Belarus and European Instability .
Andre Willers
16 May 2014
Synopsis :
Another patchwork state becoming unglued due to insufficient
reserves . The next domino after Ukraine . Then others will follow , as the EU
unravels . Endemic warfare ensues .
Discussion :
1.GINI :
Belarus : 26.48 (2011)
Ukraine : 25.62 (2010)
See Appendix AA for a discussion of what this means .
Basically , the State has insufficient reserves to
counteract centripetal forces , especially if under hostile attack .
2.Belarus has a diverse ethnic and language make-up .
And it borders on Russia , Ukraine and Lithuania .
It has a state military (mostly conscripts) and a private
sector with insufficient reserves to motivate and maintain itself leads to
instability , regardless of the ideology .
It didn’t work for the USSR , and the same result will
follow for Belarus after the Ukraine has fallen apart .
3. Other nearby countries at risk because of insufficient
reserves (low GINI)
3.1 Slovakia (26) , Czech (25) , Serbia (27) , Bulgaria (28)
3.2 At risk countries with reserves that are so spread out
they cannot be mobilized quickly . Vulnerable to a political blitzkrieg .
Germany (28) , Denmark (24) , Finland (26) , Sweden (25) ,
Norway (25) .
3.3 Countries at risk because of regional GINI differences .
(a)Belgium : see Appendix BB . One half of the country is
paying for the other half .
If there is even a slight hiccup in EU subsidies to Brussels
, Belgium will fly apart .
(b) Venice : The same story . The Venetians have already
voted to secede from Italy . See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetian_independence_referendum,_2014
.
Italy might fall apart completely into it’s natural form of
city-states .
(c) The rest all have risks . See
UK is already happening . Spain seems to be at high risk .
(d) Germany collapsing into a number of small states (like
before Bismarck) is unfortunately quite
likely if the EU falls apart .
Note the “Ossie” – “Wessie” divide . The GINI’s of the two
regions are quite different .
The German state looks rather fragile .
The old GDR GINI ~ 22 compared to Germany’s ~ 28 .
This is a huge difference . The whole amalgamation process
seems to have stalled in the mid 1990’s , leaving a lot of bitterness .
See the Conclusion in
the URL .
4.Endemic Warfare .
The result would be a large number of small , very
homogenous states that are extremely xenophobic .
Something like Medieval Europe .
Note that “Warfare as the Game of Kings” was an integral
part of the system .
It purged the system of those pesky adventurous spirits .
Until Napoleon spoiled it all . (Why he is known as The
Great Disturber)
One can then expect a resurgence of organized religion ,
especially Roman Catholicism with its proven track record of mind control
(confessional , etc)
The Internet would be under strict secular and religious
control , except for pockets of skunk-works where anything goes as long as it
is to the advantage of the State .
Religious fascism with ghettoes of freedom to produce the
technology to perpetuate the State .
This has happened before .
Think Universities in Medieval Europe.
The system under stress will be very inclined to follow the
path of least resistance as in the previous instance .
5.The Singularity .
Technological singularities would be more likely in such an
environment .
The argument is similar to the West’s development of
technology from small , quarrelling states circa 1400 – 1800 .I
Diversity is more important than optimization .
6. The fragmentation of states is then a necessary (and
logical ) tautological step to Singularity .
I can see some interesting times for all .
Why bother with incarnating on earth just to be bored ?
7. For starters , calculate the GINI of Heaven .
8.The economics of souls will stretch your mind .
Christian free forgiveness of sins is the Quantitive Easing for souls .
Isn’t Soul Economics fun ?
Andre
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Appendix AA
Sunday, March 16, 2014
GINI and the Rubble of Empire .
Andre Willers .
16 Mar 2014
“Grasping all , they lose all” AW
Synopsis :
What we see as the glory of Rome is really just
the rubble of the rich, built on the backs of poor farmers and laborers .And
things are worse today .
Discussion:
1.GINI measures unequal income . It measures
desperation in hunger and medicine .
The Gini coefficient is a number between 0 and 1,
where 0 corresponds with perfect equality (where everyone has the same income)
and 1 corresponds with perfect inequality (where one person has all the
income—and everyone else has zero income).
Easy to remember : No 1 has it all .
The rest have nothing except what is doled out in
the Camps .
2.Not even the Roman Empire had as high Gini
ratio’s as present so-called democracies .
Xx
A short summary of the most important countries .
Where would you like to live if you were (a) rich
. Or (b) at the bottom .
This differential drives Revolution and Migration
.
RSA Gini= 0.63
China Gini = 47.4
USA Gini = 0.45
Russia Gini = 0.417
UK Gini = 40
Japan Gini= 0.376
India Gini = 0.368
Germany Gini= 0.27
xxx
Roman Empire (150 AD) : Gini = 0.42
This basically means that a Roman slave in 150 AD
had a fairer deal than a salary slave in most of the present Western world .
Note the exception of Germany .
See Appendix A for Roman Empire Gini .
3. Reserve considerations .
See Appendix C on how to calculate optimal
reserves ab-initio .
Reserve arguments can be used .
The society should build up reserves . This is
usually held in individual hands (your savings) , but it shows up in Gini
statistics as lowering the ratio .
The Optimal GINI would then be in the band 0.28 –
0.33 – 0.38 , with the sweet spot at 0.33 .
4.Some corollaries :
If GINI smaller than 0.28 , instability ensues .
Insufficient reserves. Usually collapse . Cities deserted as the good citizens
just walk away .
Or the collapse of the USSR . See http://www.roiw.org/1993/23.pdf
The 1989 Gini of USSR = 0.275 . It
shouldn’t have led to collapse , but they were in an arms-race with USA .
Insufficient reserves .
The system went into shock and collapsed .
If GINI bigger than 0.38 , instability
ensues . Too much reserves in too few hands . Usually revolution .
See Arab Spring , Syria , Occupy Wall st , etc etc
.Or any peasant rebellion in history , a-la-France or Russia .
5.Where are we now 2014 ?
Every country with a Gini bigger than 0.38 and
social media access is a revolution waiting to happen .
Countries with Gini smaller than 0.28 have to be propped up .
Countries with Gini smaller than 0.28 have to be propped up .
According to this argument , Germany appears
strong now , but might need aid in the near future . Can this be correct ?
Remember verreine . Huge reserves are locked up in the verreine . But how is
classified in the Gini calculation ?
6.What does this mean ?
Big , top-heavy states will continue to break
apart .
Ukraine now , UK (Scotland) later this year .
A big Empire like the USA is showing
distinct signs of strain . The tail is attempting to wag the dog . Be
interesting to see who is the last man standing in the ruins .
“Better dead than red” used to be the motto . But
can get enthusiastic about Donkeys and Elephants ?
7 RSA ?
The same story . Another artificial mini-empire
tacked together by the British . The extremely high Gini will force a break-up
of the provinces . The usual civil war will ensue as the vultures pick the
carcass apart .
See Appendix D on Neo-Vikings .
I would have hoped that they go off-planet , but
they are too stupid and poor to do that .
8. What an exciting future .
Greed and stupidity finally does for the human
race .
“Grasping all , they lose all”
Regards
Andre
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Appendix A
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2d53lE/:Ix!ztvvU:fhbrmqFE/persquaremile.com/2011/12/16/income-inequality-in-the-roman-empire/
Over the last 30 years, wealth in the United
States has been steadily concentrating in the upper economic echelons. Whereas
the top 1 percent used to control a little over 30 percent of the wealth, they
now control 40 percent. It’s a trend that was for decades brushed under the rug
but is now on the tops of minds and at the tips of tongues.
Since too much inequality can foment revolt
and instability, the CIA regularly updates statistics on income distribution for
countries around the world, including the U.S. Between 1997 and 2007,
inequality in the U.S. grew by almost 10 percent, making it more unequal than
Russia, infamous for its powerful oligarchs. The U.S. is not faring well
historically, either. Even the Roman Empire, a society built on conquest and
slave labor, had a more equitable income distribution.
To determine the size of the Roman economy and
the distribution of income, historians Walter Schiedel and Steven Friesen pored
over papyri ledgers, previous scholarly estimates, imperial edicts, and
Biblical passages. Their target was the state of the economy when the empire
was at its population zenith, around 150 C.E. Schiedel and Friesen estimate
that the top 1 percent of Roman society controlled 16 percent of the wealth,
less than half of what America’s top 1 percent control.
To arrive at that number, they broke down
Roman society into its established and implicit classes. Deriving income for
the majority of plebeians required estimating the amount of wheat they might
have consumed. From there, they could backtrack to daily wages based on wheat
costs (most plebs did not have much, if any, discretionary income). Next they
estimated the incomes of the “respectable” and “middling” sectors by
multiplying the wages of the bottom class by a coefficient derived from a
review of the literature. The few “respectable” and “middling” Romans enjoyed
comfortable, but not lavish, lifestyles.
Above the plebs were perched the elite Roman
orders. These well-defined classes played important roles in politics and
commerce. The ruling patricians sat at the top, though their numbers were
likely too few to consider. Below them were the senators. Their numbers are
well known—there were 600 in 150 C.E.—but estimating their wealth was
difficult. Like most politicians today, they were wealthy—to become a senator,
a man had to be worth at least 1 million sesterces (a Roman coin, abbreviated
HS). In reality, most possessed even greater fortunes. Schiedel and Friesen
estimate the average senator was worth over HS5 million and drew annual incomes
of more than HS300,000.
After the senators came the equestrians.
Originally the Roman army’s cavalry, they evolved into a commercial class after
senators were banned from business deals in 218 B.C. An equestrian’s holdings
were worth on average about HS600,000, and he earned an average of HS40,000 per
year. The decuriones, or city councilmen, occupied the
step below the equestrians. They earning about HS9,000 per year and held assets
of around HS150,000. Other miscellaneous wealthy people drew incomes and held
fortunes of about the same amount as the decuriones.
In total, Schiedel and Friesen figure the
elite orders and other wealthy made up about 1.5 percent of the 70 million
inhabitants the empire claimed at its peak. Together, they controlled around 20
percent of the wealth.
These numbers paint a picture of two Romes,
one of respectable, if not fabulous, wealth and the other of meager wages,
enough to survive day-to-day but not enough to prosper. The wealthy were also
largely concentrated in the cities. It’s not unlike the U.S. today. Indeed,
based on a widely used measure of income inequality, the Gini coefficient,
imperial Rome was slightly more equal than the U.S.
The CIA, World Bank, and other institutions
track the Gini coefficients of modern nations. It’s a unitless number,
which can make it somewhat tricky to understand. I find visualizing it helps.
Take a look at the following graph.
To calculate the Gini coefficient, you divide
the orange area (A) by the sum of the orange and blue areas (A + B). The more
unequal the income distribution, the larger the orange area. The Gini
coefficient scales from 0 to 1, where 0 means each portion of the population
gathers an equal amount of income and 1 means a single person collects
everything. Schiedel and Friesen calculated a Gini coefficient of 0.42–0.44 for
Rome. By comparison, the Gini coefficient in the U.S. in 2007 was 0.45.
Schiedel and Friesen aren’t passing judgement
on the ancient Romans, nor are they on modern day Americans. Theirs is an
academic study, one used to further scholarship on one of the great ancient
civilizations. But buried at the end, they make a point that’s difficult to
parse, yet provocative. They point out that the majority of extant Roman ruins
resulted from the economic activities of the top 10 percent. “Yet the
disproportionate visibility of this ‘fortunate decile’ must not let us forget
the vast but—to us—inconspicuous majority that failed even to begin to share in
the moderate amount of economic growth associated with large-scale formation in
the ancient Mediterranean and its hinterlands.”
In other words, what we see as the glory of
Rome is really just the rubble of the rich, built on the backs of poor farmers
and laborers, traces of whom have all but vanished. It’s as though Rome’s 99
percent never existed. Which makes me wonder, what will future civilizations
think of us?
Source:
Scheidel, W., & Friesen, S. (2010). The
Size of the Economy and the Distribution of Income in the Roman Empire Journal
of Roman Studies, 99 DOI:10.3815/007543509789745223
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Appendix B
GINI in descending order per country where
available .
Rank
|
Country
|
Value
|
Date of Info
|
||
1
|
63.2
|
1995
|
|||
2
|
63.1
|
2005
|
|||
3
|
63.0
|
1993
|
|||
4
|
62.9
|
1989
|
|||
5
|
61.3
|
1993
|
|||
6
|
59.7
|
2010
|
|||
7
|
59.2
|
2001
|
|||
8
|
58.5
|
2011
|
|||
9
|
57.7
|
2007
|
|||
10
|
55.1
|
2007
|
|||
11
|
53.7
|
2011
|
|||
12
|
53.6
|
2009
|
|||
13
|
53.2
|
2009
|
|||
14
|
53.0
|
2010
|
|||
15
|
52.1
|
2009
|
|||
16
|
51.9
|
2010 est.
|
|||
17
|
51.9
|
2012
|
|||
18
|
50.9
|
1996
|
|||
19
|
50.8
|
2004
|
|||
20
|
50.4
|
2001
|
|||
21
|
50.3
|
2009
|
|||
22
|
50.2
|
1998
|
|||
23
|
50.1
|
2006
|
|||
24
|
49.0
|
2010
|
|||
25
|
48.3
|
2008
|
|||
26
|
47.8
|
2012
|
|||
27
|
47.7
|
Dec 2012
|
|||
28
|
47.5
|
2001
|
|||
29
|
47.4
|
2012
|
|||
30
|
47.2
|
2010 est.
|
|||
31
|
46.9
|
2007
|
|||
32
|
46.8
|
2000
|
|||
33
|
46.2
|
2009
|
|||
34
|
46.0
|
2010
|
|||
35
|
46.0
|
2011
|
|||
36
|
45.8
|
2009
|
|||
37
|
45.6
|
2008
|
|||
38
|
45.5
|
2004
|
|||
39
|
45.3
|
2010
|
|||
40
|
45.3
|
2007
|
|||
41
|
45.0
|
2007
|
|||
42
|
44.8
|
2009
|
|||
43
|
44.6
|
2001
|
|||
44
|
44.6
|
2007
|
|||
45
|
44.5
|
2006
|
|||
46
|
44.3
|
2009
|
|||
47
|
43.7
|
2003
|
|||
48
|
43.2
|
2009
|
|||
49
|
42.5
|
2008 est.
|
|||
50
|
42.4
|
1998
|
|||
51
|
41.9
|
2011
|
|||
52
|
41.7
|
2011
|
|||
53
|
41.5
|
2008
|
|||
54
|
41.3
|
2001
|
|||
55
|
40.9
|
2007 est.
|
|||
56
|
40.8
|
1998
|
|||
57
|
40.5
|
2010
|
|||
58
|
40.2
|
2010
|
|||
59
|
40.1
|
2001
|
|||
60
|
40.0
|
2005 est.
|
|||
61
|
40.0
|
FY08/09
|
|||
62
|
39.7
|
2007
|
|||
63
|
39.5
|
2007
|
|||
64
|
39.4
|
2005-06
|
|||
65
|
39.4
|
2007
|
|||
66
|
39.2
|
2008
|
|||
67
|
39.0
|
2011
|
|||
68
|
39.0
|
2004
|
|||
69
|
39.0
|
2000
|
|||
70
|
39.0
|
2006 est.
|
|||
71
|
38.5
|
2007
|
|||
72
|
38.0
|
2008
|
|||
73
|
37.9
|
2008 est.
|
|||
74
|
37.7
|
2005
|
|||
75
|
37.6
|
2007
|
|||
76
|
37.6
|
2008
|
|||
77
|
37.6
|
2008
|
|||
78
|
36.8
|
2003
|
|||
79
|
36.8
|
2009
|
|||
80
|
36.8
|
2004
|
|||
81
|
36.7
|
2008
|
|||
82
|
36.5
|
2008
|
|||
83
|
36.5
|
2003
|
|||
84
|
36.2
|
1997
|
|||
85
|
36.2
|
2007
|
|||
86
|
35.5
|
2009
|
|||
87
|
35.3
|
1995
|
|||
88
|
35.2
|
2010
|
|||
89
|
34.5
|
2008
|
|||
90
|
34.4
|
2001
|
|||
91
|
34.2
|
2011
|
|||
92
|
34.1
|
2009
|
|||
93
|
34.0
|
2007
|
|||
94
|
33.9
|
2010
|
|||
95
|
33.7
|
2008
|
|||
96
|
33.4
|
2007
|
|||
97
|
33.2
|
2011
|
|||
98
|
33.2
|
2005
|
|||
99
|
33.0
|
2005
|
|||
100
|
32.8
|
2010
|
|||
101
|
32.7
|
2008
|
|||
102
|
32.6
|
2006
|
|||
103
|
32.1
|
2005
|
|||
104
|
32.0
|
2005
|
|||
105
|
32.0
|
2010
|
|||
106
|
31.9
|
2007 est.
|
|||
107
|
31.9
|
2011
|
|||
108
|
31.3
|
2010
|
|||
109
|
31.0
|
2009
|
|||
110
|
30.9
|
2007
|
|||
111
|
30.9
|
2008
|
|||
112
|
30.7
|
2011 est.
|
|||
113
|
30.6
|
FY07/08
|
|||
114
|
30.3
|
2008
|
|||
115
|
30.0
|
FY05/06
|
|||
116
|
30.0
|
2000
|
|||
117
|
29.6
|
2010
|
|||
118
|
29.0
|
2005
|
|||
119
|
28.9
|
2011
|
|||
120
|
28.2
|
2008
|
|||
121
|
28.2
|
2009
|
|||
122
|
28.0
|
2006
|
|||
123
|
28.0
|
2005
|
|||
124
|
27.4
|
2011
|
|||
125
|
27.2
|
2008
|
|||
126
|
27.0
|
2006
|
|||
127
|
26.8
|
2008
|
|||
128
|
26.3
|
2007
|
|||
129
|
26.0
|
2005
|
|||
130
|
26.0
|
2005
|
|||
131
|
25.0
|
2008
|
|||
132
|
24.8
|
2011 est.
|
|||
133
|
24.7
|
2009
|
|||
134
|
24.3
|
2010
|
|||
135
|
23.8
|
2011
|
|||
136
|
23.0
|
2005
|
|||
137
|
NA
|
NA
|
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Appendix C
Calculation of optimal reserves
Wednesday,
April 30, 2008
Infinite Probes 2
Andre Willers
30 April 2008
http://andreswhy.blogspot.com/ “Infinite Probes’
From discussing this with various recipients , there seems to be a need for a simpler explanation . I thought I had explained it in the simplest fashion possible . The subject matter is inherently complex .
But , here goes .
How much must you save ?
If you save too little , a random fluctuation can wipe you out .
If you save too much , you lose opportunity costs . If you are in competition , this loss can be enough to lose the competition (ie you die)
Intuitively , you can realize there is an optimum level of saving .
Methods exist of calculating this optimum in very specific instances (ie portfolios of shares ,eg Kelly criteria , or tactics in war eg MiniMax ) .
The General Case
We need to hold a Reserve in case Something goes wrong . But we do not know what thing goes wrong .
Infinite Probes tries to answer the general case . What is really , really surprising is that a answer is possible .
The Infinite bit comes from using the mathematical expansion of the Definition of Eulers Constant e = ( 1 + 1/2! + 1/ 3! + … 1/n! + …)
Where n!= n*(n-1)*(n-2)*(n-3)*…*(1)
This approaches a constant , widely used in mathematics and physics .
(e = 2.718…) .
All we need is a system that can be subdivided indefinitely (to infinity) .
First , we divide by 1
Then 2
Then 3
Then 4
And so forth till infinity .
What is important is not that we do know what these divisions are , only that they are possible . We also do not know which one element goes wrong .
The other critical insight is that it is the relation between elements that is important . (Permutations) (The failure of an element in total isolation cannot affect the whole system by definition .)
We can count the number of relationships where there is failure of one element .
It is n! , where n is number of divisions where only one failure .
Multiple failures are handled by summing :
Our Reserve(R ) is divided by n to infinity and summed .
TotReserve= R*( 1 + 1/2! + 1/ 3! + … 1/n! + …)
TotReserve= R * e
To find the boundaries of our Reserve , we set TotReserve = Cost
Then
R = 1/e * Cost
R ~ 0.37 * Cost
What does this mean?
This method measures the upper boundary of the reserve needed to survive failures in any element of the Cost-Universe . Ie , internal fluctuations .
This is the surprising bit . Any society that keeps at least 37% reserves , can only be destroyed by something outside it’s envelope . It is internally stable , no matter what .
Empires like the Ancient Egyptians , Romans , Chinese are possible , as long as there is no climactic fluctuation , new inventions , diseases ,etc . Rare events . Hence the technological stasis of old civilizations . The two are synonymous .
This is true at any scale (except quantal , by definition.) .
Individuals too . Humans can be seen as empires of noospheres .
The upper boundary does not take any double-counting into account . It is true for any system whatsoever .
A truly remarkable precise result from such general axioms .
The Lower Boundaries .
This is where it gets interesting .
Remember , we are just counting the number of ways in which permutations of one element can fail . We then sum them to get the effect of the failures of other elements
The easiest is the business that just starts and is not selling anything . It fails on n elements on every term . It’s floor capital must then be
R=Cost/(1+e)
R=0.27*Cost
This is the initial reserve to get off the ground .
This is true in any ecosystem . This is why it is so difficult to start a new business , or why a new species cannot succeed . Or why waves of pandemics are scarcer .
For the epidemically minded , this 10% difference is responsible for the demise of the Black Death ( smallpox outcompeted bubonic plaque variants for the CR5 access site.Ironically , the reason why we have only a limited HIV plague is the high competition for this site , probably some flu vectors . As one would expect , the incidence of HIV then becomes inversely proportional to connectivity (ie flights) .
A cessation of airplane flights will then lead to a flare-up of diseases like these .
Not exactly what anybody has in mind . )
When we find that we really need the spread of infectious vectors to stay healthy , then we know we have really screwed ourselves .
These are the two main boundaries .
The literature is full of other limits the series can approach . Keep a clear head on what the physical significance is .
Fat
I cannot leave the subject without the thing closest to human hearts : appearance .
Fat and fitness .
Sadly , the present fad for leanness is just that . The period of superfluous food is coming to an end .
Rich individuals can afford to be lean because the reserves are in the monetary wealth Women have to bear children individually , so they cannot store the needed reserves externally . Hence their fat storage is close to the theoretical optimum even in Western societies (33%) . In other societies the percentage is about 37-40% .
Human males have been bred (Mk III humans) for muscle and little fat (8% in a superbly fit male) . He does not have reserves to withstand even garrison duty (even little diseases will lay him low .) Note the frequent references to diseases laying whole armies low .
Note what is left out : the camp-followers . They survived The women and babyfat children . Every army seeded the invaded area with women and children .
The bred soldier has to eat a high-carb food frequently : not meat or fat , his body cannot store it . This is the definition of a wheat-eating legionary .
Ho ! Ho! Ho!
The Atkinson diet .
No wonder it does not make sense in evolutionary terms .
Mesomorphic humans have been bred not to transform expensive proteins and fats into bodymass .
The soldier-class were kept on a carbohydrate leash , which could only be supplied by farming .
The Smell of Horses .
Horses exude pheromones that promote body-leanness in humans . This has an obvious advantage to horses . Horses are breeding jockeys .
The time-span is enough : at least 8 000 years . (400 generations)
Because pregnant women cannot ride horses , there was a selection pressure to breed horses who have a pheromone that block female dominance pheromones , especially since females have to weigh more because of fat-reserve considerations .
Outside a farming environment , horses will sculpt their riders as much as the riders are sculpting them .
Small Mongolian ponies , small Mongolians .
This is why alpha-males like horses and horse-dominated societies were able to conquer and keep matriarchies .
Note the effect of the pheromones on women riders . Androgeny .
On males it becomes extreme blockage of oestrogen . It seems like a surge of male hormones , but it is just an imbalance . (If too much male hormones , the men just kill their horses )
This is why the auto-mobile had such a big sociological effect . No horses , so the men became more effeminate .
Want to be Lean and Mean ?
Sniff Horse sweat pheromone .
Perfumiers take note .
Dogs
The other leg of the human-horse-dog triumvirate .
Dogs accept female pack-leaders and have evolutionary reasons for blocking horse inhibitions of human female pheromones .
While the males are away , the females look after and rely on the dogs .
(The reason why Mongols ride from yurt to yurt: they are too scared of the dogs.)
With dogs around , the male testosterone activity is ameliorated . This is a well known effect , especially if horses are around .
Hence the female love of lap-dogs . They are actually quite ferocious , and exude large amounts of pheromones that soothes the savage male breast .
Your attention is drawn to the Pekinese lapdog , which has had a disproportionately large effect on human history .
If this sounds convoluted , it is because this is exactly how this type of bio-system operates : by inhibitions of inhibitions of inhibitions ,etc .
Andre
Andre Willers
30 April 2008
http://andreswhy.blogspot.com/ “Infinite Probes’
From discussing this with various recipients , there seems to be a need for a simpler explanation . I thought I had explained it in the simplest fashion possible . The subject matter is inherently complex .
But , here goes .
How much must you save ?
If you save too little , a random fluctuation can wipe you out .
If you save too much , you lose opportunity costs . If you are in competition , this loss can be enough to lose the competition (ie you die)
Intuitively , you can realize there is an optimum level of saving .
Methods exist of calculating this optimum in very specific instances (ie portfolios of shares ,eg Kelly criteria , or tactics in war eg MiniMax ) .
The General Case
We need to hold a Reserve in case Something goes wrong . But we do not know what thing goes wrong .
Infinite Probes tries to answer the general case . What is really , really surprising is that a answer is possible .
The Infinite bit comes from using the mathematical expansion of the Definition of Eulers Constant e = ( 1 + 1/2! + 1/ 3! + … 1/n! + …)
Where n!= n*(n-1)*(n-2)*(n-3)*…*(1)
This approaches a constant , widely used in mathematics and physics .
(e = 2.718…) .
All we need is a system that can be subdivided indefinitely (to infinity) .
First , we divide by 1
Then 2
Then 3
Then 4
And so forth till infinity .
What is important is not that we do know what these divisions are , only that they are possible . We also do not know which one element goes wrong .
The other critical insight is that it is the relation between elements that is important . (Permutations) (The failure of an element in total isolation cannot affect the whole system by definition .)
We can count the number of relationships where there is failure of one element .
It is n! , where n is number of divisions where only one failure .
Multiple failures are handled by summing :
Our Reserve(R ) is divided by n to infinity and summed .
TotReserve= R*( 1 + 1/2! + 1/ 3! + … 1/n! + …)
TotReserve= R * e
To find the boundaries of our Reserve , we set TotReserve = Cost
Then
R = 1/e * Cost
R ~ 0.37 * Cost
What does this mean?
This method measures the upper boundary of the reserve needed to survive failures in any element of the Cost-Universe . Ie , internal fluctuations .
This is the surprising bit . Any society that keeps at least 37% reserves , can only be destroyed by something outside it’s envelope . It is internally stable , no matter what .
Empires like the Ancient Egyptians , Romans , Chinese are possible , as long as there is no climactic fluctuation , new inventions , diseases ,etc . Rare events . Hence the technological stasis of old civilizations . The two are synonymous .
This is true at any scale (except quantal , by definition.) .
Individuals too . Humans can be seen as empires of noospheres .
The upper boundary does not take any double-counting into account . It is true for any system whatsoever .
A truly remarkable precise result from such general axioms .
The Lower Boundaries .
This is where it gets interesting .
Remember , we are just counting the number of ways in which permutations of one element can fail . We then sum them to get the effect of the failures of other elements
The easiest is the business that just starts and is not selling anything . It fails on n elements on every term . It’s floor capital must then be
R=Cost/(1+e)
R=0.27*Cost
This is the initial reserve to get off the ground .
This is true in any ecosystem . This is why it is so difficult to start a new business , or why a new species cannot succeed . Or why waves of pandemics are scarcer .
For the epidemically minded , this 10% difference is responsible for the demise of the Black Death ( smallpox outcompeted bubonic plaque variants for the CR5 access site.Ironically , the reason why we have only a limited HIV plague is the high competition for this site , probably some flu vectors . As one would expect , the incidence of HIV then becomes inversely proportional to connectivity (ie flights) .
A cessation of airplane flights will then lead to a flare-up of diseases like these .
Not exactly what anybody has in mind . )
When we find that we really need the spread of infectious vectors to stay healthy , then we know we have really screwed ourselves .
These are the two main boundaries .
The literature is full of other limits the series can approach . Keep a clear head on what the physical significance is .
Fat
I cannot leave the subject without the thing closest to human hearts : appearance .
Fat and fitness .
Sadly , the present fad for leanness is just that . The period of superfluous food is coming to an end .
Rich individuals can afford to be lean because the reserves are in the monetary wealth Women have to bear children individually , so they cannot store the needed reserves externally . Hence their fat storage is close to the theoretical optimum even in Western societies (33%) . In other societies the percentage is about 37-40% .
Human males have been bred (Mk III humans) for muscle and little fat (8% in a superbly fit male) . He does not have reserves to withstand even garrison duty (even little diseases will lay him low .) Note the frequent references to diseases laying whole armies low .
Note what is left out : the camp-followers . They survived The women and babyfat children . Every army seeded the invaded area with women and children .
The bred soldier has to eat a high-carb food frequently : not meat or fat , his body cannot store it . This is the definition of a wheat-eating legionary .
Ho ! Ho! Ho!
The Atkinson diet .
No wonder it does not make sense in evolutionary terms .
Mesomorphic humans have been bred not to transform expensive proteins and fats into bodymass .
The soldier-class were kept on a carbohydrate leash , which could only be supplied by farming .
The Smell of Horses .
Horses exude pheromones that promote body-leanness in humans . This has an obvious advantage to horses . Horses are breeding jockeys .
The time-span is enough : at least 8 000 years . (400 generations)
Because pregnant women cannot ride horses , there was a selection pressure to breed horses who have a pheromone that block female dominance pheromones , especially since females have to weigh more because of fat-reserve considerations .
Outside a farming environment , horses will sculpt their riders as much as the riders are sculpting them .
Small Mongolian ponies , small Mongolians .
This is why alpha-males like horses and horse-dominated societies were able to conquer and keep matriarchies .
Note the effect of the pheromones on women riders . Androgeny .
On males it becomes extreme blockage of oestrogen . It seems like a surge of male hormones , but it is just an imbalance . (If too much male hormones , the men just kill their horses )
This is why the auto-mobile had such a big sociological effect . No horses , so the men became more effeminate .
Want to be Lean and Mean ?
Sniff Horse sweat pheromone .
Perfumiers take note .
Dogs
The other leg of the human-horse-dog triumvirate .
Dogs accept female pack-leaders and have evolutionary reasons for blocking horse inhibitions of human female pheromones .
While the males are away , the females look after and rely on the dogs .
(The reason why Mongols ride from yurt to yurt: they are too scared of the dogs.)
With dogs around , the male testosterone activity is ameliorated . This is a well known effect , especially if horses are around .
Hence the female love of lap-dogs . They are actually quite ferocious , and exude large amounts of pheromones that soothes the savage male breast .
Your attention is drawn to the Pekinese lapdog , which has had a disproportionately large effect on human history .
If this sounds convoluted , it is because this is exactly how this type of bio-system operates : by inhibitions of inhibitions of inhibitions ,etc .
Andre
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Appendix D
Neo-Vikings
Andre Willers
8 Feb 2014
Synopsis:
Raid-or-Trade is coming back
in fashion as social orders collapses .
Discussion :
1.Climate shifts cause social
disruptions .
2.This causes degradation in
defence capabibilties .
3.Opportunistic raiders take
advantage .
4.Past :
4.1Sea Peoples
or
4.2 Vikings
Essentially , climate change
weakened civilized defensive systems and also forced barbarians to go a-Viking
.
“Modern history has its
origins in the tumultuous 6th and 7th centuries. During this period
agricultural failures and the emergence of the
plague contributed to: (1) the
demise of ancient super cities, old Persia, Indonesian civilizations, the Nasca
culture of South America,
and southern Arabian
civilizations; (2) the schism of the Roman Empire with the conception of many
nation states and the re-birth of
a united China; and (3) the
origin and spread of Islam while Arian Christianity disappeared. In his book,
Catastrophe An Investigation
into the Origins of the
Modern World, author David Keys explores history and archaeology to link all of
these human upheavals to
climate destabilization
brought on by a natural catastrophe, with strong evidence from tree-ring and
ice-core data that it occurred in
535 AD. With no supporting
evidence for an impact-related event, I worked with Keys to narrow down the
possibilities for a volcanic
eruption that could affect
both hemispheres and bring about several decades of disrupted climate patterns,
most notably colder and
drier weather in Europe and
Asia, where descriptions of months with diminished sun light, persistent cold,
and anomalous summer
snow falls are recorded in
6th-century written accounts.”
4.3 Formosans
Something similar happened
(from genetic evidence) in Formosa to trigger the population of the Pacific
Islands .
Other cultural traits often
point to Taiwan as the strong link in spreading Australasian-speaking people
and their traditions through Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Indeed Australasian people
migrated via extraordinary maritime journeys as far as Madagascar in the west,
Easter Island in the east, Hawaii in the north and New Zealand in the south.
These migrants propagated their cultural traditions, often modified to suit
local conditions and
preferences.
- See more at:
http://australianmuseum.net.au/BlogPost/Science/Our-Global-Neighbours-Pacific-culture-ancestry-in-Formosa#sthash.gm3tTliE.dpuf
5.Future :
5.1 States lose the control
of armed force .
This has already happened .
Private security (essentially private armies ) ( cf Condottierry) offers
services to wealthy individuals whishing to escape .
5.2 The traditional route to
escape these troubles is by sea . But with newish technology , you need a fleet
. Single ships simply won’t hack it .
5.3
Postulated Scenario :
Social order in RSA collapses
.
The region is wealthy . It
has a large shipbuilding industry . Also large private security companies.
Armed to the teeth , with
very sophisticated logistics .
People flee via ships . They
have to survive . They arm . They can only survive in large groups with heavy
arms . Funding then has to be done via Viking-type raid-settlement-trade .
Do not worry about the
primitive Somali pirates .
South African pirates fleets
will be much worse , although a bit more professional .
I did not expect this .
But should have .
Oh Well .
Andre
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Appendix BB
Guest Post: Why Belgium Can Never
Work
Submitted
by Tyler Durden on
05/15/2014 19:46 -0400
The political situation in Belgium - as Europe heads into elections -
could well be the writing on the wall for every European country.
Submitted by 'Sudden Debt' as
first appearing in Belgian Beurs,
Economists and politicians
love to juggle with figures for the trees so you can not see the forest.
Economics is not always easy,
but we have noticed that you can do it with an island of 100 people to make it
understandable.
Let's call this
island "RAINBOWLAND" .
Overall, it looks like this:
Of the 100 residents, 28 were
working in the private sector . They go fishing , build houses , canoes , ...
Of the remaining 72 people ,
40 are working for the government .
They provide education ,
security, secret service and justice .
But they also set rules for
the workers . They determine import quotas for fishing , ensuring that everyone
pays taxes and they invent new rules which everyone must adhere.
There are still 15 people who
have no work. They receive an unemployment allowance .
The remaining 17 residents
are children , pensioners and long-term sick. They receive money or children ,
pensions and sickness benefits.
As people who
work in the private sector in Rainbowland they are the only ones that
effectively produce something , they pay the taxes they pay the others with.
You can say that people who
work for the government work to support the production, but in practice it is
often the opposite.
Thanks to all kinds of rules
and laws, workers must spend more time to comply with these rules, thus
production slows.
Of course you
do not have to be a genius to realize that a country such as "
Rainbowland" can not survive in reality.
It is
impossible to operate when only slightly more than a quarter of the population
ensures overall welfare.
However there
is a "country " in the world who gets it done. And that "land
" is ... Wallonia in Belgium!
Of the 3.56 million
inhabitants, there are only 1 million to work in the private sector . This
corresponds to 28 % of the total population . (Or 28 people on an island of 100
inhabitants . )
The rest works for the
government (40 % ) , unemployed ( 15 % ) or too young, too old or too sick to
work ( 17 % ) .
Why is Wallonia
successful in this as the only "country" in the world ?
Because they
can count on the solidarity of the Flemings .
Since as many as 2.25 million
people in Flanders in the private, throughout this region creates a lot of
wealth .
The government has decided
that workers should cede to Wallonia. An ( increasing ) share of that
prosperity in Flanders In solidarity .
However, this solidarity with
each new government seems to be increasing. The univercity of Leuven recently
figured it transfers 16 billion euro .
That's 16
billion euro annually moved from Flanders to Wallonia .
But such figures do not, of
course say a lot .
Let's make it
comprehensible again .
I just told you that there
are 2.25 million people in Flanders in private and that they pay with their
production for those who do not produce .
16,000,000,000 divided by
2,250,000 euros " workers in the private " = 7.111 euro
Anyone with a
job in the private pays 7,111 euros in taxes that go directly to Wallonia
annually. That is just under 600 euros per month!
And it does not
stop there.
Because this diligent worker
not only pays for the Walloons . He also pays for its own government and
solidarity with other Flemings .
What is the cost of this for
a resident of Belgium ?
Well , all governments
together spend 208.5 billion from last year .
That is what the government
costs annually . And that amount is increasing year after year by the way. Ten
years ago, for example, the expenditure amounted to "only" 143
billion.
So now we spend
65 billion per year more than we did 10 years ago !
Anyway, we were talking about
the cost of government...208.5 billion in spending .
We have to share again by the
number of workers in the private sector . In Flanders , Wallonia and Brussels
together is that about 3.57 million people.
That gives ... 58,305 euros
per year.
Take your calculator not
hesitate to it to check the numbers. I also needed to recalculate that figure
to believe these numbers several times
58,305 per year ... that's
4,858 euros per month .
Every working
person in the private sector should therefore pay 4,858 euros per month in
taxes to cover government spending.
And if you have the
misfortune to live in Flanders, it becomes even more . Which is 4,858 euros
with an average and as you know the Fleming pay a extra of 600 euros to
Wallonia.
To finance the government
they obviously need to increasing taxes
The government spending is
now 55 % .
That means that
55 cents of every euro earned in Belgium, goes to the government .
However, more
money for the government , also means less money for the population.
Less money to
invest and consume .
In a country
where the people have less and less money , the economy has obviously
difficulties to grow.
Ok , we know that since the
2008 crisis and that is a convenient excuse to explain why there is no growth
in Belgium .
We then conveniently forget
that the economy in the previous period (2000-2006) also barely grew. The
growth in this period was a meager 1.6% annualized .
If we look at it over a wider
period , the figures are only sadder . The Belgian economy between 2000 and
2014, grew only 1.3 % on an annual basis .
The growing
government stifles the economy.
However Flemings realize that
all too well, remove the Walloon parties who seek a large government yet again!
A logical evolution since
this language group has a direct interest in big government .
Nearly 3/4ths
of the population who need government because of his or her income . You can
hardly expect enthusiasm for smaller government from this quarter.
The Fleming wants , but sees
his voice always evaporate in a left-wing government .
You just can not get around
the socialists in Wallonia , so the socialists automatically form the basis for
a federal government . Always.
And with the socialists in
the government you automatically get a left policies increasing government .
The conclusion ,
for me at least , is that Wallonia and Flanders are two areas with a totally
different idea about the role of government .
If one side
says "white", you can hear the other side say " black " .
I'm not just talking about
economic issues .
Also, on migration and
justice , there is a lot of disagreement.
You need two parts of the
country that rarely agree with each other to work together?
Is it so crazy
to aim for a model in which each party in his part of the country's has to
organise their own funding?
Because it seems to me the only way Belgium can continue to operate long
term is to have separate accounts because as of now, one side keeps buying
shoes with the joint account while the other side has to pay the rent with
what’s left.
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