The compass is a classic example of a dual invention China provided the world. It opened the opportunity to know the direction one is traveling when sky or landmarks were not available for orientation. For some it opened new opportunities for trade, for others conquest of new territories to rule and for others travel to a new place to call home.
The Invention of the Compass (4.23 min)
Sometimes...
Sometimes people change for the better. Alvaro M. Bedoya, recently on the Federal Trade Commission (appointed by Biden) before being fired by Trump, is an example*. He writes about the things that made him change into a populist and his story is very enlightening.
His appointment as a FTC commissioner (in 2022) was troublesome to begin with, at least in the usual Republican political circles. He had spent his career working on privacy and immigrant rights. It took a vote from Kamala Harris to overcome the 50/50 vote on his appointment. So, he was already controversial.
Here's a quote from the article (see link above) which he wrote about his change which is quite informative:
I used to think that the defining fight for our country was between the left and the right. Now, I am much more worried about the money at the top crushing everyone underneath.
~~ Armistice Parade
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~~ Russell Means by Bob Coronato CC BY 2.0
We spent last week as agritourists at Will Harris' White Oak Pastures in the small town of Bluffton, GA. I'll write an essay about the visit next month, but since I featured our local farm, Windy Hill, last week, we'll give farming a break and briefly look at at the current state of geopolitics below the fold.
