The Russian war of aggression (also known as the “special military operation” according to Russian propaganda) against Ukraine marks a turning point in history. While it remains a fairly standard attempt at a land and power grab by a foreign belligerent against a weaker neighbour, it was the largest attack…

There’s an old joke that I can’t help but remember. A lighthouse keeper is set to finally retire. The local township throws a party, thanks him for his service, and sends him on his way. A few months later, the mayor of their little town calls him asking for his…

Alright, it’s time to start making money on the Medium Partner Program™. You’ve spent some time perusing the site and you’ve seen a few of the millions of articles about how you too can make money. You have now seen everything you need but here’s the secret: explaining to people…

Prewritten, preapproved statements by influential people or organizations offer little in terms of insight into their beliefs or positions. They are sanitized and curated by experts, tested in focus groups, and run through the process time and again to emphasize what is meant to be emphasized and downplay the rest…

It’s seven fifteen in the morning and I’m sitting on a train headed toward one of North America’s largest and most rapidly declining cities. There’s an important meeting that needs each district to be at head office in person, first thing. A light breakfast will be served along with lunch. …

The internet has opened our eyes not only to our insatiable hunger for new and interesting forms of pornography but to all the little corners of the globe and their idiosyncrasies. Whereas I was once relegated to only seeing strange people on the evening news (I am old enough to…

Tens of billions spent and years of research and development wasted with nothing to show for it. Facebook’s Metaverse (or Meta’s Metaverse, which just might be too perfect to be true) is a colossal failure by every measure. Reports state that there are less than a few dozen making use…

We have to consider the fact that the large and powerful governments that we have fashioned are the primary targets of those with the best intentions and bad actors alike. Further, that it is the pursuit of this power which has caused so much destabilization in recent years. A strong…

Charlottesville, Virginia. August 12, 2017. The Unite the Right rally sees various militias, white nationalists, klansmen, and neo-Nazis marching in unison. The full range of the far right’s diversity is on display for all the world to see. “You will not replace us” and “blood and soil” along with other…