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Bookchat Moral Philosophy Politics

“The Wind Rises,” Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki is not only a great anime creator, he is a great filmmaker and storyteller, irrespective of genre. I have been running through the Miyazaki/Ghibli oevre more or less in order with a couple of omissions that I will eventually correct. A personal note: while the English dubs have A-list acting talent, I have […]

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Politics Screwheads Delenda Est

“You are already dead”

Short-lived U.S. hegemony has crossed the event horizon where not even light escapes being sucked into the singularity, there to be dematerialized. Bullying, censorship and propaganda can’t stop this. The Republic may have been more or less democratic at some point but it is too far gone now. The American people; over 90% of whom […]

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Politics Screwheads Delenda Est

Thracians, We Hardly Knew Ye

History is written by the victors, usually. But using better methods and sources to debunk their PR is sometimes possible and fun. While Greeks and Romans, and later Spanish, French, British and Americans all built vast empires, the cultures they seemingly erased are given short shrift because they lost. How could the decentralized cultures of […]

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Moral Philosophy Politics work/life

The Decalogue

Seems straightforward enough: Worship only Jehovah God.​—Exodus 20:3. Doesn’t say there aren’t other gods, just says the one talking to Moses claims exclusivity and primacy for Israel (and by extension, heretical but faithful cousins). Do not practice idolatry.​—Exodus 20:​4-6. This means don’t pray to false gods of your own creation or of any kind, e.g., […]

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Moral Philosophy Politics Screwheads Delenda Est work/life

Leviathan and the 1%

That we have more and more intrusive government at all levels as well as the unprecedented concentration of wealth is no coincidence. To address each separately is problematic. If our gigantic, expensive, corrupt and incompetent governing bodies don’t work for we the people, and only seem to give lip service to the noisiest, expecting them […]