occasional reflections on culture & politics
THE WORST KIND OF ANIMAL West Glacier, May 12th, 2023 – P#811 / the poem comes out at nightwhether the poet likes it or not connections are madeothers destroyedthis cruelest gamewhen the muse holds the writerin its thrall: the sense here appearingis removed from most thinkingbeholden to feelingto primaloriginaldeepestdarkest truths in whichit may become clearwhat… Continue reading #213: Poem: The Worst Kind of Animal
I recently re-watched an old Stargate SG-1 episode showing enemy spaceships en route to attacking Earth. Our human heroes – who are on one of those spaceships too because they were able to use the Stargate they had found on Earth – find unexpected help from an ally, who is convinced that Earth will send… Continue reading #212: We Need to Build the Future Now: Spaceflight is not Optional
Is the Pandemic Over?Let’s see. Is the virus gone? No. Is its reach no longer global? No, it is still global. Are case numbers going down? Possibly, but we have stopped testing and measuring. Since Johns Hopkins took their dashboard down, getting good numbers has been difficult. Are the number of Covid deaths going down?… Continue reading #211: Is the Pandemic Over?
I. Identity politics is bad, or so it goes. Everybody should be treated as an individual, judged on their own merits, and without any consideration of group identity, history, present politics, representation etc. In theory, that certainly sounds good. We are indeed all individuals. Whatever group we may belong to should also be our choice,… Continue reading #210: Why (Some Degree of) Identity Politics is Necessary
In the recent months, we have seen a race to implement artificial intelligence systems seemingly everywhere. Suddenly, AI is everywhere, and so is the concern about its safety. Things are developing quickly, and even my own recent interaction with a previous version of ChatGPT may now already be outdated. This development has created a backlash… Continue reading #209: We Need to Control Artificial Intelligence
Just now, I am listening to Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony, named after the iconic moment in time that Leningrad survived German aggression. Germany, in its quest to eradicate what was considered “unworthy life” inside and outside its borders, pushing an aggressive nationalist agenda, determined to gain “living space” for its “ethnically cleansed” “purely German” population, set… Continue reading #208: The Perversion of Everything Russian: From Leningrad to Mariupol
What is Democracy? The typical answer would be the “Rule of the People.” While this is the direct translation of the Greek term, it is instructive that the original term used for Athenian democracy was Isonomy – “same rights for everyone.” The word “democracy” was used alternatively with “ochlocracy” as meaning “mob rule.” Why is… Continue reading #207: Democracy Only Works with a Strong Separation of Powers
“Μόνοι γάρ τον τε μηδέν τῶνδε μετέχοντα οὐκ ἀπράγμονα, ἀλλ᾽ ἀχρεῖον νομίζομεν.” –“We alone regard a man who takes no interest in public affairs, not as a harmless, but as a useless character.”– Περικλῆς (Pericles), 430 BC, in Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 2.40, Jowett Translation “Just because you do not take an interest… Continue reading #206: The Importance of Being Political
I believe in peace. Nothing violates the dignity and existence of life like war. This is certainly clear, and there is not much controversial in such a statement. And yet, not everyone agrees. There are those who believe that war steels character, that it is a necessary cataclysm to bring about a clarifying and cleansing… Continue reading #205: If You Want Peace: Why We Must Help Ukraine
ПУТИН, ИДИОТ(PUTIN, YOU IDIOT) Путин, идиот,когда сам идёт,когда прочь идёш? тыпреступники надзиратель за преступниками:твои приказы - твои дела:убийца, насильник, поджигатель, мучитель,мелкий воришка и только бандит,убийца Чечни, Сирии, Грузии, Украины,угнетатель русских, белорусов и других народов,реабилитолог Сталина,головорез КГБ,воскреситель темницы народов,воскреситель гулага,воскреситель стукачества,воскреситель фашизма,разрушитель гласности,разрушитель перестройки,разрушитель демократии,разрушитель справедливостиразрушитель мира,уличный хулиган,лжец и детоубийца,тебе не стыдно? ты похититель фьючерсовразвратитель людейкак… Continue reading #204: Poem: Путин, идиот (Putin, You Idiot)
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