Not For Itself

The truth is, that most men want knowledge, not for itself, but for the superiority which knowledge confers; and the means they employ to secure this superiority, are as wrong as the ultimate object, for no man can ever end with being superior, who will not begin with being inferior.   

-- Sydney Smith (1771 - 1845), English clergyman, critic, philosopher, and wit, Elementary Sketches of Moral Philosophy (1849)

Wisdom And Efficiency

A country is considered the more civilised the more the wisdom and efficiency of its laws hinder a weak man from becoming too weak and a powerful one too powerful.

-- Primo Levi (1919 - 1987), Italian chemist and author of memoirs, short stories, poems, and novels; he joined an anti-Fascist group at the start of The Second World War but was captured and taken to the German concentration camp at Auschwitz.  Levi survived the Holocaust and returned to Italy, If This Is a Man (1947)

This Shit Is Expensive

My health is good.  And I've just reached a milestone or two. 

As many of you know, in late 2015 I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and since I drew the short straw, I received multiple modalities of treatment.  First there was surgery, then radiation, and finally hormone therapy, which is slated to end after 6 more months.  The first milestone is 2 years of zeroes on tests where I hope to score zero (knock wood).

But this isn't really a post about my health, it's more about the cost of treatment.  I maintain a spreadsheet breaking down the costs for my treatment as submitted to insurance (not necessarily as paid).  This shit is expensive.  Here are some totals, by category:

Diagnosis   :  $16,000
Surgery     :  $79,000
Radiation   : $236,000
Hormone Tx  : $174,000

The final category, hormone treatment, will continue to accrue at ~$5500 per month for another 6 months.  With my most recent treatment, I hit my second milestone, the half million dollar mark.

Grand Total : $504,930.64

Apple Hits $1,000,000,000,000

How do you like them apples?

Apple just became the first American public company to cross $1 trillion in value.

The iPhone maker achieved that big number on Thursday when the stock passed $207.04 a share.  Its new all-time high is $208.38.  Apple is now up more than 20% this year.

-- CNN Money, 2 August 2018

Improbity

Origin of improbity (wickedness or dishonesty)

The English noun improbity comes from Latin improbitās (stem improbitāt-) "dishonesty, unscrupulousness," a derivative of improbus "inferior, improper."  The parts of improbus break down fairly easily: the prefix im- is a variant of the Latin negative prefix in- used before labial consonants (e.g., b, p) from the same Proto-Indo-European source as Germanic (English) un-, Greek a-, an-, and Sanskrit a-, an-.  The element pro- is from the very common (and complicated) Proto-Indo-European prefix and preposition per "forward, through, in front of, early, first."  The -bus is the same ending as in the Latin adjective superbus "proud, haughty" (the ultimate source of English superb) from the Proto-Indo-European root bheu- "to be, exist, grow," source of Germanic (English) be, Latin fuï "I was, have been" (the perfect of esse "to be"), and Slavic (Polish) być "to be."  The original sense of probus would be "going well, growing well," and improbus "not going well."  Improbity entered English in the late 16th century.

-- From dictionary.com

Fixed Stick

In the same way that a stick shift is a theft control device for a car, being fixed gear is a theft control device for a bicycle.

Good Tests

Good tests kill flawed theories; we remain alive to guess again.

-- Sir Karl Raimund Popper (1902 - 1994), Austrian and British social and political philosopher, as quoted in My Universe : A Transcendent Reality (2011) by Alex Vary, Part II

The Life That I Intended

I believe that the pursuit of truth and right ideas through honest debate and rigorous argument is a noble undertaking.  I am grateful to have played a small role in the conversations that have helped guide this extraordinary nation's destiny.  I leave this life with no regrets.  It was a wonderful life -- full and complete with the great loves and great endeavors that make it worth living.  I am sad to leave, but I leave with the knowledge that I lived the life that I intended.

-- Charles Krauthammer (13 March 1950 - 21 June 2018), American Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and political commentator, in his last column, announcing that he was dying of cancer, "A note to readers" in The Washington Post (8 June 2018)

Inversely

The intelligence of the driver is inversely proportional to the height of the vehicle.

-- Appleman's Law of Driver Intelligence, ca 1982

Wonderful Day

I wanted to win for my people in Colombia, after months of hard work.  All the support I've had from everyone, as well as my family and friends, really helped me today.  We were a bit down in the last days, so we needed this win.  It's a wonderful day today.

-- Nairo Quintana (Movistar), after winning Stage 17 of the 2018 Tour de France, Eurosport, 25 July 2018

Endangered

I think the Endangered Species Act is endangered.  They haven't been able to do this for 20 years, but this looks like their one chance.

-- Andrew Rosenberg, director of the Union of Concerned Scientists, referring to a flurry of measures in the last two weeks by Republican lawmakers determined to weaken the 45-year-old legislation, New York Times, 23 July 2018

Votaries

Hatred, as well as love, renders its votaries credulous.

-- Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 - 1778), Franco-Swiss philosopher of Enlightenment whose political ideas influenced the French Revolution, the development of socialist theory, and the growth of nationalism, Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1765-1770; published 1782), Book V

Reaction

[I]t is not the actions of an individual that define a group.  Rather, it is the group's reaction to those individual actions that define the group.

-- Unattributed, from a non-political discussion about group behavior, May 2018

15 Largest States

David Birdsell, dean of the school of public and international affairs at Baruch College, notes that by 2040, about 70% of Americans are expected to live in the 15 largest states.  They will have only 30 senators representing them, while the remaining 30% of Americans will have 70 senators representing them.

-- From "The Varied -- and Global -- Threats Confronting Democracy", Gerald Seib, Wall Street Journal, 21 November 2017

Strong And Powerful

... My people came to me, Dan Coates, came to me and some others they said they think it's Russia.  I have President Putin.  He just said it's not Russia.

I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be.  But I really do want to see the server but I have, I have confidence in both parties. ...

I have great confidence in my intelligence people but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today and what he did is an incredible offer.

He offered to have the people working on the case come and work with their investigators, with respect to the 12 people.  I think that's an incredible offer.  Ok?  Thank you.

-- President Donald Trump, when asked, "President Putin denied having anything to do with the election interference in 2016.  Every U.S. intelligence agency has concluded that Russia did.  My first question for you sir is, who do you believe?", Helsinki, Finland, 16 July 2018

Avoid Thinking Politically

In my remarks, I have not identified the victims.  When we confront foreign interference in American elections, it is important for us to avoid thinking politically as Republicans or Democrats and instead to think patriotically as Americans.  Our response must not depend on which side was victimized.

The Internet allows foreign adversaries to attack America in new and unexpected ways.  Free and fair elections are always hard-fought and contentious.  There will always be adversaries who seek to exacerbate our divisions and try to confuse, divide, and conquer us.  So long as we are united in our commitment to the values enshrined in the Constitution, they will not succeed.

-- Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, in a statement announcing indictments against 12 Russian intelligence officers for election hacking, 13 July 2018

Woodchucks

My car was eaten by animals.

-- Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI), who recently discovered that woodchucks destroyed the wiring in the car he hasn't used since getting a security detail in 2015, at the Economic Club of Washington, 12 July 2018

Wild Boars

We are not sure if this is a miracle, a science, or what.  All the thirteen Wild Boars are now out of the cave.

-- Post on a Thai Navy SEAL Facebook page announcing the successful rescue of a group of Thai youths and their soccer coach from a flooded cave after 17 days, 10 July 2018

Set Aside Those Views

What matters is not a judge's political views, but whether they can set aside those views to do what the law and the Constitution require.

-- President Donald Trump, announcing Brett Kavanaugh as his nominee to the Supreme Court, 9 July 2018

Outstanding

I have accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.  Within the Agency Scott has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this.  The Senate confirmed Deputy at EPA, Andrew Wheeler, will...

...on Monday assume duties as the acting Administrator of the EPA.  I have no doubt that Andy will continue on with our great and lasting EPA agenda.  We have made tremendous progress and the future of the EPA is very bright!

-- President Donald J. Trump on Twitter as @realDonaldTrump, 5 July 2018