Chickens and Slopes
11/03/2004 03:05 p.m.
Sometimes a little chicken can be soup for the soul, bringing the laughter of silliness and the pleasure of our idiosyncratic indulgences between friends, back. A nice stress and tension release indeed.

When I was studying some Economics the other day, (from Economics, Canada in the Global Environment, by Parkin and Bade) about world trade agreements, free trade, etc. I found the subject going down quite smoothly as it relates to human experience easily.

One of the benefits (or purposes)to eliminating tariff barriers between two countries, is that
it cuts down friction between them.

Another (probably obvious but good to see spelled out) economics fact was from looking at line graphs, and the slope. “In a positive (direct) relationship - variables move together in the same direction: upward sloping.

In a negative (inverse) relationship - variables move in opposite directions: downward sloping.

A straight line, linear relationship, has constant slope.

Slope of a relationship is change in value of variable on y-axis divided by change in value of variable on x-axis.

Relationships with a maximum/minimum :
- Relationship slopes upward, reaches a maximum (zero slope) and then slopes downward.
- Relationship slopes downward, reaches a minimum (zero slope), and then slopes upward.

Unrelated (independent) variables - one variable changes while the other remains constant; graph is vertical or horizontal straight line.

The latter is also of course referred to in many books on human relationships. These concrete facts and images given in a no-nonsense fashion as in mathematics, seem to simplify the problems and the successes of relationships clearly.

After all this, re-reading a poem, with its graphics, after seeing a bright yellow chicken and a Col. Sanders look-a-like and the fun of all the discussion about that, reminded me once again how incredibly too seriously we take life sometimes and need to laugh at ourselves more.

I may have digressed from the linear in this treatise, but hey, it worked for me.
I am currently Crafty
I am listening to Majic l00