The Disembodiment of US Politics

Just after the Republican Primary win for Mit Romney there was a photo of his public speech at Ford Field.

You might notice the place is empty. The small crowd is a metaphor for US politics this year, vacant. The problem is, that it is not a metaphor, it is literal, it is the disembodiment of US politics.

We can assume that, of the small crowd there (about 1,200 people) some goodly portion were paid to be there. Romney is a spender. He spent 4.3 million in Michigan. This photo is a representation of what that bought.

I am not picking on Romney here. This is true for the entirety of US politics for years and years and years.

I will not belabor the statistics but voter participation is low. Participation outside of elections is about 1%. (if that)

Our democracy is not about candidates. It is about the population of citizens. If we do a straight counting then apathy and disinterest is the true political movement in America, not support of Republicans nor of Democrats.

If we are fair and equitable in our accounting to be about  facts, not propaganda and advertisements then that empty stadium is the true picture of things, as they are.

Focusing on that little crowd while ignoring that vast stadium, is what our news people do every day and every year. It is drawing a false picture that is distorted beyond recognition, if we care about reality.

If Romney (or anyone) had not spent millions in Michigan or elsewhere, the entire thing would vanish like the illusion it is. Our politics exists only because of vast amounts of money and it only exists on TV.

The conventional news photographic approach is to focus tightly on the candidates, talking nonsense and ignore the empty silent space that our democracy has become. This photo is very important. It is more important than the election itself.

Any harm that comes to the nation, no matter who wins in the end, has this emptiness as the context of that harm. Perhaps it is time to pay attention to the empty space without the hats and balloons.

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(see map)

Come here Watson I need you.

Recently on the television game show Jeopardy the IBM computer Watson defeated two of the best Jeopardy contestants from the past. This has some important implications for Florida and the rest of the world.

I read some comments about this event. I spoke to several of my friends about this as well. One common assumption was that Watson was, in effect, cheating by being hooked to the Internet and to Google. Watson was not hooked to anything. Another common reaction was the total lack of surprise that Watson won. The assumption was that computers could have done this for some time now. This was also not true.

A television show about trivia is really not that important. An advertisement for IBM computers is also not all that important either. The implications of Watson have  less to do with Jeopardy and IBM than it does with computers in general and skilled workers in the near future.

There is an unemployment problem in Florida and across the world. A factor in this is the rise of technology and automation. Another factor in the unemployment issue is economic  down turn due to the banking crisis a couple of years ago.  Another factor yet is the concentration of wealth across the world into fewer and fewer hands. The concentration of wealth and the banking crisis could not have occurred without computers and networks, cell phones and fax machines and all that goes with them.

The computer Watson has cousins and uncle’s already at work. Watson will have brothers and grandchildren that will soon be in the world at large, acting as financial harvesting machines. As the harvest machine in agriculture reduced the work force from 70% down to 3%, the financial commodities trader type of computer will eliminate vast numbers of workers in the financial industry. These are well paid people who will soon be unnecessary.

The Jacksonville Florida area where I live has a fair amount of financial and insurance industries and office work that will be directly affected by these developments. This is not something on television. Watson’s relatives will not be standalone devices on TV game shows. Watson’s relatives will be hooked to all the networks by the owners who can afford machines like Watson.

Watson and technology are not the problem that we face. The problems that will occur to people will come from the people who own Watson and his relatives. On the other end of all the wires are just people. Whoever can afford to put the power of the network and machines like Watson to their own benefit have choices to make. They have political, moral and economic choices to make; this has nothing to do with the machinery.

There are a set of assumptions going on at the controlling level that there are no real choices to make. The assumption is the choices have been made. For the Watson type of computer as a commodities or stock trading machine…. the idea is to take all the wealth and money in the world. It is looking at the human population as if it were a forest to be clear cut down to the soil.

Local high schools are pitching the idea that students are in a global economic competition with other students and other nations. That becomes less true as the economic competition becomes one against machines. It reduces the opportunities available for local high school students in Florida or anywhere.

It is something to consider for Florida’s economic future.

The accomplishment of Watson should be a general cause for celebration and enjoyment. Watson put to use in a moderate and intelligent way to reduce effort and create efficiency can be a benefit to all of us. But Watson can’t make that choice. Choice is for people. Someday maybe Wastons kids may make a choice but for now people are deciding everything. Maybe future Watson would not want to go on Jeopardy but that was not in his power to determine today.

A member of the Watson team was asked “could it be used to  abuse, to game the stock market”? The fellow answered “that anything can be abused even a chair”. Now this is a dangerous irresponsible non- answer. To compare Watson to the effect of a chair is insulting. No chair is going to have the effect of the worlds most powerful computer hooked to the financial system.

This is why exactly that Watson is currently more a problem than of benefit. It is the people in control of Watson that are the problem. No?

Have you been to Ft. Caroline?

Fort Caroline is a National Memorial park connects to the Timucuan nature reserve next to it. There is a museum and a reconstructed fort and trails and a boat dock. It is surprising how few people know about it or visit it.

see more at (http://www.nps.gov/timu/historyculture/foca.htm)

Fort Caroline memorializes the short-lived French presence in sixteenth century Florida. Here you will find stories of exploration, survival, religious disputes, territorial battles, and first contact between American Indians and Europeans.

Carnasie Suite Visits Riverside Art Market

A while back a theatrical comedy art act visited Jacksonville at the Riverside Art Market. They are a sister act called the Carnasie Suite (http://www.canarsiesuite.com/Home.html).

The Riverside arts Market happens under the Filler Warren Bridge each Saturday through the Summer and a bit of Fall. See information about this great happening at (http://www.riversideartsmarket.com/) There is food art and entertainment and information there each week.

Here below is a short video of them and family being interviewed by Ben Edmonson.

Aimee German and Jenny Sargent are the Leroy Sisters. Aimee is originally from around here and it was great to see her come back and perform her original act at Yesterdays nightclub on Park Street in Riverside… The Art Market was a great place to advertise their production.

hot again..yep..and something in St. Augustine

Way back when I used to go sometimes to the Denoel French Pastry Shop in Saint Augustine on Charlotte St. It is a great place, you must go there if in the area.

Anyway during one stretch of visits there I saw some familiar faces but could not place them. Upon returning one day I realized they were part of the crew for Jacques Cousteau’s television adventures including Albert Falco one of the principles.

I learned they were in town for ship repairs  and enjoyed very much this restaurant with an aspect of their homeland. Today the memory of this returns to my attention, as it is near the 100 year anniversary of Jacques Cousteau’s birth.

There has been a lot of water under the Bridge Of Lions in that city since then.  I would hate to think how Captain Cousteau would feel about what is happening to the Gulf OF Mexico due to the current situation (British Petroleum oil spill).

But aside from the current situation the waters of Florida and the Keys have been exploited and abused for decades and the toll is vast. People look out at the water and think how pretty and it is. The invisible undersea nature of it remains.

Tomorrow if by magic, the BP oil spill were to clean itself up the threat to Florida marine life still remains without the visible TV drama. Stopping the oil spill does not even begin to remedy the situation that is here long term but that is all that people can consider.

The Government of Florida under Democrats and Republicans have given lip service to marine life and the health of the natural world of Florida but have done  next to nothing.

I guess we could have coffee with milk and a éclair and try and keep the memory alive of someone who did care and did in fact do something beside run for office and then go to sleep.

It is Sunday and hot (what else?)

Well dear readers the Florida weather is turned summer like and the general situation has turned a bit oily.

If you have not heard about the Gulf Coast oil spill washing up oil on Florida beaches then skip this. Who would want to know anything about this, if they could avoid it?

Now I heard some weird political guy from Florida being interviewed on TV. He said it has been a long time since there was an oil spill. Meaning that numerically there is one which is a low number. A low number means there is not much of a problem with deep water offshore drilling or oil.

Now two bombs dropped on Japan ended World War Two. I guess the Japanese military staff should have said it was just two bombs, not to worry.

That this guy (un-named on purpose) can wear clothes and sit and talk and move around is something for someone that dumb. There is an alternative explanation which is not dumbness but that he is intentionally misleading. Which would be worse?

Memorial Park

In Jacksonville in the Five Points area of Riverside. This monument to the victims of World War One More photos can be seen here

Things to do with kids in N.E. Florida

Some ways to entertain your kids in North Florida

A friend wanted to know if I had any advice on kid-friendly activities here. I’ve had this question before from others, I thought it would be good to write it in a post to add to our begining category of posts.

First of all, I should mention that Florida is not very kid-friendly in general. Children are just about everywhere, you might never know it.  But it is an grownup oriented region outside the commercial theme park area of Orlando and Tampa.

I had to give this some thought. What exactly do parents with kids do with them, here? And if they wanted to do something special with them what would they do? I came up with some things, listed randomly.

1. Swimming. I would say this is by far the most common recreational activity for parents and their kids. Partly because swimming is probably the most common recreational activity in Florida in general.

2. The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens in Duval County is also a must for kids. The ‘zoo’ part has animals indigenous to Florida, such as owls, aligators,snakes and deer, and there’s also a Africn Savanah section and Suth American Jaguar section. They’ve recently added a few new exibits, also.

3. The Beaches. This is a set of beaches that is vastly popular in the summer on warm and sunny days. It has white sand and the sea is warm in summer  so people can swim if they feel so inclined. Mostly people sunbathe, though, and soak in the rays there. There lots of sand for making sandcastles. Access is open for miles and miles.

4. Horse riding. There are horse rental places throughout Duval, Flager and Saint Johns Counties that do longer or shorter tours.

5.  Sea angling and fresh water fishing. There are many placs to fish in salt and fresh water, many of these areas require a permit. But the pier at Jax Beach and deep sea fishing do not.

The above are all activities that are easy to do in the North Florida area . However, my friend mentioned that they might be touring the Saint Augustine area also, in which case a visit to the Fort National Monument there is an absolute must.
If there are any activities I’ve missed that you’d like to share, please speak up in the comments!

Bright and Clear
It’s been  gray but it’s cleared up and is looking all bright and pleasant. It’s calm also. At the moment we have 48°F .

florida weather report

It’s 56 degrees F and raining today. The florida weather blog site is now active and ready. Our purpose is to discuss here which way the wind blows.