Tim Apple. Larry Oracle. Ginni Layoffs: It works so why the heck not? US prez Donald J Trump may not leave a wholesome legacy behind him, but one of POTUS's more useful innovations was showcased yesterday: the revival of the occupational surname. "We appreciate it very much, Tim Apple," Trump told Apple CEO Tim Cook as he sat alongside the Silicon Valley boss. Youtube Video The Donald was …
Reagan was also not blessed with the best of brains, just good speechwriters. In fact, if you look at the history of US presidents, you'll see that the election process has a lot of similarities with county fairs. Trump is different largely through his attempts to assert the primacy of the executive over the other branches. But he's hardly the first to try and do this, it's just the give of modern media that we get to see him in action so much.
Reagan was also not blessed with the best of brains, just good speechwriters.
I've seen the suggestion that the Reagan administration was a perfect example of Minsky's Society of Mind, in that a lot of relatively mindless agents with different agendas pulled in different directions but overall it ended up looking like a coherent system with a single purpose.
I've seen the suggestion that the Reagan administration was a perfect example of Minsky's Society of Mind, in that a lot of relatively mindless agents with different agendas pulled in different directions
Also not supported by the historical evidence. Reagan did not always get the pick of the litter for his cabinet and advisors, and his own faculties were increasingly compromised (see my other post), but "relatively mindless agents" is wildly inaccurate.
It's worth noting that even Trump's chaotic selection of incompetents, unsuitables, and cads for various Federal posts - the worst rogues' gallery we've seen in many decades at this level of US Federal government - has not led to a collection of "mindless agents". Don't confuse evil with stupid.
I'm no fan of Reagan, but we know from the extensive private notes he generated as Governor of California that he was a dedicated policy wonk who was very well-informed, intelligent, and perceptive. His imagination and quick thinking are also well-documented from his earlier careers, such as his time as a radio sports announcer when (like some other announcers of the era) he would sit in a room reading a ticker-tape of game events and invent in real time all the "color" details.
It seems likely that by the time he was elected President his mental faculties were significantly diminished, and arguably eight years later they were dangerously compromised. But he was far more of an intellectual than W or Trump. To regard him as a mere spokesman reciting others' words is not supported by the historical evidence.
...manufacture anything in America anymore?
NO amount of making conditions favorable for it in the US is going to get any results if they don't want to do it. Even worse, IMHO, they are more likely to lay off every American citizen they can to pressure America's citizens to put one of their more liberal Blue Bloods back in office...even if it crashes everything in the process.
Uhhh, no. People have been losing their jobs to machines since the start of the industrial revolution. In the past the workforce shifted into new roles that were created by the new ways of business. Getting rid of machines would make the US manufacturing sector less efficient than other countries, and leave the whole sector reliant on trade barriers to stop it being outcompeted by foreign rivals - that's not a path that ends well for the US.
What the US workforce needs is for economic activity and the jobs that go with it to be kept on US soil; this probably doesn't mean manufacturing jobs, but more service jobs and R+D roles. Unfortunately these are the very jobs that are increasingly being outsourced and offshored. And yes Ginni, I'm looking at you.
The US is manufacturing more than ever before, and has been for years. The shift isn't away from manufacturing, it's in what's being manufactured. We don't really make consumer items anymore. Instead, we make big-ticket stuff like industrial machinery, supercomputers, etc.
Oh, I don't know. There's a certain "boy named Sue" effect there. And surely bad guys will be reluctant to have "viciously beaten by Wet Nurse" on their records.
Reminds me that the University of Nebraska football team, currently known as the "Cornhuskers", used to be known as the "Bug-eaters". I don't think the name change was an improvement. Surely opposing teams would feel even more embarrassed by losing to a bunch of bug-eaters.
Lets Welcome Pastor St Michael Pence ecumenical leader of the Christian republic of America
I'm quite surprised that the GOP hasn't yet changed their name to the "Christian Party" yet, though the phobia of the courts striking that down is probably the only reason they haven't.......yet....
In his 1956/57 tale "The Stars My Destination", Alfred Bester wholly embraced conflating corporation names with their ship master. The UK side of the pond may know the tale better as "Tiger! Tiger!" Poor Alfred, how was he to know 60+ years ago that Roebuck wouldn't make it to the 24th Century? Will Apple?
Required reading for my wife's MLitt sci fi course
Along with
Algebraist
Red Mars (which elicited the mutterings "hire a fooking editor" "two page paragraph, are you shitting me?" yeah she wasn't a fan of the book)
Starship Troopers
and about 20 others...
including one I forget the name of that has numerous races of man including one with a giant brain...
OR be found guilty of espionage and sentenced to the same fate as the Rosenbergs, after somehow either the republicans wash their hands of him (seriously what does have on them thats stopped them chucking him under a bus and replacing him with Pence - someone who is still aligned to their values but far less "gaffe prone", its got to be something serious for McConnell to be so spineless of late) or the democrats secure several presidencies in a row and deny him a pardon.....
I'm anti death penalty but I'd make an exception for him (and a very limited cabal of others)
"I am not on Trial, its all fake netrsaxdf" (as the court bailiff on judge's orders forcibly removes his phone after he ignores several warnings from the bench)
Or removed from the court room after doing a Mohammed Morsi "I am the President, this court has no authority over me, this is a witchunt and a coup"
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