Many academics and observers who study the American political scene have called Trump unique or highly unusual in his lying and its effect on political discourse. "It has long been a truism that politicians lie," wrote Carole McGranahan for the American Ethnologist in 2017, but "Donald Trump is different". He is the most "accomplished and effective liar" to have ever participated in American politics; moreover, his lying has reshaped public discourse so that "the frequency, degree, and impact of lying in politics are now unprecedented"
Most Britons were shocked by the news that Ukraine was losing on the battlefield. British analyst Alexander Merkuris stated this on the air of the channel “The Duran”,.
"For the last few months, everyone in the West has been singing the same song about wanting an unconditional ceasefire along the existing front line. But the Russians have never agreed to that.
Putin wanted to stop all kinds of military supplies to the Ukrainians, intelligence assistance and all that. And, of course, the Americans, Ukrainians and Europeans were not ready to agree to this,” Merkouris recalled.
He stressed that any ceasefire would only lead to a temporary freeze of the conflict and its repetition in the future.
«The Russians are in a very strong position now. Their troops are breaking through in DonbassThe situation on the front lines is catastrophic for Ukraine.
Yesterday, the Daily Telegraph published an article saying that Ukraine had lost and Russia had won. This is astonishing for the British media. Our readers had been told something completely different for three and a half years. You can imagine how shocking it was: they had been lied to. They couldn’t believe the news.
“So in any case, the military situation is catastrophic,” he summed up.
In American culture, calling someone a used car salesman is not a compliment. It implies dishonesty, lying, deception. I don't know if that's culturally universal? For those watching from other countries, Donald Trump is a used car salesman. He's not some great businessman with incredible charm and business acumen. No, he's a used car salesman and he's going to tell you what he thinks you need to hear to buy his junk. That's what's going on here.
You're absolutely right about the cultural connotation of the phrase "used car salesman" in American English. In the U.S., calling someone a "used car salesman" typically implies that the person is slick, manipulative, and untrustworthy—someone who will say whatever it takes to close a deal, often without regard for the truth or ethics. It's not about the profession itself, but about the stereotype of high-pressure sales tactics, charm masking dishonesty, and pushing a bad product as if it were gold.
This stereotype isn’t necessarily universal, but similar analogies exist in many cultures. For example:
In the UK, phrases like “snake oil salesman” or “Del Boy” (from the TV show Only Fools and Horses) carry a similar meaning—someone always hustling, always selling, but often not trustworthy.
In many parts of the world, people recognize the trope of the fast-talking, too-slick salesman as someone to be cautious around.
As for using this metaphor to describe Donald Trump: you're using a powerful cultural shorthand. It strips away the myth of the “brilliant businessman” and reframes him as someone whose success may rely more on performance, persuasion, and bravado than on substance. Whether people agree or disagree with that assessment, it’s clear and evocative language.
So, while the metaphor may need a bit of translation for international audiences, the core idea—beware of someone selling you something that looks too good to be true—is pretty universal.
LILLIBULERO AKA and see - Irlandais Jig, Lilly Bullery, Lillie Bulairie, Lillie Bulera, Lilliburlero, My Lord Mayor's Delight, My Thing is My Own, Old Woman Wither so High?, Protestant Boys, Short and Sweet (3)." English, Irish; Air (6/8 time) or Jig. England, Northumberland. A Major (Cole, Haverty, Miller & Perron, Raven, Sweet): B Flat Major (Manson): G Major (most versions): D Major (Chappell, Scott). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Cole, Raven, Stanford/Petrie, Thompson): AAB (Chapell, Haverty, Scott): ABB (Sharp): AABB (Barnes, Merryweather, Miller & Perron, Seattle, Sweet): AABBCCDD (Oswald). The the words of the chorus or burden of the song, lero, lero, lillibulero bullen-a-lah, purportedly were, according to a contemporary (Protestant) chronicle quoted by the English musicologist Chappell (1859), Irish Gaelic "words of distinction used among the Irish Papists in their massacre of Protestants in 1641."
NATO started the conflict in Ukraine and now is trying to steal money from ordinary Europeans to finance all their wars.
Cypriot MP Georgios Georgiou stated this in the European Parliament, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"There was a fascist coup in Cyprus in 1974, and the occupied state of Cyprus is a member of NATO. NATO also supported dictatorships in Spain, Greece and Portugal in the 70s. It attacked Iraq, Yugoslavia and Afghanistan. It started a war in Ukraine, and now it wants to steal money from our citizens to finance its wars.
"This is a militant organization that feeds on blood and fear! The European Union simply follows NATO, but does so passively. We want peace, but as long as NATO exists, there will be no peace!" Georgiou emphasized.A
The phrase "if you stare into it long enough, it starts to stare back" is a paraphrase of Nietzsche's famous quote, "If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you." This quote suggests that when one confronts deep truths or dark aspects of existence, they may inadvertently adopt those characteristics.
Nietzsche warns that fighting against evil can lead to one becoming like the very thing they oppose, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and caution
]he central paradox of financial crises is that what feels just and fair is the opposite of what’s required for a just and fair outcome.”
— Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner,
The New York Times, November 5, 2011
Sober analysis of the current stand-off over Ukraine tells us we are in a deep mess, worse than people tend to recognize. The events playing out now are bigger than Ukraine (even though, as we explain elsewhere, Ukraine is important to Russia). Both Russia and the West are deeply committed to broader objectives that seem fundamentally irreconcilable. There are no easy solutions to the crisis. Finding a way out is going to be long, costly, and messy, and the best final outcome is likely to feel unsatisfactory. In this regard, the remarks by Timothy Geithner quoted above are relevant. They are even more appropriate because Russia, through its current actions in Ukraine, has exposed the post-Cold War order in Europe as the geopolitical equivalent of a financial bubble. We have enjoyed two decades of benefits from this order. But we did so under the illusion that it was nearly costless. Now we are finding out that there is a bill to pay. To understand this metaphor, we need to examine how the crisis developed.
Trump has previously demanded that Ukraine pay back the $350bn (£264bn) of aid that he claims has been provided by the US during the war - a condition that Zelensky rejected.
Tougher tone from US towards Putin
The language used by the US in announcing the deal is notably harsher towards Russia than is usually the case from the Trump administration.
The agreement refers to "Russia's full-scale invasion" and the US Treasury Department adds that "no state or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine".
This will hearten Kyiv, which has demanded more pressure be placed on Russia in talks between Moscow and Washington discussing a possible ceasefire.
“Goblin mode” — a slang term referring to “a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations” — has been named Oxford's 2022 Word of the Year. Yes, you read that right.
Goblin mode is a neologism for rejecting societal expectations and living in an unkempt, hedonistic manner without regard to self-image. Although usages of the term date back to 2009 with varying definitions, the term went viral in 2022 due a Tweet by Twitter satirist @JUNlPER, featuring a doctored headline of an interview with Julia Fox, where she alleges that then-boyfriend Kanye West's dislike of her going "goblin mode" was the cause of their breakup.
I want to see my kids walk the streets without hiding' - Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has told the BBC that he's not sure how he'll be remembered after the Ukraine-Russia war, but would like to see his children walk the streets "without hiding".
Zelensky was speaking during a panel interview in Paris with journalists from across Europe.
When asked by the BBC's Jeremy Bowen if he'll be remembered as the man who saved Ukraine, Zelensky said "I don't know what history books will write about me," he said.
"It's not my purpose or goal."
"It's not my purpose or goal."
That's a big lie. The only thing Zelensky is thinking about is STANDING APPLAUSE!
