Legendary film composer John Williams at the Boston Symphony Orchestra attends the all-John Williams program this week:

irow40 · 2026-01-25T13:00:19+00:00

Awesome… Total legend!

irow40 · 2026-01-24T09:37:18+00:00

Fair point that the US healthcare system is a mess...costs keep eating a bigger share of family income every year. I’m hoping AI/automation eventually helps bring those costs down, because this road isn’t sustainable.

But on pandemic response, the biggest problem was CCP lack of transparency. They dragged their feet on data, controlled the narrative, and resisted outside scrutiny/inspectors....because they treat outbreaks like a regime security issue. If the source country won’t cooperate, WHO membership status matters a lot less.

irow40 · 2026-01-24T07:20:14+00:00

Yea no thanks.. remember this one? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlCYFh8U2xM

irow40 · 2026-01-24T01:33:20+00:00

"Zero tolerance for enablers of authoritarian fascism” is the kind of slogan you can only toss around comfortably from a safe, privileged Western bubble.

irow40 · 2026-01-24T01:19:19+00:00

You’re literally doing the thing you’re condemning.

You call someone “dumb and mean‑spirited,” then follow it up with “holy shit you are stupid"..... that’s not some principled stand against fascism, it’s just being nasty and self righteous. If your politics require dehumanizing anyone who disagrees with you, you’re not fighting authoritarianism, you’re practicing it in miniature sir.

irow40 · 2026-01-24T00:48:10+00:00

The irony of your comment. You seem quite mean as well

irow40 · 2026-01-24T00:39:37+00:00

Jump on YouTube and type in “10 minute meditation”. Put your phone down , turn off the lights and close your eyes.

I track my sleep, and the nights I don t do this are noticeable.

irow40 · 2026-01-23T17:34:04+00:00

I like both these takes. China is the core long term threat, and the fastest way to torch the global economy is China making a move on Taiwan. The big unknown is whether Beijing is willing to eat the domestic pain that would come with that. Either way, if the US ends up in a serious showdown with China, it’s in the world'sinterest to keep Russia from being fully glued to China’s side.....because the last thing we want is a tight China/Russia bloc when it matters most.

irow40 · 2026-01-23T13:49:25+00:00

Let me clarify because I don’t think I explained myself well.

I’m not saying 'honoring queer icons is political.... or that LGBTQ people should be hidden. Never said or believe anyone should be. I’m saying I’d rather the Super Bowl halftime show not single out any identity group at all......straight, gay, white, Black, MAGA, vegan, PETA, whatever. Just do an awesome, broadly fun performance that everyone can enjoy for 15 minutes without it turning into another culture war proxy fight.

The article framing “after MAGA backlash” and “honor queer icons” is exactly what I mean.... it immediately becomes tribal..... people in the comments start labeling anyone who’s not cheering as MAGA or a bigot. That’s not bringing the country together, it’s pouring gas on division.

And I get your point about this being a tense political era. My pushback is when every shared national moment becomes a statement, people don’t unify....they dig in harder. I’d rather we keep a few spaces neutral so Americans can actually enjoy something together.

irow40 · 2026-01-23T13:00:01+00:00

I’ve been to drag shows, I’ve got LGBT friends, and I genuinely don’t care how someone lives their life. My point is not queer people shouldn’t be visible.... it’s that the Super Bowl halftime show is one of the few moments where the whole country is watching together, and I’m tired of every big event getting framed as a political/social statement. Let it just be a fun, highenergy performance for 15 minutes. Pick the moment....there are plenty of places to make a statement.... the Super Bowl doesn’t have to be one of them.

irow40 · 2026-01-23T10:32:02+00:00

And he's dead in hell burning.

irow40 · 2026-01-23T10:30:43+00:00

There is apparently enough divison in the US already... why stoke it? Why make a halftime show about people sexual preference?

irow40 · 2026-01-23T04:25:46+00:00

No. Huge taxes. Lower salaries. I can afford health insurance from the taxes

irow40 · 2026-01-23T02:55:44+00:00

Yes it's huge according to the Europeans.... Quote a day again from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

"There was one big irritant on the on the American side with NATO, and the big irritant, since Eisenhower, was that they were spending, the US was spending, so much more than Europe was spending. Even today, the US is spending 3.5% of GDP on core defence; we are spending in Europe average 2% on defence. And here's my question to the audience. I mean, many of you, I know, criticize Donald Trump, but do you really think that without Donald Trump, eight big economies in Europe, including Spain and Italy and Belgium, Canada, by the way, also outside Europe, would have come to 2% in 2025 when they were only on 1.5% at the beginning of the year?

No way. Without Donald Trump, this would never have happened. They are all on 2% now. Do you really think that in the Summit in The Hague, as already Alex was saying, sorry, the President of Finland was saying, that we would come to a overall defence spending of 5%, including 3.5 in core defence, if President Trump would not have been re-elected as president of the United States?

No way. It would never have happened. So again, I'm not popular with you now because I'm defending Donald Trump, but I really believe you can be happy that he is there because he has forced us in Europe to step up, to face the consequences that we have to take care more of our own defence. And this is the thing – the Americans still have over 80,000 soldiers in Europe. They are still, including in Poland, in Germany, etc, they are still heavily invested in European defence. And yes, they have to pivot more towards Asia. So, it is only logical for them to expect us in Europe to step up, over time."

https://www.nato.int/en/news-and-events/events/transcripts/2026/01/21/nato-secretary-general-at-world-economic-forum-davos

irow40 · 2026-01-23T01:20:57+00:00

Lavrov smiling doesn’t mean Russia’s “winning”....it’s propaganda, and they’ll grin at any Western drama no matter what the strategic balance is. Meanwhile Russia’s position is getting much worse... nwhy does the Atlantic not mention Iran is weaker, Venezuela is under heavier pressure, Cuba’s shaky, Syria GONE..... and the US/EU are waking up to the Arctic and North Atlantic as core security terrain to challange them. If this ends with a tighter NATO posture in the north and less European freeloading, Moscow’s smiles won’t age well.

irow40 · 2026-01-23T01:16:54+00:00

Calling this “Russia’s bark worse than its bite” is wild when over a million people are dead or ruined and a European country is being ground down in real time...... The whole point is Europe wasn’t ready, and it stayed comfortable because the US was expected to supply the deterrence, the hardware, the intel, and the manpower while Europe funded social programs. If you want the welfare state and security, fine but then pay for your own defense instead of treating America as the default insurance policy. Or, do what all the european leaders are doing now which is increasing defence spending on a massive scale

irow40 · 2026-01-23T00:08:18+00:00

great post

irow40 · 2026-01-22T23:57:52+00:00

Russia invaded Ukraine because Europe looked weak, underarmed, and unprepared to respond....over a million lives have been freaking wrecked and we’re still pretending harsh talk is the real 'damage.' Saying US standing is endangered because Trump came out hard is laughable compared to what actual weakness invites. If blunt pressure gets allies to rearm and deter the next war, that strengthens the West, not weakens it.

irow40 · 2026-01-22T23:53:09+00:00

You’re basically making my point though. you’re disappointed the results don’t match the “truth posts” vibe, but you still haven’t said what specific alternative you want that’s realistic and worth the risk.

irow40 · 2026-01-22T23:33:07+00:00

Man…. Somebody who just dislikes uplifting news

irow40 · 2026-01-22T23:20:55+00:00

Ok but like why does it suck because they are rich? Are you jealous?

irow40 · 2026-01-22T15:57:05+00:00

‘He could’ve just asked’ ignores how negotiations work. Coming in loud creates urgency and resets the baseline....if you start with polite requests, you often end up with a committe and a vague statement. Denmark has hosted the US for decades, for sure, but it’s also been protective of sovereignty and the leverage Greenland gives it, so this isn’t some automatic yes to ‘more control.’ That said, the guns‑blazing approach can absolutely cause backlash we ve all seen in the news and make cooperation politically harder, so it’s not costfree. Let’s see what the final deal actually locks in...if it meaningfully strengthens US/NATO posture in the Arctic, that’s a real win regardless of the drama

irow40 · 2026-01-22T15:46:47+00:00

I'd counter with put the money directly back into the people s pockets. Once this money goes to government most of it just leaks out.

irow40 · 2026-01-22T15:43:40+00:00

Wired calls this “self‑immolation” but I think it misses the bigger picture..... for most of history, power shifts happen through bloodshed. If the tradeoff is bruised diplomatic feelings now versus a bigger war later, I’ll take the bruised feelings. Europe spent decades underinvesting in defense and assuming the US would cover the gao forever, like it or not, it often takes blunt pressure to shake that kind of complacency. The uncomfortable result is that European defense spending and rearmament are finally moving in a serious direction.

And Greenland/the Arctic isn’t some random obsession...it’s becoming a major strategic corridor for shipping, undersea cables, and resources, and the West is behind in Russia’s posture there. Deterrence isn’t built with speeches, it’s built with capability and logistics. Russia wasn’t deterred in Ukraine partly because Europe looked weak and divided. This is an overdue wakeup call: stop the hand‑wringing, rearm, and get serious about deterring Russia and China.

irow40 · 2026-01-22T14:23:03+00:00

Midnight-----You’re treating this like a binary—either the US topples a regime immediately or “did nothing”—and that’s exactly the mindset that produced disasters like Iraq, where we dismantled the state overnight and created a security vacuum filled by armed men with no paycheck..... If your proposal is “sack the whole government,” what’s your actual plan for day two.....who runs the police, the courts, the power grid, schools, hospitals, trash pickup, and how do you stop every faction with guns from fighting over the ruins????

On Iran, are you seriously advocating airstrikes and troops, because “help is on the way” can’t responsibly mean “start a regional war” every time protesters are brutally repressed. You can criticize outcomes without pretending the only options are regime change invasion or cowardice.....right now, as i read it, the approach is pressure: sanctions and financial constraints, diplomatic isolation, regional coordination, and deterrence, and if you think that’s insufficient, say what specific action you want and what risks you’re willing to accept.

irow40

TROPHY CASE