What's Inside This Mental Breakdown of Writing? Here, you'll find my wandering thoughts on economics, geopolitics, culture, technology, and daily ideas. Plus, I'll be dropping little peeks behind the curtain on my novel and nonfiction projects.
Picture someone handing you a history book and telling you to flip to any page and find a year where the United States wasn't fighting somebody, somewhere. Chances are, you would struggle.
Out of 249 years since a group of tired, idealistic men signed their names to a declaration in Philadelphia, America has known a few years of what you could honestly call peace. Some historians argue 5 years and some political scientists say possibly scattered throughout two and half centuries and counting months maybe up to 16 years. That's less than seven percent of the whole American story.
Think…
There's a ticking clock in Washington, and it's about to force a choice between ethics and empire.
By Friday at 5:01 PM, the AI company Anthropic has to decide: hand over its technology to the U.S. military for "all lawful purposes," or get blacklisted from government work forever. A $200 million contract hangs in the balance. So, do AI companies still have power to say no to the USA Government or does the USA Government have complete control over Ai companies?
The Pentagon wants Claude, Anthropic's AI model, integrated into military systems. All of them. Including, autonomous weapons and…
We’ve been told a simple story about the war in Ukraine, a clear battle between democracy and aggression, where diplomacy was never really possible because Moscow wouldn’t talk. But the reality maybe very different.
In the early days after the February 2022 invasion, President Zelensky openly mentioned neutrality as something Ukraine was willing to discuss. Talks began quickly, and in Istanbul there were reports that both sides were exploring serious compromises.
But the war didn’t end, instead, it hardened
Some observers argue that Western governments, particularly in Washington and…
For over three decades, Iranian scientists, military officials, and government figures have been hunted, killed by assassins reportedly funded and dispatched by Israeli and American intelligence agencies. Missiles have rained down on Persian soil for years. And long before that, a bloody proxy war between Iraq and Iran was quietly backed by both Washington and Tel Aviv, widely believed to be part of a broader regional strategy, one that critics say serves Israel's long-held vision of territorial expansion known as "Greater Israel."
Now, the pressure has shifted from bullets and bombs to…
Trump and his business empire stand to gain greatly if Cuba's government collapses or the country opens up to the United States. American companies are currently excluded due to the decades-old embargo, but this could change.
Trump's strategy would be ideal in Cuba; picture Trump hotels, golf courses, and beach resorts. Since the island has been closed to American developers for more than 60 years, there is a ton of unrealized potential in both real estate and tourism. And the Trump Organization are planning multiple billion dollar projects to take advantage of the Cuban plight.
The Trump…
I watched and listened closely to PM Carney's Davos Speech today...
We must first quit "living within a lie" and engaging in pointless rituals in order to stay out of trouble or blend in if we are to be genuinely informed, morally upright, and powerful. Naming reality and recognizing the world as it is rather than how we would like it to be are the first steps toward true knowledge. A world without the light of knowledge is a dark place, and "each is as much as he knows," but knowledge alone is sterile if it isn't combined with bravery. By avoiding the "double folly" of possessing knowledge…
Some people don't need an excuse to hate or despise other people. For them, it is instinctive. Even before someone does anything wrong, they are already agitated, furious, or resentful. They frequently don't fully comprehend the reasons behind their feelings. Their negativity spreads more quickly than patience, kindness, or well-meaning intentions.
These individuals are more inclined to harm others out of resentment than to benefit themselves via hard work or ambition. They consequently become frustrated all the time and end up at odds with nearly everyone.
It's very difficult to change…
Donald Trump views Greenland as if it were just another large landmass that he could transform into an enormous ballroom, treating the entire world like a large luxury real estate brochure. Because he is viewing the incorrect map projection, it appears to be a prime, oversized piece of property, which is probably why he believes it is much larger than it actually is.
The fact that he has left the "military option" open in order to obtain the acquisition is the most crazy aspect of this situation. The NATO treaty, which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all, may be triggered…
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/wwii-era-arctic-military-base-polluting-greenland-1.3756786
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54TJORwhttM
Trump has no idea of northern peoples.
[File: 174a4b8c-4f78-498d-9c08-d760d0f8c996]
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thetimes.com%2Fus%2Fnews-today%2Farticle%2Fgreenland-ww2-us-occupation-trump-oil-20rd939ss&ved=0CBcQjRxqGAoTCNjQ\_oLzgpIDFQAAAAAdAAAAABCqAQ&opi=89978449
USA created such an outstanding environmental…
To be honest, spending three weeks in a row reading fiction and nonfiction from Arundhati Roy sounds like a demanding, and probably a little draining emotional workout; not in the least. The best way, however, is to read both her fiction and non-fiction at the same time. It's similar to reading the technical score of My Seditious Heart after hearing a melancholic tune in The God of Small Things and realizing why those notes hurt so much. You begin to realize that for Roy, "storytelling" and "activism" are simply two different ways of shouting the truth; there isn't really a wall between…
It makes logical sense to consider what Canada's $22 billion commitment to Ukraine might have done for its own citizens. It still comes to billions every year that could have been used to help with some of the most difficult daily challenges that Canadians face. For example, the housing crisis has made owning a home seem like a far-off dream for many people, with prices and rents skyrocketing in most cities. There needs to be at least 430,000 to 480,000 new homes must be built annually just to return to 2020 affordability, and dedicating even a small portion of that money to programs like…
Why do we Canadians show these amazing people?
Canadians show these people to create positive energy and change.
The current Nobel Peace Prize, Narges Mohammadi, was recognized in 2023 for her unwavering struggle against Iranian women's oppression and her ceaseless efforts to promote human rights for all. She was given that award for her brave, nonviolent advocacy in the face of injustice, but the vicious violence used during her recent arrest feels like a direct insult to everything.
She has been incarcerated for more than ten years, and she is currently serving a lengthy sentence…
You know what really gets under my skin, and I bet pretty much everyone feels the same way, is when people make up complete lies about someone else, and they do it so clumsily that they end up sounding totally unhinged.
If you're ever tempted to trash-talk someone behind their back, spread rumors, or try to sabotage their reputation or career, here's a simple rule that’ll save you (and everyone else) a lot of grief: If you don’t have anything nice to say, just don’t say it. Change the subject. Move on.
Life feels a whole lot lighter and kinder when you’re not carrying around negative…
The difference is absurd if a Canadian is exceptionally skilled at what you do, particularly if you are in the top 10% of earners. Three-quarters of the reason Canada's GDP per capita continues to lag behind the United States and the top 1% can be explained by those individuals alone. By themselves, they make up nearly half of the difference. When our highest-paid engineers, physicians, and entrepreneurs, examine their bank accounts and compare them to the salaries of their classmates in San Francisco or New York, the math does the convincing. The degree and twelve-hour days are the same, but…