“Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But, since no one was listening, everything must be said again.” – Andre Gide
Inspired by Hitler’s admiration of British propaganda during the First World War and still employed by those waging war these days. Written for last April’s Chimeric Poetry Scavenger Hunt: #12: Write an American Sentence using Alliteration.
Today’s Daily Stoic poem:
Written for prompt #1 at the Chimeric Poetry Scavenger Hunt:
Write a Senryu that is also an Acrostic.
Today’s Daily Stoic poem:
Inspired by a short piece by Samuel Butler in the Penguin Book of Lies. A rich source of inspiration!
This write is inspired and slightly paraphrased from ‘The accursed lies of David Livingstone’, by Owen Chadwick, which I found in the book ‘The Penguin Book of Lies’.
The phrase “Doctor Livingstone, I presume?” is one of the most famous quotes in exploration history. It was uttered by journalist and explorer Henry Morton Stanley upon finding Dr. David Livingstone in Ujiji, near Lake Tanganyika, in present-day Tanzania, on November 10, 1871.
Inspired and paraphrased by Jonathan Swift’s ‘The art of political lying’
Below is a little experiment that I did with AI. I input the Guardian article “World must be more wary than ever of China’s growing economic power” and asked AI to give me ALL the sentences that can be considered facts in the article.
The output was interesting:
Here are all the sentences that can be considered facts in the article, stripped of opinions, speculation, and value judgments:
Key Exclusions (Opinions/Speculation):
Claims about China being a “malign actor,” “pariah,” or “undermining” others (subjective labels).
Predictions (e.g., “Trump’s cowardice makes war with Taiwan more likely”).
Moral judgments (e.g., “voracious appetite,” “stolen” IP).
Analogies (e.g., comparing China to Russia).
Prescriptive statements (e.g., “should block Chinese investment”).
Ambiguous Cases (Part Fact, Part Opinion):
“Digital information is harvested on a vast scale…” → Lacks specific sourcing.
“There are spies in every major university…” → Unverifiable generalisation.
I was curious about two of the twelve facts returned, too, and so asked a little more:
“Beijing supplies Russia with much of what it needs in wartime in return for cheap oil.” What can be inferred by “what it needs in wartime”?
Along with what CAN be inferred and what could PLAUSIBLY be inferred, I also got this:
What Cannot Be Inferred (Without Explicit Evidence):
Scale of Support (e.g., “decisive” vs. “marginal” impact on Russia’s war effort).
Specific Items (e.g., “weapons” or “ammunition” — unless the article cites sources).
China’s Intent (e.g., “China is pro-war” — this could be purely economic).
I also asked, What can be inferred from this sentence, “Beijing sends tens of thousands of students to the UK.”?
Again, along with some logical inferences, was this:
What Cannot Be Inferred (Without Further Evidence):
Motives (e.g., “China is spying” or “UK is dependent”).
Outcomes (e.g., “This weakens/strengthens ties”).
Student Intentions (e.g., “They will stay/return”).
This is a neutral observation; any further interpretation would require additional verified context.
And finally, I asked how many sentences there were in the article:
The original article you provided contains 35 sentences (based on standard punctuation, counting each clause ending with a period, question mark, or exclamation point as a separate sentence).
Breakdown:
Opinion/interpretation sentences (excluded): 23
Factual sentences (extracted): 12
OK, this is fair enough – it is an opinion piece. However, language and words have power and this is just one tiny speck of the consistent barrage of anti-China narratives in mainstream media. This is the real-life manufacturing consent for the forthcoming US-led war with China. That’s my opinion!
Shared with dVerse Quadrille #226 – honesty
Submitted to Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Mislead
Today I’m feeling:
Average to fair. Didn’t sleep for long enough again but forced myself up and to do a little 10-minute exercise and hope to start getting back into it.
I still have headaches and my voice and throat is still a little sore and croaky. I’m in a reasonable headspace though.
Health:
Physical: 6
Mental: 7
Today I’m grateful for:
My adaptability. As I’m entering details into the blog from when I started working in high school at CRPAO I can see how I have managed to adapt myself to the environment and become more flexible and understanding.
The best thing about today was:
Jet, Lin and Mai, my old grade 9 students, love touching my belly for some reason but today Lin squealed and called over Jet and they were both disappointed to feel that I have lost some belly fat.
I’m not actually sure that I have but this made me feel good that perhaps some of the exercising that I have been doing these past few years may be having some small effect.
Something I learned today?
I spoke to Hayden yesterday and he has moved into a new place, which he seems happy with. He also reckons he’s on for a new workplace which will give him a little more money and better working conditions. I hope that he gets that.
He has a few days off and is flying down to Melbourne to get a tattoo. Seems a long way to go just for a tattoo but, I guess he’ll be doing other stuff whilst there. I think his mum is still supporting him too much but he’s slowly getting there to stand on his own two feet.
First two lines lifted, and the rest inspired by this post at Spinning Visions (and also connected to yesterday’s poem about photographs)
Today I’m feeling:
Positive and happy though I slumped a little in the afternoon after getting home. My Thursdays now are my easy day with just two hours of teaching in the morning.
Today I’m grateful for:
Bruno lending me his high-pressure hose to clean the mould off the paths around our house. It worked for a while but I think maybe some ants were in our hose and maybe have blocked up the nozzle somehow. I hope I didn’t break it!
The best thing about today was:
Listening to the David Kleiler interview where he gushes in the same way I do about Mission of Burma and Volcano Suns. I think he’s right when says Peter Prescott is a true artist and the show hosts also put Roger Miller in that category.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
At 7.30 pm I was trying to watch a video but Amy kept making calls so I paused so she could listen easily and because I have trouble hearing when there is other noise too. After she finished I started watching again but then she started asking me questions about things. I didn’t get frustrated but turned the TV off as it just wasn’t the right time to watch. I started to feel very tired then and got into bed shortly thereafter. The first work week and return to exercising is wearing me down so I’m looking forward to the weekend.
What am I looking forward to this month?
I look forward to what every day brings me. I don’t have any specific idea of what I might look forward to.
The weather is nice so a bike ride might happen this month, but if it doesn’t, that’s ok too.
I look forward to continuing with things I enjoy such as reading and playing guitar, teaching and having fun with my students.
Today I’m feeling:
A little tired again but enjoyed a Saturday sleep-in. I was a little relieved that Matt hadn’t replied to my message about going over so that I can relax at home. At Utopia, Noey was working so it’s nice to see a pretty face and as Art was off doing coffee stuff, she and the boys, Gong and little Art, were enjoying a little freedom at work.
After a haircut, I rode to the 20 baht shop to get some batteries and rode by the grilled pork stall on the corner. I’d previously seen a girl there wearing a CRPAO shortcut but didn’t recognise them. Today though the girl working waved and smiled a big smile at me. It was my student AumAim. I stopped and chatted a little with her and her mum, telling her that she was a good student, which is true. They live in the soi along from me.
In the afternoon I ran out of energy again and woke up feeling shit after a nap.
Today I’m grateful for:
Realising I had potatoes in the fridge, which I then baked, covered with butter, cheese and a little onion, salt and pepper. I’m wondering if this is what made me feel tired though?
The best thing about today was:
Definitely the morning. I felt good, my mood was good and I got things done.
What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?
I was planning on getting Art to come with me to the air conditioning shop to convince their mechanic to come and fix mine but when I got there they told me he’d gone into the city. Maybe I’ll catch him tomorrow. Either way, the temperature is a little cooler now and a fan or two is ok to sleep with.
Something I learned today?
US media is claiming China is racist for not going to see the new Disney movie because the lead actor is black, discounting the fact that the top-selling movie in China is the latest Spiderman which also has a black lead. Anything for a China Bad story, it’s ridiculous.
What was the most interesting thing I saw or heard today?
Amy’s student from a couple of years ago, Na, will go to the university near us and Amy said she will ask her to house/cat sit for us when we need. Great idea! She’s got common sense and is respectful.
I guess my day wasn’t particularly interesting but this possibility could give us a little extra freedom to travel when want.
How did I embody a beginner’s mind?
I remind myself that I know a lot of things and that amount to a fraction of all the things that are known.
When I’m teaching in class I’m reminded by my students that we all share a beginner’s mind and that we should never be complacent that we know everything.
It’s a fight, start with prayers
There’s lies, confusion, disarray
Sweat pours off the walls
Nervous to find the words to say
Repeating mistakes made
The copiers made all look fools
Yes, it’s a war of words
This battle raging within schools
No guns, but iron wills
The only shots are stares
Rewards a-long time coming
And not for the one that cares
Giving up is a sort of option
Answers found on a plate
Rescues become failures
Too impatient to sit and wait
One day the fighting ends
Everyone found to survive
It’s time to start on dying
And forget the time alive
An ESL teacher’s reminiscence for school days.
Lie to people who want to be lied to and you’ll get rich. Tell the truth to those who want the truth and you’ll make a living. Tell the truth to those who want to be lied to and you’ll go broke.
Jason Zweig
Gratitude Journal
I am so happy and grateful for LungChom and their delicious coconut ice cream, the guy selling bananas at Fah Tai and Makro and Big C for their yoghurt and muesli – mix it all up in a bowl. Delicious.
1994ever 