The unimportant news thread

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Woody Allen to publish his first novel.


https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jul/17/woody-allen-to-publish-his-first-novel

[drogulus]

    Holy whatever! The news is now getting into the news!

    Xi Jinping is losing his grip on China— and Trump can give him a push

Xi Jinping's once-total control of the Chinese military and the Chinese Communist Party is looking increasingly shaky — and President Donald Trump has a chance to help hasten the dictator's departure.

Last month I explained in these pages why Xi, China's "Chairman of Everything" since 2012, might soon be out of power.

Critics scoffed — but on July 2 Beijing announced that Xi, for the first time, would miss this year's BRICS Summit in Brazil.

Xi had long used the annual BRICS meeting as a domestic showpiece for his international leadership, with every Chinese press organ reporting on his summit speeches and activities in multiple front-page stories.

The blanket coverage strengthened Xi's perceived power at home, so the chance that he volunteered to miss this year's BRICS Summit is next to none.

     This is a crucial tell

Furthermore, Xi's wife Peng Liyuan has not been seen in public for more than two months, and Ma Xingrui, one of Xi's closest senior allies, was recently "assigned to another post," according to state media — that is, removed from his position as Xinjiang Party Secretary.

     Xi visited Moscow without his wife for the first time, clearly to keep him from staying and running up years of hotel bills.

A flagging economy, huge outflows of capital, unemployment rates in depression territory and completely unsustainable public and private debt levels are driving deep unrest and even public protests in various regions of China.

If a critical mass of CCP leaders believes their nation cannot afford any more upheaval, they may well be orchestrating a smooth exit for Xi to avoid a messy coup.

    Would Trump want Xi to fall? He usually likes to deal with his favored dictators. A more moderate China run by semi-tators would bewilder him even more than at present.
     

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Italian concert by Gergiev called off after outcry.



https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jul/21/russian-conductor-valery-gergiev-italian-concert-called-off-after-outcry-putin

[hopefullytrusting]

Having spent the summer working with generative ai, specifically Google's Gemini; I am now a full convert.

But, and it is a big but, I cannot use it outside of a work context because I am already unhealthy disconnected from reality, and gen ai, I think, would push me over the edge, so as much as I like it - I'll soon never be using it again because my mind has too great a difficulty separating the simulation from the simulacra.

[DavidW]

I'll soon never be using it again because my mind has too great a difficulty separating the simulation from the simulacra.

My friend is like that. He keeps personifying AI, and I keep reminding him that it is just an algorithm.

[hopefullytrusting]

My friend is like that. He keeps personifying AI, and I keep reminding him that it is just an algorithm.

For me, it goes a lot further - I have to be careful with most things that could cause an intense emotional reaction - like films, video games, and the like - even here, on this forum. I have to work to stay connected to reality, and I used to be ashamed to admit that, but not anymore, as that is simply my life.

[steve ridgway]

For me, it goes a lot further - I have to be careful with most things that could cause an intense emotional reaction - like films, video games, and the like - even here, on this forum. I have to work to stay connected to reality, and I used to be ashamed to admit that, but not anymore, as that is simply my life.

It's very good that you're aware of this tendency and careful to avoid problems. My wife persuaded me to use X Twitter last year to post innocuous landscape photos but some of the people that liked them posted a lot of heavily emotional and apparently significant things that felt aimed at me personally and drew me in until I started seeing meanings everywhere. It nearly drove me mad and I had to abandon the platform a few months back. At least I realised that that my real life is pretty stable; looking back over the years I have toyed with believing a few things but ultimately reality has won out when it's come to actually doing anything.

[AnotherSpin]

It's very good that you're aware of this tendency and careful to avoid problems. My wife persuaded me to use X Twitter last year to post innocuous landscape photos but some of the people that liked them posted a lot of heavily emotional and apparently significant things that felt aimed at me personally and drew me in until I started seeing meanings everywhere. It nearly drove me mad and I had to abandon the platform a few months back. At least I realised that that my real life is pretty stable; looking back over the years I have toyed with believing a few things but ultimately reality has won out when it's come to actually doing anything.

This is an interesting observation. I agree, our mind assigns invented meanings to everything. If we don't keep it under control, it can cause all sorts of trouble. As they say, the mind is a good servant but a terrible master.

[AnotherSpin]

For me, it goes a lot further - I have to be careful with most things that could cause an intense emotional reaction - like films, video games, and the like - even here, on this forum. I have to work to stay connected to reality, and I used to be ashamed to admit that, but not anymore, as that is simply my life.

Make one step further and see: you are reality, truth itself.

[AnotherSpin]

We've become so fixated on what's on the outside, that we don't even bother looking inside, mostly because we don't really believe there's anything there. That's why people say there's no soul, no God. Basically, they're just saying people are hollow inside.

[DavidW]

Ozzy Osbourne, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, and Hulk Hogan all passed away this week.

[hopefullytrusting]

It's very good that you're aware of this tendency and careful to avoid problems. My wife persuaded me to use X Twitter last year to post innocuous landscape photos but some of the people that liked them posted a lot of heavily emotional and apparently significant things that felt aimed at me personally and drew me in until I started seeing meanings everywhere. It nearly drove me mad and I had to abandon the platform a few months back. At least I realised that that my real life is pretty stable; looking back over the years I have toyed with believing a few things but ultimately reality has won out when it's come to actually doing anything.

I feel all of this.

I also tried Twitter, a long time ago, and had to also vacate that platform for very similar reasons.

I thought I was too sensitive, perhaps I am, but, like you, my real life is stable, and so I choose that and limit those things that might disrupt it - even if it denies me the benefit (example - generative artificial intelligence can help me accelerate my work, but, at least for me, it feels too real to the point it becomes uncanny, and then the line begins to blur, and that is when things can become truly dangerous, so I have to avoid it altogether, sort of like a lot of recovering alcoholics can't be around booze - hmmm, I've not made that connection before - I wonder if there is something to that).

[JBS]

Ozzy Osbourne, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, and Hulk Hogan all passed away this week.

And Chuck Mangione as well.

[drogulus]

We've become so fixated on what's on the outside, that we don't even bother looking inside, mostly because we don't really believe there's anything there. That's why people say there's no soul, no God. Basically, they're just saying people are hollow inside.

    Let's get metaphysical, metaphysical....


   

[AnotherSpin]

Let's get metaphysical, metaphysical....


   

These days, you just can't promote something like this: a slim, smiling woman in pink, obviously white and definitely female, genuinely happy about it. Back then, that was simply called fitness. Now it'd be seen as problematic on at least five levels. Sexual attractiveness is strictly a no-no. These days pop stars are either proudly plus-size, gender-undefined, and singing about childhood trauma. A cheerful, stretchy pink lady like this would probably spark a minor scandal, a Twitter storm, etc.

[SimonNZ]

These days, you just can't promote something like this: a slim, smiling woman in pink, obviously white and definitely female, genuinely happy about it. Back then, that was simply called fitness. Now it'd be seen as problematic on at least five levels. Sexual attractiveness is strictly a no-no. These days pop stars are either proudly plus-size, gender-undefined, and singing about childhood trauma. A cheerful, stretchy pink lady like this would probably spark a minor scandal, a Twitter storm, etc.

A quick survey of any advertising anywhere will disabuse you of that belief.

Well, okay, maybe they won't be wearing pink.

[AnotherSpin]

A quick survey of any advertising anywhere will disabuse you of that belief.

Well, okay, maybe they won't be wearing pink.

I meant the typical pop icon imagery. There used to be a clear drive to highlight femininity or masculinity, but now it's pretty much muddled into some vague, indeterminate in-between. Healthy allure has been swapped for a sort of sickly perversion.

But never mind. The planet's overpopulated, after all, so perhaps baffling the libido is part of the plan

[steve ridgway]

I feel all of this.

I also tried Twitter, a long time ago, and had to also vacate that platform for very similar reasons.

I thought I was too sensitive, perhaps I am, but, like you, my real life is stable, and so I choose that and limit those things that might disrupt it - even if it denies me the benefit (example - generative artificial intelligence can help me accelerate my work, but, at least for me, it feels too real to the point it becomes uncanny, and then the line begins to blur, and that is when things can become truly dangerous, so I have to avoid it altogether, sort of like a lot of recovering alcoholics can't be around booze - hmmm, I've not made that connection before - I wonder if there is something to that).

There's perhaps an addictive quality to dreaming, imagining things, finding connections and (possibly spurious) meanings.

[hopefullytrusting]

There's perhaps an addictive quality to dreaming, imagining things, finding connections and (possibly spurious) meanings.

Agreed, and I would wager it has an even larger draw to those who may have fallen short of their lofty expectations, or, perhaps, even not fully satisfied with the life they have, even as nice and stable as it may be - grass is always greener syndrome.

[steve ridgway]

Agreed, and I would wager it has an even larger draw to those who may have fallen short of their lofty expectations, or, perhaps, even not fully satisfied with the life they have, even as nice and stable as it may be - grass is always greener syndrome.

I'm trying to keep my imagination in check and ground my philosophy of life on hard science. Understanding, appreciating and caring for the life and surroundings the universe has given me seems a pretty safe idea to focus on. Possibly the imaginings, dreams and meanings can be simply enjoyed as forms of creative expression like art or music without following them anywhere - I'll have to think about this a bit more.