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Very few things have a single cause. There is always the underlying and the apparent cause. In the excellent observation you make, perhaps the answer is both?

BRC
http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

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Huge fan of photosynthesis.

BRC
http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

Is God Dead? OR Is Humor Dead?

If we want to get academical about this then there is always the corn belt. Yes, the good ol’ fashioned corn belt, it’s right above you.

“The Midwest U.S. corn belt is the most productive place on Earth—there’s more photosynthesis going on here than even in the Amazon.”

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/under-summer-sun-midwest-corn-belt-most-biologically-productive-place-earth-180950460/?no-ist

What’s so academical about this fun fact? It’s the fact that role models are as about as interesting as photosynthesis occurring on the corn belt to most people it seems.

Someone I knew who was a classic degenerate golf pro died on a bar stool the other week. It was amazing to see all of the other people who like to hang out with alcoholic degenerates but couldn’t do it as well, not show up for the memorial. He had a great personality no self control, father died at 16 blah blah blah, we’ve heard it all before. Was an Italian family and the family was a train wreck for the next 30 years and still is because of the father’s death.

Long live Chris Rock. I wonder who Chris would pick? Richard Pryor?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPDetBACaU0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3D6Qc6uByo

While getting one person that much of a role model is asking a lot, can pick and choose from people very good in various respects and, in ones own life, combine those.

I’m not thrilled about giving a lot of weight to people who went to the top in politics, academics, or the military because necessarily there will be each 4 or 8 years a POTUS, there will be some chaired full professors and university presidents, and there will be some four star generals, five stars given a sufficiently big war. Especially in politics, can get to POTUS for some really flimsy reasons, e.g., racial or gender affirmative action. Some people get to the top of academics because they are glad hands, good money getters, or blowhards. Some people get to the top of the military because they are brown noses, e.g., of the POTUS.

But for some names:

For POTUS, Ike, FDR, …, Lincoln, Jefferson, and Washington.

From science and mathematics, Einstein, Schroedinger, von Neumann, going back, Maxwell and Newton.

From the military, GCM, Ike, Nimitz, maybe some more recent ones: Mattis? Was watching Midway again last night: Nimitz made the right call in the face of big dangers. Too bad he didn’t have his bombers be more accurate and his air crews able to coordinate. Still he won one of the biggest naval victories in history. There also have to count Rochefort. Later the Navy dumped on Rochefort — big, huge mistake.

A lot that Gates did was smart and hard work and not just luck.

I toss in James Simons. On his own, away from Wall Street, he totally blew away Wall Street.

In academics, I have some additional favorites — Kolmogorov, Tukey, Halmos, Doob.

Engineering? Kelly Johnson.

For me, there are some more but not a lot more.

http://themusingsofthebigredcar.com/exemplars/

BRC
http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com