Category Archives: Human Nature

The Latest Display by the Despicables

You can’t escape it. He keeps topping himself. Items today are all about Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally yesterday. With some concluding thoughts about human nature and that famous William Gibson quote. CNN, 28 Oct 2024: Trump unveils the most … Continue reading

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Latest Shenanigans, and Others

Trump: the media are “enemies of the people”; Billionaire owners of LA Times and WaPo refuse to allow their papers to endorse Harris; Trump spells out his facist intentions; NYT says, believe him; Trump offered to pay for a soldier’s … Continue reading

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Car Hits Power Pole

Short post today, since as I was sitting down to write it, an hour and a half ago now, the power went out. This was around 4:20pm. I sat and read a book. Power back about 5:40. Car hit power … Continue reading

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Notes About the Real World

Let’s look at some non-political items today. Three critical thinking tools used by Daniel Dennett; Eight principles of lifelong learning from an astrophysicist; Adam Lee on our solarpunk future — technology that exists now, but isn’t widely distributed; Scientific American … Continue reading

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It Has to Make Sense, Somehow

Robert Reich wonders how this race can still be tied, and reflects on bullies; With relevant items about Charlie Kirk, and Russian operatives, and a scamvangelist; An extensive guide to Trump’s lifetime of scandals; A video about the actual integrity … Continue reading

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Factory Settings

The idea of “factory settings” as describing base human nature, and how some people can transcend them; A woman wonders if religion is the only way to instill her child with “scaffolding for spirituality and morality” (answer: no); Richard Dawkins … Continue reading

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The Myths Americans Live By

A person’s history affects how he views the world; so too does a nation’s history affects its perceived position in the world, and its place in history. And every nation, or at least most nations, think it is very special, … Continue reading

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Further Notes from Our Report on the Third Planet

What would alien spectators taking notes on modern American society observe? Society is unsettled, and political compromises are fragile; yet those advocating actual violence are a minority (Adam Lee) Society has developed high principles to overcome tribal conflicts, but while … Continue reading

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Changing the Subject

About last night’s Vice Presidential debate, and how Vance kept changing the subject; How Vance’s contempt for climate change science belies his purported concern for children, and reflects this recent Cory Doctorow column about marshmallow longtermism; How Vance’s conversion to … Continue reading

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Cynicism, Lies, Incompetence

Recalling Reagan and his cynicism about the government; And lies about Hurricane Helene response, climate change, and about everything over one 24-hour period; My anticipation of how long it will take for Trump fans to realize how incompetent and moronic … Continue reading

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