Our daily arms

“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”

- Wayne LaPierre, the N.R.A. vice president

p.s.: Yee Haw, we are going back to the wild west days.
On a more serious note: if we are all armed, how do you determine prior to shooting who is the bad guy, because in our minds we are all good guys.
As far as I'm concerned this was only fun while watching the western movies.

Evolution 'Plagiarized'

"One should then look at the world of creation. It started out from the minerals and progressed, in an ingenious, gradual manner, to plants and animals. The last stage of minerals is connected with the first stage of plants, such as herbs and seedless plants. The last stage of plants, such as palms and vines, is connected with the first stage of animals, such as snails and shellfish which have only the power of touch. The word "connection" with regard to these created things means that the last stage of each group is fully prepared to become the first stage of the next group. The animal world then widens, its species become numerous, and, in a gradual process of creation, it finally leads to man, who is able to think and to reflect. The higher stage of man is reached from the world of the monkeys, in which both sagacity and perception are found, but which has not reached the stage of actual reflection and thinking. At this point we come to the first stage of man after (the world of monkeys). This is as far as our (physical) observation extends."

- Ibn Khaldun:  Muqaddimah 1377

p.s.: I wonder if Charles Darwin gave him any credit for his theory...

Classes

Low.
Middle.
High.
Call them whatever names, they are essentially layers of people within society who:
- have nothing
- have enough
- have too much
The middle one carries the society on their physical shoulders, the high on it's financial ones. And those who have nothing are watching to see what's going to happen next. No bad feelings here, just hard, cold facts.
In a free society the movement between these three levels is also free. Up or down. But it's minimal and is largely dependent on individual skill and educational levels. It is highly unlikely (however possible) to see examples of extremes, or somebody crossing the boundaries from bottom to the top or vice versa. The boundaries, however imaginary and consequently flexible are almost like set in stone as a guideline for all of us: "you belong here, and no, you don't".
We are all born the same, tabula rasa waiting to get filled up with teachings and experiences. We are all going to become princes or the paupers based on the circumstances and  who raised us.
So, it isn't genetics. It is money, and our insatiable appetite for more. Again. 

MG

Distraction

The other day I was driving along NJ Rt46 and in the distance spotted one of those overhead digital info signs that I could not read at first. Curiosity prevailing, I kept my eyes on it until I was close enough to read it.
It said: "Distracted drivers kill!"
What an ironic application of paradox.