Geoff > Status Update

Geoff wrote: "The Comstock law only became relevant after it was written. Joyce wrote it for seven years in miserable poverty and failing health. He only survived by patronage. No market force allowed this book to exist. Even after it was published, he never made any serious money off it and wrote Finnegans Wake in essentially the same financial circumstances, and far worse medical circumstances. Ellmann's biography of Joyce is a wonderful thing."

The market forces demanded the book AFTER it existed, but were suppressed. Why would Ulysses have altered his life BEFORE it was written? The order of operation here matters.

It is true that the audience for Ulysses was far smaller than say The Great Gatsby... but the demand for it was there. In addition to government suppression, supply constraints significantly affected sales as well, since no printer wanted any part of it, given the obscenity. And the press that did print it couldn't keep up.

I'm well aware of Joyce's poverty and his reliance on benefactors. If I was in a position and alive then, I'm would have done the same. It's a shame he never had a significant financial windfall. Unfortunately, Joyce died shortly after the two big bans on Ulysses were lifted.

Geoff wrote: "Seriously Nick read Ellmann's biography to get an idea of Joyce's actual life. It's an amazing book and will make clear the harrowing obstacles lived through so that these books exist."

I plan to read it... but I already know a lot about Joyce's actual life and the printing of Ulysses.

I've read "The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce's Ulysses" which goes into significant detail over the printing of Ulysses.

I've also read Sylvia Beach's memoir "Shakespeare and Company," which is mostly about Joyce and printing Ulysses.

A Pulitzer Prize book to read is "The Sixth Extinction."

Nick wrote: "Geoff wrote: "The Comstock law only became relevant after it was written. Joyce wrote it for seven years in miserable poverty and failing health. He only survived by patronage. No market force allo..."

Because market forces would have dictated that Joyce either write popular dreck or not be a writer at all! This is what I'm saying - the free market destroys artists like Joyce before they have the chance to even make their works! He only had the option to write Ulysses because had a patron. The market would have him become a banker or a greengrocer or a lawyer!

Manny wrote: "Nick wrote: "I don't know how you can compare the tipping point of the computer/internet age with airplanes."

The innovations of the 90s were just some of the stuff that followed from the discover..."

Either way, they didn't transform business until the 90s, and its in that lens I speak.

(God, why did I say greengrocer, that's a weird anachronistic term...)

Both John Berger and William Gass, I believe, wrote about trying to get Ulysses from the library at age 14 but not being able to because they were underage. The idea of having to present ID to check out a work of literature at the library is sort of adorable.

This would be a case of big government acting being coercive. Still, I think libraries have indisputably done a far, far better job preserving and disseminating literature than the market has.

Geoff wrote: "Because market forces would have dictated that Joyce either write popular dreck or not be a writer at all! This is what I'm saying - the free market destroys artists like Joyce before they have the chance to even make their works! He only had the option to write Ulysses because had a patron. The market would have him become a banker or a green grocer or a lawyer!"

For the most part, that's true. But Hemingway and Fitzgerald were from the same era and wildly successful, and they didn't exactly produce dreck.

There is a reason most serious writers (the ones we read on GR) are professors or have other jobs... I get it. I'm not oblivious.

Nick wrote: "Either way, they didn't transform business until the 90s, and its in that lens I speak."

You can't seriously be saying that radio, TV, automobiles, airplanes, nuclear energy and consumer electronics didn't transform business far more than the internet?

Nick wrote: "Geoff wrote: "Seriously Nick read Ellmann's biography to get an idea of Joyce's actual life. It's an amazing book and will make clear the harrowing obstacles lived through so that these books exist..."

Ellmann's book though is amazing, epic, just an essential read for any fan of Joyce. I read it immediately after my first read of Ulysses and those two books back-to-back changed my life.

Nick wrote: "Geoff wrote: "Because market forces would have dictated that Joyce either write popular dreck or not be a writer at all! This is what I'm saying - the free market destroys artists like Joyce before..."

Joyce's books are a far cry from Hemingway's and Fitzgerald's, when one is talking art vs. dreck.

Geoff wrote: "Nick wrote: "Geoff wrote: "Seriously Nick read Ellmann's biography to get an idea of Joyce's actual life. It's an amazing book and will make clear the harrowing obstacles lived through so that thes..."

Yeah, I'll have to move it up to the top of the list. Was planning on running the Joyce gamut again this June and will probably finish with it.

Manny wrote: "Nick wrote: "Either way, they didn't transform business until the 90s, and its in that lens I speak."

You can't seriously be saying that radio, TV, automobiles, airplanes, nuclear energy and consu..."

Yes, I'm saying the economic power and productivity gains of computer technology in the 90s, in my opinion, far surpasses all of it, especially in so short a time period.

Nick wrote: "You can't seriously be saying that radio, TV, automobiles, airplanes, nuclear energy and consu..."

Yes, I'm saying the economic power and productivity gains of computer technology in the 90s, in my opinion, far surpasses all of it, especially in so short a time period."

Based on what metrics?

Manny wrote: "Nick wrote: "You can't seriously be saying that radio, TV, automobiles, airplanes, nuclear energy and consu..."

Yes, I'm saying the economic power and productivity gains of computer technology in ..."

global GDP gains.

Evidence supports my claim.

Particularly slide 6 in this deck.

https://gwipp.gwu.edu/files/downloads...

Feel free to support your claim.

Geoff wrote: "Joyce's books are a far cry from Hemingway's and Fitzgerald's, when one is talking art vs. dreck"

Yes, but you said either or... I was point out that's not always the case. Joyce is an extreme example.

And since so many of you love to cite fact-checking sites, here's a good one for those of you who think Clinton was the sole reason for the 90s growth.

http://www.factcheck.org/2007/12/clin...

Oh, it's worth noting I actually think Clinton was a good president.

Nick wrote: "And since so many of you love to cite fact-checking sites, here's a good one for those of you who think Clinton was the sole reason for the 90s growth.

http://www.factcheck.org/2007/12/clin......"

Seems like a level-headed assessment.

A profile of Betsy DeVos people should read.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/...

"But criticisms of the new secretary of education, based on her poor knowledge of and lack of support for public schools, arguably miss the point. "Public education is the biggest opportunity for those who believe they have to save souls," says Rachel Tabachnick, a researcher of the religious right's impact on policy. "If you're looking at the merger of free-market ideology and the religious right, that is the plum to be picked."

Was unaware her brother founded Blackwater.

Geoff wrote: "(God, why did I say greengrocer, that's a weird anachronistic term...)"

You must have been reading Celine lately. (If you haven't, do.)

Nick wrote: "...Evidence supports my claim.

Particularly slide 6 in this deck..."

Even the slide you introduced doesn't seem to show any significant change in the slope in the period since the 1860s, and it's steepest at the point of the post-WWII years in the 1950s. The two apparently minor slumps are great-depression/world-war and seventies through early nineties. (Also suggesting that the variation depends on other major factors than technological innovation.)

Then there's the fact that discovery of a new technology can have significant economic impacts in the generation that follows, and that each step of "progress" depends on the steps before it.

Geoff wrote: "Was unaware her brother founded Blackwater."

Plus the Amway bullshit. Haven't seen my nephew in three years because he drank that koolaide and severed ties with us family members standing in the way of him realizing his inner salesman or whatever. No shit.

ATJG wrote: "Geoff wrote: "Was unaware her brother founded Blackwater."

Plus the Amway bullshit. Haven't seen my nephew in three years because he drank that koolaide and severed ties with us family members sta..."

Damn dude that sucks. Sorry to hear it. Yeah, the Amway stuff is ridiculous.

Jimmy Dore can be pretty damned harsh. But this attack on the Democrats' losing ways, starring Tom Perez, was fun/depressing: https://youtu.be/3J2C-U8KtuE

Zadignose wrote: "Geoff wrote: "(God, why did I say greengrocer, that's a weird anachronistic term...)"

You must have been reading Celine lately. (If you haven't, do.)"

Oh he is in my queue, no doubt!

And... Park Geun-Hye's impeachment is upheld, and she's been declared expelled from office.

Do any of the rest of you just miss Cody?

Throughout the length of this monstrous (in a good way) thread I've sometimes wondered at the pacifying role he might have played. Ah, how he would quell the Robespierre in my own heart...

Maybe we could somehow send him a get-well card?

(or something)

David wrote: "Do any of the rest of you just miss Cody?

Throughout the length of this monstrous (in a good way) thread I've sometimes wondered at the pacifying role he might have played. Ah, how he would quell ..."

Yeah - Last time I spoke with him was end of August and I assume he is still not doing so hot. Will send him an email today.

I won't trouble y'all with frequent updates on Korea after this, as you can probably get as much from CNN as I can get. A couple of people died in the protests... somehow... but that might be regarded as relatively peaceful. I'm waiting to hear of Park Geun Hye actually physically leaving the Blue House building or making some kind of public statement acknowledging that she's been impeached. But one way or another, she'll probably go. It looks unlikely she will have enough support to resist her ouster, and there's been no talk that she would try to resist--I'm just a cynical untrusting bastard. So... good news(?) I guess.

One of several opposition-party candidates will likely take the presidency in two months.

The will of the people has actually toppled a corrupt politician with autocratic leanings!

Far Right in Sweden making huge gains.

This link has a bit more information on the issue

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-03...

Nick wrote: "Far Right in Sweden making huge gains.

This link has a bit more information on the issue

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-03..."

Hold up. The fictional character Tyler Durden from Fight Club wrote that article? What the what?

I mean, I've heard of fake news, but fictional journalists at a real news site? Post-fucking-modernism man! I tell ya

Geoff wrote: "The fictional character Tyler Durden from Fight Club wrote that article? "

If I remember right he was even a fictional imagined character.

Matt wrote: "Geoff wrote: "The fictional character Tyler Durden from Fight Club wrote that article? "

If I remember right he was even a fictional imagined character."

Holy crap! That is some po-mo-to-end-all-po-mo!

Geoff wrote: "Nick wrote: "Far Right in Sweden making huge gains.

This link has a bit more information on the issue

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-03......"

1) he didn't write it, these guys did..

http://globalriskinsights.com/2017/03...

2) ZH is a widely known and influential finance news/blog site. The "Tyler Durden" pen name was to mask to identity of the two main guys who run the site. They are Wall St insiders who didn't want their identities known. They've since been outed though.

Think of ZH as the Drudge of finance (in terms of influence and breadth of readership)... except their market insights are always backed with fact/support.

Oh okay that makes it all a lot less strikingly odd. They maybe made the wrong choice with such a well-known pseudonym. Like my pen name wouldn't be Rhianna, just sayin'.

So, I'm sure that article is legit and all. But I'm having trouble getting past the Tyler Durden thing. I mean, being into Fight Club that much is just so douchey. It calls into question everything else one does! But yeah, it seems like Sweden has some problems with immigrants.

Nick wrote: "Far Right in Sweden making huge gains.

Yup, Yougov has them polling at around 25 - 28% making them the biggest political party in Sweden.

Niklas wrote: "Nick wrote: "Far Right in Sweden making huge gains.

Yup, Yougov has them polling at around 25 - 28% making them the biggest political party in Sweden."

Sweet. This is great news. Once the Far Right takes over, fantastic things generally happen for civil liberties and human rights. Whee I love the modern world!

(Hey so what exactly is the most painless way to commit suicide again? Kthnx)

Geoff wrote: "(Hey so what exactly is the most painless way to commit suicide again? Kthnx)"

I've heard self-immolation is pretty painless.

ATJG wrote: "Geoff wrote: "(Hey so what exactly is the most painless way to commit suicide again? Kthnx)"

I've heard self-immolation is pretty painless."

Cool great. Also, I was thinking, smother myself in A-1 Sauce and jump into the lion habitat at the zoo.

Yeah, but then those poor lions will get gunned down Harambe-style before you give up the ghost.

ATJG wrote: "Yeah, but then those poor lions will get gunned down Harambe-style before you give up the ghost."

Oh yeah! Harambe - never forget. [Pours out some of the 40 oz I'm drinking at work]

Of course 25% does not a majority make, so alliances and concessions will have to be made. Either that or either of the two mainstream left/right blocks will have to form a minority government. Right now we have a minority left government for instance.

To put it into perspective the "far right" parties in Norway, Denmark and Finland are already in their respective governments and wield political power. Admittedly, they aren't as big as the Swedish far right is visibly becoming.

Another thing to consider is how widely the American far right differs from the Scandinavian far right. Most of the Scandinavian far right parties would, for example, have very left wing economic ideas from an American perspective.

Harpooning Donald Trump. Just released.

Just going to leave that here.

[written by that guy that's been holding signs outside the Tower since November--he don't need your cash, but you might need his book.]

Niklas wrote: "Another thing to consider is how widely the American far right differs from the Scandinavian far right. Most of the Scandinavian far right parties would, for example, have very left wing economic ideas from an American perspective. "

Well it's the same for Le Pen... her economic policies aren't exactly right wing.

Seems like this may have been already referred to somewhere on the long trail above? https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/...

This is very disturbing, though only because it reinforces what I've previously thought. Don't like being reinforced in this way. Or maybe I should simply realize that these "so-called experts" are just full of shit?

New Left Review 103 is out, and (spoiler) Perry Anderson fucking kills it. Burns to sick to share on goodreads:

https://newleftreview.org/II/103/perr...