Our World

Occam’s Razor Gardening, Cooking & Canning Ep 45

Here’s the Rumble link

It has become something of a cliché to assert as an evident fact accepted resignedly, that the West is in decline. But it isn’t. The West is essentially the Americas, Central and Western Europe, Israel, Australasia, and Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, arguably the Philippines and beleaguered elements in South Africa. Obviously, some of these places are in better condition than others. A degenerating society is one that has lost the will to defend itself from both external and internal enemies and where belief in the value of the society or civilization and loyalty and pride in the country have eroded to the point where there is legitimate doubt that they can be sustained under any pressure. No part of the Western world has achieved such a condition.

There was a time, not long ago, when Americans — regardless of region, class, or politics — shared a common cultural foundation. From the Saturday morning cartoons children watched to the nightly news programs adults relied on, mainstream culture was both a mirror and a glue: it reflected our values while keeping us tethered to the same national experience. That era is over.

We have entered the Age of Alternative Culture, an era defined by fragmentation, algorithmic echo chambers, and cultural isolation masquerading as global connection.

Update: Guys I bumped this post because people have questions or personal stories and hopefully we can all learn something.

What did I do today?

I got older.

Or maybe just a bit more adult.

I went to Costco.

I bought something I have needed for a long time.

Something Kathy had asked that I do many times.

(more…)

Rumble Link

Livestream at 9 am

This the Rumble livestream link.

To survive the geopolitical turmoil of the 21st century, the West needs to revive its industrial base.

As recent events in Iran have so aptly demonstrated, technological progress married to industrial might produces the most tangible form of power. In the recent conflict in the Middle East, this meant that a second-tier power like Iran was clearly outmatched – first by Israel, then by America.

The West needs to learn this lesson and apply it to its rivalry with a far more formidable foe: China. Unlike the theocrats of Tehran, China’s ambitions are distinctly material. And, until recently, China has made tremendous headway facing relatively little, and largely ineffective, Western opposition.

Yes I watched this entire series.

From soft power to hard muscle.

I’ve been throwing punches and kicks for the better part of a decade now. Boxing, kickboxing, the usual rotation of compound movements in the gym — nothing revolutionary, just the steady accumulation of speed and skill that comes from consistent work. It’s meditative, really. The rhythm of training, the incremental progress, the quiet satisfaction of knowing your body can do what you ask of it.

But something curious has happened in recent years, something that crystallized when my fiancée asked me a question that stopped me cold: “Is this what men find attractive now?”

The Rumble Link

This is a live chat.

The war in Ukraine, tensions in the Middle East, tariffs, inflation and so on and so forth. It sometimes feels like there’s no end to bad news, and, especially in the age of doom scrolling, that can take a toll on people’s mental wellbeing. As a consequence, more and more people actively try to avoid the news or at least ration their exposure to it.

h/t DS

Here’s the Rumble Link.

Forget polyamory. The new normal is solitude, anxiety, and performative healing.

In a new report that should unsettle anyone still clinging to the illusion that our species is thriving, nearly 20 percent of Gen Z respondents say they no longer believe monogamy is realistic. At first glance, this might conjure images of polyamory, open relationships, and fluid arrangements between confident, liberated adults unshackled from centuries of ideals.

But the reality is very different, and in many ways, much more disturbing. 

When did the devil disappear? The image of Satan persists, but mostly as kitsch. The few who believe in him are typically portrayed as unserious, even gauche. The prevailing view holds that progress has vanquished the superstitions of earlier, more fearful, eras. It matters little, apparently, that the twentieth century was the bloodiest in history.