Martin J Gilbert
@madiguana.bsky.social
Author/Actuary/Human
Everything will be OK in the end. And if it's not OK, then it's not the end.
Be kind.
Everything will be OK in the end. And if it's not OK, then it's not the end.
Be kind.
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
25 years ago today, SCOTUS elected George W Bush president of the United States by blocking completion of a voting canvass in Florida. A subsequent canvass by the Associated Press showed that Bush's rival, Al Gore, had won the race in Florida—and thus the contest for the presidency—by 700 votes.
December 12, 2025 at 5:36 AM
25 years ago today, SCOTUS elected George W Bush president of the United States by blocking completion of a voting canvass in Florida. A subsequent canvass by the Associated Press showed that Bush's rival, Al Gore, had won the race in Florida—and thus the contest for the presidency—by 700 votes.
Europe's view of what "Christianity" is and America's view of "Christianity" are not the same thing, even if you were to accept the premise below. America's view of Christianity is not something to which Christ would subscribe, so, with all due respect*, Fuck Off.
*which is none
*which is none
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com
Europe must “persuade younger Europeans that their heritage, culture and way of life — a fundamentally Christian civilization leavened and improved but not erased by the values of the Enlightenment — are worth defending,” our columnist Bret Stephens writes.
Europe must “persuade younger Europeans that their heritage, culture and way of life — a fundamentally Christian civilization leavened and improved but not erased by the values of the Enlightenment — are worth defending,” our columnist Bret Stephens writes.
Opinion | Europe, Too, Is Worth Fighting For
Provided Europeans want to fight for it.
nyti.ms
December 11, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Europe's view of what "Christianity" is and America's view of "Christianity" are not the same thing, even if you were to accept the premise below. America's view of Christianity is not something to which Christ would subscribe, so, with all due respect*, Fuck Off.
*which is none
*which is none
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
In S17 of #Taskmaster, Nick Mohammed dressed as a vampire for his tasks. The production scrubbed all his reflections when he's dressed like this, but the only way I knew is because someone told me about it. It's subtle and very cool.
December 6, 2025 at 5:03 PM
In S17 of #Taskmaster, Nick Mohammed dressed as a vampire for his tasks. The production scrubbed all his reflections when he's dressed like this, but the only way I knew is because someone told me about it. It's subtle and very cool.
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
I live in Wales and today received my Join Us letter from Reform UK, complete with SAE which I posted back to them, immediately, empty. If every other person in Wales did this, Reform would spend over £1.5 million on postage. Not sorry. Join me Cymru.
December 6, 2025 at 7:20 PM
I live in Wales and today received my Join Us letter from Reform UK, complete with SAE which I posted back to them, immediately, empty. If every other person in Wales did this, Reform would spend over £1.5 million on postage. Not sorry. Join me Cymru.
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
If you want people to spend more, pay them more.
December 1, 2025 at 5:12 PM
If you want people to spend more, pay them more.
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
So much of the centrist approach to politics has devolved into "How do we trick people into supporting us like the right has done?" where talking sincerely about policies that might help ordinary people's lives is for naïve schmucks who don't understand the glorious theatre of it all
November 5, 2025 at 10:49 AM
So much of the centrist approach to politics has devolved into "How do we trick people into supporting us like the right has done?" where talking sincerely about policies that might help ordinary people's lives is for naïve schmucks who don't understand the glorious theatre of it all
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
The death cult of extremist tin pot capitalism is upon us - the repeated failure of the mass media to hold these people to account is disastrous and as they destroy the world for the profit of the few they will cause pain and poverty for multitudes
May 4, 2025 at 10:03 AM
The death cult of extremist tin pot capitalism is upon us - the repeated failure of the mass media to hold these people to account is disastrous and as they destroy the world for the profit of the few they will cause pain and poverty for multitudes
In honour of the last day of the Masters, here's the greatest Death Metal song ever written about a three hole stretch at a major golf tournament.
youtu.be/LHecBwDxwm4?...
youtu.be/LHecBwDxwm4?...
Opeth - The Amen Corner
YouTube video by Kobi Gottesman
youtu.be
April 13, 2025 at 8:11 PM
In honour of the last day of the Masters, here's the greatest Death Metal song ever written about a three hole stretch at a major golf tournament.
youtu.be/LHecBwDxwm4?...
youtu.be/LHecBwDxwm4?...
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
/4 In my view, a movement that so transparently rejects the deal — so obviously adopts the policy “the only valid result is I win” — is not entitled to the protections of the votes-instead-of-sticks approach.
They should get the sticks.
They should get the sticks.
April 4, 2025 at 6:36 PM
/4 In my view, a movement that so transparently rejects the deal — so obviously adopts the policy “the only valid result is I win” — is not entitled to the protections of the votes-instead-of-sticks approach.
They should get the sticks.
They should get the sticks.
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
The globalization of news has made the whole world’s problems our problem, fostering a sense of powerlessness that’s led many to redefine morality from “doing good” to merely “feeling bad”.
C. S. Lewis wrote of this in his 1946 letter to Bede Griffiths:
C. S. Lewis wrote of this in his 1946 letter to Bede Griffiths:
April 3, 2025 at 12:14 PM
The globalization of news has made the whole world’s problems our problem, fostering a sense of powerlessness that’s led many to redefine morality from “doing good” to merely “feeling bad”.
C. S. Lewis wrote of this in his 1946 letter to Bede Griffiths:
C. S. Lewis wrote of this in his 1946 letter to Bede Griffiths:
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
April 3, 2025 at 2:19 PM
OMG WTF!?!?!
james surowiecki has discovered where the completely fabricated trump tariff rate has come from for each country
"...for every country, they just took our trade deficit with that country and divided it by the country's exports to us."
"...for every country, they just took our trade deficit with that country and divided it by the country's exports to us."
April 2, 2025 at 11:24 PM
OMG WTF!?!?!
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
james surowiecki has discovered where the completely fabricated trump tariff rate has come from for each country
"...for every country, they just took our trade deficit with that country and divided it by the country's exports to us."
"...for every country, they just took our trade deficit with that country and divided it by the country's exports to us."
April 2, 2025 at 10:32 PM
james surowiecki has discovered where the completely fabricated trump tariff rate has come from for each country
"...for every country, they just took our trade deficit with that country and divided it by the country's exports to us."
"...for every country, they just took our trade deficit with that country and divided it by the country's exports to us."
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
I have to be honest. I think the people in power are so stupid, sheltered and insane that there's no real overriding goal or strategy to any of this.
April 2, 2025 at 9:09 PM
I have to be honest. I think the people in power are so stupid, sheltered and insane that there's no real overriding goal or strategy to any of this.
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
you could not design something more heretical if you tried
January 22, 2025 at 7:57 AM
you could not design something more heretical if you tried
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
it’s like discovering a branch of islam that believes allah is the god of whiskey and sports gambling
January 22, 2025 at 7:57 AM
it’s like discovering a branch of islam that believes allah is the god of whiskey and sports gambling
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
like they see the christian god as a wealth deity who showers mortals with material pleasures if they please him and that is so funny in light of the traditions it grew out of.
January 22, 2025 at 7:53 AM
like they see the christian god as a wealth deity who showers mortals with material pleasures if they please him and that is so funny in light of the traditions it grew out of.
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
yeah im not christianity’s #1 soldier or anything but it is amusing that there are distinct branches of american christianity which believes roughly the inverse of almost every core non-metaphysically derived value espoused by christians for two thousand years
These people would be so much happier if they read Nietzsche and denounced Christianity as slave morality. That’s what they want, really.
bleak to see what passes for Christianity on the other site
January 22, 2025 at 7:50 AM
yeah im not christianity’s #1 soldier or anything but it is amusing that there are distinct branches of american christianity which believes roughly the inverse of almost every core non-metaphysically derived value espoused by christians for two thousand years
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
Maybe everyone can see it now, but the world's richest people have tanked it all to restock assets and get liquid after years of illegally playing with funny money. They used "the wokeness" as a cudgel and it worked. The next Disney princess WILL be white, as we all eat beans under the highway.
April 2, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Maybe everyone can see it now, but the world's richest people have tanked it all to restock assets and get liquid after years of illegally playing with funny money. They used "the wokeness" as a cudgel and it worked. The next Disney princess WILL be white, as we all eat beans under the highway.
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
Not to be a wide-eyed naïf about such things but... am I right in thinking that they levelled an entire building to get to one guy and *that* is not controversial to anyone in the American media or political class, only that this information was recklessly shared in an unsecured chat?
March 26, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Not to be a wide-eyed naïf about such things but... am I right in thinking that they levelled an entire building to get to one guy and *that* is not controversial to anyone in the American media or political class, only that this information was recklessly shared in an unsecured chat?
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
I wrote this on young men, and why we need to stop lying about why they're easy prey for reptiles like Andrew Tate.
www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle-co...
www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle-co...
Séamas O'Reilly: We need to stop lying about what makes lost boys such easy marks for cons
Economically depressed young men are aggressively targeted with the oldest, most seductive pitch there is — money for nothing — by bad faith actors with enormous wealth
www.irishexaminer.com
March 15, 2025 at 9:11 AM
I wrote this on young men, and why we need to stop lying about why they're easy prey for reptiles like Andrew Tate.
www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle-co...
www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle-co...
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
Are we not angry enough
March 11, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Are we not angry enough
March 11, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Reposted by Martin J Gilbert
In vast areas of the US, the sentiments expressed in this wonderful letter from a British man about why it's a privilege to pay tax to enable the National Health Service to run would see him probably certified as insane and labelled a "socialist".
March 6, 2025 at 6:39 AM
In vast areas of the US, the sentiments expressed in this wonderful letter from a British man about why it's a privilege to pay tax to enable the National Health Service to run would see him probably certified as insane and labelled a "socialist".