23 Nov, 2022
Recently, I had my bi-annual dental (hygienist) appointment. At my arrival, I received a checklist with some 30 health questions and was asked to complete it and sign off. After reviewing those questions, I insisted on their explanation. I'm still waiting for it. I was sent home because it was a must. That incident spoiled my afternoon. I hate being told that I must...
9 Nov, 2022
Recently, the FT mentioned a 2022 book by Andy Borowitz, an American satirist: Profiles in Ignorance: How America’s Politicians Got Dumber and Dumber (eg, Amazon). I just listened to his interview on PBS. He mentions 3 stages in ignorance: (i) ridicule, (ii) acceptance, and (iii) celebration. According to Andy Borowitz, stage 1 was in the 1970s (eg, Ronald Reagan)....
4 Nov, 2022
I don't really understand the outcome of the 2022 Brazilian general and presidential elections (Wiki). At least 45% of the 216 million people live in (extreme) poverty (source). Nevertheless, only 50.9% voted for Lula. An ironic explanation is that the more wealthy citizens become, the less likely they will vote for Labour-Left. The same trend is visible in Europe,...
26 Oct, 2022
Globalism has a simple vision: more prosperity. This vision worked (very) well for the "happy few" but not for all. Hence, dissatisfaction with globalism caused a fertile ground for nationalism, including its ultimate act: Brexit (2016). Brexit's utter failure serves globalism well. In my view, nationalism could work. A recent article in The Conversation states that...
30 Sep, 2022
There are three kinds of people: (1) the ones preaching tolerance, (2) the ones preaching intolerance, and (3) the ones struggling where tolerance ends and intolerance starts. In my view, groups 1+2 are false prophets (eg, my 2016 blog) because their deeds tend to be inconsistent with their words. Prior to the 2016 US elections, Trump claimed that those elections...
19 Sep, 2022
I prefer to skip reading opinions whenever possible. Most opinions are biased or skewed and (thus) increase polarisation in societies. Opinions also tend to follow the click-bait-fight news cycle. Hence, I am careful to avoid writing opinions in my blog. Recently, I had this thought: why must I have an opinion? There are several quotes (rightly or wrongly)...
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