Fractal Friday – Disaffected Musings

From The Grumpy Economist, AKA John Cochrane. He is a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University:

“[S]omeone has to work, or we all starve. So, if it is not going to be you work or you starve, it has to be you work or we send you to Siberia. If we are not actors in a market, we must be slaves to the state. Empirically, the incentive that the more you work the more you get has proved much more productive than appeals to patriotism, community spirit, the common good, or force.”

If you can’t work, then you should receive assistance. If you don’t want to work, you should receive nothing. I wish Cochrane had cited studies for that last sentence, but I believe it to be true. People want to reap most of the rewards for their labor, not have most of it confiscated/stolen by government.

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NO ONE can have it all. EVERYTHING is a trade-off. In the developed world, the median age for motherhood is increasing as women want to establish careers before having children. That choice is their prerogative. HOWEVER, that choice comes with a cost. This study cited in Scientific American states that:

“The researchers found that mothers over 40 had a 51 percent higher risk [emphasis mine] of having a child with autism than mothers 25 to 29 and a 77 percent higher risk than mothers under 25.”

While the trend of women waiting to have children does not explain all of the increase in diagnosed cases of autism, that trend is certainly a contributing factor. That is an inconvenient truth.

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As this year’s Mecum Arizona auction began yesterday, I am still upset that I cannot attend because I have not reached maximum immunity from the damn virus. While I almost certainly wouldn’t have bid on the ’63 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk that crossed the block yesterday–and hammered for $15,000–I would have liked to see the car in person. Why wouldn’t I have bid on the car? Well, no room at the inn, the car was fitted with a large and unnecessary (IMO) continental kit, etc. From RM Sotheby’s another picture of my obsession du jour:

See the source image

As I have written on multiple occasions, IF I were to acquire one of these I would want it painted in green, maybe British Racing Green. The rear deck molding indicates the car is a 1963 model. More accurately, perhaps, the rear deck molding is the type used on ’63s. I do not know enough to identify the year based on other cues.

Have a great weekend!

#FractalFriday

#TheGrumpyEconomist

#NoWorkNoPay

#AutismAndMaternalAge

#MecumArizonaAuction

#1963StudebakerGranTurismoHawk

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Fractal: Noun, a curve or geometric figure, each part of which has the same statistical character as the whole. Fractals are useful in modeling structures (such as eroded coastlines or snowflakes) in which similar patterns recur at progressively smaller scales, and in describing partly random or chaotic phenomena such as crystal growth, fluid turbulence, and galaxy formation OR Adjective, relating to or of the nature of a fractal or fractals. Synonyms for the adjective: unmethodical · uncoordinated · undirected · disorganized · unarranged · unplanned · unpremeditated · indiscriminate · random · inconsistent · desultory · patchy · fragmentary · sketchy · sporadic · spasmodic · fitful · inconstant · intermittent · irregular · erratic · stray · spot · casual · occasional · haphazard · chaotic · nonlinear · entropic

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On this day in 1863, which was also a Friday, the Battle of Gettysburg ended with a Union (Northern) victory. The battle was the largest ever fought on the American continent, as well as the costliest one in terms of casualties in US history with about 50,000 in the three days.

Gettysburg is almost certainly the most studied battle by American military historians and many people are far more qualified than I to discuss the details and ramifications. Many of those who have studied it, but not all, consider Gettysburg to be the turning point in the Civil War in that Robert E. Lee’s army did not attempt any more strategic offensives.

You may think I have completely lost my mind, but I am more convinced than ever that the US as we know it will not exist in 50 or 100 years. Some catalysing event, most likely the election of a President with extreme views, will cause those states opposed to that election to leave the country. Of course, that is what happened before the Civil War as the election of Abraham Lincoln was the “last straw” for Southern states and, beginning with South Carolina, a total of 13 states seceded from the country.

This time, however, I think the states that were responsible for creating the event will bid good riddance to those states that want to leave the US. What happens to national defense, maintenance of interstate highways, collection of taxes and disbursement of government revenues, etc. are impossible to know in advance. However, in the American political world, real debate has ended. Each side simply yells louder and louder often engaging in nothing but propaganda and lies. An uninformed population buys the agenda that suits its a priori view of the world, almost never engaging in a rational analysis of the situation. I think “social media” is not what its advocates claim, a way to unite the world, but is instead a great divider as it makes climbing into bubbles way too easy.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

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Do I even want to mention that Lincoln will not resuscitate the Continental and will, instead, build nothing but crossovers and SUVs? Not really…too depressing.

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I readily acknowledge that I am an idiosyncratic person. My views and tastes often defy categorization and usually, but not always, stray from the mainstream. “This above all: to thine own self be true.”

I am asking all of you to cast a vote on which of these three idiosyncratic automobiles, that have been discussed in this forum over and over (and over and over…), you prefer.

All of these photos were taken by me. The top is a Cadillac XLR, the middle is a Buick Reatta convertible (I prefer the coupe but couldn’t find a picture of one on my phone) and the bottom is a Cadillac Allante.

You can choose your favorite using any criteria you want. I would just like to read your thoughts after babbling about these cars for so long.

I will not be posting tomorrow and probably not on Sunday. I might, in fact, return to a five-day posting schedule only posting on weekends when the mood strikes. Have an enjoyable, safe and sane Fourth.

#FractalFriday

#DissolutionOfTheUS

#AutomotiveIndulgence

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.