Soccer and SA
Andre Willers
19 Jun 2010
Synopsis:
Why do societies expend such large resources on sports ?
It seems that politicians ( administrators with a short-term view) try to harness the Hysterical Focus . The results are unpredictable : a tiger by the tail
(The Hysterical Focus article is repeated in Appendix A for convenience or http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "Financial Crisis 30 April 2009 ")
Discussion :
This is widespread over space and time .
Even in time of widespread and continual warfare , Sport took place . Eg Aztecs , Greeks , Chinese ,Romans , Japanese , etc . Every human civilization .
So , it is not a war-substitute .
Indeed , war gets suspended for the Games .(eg Ancient Olympics , Aztec Wars of the Roses)
You can visit massive ruins of old sports stadia and massive present stadia . What's in it for civilizations ?
So , what gives ?
What benefit does any civilization get to spend large resources (like stadia) on a sporting event ? Note that every Greek or Roman or Aztec town of note had stadia .
Internal Cohesion :
One school of thought is that it fosters internal cohesion . Yet Rome and Constantinople were wracked by sporting riots . (Reds , Greens and others .)
Social Mobility :
A good sportsman could , and can today , move between societal levels even in very stratified civilizations . This encourages others in different spheres of endeavours to do the same . This benefits the society as a whole . But only in the long term .
Meme Mixing .
Like Sex .
A Civilization , like any organism , requires diversity of input . It is subject to the onslaught of whatever combinations evolve outside it . Cutting itself off has been tried (eg China , Japan . ) Geographical isolation led to tragedies like AmerIndians and Khoi-San , where diseases killed off 90 % in indigines .
Civilizations thus has a vested interest in gene- and meme-exchanges on a fractal scale . We've handled long-term meme systems above .
Genes.
Specifically , disease genes .
Gene Exchanges are much more short-term . It is the link .between long-term and short-term sports .
A Civilization that does not have peaceful , large-scale mixing of snot-and-tears genetic material like sports is doomed within about 4 years . Cf Athens in Peloponesian Wars .
It takes about 4 years to evolve significantly different disease variants .
Isolated systems have no resistance . Hence the plagues in Athens , or in any long-term besieged city .
The Hysterical Focus :
(See Appendix A)
All good politicians are aware of the effect , though they call it by different names . They also think they can harness this tiger for their personal benefit . Hence the short-term allocation of resources , with suitable spin for the tax-payers and electorate .
South Africa and the World Soccer Cup 2010
This will be studied for years to come .
A convergence of marketing and nationalistic feeling has ignited an Hysterical Focus .
It is extraordinary to be in an Hysterical Focus ,
an event I have only read about .
Staid Afrikaner matrons paint themselves and end up cavorting in Soweto shebeens .
Quite safely .
Everybody is polite and full of ubuntu .
Violence and crime falls .
The state actually supplies services like Police and swift Justice that works .
Public transport actually works (most of the time) .
The Ignition Event :
The incompetent FIFA system of selling tickets .
South Africans were very lukewarm about attending matches , intending to milk the hyped hordes of visitors . But the teasing manner of selling tickets hardened South Africans' attitudes and the system suddenly ignited , via communication routes like radio , Facebook , Twitter , eMail etc .
Suddenly , everyone wanted tickets .
More importantly , everyone wanted the event to succeed . Rules and laws were interpreted accordingly .
A fantastic atmosphere , as any visitor will attest .
Like a nationwide Woodstock on steroids .
This is typical of an Hysterical Focus .
A seemingly trivial matter precipitates a phase change , focusing large-scale frustrations into a Focus . The Focus then fractures the society in totally unforeseen ways . When the breaks anneal , you have a new , more competitive society (cf French Revolution) .
So , what will the effect be ?
RSA had faced two choices :
1. Most probably a failed state fracturing and civil wars . This has been relegated to a low order of probability by the Hysterical Focus of the World Cup . So , even if RSA ends up losing 40 Billion Rand , it is still cheap at the price to avoid civil breakup .
2. Emperor Zuma scenario .
This now has a very high probability (85%) . Both external threats (Chinese , Indian) and internal threats (high unemployment in male youths ) can be resolved by a Zuma Empire . (It also has a nice sound-bite) .
The question being asked even now , if Government can be effective for the World Cup , why can't it be effective all the time ? The Hysterical Focus is fracturing the society . The politicians hope that it will go away , but tigers are not unsaddled that easily .
The Armoured Impi's lunging northward is at 85% probability and counting .
Summation :
1.The optimal period for Hysterical Focus fracturing seems to be about four years .
Cf Olympics , USA elections , etc . (USA elections are hysterical foci)
2.The Hysterical Focus cannot be manipulated by individual humans . It can be ignited by individuals , but , like Frankenstein's monster , it rampages on . This suggests that the Hysterical Focus is of an order of AI(3.8)
3.Moving the Hysterical Focus is essential , since it is an exclusion device . Somebody has to mind the home
4.Are Neanderthals welcome ?
As long as they can kick a ball .
Being the coach of a team of sociopathic Neanderthals should be quite a challenge , but on second thought would it be that different ?
And here we are , monkeys hunting for Jung in the jungle .
Andre .
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Appendix A .
Financial Crisis 30 Apr 2009
Andre Willers
30 Apr 2009
Synopsis :
The movement of the Hysterical Focus from the Financial Crisis to the Mexican-flu Crisis enables the measures put into place to ameliorate the Financial Crisis to take effect without too much further interference from the Focus .
Discussion :
The Hysterical Focus .
The Friendly Giant .
The strong point of freedom-systems is the independent , multi-faceted , in-force approach to problems .
The weak point is the inability to concentrate forces when needed .
The evolutionary meme that evolved in the surviving societies was the Hysterical Focus .
"Hysterical" because all items outside the focus are excluded .
Humans are a hysterical species . Watch any group of apes in the zoo . This has evolved into a strong point .
They and the media have a very limited range . That is the whole point . (The Schwerpunkt , to be exact.)
"Focus" because all the resources of the society are mobilized on this particular problem .
(Think columns of armour advancing independently , then converging on the target co-ordinated by urgent command signals .
Blitz-krieg . The Hysterical Focus .)
This is very powerful , especially after mass-media was invented .
Anything in the Hysterical Focus gets amplified , examined from every angle . The whole resources of the society gets mobilized . Huge resources are allocated .
Long-term administrators use it to secure funding . Politicians , fashionistas and other various sundry hangers-on try to catch some of the largesse .
Media owners and journalists have a conceit that they steer the process , forgetting that they are just a part of the feedback process .
The Hysterical Focus has this teensy-weensy drawback : if it stays too long on one spot , the cure is worse than the disease .
The process lacks proper feedback-control safeguards . Something like an immune system overreacting (think SARS flu)
Normally , the Hysterical Focus moves on rapidly , as the short attention span of it's components (humans and media) is exhausted . Always a new Paris Hilton .
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "The sources of the Nile"
The Financial Crisis was over in Oct 2008 (see previous posts on "Fin*******" in http://andreswhy.blogspot.com )
But the continued focus was beginning to harm recovery efforts by Apr 2009 .
Politicians (like Bush jr with 9/11) tried to keep the focus on the thing that gave them power , not realizing that more power is available by moving the focus on . Notice the adept use Clinton made of the effect .
So , the Mexican flu comes as a relief to the system . The Hysterical Focus has shifted to something that can be handled (since it has been handled before ) . Enormous resources will be allocated , careers will be made , institutes founded , bureaucracies initiated . The usual suspects .
The economic system will quietly rebound . The professionals would have gathered enough support to follow through on the enormous energies released on the problem while it was at the Hysterical Focus .
This is happening as we speak .
The economic consequences of Mexican Flu .
1.Food-production and distribution : nil .
Most food production not on subsistence level is done by machines with a few operators . Distribution is done by containerized holders or ships .
2.Others : these might even benefit , as costs are cut by limiting unnecessary travel .
3.The Losers: Third world countries . The tourism industry .
4.Big Winners : the gene-technology industry . A general flu vaccine was at the start of FDA certification . This will be fast-tracked . Vaccines in general might shift into a subsidiary Focus .
5. Short-term effects :
Barely a hiccup . Even if the mortality rate is 50% .
About 80% of the labour force is unnecessary to produce all the goods for society . The credit crunch means that they are not necessary for the consumer side , either .
6. Long-term effects : acceleration of change towards the singularity , as bio- and nano- safeguards are relaxed
The Hysterical Focus as an Artificial Intelligence .
This would be valid if there were boundary conditions . Even as is , I would classify it as AI(3.05) .
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "Artificial Intelligence"
It has one of the primary characteristics : elements of it (ie humans) cannot understand it or manipulate it successfully .
Infinite series like the reserve arguments are applicable , but is doubtful in steering . The system is self-aware to a degree (ie all those hardnosed editors , businessmen and politicians .)
This leads to some fascinating examples :
History and Power .
The Hysterical Focus is the fount of Power for humans . They fight and scheme to get there , then it burns them to frazzle .
Their problem was that they could not get out of the focus . It followed them .
Recent examples : LouisIV , Napoleon , Stalin , Hitler , Mao.
They were forced into playing the roles at the apex of power that they crafted themselves into .
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "Competition and Co-operation"
It turned them crazy . They were at most AI(2.25) , trying to handle problems AI(3.1) would be pressed for .
Those who managed to duck by passing the buck : (that we know of)
Washington (who did it while leaving a legacy) . Not bad for a farmer . Much underrated .
Kemal Ataturk (who showed that it can be done in the modern age)
Wellington (the Turtle-finger defence .) . Hunker down and show the Focus the Finger .
Washington was more effective , but Ataturk 's job was more difficult . Both were lucky . But Ataturk made most of his own luck by manipulating long-term probabilities .
Still , Washington managed to set up a system where the Hysterical Focus passes on fairly regularly (by declining the Kingship)
Ataturk did the same .
What does this have to do with the Financial Crisis on 30 Apr 2009 ?
Why , everything .
The systems are accustomed to a moving Hysterical Focus . Boundary conditions are slowly seeping in as the system evolves towards AI(4) . The USA is more comfortable with Turkey as an ally than with most European countries . (Their founders , Washington and Ataturk , were brothers under the skin.)
A quiet Spine is emerging : USA and Turkey , with Mexico and India as junior partners . High-tech with man-power . And a liveable compromise with Islam .
The whole Middle East is kept alive by US subsidies to Egypt ( Ramses would never have gotten into this fix!) .
If they cease this , Egypt has a choice of seizing the Saudi-Arabian oilfields or starving . Attacking Israel is not even an option .
But this window is rapidly passing (http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "Negative Pressure : An Important Update ." ) .
July to Aug 2009 will see a big change .
The Hysterical Focus will pass to the Middle East , an ever popular destination . Why , if it did not exist , one might think that it would need to be invented .
The world economy would quietly knit itself back together .
The Bright Star has passed . For now .
The Lidless Eye .
Tolkien must have had some acquaintance with accountancy firms .
They see everything but observe nothing .
But the random Hysterical Focus overrides all . This threat will concentrate many minds wonderfully .
Isn't randomness a wonderful thing ?
The wicked does not flee when nobody pursues , but they damn'well do if there is a finite probability that the Lidless Eye will turn in their direction . Especially if the full force is at random .
Can you see the Lidless Eye sighing for the days of Mordor ?
At least it would have known what to with the Wizards of Enron .
Andre.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Monday, June 07, 2010
Why Pudding ?
Why Pudding ?
Andre Willers
7 Jun 2010
Synopsis :
High glucose concentration of the pudding decreases insulin intolerance quickly via oral to nervous system interaction .
This gives the pulse of lower GI glucose of the main meal a chance to catch up .
Coffee plus stroll afterwards further lowers the glycemic spike .
Discussion :
It has been known for quite a while that oral sensors distinguish between sweetness and sweetness + glucose or sweetness + fructose or the other sugars . (fMRI)
NewScientist of 1 May 2010 p14 describes experiments by Nicholas Gant at the University of Auckland in New Zealand where swilling the mouth of an athlete with a glucose solution (not swallowing) increases nervous impulses from the motor cortex by about 30% .
Promises , promises .
The body always holds reserves .
We know from general arguments that this is around 33% .
Even in extremis , it keeps thirds of thirds etc,etc in reserve .
A rapid response mechanism is insulin resistance .
The promise of an influx of glucose is detected by the mouth and neurally signaled to the cells . This normally would result in a decrease in insulin resistance , as this has greater survival potential . The actual new glucose would follow later , but in the meantime the body can afford to release some reserves .
However , if there has been a lot of lying (ie artificial sweeteners , sweet drinks without meals , etc) , the system developes a hardened insulin resistance . This is what happens to most humans in old age and diabetesII .
We expect the Oral->Brain->Cell mechanism to go via the amygdala , because it is very old and touches threat-reward systems (eg energy systems) very directly .
Hence , basic memory retraining systems like Propranolol (or beta-blockers in general) , should have an effect .
If you use beta-blockers , diabetic medication or ACE inhibitors , do NOT use the algorithm below without proper medical supervision . Severe hypoglycemia might result .
Algorithm to retrain the bodily glycemic system :
0.Test blood glucose .
1.Take beta blocker , preferably Propranolol
2.Eat about 50 gm of food with no carbohydrate content (eg meat )
4.Wait about 5 minutes .
5.Rinse mouth with sugar solution 3 teaspoons sugar per glass . (The kicker)
6.Test blood glucose .
7.That’s it.
8.Repeat.
If you drink coffee , tea or minerals with artificial sweeteners , make sure you eat something afterwards . The body expects at least some reward from the promises .
If you don't , the insulin resistance hardens .
The insulin resistance is addititive , and can only be reset via some mechanism like beta blockers . Or learned helplessness . And you do not want to go there .
Andre
Andre Willers
7 Jun 2010
Synopsis :
High glucose concentration of the pudding decreases insulin intolerance quickly via oral to nervous system interaction .
This gives the pulse of lower GI glucose of the main meal a chance to catch up .
Coffee plus stroll afterwards further lowers the glycemic spike .
Discussion :
It has been known for quite a while that oral sensors distinguish between sweetness and sweetness + glucose or sweetness + fructose or the other sugars . (fMRI)
NewScientist of 1 May 2010 p14 describes experiments by Nicholas Gant at the University of Auckland in New Zealand where swilling the mouth of an athlete with a glucose solution (not swallowing) increases nervous impulses from the motor cortex by about 30% .
Promises , promises .
The body always holds reserves .
We know from general arguments that this is around 33% .
Even in extremis , it keeps thirds of thirds etc,etc in reserve .
A rapid response mechanism is insulin resistance .
The promise of an influx of glucose is detected by the mouth and neurally signaled to the cells . This normally would result in a decrease in insulin resistance , as this has greater survival potential . The actual new glucose would follow later , but in the meantime the body can afford to release some reserves .
However , if there has been a lot of lying (ie artificial sweeteners , sweet drinks without meals , etc) , the system developes a hardened insulin resistance . This is what happens to most humans in old age and diabetesII .
We expect the Oral->Brain->Cell mechanism to go via the amygdala , because it is very old and touches threat-reward systems (eg energy systems) very directly .
Hence , basic memory retraining systems like Propranolol (or beta-blockers in general) , should have an effect .
If you use beta-blockers , diabetic medication or ACE inhibitors , do NOT use the algorithm below without proper medical supervision . Severe hypoglycemia might result .
Algorithm to retrain the bodily glycemic system :
0.Test blood glucose .
1.Take beta blocker , preferably Propranolol
2.Eat about 50 gm of food with no carbohydrate content (eg meat )
4.Wait about 5 minutes .
5.Rinse mouth with sugar solution 3 teaspoons sugar per glass . (The kicker)
6.Test blood glucose .
7.That’s it.
8.Repeat.
If you drink coffee , tea or minerals with artificial sweeteners , make sure you eat something afterwards . The body expects at least some reward from the promises .
If you don't , the insulin resistance hardens .
The insulin resistance is addititive , and can only be reset via some mechanism like beta blockers . Or learned helplessness . And you do not want to go there .
Andre
Thursday, June 03, 2010
The Chef
The Chef .
Andre Willers
3 Jun 2010
For Peet .
Synopsis :
Functions of a Chef :
1.Definition and distribution of Food . This includes enforcing a safe environment The diner should not end up on the menu . See Addendum A .
2.Storage and preparation of nutritional Food .
3.Taste and fashion .
Discussion :
1.References :
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "The Origins of War and Peace" 21/4/2007
Reproduced in Addendum A for convenience .
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "The Collapse of Civilizations" 24/9/2005
Works by Margaret Visser .
2.Toba .
The invention of the Chef , together with Peace , enabled humans to survive a global catastrophe . (See addendum A)
2.1.The Chef enforced the definition of allowable prey . Cannibalism was forbidden by political dictat , but other foods were at the disposal of the Chef .
2.2.The Chef controlled the gathering , storage , distribution and preparation of food .
This was enforced by the whole group , if necessary .
2.3.Taste and fashion went their own inimitable , chaotic ways .
3. Consequences :
3.1.The Restaurant was born . A central gathering and distribution point of all food for the tribe . Enforced by the warriors of the tribe . This was essential so that the group could survive .
The Chef's primary function then , as now , is to ensure a peaceful eating place where everybody could eat their share without ending up on the menu .
This authoritarian role of the Chef has survived for 70 000 years . Even the name reflects it . Chefs are allowed extraordinary leeway even today .
Dining at "Fat Sam's" in 50 000 BC would not be much different from today , except that the waiters would be enforcers (warriors) as well . Diners Clubs to be checked in at the door .
3.2 Storage and preparation of food .
The Chef was responsible for storage (ie preservation) of food for winter . A critical role . Eg developing and using methods like salting , smoking , drying , grinding , etc
Equally important , these preserved foods had to turned back into appealing , nutritional dishes , with Death as the most critical of Critics .
Systematic testing (a meme forerunner of the Scientific Method) followed . Record keeping of some sort evolved (see "Stone age writing" in NewScientist . Not hunting . Recipes .)
Writing evolved out of record-keeping for stored foods .(Besserat)
3.3 Shamans :
For systematic testing , guinea pigs are needed . Enter the group of humans who are sensitive and willing to do test safety concentrations of known poisons and hallucinogens . These evolved into the shaman class .
But they had an impressive record . Ash in maize (release of niacin - Visser) , Cassava , etc , etc . Rendering poisons into nutritional food . All at the control of the Chef .
Notice ritual cannibalism and transubstantiation .
In a symbolic sense , God is seen as a Chef .
The Chef keeps order and turns bad things into good things .
Kosher , Halaal , Hindu cows , etc .
Every culture has taboos tying religion and food together .
Note that Grace at the table in Christian tradition is always said by the dominant figure present (usually male) . The pecking order is quite strict .
But the granddaddy of them all is Cannibalism .
You know , Civilization .
3.4 Travel Food :
The one single rule of food that I could find that always holds :
Long-lasting concentrates developed for travelers across space or time tend to become staples .
Pasta's , meal(ground seeds) , tins , dehydrated foods (packets) , minute-noodles , tins , etc, etc . The reasons are obvious .
3.5 The Celebrity Chef :
This is the slot of the original Chef in society . Still hanging in there .
3.6 Advertising:
History has many examples of entire populations starving to death in the midst of plenty because of lack of a Chef .
Greenland (fish) and South France (potatoes) are two examples .
Hence the power of the celebrity Chef to assure the Diners that it is safe , kosher , halaal , etc .
A Celebrity Chef in Kosher , Halaal , etc tradition would be a very powerful combination .
This is why such powerful niche has remained in societal meme-structures . A strong Chef can be trusted more than politicians not to poison you .
4. Taste and fashion .
These are chaotic by definition .
Humans get bored easily , but like new things only in small doses , and best if recommended by a Chef .
4.1 Subliminals
4.1.1 Sugar , Salt , Fat .
Bad in large doses .
Food tastes flat with zero doses .
But fMRI lights up in recognition of even small doses .
Eg Sweetness :
The brain recognizes very small glucose concentrations , way below taste sensations . This activates metabolic pathways not activated by artificial sweeteners .
Just dip the teaspoon point (a few grains = millions of molecules) in sugar and sweeten the rest with artificial sweetener .
The same with salt and fat (no artificials needed) .
Great coffee , but at a subliminal level .
This is the basis of any sauce .
Never mind the sizzle . The sauce should only hint , like a Circassian slave-girl after your last drachma .
4.2 Food Idoru
Hyper pheromones . Like truffles .
5. The Ideal Restaurant .
5.1 The Chef must be seen to be the central Authority figure .
The Waiters , Security (Warriors) and Kitchen Staff must be seen to defer to him .
This is critical .
The Diner is literally putting his life in somebody else's hands . He would prefer it to be one single person with a known reputation of independence . (Cf Gordon Ramsay)
A virgin whose assets are barely covered by gold Krugerrands must be able to prance all night unmolested .
5.2 Humans want the familiar , with a small dash of exotic , but at their control .
And not too large a choice ,either .
Five basic dishes , with a variation of five different sauces on each .
Eg Curry Sauce : strength 1-5 on pasta's , meats , fish .
This gives 5x5x5 = 125 different dishes at modest cost .
Give three random small sample containers with a sample main dish for decision point to be reached . Then serve main and sauce choice at Diner's discretion .
Diners will try all 3 sample sauces , serving as an entrée .
The Chef personally , or via TV screen discusses available choices and makes his recommendation .
Remember , your diner is having a major night out with some significant other .
He cannot afford more than 1/3 on a possible mistake . (Reserve argument)
The point is to have at least 2/3 familiarity , and 1/3 adventure from a trusted authority figure .
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "New Tools Reserves"
6. Big Money :
Eg minute Noodles .
Find a traveller's food that can be microwaved .
Systematically trawl through foods . Dates spring to mind .One of the oldest concentrated , travelers' food . Ditto copra .
Fat is even older and available in lake sizes .
A recipe is needed to turn it into healthy , nutritious food .
A job for Super Chef .
Andre
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Addendum A
The Origins of War and Peace
Andre Willers
20 April 2007
( see previous discussions in http://andreswhy.blogspot.com)
Synopsis :
War is when a society sanctions other humans as prey .
If the other humans belong to another society , it is Classical War . If not , it is a Police Action .
Endless fun is had by playing around with the definitions of “human” (Nazis) , “society” (religions , political movements , criminals , etc) .
Discussion:
Humans have a hard-wired brain center that classifies something as “prey” . Once this switch has tripped and the fixation has taken place , it is extremely difficult to change.
Evolutionary , it derived from pack-behaviour .
Pack hunters need to identify the chosen prey which the pack-leader has designated . The pointers derive from the leader’s social behaviour like pointing , eye-fixation , words etc .
Then they need to fixate on this prey to exclusion . (The nuts-and-bolts neuronal arrangement can be traced back to infant-imprinting.)
Successful packs are those that can focus the full pack on a particular prey , even if individual members of the pack might suffer injury or death .
A subsidiary hard-wired complex developed monitoring fellow-pack members . Any attack has to have some co-ordination . Call this Social-feeling .
Counting :
An iterative counting brain center that could count to three evolved .
(This center’s precise location has been identified (via fMRI). Rendering it inoperative (via magnetic focused pulse) led to a normally very rare inability to gut-feel numbers . Like reading by consulting a child’s primer every step .) Called anacalculus .
Us , Them ,Prey .
Each system is iteratively further broken down into threes , etc .
Three is necessary , since Us and Them is insufficient .
The Prey has to be identified , leading to Them being broken up into Them and Prey .
An intriguing corollary is that while the sets Us and Them may comprise many diverse elements , the Prey has to be constrained to one easily identified element . This explains why hate merchants like Hitler , the schoolyard bully , etc pick on specifics . Why neighbours who know each other kill neighbours in Uganda . Why the wife/husband is the most frequent unsanctioned homicidal victim .
There can only be One Prey .
(Apologies to the Highlander.)
Certain elements in martyr religions can be more easily understood this way .
Packs .
Packs are innate in any organism that cares for it’s young .
Parent(s) + kids = pack .
Iterative congeries across time of genetic relationships leads to complicated social relationships ( see inheritance of dominance in monkeys ,etc)
Human ancestors underwent a prolonged period of being cursorial raptors , developing pack behaviour on a genetic and social level to a high degree . This was convergent evolution with dogs . It is no wonder then that dogs and humans understand each other at such a deep , non-verbal level .
Parts of humans are the same as dogs .
Query : Why the insult of calling somebody a dog , a cur , a son-of-a-bitch etc ?
Answer : The insult is to the human being addressed , expressing dominance , not to dogs . In many cases , the only cultural referent understood by both human parties were doggish loyalty , which translated as slavishness between enemies . Indeed , many humans expressed their loyalty as being dogs of their ruler .
The dogs of war :
An interesting bit of propaganda by the Condottierri to put a spin on their faithless conduct .
Cannibalism .
Let’s face it , our ancestors ate each other until about 72 000 years ago .
The population density was low , making disease like kourou unlikely .
A large number of hominid evolutionary steps were driven by genetic deficiencies , necessitating obligate hunting . ( see previous discussions in http://andreswhy.blogspot.com)
Prey was everybody else except Us . This is the default Homonid setting .
MkI Homo Sapiens .
They evolved around 150 000 to 200 000 years ago .
The body was small by our standards , with little sexual dimorphism . The males were not much bigger , stronger or more aggressive than the females .
Great strength was not needed when hunting with weapons , snares and nets .
Indeed , big mass was selected against because of the significant higher energy needs that made starving to death much more likely during down-turns like droughts . Remember , there was little surplus and no way to store it .
Language was the main purview of the females . Gossiping and politics . The females were the central point of each group , together with the children . The males formed a cloud around this group . But arrangements were very loose and easy , as the living was easy .
Numbers were small , game was plentiful and other hominids made nice little packages of essential nutrients for these obligate hunters .
There is no culture as we even vaguely understand the term .
This was the end-line of development of pre-cultural homonins .
The default was that all not-Us were prey . ( Not War , not Peace , but anarchy)
MkII Homo Sapiens .
The Invention of Peace .
Then Toba happened . (72 000 BC )
The supervolcano in Indonesia caused the equivalent of a nuclear winter across the globe . Snow fell in equatorial regions and there was mass die-off of plants and their dependant animals .
The cold and hunger caused a concentration of numbers around some volcanic hotspots in the highlands of East Africa ( Remember , it snowed on the equator) . It did not happen all at once , so refugees fluxed into the survivable spots . In this crucible , human culture was invented . The numbers were small enough that certain existing epigenetic centers in the brain/body were forced evolved .
Remember , it took centuries for the land to recover .
From the genetic bottle-neck evidence , human numbers fell to between 3 000 and 10 000 . These are extinction levels
Cannibalistic diseases and inbreeding are particularly vicious in small , poorly nourished communities like these .
Co-operation and expansion of the gene-pool was essential .
The surviving communities were the ones where females took control and forced co-operation by designating non-prey .
In other words , the females ( probably led by some redoubtable dowager ) , invented Peace , and what’s more , enforced it .
This was Humanity’s greatest invention . The woman who did it deserves a Nobel prize for each year her Peace lasted .
Population was rigorously kept to sustainable levels by Matriarchal control of breeding lines and birthrates .
They did it so well that the Peace lasted about 60 000 years .
Note that the American and Australian continents where massive and quick animal extinctions took place , were populated from areas probably outside matriarchal control . Note also that the continent with the most extant animal megafauna (Africa) was where the matriarchy originated . Not too shabby ,eh?
One effect was thus the extreme taboo against cannibalism . This is an epigenetic inheritance ( ie data transmitted by mother to offspring , not in the DNA , but not cultural either .)
Inherent in this is that the Prey designation mechanism (now also epigenetic) came under social control . Elaborate rite-of-passage ceremonies evolved to certify an organism as human . (Failures were killed or expelled)
High on the list was Prey designation : hence the emphasis on starving candidates . The original rites featured humans as prey , and the candidate who could not control himself , failed .
This became putting off present gratification for future reward , what we think of as defining feature of cultural humans .
This also means the invention of religion , since the reward can be put off into the hereafter .
They also invented clothing , many uses of fire , hairdressing , makeup , jewelry , beads , gourmet cooking and the other things that make life worthwhile
Co-operating instead of hunting each other made trade and diversication of labour possible . Tools increased in sophistication from about 70 000 BC .
There was a significant human mutation in genes controlling brain growth . This has been very roughly dated as occurring about 40 000 – 50 000 years ago . The significance is not known , but it is speculated that it has to do with the growth of human culture .
The culture was explosively radiative . The advantages of a better and richer life through the material benefits sucked in even non-human homonins ( hence the gene mixing) . Anti-social elements were designated Prey and declared outlaw (this is what it means . The ultimate sanction then and now . Declared non-human , their only options were to die or to flee . )
When these MkII Humans exploded out of Africa , they did not kill the Neanderthals and Sinienses found in Europe and Asia . Their prey instincts were under social control .
Hence the interbreeding results now being found in the fossil record or the genetic evidence of the human flea .
( Some skeletons found indicate a mixture of Neanderthal and Homo Sapiens . Doubtlessly , more will be certain once the Neanderthal genome has been sequenced in about three years . More certain seems recent evidence of Siniens interbreeding , especially the genetic evidence that some species of human lice seemed to have crossed over back to Homo Sapiens from Siniens(Erectus) . The main-line Homo Sapiens fleas evolved into head and body lice after the invention of clothing after Toba .)
The other Sexes of Man
(see http://andreswhy.blogspot.com “The Sexes of Man”)
An intriguing speculation is that various null-sexes and homosexes got an evolutionary push from the reduced fertility in crossbreeding between MkII Homo and other various cousins that were subsumed into the Homo gene-cultural pool . This would have had a major effect on the evolution of the meme of property and inheritance .
MkII Humans .
What did they look like ?
The closest survivors we have are the Bushmen .
The female is the basic unit . There is little sexual dimorphism . The male is slightly larger than the female , but not significantly better muscled or more aggressive . Weapons and intelligence are more important in hunting than strength .
Females are the cultural guardians and control the group , both epigenetically and culturally .
Their Culture:
In fertile regions , the females and children form a nucleus with a floating cloud of males . Females select males to have children , either from personal taste or by direction of the Matriarchy . As expected , about 90% of males do not have children , as the females all select the alpha-males . This creates tension .
A Matriarchy .
Overpopulation was kept under check by infanticide of weaklings (bushmen , greeks , romans) . The limits of population were precisely known after literally tens of thousands of years of hunter-gatherer interactions .
An extremely stable form of government .
MkIII Homo Sapiens .
As can be seen from the above , the matriarchs naturally thought in terms of selective breeding . Hence their invention of agriculture and domesticated animals . (The were the finest genetic engineers the planet has yet seen , including the present poseurs.)
Yet the invention of both held the seeds of their destruction .
Domestication of animals and agriculture (circa 10 000 years ago) went hand-in-hand . Even today , most agricultural produce go to feed animals .
The net effect was a population explosion .
The old methods of estimating the carrying capacity of the land did not work with this new-fangled agriculture . The large groups of feral males expelled into the borderlands during the last 60 000 years now also increased in numbers due to end of the Ice-Age . They could be hired by surplus agricultural produce and promise of breeding women .
The matriarchs now had physical locations they had to defend against marauding clouds of feral males or males from other villages . Down-turns ( drought , winters , etc) made it worse . The inexorable logic of evolution means that no matter how many times you succeed , only one failure is enough to destroy you .
Increasing populations had led to population centers (cities) , that traded . Trade on this scale unleashed what we would call globalization . Cheaper produce and manufactures from the peripheries destroyed the livelihood of local farmers and artisans . The resulting social unrest necessitated breeding warriors from the outside stock to keep control for the oligarchy of matriarchs and priestesses .
This happened over a period of about 6 000 years . ( A Matriarchy is a really , really stable form of government .)
The result was an arms-race . The matriarchs either deliberately , or as a desperation measure , bred males for aggression and strength . This was easy in a culture that already practiced infanticide and death-by-neglect . Nubile females were directed only to mate with the jocks . Breeding stock was imported or required as tribute from the Outlands ( cf remnants like Theseus , etc)
The social structure (what we would call the Bronze Age) slowly broke down .
The Matriarchs also designated the competing groups as prey to their warrior clouds . War had arrived ..
MkIII Homo Sapiens was the result .
There is marked sexual dimorphism . The male is significantly bigger , but also grossly overpowered . Sinews and bones break continually from the overbred power .
The biggest difference is in aggression and Social-feeling . (see above)
There is a positive feedback between Aggression and Fellow-feeling . A large group focusing on a prey is more successful if the elements of the group share values more intensely . All we need to add is that large numbers of combatants are more successful than small numbers (generally true for low-energy weapons) , and you have an Army and War .
Social-Feeling:
The increase in social-feeling leads to large hysterical-type religions , and (not too put too fine a point on it ) large mobs .
The other whammy :
Horses .
Villages on the edges of the Ukrainian Steppes domesticated horses . Over hundreds of years , young men drifted into the steppes . Matriarchs could not follow them , since a pregnant woman cannot ride . The result was the formation of the Sky Gods religions . The horsemen turned around and made the originating villages their fiefs . From this basis they exploited every weakness of the Matriarchs .
Patriarchal religion arises .
The big Crack.
The collapse of the Late Bronze Age civilization (see http://andreswhy.blogspot.com)
This was not an overnight affair , but the later stages makes “Apocalypto” look like a picnic .
It was a combination of factors :
The breakdown of the social systems led to continual internecine warfare between city-states (ie groups of Matriarchs) . The males were being force-bred to be bigger and more aggressive . Then a climate shift caused a series of prolonged droughts from about 6 000 to 4 000 BC , seriously increasing unrest . The destruction of Minoan sea-power due to tsunamis and the inability to rebuild their fleet because they had denuded all readily accessible timber was the last straw . It took about 200 years , but the resultant spasm of war , destruction and cannibalism destroyed the matriarchies around the Middle-East and the Mediterranean .
The horse patriarchs swept over the remains and stamped patriarchal memes very firmly on the twitching remains .
Some Matriarchal memes remained in the far-west (Britain) . Hence the Druids .
Egypt and some surviving cities in the middle-east retained underground matriarchal cults ( Isis , Cybele , Earth Mother , etc , etc)
The Romans destroyed the corrupted Druid remnants .
The Roman Catholic Church later incorporated the main elements of the surviving matriarchy in the Roman Empire in the female saints and the Virgin Mary . The rest were ruthlessly exterminated . (Literally)
The only remnants of the Matriarchy that had ruled for nearly 70 000 years were some nunneries . Even here they were meme controlled ( Brides of Christ : ie connected to a male .)
Islam did the same . Note that the nun’s habit is identical with the chador .
It makes one wonder : why did the Council of Nicea decide on such a radical step ?
After all , the Roman Empire toward the end had little sex-discrimination . Constantinople had many empresses .
Why did the West suppress matriarchies ?
The suspicion arises that they did it because they felt threatened .
A meme structure like the Matriarchy that thinks in terms of 70 000 thousands of years and selective breeding of generations does not let a temporary hiatus of 5 000 years stop them . Indeed , elementary consideration would show that this could not have been the first or only reverse . Thus , they would have evolved mechanisms to survive what they consider temporary setbacks , together with some aggressive bounce-back mechanisms .
They probably tried to take over control of the Roman Catholic Church and the Western Empire . The Church destroyed most evidence , but there is Constantine’s mother , a taverners daughter who came up with some serious money to hire troops .
The killer , though , was probably the shenanigans with Attila . The Western Court at the time was even a bigger nest of snakes than usual . This was also the last time women played a significant role . If Aetius had not stopped Attila , the West would probably be a matriarchy now .
The Patriarchal meme-set seems to be long-lasting , but scared .
Some examples :
The refusal to aid Constantinople in 1453 . Indeed , the whole split . The West feels more comfortable with a patriarchal Islam than a matriarchy . Even so , Turkey seems to have been hit by a double whammy from the women : Naksh , and the enfolding and vanishment of the Circassians circa 1820 .
For those not up to speed :
Naksh (the Beautiful ) was a cousin of Josephine Bonaparte . They both came from Martinique and both became Empresses . Naksh was captured by Barbary pirates , and given as a virgin present to the Sultan . She must have been something exceptional , since he made her his principal and only wife , and more importantly , allowed her to educate her son the heir . This guy broke (well ,exterminated) the Janisseries (no mean feat) . He embarked the Ottoman Empire on the route that led to Turkey of today being a secular Islamic state (the only one) .
The Circassians were a tribe in the Caucasian mountains that reputedly for thousands of years bred their women for beauty and then sold them . This is like saying Elizabeth Taylor or Madonna is a slave . As you can imagine , even if it was not a matriarchal scheme to start off with , it would not be soon before the women ran the scheme . Reputedly , their beauty approached super-image quality , to such an extent that they had to be veiled so as not to drive men mad with visions of unattainability .
Of course the other side of the coin is more likely . For 60 000 years the matriarchy had bred and perfected women that could freeze men’s souls with their beauty and pheromones (cf Sirens , Circe , Gorgons , etc) . Brainy too . So the Circassians were breeding the beauty out , not in , to fit with modern society .
By 1820 they had to move , as the entire Caucasus mountains became very unsafe due to the Russian Empire expanding . Bullets or cannons do not care about beauty . The entire tribe moved to Constantinople and was not heard of again (of course) .
An interesting note here is that they probably had a copy of the Library of Constantinople . Very probably many of the originals . One of those ironies of history is that the Library everyone is looking for (including most of the Library of Alexandria) is right back where it started . A further ironic note is that Templars got obliterated mainly for having a copy . Contaminated by the Matriarchy . Fallout was the Albigensians and the Spanish Inquisition .
The question is : what on earth did the matriarchy do to provoke such an extreme response , one that has reverberated for thousands of years ? Even the memory of the deeds are gone (except maybe in some dusty archive) , but the emotions evoked still seem to be alive .
The only thing I can think of is a monstrous betrayal and perversion of the very bedrock of the Matriarchy’s social contract : when things got bad , they designated their people they considered useless as Prey and ate them .
This is like the Pope cutting out some nice fat American tourists on St Peter’s square and having a braai , with them as the guests of honour on the spit , all the while intoning that they should be honoured to serve .
Worse . Christianity has ritual cannibalism . No wonder this has reverberated down the ages . And it must have gone on for at least 200 years .
Shit . And I thought the high death rate in the Late Bronze age collapse was due to the quick conquest by the Sea Peoples . Instead , for hundreds of years the matriarchy and attendant nobles ate their people . The logic from their point is that the plebs should be honoured to feed their betters who know better and would be able to pull things together once the drought ends . And even when the drought ended , they could not stop . They were caught in the vested interests and , besides , it would take years before trade picked up and their shares paid a decent dividend .
The Sea Peoples were what we would call Liberators and Freedom Fighters . The capital letters are justified . Not even the Nazis or the Soviets ate the inmates of the camps , never mind put them in camps just for this purpose .
I always wondered how Rameses III could trust the Sea Peoples after the battle of the Nile to withdraw to southern Palestine . How could they exist if the area was so drought stricken ? But it wasn’t . It could support a lesser number , but not the overpopulated cities before . He had to promise to cleanse his country as well .Something he was not averse to .
But besides that , the Sea Peoples were fighting to cleanse the world of a great evil . The last holdout was in Egypt . They would have kept coming . All of them had family that was eaten .
This monumental blunder took place after the invention of agriculture , when overpopulation got out of control . I presume the present Matriarchy is determined not to make the same mistake . Overpopulation is once again out of control .
A note to the Matriarchy :
Kindly do not attempt to dispose of the surplus biomass through your stomach . It did not work too well 5 000 years ago . This time you will get crispies all round . The contract of 72 000 years ago is that either all pull through , or none do . Got it ?
The crucial Patriarchal meme:
No woman shall be without a connection with some male .
It does not matter if the male is a father , brother , husband ,son ,etc .
The intention is to prevent the build-up of a purely female powerbase . (ie a Matriarchy)
It worked for about 5 000 years .
Why it broke down :
The hidden assumption:
A high death rate due to high female death rate in childbirth .
This assumption steadily diverged from reality since about 1850 , as asepsis and birth procedures progressed .
The result was that woman outlived men by about 7 years on average . Rich woman in the US inheriting all their husband’s assets is a bigger percentage since the 1920’s . The US is a matriarchy by now .
Some symptoms:
Some 66% of US families have only one parent , namely the mother .
Crime rates have increased . This is because clouds of males are forming ,without matriarchal systems to keep them in control . At the levels of aggression and
testosterone the females have bred into them , only one thing will work :
UltraMama
A discreet word with Marvel Comics or some games designer might be appropriate .
And please , not SuperMama . Every Mama is a SuperMama .
MkIV Homo Sapiens .
Around 1800 the New Model Homo Saps was rolled out .
The new model is emotionally cool and is inclined to compulsive behaviour .
It welcomes uberbabes , but vehemently rejects a role as appetizer or even main course .
Aggression is not impulsive , but compulsive .
This is epigenetic .
This means that he can only be reasoned with . Emotional pressure points like fear , hate , love will play no role in behaviour .
Once an aggressive course is determined , nothing will stop it except superior force or logic .
The development of industrial technology required people that can concentrate for hours at a time on technical things like lathes , mathematics , etc , etc . The Fellow-feeling center in the brain suddenly became the cannon-fodder center .
A previous pathology ( Autism spectrum ) was dusted off and selection pressures are busily selecting and modifying . Aspergers (which did not exist before , suddenly is a desirable condition . The rough edges are being filed off .
It also means that the political control both Patriarchies and Matriarchies had is evaporating . The levers are turning to mush under their fingers .
Both have failed . They think the solution is in killing off their constituents when things get tough . This is no longer a viable solution from their viewpoint , as they have already lost control of the technical aspects . They are the most likely ones to do the tumbrel dance when things go ape .
Andre
Andre Willers
3 Jun 2010
For Peet .
Synopsis :
Functions of a Chef :
1.Definition and distribution of Food . This includes enforcing a safe environment The diner should not end up on the menu . See Addendum A .
2.Storage and preparation of nutritional Food .
3.Taste and fashion .
Discussion :
1.References :
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "The Origins of War and Peace" 21/4/2007
Reproduced in Addendum A for convenience .
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "The Collapse of Civilizations" 24/9/2005
Works by Margaret Visser .
2.Toba .
The invention of the Chef , together with Peace , enabled humans to survive a global catastrophe . (See addendum A)
2.1.The Chef enforced the definition of allowable prey . Cannibalism was forbidden by political dictat , but other foods were at the disposal of the Chef .
2.2.The Chef controlled the gathering , storage , distribution and preparation of food .
This was enforced by the whole group , if necessary .
2.3.Taste and fashion went their own inimitable , chaotic ways .
3. Consequences :
3.1.The Restaurant was born . A central gathering and distribution point of all food for the tribe . Enforced by the warriors of the tribe . This was essential so that the group could survive .
The Chef's primary function then , as now , is to ensure a peaceful eating place where everybody could eat their share without ending up on the menu .
This authoritarian role of the Chef has survived for 70 000 years . Even the name reflects it . Chefs are allowed extraordinary leeway even today .
Dining at "Fat Sam's" in 50 000 BC would not be much different from today , except that the waiters would be enforcers (warriors) as well . Diners Clubs to be checked in at the door .
3.2 Storage and preparation of food .
The Chef was responsible for storage (ie preservation) of food for winter . A critical role . Eg developing and using methods like salting , smoking , drying , grinding , etc
Equally important , these preserved foods had to turned back into appealing , nutritional dishes , with Death as the most critical of Critics .
Systematic testing (a meme forerunner of the Scientific Method) followed . Record keeping of some sort evolved (see "Stone age writing" in NewScientist . Not hunting . Recipes .)
Writing evolved out of record-keeping for stored foods .(Besserat)
3.3 Shamans :
For systematic testing , guinea pigs are needed . Enter the group of humans who are sensitive and willing to do test safety concentrations of known poisons and hallucinogens . These evolved into the shaman class .
But they had an impressive record . Ash in maize (release of niacin - Visser) , Cassava , etc , etc . Rendering poisons into nutritional food . All at the control of the Chef .
Notice ritual cannibalism and transubstantiation .
In a symbolic sense , God is seen as a Chef .
The Chef keeps order and turns bad things into good things .
Kosher , Halaal , Hindu cows , etc .
Every culture has taboos tying religion and food together .
Note that Grace at the table in Christian tradition is always said by the dominant figure present (usually male) . The pecking order is quite strict .
But the granddaddy of them all is Cannibalism .
You know , Civilization .
3.4 Travel Food :
The one single rule of food that I could find that always holds :
Long-lasting concentrates developed for travelers across space or time tend to become staples .
Pasta's , meal(ground seeds) , tins , dehydrated foods (packets) , minute-noodles , tins , etc, etc . The reasons are obvious .
3.5 The Celebrity Chef :
This is the slot of the original Chef in society . Still hanging in there .
3.6 Advertising:
History has many examples of entire populations starving to death in the midst of plenty because of lack of a Chef .
Greenland (fish) and South France (potatoes) are two examples .
Hence the power of the celebrity Chef to assure the Diners that it is safe , kosher , halaal , etc .
A Celebrity Chef in Kosher , Halaal , etc tradition would be a very powerful combination .
This is why such powerful niche has remained in societal meme-structures . A strong Chef can be trusted more than politicians not to poison you .
4. Taste and fashion .
These are chaotic by definition .
Humans get bored easily , but like new things only in small doses , and best if recommended by a Chef .
4.1 Subliminals
4.1.1 Sugar , Salt , Fat .
Bad in large doses .
Food tastes flat with zero doses .
But fMRI lights up in recognition of even small doses .
Eg Sweetness :
The brain recognizes very small glucose concentrations , way below taste sensations . This activates metabolic pathways not activated by artificial sweeteners .
Just dip the teaspoon point (a few grains = millions of molecules) in sugar and sweeten the rest with artificial sweetener .
The same with salt and fat (no artificials needed) .
Great coffee , but at a subliminal level .
This is the basis of any sauce .
Never mind the sizzle . The sauce should only hint , like a Circassian slave-girl after your last drachma .
4.2 Food Idoru
Hyper pheromones . Like truffles .
5. The Ideal Restaurant .
5.1 The Chef must be seen to be the central Authority figure .
The Waiters , Security (Warriors) and Kitchen Staff must be seen to defer to him .
This is critical .
The Diner is literally putting his life in somebody else's hands . He would prefer it to be one single person with a known reputation of independence . (Cf Gordon Ramsay)
A virgin whose assets are barely covered by gold Krugerrands must be able to prance all night unmolested .
5.2 Humans want the familiar , with a small dash of exotic , but at their control .
And not too large a choice ,either .
Five basic dishes , with a variation of five different sauces on each .
Eg Curry Sauce : strength 1-5 on pasta's , meats , fish .
This gives 5x5x5 = 125 different dishes at modest cost .
Give three random small sample containers with a sample main dish for decision point to be reached . Then serve main and sauce choice at Diner's discretion .
Diners will try all 3 sample sauces , serving as an entrée .
The Chef personally , or via TV screen discusses available choices and makes his recommendation .
Remember , your diner is having a major night out with some significant other .
He cannot afford more than 1/3 on a possible mistake . (Reserve argument)
The point is to have at least 2/3 familiarity , and 1/3 adventure from a trusted authority figure .
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "New Tools Reserves"
6. Big Money :
Eg minute Noodles .
Find a traveller's food that can be microwaved .
Systematically trawl through foods . Dates spring to mind .One of the oldest concentrated , travelers' food . Ditto copra .
Fat is even older and available in lake sizes .
A recipe is needed to turn it into healthy , nutritious food .
A job for Super Chef .
Andre
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Addendum A
The Origins of War and Peace
Andre Willers
20 April 2007
( see previous discussions in http://andreswhy.blogspot.com)
Synopsis :
War is when a society sanctions other humans as prey .
If the other humans belong to another society , it is Classical War . If not , it is a Police Action .
Endless fun is had by playing around with the definitions of “human” (Nazis) , “society” (religions , political movements , criminals , etc) .
Discussion:
Humans have a hard-wired brain center that classifies something as “prey” . Once this switch has tripped and the fixation has taken place , it is extremely difficult to change.
Evolutionary , it derived from pack-behaviour .
Pack hunters need to identify the chosen prey which the pack-leader has designated . The pointers derive from the leader’s social behaviour like pointing , eye-fixation , words etc .
Then they need to fixate on this prey to exclusion . (The nuts-and-bolts neuronal arrangement can be traced back to infant-imprinting.)
Successful packs are those that can focus the full pack on a particular prey , even if individual members of the pack might suffer injury or death .
A subsidiary hard-wired complex developed monitoring fellow-pack members . Any attack has to have some co-ordination . Call this Social-feeling .
Counting :
An iterative counting brain center that could count to three evolved .
(This center’s precise location has been identified (via fMRI). Rendering it inoperative (via magnetic focused pulse) led to a normally very rare inability to gut-feel numbers . Like reading by consulting a child’s primer every step .) Called anacalculus .
Us , Them ,Prey .
Each system is iteratively further broken down into threes , etc .
Three is necessary , since Us and Them is insufficient .
The Prey has to be identified , leading to Them being broken up into Them and Prey .
An intriguing corollary is that while the sets Us and Them may comprise many diverse elements , the Prey has to be constrained to one easily identified element . This explains why hate merchants like Hitler , the schoolyard bully , etc pick on specifics . Why neighbours who know each other kill neighbours in Uganda . Why the wife/husband is the most frequent unsanctioned homicidal victim .
There can only be One Prey .
(Apologies to the Highlander.)
Certain elements in martyr religions can be more easily understood this way .
Packs .
Packs are innate in any organism that cares for it’s young .
Parent(s) + kids = pack .
Iterative congeries across time of genetic relationships leads to complicated social relationships ( see inheritance of dominance in monkeys ,etc)
Human ancestors underwent a prolonged period of being cursorial raptors , developing pack behaviour on a genetic and social level to a high degree . This was convergent evolution with dogs . It is no wonder then that dogs and humans understand each other at such a deep , non-verbal level .
Parts of humans are the same as dogs .
Query : Why the insult of calling somebody a dog , a cur , a son-of-a-bitch etc ?
Answer : The insult is to the human being addressed , expressing dominance , not to dogs . In many cases , the only cultural referent understood by both human parties were doggish loyalty , which translated as slavishness between enemies . Indeed , many humans expressed their loyalty as being dogs of their ruler .
The dogs of war :
An interesting bit of propaganda by the Condottierri to put a spin on their faithless conduct .
Cannibalism .
Let’s face it , our ancestors ate each other until about 72 000 years ago .
The population density was low , making disease like kourou unlikely .
A large number of hominid evolutionary steps were driven by genetic deficiencies , necessitating obligate hunting . ( see previous discussions in http://andreswhy.blogspot.com)
Prey was everybody else except Us . This is the default Homonid setting .
MkI Homo Sapiens .
They evolved around 150 000 to 200 000 years ago .
The body was small by our standards , with little sexual dimorphism . The males were not much bigger , stronger or more aggressive than the females .
Great strength was not needed when hunting with weapons , snares and nets .
Indeed , big mass was selected against because of the significant higher energy needs that made starving to death much more likely during down-turns like droughts . Remember , there was little surplus and no way to store it .
Language was the main purview of the females . Gossiping and politics . The females were the central point of each group , together with the children . The males formed a cloud around this group . But arrangements were very loose and easy , as the living was easy .
Numbers were small , game was plentiful and other hominids made nice little packages of essential nutrients for these obligate hunters .
There is no culture as we even vaguely understand the term .
This was the end-line of development of pre-cultural homonins .
The default was that all not-Us were prey . ( Not War , not Peace , but anarchy)
MkII Homo Sapiens .
The Invention of Peace .
Then Toba happened . (72 000 BC )
The supervolcano in Indonesia caused the equivalent of a nuclear winter across the globe . Snow fell in equatorial regions and there was mass die-off of plants and their dependant animals .
The cold and hunger caused a concentration of numbers around some volcanic hotspots in the highlands of East Africa ( Remember , it snowed on the equator) . It did not happen all at once , so refugees fluxed into the survivable spots . In this crucible , human culture was invented . The numbers were small enough that certain existing epigenetic centers in the brain/body were forced evolved .
Remember , it took centuries for the land to recover .
From the genetic bottle-neck evidence , human numbers fell to between 3 000 and 10 000 . These are extinction levels
Cannibalistic diseases and inbreeding are particularly vicious in small , poorly nourished communities like these .
Co-operation and expansion of the gene-pool was essential .
The surviving communities were the ones where females took control and forced co-operation by designating non-prey .
In other words , the females ( probably led by some redoubtable dowager ) , invented Peace , and what’s more , enforced it .
This was Humanity’s greatest invention . The woman who did it deserves a Nobel prize for each year her Peace lasted .
Population was rigorously kept to sustainable levels by Matriarchal control of breeding lines and birthrates .
They did it so well that the Peace lasted about 60 000 years .
Note that the American and Australian continents where massive and quick animal extinctions took place , were populated from areas probably outside matriarchal control . Note also that the continent with the most extant animal megafauna (Africa) was where the matriarchy originated . Not too shabby ,eh?
One effect was thus the extreme taboo against cannibalism . This is an epigenetic inheritance ( ie data transmitted by mother to offspring , not in the DNA , but not cultural either .)
Inherent in this is that the Prey designation mechanism (now also epigenetic) came under social control . Elaborate rite-of-passage ceremonies evolved to certify an organism as human . (Failures were killed or expelled)
High on the list was Prey designation : hence the emphasis on starving candidates . The original rites featured humans as prey , and the candidate who could not control himself , failed .
This became putting off present gratification for future reward , what we think of as defining feature of cultural humans .
This also means the invention of religion , since the reward can be put off into the hereafter .
They also invented clothing , many uses of fire , hairdressing , makeup , jewelry , beads , gourmet cooking and the other things that make life worthwhile
Co-operating instead of hunting each other made trade and diversication of labour possible . Tools increased in sophistication from about 70 000 BC .
There was a significant human mutation in genes controlling brain growth . This has been very roughly dated as occurring about 40 000 – 50 000 years ago . The significance is not known , but it is speculated that it has to do with the growth of human culture .
The culture was explosively radiative . The advantages of a better and richer life through the material benefits sucked in even non-human homonins ( hence the gene mixing) . Anti-social elements were designated Prey and declared outlaw (this is what it means . The ultimate sanction then and now . Declared non-human , their only options were to die or to flee . )
When these MkII Humans exploded out of Africa , they did not kill the Neanderthals and Sinienses found in Europe and Asia . Their prey instincts were under social control .
Hence the interbreeding results now being found in the fossil record or the genetic evidence of the human flea .
( Some skeletons found indicate a mixture of Neanderthal and Homo Sapiens . Doubtlessly , more will be certain once the Neanderthal genome has been sequenced in about three years . More certain seems recent evidence of Siniens interbreeding , especially the genetic evidence that some species of human lice seemed to have crossed over back to Homo Sapiens from Siniens(Erectus) . The main-line Homo Sapiens fleas evolved into head and body lice after the invention of clothing after Toba .)
The other Sexes of Man
(see http://andreswhy.blogspot.com “The Sexes of Man”)
An intriguing speculation is that various null-sexes and homosexes got an evolutionary push from the reduced fertility in crossbreeding between MkII Homo and other various cousins that were subsumed into the Homo gene-cultural pool . This would have had a major effect on the evolution of the meme of property and inheritance .
MkII Humans .
What did they look like ?
The closest survivors we have are the Bushmen .
The female is the basic unit . There is little sexual dimorphism . The male is slightly larger than the female , but not significantly better muscled or more aggressive . Weapons and intelligence are more important in hunting than strength .
Females are the cultural guardians and control the group , both epigenetically and culturally .
Their Culture:
In fertile regions , the females and children form a nucleus with a floating cloud of males . Females select males to have children , either from personal taste or by direction of the Matriarchy . As expected , about 90% of males do not have children , as the females all select the alpha-males . This creates tension .
A Matriarchy .
Overpopulation was kept under check by infanticide of weaklings (bushmen , greeks , romans) . The limits of population were precisely known after literally tens of thousands of years of hunter-gatherer interactions .
An extremely stable form of government .
MkIII Homo Sapiens .
As can be seen from the above , the matriarchs naturally thought in terms of selective breeding . Hence their invention of agriculture and domesticated animals . (The were the finest genetic engineers the planet has yet seen , including the present poseurs.)
Yet the invention of both held the seeds of their destruction .
Domestication of animals and agriculture (circa 10 000 years ago) went hand-in-hand . Even today , most agricultural produce go to feed animals .
The net effect was a population explosion .
The old methods of estimating the carrying capacity of the land did not work with this new-fangled agriculture . The large groups of feral males expelled into the borderlands during the last 60 000 years now also increased in numbers due to end of the Ice-Age . They could be hired by surplus agricultural produce and promise of breeding women .
The matriarchs now had physical locations they had to defend against marauding clouds of feral males or males from other villages . Down-turns ( drought , winters , etc) made it worse . The inexorable logic of evolution means that no matter how many times you succeed , only one failure is enough to destroy you .
Increasing populations had led to population centers (cities) , that traded . Trade on this scale unleashed what we would call globalization . Cheaper produce and manufactures from the peripheries destroyed the livelihood of local farmers and artisans . The resulting social unrest necessitated breeding warriors from the outside stock to keep control for the oligarchy of matriarchs and priestesses .
This happened over a period of about 6 000 years . ( A Matriarchy is a really , really stable form of government .)
The result was an arms-race . The matriarchs either deliberately , or as a desperation measure , bred males for aggression and strength . This was easy in a culture that already practiced infanticide and death-by-neglect . Nubile females were directed only to mate with the jocks . Breeding stock was imported or required as tribute from the Outlands ( cf remnants like Theseus , etc)
The social structure (what we would call the Bronze Age) slowly broke down .
The Matriarchs also designated the competing groups as prey to their warrior clouds . War had arrived ..
MkIII Homo Sapiens was the result .
There is marked sexual dimorphism . The male is significantly bigger , but also grossly overpowered . Sinews and bones break continually from the overbred power .
The biggest difference is in aggression and Social-feeling . (see above)
There is a positive feedback between Aggression and Fellow-feeling . A large group focusing on a prey is more successful if the elements of the group share values more intensely . All we need to add is that large numbers of combatants are more successful than small numbers (generally true for low-energy weapons) , and you have an Army and War .
Social-Feeling:
The increase in social-feeling leads to large hysterical-type religions , and (not too put too fine a point on it ) large mobs .
The other whammy :
Horses .
Villages on the edges of the Ukrainian Steppes domesticated horses . Over hundreds of years , young men drifted into the steppes . Matriarchs could not follow them , since a pregnant woman cannot ride . The result was the formation of the Sky Gods religions . The horsemen turned around and made the originating villages their fiefs . From this basis they exploited every weakness of the Matriarchs .
Patriarchal religion arises .
The big Crack.
The collapse of the Late Bronze Age civilization (see http://andreswhy.blogspot.com)
This was not an overnight affair , but the later stages makes “Apocalypto” look like a picnic .
It was a combination of factors :
The breakdown of the social systems led to continual internecine warfare between city-states (ie groups of Matriarchs) . The males were being force-bred to be bigger and more aggressive . Then a climate shift caused a series of prolonged droughts from about 6 000 to 4 000 BC , seriously increasing unrest . The destruction of Minoan sea-power due to tsunamis and the inability to rebuild their fleet because they had denuded all readily accessible timber was the last straw . It took about 200 years , but the resultant spasm of war , destruction and cannibalism destroyed the matriarchies around the Middle-East and the Mediterranean .
The horse patriarchs swept over the remains and stamped patriarchal memes very firmly on the twitching remains .
Some Matriarchal memes remained in the far-west (Britain) . Hence the Druids .
Egypt and some surviving cities in the middle-east retained underground matriarchal cults ( Isis , Cybele , Earth Mother , etc , etc)
The Romans destroyed the corrupted Druid remnants .
The Roman Catholic Church later incorporated the main elements of the surviving matriarchy in the Roman Empire in the female saints and the Virgin Mary . The rest were ruthlessly exterminated . (Literally)
The only remnants of the Matriarchy that had ruled for nearly 70 000 years were some nunneries . Even here they were meme controlled ( Brides of Christ : ie connected to a male .)
Islam did the same . Note that the nun’s habit is identical with the chador .
It makes one wonder : why did the Council of Nicea decide on such a radical step ?
After all , the Roman Empire toward the end had little sex-discrimination . Constantinople had many empresses .
Why did the West suppress matriarchies ?
The suspicion arises that they did it because they felt threatened .
A meme structure like the Matriarchy that thinks in terms of 70 000 thousands of years and selective breeding of generations does not let a temporary hiatus of 5 000 years stop them . Indeed , elementary consideration would show that this could not have been the first or only reverse . Thus , they would have evolved mechanisms to survive what they consider temporary setbacks , together with some aggressive bounce-back mechanisms .
They probably tried to take over control of the Roman Catholic Church and the Western Empire . The Church destroyed most evidence , but there is Constantine’s mother , a taverners daughter who came up with some serious money to hire troops .
The killer , though , was probably the shenanigans with Attila . The Western Court at the time was even a bigger nest of snakes than usual . This was also the last time women played a significant role . If Aetius had not stopped Attila , the West would probably be a matriarchy now .
The Patriarchal meme-set seems to be long-lasting , but scared .
Some examples :
The refusal to aid Constantinople in 1453 . Indeed , the whole split . The West feels more comfortable with a patriarchal Islam than a matriarchy . Even so , Turkey seems to have been hit by a double whammy from the women : Naksh , and the enfolding and vanishment of the Circassians circa 1820 .
For those not up to speed :
Naksh (the Beautiful ) was a cousin of Josephine Bonaparte . They both came from Martinique and both became Empresses . Naksh was captured by Barbary pirates , and given as a virgin present to the Sultan . She must have been something exceptional , since he made her his principal and only wife , and more importantly , allowed her to educate her son the heir . This guy broke (well ,exterminated) the Janisseries (no mean feat) . He embarked the Ottoman Empire on the route that led to Turkey of today being a secular Islamic state (the only one) .
The Circassians were a tribe in the Caucasian mountains that reputedly for thousands of years bred their women for beauty and then sold them . This is like saying Elizabeth Taylor or Madonna is a slave . As you can imagine , even if it was not a matriarchal scheme to start off with , it would not be soon before the women ran the scheme . Reputedly , their beauty approached super-image quality , to such an extent that they had to be veiled so as not to drive men mad with visions of unattainability .
Of course the other side of the coin is more likely . For 60 000 years the matriarchy had bred and perfected women that could freeze men’s souls with their beauty and pheromones (cf Sirens , Circe , Gorgons , etc) . Brainy too . So the Circassians were breeding the beauty out , not in , to fit with modern society .
By 1820 they had to move , as the entire Caucasus mountains became very unsafe due to the Russian Empire expanding . Bullets or cannons do not care about beauty . The entire tribe moved to Constantinople and was not heard of again (of course) .
An interesting note here is that they probably had a copy of the Library of Constantinople . Very probably many of the originals . One of those ironies of history is that the Library everyone is looking for (including most of the Library of Alexandria) is right back where it started . A further ironic note is that Templars got obliterated mainly for having a copy . Contaminated by the Matriarchy . Fallout was the Albigensians and the Spanish Inquisition .
The question is : what on earth did the matriarchy do to provoke such an extreme response , one that has reverberated for thousands of years ? Even the memory of the deeds are gone (except maybe in some dusty archive) , but the emotions evoked still seem to be alive .
The only thing I can think of is a monstrous betrayal and perversion of the very bedrock of the Matriarchy’s social contract : when things got bad , they designated their people they considered useless as Prey and ate them .
This is like the Pope cutting out some nice fat American tourists on St Peter’s square and having a braai , with them as the guests of honour on the spit , all the while intoning that they should be honoured to serve .
Worse . Christianity has ritual cannibalism . No wonder this has reverberated down the ages . And it must have gone on for at least 200 years .
Shit . And I thought the high death rate in the Late Bronze age collapse was due to the quick conquest by the Sea Peoples . Instead , for hundreds of years the matriarchy and attendant nobles ate their people . The logic from their point is that the plebs should be honoured to feed their betters who know better and would be able to pull things together once the drought ends . And even when the drought ended , they could not stop . They were caught in the vested interests and , besides , it would take years before trade picked up and their shares paid a decent dividend .
The Sea Peoples were what we would call Liberators and Freedom Fighters . The capital letters are justified . Not even the Nazis or the Soviets ate the inmates of the camps , never mind put them in camps just for this purpose .
I always wondered how Rameses III could trust the Sea Peoples after the battle of the Nile to withdraw to southern Palestine . How could they exist if the area was so drought stricken ? But it wasn’t . It could support a lesser number , but not the overpopulated cities before . He had to promise to cleanse his country as well .Something he was not averse to .
But besides that , the Sea Peoples were fighting to cleanse the world of a great evil . The last holdout was in Egypt . They would have kept coming . All of them had family that was eaten .
This monumental blunder took place after the invention of agriculture , when overpopulation got out of control . I presume the present Matriarchy is determined not to make the same mistake . Overpopulation is once again out of control .
A note to the Matriarchy :
Kindly do not attempt to dispose of the surplus biomass through your stomach . It did not work too well 5 000 years ago . This time you will get crispies all round . The contract of 72 000 years ago is that either all pull through , or none do . Got it ?
The crucial Patriarchal meme:
No woman shall be without a connection with some male .
It does not matter if the male is a father , brother , husband ,son ,etc .
The intention is to prevent the build-up of a purely female powerbase . (ie a Matriarchy)
It worked for about 5 000 years .
Why it broke down :
The hidden assumption:
A high death rate due to high female death rate in childbirth .
This assumption steadily diverged from reality since about 1850 , as asepsis and birth procedures progressed .
The result was that woman outlived men by about 7 years on average . Rich woman in the US inheriting all their husband’s assets is a bigger percentage since the 1920’s . The US is a matriarchy by now .
Some symptoms:
Some 66% of US families have only one parent , namely the mother .
Crime rates have increased . This is because clouds of males are forming ,without matriarchal systems to keep them in control . At the levels of aggression and
testosterone the females have bred into them , only one thing will work :
UltraMama
A discreet word with Marvel Comics or some games designer might be appropriate .
And please , not SuperMama . Every Mama is a SuperMama .
MkIV Homo Sapiens .
Around 1800 the New Model Homo Saps was rolled out .
The new model is emotionally cool and is inclined to compulsive behaviour .
It welcomes uberbabes , but vehemently rejects a role as appetizer or even main course .
Aggression is not impulsive , but compulsive .
This is epigenetic .
This means that he can only be reasoned with . Emotional pressure points like fear , hate , love will play no role in behaviour .
Once an aggressive course is determined , nothing will stop it except superior force or logic .
The development of industrial technology required people that can concentrate for hours at a time on technical things like lathes , mathematics , etc , etc . The Fellow-feeling center in the brain suddenly became the cannon-fodder center .
A previous pathology ( Autism spectrum ) was dusted off and selection pressures are busily selecting and modifying . Aspergers (which did not exist before , suddenly is a desirable condition . The rough edges are being filed off .
It also means that the political control both Patriarchies and Matriarchies had is evaporating . The levers are turning to mush under their fingers .
Both have failed . They think the solution is in killing off their constituents when things get tough . This is no longer a viable solution from their viewpoint , as they have already lost control of the technical aspects . They are the most likely ones to do the tumbrel dance when things go ape .
Andre
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Valveless PulseJets .
Valveless PulseJets .
Andre Willers
2 Jun 2010
Synopsis:
A cheap and easy pulsejet engine that operates at low speeds .
Discussion :
References :
Actual working engines : see PopularMechanics.com , May 2010 , p79 .
See also http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "Tornadoes and V1" 15 Mar 2010
Google "Hilsch tubes" , "valveless pulsejets" , "Madagascar Institute NY"
Safety :
This is old technology , dating back to 1938 .
How it works:
The valveless pulsejet is at heart a classical T-shaped Hilsch tube , but the stem of the T is replaced by the combustion chamber . This provides the pressurized gas-input .
The Tricks :
1.The exhaust is bent in a U shape . This is where the Hilsch effect appears . Part of the pulse-effect appears here .
2.After the U bend , the exhaust flares . This regulates back-pressure and the pulse effect .
Low speed .
The Hilsch-effect makes the process much more efficient than the old V1 motor .
Much lower speeds are required for the motor to operate .
Hence the tornado-effect .
Manufacturing costs :
Can be made out of a U-shaped car-exhaust , a cylinder of gas for fuel and a modest compressor (eg leaf-blower) to kick-start it .
Enhancements:
The system can be significantly enhanced by incorporating the spiral-shaped Hilsch washer into the bend of the U-shape .
The vortices inside the tube can be tricky . Use a powerful computer for optimization calculations . This was not available in the past , hence the falling into abeyance of this technology .
Ram-jets .
These are back in fashion for hypersonic jets . Their main drawback is the high speed necessary before the ramjet becomes self-supporting .
Pulsejets are low-speed ramjets .
The most elegant solution would simply be to switch the ramjet's intake scoop into the pulsejet's combustion chamber once ramjet threshold speed has been slightly exceeded . This modifies the low-speed pulsejet into a hypersonic ramjet and vice versa .
Historical note :
Possible Past and , hopefully , not possible future .
This classically simple and elegant technology could have been manufactured soon after the metallurgy for high-speed turbines became possible : Ie 1890's .
This would have resulted in a completely different historical pathway .
Even as late as 1938 (Std Timeline) , low-speed pulsejets would have radically altered the European and Pacific theatres . Notice the effect of the V1 .
Combine with hovercraft , and large war hover-platforms (millions of tons) , populated initially by regiments , but later tribes careen over the plains of Northern Europe and Oceans of Terra at hundreds of kilometers per hour . (Note that pulsejets can run on bio-manufactured gas like methane ,etc . The platforms can be fuel-selfsufficient.) .
A return to the days of Attila and Genghis . The Knights-and-Castles defence would require nuclear weapons to maintain itself .
Note James Blish "Cities in Flight" , but these platform-cities would be on a planetary surface . The constraints should give a lively time to all .
Their only vulnerability would be from orbit . A lively armed discussion about sovereignity and free-passage should ensue .
The surviving platforms would be forced to become launching platforms , culminating in Orion-type space platforms . The planet would be a wreck .
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "Orion , Gaia needs you" et al .
To paraphrase Tolkien :
"One tube to bind them all ."
Andre
Andre Willers
2 Jun 2010
Synopsis:
A cheap and easy pulsejet engine that operates at low speeds .
Discussion :
References :
Actual working engines : see PopularMechanics.com , May 2010 , p79 .
See also http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "Tornadoes and V1" 15 Mar 2010
Google "Hilsch tubes" , "valveless pulsejets" , "Madagascar Institute NY"
Safety :
This is old technology , dating back to 1938 .
How it works:
The valveless pulsejet is at heart a classical T-shaped Hilsch tube , but the stem of the T is replaced by the combustion chamber . This provides the pressurized gas-input .
The Tricks :
1.The exhaust is bent in a U shape . This is where the Hilsch effect appears . Part of the pulse-effect appears here .
2.After the U bend , the exhaust flares . This regulates back-pressure and the pulse effect .
Low speed .
The Hilsch-effect makes the process much more efficient than the old V1 motor .
Much lower speeds are required for the motor to operate .
Hence the tornado-effect .
Manufacturing costs :
Can be made out of a U-shaped car-exhaust , a cylinder of gas for fuel and a modest compressor (eg leaf-blower) to kick-start it .
Enhancements:
The system can be significantly enhanced by incorporating the spiral-shaped Hilsch washer into the bend of the U-shape .
The vortices inside the tube can be tricky . Use a powerful computer for optimization calculations . This was not available in the past , hence the falling into abeyance of this technology .
Ram-jets .
These are back in fashion for hypersonic jets . Their main drawback is the high speed necessary before the ramjet becomes self-supporting .
Pulsejets are low-speed ramjets .
The most elegant solution would simply be to switch the ramjet's intake scoop into the pulsejet's combustion chamber once ramjet threshold speed has been slightly exceeded . This modifies the low-speed pulsejet into a hypersonic ramjet and vice versa .
Historical note :
Possible Past and , hopefully , not possible future .
This classically simple and elegant technology could have been manufactured soon after the metallurgy for high-speed turbines became possible : Ie 1890's .
This would have resulted in a completely different historical pathway .
Even as late as 1938 (Std Timeline) , low-speed pulsejets would have radically altered the European and Pacific theatres . Notice the effect of the V1 .
Combine with hovercraft , and large war hover-platforms (millions of tons) , populated initially by regiments , but later tribes careen over the plains of Northern Europe and Oceans of Terra at hundreds of kilometers per hour . (Note that pulsejets can run on bio-manufactured gas like methane ,etc . The platforms can be fuel-selfsufficient.) .
A return to the days of Attila and Genghis . The Knights-and-Castles defence would require nuclear weapons to maintain itself .
Note James Blish "Cities in Flight" , but these platform-cities would be on a planetary surface . The constraints should give a lively time to all .
Their only vulnerability would be from orbit . A lively armed discussion about sovereignity and free-passage should ensue .
The surviving platforms would be forced to become launching platforms , culminating in Orion-type space platforms . The planet would be a wreck .
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "Orion , Gaia needs you" et al .
To paraphrase Tolkien :
"One tube to bind them all ."
Andre
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