How to Fail at Almost Everything with Scott Adams


Published on Sep 14, 2017

Recorded on July 12, 2017 The Dilbert comic strip artist and political philosopher Scott Adams sits down with Peter Robinson to discuss his book How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big. He discusses with Peter his theory of “talent stacking,” the idea that rather than being an expert in one particular skill (i.e., Tiger Woods and golf), one can become successful by stacking a variety of complementary nonexpert skills. Adams demonstrates how talent stacking has been beneficial in his life because he has stacked comic artist skills with his MBA and experience in corporate environments to create a wildly successful comic strip that resulted in spin-off books, a television series, a video game, and merchandise. His business skills gave him the tools to create a business satire comic strip and the skill set to manage the business that evolved from that strip. Adams also discusses how he uses his Dilbert blog to discuss his political philosophies and observations about the Trump administration. He wrote blogposts about the 2016 election and predicted that Donald Trump would win based on President Trump’s talent stack as a media mogul and businessman who had spent significant time in the public eye so was immune to scandals and thick-skinned enough to handle what the media and other politicians would throw at him. Adams argues that President Trump is one of the best branders, influencers, and persuaders he has ever seen, in that the president uses persuasive techniques in debates and on social media as a way to get people to do what he wants. Adams contends that President Trump’s persuasive techniques will help solve the problem of North Korea because he has already set up China to get involved by intimating that it tried and failed. Adams believes this will cause China to get involved to save face. Scott Adams and Peter Robinson finish by chatting about Adams’s views on the story arc of life. Adams says that he believes he started intentionally selfish so that by the end of his life he can give away all of his wealth, knowledge, and wisdom, a process he says he has already begun. They also briefly discuss his new book, Win Bigly, about the persuasive strategies of Donald Trump. Scott Adams is releasing his new book, Win Bigly, in October 2017. For the full transcript go to http://www.hoover.org/research/how-fa… Interested in exclusive Uncommon Knowledge content? Check out Uncommon Knowledge on social media!

 

Obama for President: Michael Moore Calls on Michelle O. to Crush Trump


Published on Aug 2, 2019

Filmmaker Michael Moore calls on Michelle Obama to run for President as the only Democrat he’s confident could crush President Trump. She won’t be bullied or nicknamed, and she’s the most beloved and respected woman in the world. Will the man who did a Broadway show designed to bring down a president be able to sway the reluctant former First Lady to run? Bill Whittle Now is production of the Members at https://BillWhittle.com

 

U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr Successfully Convicts Flynn Intel Group – Sentencing October 18th…


The U.S. DOJ led by Attorney General Bill Barr celebrates the conviction of Bijan Rafiekian, 67, of San Juan Capistrano, CA, along with his co-conspirator, Kamil Ekim Alptekin, 42, of Istanbul, Turkey & the Michael Flynn Intelligence Group for: “conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government, conspiring to make false statements and willful omissions in a FARA filing, and acting as an agent of a foreign government.”

Despite the incredibly sketchy nature of the case; and despite a possibility any conviction will be dismissed by presiding judge Anthony J. Trenga; a jury has convicted Rafiekian, Alptekin and the Flynn Intel Group of not filing the correct FARA paperwork and therefore evidencing a conspiratorial intention to falsify documents.

DOJ Press Announcement – After three hours of deliberations a federal jury convicted a California man today on charges of conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government, conspiring to make false statements and willful omissions in a FARA filing, and acting as an agent of a foreign government.

John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and John P. Selleck, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the verdict.

“Today’s verdict should stand as a deterrent to any malign foreign influence that undermines the integrity of our political processes,” Assistant Attorney General John Demers said. “Through misrepresentations in his FARA filing, Mr. Rafiekian attempted to deceive the public and influence key leaders on behalf of Turkey. The Department of Justice treats these crimes with the gravity that they deserve.”

“Rafiekian was held accountable for his actions and found guilty by a jury of his peers,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “I want to thank the investigators and prosecutors for their thorough investigation, extensive briefing, and commitment to this case.”

[…]  According to court documents, the purpose of the conspiracy was to use FIG to delegitimize the Turkish citizen in the eyes of the American public and United States politicians, with the goal of obtaining his extradition, which was meeting resistance at the U.S. Department of Justice. At the same time, the conspirators sought to conceal that the Government of Turkey was directing the work.

However, not only was Rafiekian told by Alptekin that Turkish cabinet-level officials had approved the budget for the project, but Alptekin also told Rafiekian that he provided the Turkish officials updates on the work. Rafiekian understood that Alptekin was relaying the Turkish officials’ directions on the work to Rafiekian, Flynn, and others at FIG.

According to court documents, the scheme included using a Dutch shell company, Inovo, owned by Alptekin to act as FIG’s “client.” FIG was paid $600,000 in three installments from an account in Turkey in Alptekin’s name. After Alptekin made the payments to FIG, FIG kicked back 20 percent of the payments to Alptekin’s company in the Netherlands, with two such kickbacks being made.

Rafiekian faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison when sentenced on October 18. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  (DOJ LINK)

Michael Flynn Attorney Sidney Powell released the following statement:

Techno Fog@Techno_Fog

Statement from @SidneyPowell1 concerning the jury’s guilty finding against Bijan Rafiekian (Flynn Intel Group/FARA/951 case):

[Note – Rafiekian’s Motion for Judgment of Acquittal is still pending before the judge, who has taken it under advisement]

View image on Twitter

Techno Fog@Techno_Fog

US v. Rafiekian docs:

Jury instructions and verdict form for those curious.https://www.scribd.com/document/419538065/US-v-Rafiekian-Jury-Instructions 

View image on Twitter
157 people are talking about this

Sidney Powell 🇺🇸⭐⭐⭐@SidneyPowell1

A jury in Alexandria just returned verdicts of guilty against Mr. Rafiekian for “conspiracy & acting as an unregistered agent of Turkey.” We note: General Flynn has cooperated with the government for two years. Obviously they did not need his testimony to get a conviction.

Sidney Powell 🇺🇸⭐⭐⭐@SidneyPowell1

2. Significantly, the judge never even found enough evidence of a conspiracy to admit coconspirator hearsay. I remain very concerned about the government’s abuse of power and over- criminalization of innocent business conduct. No one understood the statute, and Covington lawyer-

568 people are talking about this

Sidney Powell 🇺🇸⭐⭐⭐@SidneyPowell1

3. who did the filing with substantial coordination with the –described the area of the law as “murky.”

The government could not articulate the elements of the offense, nor did it have any evidence to support it’s own definition of what was “material.”

View image on Twitter

Sidney Powell 🇺🇸⭐⭐⭐@SidneyPowell1

4. This case is ripe for reversal by the district court or on appeal. It will not withstand scrutiny.

In any event, General Flynn fulfilled his cooperation agreement with the government.”

View image on Twitter
896 people are talking about this

Why Hedge Funds Have Missed the Moves


COMMENT: Well, Ray Dalio was short the market, missed the rally, and lost almost 5% for the first half of the year. Obviously, they don’t use Socrates – lol.

LB

REPLY: I do not advise Bridgewater and I have no idea if they even subscribe to Socrates. But what you have to realize is that a lot of these hedge funds form their strategy based upon opinion for the broader view. When you have a portfolio of that size, you cannot simply trade it back and forth for each move. The question becomes critical as to where to draw the line to realize your broadview strategy is wrong.

I have stated many times that the trend does NOT begin to shift until you reach the Monthly Level. We saw that in Gold when it finally got through 1362.50 after nearly four years of bouncing off that number. In the case of the Dow Jones Industrials, our hedging models for institutions were long one month from the low and has remained in that position. This is just a hedging model which is either long or short. It at least tends to keep institutions on the right side of the trend for long periods of time.

Aside from the Reversal System, the Energy Model is extremely helpful in identifying the position of the market and if there is a risk of a crash or a rally. The Energy Model turned negative, demonstrating that there was no possibility of a crash as most analysts were forecasting from a gut perspective. A crash would have been possible ONLY if the Energy Model was at a peak. When it is testing the lows or a negative, it is warning that the energy in the market has already dissipated.

We are simply headed into a Monetary Crisis Cycle where the majority of people will never be able to forecast what will unfold from a personal gut perspective. This is not a time for lucky calls. We need objective time-tested analysis that is not clouded by human bias. This is when we need the global approach to let Socrates simply correlate the world to enable us to see the real trends that are in motion. The worst thing you can do is ASSUME you have missed something, as that is typically the kiss of death for investors where they inevitably buy the high or sell the low.

Weird Situation – President Trump Requests Consideration for U.S. Rapper A$AP Rocky Held in Stockholm…


At first blush this story is just odd.  A U.S. rap star has been held in prison for two weeks following a fight in Stockholm, Sweden.  Various people, including celebrities, have reached out to the White House and President Trump for help.  According to one report the administration was able to gain better holding conditions, but the entire story is weird.

Apparently the young American musician was stalked by a group prior to a concert, and a physical confrontation started.  Mr. Rocky’s (aka Rakim May) lawyers say the artist acted in self defense, apparently Swedish authorities consider the event very serious.

(Via Fox5) Urged on by the first lady and celebrities including Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West, the president had said in a Friday tweet that he would intervene to try to free Rocky, whose real name is Rakim May.

[…] The Swedish prime minister issued a statement earlier Saturday saying he would be glad to speak with Trump about A$AP Rocky’s detention but that his government “cannot and will not attempt to influence prosecutors or courts.”

“I understand that President Trump has a personal interest in the case….He has expressed the desire for a conversation with me, which is certainly positive,” Lofven said. “I will explain that the Swedish judicial system is independent. In Sweden, everyone is equal before the law, and this includes visitors from other countries.”

Rocky has been behind bars while Swedish police investigate the fight in Stockholm he allegedly was in before appearing at a music festival. Videos published on social media appear to show a person being violently thrown onto the ground by Rocky. A defense lawyer has said it was self-defense. (read more)

According to Page Six: “The White House has secured better jailhouse conditions for A$AP Rocky, Page Six has learned. The Harlem hip-hop star has been locked up in a Swedish prison for more than two weeks after he got in a street fight with two men who had been tailing him and his entourage through the streets of Stockholm. (more)

The incarceration without bail seems excessive, but from the action by the Swedish authorities perhaps the events were a bit more serious than currently understood.  As typical for a caturday, suspicious cat is in a holding pattern for more details while remaining suspicious….

Tucker Carlson Reviews The Democrat Presidential Candidates…


Fox News host Tucker Carlson points out the lack of factual differentiation between the two dozen remaining Democrat presidential candidates fighting to get to the top of the moral superiority platform.

Mitch McConnell Discusses Debt Ceiling, Budget and Possible Government Shutdown….


Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appears on Fox Business News with Maria Bartiromo to discuss President Trump, the Democratic Party’s shift to the left, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s comments, the budget battle, China trade tensions and issues with Iran.

President Trump Impromptu Presser Departing New Jersey (Video and Transcript)…


Chopper pressers are the best pressers.  Sunday evening as President Trump is departing New Jersey en route back to the White House he delivers remarks to the press pool and answers questions: [Video and Transcript]

[Transcript] – Morristown, New Jersey – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. We’ve had great economic numbers that came out. You saw that over the weekend; you saw it on Friday. We have just spectacular economic numbers. We’re doing better than any nation on the planet. And we’re very honored by that.

In addition to which, we’re paying interest rates, which the previous administration essentially didn’t pay. So we’ve had tremendous numbers coming out and that’s a big thing. Our economy is doing incredibly.

I want to congratulate the women’s soccer team on winning the World Cup. That’s an incredible achievement. It was a very exciting game. I got to see a little bit of it. And they’re great players, and it’s a great honor to have them capture it for the United States — fourth time — and that’s a tremendous thing. So congratulations to the team on the World Cup.

And if you have any questions, go ahead.

Q Iran says it’s going to start enriching and breaking the Iran deal. What do you say to that?

THE PRESIDENT: Iran better be careful because you enrich for one reason — and I won’t tell you what that reason is, but it’s no good. They better be careful.

Q Mr. President, do you have a reaction to the British ambassador’s comments that were reported about today?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I haven’t seen it. But, you know, we’ve had our little ins and outs with — with a couple of countries. And I would say that the UK and the ambassador has not served the UK well, I can tell you that. We’re not — we’re not big fans of that man, and he has not served the UK well. So I can understand it. And I can say things about him, but I won’t bother.

Q On the census — any decision on the census and what you’ll do?

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, we’re moving ahead with the census. They’re spending $15 billion or some ridiculous amount of money on a census. I don’t know why we can’t do that through the computers of the world because, frankly, that’s the way you can do a census today and probably a lot more accurately.

But they’re spending 15 to 20 billion dollars on a census. They’re asking everything, except “Are you a citizen of the United States?” How ridiculous is that? So we are moving forward; we have a couple of avenues. And our Attorney General is doing a fantastic job, in many ways, and I think he’s got it under control.

Q What about a presidential memorandum? What about a presidential memorandum on the border?

THE PRESIDENT: We can do a memorandum. We can do an executive order. We’re looking at different things, but there are other alternatives. And, again, I believe our Attorney General — he’s a fantastic man and I think he’s got it very well under control.

Q Mr. President, can I ask you, sir, about the border — in particular, the conditions there?

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, I think the New York Times story is a hoax. I think anything the New York Times writes nowadays –they’re — they’re really — you know, they use the word “unhinged” — the New York Times. I call it the “failing New York Times” for a reason. Check out their unfunded liability and see what they’re worth. They’re a failing — they’re already a failed New York Times.

But when they write a story like that, I went to my people, and they said, “Sir, it’s not true.” We told them about a crisis. They said it was “manufactured.” They laughed and they scoffed for months, and then it turned out that it wasn’t manufactured. It’s a crisis. We were right about that.

We told them that the detention centers are really full, and they’ve got to change the loopholes and they have to change asylum; they have to change the immigration laws. We could do it quickly, but we have no votes to do it because the Democrats won’t vote. We need some of their votes.

But the New York Times story is a fabrication. Now, I look at things in the — I saw, visually — I had people there that told me the job that they are doing is incredible. And, in all cases, if you look — people that came from unbelievable poverty — that had no water, that had no anything where they came from — those are people that are very happy with what’s going on because, relatively speaking, they’re in much better shape right now.

The Border Patrol and all of the law enforcement that’s working on the border — it’s incredible what they’re doing. They’ve had to become nurses. They’ve had to become janitors. They’ve had to become things that they were never trained to do, all because the Democrats refuse to change the loopholes and the asylum laws, the immigration laws. So I think it’s a disgrace.

And the New York Times is basically a partner with the Democrats, the way I look at it. They should never be allowed to write stories like that. It’s a disgrace.

Q Did the numbers fall in June (inaudible)?

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, the numbers are going down because Mexico is doing a lot. Mexico is building up to over 20,000 soldiers at the border, so the numbers are going down. Yes.

Q Do you believe female athletes should be paid as much as their male counterparts?

THE PRESIDENT: I would like to see that. And you also have to look at numbers because, when you look at World Cup soccer, that’s one thing, and you also have to look at soccer professionals out there. You have to see who’s taking in what.

So I don’t know what those numbers are. I would like to see that. But, again, you have to look at the great stars of the men’s soccer and the great stars of the women’s soccer, and you have to see, year round, how are they all drawing — what’s the attendance for women’s soccer outside of World Cup. But I would like to see it, yes.

Q Mr. President, do have any comment on Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I don’t know about it. That I don’t know about.

Q Will you invite the women’s team to the White House?

THE PRESIDENT: What?

Q Will you invite the women’s team to the White House — the soccer team?

THE PRESIDENT: We haven’t really thought about it. We will look at that, certainly.

Yeah, Jeff.

Q When you said earlier that Iran should “be careful,” what are you thinking about, in terms of a response?

THE PRESIDENT: Iran is doing a lot of bad things. And remember this: The Obama agreement, which was the most foolish agreement that you’ll ever find — it expires in a very short period of time. So whether you have this conversation now or in a number of years from now — a few number of years — it’s a very important conversation, except, the way they want it, they would have automatic right to have nuclear weapons. Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.

Thank you very much.

Q (Inaudible) this week on China — Ambassador Lighthizer and Secretary Mnuchin, I guess, would they meet with the Chinese this week?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we’re doing very well with China. That’s right; they’re meeting. But we’re — most importantly, we’re doing very well with the tariffs. We’re taking in billions and billions of dollars from China. We’ve never taken in ten cents from China. China has ripped us off during Obama and Biden; during, in all fairness, Bush and other Presidents; and Clinton, obviously.

And right now China is not very happy because thousands of companies are leaving China and they’re going to other places, including the United States, because they don’t want to pay tariffs. And the other thing is, China is paying the tariff. They’re devaluing their currency and they’re pumping money in. That’s paying for the tariff. Our people have not been paying for the tariff.

Thank you.

Q Do you have any problem with the Fed then, with regard to what they should do?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, if the Fed knew what it was doing, they would lower rates and they would stop quantitative tightening.

If you look at Europe, what they’re doing is they’re pumping money in and they’re having rates lowered so they can compete with us. Just remember, the European Union was set up in order to compete with the United States. Okay? And when they have a man — Draghi — if you look at what he’s done, I mean, he’s made them somewhat competitive. Now, despite everything, they’re not doing well and we’re doing great. Europe is not doing well at all. They’re doing great.

But we’re put in an unfair playing field when they cut interest rates and when they pump in a lot of money. And we’re doing just the opposite; we’re taking money out and interest rates have gone up.

If the Fed didn’t do what it did or if it did even half, we would have a Dow that would be — as good as it is; we’re doing so good — but we would have a Dow that would be anywhere from 5- to 10,000 points higher.

Q Is Jerome Powell’s job safe, sir?

Q Mr. President, will you visit the migrant detention center in Clint, Texas — the one in the New York Times story?

THE PRESIDENT: What we’re going to do is I’m going to start showing some of the detention centers because — to the press. I want the press to go in and see them. And I just spoke to Mark Morgan. And I just spoke with, as you know, Kevin.

So we’re going send people in. We’re going to have some of the press go in and see them, because they’re crowded and we’re the ones who were complaining about they’re crowded. They’re crowded because people come up. But, now, thanks to Mexico, it’s slowing down greatly, and I think you’ll start seeing some very good numbers. But it is crowded. But we want to have the press go in and see because, you know, the New York Times — it really is fake news.

Thank you everybody.

Q Is Jerome Powell’s job safe, sir?

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much everybody.

[End Transcript]

Jordan Peterson: From the Barricades of the Culture Wars


Published on Jun 27, 2018

From the Aspen Ideas Festival, recorded Tuesday, June 26, 2018. Jordan Peterson, author of the best-selling 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, may be one of the most famous intellectuals in North America today. He also may be among the most misunderstood. His fans say that he’s saved their lives, and detractors say that he’s the gateway drug to the alt-right. Who is this psychologist-philosopher whom so many of us had never heard of two years ago, and what does he really believe? Featuring Jordan Peterson in conversation with Bari Weiss. Hosted in the St. Regis Hotel Ballroom, Aspen, Colorado.

Slavery Reparations: What’s the Republican Answer to Pandering Democrats?


Published on Jun 21, 2019

As pandering Democrats push reparations for slavery, what’s the Republican answer to address issues like institutional racism, poverty, unequal justice, failing schools, and other problems and grievances? Is it enough to just say ‘No’ to reparations, or should the GOP have a positive, creative program to address problems, many of which are caused by government? Right Angle is a production of the Members of BillWhittle.com , who invite you to join them at https://BillWhittle.com/register/