Speaking of Declinism . . . . 0
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gene Collier reminds us that the amount of time on the clock is declining.
“The Good Old Days” 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Eva M. Krockow takes a look at what she calls “declinism,” which I would loosely describe as the notion that the world is going to hell in a handbasket coupled with a yearning for the mythical good old days. She suggests that this feeling is can be fed by news reporting, which quite naturally focuses on stuff that goes wrong, and by politicians seeking to appeal to persons’ fears and unease. She closes her piece with some suggestions as to how to avoid declining into declinism.
A couple of snippets (emphasis added):
(sni0
One example of political declinism includes the Brexit campaign slogan “Take Back Control,” which implied the need to regain sovereignty to prevent further decline. Another example is Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign slogan “Make America Great Again,” which suggested that things were better in the past.
Methinks this a timely read.
Afterthought:
You might ask some Brits how Brexit is working out is working out for them. (Hint: It isn’t.)
The Privatization Scam 0
And it is a scam.
The Arizona Republic’s Laurie Roberts runs the numbers and shows that you can voucher on that.
A Pet Theory 0
Thom wonders whether we are witnessing a case of psychological projection.
Stray Question 2
When did “who has the ugliest grill/front end?” become the standard against which automobile designers measure themselves?
A Notion of Immigrants 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Joseph A. Shrand considers why so many would dehumanize those from other countries and cultures, aka “aliens.” Here’s a tiny bit from his essay; follow the link for the complete article.
This New Gilded Age 0
Robert Reich explains why Donald Trump’s economic (what some are able to refer to without laughing at) policies will harm the polity.
Or you can read the transcript.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
More courtesy on the concrete.
Giddens then turned the gun towards Guida’s truck where his three children, ages 13, 11 and 2 years old, were and pulled the trigger.
Just another day in NRA Paradise . . . .
All the News that Fits 0
Dick Polman deciphers the duplicity. Here’s how he states the problem:
But last week she did something historically bold that checked all three boxes…and guess what: Barely anyone paid attention.
You gotta wonder why. But read on, because I know why.
Follow the link for the whys.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
Responsible for its actions? You must be joking.
Here’s a bit from the report by El Reg (emphasis added):
LinkedIn thus takes after its parent, which recently revised its Service Agreement to make clear that its Assistive AI should not be relied upon.
LinkedIn, however, has taken its denial of responsibility a step further: it will hold users responsible for sharing any policy-violating misinformation created by its own AI tools.
H/T Le Show for its coverage of AI (and many other items that don’t get the attention that they deserve).
Republican Thought Police 0
In an article from the the Washington Monthly, Smith College professor Carrie N. Baker takes a deep dive into right-wing plans, as detailed in Project 2025, to turn the nation’s colleges and universities into engines of wingnut indoctrination.
No summary or excerpt will do her article justice. Just go read it.
The Crypto Con 0
I am not as charitable as Mike and Farron. They seem to concede that there might be somewhere somehow some legitimacy to crypto.
I think they are, as my old boss used to day, “in error.”
As far as I can tell, crypto is the most fiat of fiat currencies. It’s backed by nothing and no one and has value only because persons think it has value. It is the tulip of the computer age.
It persists only because persons will believe stuff that they see on computer screens when they would not believe the same stuff if it happened in real life before their eyes.
The Appeal 0
Grung_e_Gene offers a theory as to Trump’s appeal.
Methinks he’s onto something. Follow the link for his reasoning.