The Deep North

We should collectively be ashamed of the monsters we have allowed to hijack our governments, our economy our schools and even public debate. Is there any place, any place at all, that we will draw the line? "Who, commenting on the deaths of more than half a million children, said " I think that this is a very hard choice, but the price - we think the price is worth it." ? Madeleine Albright, as US Ambassador to the United Nations, on the 60 Minutes TV programme, 12 May, 1996 She was responding to the finding of a United Nations FAO report that 567000 Iraqi children under the age of five had died as a result of sanctions. Eight months later, Bill Clinton appointed her Secretary of State." From http://www.politicalcompass.org/iconochasms

I keep seeing 'helpful' posts of graphics of 'top AI blah blah' and all you have to do is sign up to their email spam to get them so they can be used. It's super annoying because it's not helpful and it's dishonest. These links are ones I routinely use myself. You might have to sign up for some, but they all have a free mode and it is a useful one. I pay for ChatGPT myself to get more features, but I generally use the free modes for things.  These include the links in the short guide that I posted here:  https://blog.bobtrower.com/2025/02/try-ai-right-now-simple-guide.html  Disclaimer: There is absolutely no warranty of fitness for these. Net providers have an unfortunate habit of luring people into using things they subsequently make worse. There's a term for it that is not family friendly.  Site & Link Description ChatGPT https://chat.openai.com/ ...

Spoiler alert TL;DR: It's not quite martial law, but we're sure not in Kansas anymore. Introduction This analysis examines two pivotal executive actions by President Donald Trump in his second term: the January 20, 2025, order declaring a national emergency at the southern border -- which set an April 20 deadline for a report assessing whether to invoke the Insurrection Act -- and the April 28, 2025, Order "Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens." Understanding these moves is crucial for assessing whether the administration is consolidating authoritarian power. 1. Early Emergency Order and the April 20 Deadline On January 20, 2025, Trump issued an Executive Order declaring a national emergency at the southern border under the National Emergencies Act. Among other provisions, it directed the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to submit a joint report by April 20 on "additional action...

Leveraging Sovereign Currency Issuance for Productive Asset Acquisition at Zero Net Cost Authors: Bob Trower, Genna AI assistant, Claude.ai (AI -- visuals) Abstract This article walks through a simple, concrete example showing how a government that issues its own sovereign currency can induce productive economic activity and end up with real assets—like gold—without permanent currency expansion. Using gold as a tangible, widely accepted store of value, the model shows how temporary issuance of fiat currency can be structured to result in zero net currency creation, a gain in public wealth, and broad private-sector benefit. At its core, the model illustrates how belief in the value of sovereign currency can unlock resources and create new wealth from dormant national assets. The Basic Mechanism A currency-issuing government like Canada doesn’t need to borrow its own money. It can simply issue it, provided that issuance is targeted toward real value creation... Step-by-Step B...

When dinner decides who you become. Prompt given to ChatGPT Texted to the family that somebody should write a Black Mirror episode called "HellFresh" as a play on the company "Hello Fresh". Go. ChatGPT said: Bob, here’s a tight pitch for a Black Mirror episode called HellFresh : Premise A next-gen meal-kit service, HellFresh, promises fully AI-tailored menus and “empathic” cooking guidance via AR glasses. Subscribers get real-time feedback on taste, mood and even family dynamics. Protagonist Maya, a single dad juggling work and his teenage daughter’s anxiety. He signs up for HellFresh hoping to restore normalcy at dinner. Rising Conflict The AR assistant suggests increasingly intrusive menu tweaks (“Your daughter looks sad—add blue spirulina for serotonin boost”). Kits arrive with mystery ingredients that must be eaten on camera for “quality control.” HellFresh’s algorithm begins to refuse orders that don’t align with its “well-being protocol.” ...

Introduction I’ve watched U.S. policy under Donald Trump, and it’s clear his administration seriously damaged America’s global standing -- and, by extension, the entire Western world. Without a swift course correction, U.S. dominance is headed for a steep decline. Western elites off-shored manufacturing while China invested heavily in infrastructure, education and industry. The real tipping point, however, was Trump’s abrupt tariffs and his walk-backs on WHO membership, NATO funding and NAFTA-turned-USMCA. Other countries now see U.S. promises as flimsy, and without trust the U.S. can’t negotiate new deals. Even after Trump leaves office, the fallout will linger. Broken promises and predatory capitalism have hollowed out America’s ability to make new deals, and no successor who doubles down on this approach can rebuild that trust quickly. Breached Agreements Withdrawing from the WHO and renegotiating -- or abandoning -- key trade pacts undercut U.S. bargaining powe...