INSPIRATIONAL: The Stockdale Paradox: A Philosophic Principle for Tough Times

Thursday, November 6, 2025

https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/advice/stockdale-paradox/

Brett & Kate McKay • October 27, 2025
The Stockdale Paradox: A Philosophic Principle for Tough Times

*** begin quote ***

Years later, when his plane was shot down and he was imprisoned in the infamous POW camp known as the “Hanoi Hilton,” Epictetus’s Enchiridion would become a survival manual for Stockdale and the men he led. It would also help birth a guiding principle that got Stockdale through seven and a half years — four of them in solitary confinement — of torture and debasement: what’s now called the “Stockdale Paradox.”

*** and ***

Stockdale paused and said:

You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.

That single sentence became known as the Stockdale Paradox.

In practice, it meant living in two opposing realities at once: facing the brutal truth of the moment while maintaining unbreakable faith in the eventual positive outcome.

*** end quote ***

Brutal honesty and unshakeable faith?

Not sure that if presented with a test like the Hanoi Hilton, then I could conduct myself so well.  One can only hope.  I’d pray make my “tests” small in proportion to my character.

I remember the “Perot – Stockdale” ticket.  

I can’t look into Ross Perot’s soul but I believe he was there as a “spoiler” to allow Bill Clinton to defeat both Bush and Bob Dole.  Near the end of the campaign, I remember Perot’s antics to distroy his chances of winning.  To me it was an obvious prize fighter’s “dive” because the fix was in.

It’s a shame and a national disgrace that “democracy” is really an “oligarchy”.  The Dead Old White Guys must be rolling over.

Sigh!

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INSPIRATIONAL: Bodhana Sivanandan, 10, secured a win over world champion Mariya Muzychuk

Thursday, October 30, 2025

https://www.aol.com/articles/10-old-girl-wonder-chess-042728885.html?guccounter=1

10-Year-Old ‘Girl Wonder’ Chess Prodigy Plays ‘Near Perfect Game’ to Defeat Former Grandmaster
People
Madison E. Goldberg
Wed, October 22, 2025 at 12:27 AM EDT

*** begin quote ***

NEED TO KNOW

  • “Girl wonder” chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan, 10, secured a win over world champion Mariya Muzychuk on Oct. 19
  • Sivanandan started playing chess during the COVID-19 pandemic
  • She is on track to potentially become the youngest grandmaster, the highest title possible in professional chess

A 10-year-old British chess prodigy defeated world champion Mariya Muzychuk — putting her one step closer to becoming the youngest grandmaster.

Bodhana Sivanandan has been described as a “girl wonder,” according to British news outlet The Times. Sivanandan, who is from Harrow in northwest London, defeated Muzychuk in what experts called a “near perfect game.”

Sivanandan secured her victory on Oct. 19 at the European Chess Club Cup hosted in Rhodes, Greece, per the outlet. After taking up chess during the COVID-19 when a family member gifted her an old chess board, she became the youngest female player in history to beat a grandmaster — and she did it while sitting on a booster sit to reach the board, according to The Times.

*** end quote ***

I used to play a lot of chess in my much younger days.  Until I found that playing bridge was much more “lucrative”. Laugh! 

Ran into a few great players in Greenwich Village.  Never really cared about rankings.  I realized that it would take a lot of time and study to become really good enough to break into the elite ranks.For the most part, I specialized in “Queen’s Gambit Declined” because most of the players I ran into never played against it and it was often described as a “stifling crowded” opening that frustrated player used to “action”.  It had several “traps” in its opening sequence that the unfamiliar player would blunder into and be easily defeated.  In all my time playing black, no one ever opened with it against me.  Perhaps they knew better. 

Anyway, this young lady’s accomplishments have me in awe of her talent.

I also loved the Netflix trial “Queen’s Gambit” — the role of the fictional “Beth Harmon” was played by a stunning Anya Taylor-Joy — which had nothing to do with the opening and did not accurately report the exploits of Nona Gaprindashvili, who had played competitive chess with men.  

If you haven’t seen it, then you are missing a real winner.

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INSPIRATIONAL: Some times you can use your image to your advantage and do good for the world

Saturday, September 13, 2025

{tip of the old tin foil hat to <Stephen E. Phelps Jr.> for sharing!}

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1A3MmpKyce/

True Stories

Dolly Parton once walked into a boardroom full of men in rhinestones and heels — and walked out owning her own masters. The executives thought she was a naïve country girl who’d sign anything. Instead, she quietly bought back her publishing rights, a move so rare at the time that even industry sharks didn’t see it coming. Decades later, when Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” sold 20 million copies, the checks went to Dolly. She didn’t just write the song — she owned it.

That’s the paradox of Dolly. She leaned into the dumb-blonde jokes, the wigs, the over-the-top curves — and used them as camouflage. People underestimated her, and she liked it that way. Behind the glitter was one of the shrewdest business operators in music. She built Dollywood in rural Tennessee, turning her home into a tourist empire. She funneled money into children’s literacy programs, giving away more than 200 million books. And she did it all while letting the world laugh at her “backwoods Barbie” image.

The kicker? She admitted the caricature was intentional. “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap,” she quipped. The hair, the nails, the laugh — they were her armor, her Trojan horse. She could sparkle her way past prejudice and still walk out with the contract that made her untouchable.

Even Elvis tried to own her. When Colonel Tom Parker demanded half the rights to “I Will Always Love You” for Presley to record it, Dolly said no — sobbing in her car, heartbroken, but unyielding. It may be the single most profitable “no” in music history.

Dolly Parton’s story isn’t about a country diva in sequins. It’s about a woman who weaponized underestimation, sold the world a joke it wanted to hear, and laughed all the way to the bank — while handing out books to children on the side.

# – # – # – # – # 

Way back when, in the 70s, some of my friends were playing a game.  I think it was called “Facts in Five”?  One of the challenges was to name the smartest person you knew of.  My wife assured everyone that she had my answer cold. “Einstein”!  Nope, I had written down “Dolly Parton”.  She went nuts and the entire group.  I explained that she was the shrewdest business lady and the most charitable. I knew of Dollywood and her book donations. 

This story reminded me of that game and added some details about Ms. Parton IDK. 

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INSPIRATIONAL: “We’re talking about recovery, dignity, transformation.”

Sunday, July 27, 2025

https://reasonstobecheerful.world/homeless-san-diegans-bicycle-rides/?utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=66c4b9c55d78644b3a882a4d

Homeless San Diegans Are Bicycling Toward Independence

  • After cycling 100 miles with the group, participants in a unique weekly ride receive a bike of their own.

By: Michaela Haas
July 11, 2025

*** begin quote ***

On a sunlit Thursday morning in downtown San Diego, the sidewalk in front of Father Joe’s Villages buzzes with an excited energy. Nearly two-dozen people, dressed in everything from street clothes to aerodynamic Lycra, gather around a lineup of bicycles and tricycles. Among them are experienced riders from local clubs like Major Taylor and first-timers tentatively gripping handlebars. Towering above most, clad in a neon yellow cycling jersey, is Deacon John Roberts — chaplain, cyclist and the force behind a growing movement that is, quite literally, helping people out of homelessness one mile at a time.

*** and ***

Back at the Villages, Roberts oversees not only the cycling program but the center’s broader spiritual and wellness efforts. With about 50 volunteers, he coordinates meditation groups, music and arts therapy, and spiritual counseling. The bicycle rides are an extension of this work — a chance to connect the physical act of movement with emotional healing and community care.

“We’re not just talking about getting people from point A to point B,” he says. “We’re talking about recovery, dignity, transformation.”

He also offers free maintenance days and partners with several local organizations for support, including the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, Rick Beasley’s 4Wheel BikeShop, the nonprofit Padyak racing team and ReBike San Diego, a nonprofit that collects, repairs and donates bikes. 

*** end quote ***

I love non-Gooferment solutions.  It never ceases to amaze me what motivated individuals can come up with to solve problems.  

If Gooferment politicians and bureaucrats want to REALLY solve problems, they should seek to replicate solutions that private citizens implemented.

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INSPIRATIONAL: Red Skelton’s Pledge of Allegiance

Friday, July 4, 2025

https://youtu.be/pGcwRnQUmUw?si=fcL2zf6rcYMx9CQc

Red Skelton’s Pledge of Allegiance

In 1969, Red Skelton performed … a salute to Old Glory, we revisit an all-time classic rendition of the Pledge of Allegiance.

# – # – # – # – # 

I remember that on TV.  Who would miss Red Skelton?  Like Johnny Carson, unmissable!

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INSPIRATIONAL: 17,000 traditional folk songs preserved by Alan Lomax

Thursday, July 3, 2025

FROM 1440 https://join1440.com/

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2025/6/one-man-recorded-over-17000-traditional-folk-songs-to-preserve-the-true-sound-of-america?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=66c4b9c55d78644b3a882a4d

One man recorded over 17,000 traditional folk songs to preserve the true sound of America
By Katherine Gross
Published 13 June 2025

*** begin quote ***

To take a break from his studies, at 17 he joined his father on a work trip sponsored by the Library of Congress to collect folk songs around America. It was from this trip in 1934 that Alan’s legacy as an ethnomusicologist would blossom – over the course of his nearly 70-year career, he would document over 17,000 traditional songs, dances, interviews, and social practices from independent cultures within America to preserve the traditions and diversity of our heritage. 

*** and ***

His life work was collected by the Library of Congress in 2004, and can be explored in the Lomax Digital Archive.

*** end quote ***

I vaguely remember hearing some of these in 1972-1974 when I was stationed in DC.  While the recordings were far from the pristine sound we get today, they were fascinating.  Like saving the Library at Alexandria, humans have a rich history that needs to be preserved.

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INSPIRATIONAL: Maybe we should change the incentives?

Thursday, March 13, 2025

Found on XTwitter

Image

# – # – # – # – # 

Seems like a great idea!

As a gun owning pro-life pro-choice little L libertarian, I really objected when Gooferment bureaucrats made a big deal out of adoptions by “those people” (i.e., gay, lesbian, single parent).  I’d rather see those children adopted into a loving home than stuck in the “system”.  

https://reinkefaceslife.com/2018/05/05/kansas-oklahoma-approve-religious-veto-on-lgbt-adoptions/

If they are truly so concerned, then schedule follow up visits and such.

But the “system” is no place for children.

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: “Archimedes” is a metaphor for the unsolvable problem of how to avoid an unavoidable war

Friday, February 7, 2025

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B09742MWY9/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

*** begin quote ***

The Great War of Archimedes

Pre-WWII, the Japanese Navy commissioned the creation of impressive “supership” Yamato, strongly opposed by a top official insisting on more strategic and battle-ready warships. After being ignored without cause, Admiral Yamamoto recruits a math genius to help uncover what he soon suspects is a massive 

*** and ***

Customer Review

    B.A. Bengard

    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Movie of the Philosophy of Japan & Humanity

    Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2024

    Verified Purchase

    Not usually a fan of historical fiction, but this Japanese made movie incorporates mixtures of reality, ideology and humanity. Knowing the history of the Pacific war, the culture mindset of imperial Japan and the more ancient ideas behind bushido and the engineering genius of the Yamato, is mixed with fictional characters who have a deeper realization of the effect of war of humanity, especially as it pertains to Japanese cultural mindset. It’s NOT a war movie, but “Archimedes” is a metaphor for the unsolvable problem of how to avoid an unavoidable war. 

*** end quote ***

It is really captivating in the story.  Not sure how real it is but Pearl Harbor was a fact.  And regardless of what the beliefs of the key players really were, they were powerless to stop it.

Kind of like the vets today with the USA involving us in all sorts of “foreign adventures”, when in every vet’s heart, mind, and soul, we know how wrong this is.

Dona Nobis Pacem

And aren’t today’s carriers like the WWII battleships, obsolete. Vulnerable to cheap drones and hypersonic missles Yet the USA keeps building them.

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: You can feel the emotions in this writing

Friday, November 15, 2024

https://daringfireball.net/2024/11/how_it_went

How It Went
By John Gruber
Friday, 8 November 2024

*** begin quote ***

My mom died at the end of June this year.

I know, and I’m sorry — that’s a hell of a way to open a piece ostensibly about a depressing, worrisome, frightening election result. But here’s the thing I want to emphasize right up front: my mom’s death was OK. It really was. She was 78, which isn’t that old, but her health had not been great. She was hospitalized for several days in May, just a month prior, after she had collapsed at home, too weak to stand, and for days it wasn’t clear what was wrong. Then some more test results came back and we had the answer. She had ovarian cancer, bad. It had already metastasized. The prognosis was grim: months to live, at best. And those months, toward the end, would inexorably grow ever more painful and profoundly sad.

*** and ***

So, when my dad called me Tuesday morning, I thought it would be the election on his mind. It was all that was on my mind, that’s for sure. He had, in fact, just come back from voting, but it was something else. His voice was chipper, upbeat, but I could tell it wasn’t a good story. I know him too well.

Turns out, he had gone out to eat, by himself, Monday evening. In fact, at the very same restaurant where he and my mom ate their last meal together. He ate, drove home, and once home went to wash his hands before going to bed. That’s when he noticed his wedding band was missing from his finger.

It was lost.

He looked around to no avail, and went to bed without it. In the morning light, he retraced his steps. He felt certain he had it on while at the restaurant — not because he took any note of it while dining, but because he knows he’d have noticed its absence. If you wear a ring every day on the same finger, you know how true that is. He almost never took that ring off.

At some point when I was a little kid, my dad told me he had never once removed his ring since my mom put it on his finger at their wedding, the year before I was born. 

*** and ***

I told my wife about my dad’s ring and she almost burst into tears. She loves him so much. “He just lost your mom”, she said.

*** end quote ***

Maybe I’ve just had too much emotion this week.  A lot of deaths since last Thanksgiving, a lot of deaths of people near me, a lot of deaths of celebrities I “knew” as a child, and even deaths of fellow alumni I never knew.  Sigh!

In recounting the death of the author’s Mom, I could feel again the pain that it brings. Sadness can be overwhelming.

Not sure what lesson to take away from this.  

But one can NOT wallow in self-pity.  It happens to everyone everywhere in every age.

“My love, were it in my power, I would sadly grant thee this boon. But, we have to continue to follow His Plan for us. Let’s go forth and speak no more of this. Who ever is last will be last. It will be His choice; not ours. We’re but humble custodians of His temple on earth. It’s not our place to trump His plan. Whatever that plan be, know that I will be with you to my last breath.” — character “John” in CHURCH 10●19●62 Volume 2 Page 399

That’s all I can say now. “Who ever is last will be last.”

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: So you think you’re so smart? These young ladies put us to shame

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

https://www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/mathematics/high-school-students-who-came-up-with-impossible-proof-of-pythagorean-theorem-discover-9-more-solutions-to-the-problem?utm_placement=newsletter

High school students who came up with ‘impossible’ proof of Pythagorean theorem discover 9 more solutions to the problem

By Sascha Pare published 2 days ago

<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2024-10-28>>

*** begin quote ***

In a new peer-reviewed study, Ne’Kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson outlined 10 ways to solve the Pythagorean theorem using trigonometry, including a proof they discovered in high school.

Two students who discovered a seemingly impossible proof to the Pythagorean theorem in 2022 have wowed the math community again with nine completely new solutions to the problem.

While still in high school, Ne’Kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson from Louisiana used trigonometry to prove the 2,000-year-old Pythagorean theorem, which states that the sum of the squares of a right triangle’s two shorter sides are equal to the square of the triangle’s longest side (the hypotenuse). Mathematicians had long thought that using trigonometry to prove the theorem was unworkable, given that the fundamental formulas for trigonometry are based on the assumption that the theorem is true.

Jackson and Johnson came up with their “impossible” proof in answer to a bonus question in a school math contest. They presented their work at an American Mathematical Society meeting in 2023, but the proof hadn’t been thoroughly scrutinized at that point. Now, a new paper published Monday (Oct. 28) in the journal American Mathematical Monthly shows their solution held up to peer review. Not only that, but the two students also outlined nine more proofs to the Pythagorean theorem using trigonometry.

*** end quote ***

These young ladies make me feel dumb. Wonder how many hidden young talents are out there? Lost over the decades because humans as a species are really “dumb” too.

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