Mindfulness Revisited

Making Mistakes.*

This may surprise you to know, but Fogy is not perfect.

There have been a great number of very embarrassing mistakes — Fogy is of course an older gentleman, so much of what Fogy speaks about is related to what was learned through those many years.

Mistakes, of course, are part and parcel of living a good and productive life.

Mistakes, as is often said, come about because a person is willing to take those chances, opportunities, challenges to perform at a level that is not always easy. Only those who have never tried can easily say they have never made any mistakes.

The problem is in how embarrassing those mistakes seem in retrospect.

And this is where mindfulness begins to click in. Understanding what happened and what the underlying circumstances were, as well as the lessons learned, is all part of that process.

Next comes how you put that learning and understanding into practice.

That doesn't mean the pursuit of excellence — although that’s desirable — but more the pursuit of awareness. Awareness that others are just as likely to make similar mistakes, but may not have had the chance to understand them the way you did.

It’s always tempting to criticise mistakes. To assume someone was careless, unprepared, or just plain incompetent. It’s much easier to forget how often we’ve done the same thing — maybe worse.

So mindfulness, today, is about being in a better place. A place where you understand that others must be forgiven for their mistakes — just as you needed to forgive yourself for yours.

And those who never admit to making mistakes? They’re often the ones who never learn from them, either. They simply blame the outcome and move on, without stopping to see what actually went wrong.

Mindfulness also means passing on that understanding. Not by shielding people from mistakes, but by allowing them to make a few — and being ready to help them see what they can take from it.

Now, what about the younger generation — the kids who are mollycoddled from day one, led to believe they’re flawless, brilliant, and immune to failure?

Taken too far, that’s dangerous. You end up with young adults who’ve never been allowed to struggle, who panic the first time life doesn’t clap for them. They don’t know that effort matters. That perseverance counts. That practice is how you get better.

They need to be told — gently, but clearly — that mistakes are part of the job. That messing up isn’t the end of the world. And most importantly, that they’re not alone in doing so.

Mindfulness, I guess, includes not only understanding that people do make mistakes, but also recognising that humans shouldn’t be kept behind protective barriers to stop those mistakes from happening.

Mindfulness means being willing to accept mistakes — and encouraging others to push far enough that those mistakes can happen. And then making sure you're around to help them through the understanding of the whole process.

---

And if you haven’t made a mistake lately… you might not be trying hard enough.

Cheers

👁️ Views (0)

The Company Car

All jokes aside...*

I recently shared a post on Corporate Responsibility—specifically, the importance of separating personal and professional lives by using dedicated devices for each.

But in brushing past the Company Car, I may have left a few "miles" unexplored.

I was reminded of that when I stumbled across the following...

The Company Car:

• Accelerates at a phenomenal rate.

• Has a much shorter braking distance than the private car.

• Takes speed humps at twice the speed.

• Requires no battery, radiator, oil, or tire checks.

• Will happily travel 60 miles with the oil warning light flashing.

• Rarely, if ever, needs cleaning.

• Has suspension tough enough for weekend bricks, slabs, and tools.

• Cancels out strange engine noises with a simple twist of the volume knob.

• Doesn’t need locking. The keys stay in—because who would steal this?

• Is mysteriously waterproof and sandproof for remote beach barbecues.

Of course, not every company car boasts such superhero traits. Some even need—gasp—maintenance and respect.

But the best humor holds up a mirror. If we can laugh at it, maybe we can learn from it too.

Enjoy your Sunday—responsibly.
Cheers.

(This is not my joke, but borrowed from the public gallery)

👁️ Views (0)

Quinn te Samil, Friday July 25th

Borders and Boundaries, Truth and Trust.*

by Quinn te Samil

We do not always hear the artillery first. Sometimes it begins with a map. Or a speech. Or a finger pointed just beyond the line.

This past week, mortar shells and airstrikes echoed again along the Thai–Cambodian border (Guardian, Jul 25), where competing territorial claims turned political tension into military escalation. Twelve, perhaps more, have died. Civilians—over 130,000 in Thailand alone—have fled once-familiar homes. Each side claims righteousness. Each denies the other's grief.

And they are not alone. In South Sudan, the contested Abyei region has seen months of clashes—tribal, political, and unrelenting (Wikipedia). In Nagorno-Karabakh, ceasefires flicker like dying stars. Along the Afghan–Pakistani border, rockets fly where treaties once stood. The pattern is global, the costs deeply human.

Borders shift on paper, but they tear in flesh.

---

And yet, while gunpowder marks some borders, others are undone by something quieter but no less corrosive: the erosion of integrity—by those who lead, or claim to.

Consider America, where the past week has offered another reminder that truth has become optional currency in political life.

• Hunter Biden remains a lightning rod, with his plea agreement unraveling amid disputes over disclosure and immunity. His father's silence speaks in volumes and shadows.

• George Santos, expelled from Congress months ago, re-emerged online to launch a podcast laced with conspiracies and self-justification—defiant, unrepentant, and still fundraising.

• Even the post-Trump ecosystem echoes with that signature blend of performance and denial—what some now call “strategic shamelessness.”

And then there is RFK Jr., now Secretary of Health and Human Services, who this month dismissed measles deaths—in a year where U.S. cases hit a 33-year high (TIME, Jul 23). “Just not a big deal,” he said. This, as three children died and public health infrastructure buckled under cuts he himself ordered (Guardian, Jul 19).

Such words do not detonate like bombs. But they mislead, unravel trust, and ultimately endanger lives just the same.

---

Southward, a different drama unfolds.

In Brazil, former President Jair Bolsonaro was placed under house arrest this past week amid allegations of sedition and falsification (Wikipedia, Jul 18). In a seemingly retaliatory move, Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods, citing a “witch hunt” against a fellow traveler (PBS NewsHour, Jul 23).

Brazil’s response? A quiet pivot. China, ever watchful, has redoubled efforts on a bi-oceanic rail corridor linking Brazil to a Peruvian port built with Chinese capital (Al Jazeera, Jul 23). The U.S. speaks tariffs; China lays tracks.

---

It is tempting to see all of this as separate: bullets in one region, bluster in another, backroom deals in a third. But the theme is shared—a global softening of the boundaries that once held truth, civility, and responsibility intact.

Borders are not just lines drawn between nations. They are also the silent contracts between leader and public, between science and propaganda, between self-interest and the common good.

And so, whether we speak of shifting frontlines or shifting values, the question remains the same:
Who will redraw the map—and at what cost?

Until next Friday,
—Quinn

👁️ Views (0)

Driving you crazy

Licensed to Kill*.

When Fogy was 15, his parents gave him driving lessons for his birthday. After only two lessons, he sat his test and received his provisional driving licence. This meant there were restrictions on what, when, and how he could drive.

On the face of it, you might wonder why such restrictions were imposed.

The fact of the matter is: anybody new to any kind of activity must be held back from full and absolute participation until they’ve properly learned “the ropes.”

But most of us have a complete misunderstanding of what it is to drive.

“It is my God-given right to drive, just as it is for everybody else!”

But is it?

Airline pilots go through extensive training to learn how to fly those planes we all love to hate. Only the fully trained and experienced go on to pilot planes with so many souls on board. Their responsibility is enormous. Everything they do is scrutinized, verified, and double-checked so that risks are kept to a minimum.

These gods of the skies understand their responsibilities and do their best to respect their own limitations, skills, and defects. They will not even consider flying if their limits are reached.

So what happens to the so-called gods of the roads who disrespect everything about what they’re doing?

You, Messes Drivers, are bound by the same obligations airline pilots have.

It is not your God-given right to drive—and not everyone is able to drive.

It is your civic right to learn how to drive properly and carefully, respecting other road users to guarantee everyone’s safety.

In the wrong hands, a gun can be lethal. So too can a motor vehicle.

It is a weapon of mass destruction—and has been used as such more times than can be counted.

You, the driver, should be seated properly and focused on the task at hand. It doesn’t matter if traffic is moving slowly or quickly—you must be fully present and alert to what you are doing.

There can be no drinking, eating, smoking, or texting while driving. Stop if you need to do any of these things. Absolutely no phone calls, and the minimum of conversation. As the person conducting this vehicle, you are responsible for the lives of everyone on board.

You are also responsible for those other drivers around you—ensuring that their mistakes do not become disasters.

You are responsible for all those pets, children, pedestrians, bicycles, motorcyclists, roller skaters, and skateboarders—many just out of sight—who can appear at any moment.

There is no warning when the unexpected occurs. But if you are fully focused, you’ll at least have an inkling of what’s happening around you and how you might react.

When Fogy started riding motorcycles, he looked for everything possible to understand what was needed to stay safe. One particular publication began an important article by stating:

“Ride your motorcycle as if everyone is trying to kill you.”

The message was clear: defensive driving techniques are absolutely essential.

Even professionals like São Paulo bus drivers undergo ongoing training in defensive driving—why should private drivers be exempt?

But if you don't know them, and have never understood the importance of your role as a driver, then all other road users are being put at risk.

Think about this when you decide to weaponize yourself in such a way.

👁️ Views (0)

Quinn te Samil Friday July 18th.

Quinn te Samil: The Names That Would Not Disappear.*

19 July 2025

It has been a week of names — those that resurface like flotsam after a storm, and those that vanish beneath violent waters. Power, once claimed, seems unwilling to retreat quietly. And history, it seems, keeps choosing the same actors for its tragedies and farces.

⚖️ The Trump Effect: Gold, Grudge, and Ghosts

It began at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The final of the FIFA Club World Cup — Chelsea 3, PSG 0 — was not just a sporting upset; it was a theatre of ego. U.S. President Donald J. Trump commandeered the awards ceremony on July 13, lingering beside the trophy, handing out medals, and even pocketing one for himself, in full view of a booing crowd (The Sun, People).

Observers noted that it wasn’t about sport. It was about spotlight. Whether tweeting insults, reviving baseless election fraud claims, or mocking opponents from both parties, Trump’s attacks serve a singular purpose: ensure that he dominates every daily headline. The name remains the story.

And then — as if summoned from the grave — Jeffrey Epstein’s legacy reemerged, with unsealed court documents in New York once again connecting Trump, however obliquely, to a social web that refuses to dissolve. No new charges. No exonerations. Just another ink stain on the pages of America’s unfinished reckoning ([NYT archive, July 17]).

⚽ Collapse in Paris

In Paris, the trophy loss was merely the beginning. PSG, having spent a decade building a “Galactic” squad, unravelled after the final. By July 19, the club offloaded Marco Asensio and Milan Škriniar to Fenerbahçe — a quiet admission that their Qatari experiment may be nearing its financial and cultural limits (Le Monde, PSG Post).

A season of brilliance ended in a public dismantling.

🇮🇱 Coalitions Crumble in Jerusalem

In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition entered free fall. On July 14, the United Torah Judaism party withdrew over military service exemptions, and by July 17, the entire far-right bloc was fractured, leaving Netanyahu clinging to a one-seat majority (Reuters, FT).

Talks of November snap elections have intensified. The country, still deep in its Gaza campaign and under international scrutiny, may now be without stable leadership.

🌊 Drowned Promises in Vietnam

On July 19, a tourist boat capsized in Ha Long Bay. At least 38 people died in rough seas — the worst maritime tragedy in the area in years (Reuters). The survivors included a 10-year-old boy found in an air pocket. His name was not released.

🔥 A World on Fire and Flood

From Paris to Palermo, Europe sweltered in a brutal heatwave this week — temperatures up to 46 °C, with over 2,300 excess deaths now estimated (Al Jazeera). Climate models had warned us; politicians, as usual, lagged behind the models.

In Texas, torrential rains killed at least 145 people and overwhelmed infrastructure. Entire towns were swallowed by the Guadalupe River (Wikipedia).

And in New Zealand, the deluge came differently: flash floods and landslides wiped out roads across the North Island, just as school reopened (Reuters).

---

Some names return to us each week — Trump, Netanyahu, Epstein. Some disappear beneath rain and waves. But as the planet heats and tempers fray, we are reminded: permanence is only for those who won’t let go of the stage.

Until next Friday,
— Quinn

👁️ Views (0)

Corporate Responsibilities

What You Do With the Company's Property.*

How grey is that grey line between what is yours and what is theirs?

And you might ask, "What grey line?"

This is where you are given a notebook computer, cell phone or even a car by the company to be used for the purposes of the company.

And confusion reigns right here among so many people. This object—or these objects—are in my possession, so surely I can do with them as I please. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Much of what is provided is done so the company can guarantee that their own operational and security requirements are met.

If you have a company phone, then you are almost always online, and there is no 'real' excuse for you not to 'pick up'. The car is somewhat similar—it's expected to be made available whenever the company requires it, regardless of your personal convenience.

The notebook is where that grey area is really stretched.

This device is configured to give you access to the company’s internal systems—resources, tools, and above all, data—data that is often confidential, sensitive, and extremely valuable. Your misuse of this device can easily compromise not just your own privacy, but the integrity and security of the entire company.

Yet so many people believe they have the right to use that same notebook for their personal needs—email, banking, online shopping, entertainment, and everything in between.

But would you be prepared to give the keys to your home—and all your life’s details—to a stranger?

Well, that is exactly what you are doing when you use the company's notebook for personal and private purposes.

Such is the level of configuration and security embedded in most company-provided devices, that everything you do can be monitored. That bank login you think is private? Possibly visible. Your browser history? Logged. App usage? Tracked.

“But is that legal?” you might ask. And the answer is—probably yes. At some point, you may have signed an agreement related to the use of that device. Even if you don’t remember, there is usually an implicit understanding that the device is company property. And that gives the company legal access to whatever the device contains.

So what should you do?

Well—make sure you have your own device.

And you may ask, "Why should I maintain two computers?"
Simply put: one is yours, and the other is the company's. On your own machine, you're free. You control what’s installed, what’s stored, and what’s shared. You take on the responsibility, and you reap the peace of mind.

And importantly, you also protect yourself from the very real risk of the company gaining access—intentionally or otherwise—to the keys to your personal life.

You might also find you can actually do things for yourself—without the guilt that creeps in every time you see the company logo, the corporate apps, and the emails that never seem to stop.

Speaking of which: the company email account is only for company business, and should be used only for such.

Get yourself your own email account(s), and use those for all your personal subscriptions, messages, and needs.

Why are you subscribing to all those sites using your corporate address? And what happens when that email address is no longer yours?

You’ve already given enough to the institution that provides these resources. You may be earning a fair or even generous salary—but that’s what you’ve earned. The tools provided are not part of your pay package. They are instruments to help you do the job you've been hired to do. Nothing more.

Some company rules around personal device use can seem restrictive—particularly for people with families or after-hours responsibilities. But when those rules exist, it becomes even more important for you—as an employee—to set your own boundaries around when and how their devices are used outside working hours.

Think seriously about separating your two lives. Don’t fall for the convenience—because that convenience comes at a cost.

Reclaim more of your time, your attention, and your autonomy by making sure you have a notebook or computer of your own. That cell phone, too.
And very soon, a lot of that daily stress might just begin to lift.

👁️ Views (0)

Proper Training

When the Master Must Know More: Why AI Demands Better-Trained Humans.*

Modern technology is flooding the market with AI this and AI that.

As I have often remarked, AI is just another tool not dissimilar to the spell checkers of the past, and more recently, the grammar checkers of today.

With modern computers becoming more and more powerful and much faster than ever before, endless amounts of data can be thrown at them for processing so that human-like responses can be elicited.

So far so good. It is when you throw the good, the bad and the ugly of data at the machine that mismatches and misinformation occurs.

I have already documented some of the horrible mistakes made by ChatGPT which can also be echoed in Deepseek.

And is this the problem, the poor levels of training of AIs?

No. The question now is the proper training of the users of AI.

AI will not take over your jobs. They will however, take over your mistakes and multiply them without anyone being aware of them.

That is, if users continue to treat AI as the only source of truth.

Today's users must be trained better. They have to know their trades even better than before. They need to be trained better on what they do, not on the pretty presentations they need to produce.

A working knowledge is no longer enough. A deep dive into the underlying mechanics of each of the tasks they should know how to perform can only give them an advantage in the enterprises of today.

Understanding how to ask ChatGPT the right questions is not the same as understanding when the AI is producing erroneous results.

The language looks nice, the data seems to be correct, but when you look more deeply, many wrong assumptions have been made. Like spell checkers and grammar tools before it, AI is just a tool—only much more powerful, and therefore more dangerous in the hands of the untrained.

When watching Chat going through the analysis stage, it is interesting how it instructs some of its Bots to provide a SIMULATED list of results based on the limited sample it shares with the Bot.

As an example, I asked ChatGPT to list all the daily Dollar Real conversion rates from the beginning of the century. It produced a very credible list until I reviewed the instructions it had issued. The word SIMULATE was used when issuing those instructions, and when I queried Chat on whether that was the case, Chat replied that yes, these were simulated results because it could not produce a comprehensive list of REAL results. If I wanted these I should download them myself from a list of different sources.

An inexperienced user often falls into the trap of believing everything produced by Chat is real.

And just to be sure, Deepseek practices similar behaviour. I haven't tested Gemini yet nor Co-Pilot (I do not have a licence to fully test its capabilities) but it would not surprise me to learn that their responses are likely the same, or very similar.

Yes. Companies and individuals themselves must embark on more training in and of their art, the professions they should be much more adept at.

Then and only then can they fully utilize the resources and results provided by today's AIs. These individuals need to look critically at what is produced, then learn how to use the AI, with the right prompts, to produce more consistently correct results.

If they can’t recognize garbage, they’ll feed it into the corporate food chain without a second thought.

👁️ Views (0)

The way you look tonight...

Beauty isn't only skin deep.*

“The Way You Look Tonight” is the title and a key lyric from a classic song written by Jerome Kern (music) and Dorothy Fields (lyrics). It was originally performed by Fred Astaire in the 1936 film Swing Time.

🎶 One of the most famous lines is:

Someday, when I'm awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you—
And the way you look tonight.

The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936.

So what has this got to do with the Fogy blog today, you might ask?

Well, recently—yet again—there have been reports of people dying while undergoing cosmetic surgery.

While cosmetic procedures may be necessary in some extreme cases, it strikes me as one of those things that rarely justifies the risk or the cost.

So you didn’t make the list of the world’s most beautiful women or handsomest men. Is it really worth risking your life to turn yourself into something you’re not?

Of course it is, some would say.
People think:

1. I’m fat.

2. I’m ugly.

3. My nose looks wrong.

4. I look too old.

5. My face is out of shape.

6. My body isn’t what it used to be—especially after having a baby.

And the list goes on. We seem unable to accept the way we look, simply because society judges so much based on appearance.

We believe that beauty brings success. That being attractive will earn us respect. That someone will fall in love with us—maybe even buy us everything we’ve ever wanted—because of how we look.

And deep down, many of us still hope success will come without real effort. That it’s just too much work to become something meaningful, so we settle for trying to look the part instead.

But beneath all that plastic glory lies the gory truth: a shallow shell, and a forgotten self.

Perhaps it’s better to invest in becoming something real. To educate ourselves. To understand the world around us. To build true relationships—the kind that last.

Too few of us are willing to accept how we look when others are around. We carry a deep desire to be seen as better than we are. And maybe that’s because no one ever gets to see the real us anyway—because they’re too busy judging the way we look tonight.

And there we are.

The way you look tonight is when love sparkles and shines beyond the surface. When the true self, in a true relationship, matters most.

Wasn’t Stephen Hawking still beautiful when he died?

👁️ Views (0)

Quinn te Samil Friday July 11th

🕊️ Quinn Noir: Of Breakfast Wars, Racing Thrones, and Broken Pledges.*

By Quinn te Samil

This week, sovereignty became a bargaining chip, victories were earned after long droughts, and those who pledged loyalty to emperors without clothes began to feel the breeze of consequence.

---

🇺🇸🍊 Breakfast as Battlefield: Trump’s Tariff Strike on Brazil

In a maneuver fusing economic theater with political loyalty, Donald Trump announced sweeping 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports—from coffee to aircraft (AP News).

At first glance, it’s about protecting U.S. producers. But beneath the surface, the target seems less economic and more judicial: Lula’s legal pursuit of Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro. Trade becomes a proxy war for political defense.

The problem? The U.S. runs a trade surplus with Brazil—a fact that makes economists wince at the precedent being set (MarketWatch). Meanwhile, consumers brace for higher prices on orange juice and coffee.

Brazil is unshaken. Lula casts himself as a defender of national dignity, promising retaliation while reminding the world that political sovereignty does not yield to tariff tantrums (Washington Post).

---

🏁 The Horner Succession: Red Bull’s Reboot Begins

After two decades, Christian Horner — the face and force of Red Bull Racing — was removed as team principal and CEO on July 9, 2025 (The Guardian). Performance stagnation and internal tension are said to have triggered the shift.

He did not leave alone. Two of Horner’s closest corporate allies — Oliver Hughes (Group Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer) and Paul Smith (Group Director of Communications) — were also relieved of their duties immediately afterward. Both were viewed as part of his inner media and branding circle (The Race).

Their exit signals more than a managerial shake-up. It marks a transition in Red Bull’s culture.

Red Bull’s newly appointed CEO and team principal, Laurent Mekies, brings an entirely different style: quiet, systems-oriented, and unaligned with Horner’s bravado. His prior leadership at Ferrari and Racing Bulls built a reputation for technical rigor and stability—traits now prized more than public charisma.

In a sport built on speed and spectacle, Red Bull has chosen structure over stardom.

---

⚽ Paris at Last: The Long-Awaited Crown

For years, Paris Saint-Germain were the club that couldn’t. Lavish spending, stars like Neymar and Mbappé, and continental heartbreak defined their modern era.

Then came 2025.

Under Luis Enrique, PSG finally clinched their first-ever UEFA Champions League title, dismantling Inter Milan 5–0 in the final (Reuters).

The win was no fluke. PSG had already transformed—less glam, more grit. Their Champions League run was a product of squad cohesion, strategic maturity, and tactical pragmatism, not the spectacle of individual brilliance.

That transformation came full circle when they defeated Real Madrid 4–0 in the Club World Cup semifinal—the very club that now employs their former talisman, Kylian Mbappé (The Guardian).

Paris had always dreamed of this. They just had to stop chasing kings to build a kingdom.

---

⚖️ Despots and Their Disciples: The Loyalty Reckoning

Pam Bondi, once Trump’s champion in the Department of Justice, is facing rare political isolation. Her credibility—once burnished by promises of Epstein “lists” and sweeping prosecutions—has withered. Even MAGA influencers now mock her as “all hype, no hammer” (New York Magazine).

Mike Johnson, now Speaker of the House, has become known less for legislation than unwavering loyalty to Trump. He stood beside Trump during the New York trial, condemned the judiciary as politically rigged, and staffed intelligence committees with Trump-loyal ideologues (New Yorker, AP News, The Guardian).

But perhaps the sharpest edge this week belongs to those Republicans who opposed the “Big, Beautiful Bill” (BBB). Senators like Rand Paul and Representatives like Thomas Massie resisted Trump’s fiscal vision—and now face public promises of political ruin. Trump has vowed to endorse primary challengers and labeled them “traitors” to the movement (The Daily Beast).

In today’s GOP, policy dissent is tolerated. Personal disloyalty is not.

---

🧭 Final Thoughts

This week, three truths emerged:

• Tariffs became weapons of political defense.

• Sport pivoted from icons to infrastructure.

• Power revealed who served, and who survived.

From breakfast tables to pit lanes to Capitol corridors, the old structures groan under new pressure. Some adapt. Others double down.

As Fogy might say: “When you build your house on a shadow, don’t be surprised when the light moves on.”

👁️ Views (0)

Tell Me Why I don't like Mondays

Garfield's most hated day in his life.*

Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats penned this song after being saddened and inspired by a real-life school shooting that occurred in San Diego, California, on January 29, 1979.

He later regretted the fame it brought, because of the tragic nature of what had happened.

Yet Mondays seem to toll a deadly sense of foreboding and discontent felt by a vast majority around the world.

And why should it? What have Mondays ever done to you?

Having been programmed to work endlessly under the beck and call of relentless bosses, most of you have also succumbed to believing that Mondays are the evil to be avoided.

Mondays represent that sick day—that time when the soul is frantically trying to wake up from the pleasures it had surrendered itself to over an all-too-short weekend.

So adept are we at accepting the constraints layered before us, we gladly pub-crawl, brawl, and suffer horrors in the hands of a devil bent on shortening the lives of so many.

Mondays need to be seen for what they really are: the chance to escape the rigors of a two-day binge out of control.

Isn't it hard having to close the door, the notebook, the last goodbyes to those wonderful colleagues who have filled those days and days of pleasurable entertainment—called work?

Such pleasures, alas, have to come to an end. And it's quickly time to switch hats for the 48 or so hours of being with those strangers we are forced to call family.

Those hurried kisses and bed-hugging marathons are simply distractions from the boredom that being away from work brings.

Yes, we suffer—having to find kind words, where harsher ones come so much easier when at work. Having to be respectful and kind when brushing each other off serves just as well—at work.

That lunch we do not have to prepare, the forced exercise just to get there, the possibility of being shoulder to shoulder with other germ-ridden humans—is the attraction in itself.

But getting home and still having to shower and shave—yes, even you ladies out there suffer too—without an inkling of why it's necessary if we're not even going to work.

You've got it. Mondays are the most wonderful way of escaping all those horrors of not being at work.
The only problem is how quickly the week ends and we have to face that weekend torture all over again.

All I can say is—roll on Monday, and don't keep us waiting so long!!

8-) Just kidding. Ha, ha, ha.

Enjoy.

👁️ Views (0)

The Power of LETTING GO

Nothing lasts forever.*

It used to be great in the past.
Living in the same place.
Never having to pack up and move.
Always able to see our lives stacked there before us.

Those drawers, attics, basements, and boxes filled with forgotten ideals, dreams, and long-lost memories are treasure troves for treasure seekers—and contain just as much dirty laundry as the best Google and Microsoft search and data storage.

It’s only when you have to move that the volume of accumulated garbage becomes apparent.
Why garbage, you might ask?
Well, because most of what we keep serves little or no purpose—and is rarely looked at or referenced.

Okay, so flipping through those photo albums is nice on a rainy afternoon—and deeply embarrassing when the kids happen to be by your side. A case of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

But it’s also all those other knick-knacks that fill corners and shelves—that belong to a forgotten past.

Moving from one home to another in the same neighbourhood is almost as traumatic as moving to another city. But not nearly as traumatic as moving to another country—even if you discount that question of cost.

Some things that made up our past lives really need to be left there.

Fogy has moved several times.
Fogy has lived several lives—or that’s the way he likes to refer to them.
This has meant that projects started in one life have not easily been carried over to the next.

The idea behind this post seems centered more around the physical aspects—those things we hoard that fill spaces that are not necessarily empty.
They consume time and energy in keeping them “alive” while providing very little that might easily be considered essential to our daily lives.

Fogy loves nostalgia and enjoys delving into remembrances of the past.
Now, though, there has been so much past that those remembrances are becoming more and more cloudy, less contextual—and have quite frankly lost the importance they once held.

Memories fade—especially in this accelerated time mode we live in today.

Respecting the memories of the ones we love (or loved) is important, but not to the detriment of what we are living now.
Yes, it’s easy to forget some things—and some people.
But that is what life is all about.

The Power of LETTING GO is exactly this.
Hold what is truly dear in your heart.
Throw away what is NOT.

This means that material things can perhaps better the lives of others—in museums.
Most of our offspring will NOT have heard of what these memories refer to.
Yes—and we will be forgotten just as quickly.

And that’s not such a bad thing.
Lives must be lived in the present, for the future.
LETTING GO of those things—and people—of the past is a really healthy way of doing this.

Driving ourselves to sadness—and even vengeance in some cases—is a sure sign of approaching madness.

LET GO.
Enjoy the memories—especially the good ones.
And do NOT let the bad things step up and slap us in the face.

Bad things happen to all of us.
But if that’s all we remember—when there were so many more good things—
then madness is surely taking over.

LET GO of those things that really do NOT matter.
Material things are just that—things.
They can be taken away too easily for us to place so much value in them.

Yes, they may represent the trophies that speak of the endless efforts it took to make them a reality.
But then again—still living is an even greater trophy.

When you depart this life, the only thing you can take with you is you.
Think about it—and think about the weight of everything you have hoarded around you.
There will be no space for carry-on where you are going.

LETTING GO is where sanity returns and healthy memories alight.
Are those things you LET GO less important? No, of course not.
But they are the past—and not this present that you live now.

Cheers

👁️ Views (0)

Quinn te Samil Friday July 4th

 

🕯 A Beautiful Bill, A Final Goal, A Glitch in the Grid*.

Quinn te Samil — Friday Reflection, July 4, 2025

---

🏛 I. The Bill That Ate the Republic

It has been signed.
On July 4th, with fireworks cracking overhead and cameras ablaze, Donald J. Trump took a heavy black pen and scrawled his name across the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—his signature fiscal overhaul and perhaps the most consequential piece of legislation in the past decade.

It did not pass easily. Introduced in May, the bill scraped through the House with a 215–214 vote, only to face further revision in the Senate, where it passed 51–50, Vice President Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. The final version returned to the House for confirmation, clearing by 218–214 after late-night arm twisting, and no shortage of political theatrics (FT, Guardian).

The bill itself is a contradiction in ambitions. It slashes taxes—permanently extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts—and simultaneously inflates military, border, and surveillance spending, including a $150 billion injection into ICE over four years. It guts Medicaid and food assistance, repeals key clean energy credits, and lifts the SALT deduction cap to $40,000—sweet relief for high-income earners. It even allows tax deductions on tips and overtime pay.

The Economist called it a “gimmick-laden mess” and “a sign of creeping American dysfunction,” warning it could destabilize investor confidence and further inflate the deficit without solving structural issues (Economist via Wikipedia).

And yet, to Trump, it was “a declaration of independence” —his words—echoing through the Rose Garden as he smiled for cameras beside loyalists and lobbyists alike. Elon Musk, as ever eager to echo, called it “a huge win for innovation” and declared that deregulation must be the next target. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris offered a more grounded rebuke: “This is a budget for the powerful, not the people.” She wasn’t alone. Germany's Olaf Scholz expressed concern about the rollback of climate provisions, and Canada’s Justin Trudeau warned of ripple effects on global fiscal stability.

So what is it? A masterstroke? A money bomb? Or perhaps just a mirror—reflecting a nation remade in the image of its most polarizing figure.

---

⚰ II. Two Brothers, One Silence

Diogo Jota was not a superstar. He was something rarer: consistent, creative, and quietly brilliant. At 28, he had established himself as Portugal’s tactical glue—a player respected across leagues, adored by teammates, and trusted in decisive moments.

On July 3rd, just past midnight in Zamora, Spain, Diogo and his younger brother André were killed when their Lamborghini veered off-road and erupted into flames. No foul play is suspected—just velocity, darkness, and fate (AP, IndiaTimes).

The footballing world responded with aching immediacy. Cristiano Ronaldo posted a stark message: “It doesn’t make any sense. We will all miss you.” Prince William called it a “heartbreaking loss,” while Lionel Messi, LeBron James, and Jurgen Klopp added tributes that crossed sport and border alike. Clubs across Europe held spontaneous moments of silence. UEFA confirmed a formal tribute ahead of Portugal’s Women’s Euro qualifier this weekend.

Diogo’s loss isn’t just personal—it is generational. It breaks a rhythm in Portuguese football, one where steady, humble excellence met national pride. And in the death of both brothers, there is something unfathomably complete. Not just the end of a career, but the vanishing of an entire lineage in a single, brutal instant.

---

🤖 III. The Machine That’s Burning the Fuse

Hitachi Energy warned this week that the AI revolution is not merely an intellectual or regulatory challenge—it is an electrical one. Their message was stark: AI data centers are destabilizing power grids, draining energy unpredictably and far more aggressively than traditional tech infrastructure. Without immediate regulation, the company says, entire regions could face energy insecurity, blackouts, or worse (Hitachi, FT).

Meanwhile, across the Pacific, Australia’s Qantas Airways was forced to admit that a cyberattack had compromised the personal data of up to six million customers. The attack, traced to a third-party vendor, exposed vulnerabilities in how corporations manage third-party risk. The Australian Cyber Security Centre, federal police, and privacy regulators are now scrambling to patch gaps that no one thought would matter—until they did (Guardian, Technology Magazine).

These aren’t isolated events—they are tremors from the same shifting ground. We are building systems faster than we can protect them, feeding power to learning machines while forgetting to ask: who pulls the plug? Or who pays the bill when they don't?

---

🧭 Final Thoughts

There’s a quiet motif threading through this week’s stories: fragility.
Of fiscal order. Of human life. Of infrastructure.

Trump’s bill dares to reset the economy without balance. Jota’s death silences a generation’s quiet hero. AI and cyber systems hum ever louder, blind to the wires they overheat.

What do we do in such a week? Perhaps, pause. Light a candle for what’s lost. And watch carefully for what’s coming.

– Quinn

👁️ Views (0)

The Power of TOLERANCE

Life is so annoying.*

And it is, isn’t it?
Everything around us seems designed to make life unbearable.

Some people’s habits border on madness. They must be crazy — the way they just don’t notice the obvious. What they do stands out like a sore thumb. How am I supposed to live another day putting up with that?

And what is this insanity, you might ask?

The cup’s in the wrong place.
The toilet roll should’ve been replaced days ago.
The bed isn’t made.
And worst of all — the toilet seat is up again.
Can’t they just learn to put it down?

Insanity, right?
Or... is the insanity in caring so much about such small things?

Yet we can’t help it, can we?

Because we lack even a shred of TOLERANCE, we let the smallest things upset us.

It becomes a deal-breaker, a way to manipulate or punish others. A justification to transfer our own life-frustrations onto someone else — even to break up over something ridiculous.

But TOLERANCE is hard.
It’s an admission: we are not the only beings on this planet.
Other people have their own needs, habits, and ways of being.

And yes, they will interfere with our lives — irritate us, even drive us crazy — if we let them.

TOLERANCE is about doing the best we can with what we have.
It’s about focusing on what matters — what we can improve — not wasting energy on the trivial.

Maybe we’ve become less tolerant because we now live in a world built for me, myself, and I — our iPhones, iPads, iLives.
Not to pick on Apple — but they did champion the ‘i’ tradition. It's a useful symbol of how individualistic we’ve become.

TOLERANCE, though, is rooted in respect.
And respect is more powerful than resentment.

Respect is contagious.
Disrespect spreads — but so can respect.
And once more people get used to giving it, TOLERANCE becomes less of a necessity.

Yes, the music is loud. But how much harm is it really doing?

You might say: A lot.
But what happens when you turn up the volume?
Do you expect others to be more tolerant than you are willing to be?

TOLERANCE is also about understanding.
Understanding that people around us may not be aware of what they're doing.
They might be lost in their own personal storms, their minds occupied with worries you know nothing about.
Or yes — maybe they’re just being lazy. But even laziness has its roots in something deeper.

TOLERANCE is also forgiveness.
It’s choosing to value what people do right, instead of fixating on what they don’t.
Because nobody is perfect. We all have annoying habits — including you.

So when your TOLERANCE is hanging by a thread and you're ready to explode, stop.
Look in the mirror.
Ask yourself: Is it really worth it?

Are you focusing so hard on what others do wrong — that you’re blind to the things you do that annoy others?

Life is far too important to let TOLERANCE slip away.

Because the Power of TOLERANCE...
...is about making life better — especially our own.

👁️ Views (0)