THE EXISTING GOODS AND INFRASTRACTURE DILEMMA-
If the size of the average person is cut in half, then what are we to do with the existing products and infrastructure which were built with the proportions of today’s person in mind? Once again the ability of a market economy driven by profit motive to iron out these wrinkles should not be underestimated. The same answer can be extended to those jobs, such as logging or commercial fishing, which are strenuous or physically demanding tasks. If there is sufficient demand for a product or service, the market will find a way to provide it at a reasonable cost. For example, Pepsi, “The choice of the next generation,” would repackage its product in smaller cans and bottles. Footstool sales would go through the roof. One company in a major metropolitan area could do very well simply revamping stairways or modifying furniture. Another company might cut new doors into existing ones, or specialize in lowering cupboards. I am confident that for any problem, which would result from existing goods and infrastructure, there is an entrepreneur with a solution. For where there is a potential for profit there is a way. If anything, planned dwarfism has the potential of sparking a worldwide economic boom unparalleled in human history.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
SKIRMISHERS
We flirted like skirmishers meeting in the woods ahead of our respective armies- fumbling our way through the dense woods in a tense reconnoiter to ascertain the others exact position, and the strength of their numbers. The unspoken message in the engagement was that the full weight and passion of our hearts was on the march, and would soon be there- both of us stood determined to fly our flag over the other, yet also content at the prospect of being conquered.
"I've never been on a date," I said.
"Maybe I should help you practice," came her reply
"I've never been on a date," I said.
"Maybe I should help you practice," came her reply
I ALSO HATE THIS RED BACKGROUND...
...but I've decided to stand pat, and see this hideous background through until after Valentine's day. I'm increasingly convinced that a man should finish what he sets out to do, and I have purposed in my heart to keep it red until then in honor of the holiday.
I know that red is the color of love, but that is an artificial construct. In my mind, red is not truly the color of the love that Sarah and I enjoy. I think if I could reassign a new color to love I would probably say that love is as gold as a bright tomorrow, as green as money in the bank, as purple as an easy, comfortable silence, or perhaps even as brown as a rich soil from which four beautiful trees would grow.
Red is the color of anger and injury. It also invokes memories for me of papers returned all marked up by a teacher's pen, and of communist revolutions. For those of you who are spiritually minded, I'm aware of the significance of Christ's blood ( and by extension the color red) as the purest expression of love, but I write without an ounce of concern for theological correctness. My mind can embrace that thought, and I do agree with it of course, but my heart won't follow suit. I reject red on a gut level as the color of love. It just doesn't sit right with me. Red has too much baggage.
(It also doesn't feel right as the BFZ's background. The black background gave the feel of entering a 24-hour diner for some midnight pie. It felt right. This feels wrong. Don't worry, on Tuesday everything will be back to normal. Anyone up for some midnight pie?)
I know that red is the color of love, but that is an artificial construct. In my mind, red is not truly the color of the love that Sarah and I enjoy. I think if I could reassign a new color to love I would probably say that love is as gold as a bright tomorrow, as green as money in the bank, as purple as an easy, comfortable silence, or perhaps even as brown as a rich soil from which four beautiful trees would grow.
Red is the color of anger and injury. It also invokes memories for me of papers returned all marked up by a teacher's pen, and of communist revolutions. For those of you who are spiritually minded, I'm aware of the significance of Christ's blood ( and by extension the color red) as the purest expression of love, but I write without an ounce of concern for theological correctness. My mind can embrace that thought, and I do agree with it of course, but my heart won't follow suit. I reject red on a gut level as the color of love. It just doesn't sit right with me. Red has too much baggage.
(It also doesn't feel right as the BFZ's background. The black background gave the feel of entering a 24-hour diner for some midnight pie. It felt right. This feels wrong. Don't worry, on Tuesday everything will be back to normal. Anyone up for some midnight pie?)
Thursday, February 10, 2011
ST. VALENTINE'S DAY!!!
Outside are the storms and strangers: we-
Oh close, safe, warm sleep I and she,
-I and she!
Robert Browning
"Love does not consist
In gazing at each other,
But in looking outward
In the same direction."
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Oh close, safe, warm sleep I and she,
-I and she!
Robert Browning
"Love does not consist
In gazing at each other,
But in looking outward
In the same direction."
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
THOUGHTS I HAD TODAY BUT DIDN'T SHARE WITH ANYONE (until now)
1. Patrick Ewing is the sweatiest man I've ever seen.
2. Rod Blagojevich's hair is like a reverse halo.
3. A sneeze is kind of like vomiting in that it builds and builds and then explodes, but unlike nausea, the whole process of sneezing feels good. Why would I take a medicine to prevent sneezing? Every time is like a gift.
4. I like a nice forehead.
5. Why would I buy these paintings in this catalog when full color versions of the paintings are included in miniature inside the catalog? I'll just keep the catalog in my desk. That way I can take it out whenever I want and look at all of the free paintings. Bam! It's a poor man's museum, this catalog.
6. The only cool thing about velcro is that it is vaguely futuristic, but velcro just isn't classy.
2. Rod Blagojevich's hair is like a reverse halo.
3. A sneeze is kind of like vomiting in that it builds and builds and then explodes, but unlike nausea, the whole process of sneezing feels good. Why would I take a medicine to prevent sneezing? Every time is like a gift.
4. I like a nice forehead.
5. Why would I buy these paintings in this catalog when full color versions of the paintings are included in miniature inside the catalog? I'll just keep the catalog in my desk. That way I can take it out whenever I want and look at all of the free paintings. Bam! It's a poor man's museum, this catalog.
6. The only cool thing about velcro is that it is vaguely futuristic, but velcro just isn't classy.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
GRADUATED USE OF FORCE
Anyway, I started scraping the pan with the abrasive side (green) of the sponge (#1 above), but that wasn't strong enough to do the job. So I took up the scrubbing brush (#2 above) which likewise failed to remove the hardened bits of old oatmeal. (Curse you, Right-Now-Josh!!!) So I reached for the nuclear option (#3 above) whose relentless application combined with the continuous flow of warm water from the tap won the day.
I found myself wondering why I don't always start with #3. Why bother with #1 and #2? Why this graduated approach? #1 and #2 have their place perhaps with dishes whose delicate construction or non-stick surface might be damaged by #3's abrasive nature. But for other dishes it doesn't make any sense at all to start with a lesser scrubbing utensil. From now on I'm showing up to every scrubbing challenge loaded for bear. No more half measures. I'm going straight to #3 every time.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
A DEATH BY DEGREES
Falling in love with the world is much
Like falling asleep in the snow-
It's a death by degrees.
For its comfortably subtle touch
Is Poison-sure and fifty below-
Stay awake lest you freeze!
Like falling asleep in the snow-
It's a death by degrees.
For its comfortably subtle touch
Is Poison-sure and fifty below-
Stay awake lest you freeze!
FROM THE JOURNALS OF ABITZIBAR- AN ANCIENT WIDJIWAT ASTRONOMER (His theory was later disproven.)
"Stars are holes that have been cut
Into the fabric of the sky,
And the light shining through
Is from a source on the other side.
You can't see stars from dawn to dusk
When the sun is shining bright
For beyond the veil in a parallel world
It is the source of starlight."
Into the fabric of the sky,
And the light shining through
Is from a source on the other side.
You can't see stars from dawn to dusk
When the sun is shining bright
For beyond the veil in a parallel world
It is the source of starlight."
BARBARIANS
Today, we are experiencing some truly lovely weather here in Idyllwild. It actually feels exactly like a fall day. Sunny but just a little cool, like you want a sweater on, but not so cold that you need it. Perfect weather. I decided to walk to the post office with the camp's mail. As I walked out the camp's entrance towards town I passed a man walking in the opposite direction. It was one of those awkward deals where you see each other coming, you realize you're the only two human beings in sight, You're getting closer and closer, and you're both wondering if the other party will initiate some sort of interaction (head nod, smile, hello, etc...).
Right in front of the laundromat we made eye contact, and I thought "in for penny in for a pound" so I proceeded to smile and say "hello." Nothing. He just stared right through me and walked past in stoney-silence. Like I wasn't even there!!!
That pissed me off. It really did. Who does that? We're not on the internet or something. I was a real, live person. I looked him in the eye, smiled and said "hello." The nerve of that guy. He just ignored me. We live in a society, sir! I wondered if he regretted his shabby non-response as we drifted past each other in awkward silence. I regretted not leaving for the post office five minutes later than I did so I could have missed this shifty misanthrope altogether.
I continued on, eventually meeting a man in front of the Idyllwild Water District Building, a woman in front of the liquor store, a second woman in front of The Greek Place Restaurant and two more men at the Post Office.
Of those six individuals who I greeted in passing guess how many returned in kind- JUST TWO!!! They were the two ladies.
Four of them, the four men, acted like I was a leper. This is the stuff that separates us from the barbarians, people!
We should greet people in passing and return said greetings. Am I right about that?
Right in front of the laundromat we made eye contact, and I thought "in for penny in for a pound" so I proceeded to smile and say "hello." Nothing. He just stared right through me and walked past in stoney-silence. Like I wasn't even there!!!
That pissed me off. It really did. Who does that? We're not on the internet or something. I was a real, live person. I looked him in the eye, smiled and said "hello." The nerve of that guy. He just ignored me. We live in a society, sir! I wondered if he regretted his shabby non-response as we drifted past each other in awkward silence. I regretted not leaving for the post office five minutes later than I did so I could have missed this shifty misanthrope altogether.
I continued on, eventually meeting a man in front of the Idyllwild Water District Building, a woman in front of the liquor store, a second woman in front of The Greek Place Restaurant and two more men at the Post Office.
Of those six individuals who I greeted in passing guess how many returned in kind- JUST TWO!!! They were the two ladies.
Four of them, the four men, acted like I was a leper. This is the stuff that separates us from the barbarians, people!
We should greet people in passing and return said greetings. Am I right about that?
Monday, February 7, 2011
HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!
With the Superbowl finally in the rearview mirror I can finally declare the 2010 NFL season "in the books." And good riddance. Another rough year for my beloved Redskins, but hope springs eternal...
...for in this moment the Skins are once more undefeated and the 2011 season is like a gift as yet unwrapped.
...for in this moment the Skins are once more undefeated and the 2011 season is like a gift as yet unwrapped.
EARTH'S SHORT FUTURE- Objection #1
(Confused? Wondering what is this all about? Click here to get the gist of it.)
The Natural Hazards criticism-
This criticism points at natural hazards in our environment, such as bears, hurricanes or hail, and concludes that mankind has a hard enough time facing these hazards as we are. How much harder would it be if we were half our present size? They claim that to a bear we would be snack-size, and hurricanes would blow us around like tumbleweed. Large hail could knock us unconscious. I answer this criticism in two ways.
Firstly, the number of dwarfed individuals that may or may not fall victim to natural hazards seems trivial compared to the alternative, which is the famine, drought, and pestilence which would inevitably come with an overpopulation crisis.
Secondly, mankind’s survival has never been contingent on our size or strength. It appears to me that if that was all man had going for him we would have long since gone extinct. It is our intellect which sets us apart, and which is our greatest asset against the often hostile world in which we live. Also, one should never underestimate the ability of a market economy driven by profit motive to overcome these problems.
The Natural Hazards criticism-
This criticism points at natural hazards in our environment, such as bears, hurricanes or hail, and concludes that mankind has a hard enough time facing these hazards as we are. How much harder would it be if we were half our present size? They claim that to a bear we would be snack-size, and hurricanes would blow us around like tumbleweed. Large hail could knock us unconscious. I answer this criticism in two ways.
Firstly, the number of dwarfed individuals that may or may not fall victim to natural hazards seems trivial compared to the alternative, which is the famine, drought, and pestilence which would inevitably come with an overpopulation crisis.
Secondly, mankind’s survival has never been contingent on our size or strength. It appears to me that if that was all man had going for him we would have long since gone extinct. It is our intellect which sets us apart, and which is our greatest asset against the often hostile world in which we live. Also, one should never underestimate the ability of a market economy driven by profit motive to overcome these problems.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
RONALDUS MAGNUS
With Reagan's 100th birthday upon us there has been a lot in the news recently about our 40th president. I went back into the BFZ's archives and retrieved this post from January, 2009 about when I (little 10 year old Josh Tate) first understood that Reagan wasn't going to be President anymore. Happy Birthday, Gipper!
I SUPPORT HIGHER TAXES...
...but not increased government spending.
In general, when it comes to politics I consider myself a pure conservative, and that's not because I am keen to appear a certain way, but because it is, in my opinion, the right side of the argument.
As a fiscal conservative, you would normally find me a staunch advocate of tax cuts. Even though I am not a person of means and have no immediate plans to become one, I even support tax policies which reward the nation's job-creators for their successes. I think most progressive tax policies are just a scheme to punish success and redistribute wealth, and like Lincoln said, "You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong." Liberal tax policies are misguided and short-sighted. Disagree with me if you want, but that's the view from my house. I am one of those shamefully small-hearted people who supports tax cuts for the rich (or as I tend to think of them "job creators"), and by saying that publicly I put myself, in the minds of some, just a step below Darth-Vader.
Having said that, you may be surprised to hear that I have been dismayed since the midterm elections that few conservatives have emerged advocating dramatic tax increases across the board. It runs contrary to my DNA as a fiscal conservative, but I think it is what we need right now. We need to increase government revenue while making real cuts in spending. It's not because I think the Government makes wise use of its tax revenue that we should give it more. No, not that at all. It's because they have behaved like a teenager with Daddy's credit card, and are now buried in a debt so crippling that it threatens both our present and future as a nation. We have to pay down this debt, but making payments isn't enough if we fail to stop spending this way. We also need to slam on the brakes hard! This issue of being brave enough to cut those sacred cows is what Obama has effectively dared the republicans in the congress to do. "Go on," he is saying, "commit political suicide by cutting medicare, social security, and my healthcare plan. I dare you!" Republicans are put in an impossibly tight spot. They could forward plans to cut these sacred cows, which Obama would bravely veto, and then be pilloried in 2012 for making that effort. they're truly damned if they do and damned if they don't. If they do what must be done there are likely to be dire consequences in the next election cycle. Doing the right thing may just ensure that Obama gets reelected. I'm done with all of this jockeying and strategizing. Just do the right thing and let the chips fall. I would get behind temporary tax increases and decreased government services for the purposes of retiring national debt, but I am filled with an impotent rage when I think about increased taxes to fund a government that is already morbidly obese and ravenously hungry for more.
Mine is just a single voice among the millions, but to the republican leadership I say, "As far as I am concerned, you are released to hike taxes and cut spending to the bone. To the bone, I say!!! I will not punish you. It must be done. Go with my blessing."
The "greatest generation" understood that sacrifices had to be made for the national good during WWII, and indeed they may be called on to sacrifice again, but if they don't, if we don't, than all that they fought for will be reduced to a line in the history books- the eulogy of a nation. I have the same understanding today. I am not so spoiled that I think we can have our cake and eat it too. Lets do what needs to be done. I'll still vote for you.
In general, when it comes to politics I consider myself a pure conservative, and that's not because I am keen to appear a certain way, but because it is, in my opinion, the right side of the argument.
As a fiscal conservative, you would normally find me a staunch advocate of tax cuts. Even though I am not a person of means and have no immediate plans to become one, I even support tax policies which reward the nation's job-creators for their successes. I think most progressive tax policies are just a scheme to punish success and redistribute wealth, and like Lincoln said, "You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong." Liberal tax policies are misguided and short-sighted. Disagree with me if you want, but that's the view from my house. I am one of those shamefully small-hearted people who supports tax cuts for the rich (or as I tend to think of them "job creators"), and by saying that publicly I put myself, in the minds of some, just a step below Darth-Vader.
Having said that, you may be surprised to hear that I have been dismayed since the midterm elections that few conservatives have emerged advocating dramatic tax increases across the board. It runs contrary to my DNA as a fiscal conservative, but I think it is what we need right now. We need to increase government revenue while making real cuts in spending. It's not because I think the Government makes wise use of its tax revenue that we should give it more. No, not that at all. It's because they have behaved like a teenager with Daddy's credit card, and are now buried in a debt so crippling that it threatens both our present and future as a nation. We have to pay down this debt, but making payments isn't enough if we fail to stop spending this way. We also need to slam on the brakes hard! This issue of being brave enough to cut those sacred cows is what Obama has effectively dared the republicans in the congress to do. "Go on," he is saying, "commit political suicide by cutting medicare, social security, and my healthcare plan. I dare you!" Republicans are put in an impossibly tight spot. They could forward plans to cut these sacred cows, which Obama would bravely veto, and then be pilloried in 2012 for making that effort. they're truly damned if they do and damned if they don't. If they do what must be done there are likely to be dire consequences in the next election cycle. Doing the right thing may just ensure that Obama gets reelected. I'm done with all of this jockeying and strategizing. Just do the right thing and let the chips fall. I would get behind temporary tax increases and decreased government services for the purposes of retiring national debt, but I am filled with an impotent rage when I think about increased taxes to fund a government that is already morbidly obese and ravenously hungry for more.
Mine is just a single voice among the millions, but to the republican leadership I say, "As far as I am concerned, you are released to hike taxes and cut spending to the bone. To the bone, I say!!! I will not punish you. It must be done. Go with my blessing."
The "greatest generation" understood that sacrifices had to be made for the national good during WWII, and indeed they may be called on to sacrifice again, but if they don't, if we don't, than all that they fought for will be reduced to a line in the history books- the eulogy of a nation. I have the same understanding today. I am not so spoiled that I think we can have our cake and eat it too. Lets do what needs to be done. I'll still vote for you.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
DEAR MR. PRESIDENT,
Greetings from Chico, CA!!! I am a big believer in top-down management. It's like I always say, "if you want to get something done you have to start at the top," and, you sir, are at the top. So I'm starting with you. Some might argue that I should begin by addressing my representative in congress or even the local city council, but I am firmly persuaded that this would only serve to waste my time and theirs.
There is a debate raging across this nation, and I feel it is imperative that you, as our nation's leader, take a firm and unapolegtic stand. I am referring, of course, to the old couch vs. sofa debate. I am a couch person, and I feel that people who insist on referring to couches as sofas are frankly unamerican. Who do they think they are? In a spirit of deference to some older Americans, with whom I am pleased to be acquainted, I have occasionally called couches, "Davenports," but never sofa. Never!
If you would please consider directing the White House Staff and the nation's armed services to refrain from referring to couches as sofas I feel that it would go a long way towards persuading those backward pockets of the population to follow course. The weight of your example here cannot be underestimated. The nation is looking to you.
Thank you for entertaining my letter,
Respectfully,
Sharon Rose Paulson
There is a debate raging across this nation, and I feel it is imperative that you, as our nation's leader, take a firm and unapolegtic stand. I am referring, of course, to the old couch vs. sofa debate. I am a couch person, and I feel that people who insist on referring to couches as sofas are frankly unamerican. Who do they think they are? In a spirit of deference to some older Americans, with whom I am pleased to be acquainted, I have occasionally called couches, "Davenports," but never sofa. Never!
If you would please consider directing the White House Staff and the nation's armed services to refrain from referring to couches as sofas I feel that it would go a long way towards persuading those backward pockets of the population to follow course. The weight of your example here cannot be underestimated. The nation is looking to you.
Thank you for entertaining my letter,
Respectfully,
Sharon Rose Paulson
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