Perspectives – Survive with Will – Thoughtful Analysis & Perceptions

How to Handle Raw Data from Sources

Will Hemingway — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 05:00:05 +0000

Executive Summary:

The raw data gathering process can be very arduous and time-consuming. Confidential sources are invaluable in the process. They can shear 50% of the time off of the data gathering load.

Never expose sources; if you do, you have to defend their integrity. You should process and verify the raw data independently.

Never forget:

Sources are unreliable
Sources are not professional data gatherers
Sources provide 80% normative data and 20% empirical data
The best sources are as bad or worse than your target
Sources almost always have a hidden agenda
Sources obfuscate their culpability
Sources exaggerate

The ONLY WAY TO USE A SOURCE is to take everything, and I mean everything that they offer. Then squeeze more, go granular. Thank them, sing their praises to them, and move away. Take copious notes. Immediately after, categorize and record all of the critical points of raw data; who, what, where, why, when. Do it while the moment is fresh in your mind. Make notes from your recollection of their inflection, when, about what. Note the exact wording of their normative statements of “fact.” Parse out the empirical data.

Supportive Detail:

Example: “I know Joe did it, I don’t know why, but he did. He is a bad guy. He got that supervisor job instead of Lenny because he is a snake. I saw him going out the door in the rear corner of the building. It is hidden behind the large racks, in a poorly lit area. When I was in that area to help find a sign that flew away, I saw several crushed boxes of those new micro camcorders that we lost a few weeks ago. I was so mad, I never liked Joe he is really arrogant and always hanging out and flirting with that girl in the shipping area. I saw a few of those camcorders in a pile on the opposite end of the warehouse the other day near the trucker’s lounge, and those stock guys are so lazy…… “

In the example, there is a plethora of raw data. It is mostly normative.

Normative Data (Subjective/Not Supported by Tangible Proof)

Joe did it
Joe is a bad guy – Source is “mad” at Joe and never liked him
The source is not happy that Joe is the supervisor
Lenny may have an ax to grind with Joe over job advancement
The source may have familial ties to Lenny
Source says that the stock guys are lazy

Empirical Data (Objective, Verifiable, Reproducible)

Source says Joe went out obscured rear door
Joe hangs out and flirts with a girl in the shipping area
Source says she saw a few of the missing camcorders in a pile near the trucker’s lounge

The empirical data is still raw, untested, unverified. The next step is to verify the raw data. That can be done by reviewing video surveillance, interviewing other personnel working in the same area, etc. Once the data is verified by more than one other independent source, it becomes more useful. It may be looked upon as base knowledge for use later in understanding more complex activities and decision making.

While the normative data may help you divine out motivations and connections between actors, it has no useful value in factual data. It is unscientific, subjective, and most commonly corrupted by emotional “feelings.”

The source’s data may provide varying levels of usefulness. Each additional data point can move you closer to the truth by turning your attention to things that you would not necessarily have known about or considered. As a skilled gatherer, you must hone your skills to parse the normative from the empirical. You must rapidly test and validate the empirical data, and discard any that fails the test.

Executive Conclusion:

Every day you intake loads of raw data in the form of news stories, twitter, Facebook, etc. feeds. You must strive to apply the approach of ignoring the source. Instead, make copious notes of the data points provided. Then identify, based upon the words chosen and the context, whether the data is normative or subjective. The more that you practice the skill, the more efficient and accurate that you will become. In no time, you will become much better at developing more reliable, validated assessments of complex matters.

I warn you though, as you master the skill, you will find that it will change how you look at the world, the people who you have known for years, and even those closest to you. It will pull back the veil on the world, which has always been right in front of you that you never knew existed. It can be quite shocking and end what you thought were friendships. I would simply say, you will be so much better off being able to protect yourself from the misdirection and obfuscation. I will also give you a new powerful tool to help you make better decisions and avoid those things that “just always happen to you.”

The Life Cycle of a Republic

Will Hemingway — Sun, 11 Nov 2018 18:40:23 +0000

The survival of the West and the USA depends on a return to respect for antiquity, history, the lessons that it teaches, and a respect for deferred pleasure in turn for community, innovation, success, and civility.

Hieronymus Bosch’s famous triptych painting "The garden of earthly delight". The outer panels are intended to bracket the main central panel between the Garden of Eden depicted on the left panel; all things in order, the center panel; unbridled freedom, opulence, debauchery, and the right panel depicted the Last Judgment; basically, hell or total destruction of all that was good. The triptych was a 16^th century dire warning on the perils of life's temptations

The Founding Fathers of the USA spent years studying the governmental forms and machinations of antiquity. They were especially influenced by the Athenian Republic. The nation was highly successful, affluent, and developed both tangible and intellectual wonders. The more success that a nation and its people enjoy, the more focused on self-interest and promiscuous behaviors. Although Bosch painted the Garden of Eden, around 1500 AD, it underscored the process our founding fathers understood. The Founding Fathers fully comprehended the self-destructive nature or unbridled freedoms.

The nearly unlimited freedoms afforded by a Republic fuels debauchery. Slowly altering the Republic into a Democracy. The Republic stands on the collective input of its people, deferring pleasure in return for stability and long-term happiness and civility. A democracy, where two wolves and one sheep vote on who is for dinner. As time goes on the democracy descends into anarchy and chaos. When the people are only focused on themselves there is no interest or the greater good or community. History proves the life cycle from Athenian and Roman culture to European and South American nations.

Whatever your personal beliefs about religion, few can argue the value of the community that it creates and the way that it binds its members together. Judeo Christian morals are tied to deferred pleasure. Those morals help to temper the natural human desire for immediate pleasure. Nothing great comes easily, progress, and long-term success is forged in tempered action and planning. With or without religion those values are the key to a lasting Republic.

Modernity, post-modern, and consumerism all exemplify a slide into immediate gratification. A nation whose people are obsessed with them will fail. All creativity, creation, development, and future planning is sacrificed for NOW! The USA is in the throws of that now. Our path to survival demands that we eradicate those preaching selfish immediate gratification. We must replace them with people who teach deferred pleasure in turn for great rewards down the road.

Language – The Glue That Binds a Society

Will Hemingway — Sun, 14 Oct 2018 03:39:45 +0000

Language – The Meanings of Words – Nomenclature

Summary:

If language is the glue that binds a nation’s people together, the meaning of those words is crucial to that bond. If the meaning of words is not fixed there is no hope for those utilizing them will successfully communicate with others.

It is important to verify your understanding of facts and terms before applying them with authority. Early in my radio hosting career, I endured a frustrating debate with a guest. At the end of the rather annoying debate, while on a commercial break, I asked the guest a question. The answer that he gave revealed that the guest did not know the meaning of the term which he took such an issue with. Ever since the expansion of people’s vocabularies has been a pet project of mine. I have tried to inspire people to verify the meaning of the terms that they believe they know, especially if they use them regularly with authority. My grandfather played a “game” with me every night before I left their house or before bed. He would have me randomly flip open the pages of his gigantic marble white leather-bound Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary. Then I would put my finger on a page. The word on which I placed my finger, randomly, would be our new word. We would put the new word to use as much as possible until our next meeting.

Detail:

My leather-bound, 1975 edition of, the New Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language provided the true definitions of the following words.

Nomenclature – “A system of names; the vocabulary of names or technical terms which are appropriated to a science, art, or other fields.”

Merriam-Webster Online – “a word or combination of words by which a person or thing is regularly known.”

While preparing for a radio show guest who I was interviewing next, I was performing my due diligence and fact-checking my points and lines of questioning. Part of the process was verifying proper nomenclature. It is far better to find an error in preparation than to embarrass yourself in front of a large audience. One of the terms was inflation. I searched it on Google. 96,300,000 results were found for the definition.

Investopedia said that inflation meant –

“Inflation is the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is rising and, consequently, the purchasing power of currency is falling. Central banks attempt to limit inflation — and avoid deflation — in order to keep the economy running smoothly.”

Google said –

“What are the main causes of inflation?
Causes of Inflation

The Money Supply. Inflation is primarily caused by an increase in the money supply that outpaces economic growth. ...
The National Debt. ...
Demand-Pull Effect. ...
Cost-Push Effect. ...
Exchange Rates.”

Economicshelp.org said –

“Inflation is basically a rise in prices.

A more exact definition of inflation is a situation of a sustained increase in the general price level in an economy. Inflation means an increase in the cost of living as the price of goods and services rise.”

The list went on and on.

Dictionary.com said –

“1 · Economics. a persistent, substantial rise in the general level of prices related to an increase in the volume of money and resulting in the loss of value of a currency (opposed to deflation).”

Then I went to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary online (m-w.com). they said –

“2: a continuing rise in the general price level usually attributed to an increase in the volume of money and credit relative to available goods and services “

Then I took out my leather-bound edition of the New Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language

“an expansion of the volume of currency and bank credit, out of proportion to available goods and services, and resulting in a considerable and prolonged rise in prices, wages, and other costs.” Copyright 1975.

Rhetorically, do you think that the omission of the fact that inflation is caused by the action of a government printing more currency than it can back was an oversight? There cannot possibly be that many people in senior-level positions of the organizations positing the definition of inflation who don’t know that the government is its root cause. Therein lies the danger. If you were born after 1980 and taught in a public school in the USA you will not know that fact. I debated that fact with a bank manager at my bank. He asserted his MBA in finance telling me that inflation was a result of the financial imbalance of “many factors”. NO, NO, NO. It is the government printing currency that is backed by nothing, fiat currency, monopoly money!!! Words matter, understanding their meaning is crucial, not “I think” based on what you think it is by context.

The search for such a common term yielded a much more important lesson than its definition; you cannot depend upon electronic sources of information. Certainly, online sources cannot be trusted alone. Furthermore, even if you find hundreds of online sources that validate each other, that is no guarantee that they are correct. The amount of plagiarism, mimicry, and downright theft of content online is mindboggling.

Ray Bradbury had no idea when he wrote Fahrenheit 451 of the technological advances that were soon to come. The book is one of my favorites, everyone should read it. In an interview at Comic-Con he said that his inspiration was, “as a library person he was appalled by the images of Hitler burning books.”: That was the seed of the novel. Who would have known that the destruction of thought, stored knowledge, wisdom, and language would be affected by technology? The government does not have to burn the books because people throw them in the trash on their own volition. People don’t want books, they are cumbersome and expensive.

Conclusion:

When powerful publishers and electronic resources fail to preserve the meaning and context of the language WE MUST DO SO FOR OURSELVES. Unfortunately, there is a problem electronic documents are simple to erase, redact, and alter. Those alterations leave no trace of what was. In an instant change can be made without a trace of the preceding version. I have seen changes and deletions of entire videos, stories, words, etc. They were completely “disappeared.” I have told everyone that I know to buy several 1960’s hardcover dictionaries. Encyclopedias are good too. Ancient history does not change, but the way they present it does. Hard copies are indelible.

If you see a news article online and it is important, print a copy to the printer or better yet to pdf for safekeeping. The Las Vegas mass shooting incident was a powerful example. If you had saved the videos posted by witnesses on the street, moments after, you would have seen how they were all systematically removed over the next 24 hours. There are many free programs that allow you to print to pdf. Checkout Primo PDF or FoxIt Phantom PDF Printer, they are my favorites. When you go to print and article, you chose the program to print to PDF as the printer, name the file, and print. Voila you have hardcopy saved.

Survival, Altruism, and Self Interest

Will Hemingway — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 05:29:37 +0000

Your survival, the survival of your family, friends and nation depend upon you having self-interest and the desire to protect what is worthy. You must care for yourself in order to protect others. Self-preservation is at the core of survival. Embrace it, do not be ashamed to be willing to fight for your survival. Self-immolation is self-defeating and self-destructive. Such is the edict thrust upon all Westerners every day. Resist the siren’s call. Fight for your right to be you, to do well, to win, to be the best, never fear failure, but always demand excellence.

TV hosts / anchors are hired as "talent" not journalists. They repeat selected narratives from a teleprompter and "give it life", thus repeaters. See Yellow Journalism.

Political pundits and main stream media repeaters have been preaching to Westerners for over a century. They, along with their coconspirators in certain religions and schools, have brainwashed people to follow a toxic edict. Ironically, they are the least likely to adhere to that same edict.

The edict, constructed by design, to assure your failure is a paradox. Once you embark on its prescribed path, you will fail. It is truly evil. It will draw you deeper and deeper into self-destruction. Your failure will enslave you to those imposing the edict upon you. The edict mandates that you contribute to them. You “must contribute” to atone for your failure. Finally, the edict mandates that in response to your failure you must double down on the edict’s self-destructive acts. You desperately suffer in hope of proving your worthiness.

“The man who does not value himself, cannot value anything or anyone.” ― Ayn Rand, The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism

Fulfillment of the edict is impossible. It creates a conundrum of sorts. You must commit acts which violate the edict to be able to fulfill it. The edict implores you to act in a manner whereby you overlook natural instincts. It is necessary to protect yourself in order to survive. The edict demands that you place yourself at risk in order to help others. That act, you are “taught,” is selfless, and virtuous. The edict is based upon selflessness, personified in self-destruction being virtuous. Successful fulfillment of the edict demands your own destruction as the ultimate success. The edict is paradoxical, toxic.

The edict is unbridled altruism.

“Altruism or selflessness is the principle or practice of concern for the welfare of others. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures and a core aspect of various religious traditions and secular worldviews, though the concept of "others" toward whom concern should be directed can vary among cultures and religions.” - Ayn Rand

Jump to Conclusion

Altruism is the cornerstone of collectivism, communism, and socialism. They survive on the carcasses of those who were free, productive, and self-interested. Karl Marx was an advocate of selflessness. Others learned the usefulness of such a submissive position. They wanted to be the enforcers of such altruism. Marx said, "each according to his ability, each according to his need." Stalin applying that, starved 10 million to death in the Ukraine so that his people could have their land.

The Smithsonian historian Daniel Boorstin said,

"It is not skeptics or explorers but fanatics and ideologues who menace decency and progress. No agnostic ever burned anyone at the stake or tortured a pagan, a heretic, or an unbeliever." These people look at mankind as sick and in need of drastic, painful (bloody, if need be) surgery. Coming in a close second are the true-believing zealots acting decisively in the name of the “Good and the Just;” the Inquisitor, the Secret Police. Life is cruel, and they make it crueler.

Leftists have been endlessly indoctrinating the people of successful modern Western societies in the virtue of altruism. They use the media and academia to reinforce guilt and self-loathing, a purely first world ailment. Altruistic behaviors feed on such perspectives. The problem is that the left despises the free market, free thought, and self-determination. They wish to teardown the bastions of the free market. Altruism is the ultimate weapon. Each generation that lives under the edict of self-loathing and unbridled altruism will have less, be less successful, and ultimately enslaved by those who wish to control them.

Beware of altruism. It is based on self-deception, the root of all evil. - Robert A. Heinlein

The point is not to be completely selfish. Simply put, consider the rule they teach you on the airplane. When the air masks drop it means that the cabin has depressurized. That means the oxygen content of the cabin air is not sufficient to maintain life. As a result, they give you implicit instructions to put the mask on yourself prior to helping others. That includes your children. Why? The answer is as obvious as it is simple. If you pass out you will not be able to help them. Self-interest supports aid to those in need.

During his campaign and after his election, President Donald Trump, stressed a simple mandate; “America First.” Love him or hate him facts are facts, his job is to serve the interest of the USA. He went further, while addressing some of the most influential leaders of the world, first at the UN and later in Davos, he clarified his mandate. He said, “I am the President of the United States of America, not the world. My job is to promote and fight for the interests of the USA. You are the leaders of your countries. I expect that you will do the same. If you want to trade or deal with us, we will work for a fair and equitable deal for both of us.” America First remained his cornerstone.

“A strong man cannot help a weaker unless the weaker is willing to be helped, and even then, the weak man must become strong of himself; he must, by his own efforts, develop the strength which he admires in another. None but himself can alter his condition.” ― James Allen, As a Man Thinketh

There is something important to be learned from the aftermath of his assertion. The first to attack the President’s spoken intent to negotiate in deals favoring the interests of the USA was the US media. The media then paraded a litany of Leftist professors and pundits all condemning the idea of self-interest and US dominance all on the air and in print ad nauseum. Of course, several European, Asian, and Middle Eastern nations condemned the idea before a single deal was negotiated or even discussed. Our enemies inadvertently exposed themselves.

The USA has done many great things. We have broken and screwed up some too. Some of our politicians and our oligarchy have done worse. Ironically, the lion’s share of those lecturing US citizens of their duty to be altruistic are the same ones who have committed those acts for which we are bound to atone for. The Clintons mismanaged disaster funds funneled into their Foundation for Haiti. George H W Bush has been buying up the water rights in Paraguay to control industry and peace in the region. The CIA acting for several Presidents and administrations overthrew the leaders of countries, fomented war, assassinated people, and spied on industries for the interest of chosen companies in the USA. In balance, the USA has reaped very little benefit the for nation while altruistically bestowing over 70% of the world with the spoils of our success.

The oligarchy is a different story. They span continents and national lines. They are regularly, overtly and covertly, the spearhead of the toxic, self-loathing, guilt-tripping edict, of altruism thrust upon the citizens of free nations. While they lecture the common people in altruism they exploit those who are suffering. Then they dip into our pockets to invoke altruism to have you donate your money to the “cause.”

“Learn to value yourself, which means: fight for your happiness.”
– Ayn Rand

The USA holds no monopoly on overreach or self-interest. It is the push and pull of nation state survival. The fact is that if you compare the USA to the rest of the world we have only scraped the surface of self-interest. Nearly every nation around the world practices self-interest, it is survival. The media heralds the idea that that a nation that fights for deals in the best interest of its people and economy is simply self-destructive.

Conclusion:

Never help others at the expense of your own safety, security, freedom, or sanity.

“You are of no use to anyone, if you are of no use to yourself ^©” – Will Hemingway

Helping others is humane and good for all. Never lose sight of the fact that the first person that you need to help is yourself. Self-reliance and independence requires that you take care of your needs. Once you are properly cared for by all means, feel free to help others within the length of your “cable tow”; within the scope of a person’s reasonable ability.

Your survival depends upon you taking care of you. Never be ashamed, never be embarrassed, you must be first if we are to survive. Rugged individualism, self-reliance, independent these are the virtues to live by. If we all did, there would be very few who would require an altruistic reprieve.

Motivation, Manipulation, Coercion, and Enticement

Will Hemingway — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 03:56:21 +0000

Lessons in life and business that may be learned from servers, waitresses, bartender/maids, exotic dancers, and hookers. Not necessarily in that order.

*** This article is not intended to be inappropriate. Will’s Universal Maxims # 2 makes the important point that you can learn from anyone. In fact, some of the greatest lessons come from the least likely sources. ***

Lesson # 1

Secure payment upfront. Anyone who has ever made a verbal agreement with someone for payment to cover work or goods has learned that without either advanced payment or binding contract you WILL LOSE.

Hookers know to demand payment upfront. They provide a service to clients. The client, for countless reasons, resorts to buying their pleasures. Negotiating the transaction for the provision of sexual interaction is, as in all negotiations, a battle of supply and demand, value, and cost. Paying upfront, in an agreed and clearly negotiated manner strips the process of the typical social strong arming and manipulation typical to the social version of the 21^st century. The purveyor of the pleasures, an expert, perfected by melding innate skills, experience, and result driven learning refines their efficiency and performance. They set or negotiate their prices, the services to be rendered, guaranteed results, and time limits. Coming to same result between two potential partners in a social setting has become very complicated, costly, and often frustrating. The threat that the client will refuse payment is high. While counter intuitive, the problem is quite common. The situation is like a buffet, they make you pay upon entry. They know that after you have eaten the food, if you refuse to pay, there is no way to recover what they ate. When someone wants something, it is "at the moment". The perceived value is tied to the urgency of the moment and want (desire). The better the result, the less likely the client will pay because the urgency will have subsided. The purveyor, understanding the temporal nature of "wants", demands payment in full upfront.

Lesson # 2

Make your client feel special, treat them with respect, and exceed their expectations. Exotic dancers, if they are successful make more money in a single weekend than many people earn in a month, often more than three months. They learn that a careful balance of "friendly", "special" attentiveness, feigning "interest", the air of availability, visual allure, and fulfilling the client’s needs, while providing the minimum necessary to provide the maximum results, all in a timely and friendly manner, are the key to success. Every business and service purveyor should learn from this. Your income, stability, and job security depend upon those that you serve not only being satisfied but desiring to return, again, and again. Never over provide. A client, restaurateur and chef always said, "a good chef provides an exceptional meal, but always, just enough to leave them a little hungry, wanting more." Make them feel like they are the most important one in the room, exceed their expectations, and they will come back for more. Leaders can do the same, feed those who are with you, keep them happy, fulfilled, learning, growing, and they will follow you to the ends of the earth.

Lessons # 3

Put your client first, build a relationship, pay attention to their needs, not yours, remember special details about them upon repeat business. Shed your ego, you will receive more praise for stroking other's egos than pushing your own. Servers (waiters / waitresses) often behave like exotic dancers. Servers are working in within much tighter time constraints than exotic dancers though. The best of them strike a careful balance of "friendly interest", feigning "special" attentiveness, personalized treatment, and visual allure. The ability to remember intimate details of likes, dislikes, quirks, and habits builds a lasting "relationship" with the client. Delivered with skill and a "believable performance" creates "regulars" and increases the server's tip income. The same is true in the interaction between leaders and their subordinates. I have included a pair of quotes from President and General Dwight D. Eisenhower below where he voices similar rules.

Conclusion:

*** Warning *** Take note of these manipulative behaviors and guard yourself from them. Avoid the destructive behaviors that such manipulation precipitates. The same applies to personal and business relationships too. Caveat emptor, do not be naïve gird yourself from these methods. During every war and even in peace time, government personnel have fallen prey to such manipulation compromising national security and the security of the unit. A recent example was the “Marine officers are drugged, robbed after Bogotá pub crawl and could face charges.”

Leaders, business people, and anyone who interacts with humans should pay attention to these truisms. There are powerful lessons to be learned from their behaviors, refined skills of social persuasion, and ability to be courteous to the most difficult, flip them, make them happy, and feel special. It costs only time, but the value is often incalculable. Note I am not promoting the idea that you manipulate and lead on others. But there are many lessons about how simply being courteous and friendly, caring, and attentive will make your life and those you deal with better. All for zero cost to you but a little time paying dividends of happiness to all involved.

Men frequent bars because they are lonely, horny, or just want the company of a woman who they like, and / or are attracted to, not always one in the same. Unfortunately, they are often roped in and fleeced by a female bar maid or waitress who, realizes what earns her good tips, and simplifies her job by developing “regulars.” Many a man’s heart along with his bank account has been broken by a waitress (server), bar maid, or exotic dancer. The lucky ones simply enjoy feeling special for a moment, satisfied to remember the feeling or experience it for the first time. Women do also, but to a much lower percentage because while some men are pigs and inappropriate, woman hold the keys to the kingdom even for the lowest in the pecking order.

Leaders would be well served to adopt the aforementioned rules. If you are a good leader, with a just cause, you may begin applying these rules as going through the motions. But, in short order you will absorb them and actually “mean” the behaviors. That invokes two of President and General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s rules for leaders and life (in his words):

Rule # 1 - A pat on the back is all you need

"Reflecting on his leadership style, Eisenhower remarked, “I adopted a policy of circulating through the whole force to the full limit imposed by my physical considerations. I did my best to meet everyone from the general to private with a smile, a pat on the back and definite interest in his problems.” Eisenhower boosted morale not with inspirational speeches, but with simple, honest, straightforward conversations. Instead of handing out trophies, he gave his soldiers encouraging pats on the back. It was a humble, direct way of reaching out, and it made him a favorite of the troops.

Leaders don’t need to light fireworks to reward hard work and dedication. Honest, meaningful conversation and the occasional pat on the back are sometimes enough to keep people motivated and energized."

Rule # 2 - Be cheerful

"Eisenhower made it his business to be a positive, cheery, and upbeat. He knew optimism, like pessimism, was contagious. By remaining positive and trying to “reflect the cheerful certainty of victory” he believed he could boost individual and company morale. Leaders shouldn’t glower, whine, complain, or pout. They must demonstrate that they are excited about the larger organizational mission and work to cultivate a sense of optimism. Dour behavior from on high has the potential to incite organizational malaise that can spread like wildfire. Be like Ike and make sure your mannerisms and speech reflect a positive attitude."

Will’s Universal Maxims – Tips for Life

Will Hemingway — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 20:09:00 +0000

Updated 03/31/2018 at 02:16:56 hrs

Maxim – def. – A general truth, fundamental principle, or rule of conduct.

Will hopes that applying his “Universal Maxims”, you will find that your daily life is more positive. They put you in charge. These “Universal Maxims” began to reveal themselves to Will over time. It is Will’s core belief that “We are a tapestry of our life’s experiences^©." Decades of fact finding and deconstructing complex and often redundant problems yielded many lessons. The “Universal Maxims” are a result of those lessons gleaned from thousands of investigations, interviews, and the analysis of myriad data and evidence. It became evident that in life there are a finite number of base causes, effects, and solutions. No matter how complex or unique that a “problem” or challenge appears to be, most share the same rudimentary elements. Countless lessons learned from trial and error were distilled into these “Universal Maxims”. Embracing the Maxims; problems become much less daunting and more easily solved. Will hopes that they may act as a quick guide to solutions for every day's challenges. These Maxims have been imparted them to thousands while training investigators and personnel around the globe. Many report that the Maxims made a positive change in their lives, hopefully they will be of help to you too.

The “Universal Maxims” are excerpted from Will's book; "The Survival Mind". The goal of our websites and especially Will's book is to fuel a lifelong hunger for learning; Universal Maxim #10.

Will’s Universal Maxim© #1 – Learn a New Thing Every Day

Learning must be an endless quest. Every day our experiences are brimming with data points;

Feelings
Emotions
Olfactory (Smells)
Tactile (Touch)
Auditory (Sounds)
Visual;
- Things
- Angles
- Shadows
- Placements
- Order
- Disorder
- Much More

If you watch children interacting with the world for the first time, you will see their wonderment and hunger to experience, log, learn, and master everything around them. That is normally their approach every day until they reach their early teens. It is not unusual for a child to tinker and play, explore, and interact with everything in their reach until they just, literally, fall over where they are asleep. That is the nature of healthy humans, even adults. Sadly, that is not what happens.

# 2 – You Can Learn from Anyone

You can learn something from everyone; no matter who or what their station or walk in life. Regardless of a person's position in life; social, educational, financial status, race, creed, location; they can all teach you something. In order to learn you must be open minded and willing to pay attention. You can also learn from other animate and inanimate things. You can learn from observing flora and fauna too. You can learn how to locate water, shelter, and impending threats too. The world presents us with endless lessons if we pay attention.

# 3 – Arrogance breeds ignorance

Arrogance breeds ignorance. Enough said.

Ego is healthy and necessary in moderation. Ego becomes arrogance when it is allowed to evolve into intolerance. Arrogance kills open minded critical thinking. See Maxim # 7.6

# 4 - Humility is a Sign of Excellence

As a leader or simply just yourself in life, humility is a fundamental necessity. A worthy leader should understand that making mistakes are part of taking action. Each failure is a lesson, a step closer to stable success. Strive to avoid errors. Be humble, never hide your mistakes. Remember that when people see how you treat your mistakes guides those who you lead in how to act when they make them. Be humble, those little mistakes (hopefully small and few) demonstrate your humanity.

# 5 - Garbage in Garbage Out

The fish rots from the head down.

There is a great obvious danger in the world. Although often the threat is clear, for some reason people either simply submit or accept the flaws as inevitable or simply are too lazy to reject them. Of course, the problem is those flaws and everything created by or based upon them will subsequently be flawed, exponentially. Whether it is a flaw in rules, laws, leaders, top level management, those unchecked flaws effect everyone. If you add the butterfly effect the results of our inaction can be catastrophic. See Maxim # 27 "Action versus Inaction"

6 – Ethics and Morals Underpin Our Survival

Ethics are natural and immaleable.
Morals are negotiated amongst humans.
1. Always remember that people rarely violate their ethics but often rationalize violating their morals.

# 7 - Humility and Ego – Constant Error Checking

"Humility speaks louder of your true value than anything else."
"The moment you believe that you know everything, you know nothing."
Ignorance is not bliss, it is a temporary euphoria until you get run over by the train of reality.
"The best way to guarantee that your beliefs and opinions are flawed is to surround yourself with only those who agree with you." - WH
1. You will never be forced to error check yourself if you cannot entertain input from dissenters of your views.
Confidence is firmly based upon proven, repeatable results.
Ego is backed by one’s own perception of themselves.

# 8 - Respect

Respect is earned not given
1. If you give respect without earning it loses its meaning
"Treat people with respect, no matter what. Treating people with respect reflects upon your character." - WH
1. In other words; Courtesy is given. Respect is earned. Everyone deserves courtesy, general politeness and consideration.
A person cannot force another to "truly" respect them
1. Respect may be gained through coercion.
2. Respect may be gained through submission or enslavement.
  1. They may act like they respect them but it will undermine the situation
  2. Coerced respect is short lived

# 9 - Tapestry of Our Experiences

We are a tapestry of our life’s experiences. ©

# 10 - Basic Human Behaviors

Without language and civil discourse, we as humans revert to these basic human traits:

All humans are inherently.

Lazy
1. We begin lazy.
Greedy
1. We see others have things that we want (greed)
Violent
1. We want it so much that we take it (violent)

No matter how far that we advance from the root human tendencies those inherent traits remain just beneath the surface. People “behave” when they believe that someone will see what they do. Nearly everyone “misbehaves” outside of a watchful eye or the threat to detection. It is for that reason that religion throughout millennia has hung some version of the threat of “hell,” eternal damnation, or the sword of Damocles over the masses in order to maintain order and civil behavior. Check out the article entitled, “Why are people brutal?” to expand upon some related ideas. t people perceive themselves to be. It becomes more likely that they will digress into selfish

# 11 - Communication

Civil discourse is crucial for the survival of societal order.
Thoughtful debate is the lynch pin to a balanced and well proven set of morals and beliefs.
The most critical form of communications is listening. Always entertain the ideas and opinions of those who, civilly, disagree with you.
1. the most dangerous thing is to surround yourself with only those who agree with you.
  1. There is no motivation to double check your facts and position.
  2. There is no risk for being wrong, even if you are.
  3. The challenge of civil opposition fosters growth and learning.

# 12 - Words Have Meanings

Respecting language, taking the time and trouble to learn its proper usage, application, and some respect for the meaning of words protects not only the language but the culture and the society that is represents. Language is a key glue that holds the society together.

Language is a key glue that holds the society together. Respecting language
Language; words, are the key to communication.
No single action is as important the survival of a society (nation) than the careful stewardship of the language (words).
A strong focus on education in the proper usage and application of language and its words is necessary to maintain.
Respect for the meaning of words protects not only the language but the culture and the society that is represents.

# 13 - Happiness is fleeting

"Happiness is fleeting; like a sunset, it comes in brief spurts." - WH

Sometimes it only lasts 5 minutes; like a sunset.
Other times it lasts a day; like time in the outdoors.
Take note, and rejoice in the moment, nothing lasts forever.
Savor the moments share them if you can.
Those moments help us weather the challenges of life.

# 14 - The Fundamental Nature of Life - The Cold Hard Facts of Life

Life is not fair.
Life is rarely predictable.
Life is a complex and chaotic human endeavor.
Life is a clash of opposing wills.
1. (Adapted and borrowed two of the three, 3 & 4, enduring truths that describe the fundamental nature of war, from the USA war college).

There is no spring without a winter, No life without death.

# 15 - Victimhood

You are only a victim when you cede your right to be in charge.
You are never in control, but you can choose to be in charge, all of the time.
Putting on the mantle of victimhood is an act of giving up and giving in.

# 16 - Quid Pro Quo

Healthy interactions require a fair exchange
You cannot help others if you have ignored oneself.

# 17 - Negotiate for Everything - Never Take the First Offer

If the seller offers you something for free, they were likely having a hard time selling it.

Whether negotiating a strategic position, a contract, the price on a vehicle, or dinner out, those on the other side will always leave room for negotiation. NEVER LEAVE THAT "ROOM" ON THE TABLE.

# 18 - Potential vs. Known Threat

A Potential Threat is Always More Daunting Than a Known Threat. The key point strategically is that they don't know what they don't know, the unknown is the danger. You cannot prepare for it, you cannot plan for it.

# 19 - Expectations

Nothing is free under the sun.
1. They would not give you something for free if they could get you to pay for it.
2. Ask yourself, in order to receive that free thing, what are you agreeing to pay for that you never would otherwise?
If something appears to be too good to be true, it is.
Never overlook the butterfly effect.

# 20 - Patience

Thoughtful transition to action will save you many a troubling moment.
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
You know the saying, “patience is a virtue”. In fact, patience is the act of intellect and self-control.

# 21 - The (devil) solution is in the details

Pay attention to the details, all answers are present, one simply needs to see it.

# 22 - Measure Twice, Cut Once

Details are everything, refer to Maxim # 20. You can measure 2 or 10 times, simply be right, accurate. Be clear that you understand all of the details prior to cutting. You can't take the cut back once you do it. Always double check. In fact, if you have someone else who is invested and understands have them check too.

# 23 - Compromise

There are three states in human interaction
1. Compromise
2. Tyranny
3. Slavery
Everything in life requires compromise
1. The key is to only compromise as long as it does not compromise your freedoms and rights.
The USA is a Republic not a Democracy, that is because a true democracy is chaos.
1. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights recognized unalienable rights and promised, under contract with the people, to protect them and keep them unmolested.
2. A Democracy is chaos;
  1. Everyone gets what they want
  2. Therefore no one gets what they want
3. Democracy will always descend into majority rule, where two wolves and one lamb vote on what is for dinner.

# 24 - Trust

In the 2003 remake of the movie “the Italian Job” there is a great line. It presents a rule to live by when you deal with people.
1. “I trust everyone. It's the devil inside them I don't trust”
Ronald Reagan was especially known for his trust precept, which he repeated to Mikhail Gorbachev repeatedly. The origin of the phrase is actually from a Russian proverb, "doveryai no proveryai" Доверяй, но проверяй
1. Trust but verify

# 25 - Responsibility

With great power, comes great responsibility.
1. Everything that we have, every time that we take power over something or someone, inherently comes with a level of responsibility.

# 26 - Emotions, Stoicism, and Analytical Thinking

Stoic Thought is a balance or Analytical thought and Emotions.
1. Stoicism leans analytical but respects the balance added by guarded emotion.
2. Leaders are best served by a stoic nature.
Emotional thought is often illogical and unpredictable.
1. Emotions are important
2. Emotions are what define our humanity
3. The danger with unchecked emotion is that if a person regularly experiences high, highs, they will inevitably experience low, lows.
4. Unchecked emotions are destructive and disruptive.
Analytical thought is cold and calculating.

# 27 – Feelings ARE NOT FACTS

It is simple, feelings are emotional, subjective, biased, malleable, unstable, NOT REAL. Factual statements are based upon OBJECTIVE evidence. Evidence which can be repeated by peers and detractors. Refer to Maxim # 21 if there are any questions.

# 28 - Innovation and Risk Aversion

Innovation is invention
Invention is risk
Dare to win, dare to fail
Risk Aversion kills innovation and success
Risk is a inescapable part of decision making.
- The hunger for knowledge diminishes with age, in most people.
- Risk plays a part in the belief in human limitations.

# 29 - Action versus Inaction

Taking no action is still an action.
Inaction is the lowliest form of action.
Inaction enslaves you to the will and actions of others.
You should never forget the Butterfly Effect
1. The concept that small causes can have large effects
2. Essentially, your actions must be well considered, as they may affect much more than that which you intended.

# 30 -The Law of Unintended Consequences

Edward Norton Lorenz; Professor Emeritus at MIT co-developed "The Chaos Theory" discrediting "Determinism." He coined the term,"The Butterfly Effect."

Originally he intended to develop a theorem to apply toward computational chaos. Lorenz was developing the chaos theory he coined the term the “butterfly effect.” The butterfly effect is the concept that small causes can have large effects, state of a deterministic nonlinear system. nonlinear dynamics and deterministic chaos. He found order in chaos.

Today "The Butterfly Effect" has crossed the boundary into sociological and the general social conversation. Will suggests that the idea of "The Butterfly Effect" was; nothing in life is linear.

# 31 - Predictability and Chaos

Nothing in life can is totally predicable from a human standpoint.
Chaos is a given in the world, it is ubiquitous.
1. Chaos – When the present determines the future, but the approximate present does not approximately determine the future

# 32 - Coincidence

There is no such thing as a coincidence.
1. When something falls over when someone opens the door into the room, it is not a coincidence, it is a series of actions, reactions and a result. That is true throughout life.
Nothing happens by accident. (See coincidence)
Everything is a result of action; taken or not taken.

# 33 - Theories Are Only Starting Points

Theory denotes the word theoretical which is defined as impractical.
Actions taken based upon theory depends upon faith that if you act in line with the theory that you will get the desired result.

# 34 - Creative Problem Solving

Every challenge can be solved by breaking it into its individual parts.

1. Industries build complex things by breaking them into assemblies. The assemblies are then joined into a process. Those processes come together to make a total product or complete an action. Problem solving is like reverse engineering.

# 35 - Attitudes and Approach

Every problem can be resolved by reducing it to its root components
There is nothing new in this world
1. Embrace this fact and stress and confusion melts
2. Study history and you will likely learn how to resolve anything that you encounter
What seems impossible to you, is simple to someone else

# 36 - Knowledge

Knowledge is not power; Wisdom and Enlightenment are.
Knowledge; facts are the beginning not the end.
The goal in life is to own what you know, become enlightened, so that you can give your knowledge and wisdom to another so that they may do the same.
You never truly “know” something unless you can put it to action.
If you don’t “know” never say that you do.
You only “know” if you can demonstrate it, hands on.

# 37 - Strive to Do It Right the First Time

Each time that you perform a task, you connect a Dendrite through an Axon to an Axon Terminal creating a neural pathway. If the first time that you do something it was done wrong, you run the risk of establishing a neural pathway "imprinting the memory" of the mistake. Have you ever driven to a place that you never had been to before? If you got lost going there, did you repeat that same mistake the next time that you went? After a few trips repeating the original mistake(s), you will have "burned in" the neural pathway of how to get there unfortunately, repeating the original mistake. That is why you should exploit all sources of proper input when doing new things. Avoid being forced to retrain yourself to do it right. Learn from others qualified to instruct and guide you. Repetitively performing the actions correctly establishes a proper neural pathway. Many know this activity as creating "muscle memory."

# 38 - Bias – Natural and Learned

Bias is unavoidable
1. As civilized people with advanced general education communication erases most natural biases.
2. Poor and negative behaviors are not protected under this scenario because they are justified protective acts.
Prejudice is a clear example of natural bias.
1. Trepidation of the unknown is healthyCreative Problem SolvingEvery challenge can be solved by breaking it into its individual parts.

1. Industries build complex things by breaking them into assemblies. The assemblies are then joined into a process. Those processes come together to make a total product or complete an action. Problem solving is like reverse engineering.

# 39 - You Are the Only Limitation to Your Potential

Humans have nearly unlimited potential. Every day something or someone “teaches” us that we cannot. For the most part, we can, but when we “learn” that we cannot, we rarely try again. We must constantly strive to prove that we can, dispel the neigh Sayers and succeed despite them.

Explanatory Note:

As we grow, mature, learn, interact with the world we do so in large part through the nurturing of others around us. As the blank slate, ready to molded into a masterpiece, the child in Universal Maxim #1, we begin processing data. We learn from trial and error. Language does not allow others to get in the way. Only experience, forced deprivation, and violence can sway our learning. Then language enters and allows others to posit ideas and limitations in our psyches. As our social circles (other babies, caregivers, daycare, preschool, etc.) The raw data and learning process is immediately derailed. Instead of allowing the child to foster, with quality oversight, experiences and learn natural skills, propensities, and pleasures, others begin to dictate, and even mandate “the way things are.”

Once we are thrust into the social and institutional circles of modern society human learning completely changes. Institutional learning was originally created to level the base skills available to all US Citizens in order to assure enough workers for the factories and business. It makes good sense for the government to foster intellectual competence. It is good for the economy and good for the general peace. Unfortunately, theory and reality rarely meet at the end of the tunnel without a train wreck.

My Grandfather infected me with an insatiable hunger for knowledge. The problem, he said, was that no one ever taught most people to crave knowledge. My Sunday School teacher, when I was 12 years old, told me about how different people learn in different ways. Later in life I studied Howard Gardner’s – Multiple Intelligences, it validated everything that I had already surmised; institutionalized education stunts growth and excellence. Check out these two websites for more information on Howard Gardner and MI (Multiple Intelligences).

More on MI and Howard Gardner in another article.

There are two rather simple reasons. The primary reason that our learning tapers off is that we are taught by institutional learning and ourselves what we cannot do. The second reason is as stated in the first paragraph; humans are either taught what we cannot do. Finally, some people are simply inherently lazy.

The idea of institutionalized learning was sold to the American people as a baseline assurance that all citizens would be able to perform basic necessary tasks and functions. Unfortunately, it did not work out that way. Over the years the institutional learning system, now known as the US Department of Education, mandates much more than the original intent. They are involved in social indoctrination, sex education, and many more things which have nothing to do with baseline performance. The most outrageous thing is that they are not even allowed to mandate proficiency in the English Language. Language being the cornerstone of what binds a civil society together should be the top priority of a national educational mandate.

# 40 - Survival

Do not wait for the crisis to arrive, before you consider the solution. It is not if, it is when.

“There is no disaster when you are prepared ”. PracticeSurvival’s Rule
Crises are generally a result of apathy or neglect

# 41 - Planning

Planning is an essential part of being proactive.
Plans should be based upon solid historical data and proven processes.
Often plans are based upon theoretical ideas that the planners are not even of. Those theories are often destructive.
You spend at least 80% of your waking hours working, you must love what you do or you will through away your life.

Mission Statement & Impetus

Will Hemingway — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 19:41:16 +0000

This Website was Created with the Hope of Leaving A Positive Mark on the World

Commentary from Will; Founder & Primary Writer of PracticeSurvival.com, PracticePreparedness.com, and more.

The point of PracticeSurvival.com is to launch you on a quest for information. As depicted in the inverted pyramid graphic which I created (on the right and the main page of the Useful Information section) indicates; informational input should be taken through a process to an end which is not knowledge, it is enlightenment.

PracticeSurvival.com’s motto when it comes to preparedness is there is that There is no catastrophe when you are prepared

I love to teach and mentor. I have always been pretty good at it or so I am told by many who I have counseled and coached. I realized that I could use that skill and my vast and broad experience, knowledge and my network of well rounded and skilled cadre to help others, to make a difference. As I said previously; My life has been spent in a never ending quest for information and enlightenment. As an investigator, inventor, off road jeep adventurer, camper, hiker, climber, skier, and more I have always been a sponge. I have had the good fortune of meeting, knowing and even working with people from all over the world with unbelievable skills which they were happy to share with me.

The primary job of an investigator was to gather information, process it, formulate conclusions and determine how things happen based upon that information. As a formally trained interrogative interviewer I learned to gather information at high speed, vette it, log it, absorb it and go back for more. No one ever knows everything and as I have told my sons since they could talk; you should learn a new thing every day and you can learn something from everyone, no matter who they are, where they are from and their walk of life. Life is truly an adventure and being highly didactic I am never satisfied. Everyone brings something of value to the table if you are willing to learn.

The accident that has altered my life course will not stop me. It has caused both financial and physical trauma. It has also caused me to stop and contemplate my life. I have done so much, learned and gathered much, invented, built, taught, saved and much more. But as I perceive it had I died in the course of my ordeal after the accident it would have all been wasted; lost. Prior to the accident I had started fleshing out PracticeSurvival to help people understand the proper and safe way to enjoy outdoor adventuring. Since then it has become the conduit whereby I will leave, hopefully, something of positive value for others who appreciate the outdoors and the texture of life as I do. It is my humble attempt to do some good, not of Ego, PracticeSurvival.com is wrought from the sincere hope that the few gifts with which I was lucky enough to be endowed will in some way help others now and after I leave this mortal coil. Hopefully I will get to enjoy many more sunsets on the Shenandoah Mountains, either way I will do my best to help others enjoy it too while being safe and informed.

It took nearly 3 years to recover from those issues. I had help from several friends and a few doctors. Thanks to a bit of time, a new workout routine and some joint perseverance. But as of December I was finally back in the full swing of things.

You should never overlook your health or your wellness. Even when it seems too much, trust me, it will be way more important if something goes wrong.

Dunbar’s Number

Will Hemingway — Sun, 18 Feb 2018 00:14:34 +0000

What is Dunbar's Number and why do we care?

Dunbar's Number is validated every time that we observe crime rates and corruption in large urban area. Cities cram many people into very dense units. Exponential increases in both the frequency and intensity of crime, violence, and more is evident in the cities, just as revealed in Dunbar's studies. Still urban planners continue to strive to pack more people into smaller areas. Dispite the mounting evidence of negative human consequences, the plans put forth by many urban planners, developers, and even the UN are based on the plan to jam 80% of the world’s population into 20% of the land. That plan is known as UN Agenda 2030 (previously known as Agenda 21).

Ignorance to Dunbar’s number and the other correlated theorems will not change the outcome. 200,000 years of historical data prove that Dunbar’s number is a good starting point. The 80/20 plan will yield only one possible outcome, the need for more policing, government regulation, oversight, and controls. The crime, violence, and antisocial behaviors associated with such high-density populations is intense. I am writing an article on my idea of "Mesh Network Societies", stay tuned.

Dunbar’s rule states that when societies/groups exceed 148 members bad things begin to emerge in the social interactions. Violence, sexual perversions, deceit, theft, and much more tear apart the sub-148-member group’s previously peaceful tranquility.

Dunbar’s Number plays an important part in the crafting of cohesive social unit. Understanding the significant causality and effect of Dunbar’s number is the very important. It is the postulated cognitive limit to a person's social circle, the number of people with whom a person can maintain stable social relationships.

Perspectives in Leadership and Group / Cohesion Survival

Despite the ubiquitous use of technology, Dunbar’s Number is bolstered by the Allen Curve which demonstrates a massive drop in communication between group members as the distance between them increases. Conversely, if they spend time in the presence of a person they are likely to keep in contact via other means when they are apart, short term.

There are many lessons to be learned for leaders. If you are not a leader, knowing the signs of good leadership and the earmarks of a solid cohesive unit will help you to choose wisely with whom you align yourself for the best survival results.

British anthropologist Robin Dunbar, first posited his research findings in 1992. He discovered a correlation between primate brain size and the mean average size of their social group. In his paper, "Co-Evolution of Neocortex Size Group Size and Language in Humans”, he hypothesized a predictive mean group size for humans (Dunbar’s Number) at 147.8. Dunbar studied census evidence, spanning from the Pleistocene humans 200,000 + years ago through the present time. His theorem, known as the Dunbar Number, is based upon research studying primate groups, primitive human villages, cultures, and tribes.

The research focused on neocortex size and its relationship to a perceived cognitive limit related to the number of individuals with whom anyone person can maintain stable relationships. While language played a part in the social group and its cohesion, primatologists and sociologists observed some troubling results when the numbers rose over 138. Testing with both non-human primates and humans Dunbar discovered Dunbar's number, a 95% confidence interval of between 100 and 230. Dunbar believed after all his research that the optimum / “sweet spot” predicted “mean” social group number for humans was 148.

Research focused on defining the building blocks of successful social unit cohesion; what makes a group/clan/society survive and succeed as a unit together. Anthropologists, linguists, engineers, technologists, primatologists, sociologists, and many others have tested, studied, and studied the phenomena and always prove out Dunbar’s number. There is a voluminous amount of peer reviewed research supporting Dunbar. We, as did countless researchers, see innumerable examples of this in play all around us.

Dunbar's number has been popularized in countless business and management books around the world. Creative license has popularized Dunbar's number as 150. The number is often referred to as the tipping point.

One of the most intriguing stories that Malcolm Gladwell related in his book; “The Tipping Point” was about the company who manufactures Gore-Tex. The company, in an effort to increase profit and efficiency, discovered through a process of elimination, that Dunbar’s Number was the key to their quest. They broke their workforce up into 150-person groups. Each building housed 150 employees, as they said, “Each time the 150 parking spots were filled, we built another building”. They were highly successful.

Surveys of village and tribe sizes validate that nearly all Neolithic farming villages, Hutterite settlements, and even professional armies in Roman antiquity limited themselves to 150 as the basic unit size. This was not a coincidence.

Check out the article entitled: Perspectives in Leadership and Group / Cohesion Survival the article outlines how the theories and rules below may act as building blocks in the formation of a powerful and successful cohesive unit / society:

Dunbar's number
The Allen Curve
Émile Durkheim's The Division of Labor in Society - Mechanical and Organic Society - The Mechanical Society is the best for the people, Organic Society protects the government/society
Ferdinand Tönnies two conceptual models for types of human association: Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft.
Lenski's theories of sociological evolution
The Hawthorne 1924 studies (extremely important insight)
Peace Among Primates, read the section regarding natural born killers
Pitirim Aleksandrovich Sorokin sounded the alarm about the trends of modern materialism

"Co-Evolution of Neocortex Size Group Size and Language in Humans”

Uruguay – An Overview

Will Hemingway — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 07:59:43 +0000

Citizens of the USA, in general, have absolutely no comprehension of the machinations and history of the nation states of our continental neighbors to the south in Southern America. Sadly our “news media” has not provided a sustained level of actual journalism since Benjamin Franklin’s newspaper; the Pennsylvania Gazette. While Venezuela and Colombia are only 1,200 miles south of the bottom of Florida we rarely hear a peep about them in our news reports. Venezuela is starving its people, utilizing radical gorilla fighters, and is teetering on the edge of collapse. They are rife with radical social Marxists, communists, Middle Eastern terror groups, and drug cartels. They sneak millions of tons of illicit drugs, worth billions of dollars into the USA every year. They kidnap tourists for ransom and are heavily involved in human trafficking. Finally, with ties to China and Russia, they have substantial arsenals including weapons, some from the USA, which could rain devastation down on the continental USA with less than an hour’s warning.

The US Navy’s 4^th Fleet and a US Marine Expeditionary Force is quartered in Miami. It is severely underfunded and depleted. The potential forces that could be encountered are some of the most hardened, jungle fighting, communist, forces in the world. ELN in Colombia is rated to have the 39^th most powerful military in the world. Adding to the challenge, the level of failure and turmoil in Venezuela and Colombia is so great that soon we may be forced into some type of militarily intervention. Understanding the complexities of the situation is crucial for a positive outcome.

Uruguay, like Paraguay, is "wedged" politically and economically, between Argentina and Brazil, whose political influence and financial power heavily determines the fates of Uruguay and Paraguay's national sovereignty and interests. The USA spans its continent unbroken or divided. These two small nations suffer like a small boat in the water as a large ship passes by, battered and tossed in the larger ship's wake. Their neighbors mistreat them through unfair trade agreements and the oligarchy tampering with elections, business, and much, much more.

It is my hope to provide you with a unique perspective regarding the history that makes up Uruguay and its people's perspectives today. The insights below are not from a citizen of the USA but written by a lifelong Uruguayan. I believe that it lends an interesting perspective from a native, regarding socialism, communism, democratic values, and their perspective regarding the USA and others. I present a concise “History of Uruguay” as told by an Anon and lifelong Uruguayan on 8chan.net unedited.

The original source material is presented for educational purposes. To read the original with photos click here.

02/11/18 (Sun) 17:45:52 No.2392235 [Watch Thread]

For the purpose of telling the story of Socialism in the Southern Cone (Uruguay, Argentina and kind of a bit of Brazil) I will tell ya'll the story of my people. The 'Uruguayan' people, or as the people's history would rather call it, the tale of the Easterners (Orientales)

Once upon a time, in 1810, there was a man, called Artigas, who dreamed of a free nation, modeled after the United States, but a bunch of Buenos Aires Oligarchs wouldn't let him.

So, he made a coalition with the governors of like-minded provinces and created the League of Free Peoples in opposition to the triumvirate of Buenos Aires, which made its own coalition, based around the Congress of Tucuman.

And so, both coalitions of provinces battled, until 1820, when ironically the Artigas faction won, but left Artigas to fend for himself in the Eastern land (modern Uruguay) to a Portuguese invasion, which eventually forced him to retreat into exile in Paraguay, where he died in 1850.

In 1825, the Eastern land successfully revolted against the newly independent Brazil and began a second war of independence that had the country initially side itself with a motley crew of Argentinian warlords headed by Buenos Aires.

After a series of victories in the Eastern land proper the Argentinian-Easterner army eventually found itself in a war of stagnation against the empire of Brazil that it couldn't possibly win, forcing both sides to the mediation of the British Empire, which agreed to making the Eastern land independent from both Argentina and Brazil. But under a system where both governments would approve its constitution and keep a right to intervening in its politics.

By the way, Eastern land is a translation I came up with, since Banda Oriental literally means Eastern Strip land or some shit, and it sounds dumb and hard to relate with.

By 1830, the new country that was created in the eastern land from what was left of Artigas ancient state was made independent, had its first constitution approved (by the foreign powers) and its first president sworn in (presidents were elected by the landed gentry, soldiers couldn't vote, nor farmhands, nor anyone who didn't have a certain amount of wealth and power, making the country essentially an oligarchy as opposed to Artigas vision)

The first president, Fructuoso Rivera (an old ally of Artigas and lieutenant) eventually left in 1935 and was succeeded by Manuel Oribe (another lieutenant of Artigas and a freemason) And so, began the era of instability in the newly born State East of Uruguay…

Rivera never relinquished his post of overall commander of the army, and Oribe never forced him out, and so, both leaders began a standoff that lasted about an year, until Rivera revolted against Oribe, and got his ass defeated by him initially, in the Battle of Carpinteria.

This battle would have unforeseen consequences in Uruguayan history… as it would be the first battle where both of the fighting forces would use the old bandanas that would go on to fight for another hundred years. The Colorado (Red) bandana and the Blanco (White) bandana.

The Colorados would be the Party of Rivera, and the Blancos (self-proclaimed as the party of the Laws, i.e.: of the government of Oribe) the party of Oribe

For the next hundred years, both parties, would fight on, and on in numerous civil wars.

Beginning with the Great War of the River Plata, followed by the War of the Triple Alliance begun by Venancio Flores, then the Revolt of the Lances of Timoteo Aparicio, then with an interregnum of military dictatorships by the Colorados, then followed by even more civil wars begun by the Blancos led by Aparicio Saravia (who by then had forgotten why the wars begun to begin with and began fighting for electoral rights).

With the death of Aparicio Saravia in 1904, the Colorados finally were able to quell the countryside, but not without finally giving an inch and giving the Blancos what they really wanting, a measure of justice, electoral rights, and participation in Government

And thus, started what can be called the golden era of Uruguayan history, the 50 years of progress that began with Battle y Ordoñez administration (Colorado) who was so progressive by South American standards, that even some socialists (who initially were part of his party) even asked him to join them, an offer he rejected.

By 1950 though, the signs of new problems began rising in the horizon, as the world wars that had given the country much of its wealth (due to the country being a huge source of foodstuffs for the allied powers) began to dry

Syndicates, Trade Unions and social movements began to rise up. The Blancos (now called the National Party) won in 1958 and ruled until 1966, when the Colorados came back to power.

During the 60s an urban guerrilla took up arms, called the MLN-T (Movimiento de Liberacion Nacional - Tupamaros) alongside with the anarchist group OPR33

By 1971, a constitutional crisis began, as the military backed Pacheco Areco began a campaign for his re-election that led the more progressive members of his Colorado Party to leave the party and begin what's known as the Frente Amplio (Broad Front) with the help of the Revolutionary Left in Uruguay

In the 1971 election, with the help of the Brazilians (as attested by unclassified CIA documents), Pacheco Areco had the elections rigged and prevented the victory of the Blanco Wilson Ferreira Aldunate (who although being part of the Blanco Party was aligned more closely with the Frente Amplio and even copied their programme in some key parts)

Pacheco Areco was prevented from re-election due to losing a constitutional referendum during the election, resulting in the election Juan Maria Bordaberry, his vice-president… a name not soon to be forgotten

During the heyday of the guerrilla, at the start of the 70s, they were able to break out of prison through a hole in the walls. However, Bordaberry with the help of the 'reforms' made by Pacheco Areco in his previous government had the military take over the duties of the police and created the joint security forces. These forces hunted down the guerrilla and imprisoned them within 3 months.

During this time the Joint Forces, greedy for power began plotting to take over the government. In February of 1973, the Navy (Armada) took their forces to the streets to defend the constitutionality of the presidency, but weren't heard by the President, who gave up to the military.

In June of 1973, Bordaberry had the Parliament closed down and the Military-Civilian 'Process' (dictatorship) began.

Initially, the Frente Amplio hoped for a left-wing military coup, but after their leaders began being jailed, they began a general strike which had no much success and began either leaving the country (the richer ones), being jailed (the less powerful and more revolutionary of them) or being denied jobs in the country (the middle of both worlds and worst at all)

By 1985 the military dictatorship found itself out of time, money and support, thus it sought a way out.

'Thanks' to the Pact of the Naval Club, both Wilson Ferreira (Blanco) and Seregni (Ex-Colorado and Frente Amplist) were kept out of the election rolls, thus helping the Colorados to win.

After the elections both were let out of prison and they began a campaign to have the military leaders tried for their crimes during the dictatorship. But the political forces of the country eventually succeeded in convincing Wilson that democracy would only go on if the military were absolved of their crimes through a law. The law of the Caducity of the State's Pretension of Punity (more or less the translation of its name) which left the military out of jail

In the 1990s, the Blancos first (under the conservative Blanco, Luis Lacalle) and the Colorados after (under Sanguinetti) did neoliberal 'reforms' that fucked the country further and tried privatizing several state companies, with limited success.

By 1996, both parties had exhausted themselves and sought a pact to keep the Frente Amplio out of power, which they managed to, by adding the presidential ballotage to the constitution, thus winning against the Frente Amplio in a 51 vs 49 margin in 1999

This was not to pass for long though, as Jorge Batlle (grand-grandson of Batlle y Ordoñez) led a coalition government of Colorados and Blancos that went through a major crisis, the 2002 crisis, during which a large number of Uruguayans went bankrupt and some event fled the country as the banks crashed

In 2004 the Frente Amplio, led by Tabaré Vazquez won the presidential election in the first round of elections with 51% of the vote, thus circumventing the ballotage

The Frente Amplio after entering government, tried to deal with both Blancos and Colorados by giving them key ministries, but after both parties began trying to jacole them for posts, the Frente Amplio finished the negotiations and told them off, thus forming government on its own

The economy which had been recovering since 2003, boomed throughout 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, thus resulting in the election of a second Frente Amplio government, led by former guerrilla José Mujica who promised to lead the country left.

A promise he didn't deliver, as his presidency was a roller coaster of promises, rambling incoherence and a chronic case of overinflated expectations but overall the economy did fine

Thus Tabaré Vazquez got re-elected in 2014, and so began Vazquez 2.0 the electric bugaloo of strikes, incoherent promises half-way delivered that nobody cared about (national system for caring of the elderly, tablets for the elderly and the list goes on)

I have to take a while out, so feel free to comment on what I've written so far

Currently the country's politics are dominated by the Frente Amplio (which is allegedly left wing, but is in reality in bed with big agricultural, transport and pulp mill companies) and has 50 diputados out of 99(representatives in Uruguayan parlance), 15 senators out of 30 (plus the vice president which counts as one extra, thus 16/31)

The National (Blanco) Party which has 30 diputados and has 10 senators, which counts as right of center, pro-capitalist party

The Colorado Party which has around 13 diputados and 3 senators, which used to be the party of government and is now a regular liberal party

The Independent Party which is a 'radical' centrist party, left of center, 3 diputados and 1 senator

The Popular Unity which has only 1 diputado and is revolutionary left and has MLM folks as well as ML

And finally there's the Radical Ecologists, who have no diputados (almost got one, and almost surely will get 1 next elections in 2019), as well as the Trotskysts who have barely 6k votes, in a country where you need 20 or so thousand votes to get a diputado

Yellow Journalism

Will Hemingway — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 08:52:55 +0000

The term “Yellow Journalism” refers to untoward and salacious behavior of the media. People living in the age of the internet and 24-hour cable TV news channels are numb to this outrageous behavior. It has become sadly ubiquitous.

When I point out factual examples of pure manipulation and “click baiting” in media “stories” to the average person, I get crickets. When I voice my disgust to them about it, they more often than not are bewildered by my concern. This is the power of the media.

All media are constantly inundating people with repetitive conditioning. They soften up the populace with stories of outrageous incident on foreign shores or feel good stories diminishing bad things that people have done excusing their actions because they fill in the blanks. Prior to breaking news of corruption or negative stories reaching the general public they seeded those stories. They diminish the backlash when the people learn the truth. In fact, it is a form of manipulation and brainwashing. This type of journalism has started wars and destroyed good people employing the tactic of Yellow Journalism.

The phrase “Yellow Journalism” was in reference to an extremely popular central character, “the Yellow Kid” which was featured in New York City’s top newspaper; The Journal. The Yellow Kid was employed to embed complex political and social initiatives into the social conscious. It shaped the public opinion on important social issues of the time through the use of salacious reports and political cartoon satire.

The Yellow Kid employed similar methods that modern media use today. The weapon of choice is to employ anthropomorphization; the act of assigning human traits to animals.

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities (Wikipedia)

You see it all around you in advertising and even news stories every day. People drop their “armor” to an issue that they would deem threatening and allow the hum-animal to tell them what to do or how to think while their shields are down. There are hundreds of examples; Check out this interesting article on the issues with anthropomorphization click here. In that article her refers to the fatherly figure of the Smokey the Bear as a positive use. He also illustrates a direct attack on our self-reliance, hunting, and much more in examples such as Walt Disney’s Bambi. It brainwashed at least three generations. Many generation X and Millennials will proudly tell you that they “learned most of what they know about history from movies and video games.” That is the unchecked power to manipulate the population ensconced in the media. There are no watch dogs. Any dissenters are labeled crazy, conspiracy theorists, or “haters.”

The owner of the New York City Journal was Joseph Pulitzer. He had established the Journal as the leading newspaper by sensationalizing news stories, exaggerating and creating crisis, championing campaigns against political corruption, and social injustices. When William Randolph Hearst, the owner of the massively successful San Francisco Examiner, moved to NYC and purchased rival newspaper New York World a battle ensued for supremacy. Hearst poached many top employees of the Journal including Richard F Outcault the creator of the Yellow Kid. By the end of 1895 the two newspapers were in full out war, and war, it would bring before it was over. Read my article entitled Casus belli click here.

Yellow Journalism was defined by its total lack of legitimate research, vetted facts, and the use of eye catching photos and cartoons. The newspaper war reached its crescendo when employing those tactics to “beat each other to the scoop” in the unrest in Cuba with the Spanish. The papers were advocating for the USA to get involved in the conflict directly with the Spanish. War, conflict, sells papers. The situation peaked when a highly suspicious explosion occurred on a USA Navy ship in the area. The hyped and highly inaccurate stories printed in the two papers convinced the US public that the Spanish were responsible and forced the US into the war. The public outcry forced the US Congress to pursue war. President McKinley, who was assassinated by what was likely a Bolshevik, was strongly against US involvement in the conflict. Yellow Journalism altered the course of American foreign policy. The Monroe Doctrine of 1823 which established US policy to repel all attempts to colonize the Americas was brought to the forefront.

Not much has changed. Even as we have moved from print to digital news sources. The worst part is that the digital “news” outlets delete and change what they initially reported at the click of a key. It virtually erases any culpability to their willful or inadvertent manipulations and deceitful reporting.

The irony of Yellow Journalism is that it personifies everything that could ever be wrong with journalism. Yet, in an inexplicable, or possibly telling twist, each year journalists vie for the honor of receiving a Pulitzer Prize in Journalism. What? Yes, that’s right a prize with the name of one of the most irresponsible, manipulative journalist newspaper owners in the USA’s history. No, you cannot make this stuff up. They lied to sell newspapers and took us into war. Remember that every time that you hear how there is not such thing as fake news.

You should always check multiple sources, from opposing biases, in order to validate the reports. You are the first line of defense for the truth.