5 Thoughts for August 5, 2016

1. Moby Ambient: I've ensconced myself in Moby's release of free Long Ambient tunes. It's something along the lines of SOMA FM's Drone Zone, but far better. I've been listening to it (instead of classical) when I'm going to sleep, reading, or thinking.
2. Lessons From Polls: Of the many things I've learned from tracking polls this year, the one that stands out the most, is that most people are unwilling to break through their cognitive bias. For instance, Donald, no matter how much he lies, insults or acts like a fool, will always have the support of at least 68% of Republicans -- an enduring floor going back through last September's polls. I have this theory that, like the sunken costs fallacy, people who've metaphorically invested in their cognitive bias, have difficulty pulling out, particularly the deeper they've invested into their bias. You might think that this 68% floor is a recent thing, but it isn't; despite all of his stupidity this past week, his current range of GOP support is between 78% - 89%. Therefore, on top of those with deep cognitive bias, we're also seeing a cultural war with the flocking of white blue collar men to the GOP even while everyone else is fleeing it.
3. NOlympics: I'm not watching a single minute of the Olympics; I didn't even realize they were tonight, until just yesterday when the local NBC news station kept talking about it. My decision is based on three principles: (1) International sports is no longer about the sport but about the money that can be made off the athletes, and as such has become rife with corruption as decisions to award host cities is based on money; (2) The air is dirty, the water if filthy, and Dengue Fever is endemic to the region, nonetheless the IOC awarded Rio the Olympics; (3) There is rampant cheating and the IOC is deliberately looking the other way, so long as the money keeps pouring in. The Olympics is a corporate whore whose concerns over sponsorship outweigh the rights and welfare of athletes and spectators.
4. Donald's Economic Advisor Team: 13 white men. This is basically a reflection of the singular demographic where he's winning. If you asked Donald, he'd probably tell you that his all-white economic team is proof that he's color blind. The cold, hard reality is, there probably aren't many people out there willing to stick their necks out for Donald at this point, with his rapidly sinking numbers.
5. Portland Homeless Camping: So the Mayor finally changed his tune and realized that his plan last year to allow homeless people to camp on public streets was a complete failure. Immediately, one could see the difference, but there was a catch: Springwater Corridor. Sure, the homeless encampments around the city have disappeared, but they've gone to Springwater Corridor where the Mayor has given them a reprieve until next month. That resulted in the Hood to Coast to change a part of the route to avoid the worst of the Springwater Corridor. You know, the county has massive parcels of land for greenspace; why not allow them to camp at select parks until they can figure out how to build enough shelter beds?