Look Down the Barrel of These Numbers

Another NBCnews.com list of numbers that pretty much speak for themselves:

"

$13.5 billion

Annual revenue of gun and ammunition manufacturing industry, with a $1.5 billion profit. (IBIS World)

$3.1 billion

Annual revenue of gun and ammunition stores, with a $478.4 million profit. (IBIS World)

10,847,792

The number of pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns and miscellaneous firearms manufactured in the U.S. in 2013, the latest full year available. That's 4,441,726 pistols, 725,282 revolvers, 3,979,570 rifles, 1,203,072 shotguns, and 495,142 miscellaneous firearms. (ATF)

4%

Percentage of the above guns which were exported. Of those 10.84 million guns, 10,413,880 stay in America. (ATF)

270-310 million

Estimated number of guns in the U.S. (Pew Research Center)

263,223

Number of full-time jobs related to the firearm industry, up from 209,750 in 2012. (NSSF)

$42.9 billion

Estimated overall economic impact of the firearms and ammo industry in the U.S. (NSSF)"

See Also:

Gun Industry Executives Say Mass Shootings Are Good for Business

And Now the Few are Fighting Amongst Themselves

What is more depressing here, that the GOP's own stupidity might put Bozo the Clown into our highest office, or that they are only now trying to mobilize resources to thwart the disaster?

These Numbers Say it All as Far as Too Much Power in the Hands of the Few

The NBCnews.com segment on the wealth gap:

We All have Shit for Brains now, the Only Difference is in What Constitutes the Mix we Each Have

As always, there is more than just a couple of things going on, out and about the info-sphere, now. It bends credulity, human comprehension, or any sense of sanity. And if you are a Warrior of the heart, with all feelings on line, and wanting to remain caring, and hopeful, it can be hard slog indeed.

It doesn't help when you are blessed, or cursed, (depending on whether your head is on an up, or down cycle), with always seeing things juxtaposed; a huge, 360 degree fishbowl of juxtaposed imagination, reality, cruelty, sacrifice, horror and beauty.

You grow up in this mesmatronic info-sphere there is no way now that you can avoid having, what is at least a significant portion of what you hold in your head as normal, being shit of one form or another.

Exhibit A:

Behold, if you will, the manner in which the mavens of message believe is the only way they can talk to us about actual shit:

And believe it or not, this is part of an actual video ad you can see when viewing YouTube videos. The product is called SquattyPotty, and the idea is to have a sort of foot stool thing to put you into a more squat like position to pass bowel more easily; which, in and of itself, is probably a good idea, however well the product might deliver such aid.

What you are seeing here is a magical unicorn pooping ice cream cones that a princely sort of fellow assures us clean and tasty. All so that we can be comfortable, I suppose, with talking about poop in the first place.

Now go to Exhibit B:

This is actually Trump doing an old refrain. Another version of "The Chicago Way," as Sean Connery describes to Kevin Costner in "Capone," or as an overweight Marlon Brando explains to Martin Sheen in "Apocalypse Now," via that description of a certain cadre of men; coldly rational men willing to do whatever it takes to find what is essentially the whole point of "The Heart of Darkness."

Exhibit C:

I present these headlines of the latest shooting only in as much as it represents how rage feeds on itself. I feel obliged, however, to also remind you that nothing that I am advocating will eliminate rage. The human capacity for it is something that is going to be with us, to one degree or another, for as long as we exist. What we do to lessen its occurrence is, of course, another matter altogether, and I hasten to add that this will necessarily involve the choices we make both as individuals, as well as the choices we make collectively.

And I leave you with this last bit of very creative imagination. It is a short bit of speculative fiction in video form that presents a quite chilling view of where connecting to the info-sphere may take us; especially if we hand the keys to our minds to those who use that link for their own purposes. This is a video that everyone should see and do some serious thinking about.

A Sci-Fi Short Film HD: "UNCANNY VALLEY" - by 3dar

Even as We Threaten Each Other's Information Infrastructure, More Information Flows In Both Directions

This article from NYTimes.com illustrates another contradictory aspect of Capitalism: Huge sums of Chinese cash is flooding into the real estate markets of Western nations now that their economy has tanked. One can only wonder how long the political leadership in China will allow the economic leadership to continue; or, indeed, whether the political leadership even still holds sway over the economic leadership.

The one thing that you can be sure of, however, is that the majority of the Chinese people will not benefit much whichever way the power struggles go.

Chinese Cash Floods U.S. Real Estate Market

Another layer of Information Vulnerability

The sad thing for me about this reminder of our lack of a truly integrated cyber defense organization is this: Serious as this threat undoubtedly is, it is still only one more layer of information manipulation faced by ordinary working, people regardless of nationality.

The fact is, whether it be at the behest of "Big Money," or power structures of whatever form, we are seldom in posession of the information we need to avoid harm, or our own financial disasters. Power players about the globe go after each other, even as other such players work more home grown machinations against their own people. And in either case we are the ones who ultimately foot the bill.

The Next Big War Will Be Digital—and We’re Not Ready For It

Giving is Good for You!

This BBC.com article is a good read and I recommend it to everyone. Whatever Ayn Rand may have wanted you to believe, "Paying it Forward" can be beneficial to the giver, as well as the receiver.

The question asked at the beginning of the piece, though, seems to miss what I think should be obvious. As the sub header states:

"Generous people are happier and healthier, yet acts of kindness are often met with suspicion and scorn. Why? David Robson talks to a psychologist who set out to find the answer."

My reply here would be thus: In the age of the "Hard Sell," where everything is commodity, and most of all developed societies operate on the idea of "Net Gain," why wouldn't every act of those you do not know be taken as a pitch to sell you on a questionable bill of goods. The very essence of the new "Amplification" of Capitalism on electric steroids is engineered facade and calculated message. And in this, the usual "Glowing Terms" and "Resonant Imagery" of ordinary propaganda, are taken to ever evolving new extremes of scientifically advanced seduction; with every aspect of your emotional, and physical being utilized to manipulate as required.

How could it be other wise for the great global, munching, fecal machine, that is Capitalism, as it gets better and better at producing ever more bits from the butt of our intellect, for the god of consumption, and profit. "Pay it Forward" is a human reaction from those desperate to remain human in the face of this obscene, and destructive, self perpetuating mode of operation. The only real question remaining that should concern us is when will we all come to terms with this fact and act to stop it once and for all.

Does it pay to be kind to strangers?