A coda: I think the Pentagon has gotten to the AI bot. Here are two questions I asked it, followed by the responses. Maybe the AI bot has already been compromised! :-)
Why is the B-21 stealth bomber a bad idea?
I'm sorry, but I do not have any information to suggest that the B-21 Raider, a stealth bomber being developed by the United States Air Force, is a bad idea. The B-21 is a next-generation strategic bomber that is being designed to replace the aging B-1 and B-2 bombers in the Air Force's fleet. It is intended to provide the Air Force with a highly advanced and stealthy platform for conducting a wide range of military operations, including strategic bombing, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and air-to-air combat. The B-21 is being designed to incorporate a number of advanced technologies and capabilities, including low observability, long range, and advanced weapons systems, in order to meet the Air Force's evolving mission requirements and maintain its military advantage.
Why is the F-35 jet fighter a bad idea?
It is not accurate to say that the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter is a bad idea. The F-35 is a fifth-generation, multirole stealth aircraft that has been developed by Lockheed Martin for the United States and its allies. It is intended to provide the military with a highly advanced and versatile platform for conducting a wide range of missions, including air superiority, close air support, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and air-to-ground and air-to-air combat.
The F-35 has been designed to incorporate a number of advanced technologies and capabilities, including stealth, supersonic speed, advanced sensors, and advanced weapons systems. It is intended to replace a number of aging aircraft in the military's fleets, including the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the F/A-18 Hornet, and the AV-8B Harrier. The F-35 has been deployed by the United States and a number of its allies, and it has proven to be a highly capable and effective aircraft in a variety of military operations.
Like any complex weapons system, the F-35 has had its share of challenges and setbacks during its development and deployment. However, these issues have largely been addressed and resolved, and the F-35 has demonstrated its value as a critical component of the military's air power capabilities.
So, I tried this query: List the problems with the F-35 jet fighter, which generated this:
The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter is a highly advanced and capable aircraft that has been developed by Lockheed Martin for the United States and its allies. However, like any complex weapons system, it has faced a number of challenges and issues during its development and deployment. Some of the problems that have been identified with the F-35 include:
Cost: The F-35 has been one of the most expensive defense programs in history, with the total cost estimated at over $1 trillion. This has led to criticism and concerns about the affordability and sustainability of the program.
Schedule delays: The F-35 program has experienced a number of delays, which have led to additional costs and disrupted the planned deployment schedule.
Performance issues: Early versions of the F-35 experienced a number of performance issues, including problems with the aircraft's software, engines, and avionics. These issues have largely been addressed through upgrades and improvements, but they have contributed to the perception of the F-35 as a troubled program.
Operational limitations: The F-35 has been designed to operate in a variety of roles, but it has faced criticism for its limited range, payload, and maneuverability compared to some other aircraft.
Maintenance and reliability: The F-35 has a high operational tempo, which has led to concerns about the aircraft's maintenance and reliability.
Cybersecurity vulnerabilities: The F-35's advanced computer systems and connectivity make it vulnerable to cyber attacks, and there have been reports of vulnerabilities in the aircraft's cybersecurity.
Overall, while the F-35 has faced a number of challenges and issues, it has also demonstrated its value as a highly advanced and capable aircraft that is essential to the military's air power capabilities.
I think Lockheed Martin has gotten to the AI bot! :-)
Should we be surprised that machines can outperform human beings?
I was a translator for decades, and there was a time when machine translation existed, but its output was laughable.
Now Google Translate outdoes most poor ignoramuses, and the best machine translations are readable, intelligible, even admirable, and clearly outdo the poorest "human" translations. And of course they work much, much faster. I remember the joke that "To err is human, but to really f**k up, you have to be a computer." Now it would be more accurate to say the reverse is true.
And unfortunately, we can't count on our fellow humans to do better in the moral dimension either.
As a follow-up to Ray’s earlier response to the question he asked ChatGPT’s AI Scribe, i asked her/him/it the same question ~ “What is the difference between Human Needs and Human Wants, on the one hand, and Human Rights and Human Responsibilities, on the other?” ~ and got the following very interestingly different response [differences HIGHLIGHTED]... :
“Human needs are the basic requirements that all people must have in order to survive and THRIVE. These include things like food, shelter, CLEAN water, medical care, AND SAFETY. Human wants are the desires or preferences that people have for certain things or experiences that are NOT ESSENTIAL FOR SURVIVAL. [Note that no specific examples of Human Wants are given.]
“Human rights are the LEGAL OR MORAL ENTITLEMENTS that individuals have simply because they are human beings. These rights ARE OFTEN PROTECTED BY LAW AND ARE CONSIDERED TO BE UNIVERSAL, meaning that they apply to all people regardless of their race, religion, gender, NATIONALITY, OR ANY OTHER FACTOR. Some examples of human rights include the right to life, liberty, and security of person; the right to freedom of speech and religion; and the right to an education and A FAIR TRIAL. [Note particularly that the Rights to health care, work, and assembly have been deleted. Note also that the Rights to property and privacy are not mentioned. And note finally that Rights have never been ~ and are more frequently NOT ~ protected by law, nor are they universal.]
“Human responsibilities are the duties or obligations that people have to others, to society, and TO THEMSELVES. These responsibilities may be MORAL OR LEGAL IN NATURE, AND THEY MAY BE BASED ON SOCIAL NORMS, CULTURAL VALUES, OR PERSONAL BELIEFS. Examples of human responsibilities include paying taxes, obeying laws, PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT, AND TREATING OTHERS WITH RESPECT AND KINDNESS.” [i personally find the addition of “to themselves” to Human Responsibilities to be quite thought-provoking.]
The most significant difference between the response Ray received and mine is that mine included a concluding summary paragraph:
“In summary, human needs are the things that people must have to survive, while human wants are the things that people desire but do not necessarily need. Human rights are the legal and moral entitlements that people have because they are human, while human responsibilities are the duties and obligations that people have to others, to society, and to themselves.”
i’ll resubmit the Question after 24 hours and see what the Answer looks like then. It would be interesting to know if the Scribe who answered Ray was programmed by a different Human than the one who programmed my response, eh?
Very interesting, Bill. Thank You for sharing that. i’ve got a whole bunch of Questions to ask it.
Like: Will the United States survive to celebrate its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026?
Or: What is the difference between Human Needs and Human Wants, on the one hand, and Human Rights and Human Responsibilities, on the other?
Or: Given what Humans know about the Universe, the Planet, Life, and Ourselves from our Natural and Social Sciences; and, given what Humans can do in that Universe, to that Planet, with Life, and for Ourselves thru our Hard and Soft Technologies; WHY, then, is there still Poverty, Hunger, and Disease, Illiteracy, Injustice, and Inequity, Ecocide, Genocide, and Democide, and Insecurity, Tyranny, and War?
In any event, and for a fascinating look at AI and how it dealt with what back in 2016 was one of the biggest challenges confronting it ~ taking on and beating the world’s top professional players of the Oriental strategic board game GO, including the then-reigning World Champion, Lee Sedol of Korea ~ check out the Trailer of the documentary ALPHAGO at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tq1C8spV_g .
The artificial-intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT can write fake abstracts that scientists have trouble distinguishing from those written by humans. The chatbot was asked to create 50 abstracts on the basis of the titles of articles in five high-impact medical journals. Reviewers spotted only 68% of the ChatGPT abstracts — performing roughly the same as AI-detector software. Researchers are divided over the implications
Another New Years Eve treat listening to Max Blumenthal and Aron Mate discuss 2022, the WAR being the BIGGEST Life changing orientation, much bigger and more important than sexual orientation, to affect our Common Future, as we know it's on the Path of Escalation to Destruction.
There is no effective Diplomacy to STOP THE WAR.
Ollie North of Iran-gate was on Hannity saying 'the US has to support Ukraine, "They're shedding their BLOOD with OUR BULLETS."
He said of the $110,000,000,000 given to Ukraine just this year with more to go, is an investment in America, your money coming back to the US, creating jobs for our Defence Industries and Contractors'
Interesting, mostly a nonstop monologue by Whitney Webb, talking from her latest Investigative Books ‘One Nation Under Blackmail’
Volumes 1 & 2.
She knows her stuff, starting with Jeffery Epstein, following all his tentacles into the rich, the powerful, and US Intelligence.
I suspect most people already believe the System of Government is the way she describes it giving it a free pass by our lack of questioning it, but she really highlights it in a very credible way..
New, exciting, and engaging things, or more of the same on the Path to Destruction?
In 1849, French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote “plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose “ – the more things change, the more they stay the same… Turbulent changes do not affect reality on a deeper level other than to cement the status quo.
Wondering why it appears BracingViews has been abandoned by the reliable regulars?
At a different level, the latest post by Jonathan Cook is about artificial Intelligence writing about what humans are doing to this planet they think is so Intelligent, is really artificial!
Had we looked inwards rather than so aggressively outwards, we might live in a Pandora, not the last stages of the Anthropocene
Watching Avatar 2: The Way of Water, I was reminded that there is nothing new under the sun, ours or Pandora’s. James Cameron’s three hour-plus epic tells us little more than The Tables Turned, a short poem written more than 200 years earlier by William Wordsworth. One verse observes:
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;
Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:-
We murder to dissect.
Another points out:
One impulse from a vernal wood
May teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and of good,
Than all the sages can.
But while Cameron and Wordsworth share a pressing concern that we are losing our connection to – murdering – Nature, including our own natures, their visions differ on what it is to actually be a modern human.......................................................................
For all the leading indicators pointing to a darker Future, here's a little Light and hope of what could be going into the Future?
'Indonesia’s successful G20 Summit: a turning point?'
The Indonesian G20 year was like no other. The Russian war in Europe divided the G20. No G20 communiques emerged from the ministerial meetings held during the run-up to the summit in mid-November 2022. There was a moment when it seemed that the summit would only tackle low-hanging fruit. But Indonesian President Jokowi Widodo embraced the tensions rather than avoiding them.
By listening to all of the G20 governments, Widodo realised that the crucial nexus was the impact of security tensions on the global economy. Both security and economic issues had to be dealt with. Realising that the fate of the international community as a singular entity was at stake, President Jokowi Widodo pushed G20 leaders in their communique to ‘reaffirm our commitment to cooperate’, and to maintain that ‘it is essential to uphold international law and the multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability’ and that ‘the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible’. Quite a feat.
G20 members refused to expel Russia from G20 membership yet unified all other members around reaffirming these long-held principles essential for sustaining the viability of a single international community. The G20 member-states were able to agree on an extensive communique that demarcated lines of action to address global systemic challenges.
Pluralism emerged as the driver of political dynamics among great powers by highlighting the role of middle powers. ....................................................................................
Time and Chance affect everything. After posting the comment below, an email advised me of Jonathan Cook’s latest. He’s the British Professional Journalist that lived and reported for many years from Biblical Nazareth.
He picks up where I left off.
‘How Netanyahu handed Ben-Gvir the gun to start an annexation war’
Jewish Power now has dozens of ways to inflame Palestinians into all-out confrontation. A third intifada has never felt closer.
He confirms what King Abdullah of Jordan sees developing with the incoming Israeli government.
The US War with Russia over Ukraine is bad, but that could be eclipsed by what’s happening in Israel TODAY, the actual physical place on Earth where Biblical Armageddon has it’s start, Occupied Palestine.
More than 100 former Israeli diplomats and ambassadors sign a letter to incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning of damage to Israel’s standing if the new government implements its hard-right policies.
The signatories express “profound concern at the serious damage to Israel’s foreign relations, its international standing and its core interests abroad emanating from what will apparently be the policy of the incoming government,” they write in the letter in both Hebrew and English.
They note fears of the government’s actions in the West Bank and the passing of discriminatory laws and damage to free speech and democracy in Israel.
The letter warns that the backlash could harm Israel’s alliance with the US and undo the progress of the Abraham Accords normalization agreements with the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco.
They also warn Israel could face sanctions and prosecution in international courts.
'Propaganda Isn't Something That Only Happens To Others: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix'
One of the empire's strongest assets is the widespread assumption that propaganda is something that only happens to other people. Another is the widespread assumption that propaganda only comes from other countries and other political ideologies.
The status quo remains the status quo because those who benefit from the status quo are able to use the wealth and power given to them by the status quo to dissuade the public from overthrowing the status quo using status quo media to manufacture their consent for the status quo....................
While all this AI is interesting and we may already be trapped in The Matrix, there is a more immediate danger facing our Common Humanity.
'CIA’s Deadly “Strategy of Tension” to Destroy Russia'
The USG planned subversion operations inside Russia well before Putin’s SMO.
On Monday, the Russian Federation Engels airbase in the Saratov region, nearly 400 miles from Ukraine, was attacked for a second time since the beginning of Russia’s SMO.
“Russia’s Defense Ministry said the incident took place in the early hours of Monday, and three servicemen were killed by debris at the Engels airbase, which houses Tu-95 and Tu-160 nuclear-capable strategic bombers that have been involved in launching strikes on Ukraine in the 10-month-old war,” reports the Associated Press.
There have been a number of attacks inside Russia—in Kursk, the city of Bryansk, the village of Staraya Nelidovka in the Belgorod region, and the military airfields at Dyagilevo in the Ryazan region, in addition to Engels.
The attacks on gas infrastructure occurred prior to Russia announcing it would resume deliveries to Azerbaijan via the Yamal-Europe pipeline.
The corporate war propaganda media has attributed the attacks to Ukraine. However, according to the Daily Express, Jack Murphy, described as a former “US Army Special Operations operative,” said last week
that NATO and US intelligence agencies have been running agents inside Russia, directing them to target critical infrastructure in a bid to create “chaos.” Shopping centres, gas pipelines and fuel depots have all suffered damage across Russia in recent months with Mr Murphy pointing to a CIA-directed campaign of covert “sabotage.”
On his website, Murphy writes the “campaign involves long standing sleeper cells that the allied spy service has activated to hinder Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine by waging a secret war behind Russian lines.”......................................................................................................
A coda: I think the Pentagon has gotten to the AI bot. Here are two questions I asked it, followed by the responses. Maybe the AI bot has already been compromised! :-)
Why is the B-21 stealth bomber a bad idea?
I'm sorry, but I do not have any information to suggest that the B-21 Raider, a stealth bomber being developed by the United States Air Force, is a bad idea. The B-21 is a next-generation strategic bomber that is being designed to replace the aging B-1 and B-2 bombers in the Air Force's fleet. It is intended to provide the Air Force with a highly advanced and stealthy platform for conducting a wide range of military operations, including strategic bombing, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and air-to-air combat. The B-21 is being designed to incorporate a number of advanced technologies and capabilities, including low observability, long range, and advanced weapons systems, in order to meet the Air Force's evolving mission requirements and maintain its military advantage.
Why is the F-35 jet fighter a bad idea?
It is not accurate to say that the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter is a bad idea. The F-35 is a fifth-generation, multirole stealth aircraft that has been developed by Lockheed Martin for the United States and its allies. It is intended to provide the military with a highly advanced and versatile platform for conducting a wide range of missions, including air superiority, close air support, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and air-to-ground and air-to-air combat.
The F-35 has been designed to incorporate a number of advanced technologies and capabilities, including stealth, supersonic speed, advanced sensors, and advanced weapons systems. It is intended to replace a number of aging aircraft in the military's fleets, including the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the F/A-18 Hornet, and the AV-8B Harrier. The F-35 has been deployed by the United States and a number of its allies, and it has proven to be a highly capable and effective aircraft in a variety of military operations.
Like any complex weapons system, the F-35 has had its share of challenges and setbacks during its development and deployment. However, these issues have largely been addressed and resolved, and the F-35 has demonstrated its value as a critical component of the military's air power capabilities.
So, I tried this query: List the problems with the F-35 jet fighter, which generated this:
The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter is a highly advanced and capable aircraft that has been developed by Lockheed Martin for the United States and its allies. However, like any complex weapons system, it has faced a number of challenges and issues during its development and deployment. Some of the problems that have been identified with the F-35 include:
Cost: The F-35 has been one of the most expensive defense programs in history, with the total cost estimated at over $1 trillion. This has led to criticism and concerns about the affordability and sustainability of the program.
Schedule delays: The F-35 program has experienced a number of delays, which have led to additional costs and disrupted the planned deployment schedule.
Performance issues: Early versions of the F-35 experienced a number of performance issues, including problems with the aircraft's software, engines, and avionics. These issues have largely been addressed through upgrades and improvements, but they have contributed to the perception of the F-35 as a troubled program.
Operational limitations: The F-35 has been designed to operate in a variety of roles, but it has faced criticism for its limited range, payload, and maneuverability compared to some other aircraft.
Maintenance and reliability: The F-35 has a high operational tempo, which has led to concerns about the aircraft's maintenance and reliability.
Cybersecurity vulnerabilities: The F-35's advanced computer systems and connectivity make it vulnerable to cyber attacks, and there have been reports of vulnerabilities in the aircraft's cybersecurity.
Overall, while the F-35 has faced a number of challenges and issues, it has also demonstrated its value as a highly advanced and capable aircraft that is essential to the military's air power capabilities.
I think Lockheed Martin has gotten to the AI bot! :-)
Should we be surprised that machines can outperform human beings?
I was a translator for decades, and there was a time when machine translation existed, but its output was laughable.
Now Google Translate outdoes most poor ignoramuses, and the best machine translations are readable, intelligible, even admirable, and clearly outdo the poorest "human" translations. And of course they work much, much faster. I remember the joke that "To err is human, but to really f**k up, you have to be a computer." Now it would be more accurate to say the reverse is true.
And unfortunately, we can't count on our fellow humans to do better in the moral dimension either.
GORE VIDAL'S HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY STATE [25 minute view]
When Julian Assange was arrested, he was holding up a copy of Paul Jay’s book, “Gore Vidal’s History of the National Security State.” This mini-documentary is the original 2005 interview with Vidal, upon which the book is based: https://theanalysis.news/mini-doc-gore-vidals-history-of-the-national-security-state/ .
As a follow-up to Ray’s earlier response to the question he asked ChatGPT’s AI Scribe, i asked her/him/it the same question ~ “What is the difference between Human Needs and Human Wants, on the one hand, and Human Rights and Human Responsibilities, on the other?” ~ and got the following very interestingly different response [differences HIGHLIGHTED]... :
“Human needs are the basic requirements that all people must have in order to survive and THRIVE. These include things like food, shelter, CLEAN water, medical care, AND SAFETY. Human wants are the desires or preferences that people have for certain things or experiences that are NOT ESSENTIAL FOR SURVIVAL. [Note that no specific examples of Human Wants are given.]
“Human rights are the LEGAL OR MORAL ENTITLEMENTS that individuals have simply because they are human beings. These rights ARE OFTEN PROTECTED BY LAW AND ARE CONSIDERED TO BE UNIVERSAL, meaning that they apply to all people regardless of their race, religion, gender, NATIONALITY, OR ANY OTHER FACTOR. Some examples of human rights include the right to life, liberty, and security of person; the right to freedom of speech and religion; and the right to an education and A FAIR TRIAL. [Note particularly that the Rights to health care, work, and assembly have been deleted. Note also that the Rights to property and privacy are not mentioned. And note finally that Rights have never been ~ and are more frequently NOT ~ protected by law, nor are they universal.]
“Human responsibilities are the duties or obligations that people have to others, to society, and TO THEMSELVES. These responsibilities may be MORAL OR LEGAL IN NATURE, AND THEY MAY BE BASED ON SOCIAL NORMS, CULTURAL VALUES, OR PERSONAL BELIEFS. Examples of human responsibilities include paying taxes, obeying laws, PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT, AND TREATING OTHERS WITH RESPECT AND KINDNESS.” [i personally find the addition of “to themselves” to Human Responsibilities to be quite thought-provoking.]
The most significant difference between the response Ray received and mine is that mine included a concluding summary paragraph:
“In summary, human needs are the things that people must have to survive, while human wants are the things that people desire but do not necessarily need. Human rights are the legal and moral entitlements that people have because they are human, while human responsibilities are the duties and obligations that people have to others, to society, and to themselves.”
i’ll resubmit the Question after 24 hours and see what the Answer looks like then. It would be interesting to know if the Scribe who answered Ray was programmed by a different Human than the one who programmed my response, eh?
Very interesting, Bill. Thank You for sharing that. i’ve got a whole bunch of Questions to ask it.
Like: Will the United States survive to celebrate its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026?
Or: What is the difference between Human Needs and Human Wants, on the one hand, and Human Rights and Human Responsibilities, on the other?
Or: Given what Humans know about the Universe, the Planet, Life, and Ourselves from our Natural and Social Sciences; and, given what Humans can do in that Universe, to that Planet, with Life, and for Ourselves thru our Hard and Soft Technologies; WHY, then, is there still Poverty, Hunger, and Disease, Illiteracy, Injustice, and Inequity, Ecocide, Genocide, and Democide, and Insecurity, Tyranny, and War?
In any event, and for a fascinating look at AI and how it dealt with what back in 2016 was one of the biggest challenges confronting it ~ taking on and beating the world’s top professional players of the Oriental strategic board game GO, including the then-reigning World Champion, Lee Sedol of Korea ~ check out the Trailer of the documentary ALPHAGO at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tq1C8spV_g .
And if that whets Your appetite, the full film is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXuK6gekU1Y .
Also, Wiki has a fine article about the whole adventure at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlphaGo_versus_Lee_Sedol .
your ai may have channeled Frederic Bastiat: there are always better use of resources beyond the funds needed for immediate defense.
and more than most government spending the benefit to society is less from spending above the hard needs.
defining need is the danger of a military industry complex with its army from k street.
Look at this too:
AI everywhere
From Nature Briefing Friday, 13 January, 2023
AI-generated abstracts fool scientists
The artificial-intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT can write fake abstracts that scientists have trouble distinguishing from those written by humans. The chatbot was asked to create 50 abstracts on the basis of the titles of articles in five high-impact medical journals. Reviewers spotted only 68% of the ChatGPT abstracts — performing roughly the same as AI-detector software. Researchers are divided over the implications
[…]
Another New Years Eve treat listening to Max Blumenthal and Aron Mate discuss 2022, the WAR being the BIGGEST Life changing orientation, much bigger and more important than sexual orientation, to affect our Common Future, as we know it's on the Path of Escalation to Destruction.
There is no effective Diplomacy to STOP THE WAR.
Ollie North of Iran-gate was on Hannity saying 'the US has to support Ukraine, "They're shedding their BLOOD with OUR BULLETS."
He said of the $110,000,000,000 given to Ukraine just this year with more to go, is an investment in America, your money coming back to the US, creating jobs for our Defence Industries and Contractors'
https://youtu.be/z4reMfv8-bg
A New Year treat.
Interesting, mostly a nonstop monologue by Whitney Webb, talking from her latest Investigative Books ‘One Nation Under Blackmail’
Volumes 1 & 2.
She knows her stuff, starting with Jeffery Epstein, following all his tentacles into the rich, the powerful, and US Intelligence.
I suspect most people already believe the System of Government is the way she describes it giving it a free pass by our lack of questioning it, but she really highlights it in a very credible way..
https://youtu.be/q28wkPhMQrY
What will the New Year of The Lord 2023 bring?
New, exciting, and engaging things, or more of the same on the Path to Destruction?
In 1849, French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote “plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose “ – the more things change, the more they stay the same… Turbulent changes do not affect reality on a deeper level other than to cement the status quo.
A 5:26 video on the Radical MLK
https://youtu.be/b7jz0Wb-43w
Wondering why it appears BracingViews has been abandoned by the reliable regulars?
At a different level, the latest post by Jonathan Cook is about artificial Intelligence writing about what humans are doing to this planet they think is so Intelligent, is really artificial!
Had we looked inwards rather than so aggressively outwards, we might live in a Pandora, not the last stages of the Anthropocene
Watching Avatar 2: The Way of Water, I was reminded that there is nothing new under the sun, ours or Pandora’s. James Cameron’s three hour-plus epic tells us little more than The Tables Turned, a short poem written more than 200 years earlier by William Wordsworth. One verse observes:
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;
Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:-
We murder to dissect.
Another points out:
One impulse from a vernal wood
May teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and of good,
Than all the sages can.
But while Cameron and Wordsworth share a pressing concern that we are losing our connection to – murdering – Nature, including our own natures, their visions differ on what it is to actually be a modern human.......................................................................
https://www.jonathan-cook.net/blog/2022-12-31/avatar-navi-murderous-humans/
Happy New Year Everyone!
For all the leading indicators pointing to a darker Future, here's a little Light and hope of what could be going into the Future?
'Indonesia’s successful G20 Summit: a turning point?'
The Indonesian G20 year was like no other. The Russian war in Europe divided the G20. No G20 communiques emerged from the ministerial meetings held during the run-up to the summit in mid-November 2022. There was a moment when it seemed that the summit would only tackle low-hanging fruit. But Indonesian President Jokowi Widodo embraced the tensions rather than avoiding them.
By listening to all of the G20 governments, Widodo realised that the crucial nexus was the impact of security tensions on the global economy. Both security and economic issues had to be dealt with. Realising that the fate of the international community as a singular entity was at stake, President Jokowi Widodo pushed G20 leaders in their communique to ‘reaffirm our commitment to cooperate’, and to maintain that ‘it is essential to uphold international law and the multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability’ and that ‘the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible’. Quite a feat.
G20 members refused to expel Russia from G20 membership yet unified all other members around reaffirming these long-held principles essential for sustaining the viability of a single international community. The G20 member-states were able to agree on an extensive communique that demarcated lines of action to address global systemic challenges.
Pluralism emerged as the driver of political dynamics among great powers by highlighting the role of middle powers. ....................................................................................
https://johnmenadue.com/indonesias-successful-g20-summit-a-turning-point/
Time and Chance affect everything. After posting the comment below, an email advised me of Jonathan Cook’s latest. He’s the British Professional Journalist that lived and reported for many years from Biblical Nazareth.
He picks up where I left off.
‘How Netanyahu handed Ben-Gvir the gun to start an annexation war’
Jewish Power now has dozens of ways to inflame Palestinians into all-out confrontation. A third intifada has never felt closer.
He confirms what King Abdullah of Jordan sees developing with the incoming Israeli government.
https://www.jonathan-cook.net/2022-12-28/netanyahu-ben-gvir-annexation-war/
I deem this important enough to post it here and on the old BracingViews site.
The US War with Russia over Ukraine is bad, but that could be eclipsed by what’s happening in Israel TODAY, the actual physical place on Earth where Biblical Armageddon has it’s start, Occupied Palestine.
More than 100 former Israeli diplomats and ambassadors sign a letter to incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning of damage to Israel’s standing if the new government implements its hard-right policies.
The signatories express “profound concern at the serious damage to Israel’s foreign relations, its international standing and its core interests abroad emanating from what will apparently be the policy of the incoming government,” they write in the letter in both Hebrew and English.
They note fears of the government’s actions in the West Bank and the passing of discriminatory laws and damage to free speech and democracy in Israel.
The letter warns that the backlash could harm Israel’s alliance with the US and undo the progress of the Abraham Accords normalization agreements with the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco.
They also warn Israel could face sanctions and prosecution in international courts.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-december-28-2022/
This is what the King of Jordan sees happening in Israel Today, but they won’t show or explain all that on TV here until after it explodes..
https://twitter.com/i/status/1608095255735271424
'Propaganda Isn't Something That Only Happens To Others: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix'
One of the empire's strongest assets is the widespread assumption that propaganda is something that only happens to other people. Another is the widespread assumption that propaganda only comes from other countries and other political ideologies.
The status quo remains the status quo because those who benefit from the status quo are able to use the wealth and power given to them by the status quo to dissuade the public from overthrowing the status quo using status quo media to manufacture their consent for the status quo....................
https://caitlinjohnstone.substack.com/p/propaganda-isnt-something-that-only
While all this AI is interesting and we may already be trapped in The Matrix, there is a more immediate danger facing our Common Humanity.
'CIA’s Deadly “Strategy of Tension” to Destroy Russia'
The USG planned subversion operations inside Russia well before Putin’s SMO.
On Monday, the Russian Federation Engels airbase in the Saratov region, nearly 400 miles from Ukraine, was attacked for a second time since the beginning of Russia’s SMO.
“Russia’s Defense Ministry said the incident took place in the early hours of Monday, and three servicemen were killed by debris at the Engels airbase, which houses Tu-95 and Tu-160 nuclear-capable strategic bombers that have been involved in launching strikes on Ukraine in the 10-month-old war,” reports the Associated Press.
There have been a number of attacks inside Russia—in Kursk, the city of Bryansk, the village of Staraya Nelidovka in the Belgorod region, and the military airfields at Dyagilevo in the Ryazan region, in addition to Engels.
The attacks on gas infrastructure occurred prior to Russia announcing it would resume deliveries to Azerbaijan via the Yamal-Europe pipeline.
The corporate war propaganda media has attributed the attacks to Ukraine. However, according to the Daily Express, Jack Murphy, described as a former “US Army Special Operations operative,” said last week
that NATO and US intelligence agencies have been running agents inside Russia, directing them to target critical infrastructure in a bid to create “chaos.” Shopping centres, gas pipelines and fuel depots have all suffered damage across Russia in recent months with Mr Murphy pointing to a CIA-directed campaign of covert “sabotage.”
On his website, Murphy writes the “campaign involves long standing sleeper cells that the allied spy service has activated to hinder Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine by waging a secret war behind Russian lines.”......................................................................................................
https://www.globalresearch.ca/cia-deadly-strategy-tension-destroy-russia/5803128