April 25 2022 - Where are they - the working classes?

 

What a question I have.  Who are the working classes? That's the headline from the National Post - The working classes are a volcano waiting to erupt.  Joel Kotkin is the author.   It must be an opinion piece, because the first sentence goes like this: "Whatever the final outcome, the recent French elections have already revealed the comparative irrelevance of many elite concerns, from genderfluidity and racial injustice to the ever-present ‘climate catastrophe’. Instead, most voters in France and elsewhere are more concerned about soaring energy, food and housing costs." It is a "harsh reality" opinion piece about the declining state of wealth of the middle class.  We would rather look at lucky numbers rather than try to solve the declining opportunity and wealth of the middle class, where college graduates still fail to find decent employment and the service sector has been devastated by the Pandemic.  How silly can lucky numbers be?  Did you know about Jennifer Lopez' lucky number?  It is highlighted in the bottom of the MSN news feed with all those click bait articles.   "She was born on Thursday July 24th 1969, in Bronx, New York, United States. With a Personal Lucky Number 9 Jennifer Lopez has been blessed with a Personal Lucky Number that may be every bit as inherently full of good fortune as a 3. Indeed, it has been argued by some that the 9, being 3 squared is even more powerful than the 3." Why are there subsequent numbers then? Number 8 and Number 2.  And the different numbers come from the same source. Her Personality Number is 8, and Her Life Path Number is 2.  I guess there's some distinction.  There are lots of  articles on her and various lucky numbers.    "The most critical number in Lopez's numerology chart is based on the date of her birth - the moment when the curtain went up in Jennifer Lopez's life." That isn't actually the latest news on J Lo, though.  It is her abs. "Abs are Killer as she rocks a velvet crop top at the iHeart radio music awards." Makes for silly stuff in comparison to the social unrest of the working classes about to explode like a volcano because of their sinking status and wages.  What a mixing of metaphors.  Our picture today? Pretty reflections at Pearl Morissette Restaurant.

That Lucky Number Seven

We're coming up to St. Patrick's Day and it reminds us that we have an orientation towards luck.  It seems tome that mathematicians moved the term 'lucky number' into number theory.  The wikipedia entry says that it is a 'natural number' in a set which is generated by a certain 'sieve'. While the article describes a methodology that is usually seemingly obscure to us lay people, the origin isn't obscure.  It is termed the Josephus problem.   "The problem is named after Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian living in the 1st century. According to Josephus' account of the siege of Yodfat, he and his 40 soldiers were trapped in a cave by Roman soldiers. They chose suicide over capture, and settled on a serial method of committing suicide by drawing lots. Josephus states that by luck or possibly by the hand of God, he and another man remained until the end and surrendered to the Romans rather than killing themselves." I found this an astounding story.  The wikipedia entry goes on to say that the details of the mechanism remained vague. Various mathematicians have suggested various methods - e.g. arranging the men in a circle and counting by threes to determine the order of elimination.   You can find the solution HERE. The answer is that the problem is solved when every second person is killed - but there is quite a few calculations to get to that. So a lucky number turns out to be Josephus and his companion's 'positions' in the circle.   Well, back to the social unconscious of us humans.  Here are some of the inputs to what make us humans consider some numbers to be lucky numbers: 7 - seven days of the week, 7 colours in the rainbow, 7 seas, 7 continents 3 - on the count of three, third time's the charm, three's a crowd, three strikes and you're out... 4 - four seasons, 4 elements, 4 points on the compass, four-leafed clover 8 - 8 planets, 8 notes in a musical octave See each number and its relevant luckiness summary HERE.  Today's a train day with a visit to the Sundance Layout.  Here's a picture with a person in the setting so you can get a sense of size.