This is completely unrelated, but today was a banner day for physics. After 33 years of fierce opposition, the DoE announced $10 million in funding for cold fusion (the Fleischmann Pons effect). That isn't much money by their standards, but they have never authorized even $1 in the past. It has been mired in academic politics, and opposition from the Washington Post and the New York Times, for crying out loud. Opposition by people who do not know the difference between power and energy, and would not know a calorimeter if it bit them on the butt.
This follows other recent good news. The EU science agencies are increasing funding for cold fusion. The U.S. Army, Navy and NASA researchers described excellent results at a recent conference. I have been working with NASA for years and they are great people. The head to of the X-Prize foundation is talking to us about a $100 million prize, which would be real money! Japan's largest boiler manufacturer announced a 1.5 kW prototype, and they hope to have commercial units by 2025. I doubt they will make that deadline, but I am glad they are reaching for it. (I know a lot about what is happening in Japan because I translate their papers.)
You can find a link to the DoE announcement and the Army, Navy and NASA papers here:
If these people are funded and they get their act together, they will lower the cost of energy by a factor of 20 and eliminate global warming. Says me, and I know a lot about it! Having edited and translated hundreds of papers, and read many hundreds more in mainstream, peer-reviewed journals.
Morning Shots is my one daily that I always read and always appreciate. Yet, a little cheer to relieve to gloom of our times would also be appreciated. Maybe post a few photos of your beautiful dogs once a month. Remember when we could laugh at Cheap Shots? What was funny because we thought it so crazy, so extreme is now terrifying because we know it's their norm.
Due respect for Team Bulwark's ability to continually absorb so much scary, enraging news and break it down for the rest of us.
Knowledge that up to 35% of U.S. citizens would accept amending our Constitution to allow a U.S. President - ANY U.S. President - to remove any "judge[s] whose decisions go against the national interest" is, for me, incomprehensible. Forget about law and being a nation bound by the law.
Sad to see so many Americans that are illiterate when it comes to civics. And in that chart, slightly more Republicans believe a fascist dictatorship is more likely than a communist one. So much for communism being the big existential threat to America according to "patriots".
One of the things about a lot of this is that people like to think in terms of these vast and powerful and pervasive conspiracies. dark cabals pursuing their nefarious goals.
Life is not actually like that. evil is actually kind of banal and largely invisible until it piles up enough to break into the light of day.
You do not need vast conspiracies, you just need a lot of short sighted and selfish people pursuing their personal goals oblivious to everything else. There is no shortage of short sighted and selfish people. The reverse, in fact... and democracy (as we practice it) and justice (as we practice it) is quite susceptible to people just doing their thing.. whatever that thing is.
When we look at the relationship between Trump and Putin or between the GoP and Putin (or Orban) what we tend to have is not a conspiracy (in the legal and actionable sense) as a band of fellow travelers traveling in the same direction--taking advantage of the situations that come their way.
This is also why these things tend to blow up at a certain point--because there is no larger plan, no coordination, no actual shared interest beyond surface appearances. Once these groups achieve and consolidate their local/personal victories, they tend to then turn on one another, chasing the next self-interested short term, selfish goal.
Fear is indeed the motivating factor for pretty much the entire GOP. I know you, JVL, and other members of the Bulwark crew may not have seen it, but as Tim noted in his book - this was a LONG time coming. Hell, I remember all the fear mongering Gingrich was doing in 90s.
Fear of losing primaries motivates the politicians so they can keep their jobs.
Fear of being seen as old news motivates Trump to keep up his shtick.
Fear of all the things they're told day-in and day-out by the media they consume moves the base to vote for crazier and crazier politicians.
Fear of losing viewers motivates the right wing media ecosystem to keep serving those serotonin hits to the viewers (see: Fox News calling AZ for Biden, losing viewers to Newsmax and then pivoting to election denialism full on to regain them).
It's just a whole gaggle of people afraid of (mostly) made up stuff. We're a country full of bored, unserious people, who must find a crazy conspiracy theory to be afraid of. It's kind of pathetic when you really think about it. I don't have much empathy left, but I do have sympathy for the "normal people" whose brains are hijacked by this constant fear mongering.
I have nothing but disdain for the politicians, media folks, etc. who know better.
Fear is a fine emotion, if balanced by reason. We can be afraid of China and balance out logical approaches. If all you do is feed the fear machine, eventually you get, well, whatever the f*** is happening.
How we wish people would turn to reading or listening to history or just imagine the idea that everything is bigger than “It’s all about me, me.” “If wishes were horses….” After reading today’s newsletter, I was hit with the thought that if not Trump as candidate, it must surely be Tucker Carlson who has the media power & dough to step up. Horrible thought.
On a very serious note, I feel that so many of the poll responses are from people who are completely tied up inside theirselves. In some ways we can trace this all the way back to the Vietnam War. Many of the Hippies of time, who were not drugged out, actually became titans of finance and industry. The societal upheaval with so many killed or returning with serious PTSD coincided with the pill, more divorces and looser social norms. More mothers entered the workforce with kids caring for themselves much of the time. I believe this time was the start of “It’s All About Me.” Of course there was a great deal going on in the next two decades. We noted that 9/11 was the last time our country really came together yesterday. To my way of thinking the big cultural divisions came long before 2001. That was probably why so many immediately turned against all Muslims as “ Others” rather than logically open minds to learn about different beliefs among Muslims. Fear, racism and forty years of not listening to people over 40 had much to do with our increasing belief that each of us personally knew what was best for everyone.
Here we are back to trying so hard to “Save our Democracy “ when we don’t appear to have a common language. How do we grow to understand what each person means by their poll answers? How do we address each Groups’ fears?
40%+ Republicans fear that the US will no longer be a global superpower and will be invaded by a foreign adversary. Yet the maga Republicans and their no-think tanks want to abandon both Ukraine and NATO. This madness defies description.
Brown people invading from the Southern border... black and brown people seeking asylum... they see them as the real invaders destroying (white) America.
They would say that we don't need NATO to fight that "invasion."
As the core inflation rises to 6.3% this morning, I want to remind everyone here that cares so much about democracy of one very important fact:
***Most Americans care more about *the economy* in this country than they do *the democracy* in this country.***
If you hold the maintaining of democracy close to your heart, then you should be doing everything in your power to make sure the economy gets better real fucking soon before the '24 election comes around. This starts with getting inflation addressed, and it's not *just the fed* who should be putting in the work. We need to do more than pressure the government and the federal reserve to stop spending, we need to get *rich people* to stop spending. A HUGE part of inflation is the fact that prices don't drop until the spending stops, and the spending doesn't stop if you have a class of rich people keeping the prices elevated because the inflation doesn't hit their decadent wealth the way it hits the working class. The longer rich people keep spending at current levels, the longer this inflation will persist. If you don't tax the richest families into forcing their spending habits to plummet, the prices of rent and the prices of goods will never come back down to where they need to be. As long as the rich can afford to splurge on housing investments (multiple properties), there will be housing shortages in addition to fewer homeowners and more renters. As long as the rich are forking over the money for the tuition hikes, the universities will keep hiking tuition to appeal to a smaller and smaller customer base who can pay the same or better than a wider-but-poorer customer base.
The harder it gets to survive economically in this country, the more likely people are going to appeal to authoritarianism to get *some* kind of change. The more economically-desperate people get, the more likely they are to say "I don't give a shit what kind of government we have, I just want the guy who is promising me that things will get economically easier for me and my kids." That's when the authoritarian with the promises of sweet tomorrow comes in for the kill. Keep playing with that fire and letting private wealth runaway unchecked. It's going to do wonders for retaining democracy I promise. There's a reason the last time "America First" had its day was during the dust-bowl under the banner of Lindberg. The worse the cost of living gets, the more likely people are to become "America First" voters.
My unpopular opinion is that most of the inflation is caused by businesses who know they can get away with it. Check out the items that have increased in price over the past year. My grocery list from Walmart: birdseed - made in the US shipped from nowhere has gone from 3.98 to 7!. Milk from local dairies - no global supply lines involved - keeps bouncing around. Frozen foods - oddly, no change in price, yet salads from down the highway are 50 cents more. Clothing - made in China - guess what, no difference in their cost. And those wonderful and completely artificial stock prices - ever notice the prices rise when businesses cut their employees, and increase bonuses to their CEOs, etc. Or when Musk decides to play monopoly with real people's lives. The market has made him so rich that money is nothing but a plaything to him. Prices are increasing because we let businesses get away with it. If it were a real crisis, the US would institute price controls and raise taxes on people like Musk.
The plot against the King? Trump being said monarch? And he and his followers call themselves "republicans".
When words lose their meaning, truth becomes falsehood, lies become truth, and pronouncements of the law become the devil's evil breath.
As of today, 859 days left to the Republic until Trump is returned to power. Enjoy them while and if you can.
This is completely unrelated, but today was a banner day for physics. After 33 years of fierce opposition, the DoE announced $10 million in funding for cold fusion (the Fleischmann Pons effect). That isn't much money by their standards, but they have never authorized even $1 in the past. It has been mired in academic politics, and opposition from the Washington Post and the New York Times, for crying out loud. Opposition by people who do not know the difference between power and energy, and would not know a calorimeter if it bit them on the butt.
This follows other recent good news. The EU science agencies are increasing funding for cold fusion. The U.S. Army, Navy and NASA researchers described excellent results at a recent conference. I have been working with NASA for years and they are great people. The head to of the X-Prize foundation is talking to us about a $100 million prize, which would be real money! Japan's largest boiler manufacturer announced a 1.5 kW prototype, and they hope to have commercial units by 2025. I doubt they will make that deadline, but I am glad they are reaching for it. (I know a lot about what is happening in Japan because I translate their papers.)
You can find a link to the DoE announcement and the Army, Navy and NASA papers here:
https://lenr-canr.org/wordpress/?page_id=522
If these people are funded and they get their act together, they will lower the cost of energy by a factor of 20 and eliminate global warming. Says me, and I know a lot about it! Having edited and translated hundreds of papers, and read many hundreds more in mainstream, peer-reviewed journals.
Fox News = Kremlin News Agency.
"Steve Bannon praised Putin for being “anti-woke,” and for denying LGBTQ rights."
Barbarism is now uber patriotic and of the New Confederacy.
Здравствуй, Путин! Здравствуй, товарищ Трамп!!
PS Watch for it. "The Plot Against the King" soon to be in elementary school libraries throughout Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Missouri........
https://news.yahoo.com/trump-peddles-children-book-starring-173235332.html
https://www.amazon.com/trump-book-kids/s?k=trump+book+for+kids
My observation about the poll discussed by Matt Yglesias:
If that's what they believe, it sure sucks to be Republican.
Alas, they feed off the suck. Grievance topped with malaise for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Morning Shots is my one daily that I always read and always appreciate. Yet, a little cheer to relieve to gloom of our times would also be appreciated. Maybe post a few photos of your beautiful dogs once a month. Remember when we could laugh at Cheap Shots? What was funny because we thought it so crazy, so extreme is now terrifying because we know it's their norm.
Due respect for Team Bulwark's ability to continually absorb so much scary, enraging news and break it down for the rest of us.
Knowledge that up to 35% of U.S. citizens would accept amending our Constitution to allow a U.S. President - ANY U.S. President - to remove any "judge[s] whose decisions go against the national interest" is, for me, incomprehensible. Forget about law and being a nation bound by the law.
Want a road map? Watch the film "Idiocracy".
I think it's called synecdoche. Referring to Putin as a representation of the Red Army.
Sad to see so many Americans that are illiterate when it comes to civics. And in that chart, slightly more Republicans believe a fascist dictatorship is more likely than a communist one. So much for communism being the big existential threat to America according to "patriots".
One of the things about a lot of this is that people like to think in terms of these vast and powerful and pervasive conspiracies. dark cabals pursuing their nefarious goals.
Life is not actually like that. evil is actually kind of banal and largely invisible until it piles up enough to break into the light of day.
You do not need vast conspiracies, you just need a lot of short sighted and selfish people pursuing their personal goals oblivious to everything else. There is no shortage of short sighted and selfish people. The reverse, in fact... and democracy (as we practice it) and justice (as we practice it) is quite susceptible to people just doing their thing.. whatever that thing is.
When we look at the relationship between Trump and Putin or between the GoP and Putin (or Orban) what we tend to have is not a conspiracy (in the legal and actionable sense) as a band of fellow travelers traveling in the same direction--taking advantage of the situations that come their way.
This is also why these things tend to blow up at a certain point--because there is no larger plan, no coordination, no actual shared interest beyond surface appearances. Once these groups achieve and consolidate their local/personal victories, they tend to then turn on one another, chasing the next self-interested short term, selfish goal.
Because there always has to be an enemy.
Fear is indeed the motivating factor for pretty much the entire GOP. I know you, JVL, and other members of the Bulwark crew may not have seen it, but as Tim noted in his book - this was a LONG time coming. Hell, I remember all the fear mongering Gingrich was doing in 90s.
Fear of losing primaries motivates the politicians so they can keep their jobs.
Fear of being seen as old news motivates Trump to keep up his shtick.
Fear of all the things they're told day-in and day-out by the media they consume moves the base to vote for crazier and crazier politicians.
Fear of losing viewers motivates the right wing media ecosystem to keep serving those serotonin hits to the viewers (see: Fox News calling AZ for Biden, losing viewers to Newsmax and then pivoting to election denialism full on to regain them).
It's just a whole gaggle of people afraid of (mostly) made up stuff. We're a country full of bored, unserious people, who must find a crazy conspiracy theory to be afraid of. It's kind of pathetic when you really think about it. I don't have much empathy left, but I do have sympathy for the "normal people" whose brains are hijacked by this constant fear mongering.
I have nothing but disdain for the politicians, media folks, etc. who know better.
Fear is a fine emotion, if balanced by reason. We can be afraid of China and balance out logical approaches. If all you do is feed the fear machine, eventually you get, well, whatever the f*** is happening.
How we wish people would turn to reading or listening to history or just imagine the idea that everything is bigger than “It’s all about me, me.” “If wishes were horses….” After reading today’s newsletter, I was hit with the thought that if not Trump as candidate, it must surely be Tucker Carlson who has the media power & dough to step up. Horrible thought.
On a very serious note, I feel that so many of the poll responses are from people who are completely tied up inside theirselves. In some ways we can trace this all the way back to the Vietnam War. Many of the Hippies of time, who were not drugged out, actually became titans of finance and industry. The societal upheaval with so many killed or returning with serious PTSD coincided with the pill, more divorces and looser social norms. More mothers entered the workforce with kids caring for themselves much of the time. I believe this time was the start of “It’s All About Me.” Of course there was a great deal going on in the next two decades. We noted that 9/11 was the last time our country really came together yesterday. To my way of thinking the big cultural divisions came long before 2001. That was probably why so many immediately turned against all Muslims as “ Others” rather than logically open minds to learn about different beliefs among Muslims. Fear, racism and forty years of not listening to people over 40 had much to do with our increasing belief that each of us personally knew what was best for everyone.
Here we are back to trying so hard to “Save our Democracy “ when we don’t appear to have a common language. How do we grow to understand what each person means by their poll answers? How do we address each Groups’ fears?
Sally Jones
Sally Jones
40%+ Republicans fear that the US will no longer be a global superpower and will be invaded by a foreign adversary. Yet the maga Republicans and their no-think tanks want to abandon both Ukraine and NATO. This madness defies description.
I would love to know what foreign adversary they think is going to try to invade the US.
Brown people invading from the Southern border... black and brown people seeking asylum... they see them as the real invaders destroying (white) America.
They would say that we don't need NATO to fight that "invasion."
China, of course.
The “woke” hordes of Ecotopia.
As the core inflation rises to 6.3% this morning, I want to remind everyone here that cares so much about democracy of one very important fact:
***Most Americans care more about *the economy* in this country than they do *the democracy* in this country.***
If you hold the maintaining of democracy close to your heart, then you should be doing everything in your power to make sure the economy gets better real fucking soon before the '24 election comes around. This starts with getting inflation addressed, and it's not *just the fed* who should be putting in the work. We need to do more than pressure the government and the federal reserve to stop spending, we need to get *rich people* to stop spending. A HUGE part of inflation is the fact that prices don't drop until the spending stops, and the spending doesn't stop if you have a class of rich people keeping the prices elevated because the inflation doesn't hit their decadent wealth the way it hits the working class. The longer rich people keep spending at current levels, the longer this inflation will persist. If you don't tax the richest families into forcing their spending habits to plummet, the prices of rent and the prices of goods will never come back down to where they need to be. As long as the rich can afford to splurge on housing investments (multiple properties), there will be housing shortages in addition to fewer homeowners and more renters. As long as the rich are forking over the money for the tuition hikes, the universities will keep hiking tuition to appeal to a smaller and smaller customer base who can pay the same or better than a wider-but-poorer customer base.
The harder it gets to survive economically in this country, the more likely people are going to appeal to authoritarianism to get *some* kind of change. The more economically-desperate people get, the more likely they are to say "I don't give a shit what kind of government we have, I just want the guy who is promising me that things will get economically easier for me and my kids." That's when the authoritarian with the promises of sweet tomorrow comes in for the kill. Keep playing with that fire and letting private wealth runaway unchecked. It's going to do wonders for retaining democracy I promise. There's a reason the last time "America First" had its day was during the dust-bowl under the banner of Lindberg. The worse the cost of living gets, the more likely people are to become "America First" voters.
My unpopular opinion is that most of the inflation is caused by businesses who know they can get away with it. Check out the items that have increased in price over the past year. My grocery list from Walmart: birdseed - made in the US shipped from nowhere has gone from 3.98 to 7!. Milk from local dairies - no global supply lines involved - keeps bouncing around. Frozen foods - oddly, no change in price, yet salads from down the highway are 50 cents more. Clothing - made in China - guess what, no difference in their cost. And those wonderful and completely artificial stock prices - ever notice the prices rise when businesses cut their employees, and increase bonuses to their CEOs, etc. Or when Musk decides to play monopoly with real people's lives. The market has made him so rich that money is nothing but a plaything to him. Prices are increasing because we let businesses get away with it. If it were a real crisis, the US would institute price controls and raise taxes on people like Musk.
Now is the time when one would expect an real, actual Ukrainian campaign against MAGA, lol
Will this be in Florida Schools?