The look at the dark side of the moon from Artemis II will not briefly unite humanity the way “one small step for a man” did. But it will offer a measure of the forces that have riven us from that brief awareness of what humans can accomplish.… Read the rest
Sir Winston Churchill avowed that “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on;” The lies, misrepresentations and fantasies Donald Trump spouts and texts, go all around the world only slightly quicker than contradictory ones follow.… Read the rest
Almost exactly five years ago, the first post on this site included the quote:.“ And so, to the end of history, murder shall breed murder, always in the name of right and honour and peace, until the gods are tired of blood and create a race that can understand.”… Read the rest
The idiom “fog of war” to describe the uncertainty and confusion generated by the chaos of battle was spawned by 19th century cannon and cavalry clashes. Vengefulness and historical ignorance are turning the fog of the high tech Iran war opaque.… Read the rest
In 1970, a Moody Blues song asked why we never get an answer “…/to a thousand millions questions/about hate and death and war.” In the case of the war in Iran, it’s because no one seems willing or able to articulate one.… Read the rest
On a philosophical level, crying havoc and letting slip the U.S. “armada” deployed against Iran would be the embodiment of Prussian General Carl von Clauswitz’ reflection that “War is a mere continuation of policy by other means.” On a realistic level, it is a continuation of policy based on ego and ignorance.… Read the rest
It has become a sad truth that headlines, shouts of “Breaking News” and screen crawls deliver just enough news to make it appear to all but the most curious that a story has been told, thereby leaving the bitter vetch they herald untasted.… Read the rest
In a week where excellence was defined by gold, silver and bronze, the race for the maintaining sanity podium was rage, merely quaking with righteous indignation, or taking refuge in a state of amusement.… Read the rest
“Shame may restrain what law does not prohibit.”
If the ancient Roman statesman and philosopher Seneca who wrote that had met Jeff Bezos and his ilk, he might have added the caveat. “but only in those decent enough to recognise, or care, when something is fundamentally wrong.”… Read the rest
It’s comforting to think that the ranks of those who worry that the idiom “The world is going to Hell in a handbasket” is true, are swelling by the day. The discomforting, and perforce ignored fact, is that an equally growing number are untroubled by the idiom “Do not accept fools gladly.”… Read the rest