Karl

Is it really though ? It's easy to be swayed by these things. Clinton talks aggressively, but those emails reveal that she has preferred to work with Putin and has had secret meetings with him. I'm not so sure we don't have two things being conflated. There is, as Clinton said, one thing she says to the public and one thing in private. Getting elected requires pinning the tail on two donkeys. The first is that the opponent will take us to war, the second is that the opponent is colluding with the enemy. Trump has simultaneously being accused of being the guy who would push the button, whilst apparently being the same guy who lets Putin slip him the tongue. He can't be both of these people and neither can Clinton. I don't think either of them want Nuclear war, or even conventional war. I think they have to be seen to be tough and capable, just enough to suggest that they would do what it takes and just enough to suggest they would entertain a dialogue. It's a kind of balance. Clinton has nothing to gain by a war with Russia, let's face it, no one has. It's just a big game of chicken. The danger is that one of the parties decides not to flinch and that there are those who would happily see the world burn.

I don't see that there are any limits on either gender doing what they want. This is what I said before. Even if it is culturally embedded then so what ? It isn't any advantage to have more women studying in a particular field. That is just central planning of the economy. If men prefer one thing and women another, then that's how it is. I fix the car, my wife sews the curtains. It's not that either of us isn't capable of the alternate task, it's that we prefer one over the other. Hence the car is more efficiently repaired and the curtains don't end up as large handkerchiefs. Let's not make the mistake of trying to quota women, not even by soft manipulation, into doing what they don't really prefer.

Doesn't the words of those campaigners say it all ? "We have to win this fucking thing regardless of the ethics". I'm reminded of Rand's description of Russia at the time she lived there. Worth looking it up on YouTube (called the red and white armies). Rand said that when the Red army was in town the people preferred the white army; when the White army were in town the people preferred the red army. She wrote that the White army were intent on winning, but that they had no other aim but to win. They were a fighting machine devoid of any purpose in comparison to the Red army, who, although brutal, clearly had aims and objectives. I wonder if it isn't like this with the democrats. That they intend to win at all costs, but they lack any sense of purpose. Perhaps Clinton is just the eye of a big boil which has carried her by its own momentum. Isn't it true that successive Governments have come and gone but they have simply run out of ideas. They no longer stand for anything but the status quo. It is said that Rome was organised and ruled in a way that eventually resulted in the minions of the empire dictating the direction of policy. I think this is what has happened. The Government own mechanism has sabotaged it, there isn't a Government, but a huge committee that keeps pulling things around but achieves no results- this is the classic situation in which Hayek said woukd cause the rise of the strongman 'a Mussolini or a Hitler' which sounds bad, but Trump might be a benevolent tyrant compared with an ineffectual, confused Government that has lost control of its own processes, economy, education, health and foreign policies,

https://www.aaup.org/article/why-are-we-still-worried-about-women-science#.WAoUm-t4WrU Another interesting article showing that women are not lagging in the sciences generally, that in certain science field they are over represented. Women choose life sciences such as biology over mechanical sciences. This fits well with the previous post which shows women are generally more interested in living organisms than in more abstract physics.

Back to the discussion. I wondered if anyone would mention the research done on male/female preferences ? I watched a programme about it and researchers were surprised to find that boys will prefer cars/balls and girls prefer dolls regardless of how they were brought up. This piece shows that this is not unique to humans, but also to monkeys. There is clear evidence building up to show that males and females prefer different activities - no suprise to me, for women to be women, men need to be men. http://www.livescience.com/22677-girls-dolls-boys-toy-trucks.html

Conrad Black was on QT last night. He said that Trump isn't how he is portrayed at all, he was pretty nice about Clinton too. Something I have disliked about the attacks on Clinton is that somehow changing her mind is a bad thing. The same with Trumps comments 11 years ago. That was Trump then, but not necessarily now. I think he has won even if he loses. Imagine the scrutiny on Clinton if she wins it ? The MSM has basically given away all credibility to back their horse. It will be seen as a stitch up even if it isn't. Her next four years would be dogged with the tag of 'crooked' and that is a difficult stain to shift. She can't deliver the package that Trump has made her promise and Trump and the electorate will be ready to comment on every slight set back. I predict that without the Trump bogeyman and with their reputation in tatters, even the MSM will be unable to resist joining in. She would become the president no one wants. That's an untenable position. If I were Clinton I would be lining up replacement pretty quickly.

:-) that made me smile.

He shows all the hall marks of someone who is being guided by 'the art of war'. Use the enemies strength against them. When they attack, retreat, when they retreat, attack. Catch the enemy of guard, make them do the running. Clinton has all the strength, the connections, the media, the money and the power. Yet a few commando raids by the likes of a single guy hiding in the Ecuadorean embassy, some amateurs on YouTube and an overweight, sanctimonious orange person is beating her black and blue. It's all very clever tactics. Just keep repeating the meme 'crooked hillary' 'make America great' and before long the two phrases begin to merge. By getting ride of the crooks represented by Hillary you can make America great again. This was much the same in the EU referendum, which is why I think Trump will win, or come very close to it. The same 'take back control' 'the establishment are trying to stop you' won the day. The people rose up in unprecedented numbers, more than any election, which means those who never voted before were motivated. All the polls are based on previous elections, on winning campaigns of the past, but Trump is not like the past, he isn't the polished politician, he is saying it the way the people think it. In this kind of environment the polls mean nothing. We learned this during two elections at which point the pollsters were beginning to lose the confidence of the political elite, but the EU referendum was a bombshell and the elite still cannot accept it happened.

:-) it's just a matter of separating the emotion from the thought and it's as easy as that, but the problem is that there are many who believe emotions are cognition and so have become slaves to feelings. My precioussssuss.

Because of what I represent. To suggest it is aggressive is to misuse the word. I do not represent any kind of existential threat here. That people 'come here' for different reasons is not disputed. I'm talking about those who want to argue with me. It takes two to tango. You would rather I was not here, but you haven't figured out why you wish it. All this you hide from yourselves. You refuse that reason is mans only absolute, yet that refusal to accept it is an absolute. I know you don't have a clue what the dao is, you cannot define it, then you say that it has to be a particular thing that you are unable to define. Some people are here looking for a tribe. Yet what is offered to them but the impossible and the unreachable. The path of no path. Where are you guiding these seekers Jetsun ? - to a place you can neither define, reach, describe or understand. You offer only faith, as if that is the Dao that one must simply believe and and revelation shall be achieved. Not one of you ever had and not one of you ever will. I am fighting for men's minds, you are fighting for their feelings. If people want faith I leave them to it. If they want to trust their emotions over their cognition I do not interfere. This is why I never - except once by mistake-get involved in practice forums. I only ever respond to posts framed as questions, portrayed as facts, or directed towards me. At those times there is a chance for open debate. That 90% argue with me does not make me wrong. I'm a minority of one, not because I try to be, but because I am. You would be better to respect it rather than continually playing the man. Either argue the point, or don't argue at all. I may get banned, but certainly I cannot be cowed by ad hominems. Those who are unable to do much but post ad hominems are simply added to the ignore list, they have lost the argument and therefore have departed the field. If others cannot stomach my arguments I suggest they do that also, or simply ignore my posts. It isn't difficult unless of course the traffic isn't one way ;-) 'don't throw rocks in glass houses'.

It's a democracy, so mob rule. The majority oppresses the majority and does so legally. We can live our own lives within the parameters of the restrictions that are applied to us. There are always cracks in the pavement, but the road has most definitely been laid. It began in earnest in the 60s with events such as Woodstock.

As a clear sign that the West has given up. Look around any art gallery, or read the stuff that passes as contemporary classic literature. It's all utter crap. Toohey won.

We discussed Trumps refusal to answer that election result question on another forum. At first I thought it was Trump in defeat, but I see now that it is something incredibly sophisticated. Trump is mirroring his voter base. He has created empathy with the blue collar worker that generally refuses to talk about politics and see politicians are nothing but corrupt, hot air and wind; jawboning promises that never materialise. He said what 'they' are thinking. Anyone who thinks politicians are corrupt will have heard that comment and instantly recognise it as their own. Then, they will think 'here is a guy saying what I think'. It means every insult Hillary throws at Trump lands on their backs-those 'deplorables' who are everyone but the solid Clinton voters. What's more, his refusal to give an answer rankles the elite. It rankles them in the same way that the electorate rankles them. In effect it says "we do not accept your lies and corruption, we know don't want to play your game because it's stacked against us". Watch how the elite came out like angry bees and exposed themselves immediately to all but their own acolytes. Trump got them to do this on their own media streams. These elite are so arrogant that they can't help but throw themselves into Trumps little trap. The alt press is exposing the election rigging. The MSM are saying Clinton can't be beaten. What is the synthesis between thesis and anti-thesis-that the tables are tilted, that the fix is in and Trump got them to shine a light on themselves. He will have secured his position with the current base and taken some new voters with him. From this perspective it was a good final debate for Trump, although viewed through the eye of a political critic it looked pretty much like a draw for two rather unintelligent people. Is it enough ? I think so. Clinton can no longer win even if she wins.

Look at the moon and not the finger. I must fight for some-thing. You must fight for some-thing. Do you even know what it is ? All this crap about coming here to 'share' is a sham. Why are you really here ? It's a question I am asked many times by those who are dishonest-either evasively or who are in ignorance-about their purpose. Why do you fight me ? If your purpose is to listen and learn then what are you doing drawing your mental sword ? I present no existential threat to you, so perhaps you should question what your intention is - I know mine.

Priceless LOL "Forgive him o'lord for he knows not what he says" :-)

As you don't accept reason as a human absolute, that leaves you with faith and therefore the religious label. :-)

Err no I'm the heretic here and the tribe want me tied to an anthill whilst covered in honey.

So, you completely excuse the Government despite them bein an elected body supposed to uphold law, justice and rights ? If it's counterfeiting then why haven't the Government arrested them ? You don't answer these questions. Instead you put the bankers before government and as such you are saying that there is no government. Despite the fact that every single election we have hoards of people demanding free stuff and always asking the state to deliver ever more. None of these people are concerned at the central bank printing money as long as it keeps the welfare flowing, their jobs safe and their houses rising in value. If there is no state then how come the hospitals, schools, roads, taxation, army, police, courts, fire services and welfare systems continue to operate and pay their employees and creditors ? Who is paying that money ? Are you saying it's the bankers ? As far as Japan is concerned, these new androgenous men are employed, they are choosing not to date. They prefer tech to real women. It's not as simple as economic. The truth is that it is the poor who have more children, the wealthy have comparatively few.

I already claimed that it was likely an inaccuracy and have since edited the post.

Point me in a direction, because every thing I read appears to contain historical contradictions. One thing is certain, they were far from being the noble savages this lot seem to believe they were. There is plenty of evidence of violent war of plunder between tribes and the myth of living in harmony with nature should definitely be re-appraised.

I have, but not in any depth. I've read several articles which point to the destruction of the Bison having been started by the Indians themselves, that coupled with predation they were already on the way to extinction. This seems a good article to start with and is worth discussing in terms of the references: https://fee.org/articles/buffaloed-the-myth-and-reality-of-bison-in-america/

So, if it's such a great lifestyle why are you sitting around moaning about capitalism ? There are some tribes left as it has been pointed out, please go join them. Let's see how much leisure time you have. Sitting around in a grass hut in the cold, dark depths of winter eating dried elk meat .....mmmmmm lovely.

Actually the bison were deliberately hunted down in order to end the savage attacks of the Comanche Indians (think I've got the right tribe there, but can't check just now). The Government offered good money for every buffalo hide and the hunters set to work with merry abandon. The Indians did not respect property rights which makes it difficult to try and negotiate with them.

Except for two flies in the ointment. A) the fiscal/monetary policy has been set by Shizo Abe and is well known by its nickname 'abenomics' so it isn't 'banksters' but Government. Japan is a country of old people and the young no longer bother having children and in many cases there is a fashion towards an androgenous kind of male that is no longer interested in girls at all. That isn't to do with economics, that's to do with the people and ideas that make up the society.

It's superior how ? No one develops beyond the stage of the basic division of labour. Where is the enlightenment in toiling all day just to have enough to eat ? Where are the great works of music, the concertos, the beautiful paintings, sculpture, architecture. Where are the great writers and infinite variety of abundant foods and medicines ? primitive cultures cling to life. Everytime you say 'greedy' you reveal your hand. Like all champagne socialists you want your cake and eat it. You live in a capitalist world with all the benefits and opportunities that brings, then you condemn it for what you believe is greed. You make no effort to go and live the life you praise so much whilst enjoying capitalism. It's completely phoney. You are worse because you praise sacrifice whilst refusing to comitt to it, then you condemn life whilst accepting all it brings. You a sham and a fraud. It is people like you that are destroying capitalism like a disease, eating it from the inside like a parasite that refuses to leave.