Just had a thought earlier today: when did “having a just cause” become “just ‘cause” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #socialcontract

If I’ve been posting less on social media lately, I’ve been going through it I normally try to set an example, but while it could be one of those times, I didn’t want to be one of those people

Reading Trump’s meandering speech at the World Economic Forum has me wanting to translate him for European audiences: “I, President Trump, am smarter than all of you because I see the world differently. White people are better than immigrants because capitalism couldn’t possibly cause problems”

Thousands of US workers, students rally against Trump immigration policies

Thousands of US workers, students rally against Trump immigration policies

Thousands of US workers and students marched through cities and campuses Tuesday against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies on the first anniversary of his second term, with demonstrations fueled by outrage over the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. 

f24.my

Analysis: Trump’s threats against Greenland have U.S. allies wondering whether America has lost its way.

Trump’s Threats to Allies Stir Worry That U.S. Has Lost Its Way

New tariffs, insults and threats of invasion trigger a backlash ahead of the president’s visit to Davos.

on.wsj.com

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech today is one of the most insightful, albeit sobering, political speeches in a long time. Carney tells it as it is: "If you're not at the table you'll be on the menu." Well worth finding the time to watch: www.youtube.com/live/dE981Z_...

Davos LIVE: Canadian PM Mark Carney speaks at World Economic Forum

YouTube video by Associated Press

youtube.com

Seeing ads lately about healing frequencies; I believe it—I used to play the clarinet semi-professionally (collegiate level) Almost all of us have stopped attending live orchestral performances of classical music. We were trained to play vibrato—not a constant tone; it’s more pleasing to the ear 👂🏼

Is it time to 25th Amendment the President? He’s saying the U.S. “sent boats” hundreds of years ago, before the country existed —Erik the Red had reached Greenland before British boats reached US shores #politics #history www.sciencespo.fr/cso/en/news/... www.diis.dk/en/research/...

Greenland, Denmark and the US: the meaning of the colonial past to the ongoing dynamics

Interview with Astrid Nonbo Andersen, Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for International

sciencespo.fr

If it’s time for America to “grow up” like @adbusters.bsky.social posted on Instagram, then maybe a nursery rhyme can help Most of us thought “1, 2 buckle my shoe” ended with “9, 10 a big fat hen”—But there are more verses americanliterature.com/author/anony... www.instagram.com/p/DTeAbS3kk0...

“[Carneades] argued that, for … practical life, we can distinguish degrees of probability―rather than falling back on feelings or customs of one's country as a matter of convenience”: “a matter of degree” It feels like we live in a carnival: “Calliope crashed to the ground” youtu.be/oWqBTAk0Qk8

Blinded by the Light

YouTube video by Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Topic

youtu.be

Revisiting the #lyrics of Paul Oakenfold’s “Starry Eyed Surprise,” I think I see now what the surprise was. One of the verses actually sounds like Donald Trump: “Wildcards, men from Mars dressed in stars and stripes” 🇺🇸 … it has felt a bit like an alien invasion youtu.be/7odMzSb6WUQ

Paul Oakenfold - Starry Eyed Surprise (Official Video) ft. Shifty ShellShock

YouTube video by PaulOakenfoldVEVO

youtu.be

If you read one article about geopolitics (foreign affairs) in 2026, make it this one #politics in the US usually doesn’t look overseas because we are a continent separated by oceans. But the main ocean these days is the torrent of lies from the White House www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

How a billionaire with interests in Greenland encouraged Trump to acquire the territory

US president’s friend Ronald Lauder – who first proposed Arctic expansion – is now making deals in the island

theguardian.com

The Atlantic@theatlantic.com · 9mo ago

The American-led world order established harmony among the great powers within it, and left those outside it relatively isolated and insecure, Robert Kagan argues—and all of that is now ending. theatln.tc/BSP4k9xD

Satan’s first sin was falling from grace: his pride led him to believe he knew better than God. Light is found in his nicknames: morning star, Lucifer (lucid) Trump has used the Bible while telling us he is not Christian. He could actually be the Antichrist #magacult

Mark Jacobs@sixonedude.bsky.social · 9mo ago

“[Carneades] argued that, for … practical life, we can distinguish degrees of probability―rather than falling back on feelings or customs of one's country as a matter of convenience”: “a matter of degree” It feels like we live in a carnival: “Calliope crashed to the ground” youtu.be/oWqBTAk0Qk8

The targeting of Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey now with phony DOJ investigations is no coincidence—Trump literally floated this move months ago as a pretext for using the Insurrection Act

How Trump is using violent tragedies to divide America

ICE shootings, assassinations, mass attacks, and other traumas all serve as ammo for the demagogue in chief.

motherjones.com

#history classes shorter for #maga who never paid attention: war is stupid, expensive and self-defeating We already had a couple of chances to figure that out in Vietnam and Afghanistan

Equipollence sounds a lot like “the golden rule,” to supplement Aristotle’s “golden mean” Robert Frost warned “nothing gold can stay,” but maybe we have a fighting chance if we re-embrace virtue—something Ayn Rand, stoics and world religions have in common www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Aristotle’s 10 Rules for a Good Life

An ancient Greek recipe for happiness

theatlantic.com

Mark Jacobs@sixonedude.bsky.social · 9mo ago

But if you weigh the options, cynicism and skepticism have redeeming qualities: cynics belived in harmony with nature, and skeptics weren't “hardened cynics”; they believed in suspending judgment and equipollence, as opposed to equanimity: Quite the lesson in contrasts

Somewhere along the line, America forgot part of Greek history. I remember learning about "the 2 modes of Hellenic thought." In fact there are 4: in addition to the stoics and epicureans, there were cynics and skeptics Cynicism and skepticism have negative connotations in Protestant culture

Orange is a color that conveys excitement and energy, but also self-reflection if you pick the right shade Some scribbles on the nature of #reality, and throwing a bit of shade at President Trump for failing Greco-Roman values (and American ones) #politics sixoneloop.substack.com/p/realitys-t...

President Donald Trump has escalated the US retreat from global cooperation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here's what to know.

How the US Is Abandoning Joint Climate Action Under Trump

The past three years have been the hottest on record, marked by deadly and costly wildfires and flooding. Even as scientists warn that the pace of global warming is accelerating, President Donald Trump has escalated his retreat from global cooperation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

bloom.bg

#reality has been a recurring theme lately. How do we solve its puzzle? 🧩 My latest #Substack takes a crack at it with music, art —and a look at the pecking order in ancient Rome. Quite the bread crumb trail Live tomorrow, Friday morning: open.substack.com/pub/sixonelo...

Reality's true colors: shades of meaning to reach higher ground

A reflection on how the past flows into the present—filling in ‘broad strokes’ with ‘your ear to the ground’

open.substack.com

A replay ⏪ for the times? I recently rediscovered a song from childhood that feels strangely modern: “Rhyming on the mic [1. imma bring a sucker to disaster 2. until a psycho did disaster] Beaucoup bucks, but I still rock Nike” Which one do you hear? #mondegreen youtu.be/JwBjhBL9G6U?...

Us3 - Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) ft. Rahsaan, Gerard Presencer

YouTube video by Us3VEVO

youtu.be

Trump says Iran executions stopped as Tehran postpones hanging of protester

Trump says Iran executions stopped as Tehran postpones hanging of protester

In a surprise announcement on Wednesday, the US president said he had received assurances from 'very important sources on the other side' that executions in Iran would not go ahead. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later said there would be 'no hanging today or tomorrow,' in an interview with Fox News.

lemonde.fr

The White House announced the long-delayed launch of Phase 2 of President Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza, establishing a committee of Palestinian technocrats to administer the enclave and beginning the “full demilitarization and reconstruction.”

U.S. announces launch of second phase of Gaza peace plan

White House envoy Steve Witkoff announced the formation of a committee of Palestinian technocrats and the start of “full demilitarization and reconstruction.”

washingtonpost.com

China’s trade surplus climbed to $1.2 trillion in 2025, extending a record run as overseas shipments surprised with stronger growth at the end of the year.

China’s 2025 Trade Surplus Hits Record $1.2 Trillion Despite US Tariffs

China’s exports ended last year with a growth spurt and sent its trade surplus to a record $1.2 trillion in 2025, extending a boom that’s seen factories escape Donald Trump’s tariffs by making deeper inroads into markets beyond the US.

bloom.bg

The termination of TPS for Somalis will leave thousands of people vulnerable to detention and possible deportation to Somalia or other countries, where they face imminent danger. People who have long contributed to our communities deserve a pathway to citizenship — not deportation.

Trump administration to end temporary protected status for Somalis

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is ending temporary protected status for Somali immigrants, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a post on X on Tuesday.U.S.

nbcnews.com

When the administration paused immigration from nearly half the world this week, they said it was to stop them from “extract[ing] wealth” These people have no self-awareness, no sense of irony

Iran protest crackdown death tolls soars, Trump says 'help is on its way'

Iran protest crackdown death tolls soars, Trump says 'help is on its way'

As France, Germany and the United Kingdom summoned their Iranian ambassadors to denounce the Iranian regime's crackdown on protests, US President Donald Trump told Iranians to 'keep protesting.'

lemonde.fr

Researching my next article on the philosophical side of things, I landed on the word tenuous: Often used as a pejorative, the root word, “ten,” comes from the Indo-European word for stretching, a thin string Tenuous links aren’t always specious: “Tenere” in Latin means “hold,” “tenir” in French

'Corporate America is crushing the planet with its profits'

'Corporate America is crushing the planet with its profits'

The seven major tech companies are both the newest and the most profitable businesses in the United States, embodying the capitalist energy of the American dream, writes columnist Arnaud Leparmentier for Le Monde.

lemonde.fr

With student loan debt at a record $1.7 trillion, the U.S. is tightening the spigot on federal loans. Here's what you need to know about new limits on student borrowing and benchmarks for universities. 🔗: on.wsj.com/4aYrXU2