Education is good! Everyone in the world, except people like the Taliban, agrees to that. The question that remains is: where do countries, particularly countries like ours that lag far behind in literacy, place it in their priority list? Cases have been made for education as a means to achieving gender equity, a means to improve quality of life (read: Pakistans generational shift, May 22, 2022), or something more noble like achieving enlightenment. Today, let us consider a baser motive, the economic case but supported by numbers analyzed specifically for the Pakistani context.

Unicef recently presented an investment case for out-of-school children (OOSC) to the Planning Commission of Pakistan based on a number of government and non-government data sources. While the data may not be the most recent and some exact numbers today may differ a bit, the trend is unlikely to have changed. The standout number is that each additional year of education raises wages by 6.85 per cent. Broken up by genders, that gain is higher for girls than for boys.

Analyzed for education levels, it shows that completing primary school increases ones salary by 3.3 per cent over those that have not finished primary school. Similarly, completing secondary school raises wages 8 per cent over those who have only completed primary school. Finally, completing tertiary education raises wages 24.2 per cent over those with a secondary education alone.

People earning higher wages means higher income tax revenue for the state and a population that is less dependent on social safety nets. But how much does the government and do parents have to spend (invest) to enable those higher future earnings? Does the investment still bring an economic net-gain?

On average, completing primary-level education brings an additional lifetime income of $6,559 and at a cost of $752 to the government and $376 to parents the lifetime income gain far outweighs the investment that has to be made by the government and by parents. Completing a lower secondary education brings an additional lifetime income of $7,690 at cost of $1,254 to the government and $627 to parents a modest increase in income for a modest investment.

The increase in income makes a big jump at the higher secondary stage; Income increases by a whopping $18,394 for small investments of $502 by the government and $251 by parents. This sudden change in the scale of the net-gain at the higher secondary level is in-line with the bifurcation in quality of life between those with and without a higher secondary education found by the LEAPS study, especially for women.

Finally, there is an even bigger leap in income for those who complete tertiary education. The lifetime income of people with a tertiary education goes up by $41,247, enough to afford a modest house outside major cities, for a modest investment of $6,053 by the government and $3,026 by parents.

Clearly, the biggest gains are found at the higher end of the education ladder, but in order to get there one has to get past the prerequisite primary, lower secondary and higher secondary levels. All of these income gains assume the quality of education schools are imparting right now. Quality improvements in school education will further add to the dividends education pays.

How do we maximize the economic benefits of education when we have a finite amount to spend? How many more new schools do we add at each level every year? Or should we spend more on reducing student attrition from one grade level to the next? Maximizing the economic benefits of education presents an optimization problem.

However, one thing is certain, whatever we are spending right now is not enough. Some recent back-of-the-envelope calculations showed that at our population growth rate, our number of OOSC and the rate at which we are currently adding new schools we will not reach the capacity to put all children into schools even in the next 50-70 years. At present, we are barely keeping up with population growth, making OOSC a forever problem.

Although it is clear that investing in education yields a net economic gain, that gain is far from instantly visible. That gain comes with a delay that is too long for politicians that have to face elections at least every five years, if not sooner.

Whats more, we know that increasing levels of educational attainment set society up for a virtuous cycle, where each generation gets educated more than the previous. We need to decide for how long we want to let children languish out of schools, whether we want to take many generations, or whether we want to do it in fewer generations by making bigger investments now and taking bigger leaps to achieve the literate and skilled population we desire.

The economic case for education should be the easiest to make to the voter: Vote for us, and we will make your childrens lives better than yours; this is what every responsible parent wants. Instead of selling education reform to voters that way, politicians are selling it to voters with every other slogan but this one. The PTI pushed its big idea, the Single National Curriculum (SNC), as a massive social engineering project that would bring about a society of equals. Such a society, in which there are no elites, ordinary folks and poor folks, has never existed, at least not in the last few centuries. It was nothing but poorly thought-through Utopian fiction, especially in a status-obsessed society like ours.

The PML-N / PDM government is now trying to put lipstick on that pig and is talking about rebranding the SNC as the National Inclusive Curriculum. I appreciate that the PML-N / PDM appears to have given up on the obsession of one single curriculum for public and private schools, but it has not given up on the idea of a national project. It is selling its version as one that will impart a strong inclusive identity, historical and national pride, true historical lessons and progressive and democratic values.

While I am on board with championing progressive and democratic values, every parents primary concern is an education that will give their children a fair shot at upward mobility. I am happy with the language, mathematics and science lessons my children receive at their public school, but I really wish they got some more of that righteous state indoctrination said no parent ever! And yet, that is what this government, too, is offering us.

As everyone in Pakistan has recently discovered, the IMF, multilateral financial institutions and foreign governments have no appetite for subsidization of the cost of fuel, utilities or any other consumption for a country that is not willing to put its own house in order. The currency of everything we import is the mighty US dollar, and we do not produce and sell enough of anything in the international market to earn enough (the Pak rupee is just monopoly money only usable inside the country).

The good news is that international financial support is available for our forever problem. The Qatar Fund for Development recently offered to provide support to put one million of our 18-20 million OOSC into schools, which would reduce the size of the problem by a healthy 5 percent. To this end, the MoFEPT signed an MoU on the sidelines of the Doha Forum 2022. We may even managed to scrounge together foreign donations that cover a few more percentage points of the OOSC number, but at the end of the day this is our challenge, our problem, and has to be a priority reflected in our own budget.

The writer (she/her) has a PhD in Education.

Originally posted here:
The forever problem - The News International

The Plateau command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has seized over 2,000 kilogrammes of drugs in the state from January to date.

Umar Yahuza, NDLEA commander in the state, said the confiscated drugs included cocaine, cannabis sativa, tramadol and other illicit substances.

We have recorded tremendous successes from January to this moment; we have seized over two tonnes, almost two and a half tonnes of illicit drugs, he said.

The breakdown is as follows, out of this almost two and a half tonnes, we have seized cannabis sativa which on the street we call ganja or wee-wee. It accounts for the largest seizures; it accounts for over 1,986 kilogrammes, thats almost two tonnes.

Then we have the psychotropic substances, which includes drugs like pentazocine, tramadol, diazepam, and so on. This group of psychotropic substances from January to this month, we have seized over 231 kilogrammes.

Cocaine seized from January to date, accounts for 233.3 grammes, we have another drug of methamphetamine. We have seized 126.2 grammes of amphetamine which gives us a grand total of two tonnes 341.986kg of illicit drugs seized in plateau from January to this moment.

Similarly, Yahuza said the command had arrested 290 suspected drug addicts and peddlers in the state within the period under review.

He added that his men also arrested suspects with other prohibited items and have handed them over to relevant authorities for prosecution.

As for the suspects we have arrested so far this year, we have 267 males, 23 females, which gives us a total of 290 suspects, he added.

And these people have been charged to court and they are at various stages of prosecution. Added to that, in the course of our activities, we have come across people with other prohibited items.

For example, we arrested this young woman with about 2500 fake currency dollars, and she was handed over to the Nigerian police force for further action.

On efforts to curtail the influx of illicit substances into the state, the commander said much is being done in terms of public enlightenment and sensitisation to garner the cooperation of the public.

Read the original post:
NDLEA: Over 2000kg of illicit drugs seized in Plateau within five months - TheCable

We all know sky-high inflation is making it hard for many households to get by. What you may not know is that this is a problem even for those at the northern end of the economic spectrum.

A new report from San Franciscos LendingClub finds that 61% nearly two-thirds of consumers said they were living paycheck to paycheck as of April.

And an eye-popping 36% of people making $250,000 or more said they too are barely making ends meet.

Earning a quarter of a million dollars a year is more than five times the national median and is clearly high income, said Anuj Nayar, LendingClubs financial health officer.

The fact that a third of them are living paycheck to paycheck should surprise you. These high-income earners have an average FICO score of 758. They are creditworthy, but they have higher financial obligations and are more likely to leverage their capital to finance their lives.

This is a cloud on the economic horizon because consumer spending accounts for about 70% of U.S. economic activity.

The more households scraping to get by, the more risk we face that spending will be reduced, thus impacting the bottom line of businesses and hiring plans.

The trend also suggests many Americans will be running up debt and chewing into savings to survive, which will have consequences down the road as bills come due or retirement approaches.

If even people with relatively high incomes are on the ropes, the danger of a recession becomes even more pronounced.

My advice: Make a budget, understand your expenses relative to your income, live within your means as best you can.

Thats not always easy during an economic downturn.

But as the Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire said, its important to cultivate your garden. Which is to say, look after your affairs.

And for the rich now finding themselves in the same financial boat as the rest of us, I cite the words of New York philosopher John McClane.

Welcome to the party, pal.

Continued here:
Even the rich are living paycheck to paycheck - KTLA Los Angeles

Image credit: Vector8DIY, via Pixabay.

On a new episode of ID the Future, we offer the third part of an interview with Miracle of Man author Michael Denton. The Australian biologist and MD explores with host Eric Anderson some of the bioengineering marvels of the human lungs and, more fundamentally, some of the many things about chemistry, the sun, and planet Earth that had to be just so to allow our respiratory and circulatory systems to work not merely as well as they do but at all. Download the podcast or listen to it here.

Its fine-tuning for creatures very much like ourselves. Denton provides a scientific underpinning for a theistic humanism far beyond the nihilistic implications of so-called secular humanism, writes German paleontologist Gnter Bechly. The book deserves to become a game changer that will spark a new enlightenment and re-enchantment of the cosmos in the 21st century. The new book isavailableat Amazon and other online retailers.

Read the original:
Miracle of Man: Fine-Tuning for Blood and Breath - Discovery Institute

Rob Howe, System High

At System High, President and CEO Rob Howe is aiming to raise the bar on national security. Hes looking beyond just cybersecurity, urging a more holistic and wider-ranging approach to securing diverse federal assets.

We caught up with Howe to talk how that vision might play out in support of federal agencies and the GovCon community.

Whats the big challenge youre looking to solve?

One of the most critical challenges facing national security is the escalating theft of technologies that degrades our military and Intelligence dominance. Unfortunately, we as a country continue to remain more reactive than proactive in our efforts to slow down these activities.

That said, we need to help the national security community leaders understand that being compliant with traditional security requirements is not enough to defend and defeat current and emerging adversarial threats.

How can agencies and GovCons move beyond a compliance mentality?

The solution is to adopt a new mindset, one that incorporates critical thinking and analytical problem-solving, while encouraging innovation and developing a more collaborative community of interest that shares best practices to preserve our U.S. warfighting and intelligence overmatch.

How can we begin to move in that direction?

We have some very creative people out there that are helping protect and insulate their individual organizations from these threats, but were not getting out there and sharing those best practices. As important, we must look at employing integrated lifecycle protection approaches that go beyond compliance that are constantly evaluated and refined for maximum effect.

How does System High bring that to life?

We design, deliver and execute lifecycle protection services, and solutions specifically designed for each organization or program. There is no one size fits all, because each effort has its own unique characteristics, technologies, capabilities and missions.

System High has been highly successful in helping develop and employ these overarching lifecycle protection strategies across the national security community.

What does that look like in action?

First and foremost, our continued success starts with trust and credibility. System High is a global force of experts who have established a strong reputation of protecting some of our countrys most important national security efforts. Our people develop strong mission partnerships with our clients by fully understanding and embracing their mission needs and requirements. They act as force multipliers to develop and execute strategic solutions that enable customers to predict and prevent current and emerging threats that may jeopardize their missions.

We achieve this by leveraging what we call proactive protection. These offerings encompass an overarching menu of support tailored for each customer to strengthen the secrecy, surprise and superiority of their technologies, capabilities, programs and missions.

Our support includes traditional security, program protection, enhanced protection methodologies, cybersecurity, counterintelligence, counterinsider threat, supply chain risk management, and classified IT destruction, just to name a few.

What differentiates your approach to security?

First, we strive to attract the best in the business and offer an environment where the best come to get better. People are always our priority. Whenever we make business decisions, the first question asked is: How will this affect our people? And if the answer is not favorable for our folks and their families, then we look for other ways to achieve a win-win solution.

In addition, our business model is fixated on being proactive in everything we do. We have a culture of being proactive, in providing service and solutions that no one else can deliver. And proactive protection is our only business area. We are not distracted by other business areas that could dilute our vision, offerings and investments.

Whats driving your growth strategy?

A critical aspect to our success has been the amazing partnership developed through the acquisition of System High by Enlightenment Capital in 2018. Their engaged support and guidance have added the necessary rigor to enable us to effectively scale for future growth.

We are also laser focused on identifying innovative ways to serve our customers. To that end, the System High Analytical Research Center is an incubator we use to solve complex national security challenges by continuously seeking improved methodologies, tools and capabilities. We expand this capability by developing strategic partnerships to ensure our customers have access to the best talent and solutions industry has to offer.

Whats the biggest challenge that you face?

The war on talent is magnified when competing for professionals with the necessary security clearances, coupled with the ability to think critically to predict and mitigate risk.

We continue to be instrumental in developing the next generation of protection professionals across traditional and emerging protection disciplines and domains. Our proactive protection training and mentoring, combined with our Burn Blue culture, has resulted in developing multidisciplined, critical-thinking subject matter experts that are the best in their respective fields.

Additionally, were launching a formal career vision and succession plan that will illuminate the value of professionals joining the System High family. We want to help them find a mutually beneficial, exciting path that incentivizes them to stay at System High for their entire career.

On a personal note, what makes this work exciting for you?

I spent 20 years in the Air Force, and I have been in GovCon for 23 years. Ever since I was a kid, my focus was always protecting those who couldnt protect themselves. System High is a perfect fit for me, because we are focused on protecting our national security better than anyone else. We are motivated every day to ensure we are steps ahead of those that would want to do our country and our allies harm in any manner.

All that said, I have been blessed to be surrounded by amazing business leaders and protection trailblazers that have decades of experience and protecting some of the most sensitive activities that ever existed. It makes every day an adventure for me.

The rest is here:
System High's Rob Howe is Raising the Bar on National Security with Innovation, Collaboration - WashingtonExec

Chris Blattman

What if I told you that investing roughly $500 for therapy, plus providing a little cash, helped some of the most troubled young men in West Africa reduce their crime and violence by halfand the results continued for at least 10 years.

In their follow-up study, Chris Blattman and his colleagues calculated almost 350 fewer crimes per participant over the decade.

Thats ~$1.50 per crime averted, he exclaimed in a tweet last month.

It was the most unexpected project of my life, he said. And, now its changed the way cities tackle violence, from Bogota to Chicago.

In 2009, he flew with his wife Jeannie to Liberia for 2-week spring break as she did research on reintegrating ex-fighters from the war. Chris studies violence and wondered what he could do in the capital city (Monrovia), so he called up Johnson Borh.

He was a combatant in the war and now ran some kind of NGO. He seemed to know everyone and be able to go everywhere. So I asked him to show me around how the crime and drug markets worked.

Johnson obliged. One day they would learn how phones get fenced, another day they talked to the pickpockets. Chriss favorite was the drug den run by Charles Taylors former anti-terror squad chief.

But every time we go to one of these shady places, theres a guy on the corner shining shoes or selling clothes out of a wheelbarrow, or something else pretty basic. He spots Borh, gets excited, and comes to give him a hug.

He asked, How do you know Borh? Each time he heard the same response:

I used to be like them, and theyd point to the drug den or pickpockets. But then I went through Borhs program.

After the 6th time this happens, Chris made Borh tell him all about the program. Its called STYL: Sustainable Transformation of Youth in Liberia.

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Chris, an economist and professor who studies global conflict at the University of Chicago, sat down with Borh in bar for two afternoons and they wrote down exactly what he does with the men during the 8-week program designed to transform their lives.

When his wife got back from jungle mining adventures, Chris says, What does this look like to you?

Shes a psychologist and says, Oh, this looks like CBT. Cognitive behavioral therapy.

Id never heard of it, said Chris. But its a common method of behavior change for lots of things, like anxiety.

For 15 years, through trial and error, Borh and colleagues had adapted it to address aggression and crimeand toward adopting a mainstream social identity.

He and his organization, NEPI, recruited the most dangerous men in the city. People who led lives of violence.

They met in abandoned buildings, in groups of maybe 20, for a couple of hours a day. Johnson trained some counselors, and they eked out a living on the program.

Partly, they would learn and practice behavior changes, like managing anger and difficult social interactions. But they were also trying on and practicing a new identity. NEPI encouraged them to stop dressing and acting tough. Get a haircut. Look like the 99% of Liberians who were respectable.

CHECK OUT: Nonprofit Flips Abandoned Prison into Sustainable Farm With the Help of At-Risk Youth and Jobless Veterans

So we partner with NEPI. We go out, run a pilot, measure impacts, and it looks really promising, explains Chris. We also try giving the men $200, to see whether it helps them solidify the new identity and behaviors.

They watched closely, because they were worried about the men buying drugs or investing in guns.

Things looked really good. So I recruit my coauthors to help run a large-scale study. We scaled up, raised a million dollars, and ran a huge randomized controlled trial with 999 of the toughest men in Monrovia.

They followed up one month and one year later and found an impressive impact had endured.

Crime, violence, and antisocial behaviors were slashed by about 50% among those who received the CBT and the cash. Receiving the therapy alone seemed to fade a little in its impact over time.

Most of the evidence pointed to the economic assistance as being a big key to helping the men entrench their behavior changes, and avoid a return to crime.

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That was almost a decade ago. Would any impacts last?

I was pessimistic, said Chris. We surveyed experts in advance. Almost all expected CBT Only or Cash Only to have no effect whatsoever after 10 years. For Therapy plus Cash, one-third of the experts predicted no effect at all. 2/3 predicted steeply diminished impacts.

But we saw HUGE sustained impacts. Crime & violence still down by about 50% from CBT+Cash.

On thefts and robberies alone, they report ~34 fewer at both 1- and 10-year points. Interpolating, this means ~338 fewer crimes per participant over 10y$1.50 per crime avoided given $530 the cost.

(And thats not counting all the other bad behaviors averted.)

The program is such a success that people have begun replicating Borhs ideas around the world. Even Chicago adopted it as a main response to the 2016 gun crime spike. Its called READI.

There are big lessons here, says Chris, who is the author of a new book, Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace.

Gun violence is spiking in the Americas and cities need solutionsand theyre searching especially for ideas that dont involve coercion.

All the evidence suggests CBT-informed programs are fast, effective, hyper-targeted, non-coercive ways to reduce violence.

The fact that CBT works suggests deeper insights into why we fight as human beings, and what could make for a more peaceful world, said Chris. These are programs of socializing, and in them I see a microcosm of what the sociologist Norbert Elias called The Civilizing Process.

Its the big theme in Chriss new book, Why We Fighthow, over centuries (or 8 weeks), societies have found ways to build more peaceful norms and institutions because violence is so awful.

At the same time as violence is curtailed, social scientists observe the slow invention of manners, habits of self-control, more sympathy and consideration for others, and a more rational and forward-looking mindset.

LOOK: Since Women Overcoming Addiction Repaid Town in Kindness, Its One of the Nicest Places in US

In Why We Fight, I walk through the why. Some of the credit goes to a gradual cultural enlightenment, some to checks and balances, some to the development of the state. But much of it is due to the ways we socialize every generation to be more peaceful. Some of our patience, restraint, empathy, and consideration is imbued in our genes, but mostly it is learned and reinforced. Self-control is a habit. So is looking ahead to the future, controlling your anger, recognizing your biases, or trying to see the world from another POV.

Some people just need a little remedial help to acquire these skills & normsChicagos shooters, or the street criminals in West Africa. People like Borh show us how social workers can remake their own societies, and that peace is the product of this peer to peer socialization.

Chris Blattman is the Ramalee E. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies at the University of Chicago, in the Harris School of Public Policy and co-leads the universitys Development Economics Center and the Obama Foundation Scholars Program.

MULTIPLY The Good By Sharing This Prescription for Crime on Social Media

Go here to read the rest:
They Gave Cash and Therapy to Men Engaged in Crime10 Years Later, Surprising Success - Good News Network

Former University of Toronto Professor of Clinical Psychology Jordan Peterson recently received a flurry of condemnation for a tweet in which he criticizedSports Illustrated's choice to put plus-size model Yumi Nu on the magazine's cover. His tweet (below) not only criticized her looks, but also suggested that her appearance was an authoritarian attempt by the left to force people like him to appreciate her beauty.

The backlash to Peterson's comments was swift and broad, and included social media influencers; online political commentators (likeHasan Piker andVaush); independent news outlets (like The Young Turks); mainstream news sources (NBC News, New York Post); and even international news outlets (The Independent, and Toronto Sun). In America's current political climate, incidents like the one caused by the aforementioned tweet are becoming more common as culture war issues are at the forefront of the public mind. Popular intellectual figures like Peterson have built their careers off of stoking these hot-button issues and then claiming that they are being persecuted when others disagree with them.

Interestingly, much of the blowback ignored Peterson's follow up tweet (above), in which he justifies his position by linking to scientific articles that purportedly validate his opinion. Peterson raises an interesting question: Can science be used to measure whether or not someone is attractive? While some recent studies have tried to do just that, far more studies refute these claims.

The sociology of human sexuality and race has long held that concepts like beauty and race are social constructions determined by a range of cultural, biological, and other complex social factors. On some innate level, just about everyone recognizes this truism; famously, it was embodied in the classic The Twilight Zone episode "Eye of the Beholder," whose lesson is that beauty is a local characteristic rather than a universal one. Yet, the intellectual dark web (of which Peterson is an adherent) and practitioners of this kind of "science" try to apply their model to nearly everything linking and reducing all kinds of aspects of human behavior as serving an evolutionary function.

The crowd that engages in this type of oft-sophistic debate over beauty should be familiar to anyone who follows the machinations of this latest iteration of the culture wars. Sometimes dubbed the Intellectual Dark Web (or IDW for short), they constitute a group of disgraced academics and other pseudo intellectuals (including podcaster Joe Rogan, and conservative commentator Dave Rubin) who claim that their voices are being silenced by traditional institutions who have become overly concerned with political correctness or "wokeness."

Peterson's claims run the full spectrum of biological determinism, from justifying social hierarchies as natural to claiming patriarchy should be the preferred organizing principle in societies.

However, researchers in the field of evolutionary studies (an area which focuses on how much of our behavior is a product of our biology) whose work is well-regarded tend to be far more cautious than Peterson and his ilk in their claims as to what we can definitely say about the so-called science of beauty. Against the overly deterministic model posed by the IDW, current consensus among scholars in this field is that human "nature" is a complex combination of biology and other social factors. These researchers are quick to note that they can't tell us with any great deal of precision what their findings necessarily mean for society at large.

The kind of model advocated by the IDW more closely resembles that of the 18th and 19th century biological determinism the kind that served as the basis for eugenics programs in Nazi Germany and even here in the United States. Peterson's claims run the full spectrum of biological determinism, from justifying social hierarchies as natural to claiming patriarchy should be the preferred organizing principle in societies. He also appears, at points in his book, to vindicate violent men like the Buffalo shooter or the Uvalde shooter by asserting that young men have to endure an unfair burden. To say that the ideas espoused by Peterson and the IDW connect to white supremacist ideology is more than just conjecture, as their ideas are observably trickling down from academia to far-right groups online.

RELATED:How the far right co-opted science

Indeed, the parallels between the rhetoric of the Buffalo shooter, and of the rhetoric espoused by Peterson and the like, are eerily similar. Far-right groups rejoice in Peterson's claims that hierarchies are natural and good for society, as they serve as a "legitimate" scientific basis for promoting racist ideologies. Laced throughout the manuscript left behind by the Buffalo shooter are references to a range of claims espoused by race scientists. These include tweets, memes, and links to prominent thinkers in this field like Steven Pinker and his colleagues who have published and espoused flawed literature directly cited by the shooter. The most infamous of these models is Charles Murray's book "The Bell Curve," in which he argues that intelligence and race are correlated the implication being that most people of color are "naturally" somehow less intelligent.These models continue to be invoked by prominent academics like Stanley Goldfarb, a former Dean of Medicine and current faculty at the University of Pennsylvania's medical school, who also opposes anti-racist efforts in medicine.

Taken together, these events suggest that biological determinism has permeated the ivory tower of academia more than many realize. While some of the examples mentioned here are explicit in their bigotry, there are far more cases of miscommunicated or poorly communicated scientific research being co-opted by far-right groups.

Some anti-racist academics in genetics have criticized their colleagues (above) and called for change from within. They emphasize that scientists can and should protect against the exploitation of their work in recognizing the importance of clearly communicating their findings.

When scientists fail to consider the ways their ideas might be used, for good and for bad, the results can be disastrous. Such was the case when some sociologistslevied a social constructionist critique of the use of the psychiatric system, which was subsequently used by conservatives to justify dismantling the state public health system in the United States. Scientists must use caution when trying to convey their ideas lest they be used to justify heinous acts, including terrorism.

The radicalization of the Buffalo shooter should serve as a warning to other scholars, as he was one in a long line of domestic terrorists who relied heavily upon "race science" to justify their actions.

The radicalization of the Buffalo shooter should serve as a warning to other scholars, as he was one in a long line of domestic terrorists who relied heavily upon "race science" to justify their actions. The same kinds of logic have also motivated people to commit heinous attacks against the LGBTQ+ community.

While the Buffalo shooter may have lacked the scientific literacy necessary to understand the studies he cites, researchers must work to not be complicit in this process. Whether it be scientific racism to justify one's beliefs, or a lack of full consideration as to the larger impact of one's findings, scientists need to better understand how working in science is a social activity. Science itself is a powerful tool when used in pursuit of helping lead the way towards the betterment of society, and it is equally a tool for harm when used to naturalize hierarchies and inequality found throughout society.

Frankfurt School philosopher Max Horkheimer famously wrote a critique of instrumental reason, in which Horkheimer argued that science could be co-opted if it was not consciously guided by those practicing it. This was the focus of his classic work, "The Eclipse of Reason," in which he showed how the Nazi party weaponized science by treating it as an end to itself, rather than a tool to be harnessed in pursuit of an goal. Today we face the same issues and problems in science, and for our collective good we must decide to what ends these tools are used and what we as a society wish to prioritize.

Read more on race and pseudoscience:

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Discriminating tastes: Why academia must tackle its "race science" problem - Salon

This is an opinion editorial by Aleks Svetski, author of The UnCommunist Manifesto, founder of The Bitcoin Times and Host of the Svetski Wake Up Podcast.

Part 3, Chapter 4 of the JBP series.

Tyranny cannot feed on truth, for it is poison to its system of lies. In that sense, Bitcoin is poison to the rat known as the state. Warren Bitfet, the Bitcoin alter ego of Warren Buffett

The series continues. If youve not yet read chapters one through three, you can find them here, and of course read Part One and Part Two of this chapter.

Quotes with no source underneath are attributed to Dr. Jordan B. Peterson.

In Part Two, we explored how Bitcoin helps one enhance their aim and focus their attention on that which matters. This is the only real and lasting antidote to the hopeless helplessness of nihilism.

In Part Three, were going to discuss truth, tyranny and the moral obligation we as sovereign individuals have to speak up, as we emerge from this nihilistic world.

In chapter four of 12 Rules for Life, Peterson informs us of an evil psychological triad that were subject to as humans: arrogance, deceit and resentment.

When an individual operates within such a paradigm, or exhibits behavior fuelled by these emotions, their results and their individual orientation are suboptimal.

Its part of an evil triad: arrogance, deceit, and resentment.

They may feel as though theyve succeeded in the moment, but on an extended timescale, theyve compromised their position, footing, integrity or their moral compass.

As outlined in Part Two, because we are largely blind, we cannot know what demons or monsters lurk downstream of each such decision or action.

This meta-idea applies to the macro scale. The State is an apparatus who is more blind than the individual, but has more impact on more peoples lives than an individual ever can.

Its Unholy Trinity consists of the:

Combined, this evil triad ensures that a territorial operator is insulated from market feedback and thus oblivious to the consequence of their actions and behavior.

Such an ignorant and static structure will slowly but surely transform a territory or society into a tyranny, just like deceit, arrogance and resentment will transform a person into a tyrant toward themselves and those around them.

How does one confront this unholy trinity?

By speaking truth.

To speak up requires courage, and to have courage requires faith.

Knowing when to speak up requires wisdom, and wisdom requires maturity.

The path to becoming mature requires one to be responsible.

Bitcoin is responsibility go up technology.

Resentment always means one of two things. Either the resentful person is immature, in which case he or she should shut up, quit whining, and get on with it, or there is tyranny afoot in which case the person subjugated has a moral obligation to speak up.

Bitcoin is our way of speaking up.

We are no longer content with the lot prescribed to us by the State. As free, mature individuals we seek to bear the responsibility of life upon our own shoulders. We seek to be sovereign.

We are mature enough, technologically speaking, to no longer require large-scale bureaucratic nation-states to tell us what we should think, do, eat, believe or say. As a diverse species, we have the capacity to solve problems that no bureaucrat or committee could ever hope to solve if we are left alone to solve them.

The computer I am writing on is one such example. Think about the complexity required for the circuits firing inside the hardware of this device to not only visually represent the thoughts I have in my head by virtue of me tapping plastic buttons on a keyboard, but to transmit them across time and space on an ephemeral network we call the internet. Its just mind-boggling.

None of this came from the state apparatus. It emerged despite it. There was no central planner, organizer or panopticon. It happened because we were all aiming at things we individually valued.

Humans are capable of so much more when were not treated like imbeciles in a cage or rats in a maze.

Its the moral obligation of those of us who understand this, to speak up, and Bitcoin is that voice in action.

Tyranny feeds on lies.

Tyranny is a map that ignores the territory and when reminded as much, the tyrant first ignores, then actively censors the signal.

Tyranny is a pilot removing the altimeter of the plane when its warning of low altitude or imminent danger.

Tyranny is the obfuscation and renunciation of economic consequences resultant from central planning, and their placement onto the populace by means of overt and covert theft (taxation and inflation).

Tyranny is the systematic theft by central planners and bureaucrats bailing each other out with the wealth of the people they purportedly represent.

Tyranny is wilful ignorance and coercion despite market feedback.

Tyranny wants silence. It develops mechanisms to censor signals, speech and action so it can have it.

Because the consequence of remaining silent is worse. Of course, its easier in the moment to stay silent and avoid conflict. But in the long term, thats deadly. When you have something to say, silence is a lie and tyranny feeds on lies.

Holding fiat money, cryptocurrency or any other form of permissioned and approved monetary asset or wealth issued by the State and their appendages is simply participation in their game.

It is a form of compliance, and therefore silence. Tyranny feeds on this.

Bitcoin is the antidote.

Tyranny cannot feed on truth, for it is poison to its system of lies.

Bitcoin is that poison.

Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger are right when they said Bitcoin is rat poison, only they don't realize the rat it poisons is the tyrannical persona and the tyrannical state.

Both need to be cleansed.

#BitcoinFixesThis

Peterson makes the case that the quality of our values and morality are indicators of our sophistication.

Im here to make the case that a Bitcoin standard may increase our level of interpersonal and social sophistication by enabling the organization of individuals and the world around us in accordance with more clear, precise and functional priorities.

In other words, Bitcoin may help us elevate the maturity of the human race.

This is why I believe its the most important invention (or discovery) of our lifetimes, and perhaps for centuries.

Our values, our morality they are indicators of our sophistication.

Bitcoin will bring forth the fusion of the studies of matter and what matters.

We covered this in chapter two of the series.

It will open the door once more to the now-taboo non-empirical domain of value and quality. It will give us a chance to enhance and elevate our moral sophistication and thereby become better human beings.

And no that will not happen in a straight line either. As humans, we shall make mistakes along the way, many of them. But fortunately, on a Bitcoin standard, we are subject to faster feedback loops and a stronger signal, so can more accurately course correct.

In the absence of a controlled money-issuing apparatus, the difficulty (cost) to hide or socialize losses is too great. One must learn the lesson, and in the future be more prudent or more accurate in their aim.

Which brings me to my next point, and one which well explore further in Part Four of this miniseries.

Bitcoin enables honest feedback in the game that 8 billion hairless apes are playing on a pale blue dot floating around in space.

A perfect Utopia will never exist and what Bitcoiners, at least those whose words are worth a damn, mean when they talk of a better world is not some panacea to all ailments such that everything is good for everyone all the time.

This isnt some Marxist fantasy with Ethereum unicorns.

In fact, Bitcoins most important impact on society is the reintroduction of economic consequence. This will more often than not be painful and ugly but necessary.

We cant just get the one particular thing we especially just want now, along with everything else we usually want, because our desires can produce conflict with our other desires, as well as with other people, and with the world.

On a Bitcoin standard we will get a blend of what we want, and more importantly, what we actually need, which are often two different things.

We will have conflict, but well have no choice but to work it out on a more level playing field. At the very least, the systemic possibility of cheating by one player to the detriment of the others, without their knowledge or consent, dissolves. That alone is worth fighting for.

These conflicts will force us to prioritize, and take into account the market of values, which reminds me of John Valliss masterpiece Money Messiah in which he makes the case for:

Hierarchies as a prioritization and aggregate of values.The market as an aggregate and prioritization of hierarchies.

This rings profoundly true for me, and I suggest you read that piece once youve finished this one.

In a social sense, we are playing a game with a score, and that scorecard is determined to a large degree by how well you play in the market.

I dont just mean the quantum of money. Winning occurs across multiple dimensions. A stay-at-home mom can win the game of life with a lot less money than a stressed out, childless female millionaire CEO with menopause can, after she traded her youth for the illusion of career success.

Therefore the game of life is like an aggregate of aim, focus, attention, consequence, feedback and adaptation within the context of internal and external value hierarchies.

Its complex, but the more sophisticated you become at playing, the better your results, or the better your overall score.

We succeed when we score a goal or hit a target. We fail, or sin, when we do not (as the word sin means to miss the mark). We cannot navigate, without something to aim at and, while we are in this world, we must always navigate.

For this sophistication to enhance and not distort and confuse the system, it is critical for a society to have a rules that the participants are all subject to, with a functional, scoring mechanism (unit of account) that is transparent and un-fuck-with-able.

This is the case for Bitcoin.

On that foundation, on that standard of truth, we will become better through each successive generation. Ill see you in Part Four to close this chapter out.

This is a guest post by Aleks Svetski, author of The UnCommunist Manifesto,, founder of The Bitcoin Times and Host of The Wake Up Podcast. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.

Read more here:

Bitcoin, Personality And Development Part Three: Bitcoin Truth And Speech - Bitcoin Magazine

I once heard the late Zig Ziglar, an author, salesman and one of the best motivational speakers of all time, say: I am offended when somebody says to me, Man you could sell anybody anything. What theyre talking about is a con man. A salesperson is a trained career professional who is going to be there for the long term and who will sell only a product that he or she fervently believes has real value for the customer.

That wisdom has stayed with me since I heard those words nearly 30 years ago. He said we were all living in a stressful world, so stress relief would be what every prospective boat customer needed. Further, he declared dealers were not in the boat-sales business, but in the rejuvenation business. So salespeople could say: A weekend on this boat, actually even just a few hours on board, will change your outlook and lift a lot of stress. Youre going to see it as your place of renewal, your great escape.

If Ziglars observation about the value of boating was true three decades ago, its surely overriding today. He emphasized that the key to sales success is, first, the salespersons positive feelings about the products benefits, not the hardware, and second, his or her ability to believably transfer those feelings to the prospect or customer in order to make a sale.

Theres no question were living in a time when experiences rule. If the boat doesnt represent a positive experience in the prospects mind, we lose. Look at the auto industry. We dont see commercials for the latest Chevy lineup of SUVs. Rather, the focus is usually on one model and the experiences it brings. In many ways, its the fantasy, the dream, meeting the expectations.

Time is also critical today. If we want prospects to buy, we must make it easy. They want it now. Theyre used to getting instant information. We buy prepared foods in a grocery store. We can get a 10-minute oil change. We like easy. So every dealer must make buying a boat as easy as possible by handling virtually every detail.

Here are some other points for increasing sales.

Make the phone ring No, its not how many calls a salesperson makes that result in more sales. Its how many customers and prospects call them that makes the difference. Remember, the goal in todays selling is the get the customer to want you, not just what you sell.

Calculated follow-ups Its a fact that most sales are lost because of inconsistent follow-up. It seems that buyers are taking longer than ever to make a decision. Most salespeople drop prospects too soon, and an eventual deal goes to someone else. Moreover, following up isnt just about making phone calls; it should include emails, forwarding them boating and fishing information, hand-written thank you cards, invitations to a dealership event, tickets to a boat show, texting photos of boats that just came in, and other connections.

The buying cycle It seems the time between thinking and buying is getting longer. Its partially because people dont want to make a mistake. Consumers are doing far more research. Many sales are lost because salespeople quit too soon. Keeping contact with the prospect or customer is pivotal but always in the context of were here for you when you are ready.

The right workshop Its not in the showroom; its in the customers head. The prospects priorities are whats important, not the salespersons. At the same time, when a salespersons direct experience and knowledge reflects the customers priorities it, should be shared such as fishing success, a great family cruise and so on. In other words, salespeople should strive to be known for personal experience and knowledge.

No clever selling techniques These days, selling is not about being a better closer or memorizing the right buzzwords. Thats old-school training. Selling now has to do with recognizing whats happening with customers and prospects, and finding ways to help them realize their vision of the boating experience. In effect, selling is no longer about getting a sale. Sales come from winning customers who are eager to do business with someone who understands them and what they want to achieve.

Customer service redefined Knowledge and expertise are what prospects and customers want. They can buy a boat anywhere, but they want to buy boating knowledge from someone. Service is about sharing your knowledge and making yourself a resource.

One of Ziglars most memorable pieces of advice was, Get an education in your car. He admonished us to stop wasting time listening to drivel on the car radio. Instead, listen a segment about selling or business management streamed, on CD, on tape and youll learn something useful every day.

More:
Think Beyond the Boat - Trade Only Today

We live in an era where businesses evolve and innovate at lightning speed.

The pillar of business success remains constant, the power of trust. With the advent of online shopping, pop-up ads, texts, emails and an era of instant gratification and instant purchases, integrity is more important than ever before.

One of my favorite quotes from Zig Ziglar is, "Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust."

In a market saturated with companies competing for customers, trust gives consumers confidence that they're dealing with an ethical business.

Customers are more likely to do business with people they trust and recommend the companies to others.

The 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer reported a surprising finding. Respondents felt that corporations were the most trusted when comparing the institutions of business, government, media, and nonprofits. Americans believe that companies can be ethical and competent. Perhaps, because more and more companies have put earning customer trust at the forefront.

The internet can be an empowering game-changer for the many consumers willing to invest a little time and do their due diligence before buying.

At the Better Business Bureau, we know how important it is for consumers and businesses to trust us. We are honored that generations of consumers recognize the BBB Seal is the sign of a better business, helping to keep BBB.org among the top .001% of most trafficked websites globally.

An old expression, "There is nothing more expensive than a cheap haircut," refers to saving a few dollars but not looking your best. As an empowered customer, look for the best prices from the best companies. Paying a little more for a product and working with a good company with a solid reputation to make things right if anything goes wrong is always wise.

That importance of trust resonates even more with over 31 million small businesses in the United States that often face many competitors. Research shows that trust is a savvy tool to stand out from competitors in so many ways.

Your customers are your livelihood. You might have the best product or service in the world, but without trust, you can't maintain a customer base for very long.

Customer churn is costly, and, as the numbers show, it's about five times less expensive to sell to your existing customers versus continually looking for new customers. Building trust with your clients helps to keep them coming back.

Additionally, increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can increase your profit by 25%-95%, according to research by Fred Reichheld, author of 'Loyalty Rules! How Today's Leaders Build Long-Lasting Relations,' published by the Harvard Business School.

After all, virtually every business has an easy-to-find competitor, and 99.9% of all U.S. businesses are small businesses. If you aren't keeping your customers happy, they'll find someone else who will.

Dissatisfied customers can damage your reputation. Recent studies show that 30% of customers who negatively experience a business will share the story online. Additionally, Inc. reports that 84% of people trust an online review from a respected source as much as a review from a friend. Negative online reviews can hurt your business.

Even if you avoid online scrutiny, your customers don't have to give you a free pass for repeated mistakes. About two-thirds of customers will try a product from a company with a good reputation -- but if they don't come to trust the company itself, they'll stop being a customer.

The good news is trust establishes a real relationship between your customers and your business. Loyal customers will stand by you, promote excellent service and be more likely to stay with you if you have price increases to match inflation. Think of your customers as your brand champions.

I'll wrap with one more Zig Ziglar classic quote: "If people like you, they'll listen to you, but they'll do business with you if they trust you."

Steve J. Bernas is President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau and can be reached at sbernas@chicago.bbb.org

Continue reading here:
Innovation evolution and trust ride the fast lane of business growth - Daily Herald