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[Oilcan]

Coordinating transit in a rational way with zoning is going to be a bear.

[Oilcan]

[Hamilton Samuels]

What if planet Earth was a no-fly zone?

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220519-what-if-we-all-stopped-flying

We did stop flying for several days after 9/11. It was eerily quiet, among other things.

[Oilcan]

So it appears we have, with the collapse of the Red Wave, escaped at least one form of Hobbesian nightmare.

What others do you think we must prepare for?  Solar flare taking out the grid?  Nuclear war?  Collapse of the bee population?  Malicious design and release of bioengineered pathogen?  Pest infestation destroys world coffee crop?

[bambu.]

I could be in favor of executing a limited subset of murderers who commit especially depraved (or mass) murders, as long as there is close to zero doubt they did it.  Such as being caught at the scene as in the case of Dylan Roof the church assassin.  Or of there is substantial and uncontradicted physical evidence.

You could even make it part of the sentence that they get 10 years in jail for appeals and such before their execution date.  And have a review board that makes sure that guilt is not in doubt.

A big problem with the system as it is, is that it's poor and poorly educated and minorities who get the death penalty.  Often legal counsel was inept -- there have been death penalty cases where the attorney never handled such a case before, where the lawyer slept through parts of the trial etc.  If the person is clearly guilty or the evidence so stacked against them, any competent lawyer will plea bargain and get their client a long prison term instead of exposing them to the death penalty.  Related, if the lawyer fails to bring up some objections or introduce some evidence into trial, that often precludes any appeals on those grounds.  So the system as it is punishes the poor with inept or inexperienced counsel.

And there are racial issues as well.  Studies have shown that killing a white person leads to more death penalty convictions.  That black defendants get the death penalty more than whites.  That juries without blacks vote for the death penalty for black defendants more, etc.  I assume death penalty is sought more for black defendants and white victims as well.

So given the realities of poor counsel and a weak public defender system, plus the inherent racism in the US criminal justice I find it very hard to practically implement a fair and mistake free death penalty regime.  As it stands it's generally poor and poorly educated minorities who get the death penalty.  For most defendants, it's not too difficult to plea bargain and/or argue mitigating factors and avoid such.

Then there's also issues of mental competency and youth.
A can of worms all around.

At least under the current regime the death penalty is fairly rare, takes around 20 years for a sentence to be carried out -- but I don't think anyone would argue that it's fair and mistake free.

Indeed.
The death penalty is a croc.
The premeditated, cold-blooded killing of human beings by the state is barbaric.
It was barbaric in Auschwitz, and it's just as barbaric today.
Walk the human into the chamber of death alive, and wheel them out dead...time modern America moved on from that. Ask Sabrina Butler, I'm sure she will agree.
Ask the Innocence Project, they will certainly agree.

[Oilcan]

https://www.npr.org/2022/12/09/1141635119/the-first-gen-z-member-of-congress-was-denied-a-d-c-apartment-due-to-bad-credit

Ending rental application fees is a good start.  For the non-affluent some of the current practice is predatory. 

And for members of Congress from the working class, they shouldn't have to couch surf the first few months in DC, or resort to sleeping in their offices.  Maybe consider affordable housing as essential to the health of any city, find legal and legislative tools to reward builders who do the right thing and create affordable spaces.  I have a lot of hope for the raised consciousness of Gen Z.

[Oilcan]

How modern zombie narratives have distanced themselves from the Haitian origins.  And why.  Fascinating read.

https://www.salon.com/2023/03/19/zombie-zonbi-haiti-origins/

[Oilcan]

https://www.thetrace.org/2023/12/firearm-suicide-gun-owners-nra-research/

Longish article, copublished by The Atlantic and The Trace.  I posted The Trace link, since it is paywall free. 

A story of a gun lover and suicide. 

[Oilcan]

A somewhat different take on socialism.

https://www.salon.com/2024/05/03/why-climate-change-action-requires-degrowth-to-make-our-planet-sustainable/

Japanese philosopher challenges the received wisdom of the Green New Deal, and looks at how Marx changed some of his views later in his life.   Eco-socialism is the move towards degrowth and away from capitalism. 

[bambu.]

Social-capitalism is best.

Social Capitalism can be defined as a socially minded form of capitalism, where the goal is making social improvements, rather than focusing on accumulating of capital in the classic capitalist sense. It is a utilitarian form of capitalism with a social purpose.

[FlyingVProd]

Social-capitalism is best.

Social Capitalism can be defined as a socially minded form of capitalism, where the goal is making social improvements, rather than focusing on accumulating of capital in the classic capitalist sense. It is a utilitarian form of capitalism with a social purpose.

I like that.

Comcast from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, owns Universal Studios, and they have the power to do a lot of great things, in Hollywood, and in Orlando, and elsewhere, and they can make good content, etc. And Universal also has the largest music label.

Money is a tool to make life better for people. We can have nicer, cleaner, happier, healthier, and better educated, communities.

Comcast could do a lot of good things.

Salute,

Tony V.

[FlyingVProd]

John D. Rockefeller was the wealthiest American of all time and was once among the richest men in the world. By age 25, he controlled one of the largest oil refineries in the US. By age 31, he had become the worlds largest oil refiner. By age 38, he commanded 90% of the oil refined in the U.S.

By 50, he was the richest man in the country. As a young man, every decision, attitude, and relationship was tailored to create his personal power and wealth.

But at the age of 53, he became ill. His entire body became racked with pain and he lost all of his hair. In complete agony, the billionaire who could buy anything he wanted, but he could only digest soup and crackers. An associate wrote, He could not sleep, would not smile and nothing in life meant anything to him. His personal, highly skilled physicians predicted he would die within a year.

As he approached death he awoke one morning with the vague realization of not being able to take any of his wealth with him into the next world. The man who could control the business world suddenly realized he was not in control of his own life. He was left with a choice.

So, he called his attorneys, accountants, and managers and announced that he wanted to channel his Assets to Hospitals, Research, and Charity work. John D. Rockefeller established his Foundation.

This new direction eventually led to the discovery of Penicillin, cures for Malaria, Tuberculosis and Diphtheria.
\
But perhaps the most amazing part of Rockefellers story is that the moment he began to give back a portion of all that he had earned, his bodys chemistry was altered so significantly that he got better. It looked as if he would die at 53 but he lived until 98 yrs. old.

Rockefeller discovered the power of gratitude and philanthropy, giving away the majority of his wealth. This act not only healed him but also made him whole. The happiness he felt in sharing his blessings is one thing that healed him.

In his later years, he reflected in his diary:

God taught me that everything belongs to Him, and I am merely a channel to fulfill His wishes. My life has been a long, happy journey, full of work and play. I let go of worry, and God was good to me every day.

John Davison Rockefeller
July 8, 1839 - May 23, 1937
Founder of Standard Oil