Blogging on history, nature, travel, and some quirky things.
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I'm not worried, of course, but the current controversy over AI made me think of Samuel Butler's dystopian novel, Erewhon; Or, Over the Range (1872). Butler's narrator in the novel is a New Zealand sheepherder in search of lost sheep. He gets lost in the mountains himself, and stumbles into an isolated civilization. "Erewhon" is an anagram for "Nowhere." Butler was following the example of Sir…
The following Trump dumps, or droppings, will be unredacted when the Epstein Files are released in their entirety, UNREDACTED. In the meantime, we should publish a list of the rich and influential males who ARE NOT IN THE EPSTEIN FILES. It's probably a smallish group. Breaking Things: TACO wins big! Gets Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before he attacked Iran. Billions well…
I currently reside in the UK, but lived in the US for much of my life. Many Brits I know or have overheard in pubs find the US political system extremely confusing. Trump's attack on Iran has prompted new questions about it; notably his ability to start a war without the approval of the so-called representatives of the people: Congress. OK, I know Brits find other things American confusing, like…
Sisyphus angered the gods. The gods punished Sisyphus by condemning him to push a large rock up a hill endlessly. Each time he pushed the rock near the top of the hill, it would roll back down to the bottom. As you can easily understand, this routine was both tiring and boring, a lot like working for a large corporation. Meaningless, it seemed. But Sisyphus managed to make the job more…
If they wish to save democracy, the leadership of the Democratic Party must start actually leading, showing more (some?) courage and genuine outrage, and never compromising with authoritarians. The Trump administration violates the law and constitution on a daily basis. The argument that as the minority party Democrats are helpless is bogus. The Republicans have never been helpless when in the…
The US is truly exceptional. What other country could have produced a leader as exceptional as Trump, a man who combined the talents of a gangster, grifter, bully, bullshitter, liar, pedophile, rapist, racist, fascist, traitor.... and elected him to the highest office in the land -- not once but twice. Under Trump.2, the US has become more exceptional than ever. His bellicose actions toward…
TRUMP has been trying to make himself the first King of the USA since a revolting people gave George III the boot in 1776. Laying aside the argument that the Donald is a much worse leader than the last king, the King of Orange should think twice about being on a throne, however golden. George III, a Far Better Man Than Trump The history of monarchy in the British Isles, which I know best, should…
The Death of Major Pierson by John Singleton Copley , 1782. Tate Britain The American Revolution was a struggle for liberty, but not in the uncomplicated way we learned in school, or by watching Mel Gibson' film, The Patriot . The traditional story holds that Patriots fought to free themselves from arbitrary taxation by an allegedly tyrannical king, George III. What is often left out is that…
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The present state of the USA demands a new declaration -- against Donald Trump and Trumpism. The original declaration of 1776 blamed George III for the conflict. Most of the blame lay with Parliament, but focusing on the king made the argument for independence simple: the people versus a tyrant. The argument is much stronger…
Global Warming As the world heats and burns My mind once more returns To more honest times past And it comes to me at last They called it global warming They meant it as a warning Of terrible things to follow If we continued to wallow In our carbon-fuelled delusion Promoted by careful collusion Among oil and auto guys Who peddled us sweet lies They calmed our silly fears And we returned to our…
