Author Archives: admin

Fight Oligarchy!

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Governments, if they endure, always tend increasingly toward aristocratic forms. No government in history has been known to evade this pattern. And as the aristocracy develops, government tends more and more to act exclusively in the interest of the ruling class – whether that class be hereditary royalty, oligarchs of financial empires, or entrenched bureaucracy.

— Politics as Repeat Phenomenon: Bene Gesserit Training Manual

(from Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune)


It’s true that the wealth of the top one percent is constantly increasing at the expense of the bottom ninety percent. Seventy-five trillion dollars have transferred “upward” between these groups in the United States over the last few decades. It’s not all on the personality cult of DJT nor is it specific to our country. Oligarchs, bureaucracy, and rampant free-market capitalism all contribute. Susan and I attended the Fight Oligarchy rally in Tucson this weekend. The turnout and enthusiasm were incredible. I have hope that together we can make a change. Follow the movement.

https://berniesanders.com/

Happy Christmas/Hanukkah from Trinity Acres

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Happy Christmas/Hanukkah from Trinity Acres – home of this Grateful Recovering Deadhead, Zen Baptist, Groucho Marxist, eCommerce Entrepreneur, Remote Online Notary, Dudist Monk, Army Veteran, Advocate for Democracy, Longevity Enthusiast and long-time Software Aficionado.

Susan has taken on a leadership role in People4People, speaking from stage and continuing her writing journey with Empowering Women’s Alliance. Sarah is doing well and has found a new interest in baking. I’m pretending to be retired and focusing on my education now that the election is over. No more canvassing and volunteering with the Pima Dems, so I might as well learn massage, reiki, cyber security, software development and how best to exploit AI.

This year America voted for autocracy over democracy. That’s a little disappointing. I’ll concede that neither of the current American political parties have proven to us that they have our best interests at heart. That being said, The choices in the last election were clear. Perpetuate at least an illusion of democracy and the liberal consensus, or cede power to the broligarchy. The wannabe trillionaires appear to be so greedy that they’re willing to destroy all the progress we’ve made over the last century to expand the vast wealth they already control.

Research from the Rand Corporation shows that the top 1% of U.S. income earners have taken more than $50 trillion from the bottom 90% over the past several decades. That study was from the last decade, and my guess is that the number is substantially higher. The wealth gap not only continues, but widens at an accelerating pace. Can we count on the giants of industry and commerce to have our best interest at heart? That supposition has little evidence to support it other than a few libraries, schools and museums.

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is here. Now. What does that mean for all of us? We really don’t know.

On the one hand, it is now possible to create literature, music, art and “film” from a text prompt.
It may also mean we have access to education for the masses, solving climate change, curing previously incurable diseases and creating free energy.

On the other hand, if an artificial super-intelligence (ASI) realizes that humanity is not only unnecessary but dangerous to the planet, then all the post apocalyptic scenarios from Skynet to the Matrix may come to pass. Hopefully, there’s a power at work in the universe that will allow for the evolution of the species.

What’s my take away? Stay healthy, work on myself spiritually, learn AI and build multiple streams of income to support creating safe communities for our fellow travelers that are at risk.

Currently on a OPC3/Juice+ kick leading into a Reset 25 start to the new year. Susan and I are both in Wisdom this year, although we may not be posting our insights to FaceBook or other social media where the algorithm is controlled by the broligarchy. And I’m also looking for alternatives that are more open to different points of view. Also learning what I can about autonomous AI agents, including AgentForce.

I’m experimenting with sustainable housing. We tried a 300 square foot bell tent, a cabin tent and a dome tent in our first foray into glamping. All of those failed miserably. Too much wind up here on Hilltop and the sun can be brutal. Now we’re toying with the idea of domes. Aircrete in the DomeGaia tradition, and/or geodesic following Buckminster Fuller’s pattern.

Also see value in lightening up. I would love to give away a few hundred books, CDs, DVDs, bootleg cassettes, reel-to-reel tapes, and equipment to a good home. The end-game would be to downsize into an RV or sailboat.

The journey continues…

The right gets the feelings right

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I’ve been watching Bernie’s podcast and Naomi Klein is brilliant. The extreme right gets the facts wrong and the feelings right. Working class Americans feel like the system is rigged against them and the left is not proposing any real answers to their problems. This gave Steve Bannon an opportunity to play on our fears and propose a set of strategies to fill this void. It doesn’t matter that their explanations for why the American dream evaporated were trumped up and lack factual basis. They can vilify who they wish – as long as there’s somebody to blame. Global elites, Jewish space lasers or immigrants streaming across the border. It doesn’t matter. They say all we need is somebody that will stand against the imaginary villains and stand up for the God fearing Americans.

I have railed against the right for having a platform with no solutions. That’s not true. Their solution is “lock them up”. It doesn’t matter that it wouldn’t help and would spell out the end of democracy. The dems offer tiny gains designed to offer a modicum of relief using the system we have now. Maga offers extreme changes that require burning the system down. Unfortunately, it’s fascism right out of Nazi Germany in the 30s, and will not only bring about the collapse of democracy, but will in all likelihood spell the end of human life on the planet as climate change makes it unlivable for all but the most resilient lifeforms. If Trump wins in November and the reincarnationists are right, get ready to come back as bacteria.

Democratic Republic

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Does our democracy hang in the balance of this election? Only time will tell, and my gut says that is highly likely. There are those that want to change the way that our leaders are selected. Ideally, it would be one vote per person with the least interference possible by those administering the process. I would love to see us move in that direction. If some of those currently in power have their way, it is unlikely. They would rather be the final arbiter in any election process. So, instead of voters getting at least a semblance of participation in government, it will be the ones with the most power telling us who will be running things and how our money will be spent. It seems we are living in interesting times.

Above Majestic

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I find Above Majestic disturbing. Why? It’s not just the wild theories regarding extraterrestrials and nazis. It demonizes segments of the population with the aim of creating division and paranoia. It also calls into question all of conventional thought and the education system as a whole. If I’m understanding the gist of the thought process, it would have us believe that everything ever taught in schools, everything that can be found in published works and everything in the media is disinformation. That seems like a goto strategy for any group to explain why their version of events is true when they are in conflict with substantiated fact. The strategy isn’t new. Conspiracy theorists used the same push buttons about child welfare in the early 80’s to nix the Comprehensive Child Development Act and push back on the feminist movement when women were trying to enter the workplace and assert their independence.

And they sprinkle in a few obscure but plausible tidbits about people, places and events in an attempt to substantiate the concoction. Seems to be working, and I’m saying that because I personally know individuals that seem to have bought it hook, line and sinker.

So what is the take away? Fact check such theories before spreading them as “truth”. Look closely at who will benefit from the fear and distrust that a story is attempting to create. What does my gut tell me about those spreading hate as opposed to those they’re vilifying. Look in their eyes and search for compassion and humanity. Who is really the victim?

Anyway, I think “The Illuminatus Trilogy” would be a great antidote for this hysteria if you could get someone in the grips of it to take the time to read it. At the very least, it brings a sense of humor to the apocalypse and the notion of an all-powerful cabal.

Brave New World

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So, it’s time to speculate about what life will look like during and after Covid 19, given that there will likely be major changes to our social behaviors, our economic landscape, our food chain, continuity of health services, emotional wellbeing and our outlook for the future. And, like it or not, there will be another pandemic, and how we respond to this one will set the stage for the outcome of the next one.

Minimizing contact between people is critical to limiting the spread of the virus. Limiting the spread is critical to allowing our healthcare services to cope with the pandemic. I’m told that no more that 30% of the population have the opportunity to work from home. There are “essential workers” that can’t perform their functions remotely. I’m skeptical that we’re doing a good job delineating essential from non-essential, which of course means that more people are being exposed to possible infection that is necessary and put our society at risk of a resurgence that could jeopardize the lives of our citizens.

What can we do to empower our healthcare workers to be effective at mitigating the spread of the virus and limiting fatality? How can we serve our at-risk community more effectively. What strategies can we employ to facilitate social distancing? How many social interactions can be replaced with a do-it-yourself approach? What cultural changes would make it possible to increase the ratio of remote work opportunities?

There is currently at least some focus on managing the gap in our epidemiology approach. It’s obvious to me, and I would assert many others, that wide-spread testing and contact tracing are critical. Without these key elements, we are flying blind. Supporting our healthcare workers with PPE is necessary to protect this vital human resource in this time of need. Expanding everyone’s access to healthcare will give us better outcomes and greater visibility into how the virus is spreading in the population at large. Hygiene and the universal use of masks and gloves when we’re in public would make a difference.

So, let’s play a what-if game. What if we were all vegan? Would we be less likely for viruses to jump species? What if everyone had a garden that would produce enough food to support their families? What if remote education were freely available for everyone K through post-graduate? What if healthcare was universal and we empowered telemedicine in such a way that in-person non-emergency medical visits became unnecessary? What if social groups came together “virtually” in ways that produce irrefutable value to those who participate and their communities?

Discussion about longevity – transforming the paradigm for aging

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It’s time to start a daily call about radically altering the context for aging (see the post titled “Longevity – Grateful We’re Not Dead”).  This will be a daily zoom on weekdays at 8AM MST. Interested? Join the call and share.

https://zoom.us/j/785893924

Meeting ID: 785 893 924

One tap mobile
+16699006833,,785893924# US (San Jose)
+16468769923,,785893924# US (New York)

 

Check out this YouTube video of David Sinclair on cracking and reversing the aging clock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu0GksWf5pI

Vision de jour

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What is my vision? Here’s another list to empower peace, love, joy, freedom and abundance

Peace – inner peace comes from actions aligning with my values, principles and commitments, and explore what social transformation would lead to peace in our communities and the world

Love – every moment is an opportunity to choose love over fear: love of ourselves, love of fellow humans, love of what we’re doing, and love of the human experience.

Joy – what makes me happy?  Accomplishment. Possibility. Connection (juicy conversations, touch and gazing in another’s eyes). Basically anything groovy.

Freedom to  travel the country and the planet making a difference, socializing with good folks, grooving on nature, appreciating art, absorbing cultures and listening to jams.

Abundance: Create some streams of income to enable that possibility and support aging with vitality.  Worry about scarcity and cognitive decline detracts from this possibility, so anything that frees us from both of those worries would be a win-win. 

Longevity – Grateful We’re Not Dead

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My Game in the World for the Possibility Quarter

Build a community engaged in the inquiry about the possibility of changing the context for the quality of life of humans as they approach or exceed the century mark. We’ll look at everything from diet to DNA, fasting to festivals, metaphysical experiments to mystical experiences.

First couple of topics I want to explore are detox and dietary lifestyle changes to support brain health and longevity, and the there are two website I currently have registered the domains for that will address these: fearlessfood.org and fab4detox.com. That will probably correspond to two arenas since fearlessfood will focus on creating a plant-based diet that restricts refined sugar and refined flour while introducing intermittent fasting, whereas fab4detox is about eliminating toxins and rebooting the biological clock associated with aging.

There’s another arena that will deal with Native American medicine traditions for rewiring our neurology, and I imagine that will encompass everything from sweat lodges to dancing and may include some “sacred” substances, which I’m struggling with conceptually since I don’t want to compromise my recovery or clean-time.

That leads to another arena that centers around spirituality and mindfulness. It’s my belief that reducing stress and becoming centered is in alignment with supporting cognition and leading a more fulfilling life, regardless of your age.

The last area I already have on my map is exchanging opportunities for, and insights into, peak experiences. What I have in mind is travel to exotic locations, whitewater rafting, skydiving, massage, scuba diving, music festivals, exploring natural wonders, or basically anything that can blow your mind.

And it’s all open to negotiation at this point. I’m currently reading “Lifespan – why we age and why we don’t have to” by David Sinclair and “The End of Alzheimer’s” by Dale Bredesen. It’s likely that more will be revealed.

Flye to Freedom, Work from Anywhere

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A piece of my next game is “Flye to Freedom, Work from Anywhere”. It’s not off the ground, and I’ll give you the concept. Partner with a bunch of IT folks that are tired of working in a cube farm. Create a culture of cheap or free travel using WorldVentures and shared vacation ownership then create a platform where we can collaborate on projects using all the latest technologies, allowing us to be geographically untethered. Employ automation and marketing to reach an expanding customer base and generate unmatched value. The end goal is a state of perpetual vacation where we get to play with technology from anywhere there’s wifi.

Or this was the game until yet another vehicle for this possibility emerged from my “Grateful We’re Not Dead” game.  What about circling the plant with hostels where anyone can drop in and stay (spend the night, the week or the month), bath, eat, meditate, garden, jam, paint and work to support the community. Don’t want to work?  Pitch in a nightly fee.  

So what is a hostel? https://www.hostelworld.com/blog/what-is-a-hostel 

The only thing really different in my vision is the “work to stay” model.  I’m not so sure that this is unique. When I mentioned this to Tina and Susan (Tina had Susan on the massage table at the time), Tina said I was talking about her wellness centers.

Man, does that ever fit into my Game in the World.