Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Observed while Christmas Shopping

This morning, Melissa and I, against my protestations, went to one of the local mega malls to, according to her, finish up some last minute gift purchases.  I went along as more of a bag carrier and receipt pocketer than a shopper, though I did purchase something for my Mum and my Dad.  Our first stop was the Old Navy store, and since it was fairly early, 9 A.M. or so, there were actually more employees, seasonal and otherwise, in the store than consumers.

Melis found what she was looking for in rather quick time, so off to the cashier we went.  As we stood at the checkout counter, no waiting in line either, and Melissa answered the twenty questions they typically throw at you; will that be an Old Navy charge, zip code please, would you like gift receipts, etcetera, etcetera, I noted two young men approaching the mall entrance/exit of the store.  When the gentlemen I observed made it to the front of the store, they both stopped, seemingly waiting, for what I did not know.  I did not need to wait long to find out.

As the young men stood there, a supervisor, at least that’s what the dangling name tag/store pass said, approached the young men.  As said supervisor approached, the young men stripped off their outer clothes.  In each case, a bulky, hooded sweatshirt.  At that point I was able to determine that the young men actually were employees of Old Navy.  Seasonal or fulltime I cannot say.  What got me, was the fact that the supervisor then patted both of the young men down, including their sweatshirts.  Right in front of me.  I almost couldn’t believe it.

I realize that shoplifting and employee theft are a problem in retailing, as this article plainly states, but subjecting employees to these cautions, directly in front of paying customers, seemed to lack good judgement, and, made me wonder if the supervisor was going to consider asking me to remove my heavy leather jacket for a pat down when it came time for me to leave the store.

The linked article states that over $4.7 billion was lost to employee theft and shoplifting in just 25 retail establishmets in 2002.  A number, considering the small amount of retailers, that is rather staggering.  I do not know the methodology followed for determining this number, but, if it is accurate, it would appear that there are more dishonest folks than honest folks.  A supposition that I have a hard time believing.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/23 at 01:55 PM
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A Distinctly Important Question

Billy Beck, upon reading this post of Kim du Toit’s, wherein Kim expresses his dissatisfaction with Bush’s latest health initiative, expresses, clearly, the root problem and asks a distinctly important question.  From the end of Billy’s post,

"The essential problem is not that Bush—or anyone else—wants to control your life. The problem is that he can, because of the prevailing conviction that your life doesn’t belong to you. At root, the prevailing conviction is that you belong to “society”.

Well: do you?"

Posted by John Venlet on 12/23 at 01:38 PM
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Taking it in the Arm

Tyler Cowen has a post up at Marginal Revolution entitled “Liability and flu vaccine" which looks at liability law and the possible effect on availability of flu vaccines by linking to a story in the Financial Times on just this subject.  Cowen quotes a portion of the article in his post which, in a single sentence, I think provides the real cause for so called flu vaccine shortages.

"But gradually profit margins thinned on vaccines, as the government became a big buyer of them."

Would you manufacture vaccines if there was no money in it or would you do it for the “public good.”

Posted by John Venlet on 12/23 at 07:30 AM
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Higher Education Musing

Aaron Haspel, at God of the Machine, muses on attending college, the follies associated with loyalty to your alma mater, and if the money is well spent.  The post is entitled “Contra College." The first sentence of Aaron’s post,

"To understand the absurd seriousness with which Americans treat higher education, look at their cars."

Posted by John Venlet on 12/23 at 06:34 AM
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The World of Submarines

When I was in the service, serving on the USS LOS ANGELES (SSN668), we were the biggest boat on the block.  Well we were until the USS OHIO (SSBN726) went active.  It is a behemoth of a submarine.  Five hundred and sixty feet long versus three hundred and sixty feet long for a 688 class sub.  The first time the OHIO pulled into Pearl, I was flabbergasted at its size.  And amenities, it made the LA, my boat, look like a Motel 6 versus a Sheraton.  Anyway, Anna, at Belligerent Bunny Blog, has posted the fact that they are converting the OHIO to carry all Tomahawk cruise missiles.  154 of them to be exact.  Now that’s a silent, deadly, weapons platform.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/23 at 06:12 AM
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Monday, December 22, 2003

Merry Christmas to the Chinese

China is amending their “constitution” once again.  They are going to recognize human rights, which is kind of a weak amendment, and private property rights for the first time since 1949.  The full article here, as published in The China Daily.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/22 at 04:26 PM
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Fricking Socialists - Bah Humbug

Andy Duncan, over at Samizdata, asks the question “What is the point of socialism?"

Posted by John Venlet on 12/22 at 01:20 PM
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Taxation - Legalized Theft

Karen De Coster has a post up entitled “The Tax Protestor Movement" wherein she quotes from this Claire Wolfe post.

From Claire’s post, somewhat of a summation,

"I believe in tax resistance. I believe the income tax is both theft and slavery. I believe all taxation is morally wrong and the income tax is one of the worst of the lot. I believe the beast of tyranny won’t die until we starve it to death by withdrawing what it feeds on—tax money.

But I’ve mostly stayed away from the organized “tax protest” movement because 1) the arcane legal theories on which it relies completely miss the essentials of the matter, 2) the arcane legal theories on which it relies are mostly wrong, 3) the arcane legal theories on which it relies will get you in unnecessary trouble even if they’re absolutely, 100 percent correct, and 4) the movement is full of scam artists and it’s sometimes impossible to distinguish the sincere, correct crusader from the sleazeball."

From Karen’s post, also a summation,

"We were born slaves and until we can empower ourselves enough to fight back and crunch the State, that’s the way it is. But don’t ever call yourself a libertarian and acknowledge that the omnipotent central monster and its monopolies, theft, coersion, and hegemony are a necessity. That ain’t libertarianism. Those that utter such things are trying to become employed, stay employed, or, in the least, they don’t want to ostracize themselves from that which they see as the path to mainstream popularity. Selling out is all a part of that path."

Posted by John Venlet on 12/22 at 12:33 PM
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Non-Local Reality

The issues of science and God are of great interest to me.  I don’t find them incompatible, unless individuals utilize either one to coerce, or, to dodge personal responsibility.  With that in mind, here’s a link to an article written by Dr . Lee E. Warren, B.A., D.D. entitled “The Power Latent in Man - HAS SCIENCE FOUND GOD IN NON-LOCAL REALITY?" The article looks at quantum mechanics, the Bell Theorem and the EPR paradox and states its intent as,

"This article will compare the invisible, non-local order of our reality identified by quantum mechanics (specifically proven by the Bell Theorem) and Spirit that is invisible, omnipresent, and all in all. We are most familiar with a reality consisting of local events within space and time and one that exists and operates in a chronological framework. Quantum mechanics proves that there is a non-local part of our existence just as real as thoughts, feelings, and ideas that cannot be measured on an instrument. The invisible DNA instructions that directs our cells prove the unseen presence of the Creator in which we live, move, and have our being (Acts 17:22-28)."

Interesting read with many references for further reading.

Via J. Orlin Grabbe.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/22 at 07:57 AM
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"Deliberation Day?"

Also from Arts & Letters Daily, is this article proposing a national Deliberation Day. The proposal,

"Registered voters would be called together in neighborhood meeting places, in small groups of 15 and larger groups of 500, to discuss the central issues raised by the campaign. Each deliberator would be paid $150 for the day’s work of citizenship. To allow the business of the world to carry on and as many as possible to participate, the holiday would be a two-day affair."

Right.  Richard Posner, writing for the same issue of Legal Affairs disagrees.

What we really need is a personal responsibility day.  Actually we need this 365 days a year.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/22 at 07:23 AM
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"Death Sentence, The Decay of Public Language"

Author Don Watson has a new book out, the title used as the title for this post, wherein Watson "defends a language he says is being mangled by the globalising forces of obfuscation." From the review of Watson’s book,

"The book charts how “managerial language” has infiltrated the English of politics, business, bureaucracy, education and the arts. The book is about the rise of core strategies and key performance indicators, and the death of clarity and irony and funny old things called verbs. It is about a new language that Watson calls sludge and clag and gruel. Those three blunt words speak to the book’s larger intention. Death Sentence is also a manifesto, the first shots, Watson hopes, in a campaign everyone can join to bring the language back to life."

Here’s the link to the rest of the review.

Via Arts & Letters Daily.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/22 at 07:12 AM
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Sunday, December 21, 2003

A Sunday Afternoon Read

Though in the post immediately below this I have a jab a Richard Dawkins, this article, written by Jack Hardy, entitled "Memetics How Mind Viruses Influence Our Choices and the Way We Think," explores Dawkins idea of memes, which he published in the book "The Selfish Gene." Hardy believes memes have been regarded "too narrowly."

Via J. Orlin Grabbe.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/21 at 02:21 PM
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Still Missing the Main Point

Interesting piece written by Edward Rothstein in the New York Times. The piece is entitled “Reason and Faith; Eternally Bound." I, personally, have no argument with Rothstein’s title, and the piece itself, though shallow in thought provoking argument, is an interesting read, considering he quotes Dawkins, whose drum banging to create a new label for atheists, is mere juvenile clique formation.  Still, the main point is missed.

The main point to be considered is not that faith is bad, nor reason, but that using either faith, or reason, to coerce individuals to conform to perceived moral standards or behaviors is wrong.

Via Arts & Letters Daily.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/21 at 10:36 AM
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Read the Book

Joshua Zader, who blogs at Mudita Journal, notes and provides a link to an interview with screenwriter James Hart. Hart is evidently working on a new screenplay for "Atlas Shrugged." I’ve never viewed any of Rand’s work that has been turned into a film, and I am somewhat hesitant to do so, based on the visualizations created in my mind, as I read Rand’s books.  I think it may be possible for a good screenplay to be written and then produced as a film, but I do not think justice could be done to "Atlas Shrugged" in a film format.  Many individuals do not want to think that hard.  But that’s just my opinion.

Hart did make one very accurate statement in the linked interview,

"We’re on the threshold of what Ayn Rand predicted,” he noted. “Socialism has crept into everything and we’re penalizing the thinkers, the movers and shakers for being successful. In a way, the world that Ayn Rand created in Atlas Shrugged *is* the United States today."

Posted by John Venlet on 12/21 at 08:46 AM
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Can't Find Honest Work

I noticed the article yesterday about Gary Condit suing three tabloids for, as the suit says,

"The stories published in The National Enquirer, The Globe and The Star portrayed Condit as a “murderer” and “sexual deviant” and “caused him to be exposed to public hatred, contempt and ridicule ... for things that never happened,” according to the suit filed in Palm Beach, Fla."

Poor Condit, he just can’t seem to line his pockets with any honestly earned dollars.  Although Condit did honestly earn the public’s hatred, contempt and ridicule, for dissing his wife in favor of the young Levy.

Via Drudge.

Update: I couldn’t recall where I had read the quote below when I posted this earlier this morning, but, because I think it is appropriate, I add it now.  The quote, from the tome "Plutarch’s Lives," is spoken by Aemilius Paulus to Perseus.

"Why, unhappy man, do you thus take pains to exonerate fortune of your heaviest charge against her, by conduct that will make it seem that you are not unjustly in calamity, and that it is not your present condition, but your former happiness, that was more than your deserts?"

Posted by John Venlet on 12/21 at 06:58 AM
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