🖋️ LongForm
Want to reduce the noice and just focus on things with a little more meat - the this category is for you. Like so much on this site we have a ‘WIP’ as i take some out - and put some in - but safe for at least starting in 2026.
Shameful
Written about this before - writing about it again.
The most common strategy among Trump-supporting Republicans, at least so far, is to denounce Trump’s comments without rescinding support.That list includes …
- Ted Cruz of Texas
- Roy Blunt of Missouri
- Richard Burr of North Carolina
- Ron Johnson of Wisconsin
- John McCain of Arizona
- David Perdue of Georgia
- Rob Portman of Ohio
- Marco Rubio of Florida
- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker
- Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin
- Kevin McCarthy of California
- Steve Scalise of Louisiana
- Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington
I Want To Punch Him In The Face
More recently, the Guardian had this ....
Actor and director Robert de Niro gives his take on the US presidential election, and on Republican nominee Donald Trump in particular, as part of a campaign urging people to vote in the 8 November poll. De Niro is one of a number of celebrities who took part in the #VoteYourFuture initiative but his scathing contribution was considered to be too partisan to be included in the final campaign, and was instead released separately by the producers on Friday
In case you were wondering - I am with Robert.
Which Is Worse?
These people are so far on the wrong side of history …
Ryan, the top-ranking Republican in Washington, said he was “sickened†by the recording and that Trump would no longer appear at what would have been their first campaign event together in Ryan’s home state of Wisconsin on Saturday. Trump confirmed that his running mate, the Indiana governor, Mike Pence, would take his place at the Republican county festival.
Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, said Trump’s remarks were “unacceptable in any circumstanceâ€.
But neither of the Republican leaders withdrew their endorsements of Trump.… Read All About It.
Reunion
Every year, UEA - my alma mater - has a global reunion. I attended my first one last week. I cannot believe that there were so many people that attended my University in the sleepy town of Norwich, East Anglia (that's in England folks) .... that now live in the Bay Area !
White Privilege
If you have an aversion to hearing Cruz's voice - and I do understand - then scroll through to the start of minute 2.
Trevor Noah absolutely nails it.
Fair and Balanced
Just 7 LINKS to share today.
To save you the click through - they are all about a Samsung 7 bursting into flames. Old news you might think. Actually - no. These links all point to today's story of how this one is one of the replacement phones that were exchanged for a faulty one!
You cannot make this stuff up - and I will say it again - IF THIS WAS APPLE - the mainstream media wouldn't have time to cover the election, because there would be so much coverage about Apple's problems.
Seems We Do Employ People To Spy On Us
A National Security Agency (NSA) contractor has been arrested and charged with stealing highly classified information, U.S. authorities said Wednesday, a data breach that could result in a damaging new leak about the U.S. government’s surveillance efforts.
The contractor worked for Booz Allen Hamilton.
.. and no - it wasn't Edward Snowden. It’s another one that Juan Cole explores in this excellent read.
All I am wondering is how long it will be before BAH is sued, charged, anything over placing spies into the Government.
If not that - then maybe at least stopping them from working with the Government?
#JustAsking
Is It Time To Stand Up Yet?
From Bertrand Russell to Oswald Mosley
It is always difficult to decide on how to respond to people whose ethos is so alien and, in fact, repellent to one’s own. It is not that I take exception to the general points made by you but that every ounce of my energy has been devoted to an active opposition to cruel bigotry, compulsive violence, and the sadistic persecution which has characterised the philosophy and practice of fascism.
The whole letter - with the context can be read over on Maria Popova's excellent site 'Brain Pickings'.
In case you are wondering who Oswald Mosley is ... think Trump, in the 30s, in the UK, but actually elected.
History continue to repeat itself. Oh wait - that's right nobody is actually standing up to Trump!
In Case You Were Thinking Something Different ...
Time is now to spread your voice,
Time's to come there'll be no choice,
Why do you feel small,
It happens to us all.
... as 'writ' by The Moody Blues
... and in case you are wondering just how small, this should put it all into perspective.
To The Crazy Ones
This is too good to not add to the flow, even though I had already posted about this earlier today.
Maybe It's Digital - Not Virtual - 'Reality'
Lots of news. Lots of commentary. Lots of noise about Virtual Reality. Augmented Reality. And it got me to thinking.
It takes about two seconds to find an article on the internet asking whether we are real. Even postulating that the universe itself might in fact just be a simulation. Like this one for example.
'Virtual Reality', by definition describes a reality that is (nearly) like ours (that is after all the original meaning of the word 'virtual'). How long therefore before 'virtual reality and 'real reality' are essentially indistinguishable? And then what?
I have a feeling that just as the iPhone is actually a misnomer - yes it is a phone - but the name belies the underlying power of the device that so many people carry in their hands. And there are many more historical artifacts such as
- Unused 'footage' from a movie, and who hasn't asked for
- a 'dial in' number, when seeking to join an online conference call.
Fast forward to the future ... we will have
- the reality that we 'know '- that which most people consider to be their physical space
- the online reality - an alternative reality that is 'in the computers'
- the augmented reality - where the computer's reality is layered on our physical space
It might make more sense to think of it all in terms of
- physical reality - a world that we observe without computers
- digital reality - a world that we observe with computers
- augmented reality - where we layer the digital reality on top of our physical reality
Turning Everything On It's 'Radiohead'
This morning's musical offering for your delectation.
Gentle. Liquid.
Listen.
Conundrums
I need to investigate the connection further ... but just read these words from Shunryu Suzuki
"To stop the mind does not mean to stop the activities of mind. It means your mind pervades your whole body. With your full mind you for the mudra in your hands."
" We say our practice should be without gaining ideas, without any expectations, even of enlightenment. This does not mean, however, just to sit without purpose.
This practice free from gaining ideas is based on the Prajna Paramita Sutra. However, if you are not careful the sutra itself will give you a gaining idea.
It says 'form is emptiness and emptiness is form.' But if you attach to that statement, you are liable to be involved in dualistic ideas: here is you, form, and here is emptiness, which you are trying to realize through your form. So 'form is emptiness, and emptiness is form' is still dualistic. But fortunately, our teaching goes to say, 'form is form and emptiness is emptiness.' Here there is no dualism."
When I was a kid, one of the conundrums that a friend used to ask in the playground was "what is the hardest thing you can do with your mind". (Yes we were kids - and yes he was very advanced for his age !!!)
Answer : To NOT think of elephants.
Now I am trying to decide if these two concepts are connected.
FutureSpeak
It was George Orwell who wrote
“The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power, pure power.â€
So consider this - that I TRUST will be extensively reported - we will see.
The GOP website pushed up blog posts declaring its VP candidate, Mike Pence, the "clear winner" of a debate against Democratic candidate Tim Kaine, before the debate actually began.
... but about an hour before the debate had even started !
Engadget likens the error to Apple's pre announcement of the iPhone. I mean everyone needs a little clickbait don’t they? But Apple knew they were going to release an iPhone 7 - they were in full control of the outcome. The GOP did not. They wrote a conclusion about something that they knew nothing about.
So - who do YOU trust?
Yin and Yang - Harmony
Work Life Balance as a concept has always annoyed me - and continues to do so. Balance is not only hard - but it is wrong. Because one small step either way and there is discord.
Brad Feld wrote about Work Life Harmony yesterday. It resonated more for me as it did him.
It occurred to me that life is not (or at least should not) be a see saw or set of scales that somehow measure us - and in turn judge.
Life is surely more yin and yang - where the forces / principles / opposites interact with each other.
Skeleton Tree
Stunning Album. Absolutely Stunning.
He was in the middle of a record that was already eerily connected to the themes of death and falling – when you’re Nick Cave, that’s probably more likely than when you’re Taylor Swift – and he simply carried on. He kept writing. He wrote his way straight through the aftermath, and not only did he continue making his record, he decided to invite a huge film crew in to capture the entire recording process, a mere six months after his son died.