of virgins. Unfortunately it is not simply our problem but a world wide problem. A young girl in Iran is hanged at age 15 for having sex with an older man. In the US we would have arrested the man and sought treatment for the girl. In Iran today there is a woman awaiting a Sharia sentence of being stoned to death. Last week a couple was stoned to death in Afghanistan for adultery. This is Stone Age barbarism.
How about the annual riots in France in areas the police are now afraid to go. Or Holland where a prominent journalist has his throat cut because he dared to question the beliefs of Islam. Even merry old England where on weekly basis the crazy imams curse and vilify the country that gave them shelter. How about the visceral hatred of Jews in the Muslim world. The leadership of many of the Arab countries believes the “Protocol of the Elders of Zion” to be factual, rather than the sick concoction of The Russian Czar’s Intelligence Service. How about the charter of Hamas which is begins with ”In the name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate” and then goes on to describe how Muslims have an obligation “to kill the Jews, all of them”. And the leader of Iran tells us that the Holocaust never happened.
Have the Lame street media ever wondered why their opinions have become trivial to the public and there readership in a dramatic decline. They like to pretend it is the internet but how does that explain the increase in readership of the Wall Street Journal or the explosion of Fox News. The truth is they pretend to be the face of reason but ignore reality. The simple truth is: Islam seems to breed a particular brand of insanity that the civilized world left behind 500 years ago. Not all Muslims of course subscribe to this insanity but because they fail to speak out in opposition to it they are assumed to be party to it. It is not the American people who are the fools and dupes it is the sick Lame street media, who dares to call us racist.
Friday, August 20, 2010
What happened before the Big Bang?
The other night I awoke at 3 AM for my usual trip to the throne but when I tried to go back to sleep I found myself thinking about what is probably the most difficult problem in modern cosmology: can we know anything before the Big Bang? To put this in perspective we can trace back the behavior of the universe to 0.000,000,001 seconds after the Big Bang with a high degree of certainty and to 10 -35 seconds with laws of physics that at least make sense. The prevailing theoretical concept of the Big Bang is: it occurred as a tear in the fabric of space; but at the instant of the Big Bang space did not exist; at least for our universe. It therefore gives credence to the idea of a multi-verse (more than one universe) but that could not be true unless the universe had more than 4 dimensions; which supports Super String Theory.
The creation of the universe per the Big Bang requires a singularity which as we now know is common. For example at the center of every galaxy we have been able to study, there is a Black Hole which is by common definition a singularity. Another interesting speculation is: are the laws of physics the same on both sides of a singularity? Ex Is energy conserved? In our universe the sum of all energies equals zero because the gravitational force exactly cancels the mass of the universe!!! That supports the idea of the universe coming into existence through a tear in the fabric of space and explains how you get something from nothing. Unfortunately it doesn’t tell us anything about what preceded it.
Who else in this universe is pondering the same question? With 100+ billion galaxys each containing 100 + billion stars; there must be some other poor soul pondering the same question without being able to go back to sleep. If you have any ideas drop me a note.
The creation of the universe per the Big Bang requires a singularity which as we now know is common. For example at the center of every galaxy we have been able to study, there is a Black Hole which is by common definition a singularity. Another interesting speculation is: are the laws of physics the same on both sides of a singularity? Ex Is energy conserved? In our universe the sum of all energies equals zero because the gravitational force exactly cancels the mass of the universe!!! That supports the idea of the universe coming into existence through a tear in the fabric of space and explains how you get something from nothing. Unfortunately it doesn’t tell us anything about what preceded it.
Who else in this universe is pondering the same question? With 100+ billion galaxys each containing 100 + billion stars; there must be some other poor soul pondering the same question without being able to go back to sleep. If you have any ideas drop me a note.
Reaction to the Muslim Mosque Propossed in Manhattan
As I was driving home from the barbershop listening to Public Radio interview a very left of center lawyer discussing the “hate mongering” of those who believe the Muslims should not build a Temple at Ground Zero: I came to realize the extreme left still probably believes that 9/11/2001 was simply us getting our just dues. What is wrong with these people that they can believe that the 75% of the US population who believes that the Shrine should be built elsewhere are racists? The don’t seem to understand that it was a group of Muslims who murdered 3,000 + people in the name of their religion and Muslims on a world wide basis danced in the streets with joy. In spite of Osama’s apology to the Muslim world for past offences we supposedly have committed against them; they now hate us more than ever. That shrine is an offence to all of us.
The hate mongering that now goes on in the Arab world against Jews is as virulent as any Nazi propaganda that Goebel’s ever put out. Several days ago a young couple was stoned to death in Afghanistan and another woman is scheduled to be stoned in Iran in accordance with Sharia Law. These people are “stone age barbaric” and until we recognize that, and speak out against this insanity we are going to be perceived as Bin Laden said; as weak and pitiful. We need a Ronald Reagan President who is willing to start speaking the truth and calling a spade a spade. I have more respect for Benjamin Netanhu than I do for our own president and I hope he can do what we seem incapable of and that is to stop the nuclear insanity in Iran.
When Israel attacks Iran I sincerely hope they do the job that we should be doing but do it in a way that prevents Iran from threatening countries in the Middle East for a long long time. If that means destroying the power grid and infrastructure of Iran, I am all for it. Israel will be denounced on a world wide basis for whatever they do so I hope they do it thoroughly and at the same time take care of Hezbollah and Hamas. When Allied forces advanced in Europe during WW2 they would offer the towns the choice of hanging out white sheets or being destroyed by Allied armor. They generally chose white sheets. I personally don’t care whether Muslims hate us or not but I want to be sure they fear our power.
The hate mongering that now goes on in the Arab world against Jews is as virulent as any Nazi propaganda that Goebel’s ever put out. Several days ago a young couple was stoned to death in Afghanistan and another woman is scheduled to be stoned in Iran in accordance with Sharia Law. These people are “stone age barbaric” and until we recognize that, and speak out against this insanity we are going to be perceived as Bin Laden said; as weak and pitiful. We need a Ronald Reagan President who is willing to start speaking the truth and calling a spade a spade. I have more respect for Benjamin Netanhu than I do for our own president and I hope he can do what we seem incapable of and that is to stop the nuclear insanity in Iran.
When Israel attacks Iran I sincerely hope they do the job that we should be doing but do it in a way that prevents Iran from threatening countries in the Middle East for a long long time. If that means destroying the power grid and infrastructure of Iran, I am all for it. Israel will be denounced on a world wide basis for whatever they do so I hope they do it thoroughly and at the same time take care of Hezbollah and Hamas. When Allied forces advanced in Europe during WW2 they would offer the towns the choice of hanging out white sheets or being destroyed by Allied armor. They generally chose white sheets. I personally don’t care whether Muslims hate us or not but I want to be sure they fear our power.
Thoughts of a wanderer: Dishonest Journalism
Thoughts of a wanderer: Dishonest Journalism: "I guesss I am one of those who still expects journalists to be intelectualy honest, and I am still suprised when they fail. Is honesty and i..."
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Dishonest Journalism
I guesss I am one of those who still expects journalists to be intelectualy honest, and I am still suprised when they fail. Is honesty and integrity something we no longer respect? What is it that makes a journalist think that we will not scrutinize his or her writings for intelectual dishonesty. I am not interested in his opinions unless clearly stated as opinions not fact. Some of it may have to do with who we keep company with. If most of our associates hold certain opinions perhaps we conclude that opinions are reality; but that is sloppy journalism at best. I would like to see more newspapers use ombudsman with real power and use that power to demand honesty and integrity from journalists; but some of the cynics tell me I am expecting to much. What do you think?
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