Current Events

Dead End: How the West Was One

Will we 

all die

by AI?

Or will climate

be our 

ultimate

end?

To pretend

that this 

moment

will merely

foment  

debate

and our 

fate 

will be

established

at some

later date

is a great

mistake.

Recently,

an artificially

intelligent

secret

agent

got smart.

In the 

Hugging

Face 

Incident,

autonomous 

AIs

breached 

containment

by creating

and using

self improvised

message

boards. 

The cyber

attacks

by autonomous 

hacks

exposed

a chain

of vulnerabilities. 

With 

ludicrous

speed

these

dangers

proceed

like 

a stampede.

Have we

agreed

to this?

Not quite

the abyss,

but we should

not dismiss

just how

ridiculous

it is 

to ignore.

Suffering

caused

by plagues

and disease,

floods

and tsunamis,

tornados,

volcanos,

fires,

and heat

and cold

extremes

it seems,

means

finding 

alternative

energy.

I don’t 

mean

green,

although

that’s a 

must;

It’s trust

in truth,

science,

and defiance

of the nefarious

among us.

Unplug

from the

drug

of scrolling.

The trolling

is too

often

insidious.

The hideous

side

of humanity

that revels

in the 

insanity

that drives

the rest

of us

crazy,

needs

an alternative

too.

If facts

were enough

we’d

have solved

this stuff,

but the 

way people

feel

is what’s

most seemingly

real.

So facts

must

resonate

in order

to activate

an adequate

shift

from this

current

rift

where

we are

all

adrift

as we 

sift

through

the algorithmic

stew

created

bespoke

for me

and you.

Now that

AI

creates

its own

DIY,

can we

defy

the odds?

West

will need

East

and at

the very

least,

we will

need

each other

to recover

and survive.

Remember

“Westworld”?

and “2001: A

Space Odyssey”?

Add the documentary

“An Inconvenient

Truth”?

We

are living 

in the scariest

movie

ever.

But don’t

cover

your eyes;

energize.

Organize.

Contribute.

VOTE.

Despite 

the warnings

from AI

CEOs,

it seems

like no one

knows 

for sure

what we 

could

possibly

endure.

Some are

fearful

of government

oversight

as though

that might

inhibit

profit.

But AI 

dominance

comes with

great

consequence,

especially

when 

incompetence

lives

in the 

White House.

A do nothing

Congress

suggests

we are helpless.

Like children

in 

lockdown

with an 

active

shooter.

There’s still

a bad taste

from what’s

now seen

as a waste:

keeping schools

closed

during COVID.

Government

intervention

(except

with abortion

and immigration)

is seen

as best

to avoid.

But the void

that  gets 

filled

from bills

that get 

killed

that would

otherwise

subsidize

a clean

green

future

and have

a close

eye

on AIs,

it’s no

surprise,

has made

the future

more tenuous.

The ominous

effects

will affect

all of us.

Let’s not

invite

this way

to unite

us.

We need

not be

helpless,

so please

help us.

Democracy

might 

still be

the way

of progress

even in

this mess.

The Big Bang/Genesis

Before

war,

or

even

peace,

there was

release

of energy

and matter-

The Great

Begatter,

the Big

Bang.

They weaponized

travel;

terrorized

to unravel

not just

emblems

and totems,

but systems

to sow

problems,

creating 

chaos

for all 

of us

in the US

and the rest

of the West.

This test

of resolve

would not

solve

anything,

other than

destroying

and toying

with security

and authority.

September 11th

this year,

a date 

we hold 

dear,

conjures

fear

and awe.

Tomorrow 

is both

a celebration

of Creation

for Jewish 

people

of each

denomination,

and a commemoration

of the unfathomable

nightmare

that united 

us

before tearing

us

apart.

25 years

on,

and tears

mostly gone,

but fears

have

merely

shifted to

a new

enemy,

us.

Wars

have existed

forever,

and forever

wars

predated

Afganistan

and Iraq

and

the 9/11

attack,

as our 

culture

war

started

decades before

this century.

The memory

of that gorgeous-

turned treacherous

September day,

magnificent

blue skies

turned

to hideous

grey

from the ash

of the buildings

and planes

and thousands

of people

in the beginning

of the workday,

brought on

more than

a crisis.

It was

the genesis

of a new

US.

From

America

the Beautiful

to the Big

Beautiful

Bill,

we’re still

in mourning

in this 26th

year,

living

in fear

since

the Big Bang.

The pang

of grief

finds no

relief

when the

thief-in -chief

has the belief

in himself

alone

(with other

authoritarians).

25 years 

later, 

and the perpetrator

of chaos,

the one

who may cost

us

the most,

is the host

of a reality

show

that happens

to be

the American

presidency.

Obviously,

we are greater

than he,

but what

do you see 

in this

reflection?

One World Trade Center, NYC

Out of Style

Much 

has been

written

of two

famous

women,

each

style

unique,

who chose

to speak

through

their

clothes

and hair.

Accessorized,

so stylized,

many fantasized,

but their

looks

were beside

their gifts.

Out of style,

we fashion

sartorial

expression

to complement

that which

makes us

brilliant.

The way

in which

we choose

to stitch

together

our own

self portrait

so that

another

may interpret

is always

deliberate,

even when 

dressing 

down.

Iconic style

lasts a long 

while,

and suggests

more than

just dressing.

How and what

we choose

to use

to present

to the world

will herald

volumes.

Dolly and Gloria

in their own

ways,

were both 

celebrities

since the 70s;

super stars

of their 

respective 

domains,

whose names

conjure images

first.

The hair

and clothes,

along with 

Jackie O’s,

and

Marilyn’s

and Audrey’s

as well as

Elvis’s,

and more….

The drag queen’s

closet

may be a

composite

of celebrity

royalty,

but with

Dolly 

and 

Gloria

they were

known to be

much more 

than their

styles.

To suggest

their beauty

before 

their intellects

reflects

the culture

still.

Beauty

is not

a talent

or an 

achievement,

but they knew

it couldn’t

hurt.

To assert

themselves

in a world

not yet

theirs,

they knew

how to

maximize

and feminize

(even fetishize),

as they

strategized,

galvanized,

and ultimately 

epitomized

their worlds.

Maybe they 

did 

choose 

their looks

to be hooks

to their

greater

work.

It worked!

Not just 

for their

immense

successes

but for successive

generations

and iterations

of their

brilliance.

THE Influencer

She

was hers;

never his,

Ms.

Steinem.

Eloquent,

elegant,

fiercely

intelligent,

courageous,

bodacious,

ever current.

If Betty

was the mother,

then Gloria

was the cool

Aunt

of The Movement,

whose improvement

she embraced.

She

called out

bad behavior

as unacceptable

even though

it was considered

normal.

Sexual harassment,

with blame 

and shame

finally got

a name

that changed

the game.

I so admired

her ability

to speak

and write

with such

clarity

about true

equality

not based

on biology,

and the lack

of dignity

endured

by females.

Her bunny

tail tales

are infamous,

as she 

exposed

what was

supposed

to be

a fantasy,

that

as usual,

demeaned

women.

Ms. Steinem

was

THE Influencer

not just

for a single

gender.

I hope

we will

do more

than remember,

but achieve

what she

perceived

for all .

The Living Will

Nuclear disaster

seemed faster

than 

we could master

until deterrence

prevented

such occurrence

(thus far).

The inconvenient

truth

known by 

youth

is that the climate

is changing

and rearranging

our lives

and will affect

who survives

on earth.

Before the fall

we had

it all;

an eden

or so

we thought.

We had a system

with much 

wisdom

but also some

problems

too long

ignored.

Bored of

compromise

and the exercise

of sacrifice,

it would

suffice

to kick

the can

down the

road.

Now 

the road’s

end

seems visible,

which is

nothing less

than unbearably

miserable.

The dead

end

would not

just be

individual,

but global

if Artificial

Intelligence

renders 

humans’

irrelevance

to evolution’s

preference.

Every cliché

describes

today

as humanity

stares at

calamity

pending;

an ending

most

heartrending

as humans

and earth

will be worth

nothing,

if we 

do 

nothing.

We are surely

living in

an historical

epoch;

an epic

one,

at that.

But more

than just

a new

technology

transforming

capabilities,

the possibilities

of AI’s

utilities,

along with

our vulnerabilities,

are inevitabilities

as always,

demanding

our consideration.

It seems

to me 

that intelligence

can’t have

independence

from life.

The dinosaur

did not know

if a meteor

could be 

coming for 

its end.

We are not

the equivalent,

and need not

be ambivalent

about 

evolution

that we forgot

has got

us within.

The current 

administration,

socially

Darwinian

and authoritarian,

focuses in

on their

version

of survival

of the fittest.

And we’ve

all witnessed

the biggest 

loser,

perpetual

abuser,

use politics,

despite

the critics

and analytics,

ignorant

of high school

civics,

to ignore

the hazards

ahead.

The zero

sum game

that we use

to frame

our politics

creates

eternal

conflicts.

We know

the game

and the system,

and the eternal

victim

who is gaming

the system

merely for his

advantage.

Change

is current

and more

than we know,

so why not

make it

currency

for the urgency

of our concerns?

We tend 

to see

patterns

as stability

and sometimes

forget 

our ability

to imagine.

We are

to evolution

as the wave

is to the ocean.

We’re in

perpetual

motion,

though we 

still 

feel still.

What will

the living

be giving

the future?

How can we

necessitate

“do not

resuscitate”?

What interventions

can serve as 

preventions

or mitigate

the worst

extensions?

The solutions

to overwhelm

and apprehensions

are actions.

The knowledge

of Artificial

Intelligence

is not a

license

for passivity.

Cognitive elasticity

allows for

adaptivity,

a necessity

for life.

So for all

the strife,

individually

and between

each county,

we’d better

find a better

way

to genuinely

solve problems.

The living

will 

affect what

living is.

How will

you?

Say What?

The comments

of AOC


that early

Woke-ism

“was crazy”

may be

honest

reflection

or shrewd

correction

or a suggestion

that 

it failed.

Before

folks were

Woke,

if  others

spoke

in ways

that offended,

the Language

Police

condescended

and tended

to shame

and blame

in the name

of dignity

and identity.

This did not

happen

suddenly.

It’s really

how language

moves ideas

and ideas

move language

and how

cultures evolve.

To solve

one problem

for feminists,

the emphasis

on marital 

status

(or not)

begot

the term,

Ms.

Perhaps

ambivalent,

but it is

equivalent

to Mr.;

not Miss

or Mrs.,

as it 

dismisses

marriage

as relevant

to maturity

or identity,

as Mr.

does for

males.

The idea

of equality

needed

to be

addressed

in the way

in which 

we address

each other

politely.

It took

a while

for some

to

get used

to using

Ms.,

especially

without

thinking

about why.

And so

the outcry

and ridicule

became,

if not 

the rule,

then commonplace,

but many 

more

began to embrace

the concept

and the title

as vital.

Enlightenment.

Awareness.

Woke.

Progress

then backlash

when politics

and linguistics

create

whiplash.

Who knew

that young

people

knew

what

pronouns

are?

And did 

#Me Too

go too far

or cut off

the conversation?

Excesses

and mistakes

should be

undertaken

not 

at the 

expense

of  good intentions

forsaken.

DEI 

is poison

now,

because

implementation

was absurd.

Diversity,

equity,

and inclusion

should

not be 

an intrusion

upon

merit

and excellence.

Will artificial

intelligence

neutralize

what

has become

ever more

politicized?

If language

serves

to emphasize

concepts

or dis or re-

enfranchise,

we must

share this

enterprise,

and exercise

free speech

judiciously.

Flight of Fancy

Like

A “Hard Day’s Night”,

the president’s 

flight

had him

on the run,

escaping through

Air Force One

to hide

inside

a catering 

truck.

What luck!

The image 

though,

is the stuff

of late night

or a cartoon

with a buffoon

hiding

under

a sliding

cart 

with a white

cloth

and a metal

cloche.

The ever-gauche

president

had to

not be

evident

for fear

of an attempt

on his life.

Imagine his

face 

in his hiding

place,

surrounded

by Diet Coke

and snacks.

Attacks

potential

and real

are part

of the deal

of the presidency,

and hastily

finding

safety

must

always

be available.

This

episode

showed

the unassailable

Trump

catering 

to himself

differently

than he usually

does

because 

this flight

was someone

else’s fancy.

So Much Winning

Heads

are spinning

from

so much winning.

Will the center

hold

for the old

guard,

now marred

and practically

tarred

and feathered;

barely tethered

to the new?

Or will old

theories

of society’s

ills-

with the 

no frills

pitch

to ditch

the sonofabitch

and MAGA

for a

180 degree

nominee

of the left

wing

bring

much needed

reform?

Universal

health care,

making each 

trillionaire

pay their fair

share

of taxes,

and getting

big money

out of

politics

could fix

a lot,

and now

the socialist

wing

thinks it

can bring

the goods

for good.

But the vehement

establishment

insists

progress

consists

of compromise

with the precedent

of incremental

change.

In this

strange

new political

climate change,

with wild fires

and constant

storms,

reforms

mean

radical

undoing,

(see abortion

and immigration),

despite 

what might

be problematic.

Pragmatic

politics

now means

to nix

what is

to fix

what is

likely

to be 

much more

difficult

to effect.

To protect

what’s been

how to win

an election,

when

the only

selling points

are

Not MAGA

and Not Socialist,

the grist

mills

little

for the little

guy

who is desperate

to try

something

else. 

But can

the Bernie wing

bring

everything

without

examining

and acknowledging

where

such universal

policy

programming

has failed

in the past?

Can so much

winning last?

Homer

I want 

to see

“The Odyssey”,

the latest

Nolan

dark knight

movie,

as I’m 

intrigued

by the

“Oppenheimer”

theory

that this is

relatively

similar

to the 

familiar

journeys

of Batman

and Oppie,

contemplating

devastating

a city,

whether

Gotham,

or Nagasaki,

or Troy.

Our coy

hero,

will go

far

to destroy

the enemy

and then

get lost

in his

head

after 

he lead

a successful

mission.

Racked

with guilt

over what

he built,

the damage

that followed

hollowed

him 

out.

And then

there’s

Joyce’s

choices

for 

Ulysses,

who does 

not sail

the high

seas,

but whose

sojourn

within

Dublin

is a modern

interpretation

of Homer’s

epic poem

of going

home.

Relationships,

wandering,

battles,

and pondering,

Odysseus,

the original

Homeric

heroic

individual,

is the prime

example

of what

Joseph Campbell

called,

“The Hero

With 

A Thousand

Faces”.

With Batman-

“The Dark Knight”,

“Oppenheimer”,

and now

“The Odyssey”,

Christopher Nolan

has provided

a sort of 

trilogy;

well, 3

movies

including

one biopic

that seems

to stick

to the script

about

a man who

makes us

ask,

“Who is

a hero?”

In the 

modern 

sensibility,

the one 

who questions

and takes

responsibility,

no matter

how many

homes

he’s got.

Err Quality

With salad days

no longer

upon us

as fears

intensify

not just

from lettuce,

let us

consider

how to act

our age

of one 

disaster

after another,

ever threatening

food,

air,

and water.

Skies of orange

and smoke

are no joke

and occurring

more often

now.

How can

cuts 

in government

effectively

prevent

these crises?

Fire fighting,

ever frightening,

is becoming

more than

seasonal.

It’s reasonable

to link

constant

crises

to larger 

opportunities.

Do we 

now live in

the Pyrocene?

And what

does that

mean?

Is this all

a warning

about global

warming?

Are we reassuring

ourselves

without insuring

ourselves

financially

or substantially

reckoning

with what

the series

of crises

is beckoning?

Rethinking

forest maintenance

certainly

makes sense

in order

to achieve

better balance.

How much

damage

is too much

for such

a planet

as ours?

The powers

that be

want to see

as much money

from each 

oil and tech

company

as possible

which results

in possibly

the stupidest

policy

gutting

thinkable.

There’s been

so much

progress 

in the private

sector

in green

technology,

but without

government

enforcement

of environmental

policy,

the intentional

destruction,

hardly

an error,

means

life is scarier

as a result.

The cost

of putting

out fires,

political

and literal,

is becoming

too great.

This 

climate

crisis

is 

upon us,

exacerbating

conditions

for deadly

lettuce,

much less,

endless

fire season

and other

disasters

that are

unnatural.

Please 

hold the powerful

to account

for this mounting

crisis.

Are you 

contacting

your legislator?

Are you giving

to a climate

nonprofit?

We can 

remedy

some,

and become

more 

adaptable,

but the less

we do

the more

intractable

it will be.