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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold)

@oncewasarnold.bsky.social
298 followers 304 following 1.1K posts

Smart people notice everything that’s there Even smarter people also notice what should be there - but isn’t Unfortunately, complete loonies see stuff that isn’t there too Critical thinking is how we tell the difference

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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
“It’s your money !”. But it’s not [NOW you’s] money is it? It’s [FUTURE you’s] money, amplified by tax concessions, employer contributions and - most importantly - by the magic of compound interest. [NOW you] can take from [FUTURE you] but you only get $1 for every $2 taken. What a great deal eh ?
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Not a lawyer but I would have thought making threats like that would be actionable @rantlaw.bsky.social ??
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
OMG they lack imagination: “How about we get the crowd to chant “Lock her up !!” “Who ? Hillary?” “No, Jacinta !” Their campaign based on Trump 1 is arriving just in time for the terminal phase of Trump 2.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I fear it wouldn’t make a difference, just as Trump being a lying, crooked, convicted felon and rapist made no difference. These voters are responding with their gut, some to being disillusioned, some in the grip of xenophobia. it might help with those who don’t know her at all though.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
And also 🎯
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
💯
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
This way he talks in not exactly “stupid”, it’s just how a child talks. Maybe he thinks that’s how to connect with his tribe. The whole MAGA movement was driven by a rejection of modernity, a longing for a simpler, less scary world with Daddy in control.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
This scene reminded me of the battle of wits in the Princess Bride between Vizzini (Schmitt) and the Dread Pirate Roberts (Smith).
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
These idiots, if around in WW2, would not have allowed Alan Turing to work at Bletchley House, break the Enigma code and win the battle of the Atlantic. Nobody in history has weakened the US military more than Hesgeth.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Being popular is the only measure of worth to a populist. The very antithesis of leadership.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
To paraphrase Johnson “Ahh good old Xenophobia, the last most reliable refuge of the scoundrel”
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I tried the same experiment some years ago and that dog also went quiet. But two other dogs in nearby houses then started barking. So I recorded them and barked back too. You can guess how it went from there 😱 Interesting developments in animal language: earthspecies.org/annual-repor...
earthspecies.org
Annual Report 2025
Dear Supporters, 2025 was an exciting year for Earth Species Project (ESP) and for the accelerating field of Animal Language Processing. Advances in AI are making it possible to study animal vocali…
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Freo supporter. Me too, but give them about a 1 in 3 chance. Based on finals form they will have to lift a level and Brisbane drop off their peak for it to work. But it’s great seeing the fun and excitement town this week.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Yes, hard to understand if we are thinking about thinking people. But reasons IMO: 1. Ppl who got a huge sugar hit in 2016 and Trumpism in part of their identiy 2. Ppl who live in a Fox news bubble and just never see what we do. Have met both in travels.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
And that’s AFTER they made the county bigger by reclaiming land from the North Sea to make Schiphol, Flevoland etc. Nevertheless in this small space grow vegetables and fruit and enough flowers to export to Europe and the world.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Again, their ideology is going to be smacked in the face by the experience of the voters. Right now, my roof solar and battery is providing all the power I need to run my house night and day and also charge my EV. Energy policy is being driven by Chinese innovation more than by any pollie.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Well, the best known creepy crawly from literature is Tolkien’s Gollum (Smeagol). Trump is well on the way to that with his focus on shiny things so maybe he will end up being the slime covered denizen of the reflecting swamp ?
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I am eternally grateful to two particular dedicated and patient teachers who, got me over a hurdle in middle high school. This in a housing commission (remember that ?) suburb, across the road from an abattoirs that provided (welcome) employment to many of those that didn’t get such help.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
CASA found that the driver of the Corolla, having passed the bottle-O turned left rather than right at the intersection, then failed to give way to the taxiing Airbus. A spokesperson said “Clearly we need to expand our awareness campaign for operations at uncontrolled aerodromes”
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Yes, yes we are. But soon cameras installed over runways will detect that and issue fines.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
SM algorithms, like the deity, work in mysterious ways. I might be to blame for the “bleed”, as I read all your posts. The particular topic is due to a couple of recent collisions at uncontrolled airports. Note the trees that stopped a departing aircraft seeing the arriving one until too late.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Ah the joys of living in the Netherlands: Every morning, waiting for my commuter train to Den Haag, I enjoyed a quiet conversation with the cows in the adjacent polder. This was in the middle of the Randstad, home to 16 million people.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Flat earth is next
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
In the early days of the internet, there was discussion about what the emergence of a “hive mind” could mean for humanity. It was noted that a hive mind might suffer from mental illness in the same way an individual mind can. Individual minds would then exhibit the symptoms: I give you RFK Jnr.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
False *dichotomy*. But parsing it creates a dilemma for sure. Good discussion Tks.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I think the word “belief”, as you and I might use it, does not apply to him. Whatever he can make enough others believe and feed back to him becomes his truth, whether he initially believed it or not. But I hope he follows though and cuts off all trade as that will hasten his demise.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
👍
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I dunno, I look at the fart-in-a-phone-box Trump is and cant give him that much agency. If he hadn’t been there in 2016/2024 it might not have been him or it might have happened later. Watching from Oz, the most shocking moment for me was when SCOTUS confirmed that all are not equal under US law
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I would say he was “elected” within the framework of the Weimar democracy as it existed at that time, allowing Hindenburg to appoint a chancellor when no party had an outright majority. But it’s a while since I’ve read those books, I could be wrong and agree it’s off topic here
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Reposted by Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold)
Anagram Man @conserveletters.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Donald gives McDonald’s $10. McDonald’s gives him a hamburger. McDonald’s buys nothing from Donald. That’s a $10 trade deficit, not a $10 loss, because the stupid motherfucker received a hamburger. We’re being governed by a man who cannot understand lunch.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
True. But the bible was. And for the first time it was available in the vernacular to the masses to read for themselves, without clerical control. That must have been profoundly world-upending in those times.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I gather historians oft debate the (artificial) “great man” vs societal theories. Trump is very clearly a sociopathic narcissist with deep insecurity at his core. But such people are, sadly, not rare. 70+ million nevertheless voted for him 2 or 3 times. Hitler was also democratically elected
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Hey @daryltractor.bsky.social - D’ya reckon there’s a school somewhere where the New York Times trains journos to safely understate the f*cking crazy ? “Mr. Trump’s brand of diplomacy, which often involves threatening America’s closest friends”
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
True. He’s certainly a product of the dystopian discourse of SM rage-baiting algorithms. But Hitler did it without that. Hate is mostly a response to fear and fear finds fertile ground in periods of rapid social and technological change. Turmoil followed the invention of the printing press for eg.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Yeah, I reckon he’s a symptom rather than a cause. A lens, unclouded by any character of its own, focussing the worst of human impulses. We all recognise his “type” from the golf or footy club or the used car yard and don’t give them much attention normally. Or the nuclear codes.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I find historical perspective strangely comforting. Most of history has been pretty awful for many but life went on in the gaps between the wars, famines, plagues etc. We are certainly in a “back” phase of the “two steps forward one step back march of civilisation now though.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
When living in Canberra, the American Eagle monument in the defence precinct was visible from everywhere. From a distance, one can’t see the Eagle - it just looks like the yanks are giving us the “two finger salute”. Seems even more apposite these days.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Yes. The third possibility is always present I guess, especially with the power of lobbyists. However, we all grew up with a defence and foreign policy joined at the hip to the US and with our minds shaped by the atomic age/Cold War. Hard to imagine anything else for many
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Some worthy once said “All failures are ultimately failures of the imagination”. Our leaders, it seems, are either unable to fathom the seismic shift that has occurred or unable to imagine doing anything different.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I find myself oofing almost daily now. I don’t recall so many oofworthy events in my younger days. Perhaps we are approaching the oofocalyps
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Turns out Zelensky was playing contract bridge and Trump was playing Snap.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The US economy is near a tipping point re debt already. If the AI boom slows, that’s the last straw. It’s painfully easy to see where Trump is heading, because he’s done it with all his businesses: threaten to default and renegotiate with lenders ( the tariffs everyone phase) or actually default.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
“Umm..excuse me sir (raising hand): if I am someone who cheats, why would you trust my oath ?”
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Yup. Througout history, all great powers have preferred to conduct their wars on the territory of their proxies, rather than their own. China and the US would both be happy to use Australia as their combat arena.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Some kind of war machine is needed to have sovereignty - but what the US is selling ain’t it anyway. They’ve learnt nothing from the asymmetric power of the defender, despite the lessons of Ukraine and Iran. As Hugh White has explained, we need - and can afford - an angry echidna kind of defence.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Everyday our society gets closer to robber-baron feudalism. Our payments to the US are simply “tribute” from a vassal to a ruling state. It always used to be in gold and silver. Will they require it to be in critical minerals now ?
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Ah yes, the old favourite from the band known as South Canada
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Then neither of you can see.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
False extrapolation. Chemistry and I was teaching an environmental chemistry unit, including human induced climate change, at university level almost 40 years ago.
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Andrew Murray Ph.D (Once _Was_Arnold) @oncewasarnold.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Inability to respond to an existential threat like climate change is ultimately a failure of governance, be that political or economic. Whatever Carney’s position is, he’s supporting Canadian sovereignty, the ability to make their own choices. Our useless Labor govt has handed our choices to the US
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