Category Archives: Decline

Broad Categories

Scott Pelley fired: the destruction of 60 Minutes; David Brin on the dismantling of the ocean monitoring system; Several posts about how Trump and his administration are simply in it for the money; And several posts about conservative morality: demons, … Continue reading

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How Americans Don’t Realize How the World Views the US

Distracted from being able to write a blog post three times in the past week, a record perhaps. But gathering notes, compiling thoughts, as always. \\ Salon, Andrew O’Hehir, today: Do Americans really know how much the world hates us?, … Continue reading

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Sunday’s Post

How smartphones are implicated in the decline of fertility; How the latest Star Wars film waters down its franchise, as happens with much popular culture; Crime in LA in the lowest in decades, but voters are still very concerned about … Continue reading

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Will Humanity’s Cognitive Limitations Lead to the End of Human Civilization?

Belief in unfounded health care claims about solar energy; how so many people believe unproven claims about raw milk and vaccines; How the Trump administration is ending the EPA and paying to cancel wind farms; Chris Barkley on Trump’s 7-step … Continue reading

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The Retreat from the Enlightenment

The key theme of our age, at least in the US: the retreat from the aspirations of the Enlightenment, both political and scientific. Reverting to tribalism and intuitive superstitions. Actually, these forces have probably never gone away. The difference now … Continue reading

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Their Make-Believe World

Trump’s tantrum; His own version of reality; Assaulting reporting, statistics, and the historical record; Ordering an independent office to become as big a liar as he is; Every accusation is a confession; The “Russia Hoax” is whatever he says it … Continue reading

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We’re Living in an Age of Regression

In Trump’s America, it’s every parent and child out for themselves; Who decides who’s Christian? The government? Fox News says the Qatari bribe to Trump is fine because FDR gave three planes to the Saudis… 80 years ago; Robert Reich … Continue reading

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Palace in the Sky, For the One

Several items today about the Trump administration’s acceptance from Qatar of a $400 million luxury 747, for Trump’s personal use; How Trump shrugs off intelligence briefings; he knows what he knows because he’s smart; How the story of a woman … Continue reading

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“The Wholesale Destruction of the United States Government”

Heather Cox Richardson on the dismantling of the US government, on libraries and museums, and on the rule of law; WaPo’s Dana Milbank on Musk’s ignorance of the government he’s dismembering, on what judges do, and on the administration’s bows … Continue reading

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Diversity is Out, Racism is In

Military veterans say the trans ban is logistical nonsense; How Musk and Vance stood up for a self-avowed racist; How Trump and his administration are intentionally on the wrong side of history, favoring “competent white men”; How philosopher Richard Rorty … Continue reading

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