Ah, reminds me of working for a certain Karen in Cambridge, Massachusetts...

 

On Positive Thinking

One thing that outrages many people that know me is that I am proudly an opponent of positive thinking. It's not that I think positive thinking is bad, it's that I think positive thinking is useless without negative thinking.

The universe is nowhere uni-polar. You cannot have a north pole without a south pole. You cannot have a positive charge without a negative charge. You cannot have an up without a down or a light without a dark. In a world without opposites, there would be no energy, no organization, no motion, and no progress.

I am an engineer. Engineers are the polar opposite of marketeers. Marketeers sell an idea, but engineers balance the idea with reality. Someone says, "Wouldn't it be great to offer flights from London to New York with a flight-time of only 3 hours. Yes, it is possible to do that. The Concorde did it for a while. However, the Concorde couldn't have done it without engineers thinking negatively. They had to think about all of the things that could go wrong with a jet flying with passengers at that speed. Where would it land if it had a mechanical failure? What stresses would be put on the passengers? How well would the design put up with the stresses it would experience? Literally thousands of negative thoughts went into making the Concorde a reality!

However, not enough negative thinking was put into the economics of the Concorde. Not enough negative thinking was put into the environmental factors of the Concorde - the carbon footprint, the noise pollution, and more. Without enough negative thinking the Concorde had to be grounded.

Engineers thought about all of the negatives in the design of the Space Shuttle, but the bosses above were more concerned about appearances and portraying the project as successful. The engineers were ignored and on two flights the crew were lost.

Negative thinking is as essential to success as positive thinking. Positive thinking is like a bird with only one wing. It won't fly long.

Donald Trump is a sub-human knuckle-dragger

Karen

I just read an article asserting the "Karen" is now the new "N" word for describing older privileged white women. I could not help but to think of a certain Karen for whom I worked in Cambridge, MA. The epithet fits her perfectly.

Thoughts on the Pandemic

I hope all people of good will are holding up well during the pandemic. I am well. I chose a country outside of the USA in which to weather this pandemic. I am safe where I am. I work remotely for myself so this has not affected my work or income. I am sad for everyone that is out of work or facing danger by working with the public.

I am deeply concerned about the USA. I have a house in one of the countries currently experiencing extreme infection. Friends that I consider family are there suffering through this crisis. From what I've learned from them, the USA is about to experience a period that will stand as one of the worst disasters in US history. We should expect more Americans to die during the pandemic than all past American wars combined. They will be your mothers, fathers, sister, brothers, children, and/or friends. This is truly serious. Unfortunately, the federal government of the USA is currently lead by an incompetent man that is more concerned with being reelected and more concerned with his stock portfolio than he is with the lives of the American people for whom he is responsible.

I advise Americans to listen to their state governors for direction in this crisis. Choose information from state authorities over the baseless disinformation from the President of the United States. You need to stay at home as much as possible. Obey orders to stay in place. Ignore any orders from Trump to go back to work unless you work in an essential industry such as medical, pharmacological, groceries, medical device production, and maintaining order during the pandemic.

Donald Trump's desire to “reopen America” by Easter, if implemented, will be an unprecedented disaster. If such orders are giving, I strongly encourage a general strike – only not in the streets, but in the safety of your homes. Social distancing is key to slowing down the spread to a level that hospitals can process.

I have spent much time in the former republics of the USSR and my friends in those countries have shared with me their experiences with the collapse of the economy in the wake of the breakup of the USSR. I think their advice is good. If you have a yard or plot of land, take advantage of this spring season and plant vegetables. Potatoes, carrots, corn, and beans will be extremely useful. Learn how to can fruits and vegetables. When the food supply collapses, this will not only help put food on your plate, it will give you something valuable to trade with others for things you need. If you have sufficient land, consider constructing chicken coups and raising chickens, they are a good supply of protein. Also, eggs can be traded for other items.

Be prepared for the loss of utilities if the economic collapse is on the level of a depression. Instead of wasting money on toilet paper (you can always use newspaper instead), save up some candles, batteries, camping stoves and fuel, etc.  If the internet goes down, having a shortwave radio is very helpful for getting foreign news, which is often more reliable than local news.

If the government issues orders that will endanger the lives of Americans in favor of the stock market, resist! Refuse to cooperate! Stay at home and protect your life and the lives of your loved ones.

This is not a drill. It's real. Prepare reasonably, but don't hoard. The ability to make the things you need is more valuable than stocking more than you need.

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The USA is doomed

Americans live in such a small concept space. Their universe is divided into two mafias - the Republican Mafia and the Democratic Mafia. The two mafias differ primarily in how they view diversity, but in most other areas of policy, they are exactly the same. They are both right-wing. They are both warmongers. They are both corrupt.

An American cannot talk about a Republican without comparing him/her to a Democrat. An American cannot talk about a Democrat without comparing him to a Republican. It is a downward spiraling circle jerk of scum, each unethical act is excused by the alleged unethical act of the other. It descends and descends into stupidity and tyranny.

Without a revolution American is doomed. One thing is certain, the American form of government is doomed. Doomed by stupidity, selfishness, lack of ethics, delusional self-righteousness, shortsightedness, and blind faith in bullshit.

Article Cites Elizabeth Warren As First Woman of Color Hired by Harvard Law School

Elizabeth Warren reminds me of a person I once worked with, a certain Cyndy. She made her way into an AI company in a strange way. Her mother purchased her internship by directing funds from a pharmaceutical company to the AI company. She stole other people's ideas and kissed asses to ascend. She was two faced and willing to back stab, a vile snake of a person. Someday when I write a novel, I'll use her lizard personality as the template for a despicable character.

https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/05/article-cites-elizabeth-warren-as-first-woman-of-color-hired-by-harvard-law-school

Parrots are more intelligent and morally superior to Trumpers

Parrots are more intelligent and morally superior to Trumpers

https://www.studyfinds.org/parrots-naturally-exhibit-kindness-selfless-behavior-in-extraordinary-study/