Opening WordPress this afternoon was meant to be about a new post describing how the “American” Republican party has become a magnet for stupidity. There is also the distinction that like today’s Taliban, which does not resemble the Taliban of 2001, the Republican party of 2021 hardly resembles the Republican party of 2001. Both entities have evolved, but in opposite directions. The Taliban has put itself in a situation in which a more moderate stance will be required to ensure the flow of desperately needed foreign aid. In contrast, the GOP has evolved into an extremist fanatical threat to American democracy that has more in common with Belarussia’s Lukashenko than Abraham Lincoln.
Perhaps that post has just written itself?
The inspiration for the newsletter was generated by WordPress statistics. Two or three years ago I deleted my Facebook account, in an attempt to distance myself from its fascist owner Mark Zuckerberg. So you can imagine my surprise when I noticed that the WordPress statistics indicated that some traffic to my blog originated from posts on Facebook.
This dopamine generating discovery quickly raised the question, “Who posted one of my WordPress posts on Facebook, and which one?” I’ll probably never know who did the posting. Similarly I’ll probably never know if the post was the recent “Mr. Glynn, Kingdom Filipina Hacienda sovereign, goes to Singapore” or one of the older posts like “Fact-based Buddhism”. Regardless of who did the promotional work and which post got the Facebook exposure, I’m grateful for the gesture and pleased that my blogging efforts are reaching a broader audience.
As this is a newsletter I reckon I can add some content like it won’t be long until I embark on a trip from Singapore to the United States. It’s not the most attractive time to undertake such a journey, but some family matters in New Mexico require prompt attention so off I will go.
Thank’s to Amazon’s Kindle deals I’m now 70% through Noam Chomsky’s How the World Works (Real Story). The nutshell review is; My socks have been knocked off already. Timely reading as the US evacuates from Afghanistan after Trump’s surrender to the Taliban. At USD 1.50 it was an irresistible deal, and one done with no regrets!
So there’s Newsletter 2. Until next time, stay safe.
roadkill and other observations 