Some thoughts

 A very quick Quick links this week, as I'm in the middle of my 5000-word essay and am meeting some friends tonight so won't have time to post this evening. Having said that, here's this week's summary of items that caught my eye. Astroneurs: The Private Sector Goes to Space Unconscious Reprogramming: The Deepest Form of War The Unbearable Whiteness (and Hypocrisy) of Critical Race Theory Lockheed-Martin's Woke-Industrial Complex There’s No James Bond To Stop Jeff Bezos From Increasing His Global Power Why is the National Trust so embarrassed by Britain? The EU has learnt nothing from Brexit Latest proof that western civilisation is over: Sky Atlantic's Domina reviewed How Christianity has cancelled itself How the culture wars came for history Video: Why the West isn't having Children and Why Elite Men are having all the Fun And finally,  The world's first robot artist discusses beauty, Yoko Ono and the perils of AI

This week's track: Gay bar by Electric 6.  Another band I saw live back at Reading, what I like about this track most is the OTT video which gets gayer and gayer as it progresses!

 It is well-established that militaries tend to get soft in peacetime and it takes the trauma of a major war to shake them up and reestablish their fighting prowess (see for example the states of the UK and USA's armed forces at the start of both world wars. With that in mind, a trio of worrying stories. First up,  Royal Navy appoints first female admiral . I don't have an issue with women in the military, apart from in front-line infantry (and that's only because to get them in standards have been lowered). However, as the linked article states: 'her career has seen her move up the ranks from a Royal Navy Logistics Officer to the Deputy Director of People Delivery. Jude Terry has also worked with the MoD as an operational planner, a branch manager for Navy Command HQ and Assistant Chief of Staff at the Standing Joint Force HQ' So she has basically worked in support roles and is the equivalent of a Director of HR. The fact that the Navy has a 'Director of People...

As I may have mentioned, my view is that WW1 was the key event that shattered the West, but specifically Europe. The USA wasn't as shaken, it took later events to do that. This brings me to this interesting article I came across a few days ago, which argues that the death of JFK was a similar seismic shock for America:  JFK’s Death Split the American Psyche . Some excerpts: Unable to face the fact that Kennedy was murdered by a communist, liberals became intolerant, prone to hysteria and conspiracy theories, and intent on punishing America for the sins of its past. Feminism transformed from a quest for quality to hating men, particularly the darker impulses of men This makes a lot of sense, it was from the mid-sixties and Vietnam war (that Kennedy got the US into- a fact that is often ignored) that the left began to be anti-American. Christopher Lasch noted that the fact that both left and right believe in the idea that societies move towards perfection would have been considered b...

I don't use Twitter anymore due to it devolving into a cesspit, but I occasionally see nuggets elsewhere. Case in point: this tweet ( via ) True.  

  Well, he certainly didn't pull his punches ! I've long been an admirer of Cummings insights into the problems in government, particularly with the dysfunctionality of the civil service (such as his Hollow   Men  posts) and his comments on this topic today show nothing much has changed. It also shows the flaw in the leftist's arguments that their side would have done better, as they would still have to deal with these issues.  I also find it frustrating how he still seems to be pushing the line that lockdowns were essential, being such a data-driven guy he can't be unaware of the problems with the modeling, and the actual death rates (that I've posted about ) among the under 60s and patients with no prior conditions. He is right that shutting the border earlier and screening arrivals would have been a good idea, and I suspect his comments on Hancock are on the mark.  For me, the real tragedy with Cummings is that while he is good at diagnosing problems he seems...

I used to think Ellen Page was cute in the X-men film and Juno. Not anymore: (warning, pics at link)   Ellen Page Shows Off Her Mutilated Body, and the Media Celebrates Yikes. If her/she is happy to be a homeless man's Justin Bieber fair play to him/her, but the media fawning is vomit-inducing. I also find it disturbing how Page's prior identity has been memory-holed. For example, the Wiki page for the film Juno describes the plot as: Elliot Page* stars as the title character, an independent-minded teenager confronting an unplanned pregnancy and the subsequent events that put pressures of adult life onto her. To be fair they do footnote that Page used to be a woman, but just based on that passage the film makes no sense to someone unaware of Page's history, it sounds like a male actor is playing a teenage girl (which Page was at the time). 

 This is very clever and well done: 関ケ原山水図屏風 / Sekigahara-Sansui-zu-Byobu -Folding Screen of Painted Sekigahara Landscapes. ( via )

A busy week, had a job interview on Wednesday in the middle of Sussex (didn't get it), which meant I had to take the day off work. On Thursday I got stuck in traffic coming home (just made it back in time for my lecture) and noticed my car was sounding funny. Took it to Quik Fit first thing on Friday and it needed a new exhaust (£200), which they managed to fit that morning so I didn't miss any more work. Spent most of this weekend editing and finishing off an essay that I just submitted, one more (5000 words, due in two weeks) to go!  Having said that, here is this weeks link round-up. Alba and the unity of Britain Richard Dawkins views on downs syndrome aren't a surprise How much credit does the NHS deserve for the covid vaccine rollout? Only the government can truly put an end to wokeism How infographic activism took over social media  Should the government launch a culture war? Lithium-Metal Battery: Scientists Find Holy Grail of EV Batteries Brexit Retrospective: Rober...

I've posted a   lot   recently on demographics because I consider it to be one o the most important issues of our time that is rarely commented on by the media in this country, plus as Mark Steyn often says 'The future belongs to those who show up'. I have come to the conclusion that feminism, especially the third and fourth wave varieties, has played a large part in the declining birthrate in developed countries. Case in point, this article:  Baby Bust When a graduate student in a committed relationship asked me for advice about sequencing marriage, children, and career. I gave the advice I always give. “Marry him. Start your family, and keep doing good work, professional or otherwise, monetized or otherwise, when it makes sense for your family.” The student was flummoxed. “But what about graduate school?” she asked. My advice was the same. She protested. “But what if I get married, have a baby, and it is too hard to work at the same time? To travel?” This student has...