A bit of trivia to occupy the mind

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The original handshake

To The Times

You report that handshaking can be traced back at least to the Ancient Greeks. In fact, it is of Zoroastrian origin. On Nemrut Dag, in the Taurus mountains in Turkey, there is a rock carving from the time of King Antiochus I, in the first century BC, showing the assembly of the gods in which Antiochus is invested with kingship. The sign of the transference of divine power from god to his earthly representative is the shaking of hands. This is just one of several ways in which this ancient and largely forgotten religion has shaped our conventions and beliefs.  (Dominic Kirkham, Manchester, The Week 18 April 2020)

My comment:  Now, suddenly, we cannot shake hands at all.  It seems unnatural.  Shaking someone’s hand is an act of acceptance, welcome and good manners.

I remember my father impressing on me the importance of a firm, manly handshake, which, he thought, told the other person volumes about you as an individual – and a potential employee. That went with a smile, of course, whereas a glum look and a flaccid, sweaty hand did not impress, nor did it’s owner get the job.

1.2 billion dollars couldn’t do it

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”Michael Bloomberg spent $1.2 billion on his failed presidential bid making it the most expensive in history, according to campaign finance filings.

”Bloomberg self-funded his 104-day attempt to secure the Democratic nomination, but only one primary contest: the tiny territory of American Samoa. Arguably, He entered the contest too late. He was not on the ballot in the first four Democratic state contests, and staked his fortune on Super Tuesday on March 3 when 14 states and one territory held their votes. But he failed to record any first or second places in states on Super Tuesday, coming third in seven and fourth in seven others. He suspended his campaign the next day but still paid $176 million for staffing, advertising and other costs last month, according to his filing with the Federal Election Commission.

”Mr Bloomberg, 78, was crushed by the resurgence of Joe Biden, the former vice-president, who looked down and out after the first two votes in Iowa and New Hampshire but staged a remarkable comeback to become the presumptive nominee.  Mr Biden, 77, has so far spent $76 million on his presidential campaign, less than one fifteenth of Mr Bloomberg’s splurge and all raised from donors.

”The Bloomberg campaign spend compares with the $969 million Hillary Clinton spent in 2016 and Trumps spend of $531 million on his run. He appeared ill prepared for his first television debate on February 19 when he responded weakly to attacks from Elizabeth Warren, 70, a senator from Massachusetts.

“Mr Bloomberg lured many experienced Democratic activists to work for his campaign and two class action lawsuits were launched by former staff claiming that he had promised to pay them until November’s election but had cut them off without the money they expected, leaving them without healthcare insurance.”(an edited version of an article from The Times, London today,m

My take: Reassuring really.  At least it isn’t so easy to buy the presidency. The emphasis on money raised is obscene.  There should be public funding for elections – a set amount, and you are disqualified if you cheat.  This would put the emphasis on ideas, character and policies and reduce the corruption we see as big donors with no experience in governing are “rewarded” with government posts and ambassadorships.  And yet most people seem to support this unsupportable systems d are governed accordingly.

 

A refreshing story

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Shake Shack is returning a $10 million federal loan after the Paycheck Protection Program that was meant to help small businesses ran put of money in less than two weeks of operation. The burger chain and other large businesses were able to get the money because the program covers any company with fewer than 500 workers in a single location.

“Few, if any restaurants in America employ more than 500 people per location,” Shake Shack CEO Randy Garutti is quoted as saying. “That meant that Shake Shack — with roughly 45 employees per restaurant — could and should apply to protect as many of our employees’ jobs as possible.”

But now, the New York-based company will “immediately return the entire $10 million PPP loan received last week to the SBA so that those restaurants who need it most can get it now,” Garutti said.

Shake Shack employs nearly 8,000 people at its 189 U.S. restaurants, but only around 45 in each location. Its revenue for the first quarter of 2020 was $143 million, reflecting a sharp drop in same-store sales compared to March of 2019. The company, which has $104 million in cash and liquid assets, says it has secured other loans to cover the money that would have come from the SBA.

As Garutti  called the system “extremely confusing.”.  Listing ways to improve the system, Garutti said the government should begin with adding more money.”It’s inexcusable to leave restaurants out because no one told them to get in line by the time the funding dried up,” he said.

The PPP system should also link each restaurant to a local bank, he said, adding, “Too many restaurants have been left out of the program simply because they lacked a pre-existing banking or loan relationship.”

Noting the different COVID-19 peak times and infection rates that are being seen in different parts of the U.S., Garutti said a better plan would be to require businesses to rehire a percentage of their employees within six months of when their local economies are finally reopened.

Other high-profile loan recipients range from Ruth’s Chris Steak House to Potbelly Sandwich Shop.  But many independently owned businesses said they were left out after the relief program hit its $349 billion cap late last week.

Most of the PPP loans (74%) were for less than $150,000, according to the Small Business Administration.  But that represents only 17% of the total money disbursed through the program. Nearly 28% of the money was awarded to companies seeking loans of $2 million or more.(Why? they wouldn’t be small businesses.  Ed)

The food service and accommodation industry accounted for roughly 9% of all approved PPP funds — $30.5 billion. The leading sector was construction (13%), which accounted for some $45 billion.   (Copyright 2020 NPR.  20 April 2020)

My comment:  Bad homework, but then one expects help to be given to the big battalions.  At least some people have a sense of decency.

Background of a famous dispute (and murder)

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Analysis of the ice in an Alpine glacier has shed unexpected light on the murder of Thomas Becket, Henry II’s “turbulent priest”, 900 years ago. Scientists from the University of Nottingham have been tracking historical levels of airborne pollution by analysing the chemicals that were trapped in layers of ice as the Colle Gnifetti glacier, near Zermatt, formed. Atmospheric modelling suggests that during the 12th century, many of the chemicals deposited in the ice drifted over from northern England – a centre of mining and smelting at that time.

They found that in the period running up to Becket’s murder in 1170, levels of lead in the air dipped significantly – the result, they suggest, of England’s bureaucracy (which was largely run by the clergy) being paralysed during Henry’s dispute with the Archbishop of Canterbury. A decade later, there was a spike in pollution, as the penitent Henry built monasteries and churches, which needed large amounts of lead for roofing, to atone for Becket’s death. Chief researcher Prof Christopher Loveluck described the discovery of these correlations as an “X marks the spot” moment.(The Week, 

Relevance to Epicureanism?  None whatsoever.  But as an historian I thought it might be of interest – the side effect of national politics. Oh, and, I might add, a sidelight into how deeply political, powerful and threatening to the government the church was perceived to be in medieval days when an archbishop (in reality a courtier posing as a champion of the church) could challenge a king.

 

Epicurus would be aghast

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Between 1980 and 2018, research shows, the tax obligations of America’s billionaires, measured as a percentage of their wealth, have fallen 79 percent. Since last year at this time, the ranks of U.S. billionaires have increased from 607 to 614, their collective wealth from $3.111 to $3.229 trillion.

We have here in the United States today a tremendous amount of unevenly distributed wealth. This uneven distribution has left us with precious few resources for the public investments, in everything from hospitals, to the struggling postal service, to the medical medial research we need to keep us safe.  (Inequality.org)

My comment: When you see the millions of people now unemployed (and the government unable to get the unemployment benefit to them); when you see the lack of investment in hospital equipment and unpreparedness for a pandemic; when you see totally inadequate testing and the funds for the support of small businesses run out almost in days …..  then maybe, just maybe those for whom “government is the enemy” will begin to think about funding government properly, supporting decent healthcare for everyone, hiring good people instead of political cronies, and stop funneling millions to those who already have millions. In short grudgingly taking government seriously as a vital part of modern life and treating human being decently, like governments should.

I believe Epicurus, were he alive today, would say “Amen” or the Greek equivalent. It’s a matter of decency, consideration, thoughtfulness, humanity, decent treatment of the sick and poor……..(whoops! isn’t that what Christianity is supposed to be about?!).