Topics: Civics, COVID-19, Epidemiology, Existentialism, Politics With all due respect to the recently departed former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, she started using the phrase “indispensable nation” after political reporter Sydney Blumenthal coined it. From Foreign Policy Magazine: In his memoir of the Clinton presidency, The Clinton Wars, Blumenthal elaborated on what the phrase was intended to represent: “OnlyContinue reading “Dystopian and Unthinkable…”
Category Archives: Civics
Breadbaskets and War…
Topics: Biology, Civics, Civil Rights, Climate Change, Democracy, Existentialism, Politics The cornucopia’s history lies in Greek mythology. There are a lot of different stories it might have originated from, but the most common one tells the story of the lightning god, Zeus. As an infant, Zeus was in great danger from his father, Cronus. ZeusContinue reading “Breadbaskets and War…”
Kalashnikovs and Switchblades…
Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Existentialism, Fascism, Human Rights Note: Coming up for air (briefly). Still writing the dissertation. My plan is to post Tuesday – Friday of next week. Blogging will be my sanity in an insane world. Using pictures out of Ukraine showing a crumpled metallic airframe, open-source analysts of the conflict there say they haveContinue reading “Kalashnikovs and Switchblades…”
The Shattering (re-repost)…
Topics: Civics, Existentialism, History, Politics I’m re-reposting this because it contains a lot of information that, unfortunately, is still applicable in our current crisis. Yes, I’m still typing my dissertation, despite the apocalypse. ***** This was originally posted on March 31, 2017. I’ve updated it with the YouTube video by Channel 4 London on CambridgeContinue reading “The Shattering (re-repost)…”
Spitballing…
Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Existentialism, Fascism, Human Rights Note: title inspired by a tweet from Congressman Adam Schiff. In Congress, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them withContinue reading “Spitballing…”
Endgame…
Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Existentialism, Fascism, Human Rights Happy New Year, of a sort. This kind of post would appear on a Friday, but it appears today on the one-year anniversary of an insurrection that one party that attempted it, is denying that they did try to overthrow the government. “Problem 1. Suppose that weContinue reading “Endgame…”
Borders, Corporations, Race, and Ubuntu…
Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Existentialism, Fascism, Human Rights, Star Trek “We should do away with the absolutely specious notion that everybody has to earn a living. It is a fact today that one in ten thousand of us can make a technological breakthrough capable of supporting all the rest. The youth of today are absolutelyContinue reading “Borders, Corporations, Race, and Ubuntu…”
Willful Ignorance…
Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Climate Change, Existentialism, History, Human Rights There is a high price for willful ignorance. The above is Dr. Carl Sagan, an Astrophysicist, five years fresh off of the success of the original Cosmos series. He’s speaking about mitigating the effects of greenhouse gases, what is now referred to as global warmingContinue reading “Willful Ignorance…”
Kristallnacht…
Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Democracy, Existentialism, Fascism, Human Rights Amid the GOP’s nationwide push against teaching about race and sexuality in schools, two members of the Spotsylvania County School Board in Virginia advocated for burning certain books, according to the Fredericksburg-based Free Lance-Star newspaper. This came as the school board directed staff to begin removing “sexually explicit” booksContinue reading “Kristallnacht…”
The Incredible Callousness of Being…
Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Existentialism, Fascism, Human Rights Title source: The Unbearable Lightness of Being, a 1984 novel by Milan Kundera. The White House correspondent slot is a coveted perch in Washington, DC, media real estate. After landing an excellent job and a press pass, a select few of journalism’s crème de la crème getContinue reading “The Incredible Callousness of Being…”
Physics and Nano 