Here are ten (not in any order)
Judaism (B and above are all worth reading in my opinion)
I was once involvedin an online discussion on empathy. One of the participants, who is a teacher like myself, argued that one need not understand another's circumstances only their emotions. It is this understanding of emotion, in his opinion, that is ultimately what defines empathy and what will eventually assist the teacher in reaching at-risk learners. While his raw words have an obvious appeal I couldn't help but wonder if the burden that this places on a teacher is too excessive.
Understanding emotions is complex at the best of times and is rarely dealt with in pedagogic literature. Yes, psychology and to some extent sociology broach on these themes but as a teacher I am not sure whether I am equipped to even enter such a realm which seems more the preserve of a social worker than anything else.
Yet in self-reflecting on this point, I started to wonder if I was not making excuses for my own shortcomings. Was I too afraid to venture into this area? Or when it comes down to it, have I limited my own sense of self?It was a bad idea then and thankfully it has failed. I wrote the following ten points at the time of its proposal.
10 Reasons why the Iranian Nuclear Deal is Awful
1. It leaves Iran’s centrifuge refining structure in place
2. It does nothing to remove Uranium stockpiles in Iran
3. In 10-15 years Iran will be free to do as they please on a Nuclear Level.
4. Has no way to control illicit underground nuclear refinement processes.
5. Lifts Sanctions for promises that can be easily broken. Will result in a large inflow of capital that will embolden Iran as a power player and meddler in the region.
6. Does not put pressure on Iran over her funding of terrorist groups in Lebanon (Hezbollah), Gaza (Hamas), Yemen as well as its complicity in Syria’s genocide regime.
7. Does not pressure Iran with respect to the treatment of women, gays the Bahais and other minorities.
8. Will encourage Sunni regimes to develop nuclear infrastructure
9. Does not address the belligerency of language and deed that Iran uses against Israel
10. It fails to address Iran’s development of long range ICBM development
And Most of all it does nothing to help the mainstream DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT in this once proud nation.
.
I wrote this March 2013. Unfortunately Venezuela is still a country in bad shape. Maduro is not an improvement on Chavez who was terrible.
One
shouldn't celebrate the death of another human being but I for one shall not
shed a tear for this passing of this South American demagogue. Chavez destroyed
his country's economy, cavorted with the vile Iranian leadership, committed
himself to a philosophy of anti-Semitism and greatly curtailed freedom of
speech in Venezuela. While admired by many on the left (the usual voices
who continue to show affection for Mao, Castro and Che) Chavez represented a
regional menace who used simplistic populism to boost his status with the
poorest of the nation while championing a statism that has ruined many an
economy elsewhere. He should not be missed but I am not optimistic that his
successor will curb the folly's of Chavez's realized egoism. We will wait and
see.
Numbers matter most to education bureaucrats. This is why they are not afraid to drop the standards to the lowest level possible so that even the weakest can scale the minimum bar.
When societies are in decline there will be a proliferation of bad ideas. One already sees this on both the right and the left.
French History
Like British history I developed an interest in the French variety from a young age. A great deal of my early passionwas motivated by the reality that much of French history is entangled with her rival across the Channel. This is especially true of the Middle Ages with both the early Norman and Plantagenet dynasties overlapping with Gallic ambitions on the continent.
Areas of Primary focus: The French Revolution, Napoleon, the post Bonaparte Era, the French Empire and the Third Republic
Areas of Secondary Focus: Charlemagne and the Carolingians and the Reign of Louis XIV.
What I feel I need to know more about: The Valois Kings, France between the World Wars
These are the Eleven Period that I divide French history into:
1. The Gaulish struggles versus Rome
2. The Frank Invasion and the Merovingians
3. Charlemagne and the Carolingians
4. The Capetian dynasty and the Crusades
5. The Hundred Years War and the Rise of the House of Valois
6. Religious struggles in France
7. The Rise of the House of Bourbon – Louis XIV
8. The French Revolution and the Bonaparte Era
9. Turbulence in the 19th century. The Second Empire and the Third Republic.
10. France and the World Wars.
11. The Decline of France and the challenges of the 5th Republic in the post-Colonial era
British History
I have been an avid reader of British history since I was a child. Look and Learn, the Hamlyn/Collins publications and my father’s enthusiasm for the subject were driving factors. Even to this day I have ingrained in my mind the exact order of the English/British monarch from Edward the Confessor onwards (as well as the PMs since Disraeli).
Areas of Primary focus: The British Empire (especially in Africa), the Monarchial succession, the Anglo-Scottish Wars, Tudors and Stewarts and the English Civil War.
Areas of Secondary Focus: The Norman Conquest, Hundred Years War, Royal Navy, Winston Churchill and the Crimean War.
What I feel I need to know more about: The details of the Irish fight for Independence, War of the Roses and the David Lloyd George Prime Ministership.
These are the Ten Period that I divide British/English history into:
1. The Celtic Era and Roman Britain
2. Saxon Domination
3. The Norman Conquest and the French Kings. Feudalism.
4. The Rise of the Tudors and the Decline of Catholicism.
5. Unification, the Stuarts and the English Civil War
6. Restoration and the Emergence of the House of Hanover.
7. The Early Empire and Parliament in the Age of the Enlightenment
8. Period of Splendid Isolation
9. Internationalism and WWI
10. WWII and the Decline of Modern Britain
There is no fool proof methodology for looking at Polls but in the US elections I find that the following heuristics, that I employed successfully for Election 2024, has utility.
I decided to let the dust settle (somewhat anyway) before I expand on my thoughts with respect to the 2024 US Presidential election. Almost three weeks on and it looks as though the air is starting to clear (although for the love of G-d how long does it take to count votes in California?). So here goes:
By forcing large segments of the population into poverty the growth of the state and the required dependency by so many on it, is ensured. The vote base is captured.
In and of itself discrimination isn’t essentially a bad idea. It depends on the nuances of the discrimination. Noxious ideologies and policies should indeed be relegated to the historical scrap heap.
A corrupt society will create legions of incompetents. It is these incompetents who sustain the hierarchy by not questioning the controllers at the top. They cannot afford to do so.
Yes (in theory) if the country’s agree to live up to their military and strategic responsibilities to defend and act as the arsenal of the free world. This hasn’t been the case since World War Two with the European nations in particular outsourcing their responsibilities to the US.
As for the second question, this is possible if you have a genuine balance of power however a quick reading of history will tell you that in the long run such an equilibrium tends to instability as the dynamics of international affair easily shock the system.
Special Thanks to the Stoics, Friederich Nietzsche and
several other Western and Judeo-Christian thinkers.
· Life is tough. This world was not
custom designed for any individual specifically. We will all face many obstacles
on both the objective and subjective level.
· Challenges will vary in degree and
many will be faced with severe adversity.
· One needs to accept that life is a
struggle but this should not weaken us. In fact we should embrace the
downfalls.
· Human beings can train themselves to
face these challenges and overcome adversity. This isn’t easy but our species
has been doing exactly this for millennia.
· Running away and avoiding these
obstacles or blaming others for our shortfalls weakens us. The tragedy of the
modern human condition is that this has become the preferred route.
· Alcohol and recreational drugs are
means of running away. They are negative drivers. So are support groups that specifically
sacrifice individuality for the collective will.
· In facing adversity head on we grow
as human beings. This betters us in the face of future events that will impact
us later on in life. We will emerge as a stronger self. Nietzsche sees this as
the birth of the Superman.
I am very much of a generalist with a strong passion for history, science, philosophy, education, psychology, political science, civuilization decline, education, soccer, comics, motivation strategies plus others. Over the next few weeks I plan to delve further into these areas outlining the specifics of each topic that I have chosen to focus on.
For now here is the list of these personal favourites (not in any order)
1. British History
2. Jewish History
3. American History
4. South African History
5. World War Two
6. The Cold War
7. Ancient History
8. European History
9. Physics Education
10. Understanding the human condition
11. Intelligence Measurement
12. Patterns of Population Movement
13 Jewish Thought
14. Philosophical Debates
15. Dystopias
16. Britsh comics
17. Soccer
18. Political Theory
19. Debunking Conspiracies
20. Parenthood
21. Sporting Feats
A wealth tax is a particular moral evil in that one is further burdening those in the population who are in the best position to create further societal wealth growth.
Most political rhetoric is at most two steps removed from egregious failure for it driven by short terming thinking that stumbles at the earliest roadblock.
It is not difficult to generate bad ideas which, is why they proliferate in the global milieu.
Collectivisms eventual aim is to create an equality of nothings. In this regard it is remarkably effective.
I saw this on the Simcha Jacobovici video in the comments section. the clip can be found at Facts you need to know.
You hop, skip and jump into totalitarianism by convincing yourself that you are on the right side of history.
We have reached a point in the west where those with a self constructed sense of guilt are doing what the winners once did, in rewriting history. Their approach is no less dishonest.
The sad reality of war is that it is sometimes the only mechanism to purge society of really destructive ideas.
Unearned wealth is easy to squander which implies that a great deal of priority must be given to new and sustainable avenues of wealth creation.
The great economic lie sold to the populace is that wealth creation and distribution are synonymous.
The British Empire was destined for an eventual fission. The island core was enveloped by too many shells that reached maturation quickly. Although the layers were sloughed off in various degrees they could never truly divorce themselves from their source origin.
Most of Rome’s military failures were reminders that it needed to accept its boundaries. Neither the Goths in the North (and East) and the Persians in Asia had any attention of acquiescing to Roman suzerainty. Since they were not a cavalry power (unlike the Mongols) or a sea empire (like the British) their boundaries had natural limitations which deterred expansion.
The history of Rome after the fall of Caesar is an ongoing saga of the debasement of the concept of citizenship. Citizenship is what held the Republic together. It withered to oblivion during the Empire until it had lost all meaning.Next to its education and judiciary system, cricket must rank as Britain’s greatest export to its Empire (to the world it is football). Many an Indian, Pakistani or Sri Lankan will agree with this assessment as they sport has so thoroughly enveloped the sub-continent.
Communists have always hated humour. Their poor understanding of human nature opens up the barbs of the satire so that any reasonable person can see that what they are seriously selling is a parody of itself.
Too many people deny themselves real knowledge by imprisoning themselves in a pre-established narrative.
Being open minded does not necessitate the dropping of critical thought. There is no limit to the amount of stupidity that needs to be filtered out.
Not all opinions are created equal. Most (although by no means all) will in due course be damned by the brutal reality of time. Unfortunately the selection process does not necessarily bias itself in favour of the good.
In a battle of reason and emotion most people will opt for the latter.
Any radical ideology will in time purge itself based on the notion of doctrinal purity.
Almost as predictable as death and taxes is the certainty of self serving action for human beings.
We have come to a time where the leadership is destroying democracy while at the same time claiming to save it. You can indeed vote yourself into slavery.
No field perhaps has a proportion of snake oil salesmen than that of education which has littering it one failed policy after another, with each one having the distinction at the time of being vaunted as a pedagogical panacea.
If highly motivated one can even rationalize away the very evidence before our eyes.
One needs to ponder as to why so many powerful deities lack the foresight to avoid contradicting themselves in their revealed texts.
Bad ideas need not have to work that only have to create the appearance of working which is why they are often taken up by the masses.
One only realizes how timid humanity is when you choose to take a singular stand against a universally acknowledged but popular bad idea.
Toleration in and of itself is not a virtue. In fact it can often be a vice. The distinction is highly context dependent. The worship of toleration in and of itself is an error both philosophically and ultimately morally.
I am not sure if there is any other creature on this planet who can rationalize evil into good.
Bad ideas can only be enforced in the long term by tyranny. Therefore at the center of every tyranny is an idealism that is inherently rancid.
There is no greater marketing device than the notion of fear. It goes straight to our emotional brain while bypassing all critical thought.
Bill Clinton was the last genuine liberal Democratic Party President of the United. He balanced fiscal conservatism, with a pragmatic social liberalism that was described as the Third Way. In doing so held back the radicalism of the progressives delaying it by a full decade until the Obama Presidency. This was his greatest achievement that supersedes the multiple flaws in his personal character.
If Al Gore would have talked to the people instead of down to them he would have been the 43rd President in the United States. Unfortunately for him it wasn’t in his DNA and no matter how much he tried the more so it became apparent. Gore felt that the country needed a philosopher king forgetting that the nation was built on a disdain of any type of monarchy.
Clinton lived a charmed life in that he was destined to lead the nation during a time of relative political solitude. This afforded him the luxury of underestimating both the demise of the Soviet Union and its Russian offspring as well as the rise of Islamism.
Every US Administration since Richard Nixon (with the possible exception of Donald Trump) has worked tirelessly with short-sighted traded policies to transform China into an economic superpower.
The tragedy of the United States is that the very elements of tolerance and respect for freedom of thought and action will eventually be used to destroy it.
I have never understood why Americans from both sides require inspiration from so obvious a tainted figure as a politician. The absurdity of elevating these debauched souls to spiritual or emotional heights of standing can only lead to eventual disappointment as it frequently does.
Both George Washington and John Adams demonstrated great characters traits by their personal actions. Washington saw to it that the Presidency didn’t evolve into a monarchy while Adams, in his defence of the soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre, made the pertinent case that the accused deserves the best defence possible regardless of public opinion. In doing so they alternatively laid the bedrock for the executive and the judiciary.
Some thoughts...
When key institutions become
compromised so that nepotism and favoritism dominates over competency then the
onset for civilization decline and
possible collapse follow shortly. No system no matter how strong its original
foundations are can survive continuous governance by those who are inept and malevolent.
The communist seeks to restructure society on the backbone of ignorance. However this is a particular kind of stupidity - One that brings together an untried idealism with an inability to questions starting assumptions. Self Reflection is eschewed as a toxicity.
The strategy of any political campaign is to capture the vote by emphasizing the insignificant. Complexity of policy is anathema to any campaign which is why it is rarely addressed by the candidates.
Can you provide examples of Napoleon using a blitzkrieg strategy in his conquests, similar to Germany during World War II?
Napoleon didn’t use a blitzkrieg strategy as mechanized forces weren’t a factor in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. There were no planes, tanks or automobiles. He did however make effective use of his artillery (his personal bastion of strength…..Boney was a gunner), cavalry and infantry to pick off his allied opponents one at a time. Napoleon was also adept at selecting the time and place for a fight and greatly rewarded meritocracy and loyalty in his ranks thereby ensuring that his troops were suffused with the necessary morale.
Is Russia still considered a major power or is it now more accurately described as an important regional power?
It is a regional power with significant global meddling capabilities that it exercises particularly in the Middle East through its Iranian and Syrian allies. It also has a propaganda apparatus that serves to shape public opinion in the West, courtesy of its relentless disinformation campaigns and infiltration of various institutions. If you thought this all ended with the finality of the Cold War you are mistaken. Old habits die hard.
Why is Russia such a violent and destructive nation?
Russia (in its various forms) has a leadership history consisting of a lineage of strongmen who measure their success by their ability to grow their territory. Putin is just one more character in a legacy that predates Peter the Great. This translates into a history of aggression. Much of the policy sale to the population is driven by a sense of perceived victimhood.
Do any modern conservatives identify as "classical" liberals?
I personally do as I wish to conserve the very successful authentic liberal tradition in the West against the forces of fascism, dialectical materialism, islamism and progressive statism. Each of which threatens the pillars of freedom viz. speech, worship, thought and property that is central to liberal thinking.
1. Donald Trump was extremely lucky. A few centimeters left and it could have been game over for the former President.
2. Two big questions need to be answered: a) How was the gunman able to position himself so close to Trump? b) Why did the police drones not pick him up?
3. Even more important....A 'few centimeters' is what saved not only Trump but the nation from a full on violent flare up.
4. Trump showed tremenendous Bravado. The picture of him, with fist in the air, rising from the ground will become an iconic image in American history.
5. The extreme rhetoric generated by Trump haters in the media and elsewhere likely motivated the gunman to act. For now his full motive remains unclear.
6. Trump will receive a natural boost in the polls but I am not so sure this will continue until November. The Dem aligned media will do their best to shift focus elsewhere...likely to the strawman Project 2025 issue.
7. The 'staged' conspiracy theory breaks down rather rapidly under any modicum of critical thought. The same is true of the 'CIA did it' notion.
8. Security protection around both Messrs Trump and RFK Jr needs to be upped.
9. Joe Biden, to his credit, looked somewhat presidential in renouncing the violence.
10. Trump needs to continue building on his momentum. The dismissal of the stored reccords case in Florida will help as was his popular pick for VP (J D Vance)
My answer on Quora.
The US has the upper hand for now. How long this will continue is uncertain. It has a substantially larger economy than Russia and a greater global presence on a military level (750 bases plus in 80 countries or so). In addition the US dollar still remains as the predominant world currency (buoyed for now by petrodollars).
Russia on the other hand has been hit hard by sanctions, is navigating an extremely costly war with the Ukraine and is in an uncertain population decline. It has its allies within the BRICS grouping to fall back onto but even in this regard it is playing second fiddle to both China and an emerging India (who took Russia to the cleaners for cheap oil following the Ukrainian invasion).
(My answer in Quora)
No, the Free French with immense Allied support emerged on the victorious side of WWII. France give or take some hair raising moments was also on the right side of the winning divide during the Cold War. Having said that the French were humiliated in the 1950s in its struggle to maintain control of French Indochina (check out the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954) and suffered defeat (somewhat self-inflicted) in the Algerian War (1954–1962).
Nevertheless France did secure victory for Chadian forces in its war against Libya (1978–1987) and helped defeat Islamist insurgents in Mali (2013–2014) during Operation Serval. France in Alliance with Britain and Israel defeated the Egyptians tactically in the Suez Canal War (1956) but like its Allies was lulled into a strategic ‘defeated’ by the US who feared the broader ramifications of a direct war with the Soviet Union at the time.
My answer on Quora
No. I think that she has less influence than many people give her credit for. Joe Biden, although suffering from obvious cerebral decline, clearly wants to stay in power himself. I am not convinced at all that he has lost agency in this regard. Edith Wilson played a large role in the day-to-day management of the country as her husband ailed. For Biden this role is largely being carried out by the team around him, many of whom are Barack Obama loyalists.
1. The vote was more of a referendum vote against the Tories as opposed to an endorsement of the Labour Party.
2. Since they failed on several fronts including a strong stance dealing with the migration crisis, the fate of the Conservatives was essentially sealed and well deserved.
3. The splitting of the right of center vote between the Conservative and Reform Parties essentially amplified Labour's seat numbers. The latter earned well over half the seats in the Parliament (63.3%) having only earned 33.7% of the vote.
4. The Reform party earned 13-14% of the popular vote but picked up only five seats (out of 650). If ever the parliamentary system is in need of some major work, now is the time.
