“Can you explain to me what understanding of mathematics has to do with understanding of societies where knowledge, knowledge, knowledge of facts, facts, facts, developments etc. is needed?”

To this I respond that every statistician understands that in any distribution exist perpetual and unrelenting forces struggling against all particular bias to return to the norm.

In all things great and small this is elemental.

Those devoid of this understanding may chose a different expression or attribute it to human foibles such as George Santayana (Poet and Philosopher) ” Those who can’t remember the past are doomed to repeat it” This application should appeal to you Dr. Anna with your omniscience of the human condition.

Perhaps Solomon’s statement in Ecclesiastes “there is no thing new under the sun, what has been will be again” was the earliest documentation of this.

The force is there. A statistician can show it to you with simple familiar objects and the time it takes to drink a starbucks.

Unlike all other disciplines which try to explain the bias in the cosmic in futile effort to control it, the mathmatician sees that it is control, steps out of the way and waits at the point he knows it will return to for the express purpose of measuring again.

This is why all significant human accomplishment has the common incubator of mathmatics. Whether the dancer knows the song or not, the music is mathmatics.

Knowlege???
Societies???
Facts???
Developments???

These are terms which seek to define eternity in a known confine. Things we ascribe these words to can appear true/valid for a time but the context they relate to is a snapshot. Mathmatics teaches us to see them as such.

As always

The Idiot

What I find sadly amusing that many people accept absolute garbage easily. We are told that CEOs deserve billions, because they have some specialized knowledge (BTW, a small percentage of professorial knowledge), have responsibilities (yeah), but …. then they demand from us that we function on their and their huge teams of corporate criminals (lawyers, managers, public relations liars, etc.) level. How is that possible?
Elizabeth Warren (professor, Harvard Law) once said that she tried to understand what “bank literature” was saying and couldn’t.

Please read my comment “There is something fundamentally wrong…” at http://tinyurl.com/byucwc – It appears that my comment killed the thread.

From your referenced posts… I know you’ll “get it” and I’m interested in your response.

Although I fit into the class of people that will be pushed into default… I really think they did not go to the trouble of isolating only those most likely to default as a result of the 5% minimum.

The explanation is really much simpler… and through an ill-prepared customer service rep… it was revealed to me:

The very first conversation I had with customer service about this change was (probably) in the first wave of customer uproar last November. That is… they were still “fishing” for the best way to answer people’s queries as to why they were reneging on their offer.

The very first thing I was told was “You never made any purchases… you were supposed to make at least one purchase per month”.

Upon pointing out that there was absolutely no mention in the terms of the offer about being required to make any purchases… the poor guy blurted out “They aren’t making enough money off of you.”

When the guy offered me the “7.99% until 2011″ option… I asked him what the rate would become after January 2011. His answer gave me a whole new insight into the way customer service reps had been prepared for this debacle: “Your balance will be paid off.” WOW! What a deal!

To be certain that I understood what he said… I repeated what I though I heard him say: If I make 24 payments of 2% of the outstanding balance… with an APR of 7.99%… my balance will be zero? His reply: “Yes… that’s the way they figured it.”

Escalate to the Stupervisor: How can 24 payments of 2% equal 100%? Admitting that I was misinformed… I repeated my question: “What happens after 24 months?” His response was that the APR would change to the Purchase rate – which is variable.

Currently at 11.49%… I said “…and by 2011 that rate could be raised to 25%?” Of course it could. “When you signed your original agreement… you agreed to agree”.

I hope by now… everyone has become aware that “you agree to agree” would not be enforced by a court. The concept is ridiculous – “I agree to agree to anything you choose to inflict upon me… although I now have absolutely no idea what that may be”.

If you’ve ever read a complicated agreement… you’ve probably read a clause similar to “Should any clause in this agreement be deemed illegal, all other clauses will remain in effect.”

People can write anything they want into a formal agreement. That in itself does not make it enforceable. Believe it or not… this is not common knowledge and credit card companies certainly know their audience.

As I dedicate a portion of each day to combating the evil before us, I strive to execute simple tasks: correct reporters who are ignorant in calling a charge that “is a finance charge,” a fee; contact others where I can — particularly “opinion leaders” who already have an audience of some kind; contact Congressional representatives; conduct background research and write reports; try to think creatively, about ways to spread the message with “viral marketing” tools; wash, shave, rinse, brush, spit, and repeat.

It’s obvious that this site has attracted many thoughtful and intellectually interesting — if not highly engaging and provocative — thinkers. I love you all, for that.

Keep thinking, and keep commenting and sharing insights and ideas, because me must construct the truth using what we know, in light of misinformation and disparate treatment toward certain account holders, for reasons that can only be understood with certainty, within the memorandums and minds of people who work for Chase.

Meanwhile, please consider making a T-shirt; have yourself photographed, and let others in the public at large, beyond this site, know what’s on our minds as we must spread the message from “sea to shining sea.” Send the photo to your local paper or TV station.

By this time I had tired of the work and returned to Mycology, my employer disapproved and I quit.

Before either of these careers, I managed a bank.

I know very little but in a world where most do little and complain that they can’t find work, I usually have standing offers in multiple companies/fields.

My wages are comfortable but a fraction of what the current administration claimed it would increase taxes on.

Since my taxes are increasing policy implemented in the 1st month of this president’s term, I am left with the inescapable conclusion that he is a boldfaced liar.

I assure you that in spite of my lack of doctorate I have the aptitude to comprehend this. If it troubles me, I will consult with one of the PHD’s which report to me.

I’m sure one of them will have some understanding of causes, consequences, structure and systemic problems. They will no doubt reduce it to something remedial enough for me to get my two remaining brain cells around.

(Sometimes they resort to claymation and or stick figures)

Marv

The next day he recinded tax breaks from his predecessor which had reduced my taxes by $38 per week when they went into effect. Now he has a plan to limit the deduction for home interest and charitible contributions.

He describes his plan as a tax cut. The nation of Idiots do not speak the obvious contradictions.

No, it’s not spending on a war for oil. Its much worse. There is no return. It is the raping of the wage earner (Me) without any comprehensible return whatsoever. No cheap oil, no greater national or international security, the financial markets suggest that they disbelieve and economic stimulus is forthcomming. There will be a lot of votes generated for his party by those who receive the benefits of what he takes from the wage earners.

Harry Reid gets the fastest casino train in the world and still insists that there are no earmarks/pork.

We Americans should be proud. We will lead the world to Shangri-La. Quick, now…we must scurry…the piper is pulling away.