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    The Decline of the Modern Automobile

    Collapse Economics Science
    Contemporary life has many odd and often infuriating aspects that leave one scratching one’s head, searching in vain for some shred of logic to explain them. A prime head-scratcher is the late-model automobile. Have you ever wondered why cars have become outrageously expensive, ugly, overly complex, packed with unnecessary electronic nonsense, and increasingly unrepairable?

    W    onder no more. Everything is explained with great clarity on the fascinating and informative YouTube channel, “Uncle Tony’s Garage.” Here's a sample.
  • Published on

    The Return of Physiognomy

    Collapse Culture Science
    "A person's wisdom lights up his face⸺and the boldness of his face is transformed."

    — Ecclesiastes 8:1

    The study and practice of physiognomy has been somewhat neglected in the contemporary West, drowned out by the endless din of the equality-mongers. But it never really goes away. Everyone practices the art; we all react to a person’s face. At the very least, we evaluate it on a gut level, as we do with body size and shape, voice, skin color, movement, gestures, etc.

    Physiognomy has been at the forefront of my thoughts lately due to the dramatic changes, over the last few years, in the facial characteristics of the population. This transformation includes a strong tendency toward dullness of expression, lack of symmetry, and downright ugliness. [I discussed these trends, from an evolutionary perspective, in my post The Darwinian Surprise (4/18/2025).]

    The severity of this deterioration was driven home to me when I stumbled across a certain video clip from Fox News. The topic in this case was irrelevant; what was important was the newscaster, a young man named Andy Mac. Take a look at this three-minute clip.

    It is clear immediately that something is awry with this specimen of homo sapiens. Physiognomy tells all: the shape of the face (and head), the placement of features, the bizarre haircut, the protruding ear, the odd movement of the mouth. Emanating from that mouth is an unpleasant and halting voice, with faulty cadence and pronunciation. He has difficulty reading the text of a tweet shown on the screen. The whole performance is no less awkward than a midget playing in the NBA.

    This man is a newscaster on a national network, for crying out loud. We are not talking about a bus driver, or an amateur from Podunk making a podcast in his living room, but rather the face of an important institution, seen by millions of people. Walter Cronkite he is not. Even a standard media apparatchik such as Jake Tapper is, by comparison, normal-looking and articulate.

    At any time and place, there is a distribution of facial attributes among the population. Not every man can resemble Sean Connery. But there has been a distinct shift toward the dysfunctional side of the curve. And, presumably, in the wake of that shift, more of those people are “promoted” into inappropriate roles. (But is the case of Andy Mac the result of something nefarious; part of the effort, in media and entertainment, to consistently portray white men as defective?)

    There is no question in my mind that the precipitous decline of our culture and in the overall level of intelligence is reflected in physiognomy. If you want proof, spend some time watching movies from the 1940s and 50s, or even a bit later. Look at the faces of the actors. You will see brightness, intelligence, curiosity, and humor. And this before they even speak. I can also attest that when I was growing up, in the 1960s and 70s, the percentage of people with this “look” was substantially greater than it is now.

    Today, it’s a different story. The aforementioned verse from Ecclesiastes could be rewritten for our era as: “A person’s idiocy darkens his face⸺and the dullness of his face is transformed.”

    Can this trend be reversed?
  • Published on

    Memorable Quotes (no. 17)

    Memorable Quotes
    "Although men flatter themselves over their extraordinary feats, these are not so often the result of a grand design, but rather of mere happenstance."

    — La Rochefoucauld
  • Published on

    Sacrifice to the Gods of Net-Zero

    Feminism Fiction Religion
    The resounding success of Net-Zero energy policies in Spain prompted me to imagine how splendid it would be if the entire world pursued these same initiatives. I played it out in my mind, and developed a possible scenario for attainment of the ultimate goal: a truly 100% Net-Zero world.

    [Keep in mind that the following story is pure speculative fiction.]

    In this version of the future, Net-Zero energy policies are pushed to the limit worldwide. The result, over time, is a massive die-off. Despite the numerous woke progressives among the deceased, the news is spun positively in the New York Times, which emphasizes the crucial benefit of drastically reduced carbon emissions. Eventually, the Times can no longer engage in the act of emphasizing; it ceases to exist when its last staff member, the Science and Technology editor, freezes to death in her Chelsea loft.

    Two young humans, Madison and Liam, are chosen by Fate to survive the apocalypse. These two beneficiaries of white privilege became acquainted with each other while camping, in neighboring tents, at a Hamas peaceful protest at Columbia University. Through a series of fortuitous circumstances and events, they escape the utter ruin of civilization, and embark upon a grueling odyssey that terminates in being marooned on a desert island. Madison and Liam are the last of their species, as Net-Zero has been implemented down to the last human producers of carbon.

    Life on the desert island is simple and carefree, with fish and tropical fruit available in abundance, and warm weather year-round. The two survivors agree to mark a boundary down the middle of the island, with an ironclad promise to enter the other’s territory only with permission. This ensures the inviolability of safe spaces.

    Madison and Liam both, but especially the young lady, spend hours each day attempting to revive their iPhones, which sadly have no hope of ever again being functional. Madison complains that her social-media friends never respond to texts or posts.

    Two years go by with no change in living conditions, and no contact with the outside world (which effectively has ceased to exist). One day, while Liam is surveying his domain from atop an outcrop of rocks, he sees Madison, a stone’s throw distant, bathing nude in a natural pool under a waterfall. She normally does this after nightfall, so as to remain invisible, but just this once forgets her own protocol.

    The young man is shaken to the depths of his soul. Feelings of intense desire are quickly supplanted by shame, as he struggles with his thoughtcrime. There is no question, he reckons, that this remnant of toxic masculinity must be purged from his system. Over the course of the next few days, however, desire makes a comeback, and returns to the forefront of Liam’s consciousness.

    What to do? He cannot cross the territorial boundary; that would be considered by Madison to be an unforgivable transgression. Liam hatches a cunning plan: he will convince his female counterpart, by means of reasoning and subtle persuasion, to engage in physical contact with him. The next morning, he walks to the spot along the border where they usually go to converse with each other.

    “Good morning, Madison. Nice day, isn’t it?”

    Madison displays her typical frown, but nods grudgingly. Liam pays no attention to this negativity, instead focusing on her physique, which is appealing to him in the extreme.

    “What did you want to talk to me about?”

    Liam takes a step toward the object of his attraction but then halts abruptly upon his realization that the sacrosanct boundary lies between them. He gathers his courage and clears his throat. “You know, Madison, I was thinking, like, you know, kinda….well maybe we could take a walk along the beach on my territory, it’s really pretty over there.”

    Madison frowns again, and then stretches her slim body upward with a big yawn. “No thanks. I’m okay with my own beach. Anything else?”

    Liam, anticipating this response, switches to his backup strategy. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking….we might be the last two people on the planet, just you and me. Kinda sad, that everyone else had to die, but in a way it’s totally awesome, right?”

    “They had to die, to save the planet. But what’s so awesome about us being alive? We’re still using up resources and contributing to climate change.”

    “True, true,” says Liam, again suppressing his desire. “But we could be like Adam and Eve. You know, starting the whole human race all over again.”

    “What?!” shrieks the young woman. “Adam and Eve? That story the Nazis cooked up to justify the patriarchy?” She looks at him with scorn, shaking her head in disbelief. “You never said anything like that at Columbia. What are you, some kind of Republican?” She storms away in a huff, and is soon out of view.

    That evening, Madison captures one of the poisonous spiders that inhabit a cave on her side of the island, and places it in a bamboo box that she had made. In the middle of the night, she crosses the boundary into Liam’s territory, sneaks up to his hut, approaches his bed, and releases the spider. The creature fulfills his mission and bites the hapless victim. Liam goes into convulsions, and expires a few seconds later. Madison uses her last remaining lipstick to draw a swastika on his chest, along with the words, “literally Hitler.”

    Life is good again for the young lady. She can now bathe in her pool at any time of day or night, and no longer has to worry about anyone stepping over the boundary onto her territory. More importantly, the world has been rid of one more MAGA fanatic. But regret soon takes hold; Madison feels terrible guilt from her complicity in the survival of a white male Republican fascist, who consumed precious resources and delayed the moment of complete Net-Zero. In fact, she reasons, her own survival is not much better. Okay, she’s not a Trump supporter, but still, it’s one more mouth for eating and a set of lungs for breathing, postponing the glorious day of Gaia’s deliverance.

    ​Overcome with remorse, Madison feeds herself to the sharks, hoping that her sacrifice will help humanity atone for its sins against the planet. Net-Zero is finally achieved.
  • Published on

    It's Not Easy Being a Nazi

    Humor Language
    The Babylon Bee has done it again, producing a humorous skit on the trials and tribulations of being a real Nazi in today's America. Just a few minutes long; worth the watch.  
  • Published on

    Legitimacy, Part II: The International Arena

    Globalists Marxism Russia
    In my post of 5/2/2025, I lamented the fact that President Trump and his associates have failed to attain legitimacy, to fully assert their authority over the executive functions of the presidency. The discussion centered on domestic issues. Recently, the problem has expanded to encompass the international arena as well.

    It seemed that right out of the gate, the new Administration would extract America from one of its greatest foreign policy disasters: the Ukraine mess. The closing of the money spigot, various declarations from the President and senior officials, the blowup with Zelensky in the White House, renewed contact with President Putin, and other moves all gave hope that the adults newly in charge of the United States were finally going to end this travesty.

    But just as we have seen on the domestic front, the Leftist Establishment was not about to quietly accept the demise of one of its most vital projects. It is up to its neck in Ukraine, a linchpin of the ecosystem of fraud and grift. The threat to NGO funding is enough by itself to instill panic in the ranks. The forever war on Russia also is crucial ideologically, to provide a focal point in the battle against “right-wing extremism”; that is, anyone who refuses to acquiesce in the dismantling of civilization. The Russians are considered heretics, and as such must be punished and brought to heel; among their many crimes are the abandonment of Communism, the revitalization of native religion and culture, and the humiliation and suppression of the “Pussy Riot” woke hooligans.

    (“I stand with Ukraine” is a declaration—alongside advocacy for poison injections, illegal aliens, and child genital mutilation—that one will support the Left through thick and thin, with no conceivable limit. In other words, there is no act so outrageous, so absurd, and so downright evil that one would recoil in disgust. Remember, comrade, you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.)

    It’s déjà vu all over again as Trump 2.0 caves to the Left. The “mineral deal” is a pathetic smokescreen to cover the continuation of the Progressive jihad against the Muscovites. The deal was announced simultaneously with the proposed federal budget for FY2026, which includes a noticeable increase in military spending. No doubt many of the countless new billions of dollars sloshing around will find their way to the Ukraine war. (Not to mention the severe blow to the finances of the bankrupt USA.)

    Hasn’t Trump learned that you can’t placate the Left? They are far too power-hungry and bloodthirsty. Millions of dead and wounded Slavs is like catnip for them; they are emboldened, looking for an even more dramatic collectivist crusade. And as the Ukraine quagmire drags on and on, guess who will be blamed? In six months, the talking heads on Face the Nation will be saying something like this: “Under President Biden, we were so close to victory, Russia was collapsing…but then Trump stepped in, always equivocating, never really committed, so we find ourselves embroiled in this endless war…” We all know the playbook.

    For President Trump to assert the executive power of the presidency, he must revert to the policy taking shape in the days following the inauguration. How to proceed? Announce the immediate end of the Ukraine war. Pull every American out of the area. Turn off the money. End the sanctions on Russia, and resume full, normal relations.

    Let the Europeans take over this sordid affair. Monsieur Macron, who apparently fancies himself as a transsexual version of Napoleon, can personally lead all three battalions of EU troops as they wade ashore on the beaches of Crimea. Onward, brave women and men! We’ll take Stalingrad! Le jour de gloire est arrivé! To the gates of Moscow! In the fever dreams of the European elite, the evil Putin will be brought in chains to Brussels, where the feminized dictators of the great woke axis can curse in multiple languages and throw rotten eggs at the ultimate symbol of “toxic masculinity.”

    Would the jihad crumble without American participation? Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps Starmer & Co. are just crazy enough to push Russia into a full-scale war. Then Vlad can pull out all the stops and slay the totalitarian monster once and for all. The way things are going in London, Paris, and Berlin, it might just play out in this fashion.

    A bit of delicious irony: Let us recall the immediate post-World War II decades, with all the protests by the European Left against the American military presence, particularly the nuclear arsenal. Now the Left demands that America throw its full military force into the killing fields of Europe so that Woke Progressivism can be expanded into the former Soviet bloc. You simply can’t make this stuff up.

    Please Mr. Trump, assert your authority, and end the madness, as you said you would. Then keep going. Dismantle the global empire, one of many archaic institutions and arrangements that are sucking the life force out of the country. Stop being the “world’s policeman,” and bring our boys home. Cut the military budget, eliminate the waste, and re-orient the armed forces to protection of the homeland. If you must engage in imperial adventures, focus on the Western hemisphere. Last but not least, begin the long-overdue prosecutions of the criminals responsible for turning Ukraine into a money laundromat for individuals, corporations, and NGOs.

    ​Oh but I forgot, all of this could be nullified by a judge. Never mind.