@Pluto's Republic
Yep, that's what most Americans will use to ride out the next few decades, and perhaps what's been used in the past too? I don't know.

I love anthropology, love it. I would though (I have a degree in it ). That book Clan of the Cave Bear, came out just as I was entering college. It was one of the things that inspired me to change my focus after graduating, for a graduate degree. The other thing was traveling to Europe and remembering it from when I was younger, remembering how much I loved learning about the Greeks and Romans and Celts and Goths... and whatever :). Great memories! And thanks for the bit about China and the pasts of peoples from that part of the world. I learned some when I was younger, but not enough. I am refreshing old stuff and learning new stuff now!

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Thanks for posting that c ool book report, Sima.

It immediately made me think of Clan of the Cave Bear, written by a research anthropologist and published in 1980. The book told a story that was set about 25,000 years ago, which featured a subplot about the domestication of a horse and, much later, learning to ride it. It became an anthropology-fiction best seller.

Years later, I was thinking about the story again, which I had guessed was set in northern Europe, perhaps in Russia. It was set during a time when both Neanderthal and modern Cro-Magnon humans occupied the same continents at the same time. The female main character was blond, and that is the only region on earth where blonds are indigenous, I believe. There was a lot of snow and numerous caves and earthquakes in the story. It could have been the beginning or the end of a recent ice age. At one point in the story, the horse began to run with the girl on his back, and there was a narrative understanding that an important message could be sent on horseback.

That would mean that shortly after horses were domesticated, a galloping horse would be the very fastest way a human message could be sent across land — and there would be no speed improvement for next 25,000 years! No matter how important the message was.

During that time, humans made all sorts of scientific discoveries, and even invented a wild array of religions and Gods that would keep the public busy begging for divine intervention. In the background, great Empires were born and spread across the earth — and then they collapsed and were buried. Wars were fought, many of them forgotten. Governments were formed, and later they were overthrown. Both Dictatorships and Democracies are regularly overthrown, even today. Literacy was achieved, and then later discarded. People simply could not maintain a complex system of rules without instant communications and supporting infrastructure. A motivated, enduring civilization with a shared vision and citizens who are motivated to ensure its wellbeing cannot sustain itself without direct instantaneous communications and authentic real-world gatherings, interactions, and participation.

This is the secret to China's 5,000 year old civilization. Over that time, and as far back as 11,000 years, they developed most of the new engineering innovations and observational technologies about 500 to 1,000 years before these technologies were 'discovered' in the West (the moveable-type printing press, for example. Ocean-going sailing ships, firearms, etc.) These innovations strengthened the civilization and sparked infrastructure building. Literacy and education has been core value of all Chinese governments. From pre-history to the present day, the Chinese government always holds a national exam for all graduating students. The Chinese government has always been based on meritocracy; students who do well on the yearly exams are tapped for university scholarships, government jobs, and leadership roles. There are hundreds of different languages/dialects spoken by the people of China. But all Chinese people are literate in the same written Chinese characters. (Word sounds are optional and unnecessary.) So, throughout their history the Chinese could all read and understand the nation's newspapers — even though a village 20 miles away may speak a different language. Today, the Chinese are still all on the same page, gossiping about the same news.

We don't understand that type of social cohesion in the West. We believe the Chinese should all be at each other throats. But they are not. The Chinese should hate their government. But the Chinese all know exactly what their government is doing. This is covered in dozens of newspapers on sale nationwide. Because China has a more a participatory democracy that most, government actions become part of everyday social life, even in the tiniest villages. Everything is written down, counted, analyzed, and recorded every day. It's part of everyone's cultural life without even realizing it. Their judgements are very practical. They feel connected to the government and believe that their concerns are heard. They are quick to know when their lives are getting better and they say so. They are aware when their country is on a good path.

In the US we wrote a Constitution that is based on a communications system that still travels at the speed of a horse. Much can be lost, forgotten, responses ignored, or disappeared. Elected officials in DC wouldn't want the government to work any other way. The Courts are delighted that no one can read the Constitution and comprehend its meaning. It is written in an antiquated language that masks the underlying intentions. Furthermore, it does not contain any of the wisdom gathered in the 19th and 20th centuries, when the world changed so profoundly. The document is void in scientific understanding and it is blind to ubiquitous conflicts of interest. It doesn't know which developing issues impact the lives of modern people who are alive today. All these considerations fall under the control of unaccountable political appointees on the Supreme Court who ave n o experience with the invasive technologies used by the government that negatively affect our personal lives and dignity. The Court is not concerned with the government's monstrous greed to control the world, which instantly sabotages our our choices about our own lives. If the Court tries to remain aware of the rapidly developing technologies and the emerging cultures of the 21st century, it does so at the speed of a horse.

About two-thirds of the way through the life-span of the United States, everything changed for everybody in the US and the world, due to the rapid development of technology, the industrial revolutions, evolving global economic systems, a press that is controlled and censored by the government, and competing communications that suddenly travel at the speed of light. But no one in the United States wanted a modern constitution that the People could understand and ratify. Americans feel safer when they are deceived. All other countries have modern constitutions. But not the Leader of the Free World.

This doesn't really matter anymore. It stopped mattering after 9/11. I am now convinced that denial and cluelessness are safe places for most Americans to ride out the coming decades.

@humphrey
But it was only down south, in the LA region in California, where my grandparents lived. There was a dairy nearby where they let people watch the cows being milked and then delivered that milk via a cart and horse to whoever ordered it. It was GREAT.

Hmm, actually I remember it up north too, in what became Silicon Valley, before it did. I was a bit older, don't know why I forgot the milk carts, because I loved those horses Thanks for inspiring these great memories!

memories from my childhood.

It obviously shows my age as I can recall the milkman delivering milk door to door from a wagon pulled by a horse. The animal seemed to remember the frequent stops on its route.

A representative image.

@Cassiodorus @Cassiodorus
It works! We used alpacas for that, for a bit. Hubby got tired of being spit on, though. I dunno why, but they never spit on me. Hahah!

Our dogs work with the goats, and the chickens to keep away predators. It's just when the dogs aren't outside that we have had trouble. However, we've learned and now we don't even had that late night trouble. Those videos are very cool, thank you for introducing me to Browsey Acres!

As for Star Wars, I really liked the first three and now... neh. Would rather read a Heinlein book, much rather do that

And this is spot on:

The reason people, including the famous ones, are going back to homesteading is that America is in decline, a trend evident in everything, including entertainment.

I just wish more people could homestead.

Ronda Rousey and Travis Browne, both former MMA performers, decided at some point to plow their money into a ranch in Riverside County, and then later to branch out into a big cattle ranch in southern Oregon, where I live. They put out a lot of "Browsey Acres" videos on YouTube.

At any rate, at their place in Riverside County, they use a donkey to scare away predators that would kill their chickens, ducks, and/or goats. Just thought I would mention that.

In other news, the commercial entertainment addicts on YouTube were discussing the news, later denied, that Kathleen Kennedy is going to retire from her current task of ruining Star Wars. It's about ten minutes into their group video.

Of course there is some degree of skepticism as to whether or not anything new would happen if or when Kennedy goes away from Star Wars. But it's amusing to hear their criticisms, given that there wasn't much there to begin with -- I mean, how much can you do with an imaginary universe in which the heroes are Samurai with magical powers, the villains cling to ridiculous stereotypes, and the settings are vastly simplified or colorized versions of, I don't know, Poul Anderson or Robert Heinlein or any of the Golden Age space opera writers. Recommendation to Kennedy watchers: read. Find some of these old, dead, space opera writers. Read their stuff.

The reason people, including the famous ones, are going back to homesteading is that America is in decline, a trend evident in everything, including entertainment.

@soryang
And it really made me laugh. Thanks for sharing it. Animals are human too and can get jealous, or humans are animals or... yea, we are all in it together

...a good laugh when I first saw it a few days ago.

I had no idea.

Thanks for the OT Sima

@on the cusp
Your Dad really knew his stuff with horses! I love dressage, I have to admit, although I never did it. My riding was always western, heh. It makes tons of sense that dressage originated with warfare. So, here's a video of a song put out about 3 years after I was born (the song is older than that, I think) showing the Russian cavalry riding across the hills. It's really cool!

I'm sorry court took so long and your client lost, but at least you got the evidence public.

my client lost, but was able to get in some evidence that will help him in the future. He is an elected official with a cabal gearing up for more lawsuits, and likely criminal investigations. My goal was to get evidence out in public to help in the cases coming soon.
I am fascinated with dressage. It is actually war maneuvers, with each movement being an offensive or defensive movement. Russian cavalry officers who were experts in dressage and jumping came to the US and taught the farm boys in the cavalry how to do the basics. My Dad was in the horse cavalry from 1035 until it was disbanded and transitioned to motor vehicles. in 1942. He could train a horse from a wild thing to a dependable working cow horse. So, he could ride a buck.
My uncle bought a barely ridden but expensive dappled gray gelding quarter horse. He bucked everyone off, would not reign right or left, stopped when he felt like it. He was dangerous.
Well, Dad got on him, spurred him, and the horse bucked all over the 2 acre plot, and when he started getting tired, Dad pulled the reins so that the horse could not turn his head, and ran him straight into the side of a barn. Almost knocked the horse out. Dad eased him away, the pulled the left rein and had the horse's nose to the saddle, and he ran him at the barn, and the horse turned left. That was repeated with running the horse at the barn with his nose to the right side of the saddle. He turned right, rather than smack into the barn. This was repeated several times with looser reins, nudges by the spurs, pats on the neck, "good boys", and after about 30 more minutes, the horse was bridle wise. He never bucked again, and even kids could safely ride him after his training session.
Good times with the warrior Dad.