Things I learned this week (part 1)

On a wider worldwide scale: everything has gone to s**t.  If 2016 wasn't horrible enough already, Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton to win the US election.  I wasn't entirely surprised with the result - after the Brexit referendum result, nothing in the world surprises me: but it's just another reminder that conventional left vs right politics is over, and it's now all about intolerance vs compassion.  I still hope for the triumph of goodness in the world, but the past week hasn't given me much to be hopeful about.