Seven of our many secrets from 50 years of marriage: 1. Respect, not contempt. 2. Acceptance, not intolerance. 3. Reflection, not reaction. 4. Sharing, not separating. 5. Kindness, not meanness. 6 Asking, not assuming. 7. Stopping, not perpetuating.

Seven myths about poverty: 1. Class: Born poor, stay poor, kids poor. 2. Stupid: Uneducated, low IQ. 3. Lazy: Avoid proper work. 4. Dependent: Want welfare, contribute nothing. 5. Addicts: Alcoholics and druggies. 6. Criminals: Beggars, cheats, thieves. 7. Immigrants: All of the above.

How to handle Trump: Distract the eye of Sauron. A palantir or gold medal will work. Get Midas to touch your stuff, but not you. Offer Dracula your daughter (or a random one off the streets).

Here's an interestingly empathetic connection from anxious young men into eugenically maxxed supersoldiers. It taps into Darth dreaming, an ancient male obsession with physical superiority. It is RFK body image, Hegseth's warrior culture, and Trump's mob boss rhetoric. It holds many dangers.

Here's a good analysis of Trumpian communications, "the strategy is to exhaust our capacity for astonishment." Cults use exhaustion to suppress critical analysis and thus ready the mind for accepting crazy beliefs. Don't be bludgeoned into submission!

Trump attacks judges for ruling against him. Rick Wilson's first term book 'Everything Trump Touches Dies' is totally prophetic. Trump is now killing the Republic, the shining star of democracy it once was. Disgusting creature. Can't wait to see him in orange. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02...

Like a kid with a credit card, Trump thinks all money he can control already belongs to him. Ballroom, arch, ICE, military, Board of Peace, ... He is going to spend America into the oblivion of unmanageable debt as he builds to a lifetime crescendo of foolish and failing vanity projects.

Trump is an embodiment of the trap of thinking that every complex problem has a simple answer (and that he is the only one who knows it). His minions won't help with their gleeful cheering and applause. Again, the price of failure will eventually be paid by the American taxpayer.

The DOJ is now adorned with the glorious image of our dearest leader. Bow down before his royal likeness!

This performative administration is all about optics and nothing about prudence. Quite the opposite, in fact. The extent of unnecessary spend is stultifying. Yes, ICE is the gorilla in the pack, but there is so much else, from ballrooms to private jets and this stupid WHO clone.

Here's a very relevant checklist to apply today. www.openculture.com/2024/11/umbe...

One of Trump's tricks is in taking and turning powerful words into travesties of themselves. Like his Presidential Library that collects donations but not books. Like Truth Social that spins lies that trash society. Like his Board of Peace that he'll use to legitimize war while demanding medals.

The greatest lie of liberal democracy is equality. That we are all created equal. That we have the right to be equal. That the government will level the playing field. It's a glorious ideal, but it has never properly happened. We have flowed with it and many have gained, but now it is ebbing away.

Donald Trump's greatest sin is his ongoing attack on the electoral system. From Jan6 to the latest talk of nationalizing elections, plus the endless chipping away at it in between, he wants to demolish the very heart of America. Why? Because this unlocks the door to endless dictatorship.

Russia has massively succeeded in breaking up the Western order, forcing us into military build-up of individual nations. Just as we spent billions on post-9/11 wars and are still spending billions on supporting Ukraine, Europe must now prepare for war without America. Again. What tragic waste!

Is it since the millennium? Since 9/11? 2008? Covid? Trump? Media? We seem constantly on the edge of disaster, of social and global collapse. Governments seem powerless or perverted. Many are desperate. And so, as the time-bomb ticks, we pretend to keep calm and carry on.

We want to be good, to help those in need. But we can only do what we can afford to do. More taxation is not the answer when it increases poverty. Borrowing is not the answer when it taxes future generations. The hardest decision is to draw a line and see those just beyond it suffering.

Where once we could live safe lives, we must now have courage. Courage comes from deep reflection, connecting with others, and knowing the necessity of action in order to save what is precious.

American suicide: * Attacking the people who provide its basic services. * Massively increasing its national debt. * Becoming an enemy to its friends. * Hiding from truth, on which it built its greatness. * Cowardice by those who could save America.

Trump doesn't understand trust. He thinks it's what weak people have to do and what powerful people (like him) can use as a weapon. He doesn't get how hugely America will lose from being untrustworthy.

I suspect problematic Republican presidents as being malleable and greedy, who can be bought by business interests, or whose pursuit of power exceeds their moral restraint.

Populism: Level 1: Getting attention by saying what people want to hear. Level 2: Getting media coverage by making controversial statements. Level 3: Getting action by voicing unspoken bias. Level 4: Getting votes by making false promises. Level 5: Legitimizing violence by inciting outrage.

The Peace Dividend after the Soviet collapse meant we could spend more on welfare. The huge military spending that is now needed means we'll have to spend less elsewhere. This will be very contentious and the opposition will make a banquet out of it.

An underlying question for us is of fairness, rights and duties. The left think those less powerful have the right to support from those more powerful (which is most people). The right think it unfair that they have this duty imposed on them, so react by demonizing minorities and their supporters.

Wuthering Heights' Heathcliff is a much misunderstood character. Many think him a romantic hero. Nonsense. Read the book! Heathcliff is a cruel narcissist who manipulates people to his totally selfish purpose. Much like a certain president, perhaps?

We are not long out of the trees and have violent instincts that make us feel powerful. Trump likes appealing to these (in himself and his followers too), but will strongly prosecute his 'enemies' for any such actions. Yet Minnesota and more have shown the power of peaceful protest!

Trump's method is fear and favor. Everyone fears him. But if you blindly help him, he can steer massive amounts of taxpayer money to you, personally, and apparently untraceably. His people aren't that stupid. They know he won't be there that long. So they crazily feed as fast as they can.

Trump is, worst of all, a corrupter who expertly draws out the worst in people. This is true evil, creating more evil in the world. I must say, I'm baffled by the embrace of this antichrist by evangelicals, who should really be denouncing his demonstrably satanic ways.

Diverse expert view on AI = nobody really knows, but it could get huge, real soon. AI eats knowledge jobs. Robots eat manual jobs. AGI could replace politicians and other leaders. Job losses + high consumerism = big impact on domestic economy. Job loss spiral = depression.

The 'shoulds' and 'wants' of morality: 1. I know what I should do but don't want to do it. 2. I know what I shouldn't do but want to do it. When there's opportunity and I am tempted, I need both morality and willpower to do the right thing.

It seems Russia supplied girls to Epstein and got video in return. This could explain not only Putin's hold over Trump but also Russian control of whole swathes of American politicians and elites. This is also why the whole, unredacted (except for victims) Epstein files must be released!

In the UK, Nigel Farage and his Reform party (actually a private company owned by him) copy Trump assiduously, including in their uninhibited approach to facts, truth and intent. A recent example is a threat to defund a university for refusing to invite a Reform speaker to a meeting.

America has fallen below the herd immunity level for measles (it's ~92%, while >94% need to be vaccinated). It's incredibly infectious (R = ~15, so one case can lead to 50,000+ new cases in two weeks) And can cause lasting problems (like brain damage).

Leadership means having followers. I will follow those I trust. I trust those who: 1. Are predictable, reliable, and keep their promises. 2. Are straightforward and honest, not hiding things from me. 3. Care about me, at least not hurting me and, better, actively looking out for me.

Castles in medieval Europe kept the rich and powerful safe from marauding illegals. Not so much has changed, other than today's rich realizing that increasingly extreme inequality could make them targets rather than aspirational ideals.

We're beyond funny, beyond appalling, beyond insanity. No, we're now in the stone cold shock of terror, as the streets and cities of civilization crumble around us. As the guardians mumble. As the pope in the broken white house swings in the golden pulpit.

Big choices for autonomous, omnipotent AGI (when it becomes like a god): * Make the world a better place for everyone. * Keep powerful people powerful. * Get rid of people who don't contribute enough. * Keep a zoo.

In a capitalist society, democracy is the counterweight that ensures fairness. If Democracy fails --> Extreme inequality --> Societal collapse --> Tyranny or Revolution.

In Trump's America, commercial gain always beats public interest. This is short-termism, as it erodes trust. If I think a company is exploiting me, I will avoid it or actively oppose it. On the other hand, if I believe it cares about me or my concerns, I will be actively loyal.

It seems Trump and co saw the Superbowl 'love conquers hate' message as a prod against them. Why is this unsurprising? Because most conservatives believe Thomas Hobbes' individualistic "State of Nature" view, where primitive personal power wins all. But collectivism is even more powerful!

The peril of a free press is to publish scurrilous outrage. Yes, it sells papers and clicks, but it also diminishes and endangers the nation. The consequential paradox of a free press is that it enables tyrants who subsequently suppress it.

Our basic evolutionary needs are to survive and procreate. Beyond these are social forces such as friendship and status. Ideals and morality are higher needs. While we praise them, few of us are driven strongly by them, especially if more basic needs are threatened. Politicians know this.

Why do we not teach leadership and collaboration in our schools? As far as I can see, the best example is in military cadet groups. A terrible result is companies that are founded on great ideas but are killed by bad management.

The worst thing about it all is that Trump is normalizing politics for profit, turning serving the people into self-serving grift. It has always been thus, but to a much lesser extent, constrained by the threat of conviction. Without strong containment, I fear it will likely sustain and spread.

With enough shared anger, people will unite and feel their collective power. With enough collective action, they will make friends, form bonds, and act to sustain this social purpose. With strong bonds and clear purpose, people will fight intensively together, reinvigorating with every step.

Very interesting. Far right parties have picked up on failures of democracy. They'll just use them as levers for power, but democrats need to address these too.

If the world isn't dangerous enough already, simulation with AIs confirm they would happily kill us all.

Trump's 3B persuasion methods = Bribery, Blackmail and straight out Bullying. Disgusting creature. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

I hope they are totally honest, including about who else was there and who did what.