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Asking Chat GPT to explain the history of the Levant

The Levant: Historical Foundations and Modern Complexities Introduction The Levant, a region encompassing modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, and parts of Syria, has been a pivotal area in world history. Its strategic location at the crossroads of Africa, Asia, and Europe has made it a battleground for empires, a birthplace for major religions, and a focal point for ongoing geopolitical struggles. Understanding the Levant’s intricate history is crucial for comprehending the complexities of contemporary Middle East peace processes. Part I: Early Civilizations and Influences The Dawn of Civilization: Sumerians and Akkadians The broader Mesopotamian region, including the periphery of the Levant, is where some of the earliest known civilizations emerged. Around 3000 BCE, the Sumerians established the first known cities in Southern Mesopotamia. They developed writing (cuneiform) and made significant advances in law, trade, and architecture. Although primarily centered in what is ...
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Stop saying “nobody saw this coming”

 We were warned.  Once upon a time I was a technology journalists working in Tokyo for a very small monthly newspaper covering telecommunications and high tech.  In this role, I had a front row view on the development and deployment of the World Wide Web and all the technologies and promotional efforts that made it’s use nearly ubiquitous.  As such, I was sent to quite a few conferences and symposia where respected leaders from around the world would gather to discuss this new technology and how it was going to change our lives.  And, yes, this included convincing the political world to fund the research and development that would help roll the WWW out to everyday people to enhance everyday lives.  I am, of course, talking about how Al Gore helped in the development of the “internet”.  But that is a different blog post. If you listen to folks talking about Facebook, Twitter or any of the other social network spaces today, and how it is dividing the cou...
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Restless..

The thing about being employed by a company that does consulting work and being between contracts is it creates a mix of feelings.  I have time to think about stuff, specifically work related stuff, but also I start thinking about being 51 years old and sitting on my ass in an office trying to justify my existence.  I know that my life is good, and I travel a lot, but the bucket list is long and time is running out.  Next week by this time I'll be in Tokyo.  I'll be getting ready to celebrate my 51st year on this planet and after Christmas Midori and I will be heading to Vietnam for a few days.  Last year around this time we were coming down from the excitement of spending almost 3 weeks in Italy and Switzerland.  So it's not like we have been sitting idle, but what about the Great Wall?  Giza?  Bali?  Paris/London/Prague/Munich?  So many places I want to go.  Also looking forward to next year musically.  In January I wil...
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Drip, Drip, Drip

Supply-side economics, (AKA trickle down, Voodoo, Horse and Sparrow) operates on the premise that if the government allows wealthy (business owners and private citizens alike) to keep more of the money they earn that they will then re-invest that money into job creating endeavors like increased production or increased investment in companies that will then hire working class folks down the economic food chain.  It's called supply side economics because it comes at growth from the perspective that it all starts from the supplier or goods and services. The problem is, this totally ignores the supply/demand dynamic.  Let's look at the one of my favorite metaphors used to explain this; The Horse and the Sparrow.  The idea is, if you feed a horse enough grain, some of it will come out the other side for the sparrow to eat.  The metaphor breaks down quickly because with a horse, there is a biological necessity for it to defecate.  What if the horse could just sto...
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Discredit where discredit is due

Yesterday I heard a news report stating that the Washington Post had uncovered an attempt by a woman to spread false stories about Judge Roy Moore by accusing him of rape when she was an underaged girl.  The story didn't check out so the WaPo refused to run the story, then they announced that this attempt had been made and followed the woman back to Project Veritas.  This is the project that has tried so many times to "discredit" so called liberal media efforts with "sting" operations.  They set up meetings with left leaning organizations, spin some story sounding like a parody of everything that liberals are supposedly supporting, like late term on demand abortions, cheating welfare, or any number of things that the right wing hyperventilates about, and they secretly record these sessions.  Then Project Veritas' modus operandi is to selectively edit the video in ways that amplify or totally mischaracterize the point and results of the meeting.  (Rem...
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Little Corporals with small hands

Today I read a story in the Atlantic about how one sorry assed SOB went from being a vegan leftwing nut in high school to a high profile (yet pretty cowardly) neo-Nazi thug and uber troll.  The story had a lot to say about how a short, awkward dweeb with no self-esteem, who is probably a closeted homosexual and is there for self-hating, misogynistic, narcissist and who goes to great lengths to prove to the world and himself could go from one extreme to the other pretty quickly.  It also had a lot to say about why this guy could so thoroughly identify with Trump.  It's worth a read.  It's long.  You've been warned. In other news, the Paranoid Style of American Politics isn't a new thing. 
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Stop hitting yourself!

I don't know if this is a memory of actual events or a daydream I had once, but I have told it as a memory usually to illustrate a point.  So, here goes. In high school I played football for a couple of years.  (Freshman and Sophomore years)  In Jr. high school I was on the bigger side of a lot of my peers so I ended up playing on the offensive line with some time as a linebacker as well.  For those not that familiar with American football, the object of the game is for someone on your team to run the ball to the other end of the field or to throw the ball to a teammate down at the other end of the field with the ultimate goal of getting the ball across the end line into one of the areas on either end of the field called the End Zone.  The other team is doing everything they can within the rules of the game to prevent you from doing that.  The key player on the offensive side of the ball is called the quarterback.  He takes the ball passed from be...
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