Two Months in - The pros and Cons of Trump 2.0

These are the Positives of Trump 2.0:

• Taking a broad stroke to DEI  by removing these programs from the federal government and related institution. People should not be judged, promoted or hired on any other category than individual merit.
• Securing the border, stamping down on illegal immigration and deporting violent aliens.
• Ending student visas for external political troublemakers and rabble rousers on University campuses.
• Forcing universities through the withholding on funds to deal actively with anti-Semitism on campus. Next stop anti-White racism.
• Auditing of Federal government budgeting (through DOGE) to reduce gross waste and the mismanagement of funds. Closing down of inefficient federal branches.
• Issuing a federal ban for men competing in women’s sports
• Changing the leadership in the FBI to enhance a global cleanup of that organization.
• Setting in motion a process for ending the ineffective Department of Education.
• Pushing Europe to increase their individual nation funding of their own defence.
• Using pressure on Panama to end their deal with Chinese related groups regarding control of both ends of the canal.
• Dealing a blow to the Houthis for their attack on shipping in the Red Sea.
• Forcing Hamas to release hostages taken on October 7^th. Trump has shown strong support for Israel.
• Removing aid to the South African government for their racist policies.
• Restabilising a necessary cooperation between Space X and NASA as seen by the rescue of the stranded astronauts.
• Beginning the process for the recognition of the Lumbee tribe in North Carolina.
• Replacing Steve Bannon with Elon Musk as a key advisor. Bannon is a walking media disaster and a fraud.

Here though are the Negatives

• Raising Tariffs – While it is likely part of the ‘art of the deal’ this is a terrible way to negotiate with countries especially if they are traditional allies as Canada is with the US. Flip flopping with respect to tariff start dates is also adding much uncertainty to the global and US economy.
• Focusing on Trade deficits as economic polic.One cannot look at trade deficits with another country and necessarily see it as a bad idea without looking at the sum total of trade with all nations. The United States runs a trade deficit with Canada as it is heavily reliant on Canada’s natural resources to drive its industrial machine. Trump is veering into the Mercantilist trap if he sees this as an ongoing economic policy.
• Childish name calling – While Justin Trudeau was a poor Canadian prime minister and should never have mocked Trump behind his back (as he foolishly did) – Trump needs to do better than his 51^st state or Governor Trudeau jibe. Two wrongs don’t make a right. He has also re-energized the moribund Canadian Liberal Party in a way that could well salvage election victory, from a once likely defeat.
• Threatening to annex Greenland is another ill-timed approach that is damaging relations with another ally (this time Denmark)
• Removing security clearances from Mike Pompeo and John Bolton indicates a pettiness that further augments the notion that Trump doesn’t tolerate dissent or difference of opinion. Not only is the optics terrible but both men (who are well established American patriots) don’t deserve such treatment.
• Some of Trump’s selections for top positions in government are somewhat dubious. Both Tulsi Gabbard (a far leftist who was somewhat of a Bernie bro) and RFK Jr (who has a tendency to sink into conspiracy theory) spring to mind. Steve Witkoff, the Middle East, who has controiversial close ties with terror supporting Qatar still has the jury open on him.
• Trump should never have allowed his differences with the Ukrainian leader Volodymr Zelenskyy to spill out on stage as they did in the White House Meeting. The meeting should have been held behind close doors. The events that unfolded painted a picture of the POTUS as not being an honest broker between Russia and the Ukraine. If anything it appeared to greatly embolden Vladimir Putin who is the actual aggressor in this war.
• Trump needs to tone down his uncontrolled deference to exaggerating numbers and statistics. Superlatives are useful for salesmen not as an instrumernt for winning the public trust as leader of the free world.

Quick Questions I have answered on Quora

Why has Europe failed to match the power of the USA?

The two world wars greatly weakened Europe. It also fostered a mindset that encouraged self flagellation and a national drop off in the will to power. Add to that a declining birth rate, the adoption of cradle-to-grave socialism and a reluctance to spend on its own defense and the reasons for the decline become obvious. In many ways the individual European countries have lost their identity. Poorly crafted immigration policies have not helped. For the record, until recently (although the jury is still out) the US was not far behind.

Is Turkey's relationship with its allies being affected by Erdogan's actions?

Yes. Erdogan’s shift toward a type of Islamic nationalism runs contrary to NATO’s western liberal ideals. Turkey’s presence in NATO is equivalent to having a fox in the hen house. It needs to restore Ataturk type secularism in its national outlook or leave.

Why are more and more people now believing in conspiracy theories compared to, let's say, 10 years ago?

The proliferation of various news sources and the failure of the legacy media to report objectively on key issues. This is further compounded by the drop off in trust regarding key institutions. Some of it is unfortunately warranted.

Which religion do you think will still be in existence in 20 years time?

All of the major religions will be around. All boast adherents in the millions (albeit to different orders of magnitude) and twenty years is not a long time in religious history.

Why did the Roman Empire choose Christianity over Islam?

Islam was not around in 313 AD when religious tolerance was granted via the Edict of Milan. Nor did it it exist in 380 AD when the Edict of Thessalonica made Christianity the official religion. Muhammad, the founder of Islam lived between 570 and 632 AD.

Stoicism

I have been reading considerably on the philosophy of Stoicism, whose central tenet is the concept of virtue. In its essence Stoicism isn't so much a philosophy but a way of life. It is rooted in a pragmatism that can be applied to our experiential existence. 

Here are some key points about Stoicism:

1. Its origin goes back to the time of Ancient Greece and the thinking of Zeno of Citium who agued that 'The goal of life is living in agreement with nature.'

2. However it was the Romans especially Seneca the Younger (and his notion of time management), Epictetus (on Resilience) and the philosopher Emperor Marcus Aurelius (most famous for the wisdom outlined in his work Meditations) that developed the framework for Stoicism.

3. Stoicism divides the realm that personally impacts an individual into aspects that one can control (internals) and those that are beyond our control (externals). It is the former that it focuses on. In this regard it asks us as an individual to harness our perceptions, decisions and attitudes towards a 'Call to Action'.

4. One's work, fitness and personal relationships are aspects we can manage as well as the challenge of facing our death.

5. Virtue is key to Stoicism . It through virtue that we can navigate the struggles and turbulence of life. Four factors define virtue viz. wisdom, courage, justice and temperance.

6. Wisdom extends beyond knowledge. It urges us to understand the world and seek out truths. Courage requires that we use rationality and strength to face adversity and avoid choosing paths of ease that do not permit us the opportunity to grow.

7. Justice requires that we balance kindness and fairness in making decisions and finally temperance challenges us to control our emotions and desires.

8. It is through a focus on virtue that we cultivate character. and gravitate towards Eudaimonia which is the stoic goal of happiness and flourishing.

9. Virtue requires perspective and an understanding of the impression (initial perceptions) and assent (processing of said perceptions) to regulate our beliefs. A view from above is necessary to transcend our material existence. This will allow us to motion towards tranquility and an embrace of Amor Fati (loving one's fate).

Reflections XXII - It needs to be said

Wisdom is rarely achieved by rapidly mastering a task with speed. It is process that combines failure, questioning and then smaller increments of success.

 The problem with socialism is that it divides wealth instead of multiplying it.

 Nobody has a clue of what the afterlife brings which may be G-d’s finest ever move.

 Cultural supremacy should be celebrated by a society not scorned. For once it is internally negated then decline is not far behind.

 No leader epitomized the decline that is Britain than Keir Starmer – the very essence of a global fraud masquerading as a national leader. His role is to manage Britain’s downfall.

 If you tolerate evil on the grounds of cultural relativism then you burn into a society’s fabric an inevitable pattern of regression to full on failure. This is the European curse.

Reflections XXI - Racing through my mind

Every society requires a reboot. This is especially true if its fundamentals have been eroded beyond recognition. The United States in 2025 was primed for such energy. Contemporary Europe was still debating whether it had any life to reboot at all.

 Academia is in a constant battle between the majority who play loosely with the facts and those brave souls who prioritize the truth above all else.

 The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was a chance for Moscow to play her final hand and prove to the world that she was still a master of the war of attrition. Sunken costs rarely bothered the Kremlin.

There are givers and takers in geopolitics and no taker has grasped the opportunity so well as did the Chinese with its much favoured nation status. The US was completely outmaneuvered.

Reflections XX - Making sense of observation

 Intelligent people can be closed minded as intelligence is no guarantor of wisdom.

 No science has been more powerful than physics in understanding the universe, as its principles underpin so many phenomena that cut across other disciplines.

 The Irish have a great affinity for the Palestinians as they too have a national spirit that tends to unfortunately marinate in victimhood.

 It still astounds me as to how the European elite are content in allowing their continent to burn while they fiddle with unearned smugness.

 What made Mohammad Ali great was that he was capable of beating any type of fighter from brawler to hard hitter. He simply had the skillset and quickness of feat to adapt to differing opponents.

Reflections XIX - Obsevational Realities

The United States would be better served if it stopped viewing politics as a team sport that requires consistent and unnecessary nourishment and over stimulation.

 The Covid-19 disaster outlined two important facts about humanity viz. there is no shortage of bullies willing to abuse the rights of the other nor is there a deficiency of the weak minded who will voluntarily give up their freedoms.

 The tragedy of the liberation movement in South Africa is that it sacrificed its long term future for gains in the present by promoting liberation before education.

 Robert Mugabe continued the powerful post-colonial tradition in Africa of turning his country (Zimbabwe) into an economic disaster by wrecking its agricultural self-sufficiency.

 In regularly voting into power the ANC the South African electorate shows once again that democracy is no guarantor that the incompetent and the corrupt will be replaced.

In the News - January 2025

DeepSeek shatters AI market. The US needs to wake up. AI is turning into a battleground. My prediction is that they will however until then one can expect more short term jitter (and itchy bums) for investors. Great boost though for high tech STEM jobs in the West. Also gives another significant direction indication of the importance of the H1-B visa argument. I am with Elon Musk over Steve Bannon on this one.India is a natural ally of the West and their technical expertise cannot hurt.

War in the Congo DR- Access to Mineral resources (including many used in the computing industry) is the big factor here. Rwanda is a key ally of the West and the small nation is backing the M-23 rebels in the East (who have likely taken the city of Goma). However there is strong poterntial that the conflict will spill over into the rest of the country and indeed the continent. Expect the war here to dominate news cycle for the next few months. Once again the United Nations looks ineffective. US and China (possibly) will have to act before this becomes another proxy front in a war between these powers.

Land Expropriation in South Africa without compensation - I saw this happening as early as 1994. It wasn't difficult. This is straight out of the Marxist playbook. A concerted effort by the West is needed to force South Africa to reverse such a policy. It still astounds me as to how the ANC has managed to outplay the free market DA in South Africa. If the latter represents the voice of reason in the country then the nation is in a worse state than I could have imagined.

Good News for Trump - The cabinet nominees are falling into place. Trump has promised a lot and looks to be delivering in the immediate. Most important is that his administration stays the course with respect to the deportation of illegal aliens.

Relections XVIII - Historical Observations

There is no more profound characteristic of the Russian people than to internalize its own misery. It is so prevalent that one can think of it as a survival technique.

 Two aspects define societal decline – the collapse of moral clarity and the demise of reason. One sees this in the contemporary west.

 Beware of credentials that are not backed up by experience for it is the latter that is the great teacher.

No institution can remain in workable equilibrium forever as the urge to make bad decisions is so great.

 The most obvious mistake by globalists is that it erroneously reached the conclusion that it was at the endpoint of the Hegelian march of history. It never was and perhaps will never be.

Quick Answers to Quora Questions

 My answers on Quora

How did Nazi Germany react to Japan's attack on Southeast Asia instead of the USSR?

It was not what Nazi Germany wanted. However from Japan’s perspective it made complete sense as the country is resource poor. South East Asian was too great a target. The Germans did declare war on the US very soon after Pearl Harbor with the hope (it is believed) of encouraging Japan to assist them in the USSR. However after Japanese setbacks in the fight against the Soviets at Khalkhin Gol (1939) and further struggles against China on the mainland such an approach was unlikely to come to fruition.

Why do wealthy individuals fund far left revolutionary causes?

I suspect that many of said individuals are either motivated by guilt and/or more importantly see themselves as buying dominance in the new ruling vanguard that will hold power should the revolution succeed.

Should Trump go after those lying sycophants in the press who oppose him?

No. They are doing well destroying their credibility on their own. Trump should focus rather on the issues that matter - border control, the economy and fixing the broken state apparatus that is urgent need of repair.

From the Archives V - Camping

 Written in 2015.

Every year Dina , the kids and myself embark on our long weekend camping venture. This past weekend represented this year’s instalment. Not being the greatest outdoorsman camping challenges me on many different levels. It is not so much the pure vacation aspect but the feat of moving outside my zone of comfort that I most appreciate. Watching the kids have fun (and they always do) is even more of a reward. Our site this year was the Bon Echo Park (located off Highway Seven going east from Toronto toward Kingston). Like most provincial parks in Southern Ontario it is well delineated, clean and densely populated with humid continental deciduous forest-like vegetation.

We arrived on Saturday afternoon (a bit later than expected courtesy of the traffic exiting the city) and set up shop as soon as possible. Our friends had reached the destination beforehand and assisted us with the tent assembly and site preparation.

Despite the user-friendly nature of the modern tent there are still one or two rods that are remarkably similar and have the tendency to torpedo a well thought out assembly strategy. Ever the theorist the lesson in practicality drawn from this experience is most humbling.

That night we barbecued the required Hamburgers (which I like) and Hot Dogs (which I don’t) as the kids took off with their respective friends – riding bikes, playing on the grounds and taking full advantage of what can only be described as leisure heaven (for them anyway).

Sunday was the day at the beach and boy did we enjoy ourselves. Seven hours or so in the water – canoeing, paddle boating, building sand castles and swimming. Armed with water pistols, the kids sprayed one another (and their father) during a frenzy period of activity uninterrupted by time’s stingy hand. I loved it and so did they. It reminded me of my fortunate childhood vacationing in Durban, Umhlanga Rocks, Cape Town, Muisenberg and George with not a care in the world. We celebrated the air, the water and the blissful feeling of freedom - a life with no worries. This is what I wanted for my own kids and right here on an isolated beach somewhere on Turtle Island they were enjoying the same experience.

The evening events took a bit of a turn for the worse as the storm that was threatening unleashed its torrent of rain that continued throughout the night. Out came the rain ponchos as we huddled under tarps hoping for an end to the onslaught that only came in the wee hours of the morning. However its moments like this that build strength (at least this is what I kept telling myself) and our team of campers held firm against an onslaught of lightning and thunder that at times seemed relentless. The tent leaked a bit but we managed to contain it and although our sleep was not restful we emerged the next morning bedraggled, unkempt and tired but with our spirits still up.

Onward to Monday and of course the clean-up. The kids enjoyed their last moments at the site and I pattered myself on the back knowing that I had once again overcome my own personal OCD demons around dirt and chaos. Despite the weather we had a great time and would do it again in a second for at the end we were together as a family. This is what matters. Dina and I couldn’t have asked for more.

Physics Reading List

Books I recommend

1. The Elegant Universe – Brian Greene - excellent introduction into the fundamentals of Modern Physics.

2. Hyperspace – Michio Kaku - wonderful take on extra-dimensions by a strong narrator.
3. The Ideas of Physics – Ernest Hutten - an oldie but a goldie – discusses key ideas that shaped the discipline.
4. Fearful Symmetry – A. Zee - Looks at the Beauty in Physics.
5. Physics of Immortality – Frank Tipler - a bit over the top but highly entertaining nevertheless.
6. Theories of Everything – John Barrow - Low key but well written.
7. Feynman Lecture Series – Richard Feynman - A struggle for the lay person but if you can get through a third of it your effort will be rewarded.
8. The Trouble with Physics – Lee Smolin - an important critique of the group think that has encroached on the discipline.
9. Physics – Douglas Giancoli - Doesn’t matter what the edition is its treatment of classical physics is praiseworthy.
10. The Flying circus of Physics – Jearl Walker – Challenging problems that force one to really think deep.
11. Relativity Simply Explained – Martin Gardiner – Its title says it all.
12. The First Three Minutes – Steven Weinberg- Still one of the best treatments of the Big Bang.
13. The Constants of Nature – John Barrow – Delves into the details of these definitive constants that so encapsulate our universe.
14. Thirty Years that Shook Physics: The Story of Quantum Theory – Gamow is a great storyteller and he didn’t disappoint with this useful read.
15. 50 Physics Ideas – Joanne Baker – Lots of fun and really easy to read.

The Problem with Quora

 I generally like the question and answer website Quora but I do find that it has a number of irritations

Here are a few

1. Many Writers are condescending and rude when there is no reason to be so. I suspect that a great deal of those asking questions are kids who may be ignorant of certain facts. Responding politely with a well thought out answer is a far better option.
2. Top Writers dominate key questions despite supplying answers that very often don’t live up to the hype associated with these writers.
3. Obvious liberal bias. While Quora itself has no bias as an organization (as far as I can tell) the Quora community appears to be somewhat of a liberal echo chamber. Even conservative related topics are routinely dominated by liberals who regularly skew Conservative opinions to the applause of a Hurrah chorus.
4. Too many questions are answered with anecdotal evidence only. While these are often great to read they don’t do justice to the broader question being asked.
5. Questions on more nebulous topics are regularly answered with the language of certainty indicating that the author is reluctant to reflect on the strength of their argument.
6. The Trump obsession - enough is enough…let’s move on here.

Reflections XVII - Some Silver Nuggets

The danger of a growing empire is that with its growing hubris it often outsources its security to those that don’t have at its best interests at heart. Rome and Britain both felt prey to such a mentality.

 Regardless of historical era there has never been a shortage of spokespeople for god.

 To someone motivated by ambition truth is never a premium.

 The one commonality of sports pundits is their innate ability to make wrong predictions. They do this by chronically looking backward while driving forward.

 An institution will prosper if it has enough of a talent pool in the working body to correct for the inevitable errors of its upper echelons.

 The pitfall with political prediction is that it cannot resist the temptation to confuse the ‘is’ for the ‘ought’

Remember what you stand for

 It is my experience that if you wish to live a life of meaning that you also have beliefs that are well thought out, clear, non-intentionally hurtful and are based as best as possible on sound reasoning and logic. Now I can’t say that you should divorce emotion from your beliefs, as we are human after all, but this emotion should not override the judgement that is formed along rational lines. 

In the day-to-day chaos of life, we often sideline our conscious realization of these beliefs, even if we act sub-consciously with the same ideals in mind. This promotes somewhat of a sleepwalking approach to life that we should eschew. 

To escape such a pathology (and on one level it is such a phenomenon) I would suggest a daily cataloguing and listing of both one’s primary and secondary beliefs. This does not have to span volumes, but should be both succinct and encompassing in such a manner that it brings to mind the core of what we are as agents of free will (one of my key beliefs). I have followed such a course of action for sometime now and find it to be both refreshing and re-affirming of my role as an active player in life.

Reflections XVI - MIxed Passage of Thought

Lies survive as they provide comfort for people.

The easiest pathway for a civilization to take is regression for it requires so little effort.

One should learn from one’s successes just as much our failures for many a success was delivered on the back of a fortuitous turn of events that may never repeat themselves.

No society will ever advance if its primary objective is the destruction of another as opposed to the growth of itself. This is the Palestinian tragedy.

The problem with politics is that as much as one tries to ignore it, you are immediately stung by the reality that it is etched into all aspects of the life struggle.