Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in The Swamp.
Are the Lifespans of Dominant Political Ideals Getting Shorter
Are the life spans of dominant political ideals getting shorter? Is democracy, as we understand it, being overtaken by technology?
Peter RosePublished 4 years ago in The SwampTalking Brook: 'Yaron Brook Show: Economic Lies—Wages & Productivity'
After some technical difficulties, Dr. Brook outlines the show. He wishes everyone a happy Columbus Day and sets the tone for the show. He will be talking about economics, something that some people may find to be dry and boring. But not with Dr. Brook. He enlivens each talk about this subject with easy-to-follow examples, and he explains big words so that anyone can understand the arcane terms. Dr. Brook points out that if an employer doesn’t pay you for the work you do and you deserve it, then you should go to the intelligent employer or remain at the level for which the original employer will pay you.
Skyler SaundersPublished 4 years ago in The SwampWait, Let's Rethink This
If you live in Canada, you probably know that in less than a week, we will be heading back to the polls, and if you're from out of the country, then, Ayo! Suprise, Canada has another election that you may or may not have heard of. I think it's always an interesting idea to take a step back, and try to explain the election from the point of view of one outsider telling another outsider about the election, similarly to me talking about American or British politics to one of my friends, so I'll attempt to do the same thing here.
Kelly ThompsonPublished 4 years ago in The Swamp"Talking Brook: 'Yaron Brook Show: Greta Thunberg & the Power of Moral Idealism'"
As a diver leaps into the watery deep, Dr. Brook jumps into the topic of climate change. He says that he will handle the new, youthful face of the environmentalist movement, Greta Thunberg, with respect. He says that he can do it with better temperament and judgment than the right and with more truth than the left. Dr. Brook finds that Greta is just a byproduct of the vicious lies taught in schools that the world is going to end “tomorrow.” From kindergarten, the ideals remain because most parents “don’t challenge [their child’s] teachers.” He’s correct about how the youth are hooked at a young age on environmentalist propaganda. Movies like Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest (1992) and Avatar (2009), and television animated series such as Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1993-1996) all serve to reinforce what is taught in schools to children.
Skyler SaundersPublished 4 years ago in The SwampPolitical and Corporate Truthfulness
Political and corporate truthfulness. We have, in Britain, a trades description act that is supposed to ensure that all claims for a service or product are accurate and truthful. Advertisements for products often appear to avoid this concept; but it may be that everything is in the definition. For example water can be described as gentle and non abrasive, yet geologically it has been proven to wear through rocks. So a definition of water being non abrasive should include the comment, “within a time span of less than 20 years.”
Peter RosePublished 4 years ago in The SwampMother Corp Makes the Case for Her Own Extinction
Sometimes, it's hard to let go of a national icon. All countries confront this problem, in one way, shape, or form, eventually. And now, in 2019, Canada comes face-to-face with a reality it has long dreaded. We no longer need the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Grant PattersonPublished 4 years ago in The SwampPolitical Discourse: Does It Exclude the Working Classes?
"I just don't get it." This is a common phrase uttered when talking about politics. With politics being at its, well, craziest—I've also seen a rise in politicians using words to deceive and confuse us. Style over substance—that seems to be the common theme in political discourse.
Talking Star: Should High School Teachers Carry Guns
Star wants to be called f–– nut during this missive. He says that he knows Atlanta and that he used fishscale at Sharon’s Showcase. He admits that he has not been at a Waffle House in fifteen years. He experienced “the worst breakfast in years” there. He threw away the entire meal on the way home and considered not even giving the food to his coyotes when he discarded the unwanted victuals. Anyone who wears lochs and not a net disturbs Mr. Torain. Star then gets on topic and discusses Jim Jones’ success. He wonders if he sent 50 Cent a warning shot, though. On Instagram, according to Mr. Torain, he called Jim Jones a rat. Star breaks down how rich people have shooters and 50 definitely has a team on deck.
Skyler SaundersPublished 4 years ago in The SwampChronicles of Migration (Part I): A Trapped Traveller
The first time I saw Ligaya (all names have been changed to protect individuals’ privacy) she had just come into the shelter’s common room and gave me a small smile. I remember thinking that she looked worn-out and weak. Another shelter guest told me she just arrived yesterday at midnight. I wondered if she had been fleeing and if so, from whom, at an hour so late.
Politics and "Joined Up" Thinking
Politics, and “joined up” thinking. Why political objectives end up going wrong. Many politicians claim they have the answer to a nation's problems; some of the more ego-driven ones think they can solve all the world's problems. So, why after all this time are there still problems for just about everyone, maybe except the super rich, in the world? The reason is in that politics does not deal with reality. It does not involve thinking through all the cause-and-effect situations. Politicians consider a problem in isolation, and they come up with resolutions that may be good, IF they were isolated from the actual reality of the whole situation. At an absurd level, it is like solving the problem of water getting into a boat by making a hole below the water line, to let it drain out. The electorates, in modern democracies, elect people to solve problems. At least, that is the basic idea, but political parties have found all sorts of ways of getting their people elected, without even promising to actually solve real problems. The most common tactic is to call it a social fact of life, a problem, and promise to solve it. For example, socialists promise equality for all. They know, and every thinking person knows, that equality of opportunity is not the same thing, since equality of achievement will never happen; humans are too variable for that. Some are better at some things than others. So, the socialist bosses know that equality for all, including the lazy and the feckless, is never going to be worthwhile, nor even desirable. Yet, they get elected on this promise of equality for all.
Peter RosePublished 4 years ago in The SwampVenezuela and the Struggle for Gold
The "Arco Minero del Orinoco" is an area rich in mineral resources that the Republic of Venezuela has been exploiting since 2017; it occupies mostly the north of the Bolivar state and to a lesser extent the northeast of the Amazonas state and part of the Delta Amacuro state. 7000 tons of gold, copper, diamond, coltan, iron, bauxite and other minerals can be found here.
HowToFind .comPublished 4 years ago in The Swamp'Talking Brook: Yaron Brook Show: Middle East & War'
Dr. Brook enters into the matrix once again. speaking about the Middle East and a little economics. He explains that Kurds remain in Syria. Kurdistan is the freest region and “more hospitable to markets and property rights than Turkey.” Dr. Brook says that Turkey funded and aided ISIS. Betrayal against the Kurds continues to be a hot button issue for Dr. Brook. Trump, to Dr. Brook, represents a zero sum game with no strategy or “America First.” World War I, Vietnam and slavery crop up in the talk as President Trump says that going into the Middle East was the worst decision made in this country. Dr. Brook points out to his audience that there will be people who say that Trump is playing “4-D chess.”
Skyler SaundersPublished 4 years ago in The Swamp