Closing a Year, Opening Paths ...
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Some endings mean more than just the conclusion of an academic calendar. The final session with my Royal Army students young women I’ve guided through two intense years will remain etched in my memory as a suspended moment, full of emotion, meaningful silences, and eyes that said everything.
They are now being deployed across the Kingdom. Some will find themselves in remote units, far from one another, but I know that an invisible, unbreakable bond will continue to connect us.
These two years weren’t easy. The demands of military training, the discipline of the institution, the academic expectations... But through it all, I made a point of keeping something alive; their humanity. Alongside knowledge, structure, and rigor, I wanted them to preserve and protect their capacity for empathy, presence, and sensitivity.
On the last day, they briefly broke with military protocol. In the middle of their march, they stopped. A rare gesture. Almost forbidden. But deeply sincere. They wanted to say goodbye. To show me, in their own way, that something had mattered in our shared journey.
I know they wanted to hug me. And even though they didn’t, I am certain they will now know how to offer those “hugs” differently through kind words, quiet support, and a respectful gaze to anyone in need.
As I left the center, I realized something essential; to teach is often to plant a seed in soil we may never see again. But we do it with the faith that it will grow.
See you next year with new students, new souls to guide.
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Closing a Year, Opening Paths ...
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“Sport for All”: A Shared Space for Humanity
106
During the training I recently led for sports coordinators and facilitators, my goal wasn’t simply to transfer knowledge. I aimed for something deeper: to inspire. To encourage these men and women to wear different hats not just as instructors, but as educators, mediators, trusted figures… and most of all, as conveyors of meaning.
The concept of “sport for all” goes far beyond facilities and access. It is, first and foremost, a human project. At its core lie two essential foundations:
- self-acceptance,
- acceptance of others.
From this dual acceptance arises the possibility of truly inclusive spaces, where everyone feels legitimate to participate, to grow, and to belong.
Throughout the training, I saw something rare in the eyes of the participants; a genuine interest, a hunger for understanding. They weren’t just passively absorbing models, tools, or theories. They wanted to go deeper. They wanted each concept to connect with the complex human realities they encounter every day in their communities and sport programs.
This experience reminded me once again that sport reflects the human condition. It can exclude or unite. It can reinforce inequality or break it down. It can become a space of judgment or a space for healing and resilience.
The individuals we train today will shape what "sport for all" becomes tomorrow.
To capture the spirit of this training, I’m sharing below a short recap video that reflects both the energy and the shared humanity we experienced.
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“Sport for All”: A Shared Space for Humanity
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Le ciel et la lune
270
SOUVENT JE SCRUTE LE CIEL
ET CE DEPUIS MON JEUNE AGE
JE CONTEMPLE LA LUNE
JE VOIS SI ELLE SEMI OU PLEINE
JE COMPTE LES ÉTOILES
JE CHERCHE CELLE DU NORD
JE DEVINE MARS
JE CHERCHE JUPITER
JE SURVEILLE LES ÉTOILES FILANTES
JE RECHERCHE LES OVNIS
ET AUTRES EXTRA TERRESTRES
JE REFAIS LE COMPTE DES ÉTOILES
JE RECHERCHE D'AUTRES LUNES
JE PASSE DES HEURES COMME CA A COMPTER ET RECOMPTER
A VÉRIFIER LE NOMBRE D’ÉTOILES
ET FINALEMENT JE REPLONGE DANS LA RÉALITÉ
ET LE QUOTIDIEN
LE TRAIN TRAIN
ET QUAND LA NUIT REVIENDRA
JE REGARDE MON CIEL DE NOUVEAU
JE COMPTE ET RECOMPTE LES ÉTOILES
JE SCRUTE LA LUNE
JE LA DÉVISAGE
JE LA REGARDE EN FACE
BIEN EN FACE
ELLE ROUGIT
JE ROUGIS
ELLE S’ÉCLIPSE
JE SUIS SES TRACES
ELLE SE COUCHE
JE LA LAISSE ROUPILLER
JE ME LÈVE ALORS
ET JE SCRUTE LE CIEL BLEU
JE DÉTESTE LE SOLEIL
QUI ÉBLOUIE
JE METS DES LUNETTES
POINT D’ÉTOILES
POINT DE LUNE
SOUDAIN LE SOLEIL EST CHASSE
SES RAYONS AUSSI
SON ÉBLOUISSEMENT DISPARAIT
ET LA LUNE SE LÈVE ET SE RELÈVE
MAJESTUEUSE
COMME D'HABITUDE
ET EN DOUCEUR
ELLE ENVOIE SES DOUX RAYONS
POINT D’ÉBLOUISSEMENT
ET SOUS SON CLAIR
VOYONS LE CLAIR DE LUNE
JE SCRUTE LE CIEL
A LA RECHERCHE DE JUPITER MARS ET AUTRE NEPTUNE
SANS LASSITUDE NI AMERTUME
JE LA DÉVISAGE ENCORE ET ENCORE SANS REPIS
JE LA FIXE ELLE ROUGIT
JE ROUGIS
JE COMPTE LES ÉTOILES
JE COMPTE ET RECOMPTE
ET JE VOIS SI LE COMPTE Y EST
LA LUNE SE CACHE SOUS UN VOILE
ENFIN UN NUAGE
MAIS ELLE NE TARDE PAS A REPARAITRE
POUR SE CACHER DE NOUVEAU
JE LA FIXE ET REFIXE AVEC MON REGARD PATHÉTIQUE
ELLE ROUGIT ET VIRE AU JAUNE SA COULEUR MAGNIFIQUE
ET TOUTES LES AUTRES ÉTOILES EN FONT DE MÊME
Dr Bouchareb Fouad
Tous les droits sont protégés
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Le ciel et la lune
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John Bolton and His Controversial Op-Ed Against Morocco: Hostility with Troubled Roots...
640
John Bolton, former U.S. National Security Advisor under Donald Trump, has just published an op-ed in the Washington Times, notably favorable to the Polisario thesis and thus to the Algerian position. The text recycles arguments Bolton has already put forward in the past. He notably defends the outdated idea of a self-determination referendum and accuses Morocco of obstructing the implementation of UN resolutions. It should be recalled once again that the referendum proposal, which Morocco had put forward in Nairobi, has been obsolete and abandoned by the Security Council since 2007; as for accusing Morocco of hindering the process, this is simply false in light of the UN resolutions over the past 20 years.
Bolton lies, and he knows it. He is accustomed to it.
How can one not think that this is clearly an attempt by this forgotten figure of history to regain relevance, a will to manipulate public opinion, but above all an intention to harm by pleasing the enemies of the Kingdom.
This position strangely fits, without surprising, into the continuity of the official rhetoric of the Algerian military junta, the main supporter of the Polisario. It is a blatant alignment and rapprochement that raises questions about Bolton’s integrity. Let us just recall that Bolton was abruptly dismissed by Donald Trump in 2019, officially for strategic disagreements, but according to some observers, also due to questionable connections.
Regarding the matter concerning the Kingdom, Bolton regularly frequents Algiers and collaborates with well-paid Algerian lobbyists such as David Keene, former NRA president, engaged in defending the Algerian cause in the United States. This closeness fuels suspicions of a relay role for Algerian interests, aiming to influence American policy.
Nothing to be proud of for the jubilant military junta. It is used to contradiction and blunt communication turning the slightest detail into a victory. Bolton no longer counts and has no impact. In his rhetoric, Algiers pretends to ignore that the same Bolton supports the use of force against Iran, Algeria’s strategic ally. Iran, which the Algerian president will soon visit... It is also this same Bolton who pushed for the transfer of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem... A strange supporter of the Palestinians to take one of their enemies as a reference.
Bolton’s article fits into a morbid continuity. He shamelessly and unashamedly tries to discredit Moroccan policy and its growing influence on the international stage while defending separatism. He ignores the terrorist nature of the Polisario, opposing an entire faction of Republicans with Joe Wilson as spokesperson. The latter is logically pushing for a vote very soon in the U.S. Congress on a law designating the Polisario as a terrorist organization.
Paradoxically, Bolton’s desperate offensive comes at a time when Morocco is achieving major diplomatic successes. The Kingdom has recently further strengthened its ties with several African countries, Kenya being the latest example. Thanks to its autonomy plan for the Sahara, widely recognized and supported by the international community, Morocco is reaping success after success.
The vote on the latest Security Council resolution on the issue shows that even countries that once voted out of ideological principle against anything favorable to Morocco no longer do so, quite the opposite. Moreover, the closure of the Polisario Front’s office in Damascus illustrates Morocco’s growing influence in the Middle East. Thus, unanimity is almost reached in favor of Morocco at the Arab League today, with the obvious exception of Algeria alone, perfectly isolated, even neutralized and weakened in everyone’s eyes.
At heart, Bolton’s op-ed seems intended to soothe the wounds of Algiers and the separatists, who are losing ground to Morocco’s assertion.
The autonomy plan proposed by Rabat is increasingly endorsed on the international stage, while the Polisario sees its influence diminish. It is becoming inaudible and has no other escape than to cling to a few fringe extremist demonstrations here and there. This stance therefore appears as a last gasp from a retreating camp. Lacking any real leverage to influence American or global policy, Algiers and the separatists quench their thirst by drinking the words of marginal figures without substance.
To better understand this posture, it must be recalled that John Bolton is a controversial figure in American politics, known for his ultra-conservative positions and aggressive foreign policy approach, often described as neoconservative. His dismissal in 2019 was marked by major disagreements with the Trump administration, but also by suspicions of dubious connections with certain foreign circles. Bolton is suspected of involvement in several controversial international operations, including organizing coups d’état, reinforcing the image of a man with brutal methods and strongly marked convictions.
In sum, John Bolton’s recent op-ed in the Washington Times illustrates a persistent hostility towards the Kingdom by a fading figure; a pontiff driven by an outdated political vision. The signatory’s stance is disconnected from current geopolitical developments. It once again shows that Algiers, through its parrot media, is ready to cling to any nonsense, provided it fits its outdated narrative. Above all, it highlights the irreversible decline of the Polisario and Morocco’s growing success on the international stage.
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John Bolton and His Controversial Op-Ed Against Morocco: Hostility with Troubled Roots...
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Kenya Inaugurates Its Embassy in Rabat: A Major Diplomatic Turning Point Favoring Morocco on Western Sahara
644
The official inauguration of Kenya’s embassy in Rabat, conducted by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi, marks a historic milestone in bilateral relations between the two countries. This ceremony, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Kenya in East Africa and Morocco in the far west of the continent, symbolizes a significant strengthening of political, economic, and cultural exchanges in pursuit of continental continuity. Most importantly, it signifies Kenya’s strategic repositioning on the sensitive issue of the Moroccan Sahara.
For the first time, Kenya has opened an embassy in Morocco, demonstrating Nairobi’s firm commitment to consolidating its relations with Rabat. Even more crucially, Kenya has officially recognized Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as “the only sustainable approach” to resolving the Western Sahara dispute. This represents a radical shift in Kenyan policy, as until recently, Kenya maintained relations with the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), supported by Algeria, which is increasingly losing ground internationally.
Under President William Ruto’s leadership, this diplomatic shift began taking shape in March 2024 with the appointment of Jessica Muthoni Gakinya as Kenya’s first ambassador to Morocco. Since then, several memorandums of understanding have been signed covering key areas such as housing, urban development, youth, trade, and diplomatic training, significantly strengthening cooperation between the two nations.
Kenya’s repositioning on the Sahara issue aligns with a broader global trend of growing support for Morocco’s stance, while the Polisario Front loses international recognition. Over fifty countries have withdrawn recognition of the SADR since the Cold War’s end, and no African country has recognized it since 2011.
Recent developments include Syria’s official closure of the Polisario office in Damascus, signaling a strategic distancing from the Algerian-Iranian axis and a clear rejection of support for Sahrawi separatists. This is a major setback for Algeria on the Arab world stage.
In Latin America, key countries such as Bolivia, Ecuador, and Panama have also withdrawn recognition of the SADR, adopting neutral or pro-Moroccan sovereignty positions consistent with UN resolutions. This shift is notable given the region’s past role as a haven for separatist propaganda.
In Europe, nearly all countries, including France, Spain, Germany, and many EU members, now explicitly support Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as a serious basis for a lasting political solution.
Algeria, increasingly powerless, is losing influence and reputation worldwide due to its persistent backing of the Polisario.
Despite this international momentum favoring Morocco, Algeria continues to support the Polisario, exemplified by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s recent reception of the “new Sahrawi ambassador” Khatri Adouh. While Bourita and Mudavadi forged strong friendship ties, the Algerian-hosted ambassador boasted of supposed “diplomatic victories” for the separatists, ignoring Polisario’s growing isolation.
Algeria and its proxy even disregard UN Security Council Resolution 2756 adopted in October 2024, which explicitly recognizes Algeria as a party to the dispute and calls for respect of the ceasefire and a durable political solution, endorsing Morocco’s initiative led by King Mohammed VI.
Morocco is capitalizing on this favorable context by multiplying bilateral agreements, notably with strategic African countries like Kenya. The signing of five memorandums of understanding during Mudavadi’s visit reflects a shared vision of enhanced cooperation based on historical, cultural, and economic ties. Africa is thus showing a new face marked by pragmatism and mutual interests.
The opening of the Kenyan embassy in Rabat and Nairobi’s official support for Morocco’s territorial integrity represent a major diplomatic victory for the Kingdom. Algeria can no longer ignore this development without risking even greater isolation on the continent and globally.
Adding to Algeria’s woes, Ivory Coast recently reiterated its position sidelining the separatist movement and its sponsor.
Morocco is consolidating its diplomatic leadership and advancing toward a peaceful and lasting resolution of the artificial Western Sahara conflict. In contrast, the Polisario is increasingly isolated, supported only by a stubborn Algeria and perhaps, for now, South Africa, whose economy and business ties with Morocco are growing.
The international community is converging toward greater recognition of Moroccan sovereignty and its Autonomy Plan, supported by two permanent UN Security Council members and many regional economic powers.
This irreversible momentum heralds a new era in African diplomacy, with the African Union likely to expel the SADR in the near future, removing a burdensome member that meets no criteria for international organization membership except Algeria’s excessive sponsorship, itself in notable decline.
Omar Hilal, Morocco’s representative to the UN, does not hesitate to remind his Algerian counterparts of this anachronistic and untenable situation at every opportunity, making the international community a witness to this increasingly ridiculous stalemate that cannot last.
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Kenya Inaugurates Its Embassy in Rabat: A Major Diplomatic Turning Point Favoring Morocco on Western Sahara
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Neoplatonism
705
Neoplatonism is a philosophical and spiritual tradition that arose in the 3rd century CE, deeply rooted in the teachings of Plato but expanded into a comprehensive metaphysical system emphasizing the soul’s journey toward divine union. Far more than an academic commentary on Plato’s dialogues, Neoplatonism offered a mystical framework for understanding the cosmos, the nature of being, and the purpose of human existence. Its influence extended from the pagan late antiquity into Christian, Islamic, and Jewish thought, and it became a cornerstone of the Western esoteric tradition, profoundly shaping Hermeticism, Kabbalah, and Renaissance occult philosophy.
The founder of Neoplatonism is traditionally identified as Plotinus (c. 204/5–270 CE), whose teachings were recorded and organized by his student Porphyry in the Enneads. Plotinus developed a tripartite cosmology that remains central to Neoplatonic thought:
The One (or the Good): The highest principle, utterly transcendent, beyond being and intellect. It is the source of all existence, perfect, infinite, and indivisible.
Nous (Divine Intellect): The first emanation from the One. It contains the realm of ideal Forms or archetypes—eternal truths that shape reality.
Psyche (Soul): The World Soul and individual souls emanate from the Nous, descending into the realm of matter.
This emanationist cosmology postulates that all reality flows outward from the One in a hierarchical cascade, and that all beings long to return to their source. Unlike creation ex nihilo, Neoplatonic emanation is not a one-time event but a continuous process of unfolding and return, guided by the principle of divine participation—all things contain within themselves a trace of the divine origin.
The ultimate goal of the soul in Neoplatonism is henosis, or mystical union with the One. This ascent is achieved not through external rituals alone, but through philosophical contemplation, ethical purification, and inner transformation. As the soul turns away from the distractions of the material world and awakens to its true nature, it ascends through the levels of being, ultimately dissolving into divine simplicity.
Plotinus’s successors, including Porphyry, Iamblichus, Proclus, and Damascius, expanded and refined the system. Iamblichus, for example, introduced a more theurgical and ritualistic approach, arguing that philosophical contemplation was insufficient on its own for divine ascent. Instead, he emphasized theurgy—a sacred science of divine operations involving prayers, invocations, and symbolic rites. These practices formed the foundation of later esoteric traditions, particularly the magical worldview of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Renaissance Neoplatonic magicians like Marsilio Ficino and Giordano Bruno.
Neoplatonism also had a profound influence on Christian mysticism, particularly through thinkers like Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, St. Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas, who adapted Neoplatonic cosmology to Christian theology. In the Islamic world, philosophers such as Al-Farabi, Avicenna (Ibn Sina), and Suhrawardi incorporated Neoplatonic ideas into their metaphysical and mystical systems, contributing to the development of Sufi cosmology. In Jewish thought, Neoplatonism informed early Kabbalistic doctrine, particularly in its conception of divine emanations (sefirot) and the soul’s return to God.
In the Renaissance, Neoplatonism was revived as part of a broader cultural rediscovery of classical antiquity. Philosophers such as Ficino and Pico della Mirandola saw it as a key to unlocking the divine potential of the human being and harmonizing philosophy with mysticism. Ficino’s translation of Plotinus and his commentaries on Plato and Dionysius laid the groundwork for a magical humanism, in which the soul, through study and virtue, could ascend the cosmic ladder and participate in the divine intellect.
In modern esotericism, Neoplatonic principles continue to underpin key doctrines, including correspondence, hierarchy, and spiritual ascent. The image of the cosmos as a living, divine order—structured, intelligible, and participatory—remains central to Hermeticism, Rosicrucianism, and contemporary metaphysical systems. The idea that the microcosm reflects the macrocosm—that the human soul mirrors the cosmos and can return to its source—echoes through the ages as a core Neoplatonic insight.
In conclusion, Neoplatonism is not merely a philosophical system—it is a sacred path, blending metaphysics, mysticism, and ethical discipline into a vision of cosmic unity and human divinization. By tracing all things to the ineffable One and guiding the soul’s ascent through reason, beauty, and inner purification, Neoplatonism continues to offer a profound map of spiritual realization, bridging ancient wisdom and perennial truth.
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Neoplatonism
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La Maison de l'Avenir : A dream comes true
716
La Maison de L’Avenir : A Dream Comes True
Thirty years ago, on May 30, 1995, Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem inaugurated « La Maison de L’Avenir ».
Built by the Association l’Avenir, this long-dreamed home provides accommodation for families with a child undergoing cancer treatment at the Rabat Children’s Hospital, families who live outside Rabat and cannot afford the expenses associated with treatment and repeated stays in Rabat.
This home’ objectives were to enable children with cancer to receive treatment for as long as necessary, to give all patients the same chance of cure, to reduce the number of treatment dropouts, to avoid « the anguish of the night at the hospital” whenever possible, and finally, support parents in difficult times.
In June 1991, the Ministry of Housing granted the l’Avenir Association a plot of land in Hay Nahda II, Rabat. The association launched a campaign to raise awareness about the need to welcome parents of hospitalized children, using the slogan : “Help me heal, surrounded by those I love.”
Many individuals and organizations, both Moroccan and international, answered this appeal by donating time, money, materials, equipment, and expertise.
The result was a welcoming, functional house, a “home away from home” for families with children being treated for cancer or blood diseases at the Children’s Hospital in Rabat. It includes 22 rooms with two to four beds each, for a total of 54 beds. Families can stay there for a small fee, but above all, are asked to keep « their Home » clean and respectable.
When a new family arrived, devastated by the shock of diagnosis they have just received at the hospital, they found other families and other children undergoing treatment or returning for a simple check-up. They listened, got informed, learned, and little by little, the hope of keeping their child alive would return.
Thirty years later, La Maison de L’Avenir still exists and has helped to reduce the number of treatment and follow up abandonment, soften the medical, social, and psychoaffective conditions of children and their families, and ultimately, contributed to the healing of countless young patients.
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La Maison de l'Avenir : A dream comes true
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"Onions are good for you" said the onion peddler
866
(this is a follow up to my previous article "the thief of cope")
Onions are great. Very versatile, easy to grow, and delicious. I like eating onions. But sometimes, I need to cook for guests that can't stand them. I might try to sneak the onions in a sauce or call the guests out on their fraudulent taste-buds. What I never do though, is try to convince them to eat my onions because they are good for their health. It's an easy trick. Appeal to authority. But whose exactly? Who is telling people that onions are good for them? Scientists? But who is paying the scientists to say that? It doesn't take much head scratching to figure out the obvious : it's the onion peddler.
The field of technology is full of onion peddlers, especially those selling “the next big thing”. It doesn’t take that much nooticing to point out that the people making the most egregious predictions about the future are the ones selling the technologies of the future. Often, they are supported by the ones that can bill you to integrate it. It's easy to forget, but these onion peddlers are just selling you their very fancy onions. With classic technologies, the worst that could happen was wasting money on tech that brought little value to a business. From outside, it looked like big companies passing around their money to other big companies. They bought onions because everyone had them in their kitchen. Whether the promised benefits followed was not of much importance. The more money was wasted, the more buzzwords a CEO could cram into his TedTalk. But AI is different. It's not just about a few companies selling their bots to everyone. It's not about a CTO collecting Saas bills like pokemon gym badges to increase his tech-cred. It's not about tricking a bunch of silicon-valley investors to buy a couple of sport cars then closing down the shop. You may have heard the expression "nothing ever happens"? well this time something is actually happening: a massive devaluing of the economic worth of humans.
If you thought that class struggle was a thing of the past, AI will make you look back fondly on slavery. Slaves were needed by their masters; the project of AI is precisely to make you unneeded. Someone watched that Elysium movie and thought we should shoot for that. No more upward mobility through education; there are no jobs to move upward to anymore. Or maybe no more education period. Why train you when we can just train AI instead? The trained AI doesn’t need to be better than you, it just needs to ape you. Your career prospects are already dead, you just don't know it yet. You may be tempted to rationalize why the economic machine still needs you. Fatal mistake. Rationality is a tool that the onion peddler takes out of the shed when it's time to cut down on expenses. The ones who own the economic machine, the ones who steer it, they are not rational. They are emotional, they are class-aware, they have an agenda, and they remember. They hate costs, but they don't hate them equally. You, the human, you're the worst kind of cost. All of these years that the proletariat has been bullying the bourgeois-god-kings with labor laws and fair wage demands... well, it's time for revenge.
We like to think of businesses as systemic entities that follow the rules of a game described in an economics' textbook. But who writes those textbooks? Surprise, it's the onion subsidized friends of the onion peddler. So textbooks will tell you that businesses do everything in their power to maximize profit, but what they won't tell you is that they only maximize profit as far as they can control you. When you think of yourself as essential for the operations of a company, that's control you are taking from them. When you try to unionize, that's control you are taking from them. Remember, control trumps short term profit. Sure, AI might result in a degradation of the quality of the goods and services at first, but that's a price they are willing to pay to get rid of you. Because as a human, you wish for a better tomorrow. Somehow nowadays, that's too greedy. The utopia of the rich is a world without the poor. Literally.
It's a hard pill to swallow, but sugar-coating requires sugar, and the sugar peddler happens to be friends with the onion peddler. Next, we'll discuss why AI cannot innovate, and why MBA suits can’t understand that.
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"Onions are good for you" said the onion peddler
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Impact of Counterfeit Football Jerseys on the Investment of Major International Brands in Moroccan Football
912
The counterfeiting of football jerseys is a widespread issue in Morocco, affecting both local clubs and major international teams. This practice directly impacts the perception and involvement of leading global sports brands (Nike, Adidas, Puma, etc.) in the development of Moroccan football.
Top brands are refusing to sponsor our national clubs! To wear a big brand, our top clubs such as Wydad Of Casablanca (WAC) or Raja Club Athletic (RCA) must purchase all the equipment with a discounted rate.
Here is the list of brands that will equip Moroccan clubs for the upcoming 2025–2026 season:
• WAC will be equipped by KAPPA
• RCA will keep UMBRO with a local production license
• Ittihad Touarga will be equipped by MACRON
• ASFAR and FUS will be with UHLSPORT (local production license)
• Other clubs will be equipped by national brands with limited capabilities in terms of equipment, technology, and accessories (e.g., Bang)
Current State of Counterfeiting in Morocco
• Widespread presence in informal markets: souks, small shops, and online sales via social media
• Very low prices: Counterfeit jerseys sell for 50 to 150 MAD, compared to 700 to 1000 MAD for an official jersey
• Weak enforcement: Lack of effective intellectual property law enforcement and high social tolerance for fake products
Consequences for Global Brands
• Loss of direct revenue
• Obstacle to marketing investments
• Damaged brand image
• Legal risks: Being associated with an “uncontrolled” market discourages brands from strengthening their presence
Impact on the Development of Moroccan Football
• Fewer official partnerships: Local clubs struggle to secure solid contracts with global brands
• Lower-quality gear: Without sponsorship, clubs rely on substandard equipment or secondary suppliers
• Reduced secondary revenue: In other countries, official jersey sales are a major income source
• Data deficiency: No club is currently able to provide accurate sales figures of jerseys per season
• Limited control: Even clubs like Wydad, Raja, or ASFAR can’t enforce exclusive official jersey sales in formal retail channels
Recommandations
National Actions
1. Strengthen legislation and customs controls:
- Establish special anti-counterfeiting units at customs
- Enforce stricter penalties for illegal distribution of counterfeit products
2. Raise public awareness:
- National campaigns highlighting the economic and ethical issues of counterfeiting
- Promote the value of buying original products
3. Encourage collaboration:
- Active partnership between FRMF, clubs, and brands to elevate the status
of official products
-Implement traceability systems (QR codes, NFC tags) for authentic jerseys
Global Actions Against Counterfeiting
1. International cooperation between sports federations, brands, and governments to track and dismantle global counterfeiting networks.
2. Leverage technology:
- Use blockchain for transparent product tracking
- Develop AI-based tools to detect fake products online
3. E-commerce regulation:
- Enforce stricter controls on social media platforms and marketplaces to ban counterfeit product listings
4. Support local production :
- Offer incentives for certified local manufacturers to produce official gear under license, ensuring both quality and accessibility
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Impact of Counterfeit Football Jerseys on the Investment of Major International Brands in Moroccan Football
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https://bluwr.com/p/190491543
Beatrice Chebet, Soufiane El Bekkali, Femke Bol, Masalela: inaugurate The Rabat Olympic Stadium: A showcase of excellence for high-level athletic performances
1039
The core of the profession in sports is undoubtedly the gesture, the exercise, or the action performed by an athlete or a group of athletes. This achievement is extremely complex due to the numerous factors involved and their relative importance.
The gesture begins with an image the athlete forms of themselves performing it. For this, they need energy, meaning physiological stimulation. They execute a precise movement engaging part or all of their body, which constitutes mechanical solicitation. To perform this gesture, the athlete thinks and exerts mental effort: this is a psychological dimension and stimulation.
Once this process is initiated, the athlete obtains a final image which they evaluate by comparing it to the initial image they had formed of their gesture. This feedback allows them to be satisfied, to question themselves, and to improve their performance.
The gesture is never isolated: it takes place before an audience that appreciates the performance, the achievement, and the result.
While sports regulations impose, besides ethical behavior, dimensions and specificities of playing areas, that is, rules common to all without discrimination. These rules and other standards condition the technical performances of athletes. However, the environment and context: stadium, hall, or competition venue bring other influencing factors on the performance and thus on the outcome.
Among these factors are:
• The type of surface;
• The comfort, visibility, and proximity of spectators;
• Aerodynamic conditions, such as wind exposure;
• Lighting and illumination;
• Acoustics, including sound treatment and crowd noise;
• Visual and material markers on the field for athletes and the audience;
• External climatic factors, depending on whether the infrastructure is enclosed or open;
• Internal climate, depending on ventilation or air conditioning; and so on.
All these elements impact the aforementioned psychological dimension, which in turn influences the physiological and mechanical dimensions, directly affecting the athlete’s performance.
But that’s not all: the type and configuration of a sports facility also generate a particular sociological relationship. The atmospheres vary from one stadium to another. The layout, amenities, and comfort offered influence spectator behavior, and by extension, that of the entire audience. This behavior fosters a specific way of appreciating the athlete’s performance. For example, the proximity between the audience and players plays an important role: close supporters with unobstructed visibility are more empathetic than distant spectators. The nearby supporter better appreciates the effort and becomes more tolerant toward the athlete.
Thus, the employment programs and architecture of a sports facility become an influencing factor on athletes’ performance. A well-studied final configuration is a factor that promotes performance, highlighting the importance of considering these data before any study or proposal for the construction of a sports facility.
These facts were probably taken into account during the design and construction of the Athletics Stadium, known as the Olympic Stadium, built in only 8 months at the Prince Moulay Abdallah Sports Complex, replacing the National Institute of Athletics, erected in the early 1990s, where nearly all of Morocco’s great athletics talents emerged.
This explains the exceptional results achieved during the latest edition of the Mohammed VI Diamond League Meeting in Rabat: three world-leading performances and five meeting records, a remarkable feat.
The 8 minutes 11.49 seconds by Kenyan Beatrice Chebet, the second-best global performance ever in the 3000m, perfectly illustrate the symbiosis between the athlete’s potential and the conditions offered for her to express it. She made history in world athletics. The same applies to the performance of Moroccan champion Soufiane El Bekkali in the 3000m steeplechase, in front of his home crowd and on a track whose qualities he praised. He had never achieved such a performance so early in the season: 8 minutes 00.47 seconds, a very strong time for May, pulling along German Frederick Ruppert, who will never forget his race in Rabat, smashing his country’s record and posting the third-best European performance of all time. He is now a serious contender for a medal at the World Championships planned in Tokyo. The performance of Femke Bol in the women's 400m hurdles is also noteworthy: 52.46 seconds, a heavy-hitting time.
Another notable performance was by Tshesipo Masalela from Botswana, who clocked 1 minute 42.70 seconds. These are just some examples among many outstanding performances achieved for the inauguration of this Moroccan Olympic stadium.
In short, Morocco can be proud of such an accomplishment, which will surely enter the Guinness records, as never before has a sports facility of such scale been completed in so little time, while respecting the required standards and quality.
The President of the African Athletics Confederation and CASOL, the very recent Association of African Olympic Sports Confederations, did not hide his pride, framing this achievement as part of Morocco’s support for the African sports movement in general, and athletics in particular. He recalled that the Kingdom is the only African country to host a Diamond League athletics stage. Naturally, he hopes to see the African Athletics Championships held there soon.
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Beatrice Chebet, Soufiane El Bekkali, Femke Bol, Masalela: inaugurate The Rabat Olympic Stadium: A showcase of excellence for high-level athletic performances
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[Science #3] Immune Equilibrium: Shaping Tumor Response and Cancer Progression
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**Balance is a fundamental principle that underlies the proper function of biological systems in our bodies—including the immune system.** A healthy immune response depends on maintaining harmony among its many components. While this idea may seem trivial at first glance, a closer examination raises important and complex questions: What does “balance” really mean in the context of immunity? Can we define or measure it? And what are the consequences when this balance is disrupted?
Think of the immune system as a well-organized army. The** effector T cells (Teffs)** are the frontline soldiers—trained to detect and eliminate harmful intruders such as viruses, bacteria, or even abnormal cells like cancer. In contrast, the **regulatory T cells (Tregs)** act as peacekeepers, ensuring that immune responses don’t go too far and damage healthy tissues. The ongoing balance between these two forces—the attackers and the regulators—is known as **immune equilibrium**, and it is essential for both immune protection and self-tolerance.
Maintaining the right **Teff/Treg ratio** is critical. An overabundance of Teffs—like green traffic lights everywhere—can lead to uncontrolled immune responses, resulting in inflammation or autoimmune disease. On the other hand, an excess of Tregs—like having red lights at every corner—can suppress necessary immune activity, allowing dangerous threats like tumors to slip by unnoticed. This delicate balancing act is central to immune regulation and has profound implications for diseases such as cancer, as well as for treatments that aim to modulate the immune system.
While the immune system is designed to defend us from infections, it also plays a powerful role in how cancer develops and progresses. This relationship is captured by the concept of **cancer immunoediting**, first introduced by Shankaran et al. in 2001. It describes how the immune system not only eliminates tumor cells but also influences how they evolve in response to immune pressure. This process unfolds in three phases:
- **Elimination: ** In this initial stage, immune cells recognize and destroy cancerous cells before they pose a serious threat. This is similar to the concept of **immune surveillance**.
- **Equilibrium:** If some tumor cells survive, the immune system may be able to contain their growth without eradicating them completely. During this phase, cancer cells can slowly adapt and develop resistance to immune attacks.
- **Escape:** Over time, certain cancer cells may evolve to evade immune detection entirely—by changing their features or suppressing immune responses. At this point, they begin to grow unchecked, leading to detectable and potentially aggressive tumors.
This is where **immunotherapy** enters the picture—offering ways to tip the balance back in favor of the immune system. It works by equipping your immune "soldiers" with new tools and removing the "brakes" that slow them down. For example, **checkpoint inhibitors** help Teffs attack cancer more effectively by blocking inhibitory signals that tumors use to hide.
However, boosting the immune system isn’t just about turning everything up to maximum. Like any finely tuned machine, the immune system works best when it stays in balance—not too aggressive, not too suppressed. That’s why the **Teff/Treg ratio** remains central, even in immunotherapy: too many Teffs, and the risk of autoimmunity rises; too many Tregs, and the immune system may fail to respond when it’s most needed. Finding and maintaining this balance is the key to effective, safe, and lasting cancer immunotherapy. Understanding immune equilibrium helps explain why some cancers stay stable for years and why immunotherapy works better for some patients than others. By learning how to maintain or shift this balance, researchers hope to develop treatments that keep cancer under control for the long term — or even eliminate it completely.
Cancer is not merely a story of uncontrolled cell growth; it’s a constant tug-of-war between immune activation and restraint. Understanding—and restoring—this balance is the foundation of next-generation treatments. Every green light we give our immune defenders, and every strategic red light we apply for control, brings us closer to a future where cancer can no longer hide. Immune equilibrium is more than just a scientific concept—it’s a guiding principle that empowers us to fight cancer with greater precision while preserving the inner harmony our bodies need to stay healthy.
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[Science #3] Immune Equilibrium: Shaping Tumor Response and Cancer Progression
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Morocco–United States and Côte d’Ivoire: The New Strategic Framework to Strengthen the Counterterrorism Fight in the Sahel
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On April 24, 2025, in Abidjan, the Ivorian Minister of Defense, Téné Birahima Ouattara, received the United States Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, Jessica Davis Ba, accompanied by General Michael Langley, the renowned AFRICOM commander. This meeting clearly fits into a major geostrategic dynamic where Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco, the United States, and the G5 Sahel countries are strengthening their cooperation to combat the transnational terrorist threat that has long destabilized the Sahel and North Africa. It is worth recalling that the pact concluded in Algeria under Bouteflika with armed groups shifted the threat southward within the country, exacerbating instability in the Sahel after a war that caused more than 250,000 Algerian deaths.
In this new security architecture, Côte d’Ivoire positions itself as a key player south of the unstable zones. Washington is intensifying its military presence there with a drone base in Bouaké and a donation of 12 armored vehicles to reinforce Ivorian defense, especially in areas exposed to terrorism. This partnership also includes training for Ivorian forces and the establishment of maintenance infrastructure, illustrating cooperation expected to endure over time. Joint exercises in Bingerville, still in Côte d’Ivoire, demonstrate the growing strength of Ivorian forces in synergy with the United States, consolidating an essential link in West African security. Côte d’Ivoire, historically allied with Morocco, thus becomes a central actor in this regional cohesion. This could not happen without Rabat being informed and possibly even playing a facilitating role beforehand.
Morocco asserts itself as a key actor in the counterterrorism fight in North Africa and the Sahel, coordinating its actions with the G5 Sahel, the most effective platform against various jihadist groups—essentially mere gangsters. Its intense participation in military exercises such as African Lion 2025, notably in its southern provinces, strengthens coordination with American, African, and other forces. Training in handling the mobile HIMARS artillery system, for example, testifies to the strategic depth of the Morocco–United States partnership.
This new regional cohesion makes the Kingdom a major stabilizer, promoting a multilateral approach to terrorism, illicit trafficking, and hybrid conflicts. The Sahelo-Saharan region, now aligned with Morocco, faces complex threats, including the porous links between separatist movements like the Polisario Front and terrorist networks. Southern Algeria has become a lawless zone conducive to trafficking and multifaceted jihadism, threatening regional stability. Mali increasingly denounces Algerian interference and its support for terrorist groups, while Mauritania recently closed its border with Algeria near Tindouf, the Polisario’s stronghold. Algeria, at worst, if not openly encouraging, tolerates its territory as a strategic fallback zone and a supplier—particularly of fuel—vital for the survival and activities of various groups.
The G5 Sahel Joint Force, even after the French withdrawal from the region, remains limited by funding and equipment deficits, highlighting the urgent need for strengthened international support.
The growing military power of Côte d’Ivoire, cooperation with Morocco, and American support thus fit into a comprehensive regional strategy to contain these threats. Algeria, despite itself, is a pressured partner, hosting the Polisario Front for over 50 years. Increasingly, this group is being labeled a terrorist organization and will soon be so in the USA by law. In May 2025, the American destroyer USS Forrest Sherman’s stopover in Algiers and joint naval exercises with the country reflect the US desire to maintain a strategic Mediterranean presence, thereby involving Algiers more in counterterrorism. The memorandum of understanding signed in January 2025 between Washington and Algiers underscores this increased responsibility regarding threats on Algeria’s southern borders.
The region is thus heading toward a new security architecture. The Abidjan meeting and the scale of maneuvers south of Morocco illustrate a profound transformation of security cooperation in West and North Africa. Morocco’s rise as a central actor, combined with strengthened partnerships between Côte d’Ivoire, the United States, and the G5 Sahel, shapes this new, more coherent and effective geostrategic architecture.
In the same vein, one can also mention recent visits by Emirati officials in the region and the very recent visit of Marshal Haftar’s son, General Saddam Haftar, to Niger, following previous visits to Burkina Faso and even Israel some time ago.
The noose is tightening around terrorist groups, now cut off from their strategic refuges. Their last resort remains the north via Algeria and Libya, where internal conflicts complicate the fight. This multilateral regional approach appears as the best response to restore stability and security in a region rapidly evolving due to recent political changes.
Morocco, the first to adapt to these developments, is reaping the benefits of its non-interference strategy by forging strong economic and strategic complementarity with its partners.
From Rabat to Abidjan, no zone escapes this economic and security dynamic desired by His Majesty the King. Algeria’s now shaky stance and its belligerent rhetoric toward neighbors no longer impress. The death knell has sounded for desert extremist groups, notably the Polisario and its ambiguous role for over half a century.
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Morocco–United States and Côte d’Ivoire: The New Strategic Framework to Strengthen the Counterterrorism Fight in the Sahel
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It not tariffs it's a cost on trade deficit.
1371
Trump tariffs are not traditional tariffs, because they are indexed on the US trade deficit. Historical, tariffs have usually been either as a way to protect internal markets, get revenue for the government by indirectly taxing the population or both. They have also been used as punitive measures.
A tariff is both a tax on outside goods, and a subsidy to the internal market. As such they are either seen as distorting the market, or a way to put a price on not been able to produce something internally.
However, this new form of tariffs tell a different story, they are blanket tariffs based on the general trade deficit that the US has with different countries. Which means they go up and down with the trade deficit, that alone makes them function differently. How they will impact the global market remains to be seen. From a strictly optimization (the mathematical discipline) perspective, the most likely outcome, after a period of instability, is a general lowering of US trade deficit, mirrored by a lowering of reciprocal tariffs leading to an increase in trade and GDP.
This of course does not take into account specific geopolitical sensitivities and the complexity of the potential readjusting in regulations, fiscal policies and otherwise that countries may have to do lower their trade deficit with us.
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It not tariffs it's a cost on trade deficit.
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Informal Economy in Morocco: Wealth-Creating Liberalism and a Social Pillar
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The World Bank’s regional report, published in April 2025, presents the informal economy in Morocco as a major obstacle to economic development, highlighting that 83% of businesses operate outside the legal framework. According to this institution, this situation limits growth, productivity, and the formalization of the private sector.
This viewpoint, which likely conflates informal economic activity with economic fraud, while supported by data on sluggish growth and structural challenges, deserves a more nuanced critique. It should shed light on the positive and dynamic aspects of the informal economy—as an expression of wealth-creating liberalism, a social safety valve, a job creator, and a factor of political stability.
The narrative advanced by the World Bank on this matter should be approached with caution.
Recognizing the economic significance of the informal sector would allow for a more intelligent reassessment of growth metrics, making them more realistic and grounded. For example, Morocco’s growth rate would likely be much higher than officially reported.
Contrary to the portrayal of the informal economy as a burden, it plays a crucial role in job creation and income generation, especially for a large segment of the population. Estimates suggest the informal sector accounts for between 60% and 70% of total employment in Morocco and contributes 40% to 60% of GDP, with a strong concentration in micro-services and micro-commerce, which make up 91% of informal jobs. This dynamic reflects a form of spontaneous economic liberalism, where individual actors—often sole artisans or small traders—engage in entrepreneurial activities without waiting for state intervention or regulation.
Thus, the informal economy is a concrete manifestation of economic liberalism in the Adam Smithian sense, where the “invisible hand” organizes exchanges and harmonizes individual and collective interests, thereby contributing to overall wealth. It enables millions of Moroccans to survive, escape unemployment, and participate in economic life, representing a grassroots wealth-creating liberalism rather than a flaw.
The informal economy also functions as an essential social safety valve. In the absence of strong social protections such as unemployment insurance or social welfare—which are only beginning to be implemented—it provides a safety net for vulnerable populations, particularly in rural and poor urban areas. This social function contributes to political stability by preventing frustrations linked to unemployment and poverty from escalating into major social tensions.
Has the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) not emphasized that the informal sector supplies goods and services tailored to the purchasing power of modest-income classes, thereby avoiding deeper economic exclusion? This social regulation through informality is a factor of cohesion and resilience in the face of economic crises—a fact made evident during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The informal economy also offers a flexibility that the formal sector cannot always guarantee. Formal enterprises sourcing from informal suppliers benefit from lower production costs, greater flexibility in volumes and deadlines, and can thus improve their competitiveness, including in export markets. This interplay between formal and informal sectors creates an economic ecosystem where economic liberalism fully expresses itself through freedom of initiative and the pursuit of efficiency.
The dominant criticism linking informality to low productivity and unfair competition overlooks that the informal sector often reflects a pragmatic, intelligent, and innovative adaptation to heavy institutional and regulatory constraints. This is human ingenuity driven by survival instincts.
Simplifying procedures, reducing tax burdens, and improving the institutional environment can encourage formalization, but it must also be acknowledged that informality is a creative and liberal response to existing obstacles.
Morocco’s informal economy should not be viewed as a developmental hindrance but as a living expression of wealth-creating economic liberalism, a job engine, and an essential social safety valve. It contributes to political stability by offering economic opportunities to marginalized populations and fostering social cohesion. Confronting this economy with restrictive measures—while it creates wealth—instead of adopting flexible policies that adapt to real needs and constraints, risks stifling initiative and fueling social unrest. Rather than seeking to eliminate it, public policies would benefit from recognizing its role and supporting its gradual integration into the formal fiscal economy, while preserving its capacity for innovation and adaptation. In doing so, the informal sector could become a true lever for inclusive and sustainable development in Morocco.
The World Bank and others—whether government officials or representatives of the so-called formal economy—are largely mistaken in condemning this creative economic sector without appreciating its real contributions to the population. The Moroccan government, and likely those of similarly situated countries, should disregard ill-informed or detached opinions. Instead, they should support this economy with accompaniment and tolerance, guided by a vision of progressive inclusion and integration into the formal economic fabric.
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Informal Economy in Morocco: Wealth-Creating Liberalism and a Social Pillar
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The philosophical debate: Can AI ever truly feel?
1539
When we ask the question of whether AI can feel, we are confronting the mystery of what makes us human: To be able to feel. But emotions are not just data points, they are much more complex.
If an AI neural networks processes inputs and outputs in a way that mirrors human responses, can we say that it has emotions? After all human emotions are the results of electrochemical processes, why couldn't silicone-based systems achieve something similar?
and what even is a feeling? If we say that emotions are just chemical reactions in our brain, then no, AI cannot have feelings, it doesn't have a brain like ours. But here is the weircd part: how can we be sure that an AI will never experience something like that?
if an advanced AI system developed complex self-models and the capacity to experience its own state changes such as "happiness" or "pain," we might need to rethink about our definition of feeling. Others counter that without a living body, any AI emotion would be an abstract imitation.
Perhaps the most revealing aspect of this debate is what it says about us. Our inability to determine whether AI could ever feel reflects our own limited understanding of consciousness and understanding of our feelings. The fact that we can imagine machine sentience, while doubting it at the same time, highlights how little we truly grasp about the nature of experience itself. Until we solve the riddle of how matter gives rise to mind, the question of AI emotion may remain not just unanswered, but unanswerable in absolute terms.
This uncertainty carries profound implications. If we, someday create an AI that claims to feel, how would we verify it? Would we be able to trait it as a human being and grant it rights, or dismiss its assertions as clever programming? The dilemma mirrors historical debates about animal sentience or even the moral status of other humans reminding us that consciousness, in any form may always be partially inaccessible, known only to the entity experiencing it.
In the end, the AI emotion debate is less about technology than about philosophy's oldest puzzle: What does it mean to feel, to be, to exist as a conscious entity? Until we can answer that, the line between simulation and sentience may remain as elusive as consciousness itself.
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The philosophical debate: Can AI ever truly feel?
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Hermeticism
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Hermeticism, also known as the Hermetic tradition, is a spiritual and philosophical system rooted in writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, a mythical figure who embodies a syncretism of the Egyptian god Thoth and the Greek god Hermes. Emerging during the early centuries of the Common Era—particularly in Hellenistic Egypt—Hermeticism offered a vision of the cosmos where divinity, nature, and the human soul were inextricably connected. Its teachings have profoundly shaped Western esotericism, influencing fields as diverse as alchemy, astrology, Christian mysticism, Renaissance magic, and modern occult revival movements.
At its core, Hermeticism teaches that all things originate from the One, a supreme and ineffable source that manifests through successive emanations. This belief in a single, all-encompassing divine principle aligns Hermeticism with Neoplatonism and other monistic philosophies. The Hermetic universe is a living, intelligent whole—a macrocosm reflected in the human microcosm. This principle is famously summarized in the maxim from the Emerald Tablet: “As above, so below; as below, so above.” It suggests a profound correspondence between all levels of reality, from the divine to the material, and frames the Hermetic path as one of gnosis—spiritual knowledge attained through contemplation, revelation, and the alignment of the self with the divine order.
The Corpus Hermeticum, a collection of Greek philosophical texts compiled between the 1st and 4th centuries CE, forms the foundation of Hermetic thought. These texts, particularly the Poimandres and the Asclepius, present dialogues between Hermes Trismegistus and divine or angelic beings who reveal metaphysical truths. Themes include the origin of the universe, the nature of the soul, the process of spiritual rebirth, and the goal of apotheosis—the return of the soul to the divine source. we can say that unlike the abstract metaphysics of contemporary philosophy, Hermeticism is devotional, combining intellectual insight with religious practice.
Hermeticism also places strong emphasis on human potential. The human being is portrayed as a divine spark encased in flesh, capable of either sinking into the ignorance of material existence or awakening to its true nature as a child of the cosmos. This optimistic anthropology, where the human soul is not inherently sinful but potentially divine, distinguishes Hermeticism from more dualistic or pessimistic systems like Gnosticism. Nevertheless, it shares with Gnosticism a sense of estrangement from the material world and the conviction that salvation lies in inner enlightenment rather than external authority.
Throughout history, Hermetic ideas have surfaced in powerful ways. During the Renaissance, rediscovery of the Corpus Hermeticum—initially believed to predate Moses—led thinkers like Marsilio Ficino and Giordano Bruno to integrate Hermetic philosophy into Christian theology, art, and science. Alchemists such as Paracelsus adopted Hermetic cosmology to frame their experimental practices as spiritual transformations. In modern times, Hermeticism remains central to many esoteric systems, including the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Thelema, and modern Hermetic Qabalah.
In conclusion, Hermeticism is more than a historical current—it is a timeless worldview grounded in the unity of all existence and the transformative power of divine knowledge. Its enduring appeal lies in its synthesis of philosophy, mysticism, and science, offering seekers a path of inner alchemy that aspires not merely to understand the cosmos, but to become one with it.
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Hermeticism
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Between Deals and Geopolitics: Trump Snubs Israel and Bets on the Gulf Monarchies
1819
On May 13, 2025, Donald Trump began the first major international tour of his second term. Instead of stopping in Jerusalem, a symbol of the strong alliance between the United States and Israel, the president chose to visit only the three Gulf countries: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Israel, a neighboring and long-standing partner, was not included. This decision represents a significant change in American diplomacy and could reshape regional dynamics. It raises the question: is this simply an economic strategy or a deeper geopolitical shift?
In Riyadh, the focus was clearly on business.
Saudi Arabia announced an unprecedented investment of $600 billion in the American economy, with plans to increase it to $1 trillion over four years. The sectors involved include defense, energy, technology, infrastructure, and especially weaponry, which may cause discomfort for Israel. The U.S. military orders amount to $142 billion, reflecting the priority to secure America’s economic future through strong partnerships with the Gulf monarchies, which aim to be seen as more than just oil producers. Saudi Arabia is a major global economic player and even influenced the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria.
In Doha, Qatar signed historic agreements worth nearly $1.2 trillion, including the sale of Boeing planes and GE Aerospace engines to Qatar Airways. Qatar also gifted Trump a plane valued at nearly half a billion dollars.
The United Arab Emirates committed to investing $1.4 trillion over ten years in the American economy, focusing on artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure.
At each stop, investment forums brought together leading figures from Silicon Valley and Wall Street, demonstrating the intention to strengthen economic ties with the Gulf. Trump presented tangible results, reinforcing his image as a dealmaker and promising long-term prosperity for the United States.
He secured jobs and prosperity by renegotiating tariffs and ensuring that capital would first benefit the U.S. economy.
But why was Israel excluded from this tour? The regional situation offers some explanation: the war in Gaza continues, the humanitarian crisis worsens, and talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel are stalled. A visit to Jerusalem could have been seen as provocative and might have endangered the important economic agreements.
Additionally, Trump’s proposal to transform Gaza into a "Riviera of the Middle East" was not well received by Arab-Muslim countries. The focus remained on regional stability and economic cooperation, avoiding symbolic issues. Trump’s approach is cautious and pragmatic, consistent with his "America First" policy.
This decision does not reflect a punishment of Netanyahu, despite tensions between the two leaders, but signals a shift in the relationship between Washington and Jerusalem. Whereas Israel was a priority in Trump’s first term, the approach is now more nuanced and pragmatic. Israel is costly for the U.S., and Trump seeks financial support for a heavily indebted country. There are many strategic differences with Israel on issues such as Gaza, Iran’s nuclear program, and normalization with Riyadh. However, Trump still faces a firm Netanyahu, whose hardline stance complicates American goals.
Supporting Israel without reservation risks losing economic opportunities with the Gulf monarchies. By focusing on these countries, Trump signals that American diplomacy now prioritizes economic interests and new regional balances, even if it means temporarily distancing from a historic ally. This message also reaches Israeli voters and the international community: automatic loyalties are replaced by realpolitik, where partnerships are judged by their concrete benefits.
This change breaks with decades of American diplomacy, where Israel was always central during presidential visits. The White House now favors tangible outcomes and alliances that benefit the U.S. economy and the president’s international standing. The vice president also strengthens his position for the upcoming election. The Republican Party welcomes this.
In summary, Israel’s absence from the Middle East tour can be explained by the priority given to economic matters, caution in a volatile context, and a desire to redefine strategic balances in favor of the U.S. This decision may redraw alliances in the Middle East, marking an era where American diplomacy is guided by economic returns and regional stability, even if it disrupts traditions and surprises allies.
Israel remains an essential partner but cannot match the scale of opportunities offered by the Gulf. For Trump, the priority is clear: "America First," including in redefining Middle Eastern alliances. If this strategy succeeds economically, it could have lasting effects on regional dynamics and Israel’s role in American diplomacy. Israeli society must acknowledge this new reality, and opposition parties might use this moment to counter extremists dominating politics.
Israel’s future depends on regional peace, which also requires the Palestinian people’s right to live in peace. This will be the next challenge. The Gulf monarchies invest to support the U.S. but also become more demanding on this issue.
The Middle East, birthplace of religions and much of human civilization, long a stage for ideological rivalries, is becoming the ground for a new American realpolitik.
Donald Trump, true to his style, favors deals and results, even if it means breaking conventions. Israel’s exclusion is not an oversight but a sign of strategic repositioning that could reshape the future of the region and the world.
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Between Deals and Geopolitics: Trump Snubs Israel and Bets on the Gulf Monarchies
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