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How Murphy's Law Works

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You're sitting in eight lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic . You're more than ready to get home, but you notice, to your great dismay, that all of the other lanes seem to be moving. You change lanes. But once you do, the cars in your new lane come to a dead halt. At a standstill, you notice every lane on the highway (including the one you just left) is moving -- except yours.

Welcome to the aggravating world of Murphy's Law. This idiom says that whatever can go wrong will go wrong. And it may just be right. This isn't because of some mysterious power the law possesses. In reality, it's us who give Murphy's Law relevance. When life goes well, little is made of it. After all, we expect that things should work out in our favor. But when things go badly, we look for reasons.

Think about walking. How many times have you reached a destination and thought, "Wow, I walk really well"? But when you trip over a curb and skin your knee, it's a pretty good bet you'll wonder why this had to happen to you.

Murphy's Law taps into our tendency to dwell on the negative and overlook the positive. It seems to poke fun at us for being such hotheads, and it uses the rules of probability -- the mathematical likeliness that something will occur -- to support itself.

The law captures our imagination. Murphy's Law and its offshoots have been collected in books and Web sites. Several bands are named after Murphy's Law, and it's also a popular name for Irish pubs and taverns around the world. It was also used as the title of an action movie .

But Murphy's Law is a relatively new concept, dating back to the middle of the last century. Magician Adam Hull Shirk wrote in the 1928 essay, "On Getting Out of Things," that in a magic act, nine out of 10 things that can go wrong usually will [source: American Dialect Society ]. Even before this, it was called Sod's Law, which states that any bad thing that can happen to some poor sod will. In fact, Murphy's Law is still referred to as Sod's Law in England [source: Murphy's Laws ].

In this article, we'll explore Murphy's Law, its consequences and the impact it's had on our world. In the next section, we'll look at the story behind Murphy's Law.

Who was Captain Edward A. Murphy Jr.?

Other universal truths, fatalism and the appeal of murphy's law, preventing murphy's law.

Believe it or not, there really was a Murphy, and he lived in the United States until his death in 1990. Captain Edward A. Murphy Jr. was an engineer in the Air Force . Although he took part in other engineering design tests throughout both his military and civilian careers, it was one test that he attended -- almost as a fluke -- that gave rise to Murphy's Law.

In 1949, at Edwards Air Force Base in California, officers were conducting project MX981 tests to determine once and for all how many Gs -- the force of gravity -- a human being could withstand. They hoped that their findings could be applied to future airplane designs.

The project team used a rocket sled dubbed the "Gee Whiz" to simulate the force of an airplane crash . The sled traveled more than 200 miles per hour down a half-mile track, coming to an abrupt stop in less than a second. The problem was that, in order to find out just how much force a person could take, the team needed an actual person to experience it. Enter Colonel John Paul Stapp. Stapp was a career physician for the Air Force, and he volunteered to ride the rocket sled. Over the course of several months, Stapp took ride after physically grueling ride. He was subjected to broken bones, concussions and broken blood vessels in his eyes , all in the name of science [source: Spark].

Murphy attended one of the tests, bearing a gift: a set of sensors that could be applied to the harness that held Dr. Stapp to the rocket sled. These sensors were capable of measuring the exact amount of G-force applied when the rocket sled came to a sudden stop, making the data more reliable.

There are several stories about what happened that day, and about who exactly contributed what to the creation of Murphy's Law, but what follows is a good approximation of what happened.

The first test after Murphy hooked up his sensors to the harness produced a reading of zero -- all of the sensors had been connected incorrectly. For each sensor, there were two ways of connecting them, and each one was installed the wrong way.

When Murphy discovered the mistake, he grumbled something about the technician, who was allegedly blamed for the foul-up. Murphy said something along the lines of, "If there are two ways to do something, and one of those ways will result in disaster, he'll do it that way" [source: Improbable Research].

Shortly thereafter, Murphy headed back to Wright Airfield where he was stationed. But Stapp, a man who was known for his sense of humor and quick wit, recognized the universality of what Murphy had said, and in a press conference he mentioned that the rocket sled team's good safety record had been due to its awareness of Murphy's Law. He told the press that it meant "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong" [source: The Jargon File ].

That was all it took. Murphy's Law turned up in aerospace publications and shortly thereafter made its way into popular culture, including being made into a book in the 1970s.

Since then, the law has been added to and expanded upon. In the next section, we'll look at some of Murphy's Laws interpretations and consequences.

Although Murphy's Law captures the jaded, pessimistic view of the world very well, it doesn't stand alone. Since its popularization following the rocket sled tests at Edwards Air Force Base, shrewd observers have come up with some of their own laws.

Some have become famous in their own right, like the Peter Principle, which states that all people will eventually be promoted to their level of incompetence, or O'Toole's Commentary on Murphy's Law, which argues that Murphy was an optimist. There are literally thousands of rules, laws, principles and observations that have been created since Murphy's Law. Some are funny, some are wise and some are just plain cool. Others are old, tried-and-true observations:

• Etorre's Observation - The other line moves faster.
• Barth's Distinction - There are two types of people in the world: those who divide people into types and those who don't.
• Acton 's Law - Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely
• Boob's Law - You always find something in the last place you look.
• Clarke's Third Law - Any sufficiently advanced society is indistinguishable from magic.
• Franklin 's Rule - Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he will not be disappointed.
• Issawi's Law of the Path of Progress - A shortcut is the longest distance between two points.
• Mencken's Law - Those who can, do. Those who cannot, teach.
• Patton's Law - A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.

Each of these sayings explains some aspect of the universe and puts it into an easily understood (and often funny) form. Even so, Murphy's Law remains the granddaddy of all maxims. What is it about this law that we find so perfectly captures life? In the next section, we'll look at why Murphy's Law is such a universal concept.

So why is Murphy's Law such a sound universal concept? After all, when approaching an electrical socket with a two-pronged plug engineered to only fit one way, we have a 50-percent chance of getting it right. Then again, we have a 50-percent chance of getting it wrong, too. Perhaps the best explanation for our attraction to Murphy's Law is an underlying sense of fatalism.

Fatalism is the idea that we're all powerless to the whims of fate. This notion says that the things that happen to us are unavoidable, for example, that skinned knee. It's the idea that there's some kind of universal law at work that takes a certain glee at toying with us.

Fatalism contradicts another concept -- free will. This is the idea that humans possess free will and that all of our choices, along with the consequences that come with those choices, are our own.

Perhaps our connection to Murphy's Law is the result of the collision between free will and fatalism. On the one hand, Murphy's Law reveals to us our own undeniable stupidity. If given a chance to do something wrong, we'll do so around half of the time. But that comes from our own choices. On the other hand, Murphy's Law also reveals to us our lack of control, as in the case of always seeming to be stuck in the slowest lane of traffic .

Murphy's Law doesn't prove anything. It doesn't even explain anything. It simply states a maxim: that things will go wrong. But we forget that there are other forces at work when we consider Murphy's Law. Allegedly, It was the author Rudyard Kipling who said that no matter how many times you drop a slice of bread, it always seems to land on the floor butter-side down. Kipling, the author of "The Jungle Book," among others, was making an observation that most of us can relate to: Life is hard, almost to a laughable degree.

But with a buttered slice of bread, you must take into account the fact that one side is heavier than another. This means that on the way to the ground, the heavy side will flip toward the ground thanks to gravity , but it will not flip all the way around back to the top for the same reason. It is, after all, heavier than the side without the butter. So Kipling was right -- a piece of buttered bread will always land butter-side down.

In the next section, we'll look at Murphy's Law in math and science, and how the law can make the things we create safer and more reliable. ­

Murphy's Law is actually supported by an accepted natural law: entropy. This law is used most often in the study of thermodynamics -- how energy changes from one form to another -- and says that, in our universe, systems tend to end up in disorder and disarray. Entropy, also called the second law of thermodynamics , supports Murphy's Law's claim that whatever can go wrong, will.

While most of us appreciate Murphy's Law for its ability to explain our sense of helplessness during certain events, others see it as a tool. At least one person sees it as a mathematical equation that can predict the chances of processes going awry. Joel Pel, a biological engineer at the University of British Columbia created a formula that predicts the occurrence of Murphy's Law.

The formula uses a constant equal to one, a factor that is unconstant, and a few variables. In this formula, Pel uses the importance of the event (I), the complexity of the system involved (C), the urgency of the need for the system to work (U) and the frequency the­ system is used (F).

In an essay he wrote for Science Creative Quarterly, Pel uses the example of predicting the occurrence of Murphy's Law when a driver needs to drive his Toyota Tercel a distance of about 60 miles to his home in a rainstorm without the clutch going out. Using Murphy's Equation, Pel comes up with an answer of 1, meaning the clutch on the Tercel will definitely go out in a rainstorm. While anyone familiar with a Tercel might've seen that coming, it's somehow comforting to know that it can also be predicted mathematically [source: Science Creative Quarterly ].

Murphy's Law reminds engineers, computer programmers and scientists of a simple truth: systems fail. In some cases, a system's failure means that the experiment must be repeated. In other cases, the results of a failure can be much more costly.

NASA has learned this over and over again. The space agency has had numerous failures, and although the number is proportionately small to its successes, the failures are often very costly. Ironically, in the case of one unmanned orbiting vessel, a set of sensors had two ways of being connected and -- just as with Murphy's original Gee Whiz test-- the sensors were all connected incorrectly. When the sensors failed to operate the way they were designed, the parachutes that were meant to slow the spacecraft down didn't open, and the orbiter crashed into the desert [source: MSNBC ].

It's an instance like this, in conjunction with an awareness of Murphy's Law that has caused designers to install fail-safes . There are examples of fail-safes all around us. Some are systems that use limited choices to reduce errors, like the mismatched prong sizes on an electrical plug. Others are mechanisms that prevent matters from going from bad to worse, like lawnmowers that have levers that must be held down in order for the mower to operate. If the person operating the mower lets go of the lever, the lawnmower stops running.

Fail-safes are also referred to as "idiot-proof." But Murphy's Law still has a tendency to strike, even when care has been taken to ensure against failure or catastrophe. This leads us to the last law we'll relate to Murphy's: Grave's Law, which states, "If you make something idiot-proof, the world will create a better idiot."

For lots more information on Murphy's Law, including related articles and links, check out the next page.

Murphy’s Law FAQ

What is murphy's law, is murphy's law true, what is the opposite of murphy’s law, does murphy’s law predict something bad will happen, can you avoid murphy’s law, lots more information, related howstufworks articles.

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More Great Links

• Murphy's Law Quiz
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• Hecht, Jeff. "Murphy's Law honoured - 50 years late." New Scientist. October 3, 2003. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4231.html
• Pel, Joel. "The Murphy's Law Equation." The Science Creative Quarterly. September 07-April 08. http://www.scq.ubc.ca/the-murphys-law-equation/
• Spark, Nick T. "Why Everything You Know About Murphy's Law Is Wrong." Improbable Research. http://www.improb.com/airchives/paperair/volume9/v9i5/murphy/murphy0.html
• "Murphy's Law." http://catb.org/jargon/html/M/Murphys-Law.html
• "Murphy's Law." Socyberty. http://www.socyberty.com/Folklore/Murphys-Law.40228
• "Murphy's Law." http://userpage.chemie.fu-berlin.de/diverse/murphy/murphy_e.html
• "Murphy's Laws and Corollaries." http://roso.epfl.ch/dm/murphy.html
• "Murphy's Laws Origin." http://www.murphys-laws.com/murphy/murphy-true.html

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10 Versions of Murphy's Law for Universal 'Truths'

'If Something Can Go Wrong, It Will' Is Only the Beginning

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People fascinated by the capriciousness of the universe must find Murphy's Law and its variations interesting. Murphy's Law is the name given to any  adage  stating that if anything can go wrong, it will. 

Interpretations of the adage were found in documents dating to the early 19th century. It grew in popularity when Edward Murphy, an engineer working on a project at Edwards Air Force Base, found a technical error made by one of the junior technicians and said, "If there's any way to do it wrong, he will find it." Dr. John Paul Stapp, who was involved with the project, made a note of the universality of errors and fabricated a law, which he titled "Murphy's Law." Later, in a press conference, when reporters asked him how they had avoided accidents, Stapp mentioned that they adhered to Murphy's Law, which helped them steer away from commonly made mistakes. Word soon spread about Murphy's Law, and the term was born.

The original law has many offshoots, all similar in nature.

The Original Murphy's Law

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"If something can go wrong, it will."

This is the original, classic Murphy's law, which points to the universal nature of ineptitude that results in bad outcomes. Instead of looking at this adage with a pessimistic view, think of it as a word of caution: Don't overlook quality control and don't accept mediocrity, because a small slip is enough to cause a catastrophe.

Misplaced Articles

"You never find a lost article until you replace it."

Whether it's a missing report, a set of keys, or a sweater, you can expect to find it right after you replace it, according to this variation of Murphy's Law.

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"Matter will be damaged in direct proportion to its value."

Have you noticed that the most valuable items are irretrievably damaged, while things you don't care about last forever? So take care of those things you value most because they're most likely to be ruined. 

"Smile. Tomorrow will be worse."

Ever believe in a better tomorrow? According to this version of Murphy's Law, you can never be sure whether your tomorrow will be better than today. Make the most of today; that's all that matters. Though there's a touch of pessimism here, this law teaches us to appreciate what we have instead of focusing on a better future. 

Solving Problems

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"Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse."

Isn't this a common occurrence? Problems left unsolved can only get more complicated. If you don't sort out your differences with your partner , things only get worse from that point on. The lesson to remember with this law is that you can't ignore a problem. Resolve it before things get out of hand.

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"Enough research will tend to support your theory."

Here's a version of Murphy's Law that needs careful contemplation. Does it mean every concept can be proved to be a theory if adequate research is done? Or if you believe in an idea, you can provide enough research to back it? The real question is whether you can look at your research from a neutral viewpoint.

Appearances

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"The opulence of the front office decor varies inversely with the fundamental solvency of the firm."

Appearances can be deceptive is the message of this variation of Murphy's Law. A shiny apple could be rotten inside. Don't get taken in by opulence and glamour. The truth may be far from what you see.

"Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch to be sure."

When a fact is difficult to contest, people accept it at face value. When you present a fact that can be easily verified or refuted, however, people want to be sure. Why? Because humans tend to take overwhelming information for granted. They don't have the resources or the presence of mind to work out the veracity of a tall claim.

Time Management

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"The first 90 percent of a project takes 90 percent of the time; the last 10 percent takes the other 90 percent of the time."

Though a variation of this quote is attributed to Tom Cargill of Bell Labs, it's also considered Murphy's Law. It's a humorous take on how many projects overshoot the deadline. Project time can't always be allocated in mathematical proportions. Time expands to fill the space, while it also seems to contract when you need it most. This is similar to Parkinson's Law, which states: "Work expands to fill the time available for its completion." However, according to Murphy's Law, work expands beyond the allocated time.

Working Under Pressure

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"Things get worse under pressure."

Don't we all know how true this is? When you try to force things to work in your favor, they are apt to get worse. If you're parenting a teenager, you have already worked this out. The more pressure you apply, the less likely you are to be successful.

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• Murphy’s Law

What is Murphy’s Law?

Murphy's Law is based on this. “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong,”. It also states that if there are two or more ways to do anything and one of them potentially result in disaster, someone will do it.

But the expression that most conveys the explosive nature of Murphy's Law is without a doubt the notion that no matter what you do, you will invariably make the incorrect choice, and it may just be right.

On the other hand, we can use Murphy's Law in our daily lives. Makes little fuss when things go well. Finally, we expect things to go our way. But when things go wrong, we look for a reason. It's something to think about, but there is no evidence to back up Murphy's Law itself. It's all about how people see it. The Law catches our attention.

Have you ever had one of those days before? You wake up and fall out of bed while you're bundled up in the sheets. On your way to the shower, you're going over your skateboard and then you're going to stick your toe to the door jamb.

As soon as you get your hair lathered with a shampoo, all the hot water is running out. As you come out of the shivering tub, you remember you forgot to take a towel. Can you get any worse this morning? It seems that anything that could go wrong this morning has actually gone wrong. Whether you've ever had a day like this, you 're probably already acquainted with Murphy's Law. Murphy's Law is the language that means that if anything can go wrong, it will. Is there any truth to this, though? And who's that Murphy anyway?

The idea at the heart of Murphy's Law reflects the basic pessimism of life that many people point to and find comfort in when things just don't go their way. The concept is also broadened. Variations of Murphy's Law have been around for several years and come under several different titles, like Sod 's Rule, Finagle 's Law, the Fourth Thermodynamics Law, Newton 's Fourth Motion Law, and the Inverse Midas Contact. Most of them were in use long before the word Murphy's Law became common.

In fact, Murphy's Law is generally credited to Captain Edward A. Murphy, Jr. Captain Murphy was an air force engineer who took part in a deceleration test at Edwards Air Force Base in California in 1949. During the check, Captain Murphy discovered that all 16 deceleration sensors had been improperly mounted. Each sensor could be mounted in two ways, and the sensor was incorrectly mounted in either case. Basically, if anything could go wrong, that's what it did. Murphy said something to that effect, others echoed it, and the theory has since become more widely known as Murphy's Law.

In our universe, according to the Law of entropy, systems naturally tend to end up in disorder.

Although this might be valid on a wide scale over time, it certainly doesn't justify why you tripped over your skateboard or ran out of hot water in the shower! 

Forsyth’s Second Corollary to Murphy’s Laws

“Just when you see the light at the end of the tunnel, the roof caves in.”

O’Toole’s Commentary on Murphy’s Laws

“Murphy was an optimist.”

Brook’s Law

“If at first, you don’t succeed, transform your data set.”

When the bread is dropped, it will always land butter-side down

When you wash your car, it will rain right away

When you wait in line, the other line will always move faster than yours

Many people will see this Law as a way to be pessimistic about life. It isn't true at all. Having a good understanding of Murphy's Law can help people who lose to better deal with the problems and challenges that life throws at them.

Murphy's Law helps us think about the future and make plans for it, so we can be ready for it. To help plan a project, it helps to look at the risks. When you think about things differently or predict that something will go wrong, you use practical creativity. The Law almost makes us ready for Plan B.

FAQs on Murphy’s Law

1. Who Invented Murphy’s Law?

Dr. John Stapp. The phrase was coined in an adverse reaction to something Murphy said when his devices failed to perform and were eventually cast into its present form a few months later — the first ever (of many) given by Dr. John Stapp, a U.S. Colonel of the Air Force and Flight Surgeon in the 1950s.

2. How Does Murphy's Law Work?

Murphy's Law is a familiar adage that states that "things will go wrong in any given situation, if you give them a chance," or more generally, "whatever goes wrong will go wrong." A variety of versions of the concept have been developed, as have many corollaries.

3. Explain in brief the history of Murphy’s Law?

In 1949, at Edwards Air Force Base's North Base, Murphy's Law ("If anything can go wrong, it will") was born.

It was named after Capt. Edward A. Murphy, who was an engineer on Air Force Project MX981, found how much abrupt deceleration a person might tolerate during a collision.

He scolded the technician responsible one day after discovering that a transducer was wired incorrectly, saying, "If there's any way to do it poorly, he'll find it."

The project manager for the contractor compiled a list of "rules" and added this one, which he dubbed Murphy's Law.

4. State all the Laws of Murphy.

First Law:  

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Second Law:  

Nothing is as easy as it looks.

Third Law:  

Everything takes longer than you think it will.

Fourth Law:   

If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.

Fifth Law:  

If anything simply cannot go wrong, it will anyway.

Sixth Law:  

If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop.

Seventh Law:  

Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse.

Eighth Law:  

If everything seems to be going well, you have overlooked something.

Ninth Law:  

Nature always sides with hidden fLaws.

Murphy's Tenth Law:  

Mother nature is a bitch.

Murphy's Eleventh Law:  

It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.

Murphy's Twelfth Law:  

Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.

Murphy's Thirteenth Law:  

Every solution breeds new problems.

Murphy's Fourteenth Law:  

If anything can't go wrong on its own, someone will make it go wrong.

5. How does Murphy Law work?

When things are going well in life, not much is said about it. After all, we anticipate that things will go our way. When things go wrong, though, we hunt for reasons.

Consider going for a walk. How often have you arrived at a destination and thought to yourself, "Wow, I walk pretty good." However, if you trip over a curb and scrape your knee, you're likely to question why this had to happen to you.

Murphy's Law takes advantage of our tendency to focus on the negative while overlooking the positive. It appears to mock us for being such jerks, and it relies on probability principles to support itself. Probability is the mathematical possibility of anything occurring.

6. Who was Murphy?

Captain Edward A. Murphy Jr. was an engineer in the Air Force. Even though he took part in numerous engineering design tests throughout his military and civilian jobs, Murphy's Law was born out of one test that he attended almost by accident.

Murphy's Law first appeared in aerospace journals and quickly gained traction in popular culture, culminating in the release of a book in the 1970s.

The Law has been expanded since then.

7. Is there any other Law to support Murphy Law? 

Murphy's Law is backed up by a well-known natural Law: entropy. This Law, which states that in our universe, systems tend to end up in disorder and disarray, is most commonly utilized in the study of Thermodynamics - how energy transfers from one form to another. Entropy, commonly known as the Second Law of Thermodynamics, backs up Murphy's Law, which states that anything that may go wrong will.

• Murphy’s Law

Murphy’s Law is basically a very optimistic law which states that if anything can go wrong, it will. If it cannot go wrong, it will go wrong anyway. So, basically, this is the basic premise of the law. Through this law, we will go through what the meaning of this law is and its history. Moving on, we will also take a look at the different views on this law and some examples as well.

Introduction to Murphy’s Law

Murphy’s law states that:

“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”.

Allegedly, another correct and original reading of this law states that if there are two or more ways of doing something, and one of them can cause a catastrophe , then someone will do it.

However, the statement which best expresses the explosive nature of this law is certainly the idea that you will make the wrong choice, without a doubt, and whatever you decide, it may just be right.

So, this is not because some mysterious which this law possesses. In fact, we can give the law its importance based on our day to day life. When things go well, we do not really make anything of it.

In the end, we expect that things must out in our favour. However, when life is going bad, we look for reasons. So, you see that it is food for thought but there is hardly any evidence for supporting the law itself. It all comes down to perception and Murphy’s law captivates our imagination.

History of Murphy’s Law

The alleged perversity of the universe has been a subject of comment for long, and forerunners to the modern version of Murphy’s law can be easily found. The members of the American Dialect Society have conducted significant research in this area.

Stephen Goranson, a member of this society, has found a version of the law, not yet generalized or bearing that name, in a report by Alfred Holt at a meeting of an engineering society in 1877.

It states that anything that can go wrong at sea usually does go wrong sooner or later, so it is not to be speculated that owners prefer the safe to the scientific. We can hardly lay any significant stress on the advantages of simplicity.

We cannot safely neglect the human factor in planning machinery. If you want to gain attention, the engine must be such that the engineer will be disposed to attend to it.

The contemporary form of Murphy’s law goes back as far as 1952, as an epigraph to a mountaineering book by John Sack, who described it as an “ancient mountaineering adage” saying that ‘anything that can possibly go wrong, does.’

Views on Murphy’s Law

As per the British ethologist and biologist, Richard Dawkins, these so-called laws like Murphy’s and Sod’s law do not make any sense. It is because they need inanimate objects to have desires o their own, if not to react as per one’s own desires.

He states that a particular class of events may take place all the time but we notice them only when they start to bother us. He gives an example of aircraft noise which interferes with filming.

We see aircraft in the sky all time but we only notice them when they cause a problem. This is a kind of confirmation bias where the investigator looks for evidence for confirming his ideas which are already formed but don’t look for evidence that contradicts them.

Likewise, a renowned professor and senior research investigator at Imperial College London, David Hand, noted that the law of truly large numbers must lead one to anticipate the type of events predicted by Murphy’s law to happen occasionally.

Thus, selection bias will guarantee that we remember those ones and the number of times Murphy’s law was not true are forgotten. There have been relentless references to Murphy’s law connecting it with the laws of thermodynamics from early on.

Specifically, Murphy’s law is frequently cited as a form of the second law of thermodynamics (the law of entropy) since both are foretelling a tendency to a more disorganised state.

Atanu Chatterjee examined this idea when he formally this law in mathematical terms. He found that Murphy’s law so stated could be invalidated when we use the principle of least action.

Example of Murphy’s Law

In today’s culture, there are numerous examples which have been accepted all over the world. For instance, if you apply butter on the bread and it slips from your hand, it will always land butter-side down.

Further, when you wash your car, it will definitely rain . Next, when you are standing in a queue, the other line will always move faster than yours. A lot of people will obviously interpret this law as a pessimistic take of life.

In reality, they couldn’t be further from the truth. Like, one who loses can take advantage of this law for helping prepare better for the unanticipated problems and challenges which we face in our life.

In other words, Murphy’s law assists us in analyzing and preparing for the future. It helps in project planning as well because we are able to evaluate the risk beforehand. Similarly, it also includes practical creativity by exploring the other way of thinking and to predict that something will go wrong. You can say, it basically prepares us with a Plan B.

FAQ on Murphy’s Law

Question 1: Why does Richard Dawkins consider this law nonsense?

Answer 1: The British ethologist and biologist, Richard Dawkins, says that these so-called laws like Murphy’s do not make any sense. It is because they need inanimate objects to have desires o their own, if not to react as per one’s own desires. He states that a particular class of events may take place all the time but we notice them only when they start to bother us.

Question 2: Give some examples of Murphy’s law?

Answer 2: Some examples of Murphy’s law are if you apply butter on the bread and it slips from your hand, it will always land butter-side down. Further, when you wash your car, it will definitely rain. Next, when you are standing in a queue, the other line will always move faster than yours.

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Weeks After Embracing His Love for Villians, Cillian Murphy Set to Essay a Bad Guy From ‘Far Cry 7'

A testament of changing times for cinephiles is the fact that Cillian Murphy is no more an underrated actor. Post his Oscar victory with the nuclear bomb that was Oppenheimer , the man stands tall as not just a Best Actor awardee but also as a box office magnet. Although his supporters could not be happier at the recognition, their eyebrows furrowed in wonder over what route he would take next. And judging by the recent Far Cry 7 rumors, it may not be a very bright place.

In a genre defining crossover, Cillian Murphy's desire to play an antagonist has allegedly come around the same time as the Far Cry 7 casting.

Cillian Murphy starring as an antagonist may not be a Far Cry anymore

Cillian Murphy has always chosen roles that not only challenge him but also stand unique in the sea of characters. More often than not, the Oscar winner's characters fall into the gray zone owing to their complexity. However, in a recent interview with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the actor expressed his desire to play a bad guy again. Not much later, a serial leaker by the name of jOnathan on X revealed that Cillian Murphy may be the antagonist of Far Cry 7 .

The leaker posted a picture of Murphy alongside a dynamite with a 72-hour countdown on it, the number '7', and an animated crab. While this was accompanied by a cryptic caption that read " If nothing changes by then ," in French, fans are pretty convinced that this leak might be the real deal. The scooper has earlier proven with his reliable leaks of Assassin's Creed Mirage that he is rarely ever wrong.

Apart from the word of the scooper, another reason why fans believe that Cillian Murphy will become the villain of Far Cry 7 is the video game series' long line of big-name antagonists.

Murphy to follow the path of Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad actors

Released in 2004, Ubisoft's Far Cry franchise has come to be one of the most loved open-world video game franchises of all time. The last release came in 2021 with Far Cry 6 with Giancarlo Esposito from Breaking Bad taking the form of one of the most menacing villains in game history. Since 2021, the circumstances around the release of a Far Cry 7 have always remained unpredictable, however with a name as big as that of Murphy's being considered, fans believe it will make the cut sooner or later.

While not much is known about the role or the plot of Far Cry 7 , judging by the characters of Better Call Saul's  Michael Mando and Breaking Bad 's Giancarlo Esposito, it could bring back the glory days of Murphy as Scarecrow. Despite the relatively reliable sources, there has been no official confirmation regarding whether the Oscar-winning actor is ready to once again crossover to the bad side.

Do you think Cillian Murphy will make a good villain for Far Cry 7 ? Let us know in the comments below.

'Law & Order' Tackled This Real-Life Crime Before Ryan Murphy Could

How will Ryan Murphy's new series top it?

The Big Picture

• Ryan Murphy, known for his true crime depictions, is adding a season to his Monster series depicting the Menendez brothers' case.
• The Netflix show will focus more on events before the murders, feature top-tier actors, and explore new evidence from the case, but it is not the first series to explore this famous murder.
• In 2017, Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders covered the events, but Murphy's series is expected to delve into graphic violence, disturbing abuse flashbacks, and unique details not covered in previous adaptations.

Ryan Murphy is a master when it comes to depicting true crime events. His first entry into his Monster series was the story of the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer . The Netflix show aired in 2022 and earned 13 Emmy nominations. So, it's no surprise that Murphy would want to add another season to his hit anthology . This upcoming season will be titled Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story . Many people are already familiar with the horrifying case of the Menendez brothers from 1989, but not everyone will remember that the case was already dramatized for television audiences in recent years.

In 2017, an 8-episode series called Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders aired on NBC. It starred Edie Falco as Attorney Leslie Abramson. Falco was even nominated for an Emmy as Lead Actress in a Limited Series for her work as the tough-as-nails defense lawyer for the brothers. But the series wasn't a huge hit with critics (earning an average of 64 percent on Rotten Tomatoes ), and it seemed to get lost in the shuffle of all the other Law & Order franchises and spin-offs . Now that Murphy has taken on the same subject, audiences are wondering how the Menendez brothers' case will be portrayed in the new project.

Law & Order True Crime

A dramatic series that delves into notorious criminal cases, providing an in-depth look at the complexities of each investigation. Each season focuses on a different case, exploring the legal battles, the emotional toll on all involved, and the societal impact, while highlighting the dedicated legal teams fighting for justice.

'Law & Order' Brought the Menedez Brothers' Case to Life

Even people who aren't obsessed with true-crime stories probably know at least a little bit about the Menendez brothers' case . In 1989, two wealthy Beverly Hills residents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, were found brutally murdered in their mansion. Detectives quickly linked the couple's two sons, Lyle and Erik, to the homicides. The trial that followed transfixed the entire country , resulting in non-stop coverage by the media (who salivated over every salacious detail). Many people could not understand what might have led these privileged boys from a seemingly perfect family to murder their parents in such a violent way. The defense alleged that the two brothers had been verbally, physically, and sexually abused by their parents (particularly by their father). The brothers ended up being convicted and were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1996.

The Law & Order depiction of the case boasted an impressive cast that portrayed all of the real-life figures. Along with Falco, the show also starred Anthony Edwards (as the judge who oversaw the trial), Julianne Nicholson and Harry Hamlin (as other members of the defense team), and Josh Charles (as Lyle and Erik's psychiatrist). These actors helped draw viewers to the show (despite never bringing in more than 6 million watchers per episode), and it was their performances that helped steer the show away from being too campy . The series also helped to create a more compassionate vibe towards the brothers than the media typically demonstrated at the time of the murders and trial, and in doing so, presented a more well-rounded view of the events that took place.

Release Window, Teaser, and Everything Else We Know About 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story'

Ryan murphy will provide an updated look at the case.

There are many ways that Murphy can update the Menendez case, and the Law & Order series can offer a jumping-off point for him and his creative team. So far, the series has cast some pretty big-name actors , including Oscar-winner Javier Bardem as Jose and Oscar-nominee Chloe Sevigny as Kitty. With these two actors playing the parents, it seems as though Murphy will spend more time focusing on events that transpired before the murders occurred; this is much different than the​​​​​​​ Law & Order series, which zeroed in more on the actual trial itself. The supporting cast will also include stand-out actors, such as Leslie Grossman as Judalon Smyth (one of the key figures that led to the brothers' arrests) and​​​​​​​ Nathan Lane as investigative journalist Dominick Dunne. With this caliber of talent, Murphy's show will likely earn him even more Emmy nominations.

There will also likely be lots of changes from the Law & Order series in terms of tone. The original aired on network television, so there were strict rules about the violence they could show. With Murphy's series airing on Netflix, all bets are off. There is no limit to the amount of graphic violence, language, or adult content that can be used (and with other Murphy shows like American Horror Story and American Crime Story , there's plenty of evidence that Murphy isn't one to shy away from displaying shocking scenes of blood and gore ). The series is also probably going to delve more into the boys' defense of abuse, which could lead to many disturbing and uncomfortable flashback scenes (a departure from the NBC series).

Another significant change is that there have been some updates to the case since the Law & Order series aired in 2017. In 2023, the brothers filed documents requesting a hearing based on newly discovered evidence that showed that their father had abused another boy (which would verify their own claims of abuse). In May 2023, Peacock released a documentary, Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, featuring this evidence. With this information, Murphy could provide new details that most viewers wouldn't be aware of already (including specifics like the brothers' marriages inside prison and the fact that they were reunited in 2018 in the same facility after being apart for decades). There's a lot of fresh material that the Law & Order series didn't know about or didn't have time to delve into. Murphy is not tied to the 42-minute length of the Law & Order episodes and can have more episodes in the entire series to fully explore what makes this case so unique.

More than 30 years later, the Menendez brothers' case still captures America's attention . The shocking crime within a privileged family, the element of patricide/matricide, and the allegations of abuse still make for a fascinating story. While the Law & Order franchise capitalized on its talented cast, it wasn't able to fully dig into the nuances of what made the case so captivating. With Murphy's talent and pension for knowing what elements will draw viewers in, the new installation of Monsters (airing sometime later in 2024) will likely be Netflix's next big hit.

Law & Order True Crime is available to stream on Tubi in the US.

WATCH ON TUBI

Virginia law allows schools to pay athletes for NIL

Tim Legler weighs in on the state of NIL and argues that signing contracts could help improve athlete loyalty and minimize transfer portal uncertainty. (2:26)

• Covers the Big Ten
• Joined ESPN.com in 2014
• Graduate of the University of Notre Dame

Schools in Virginia will be able to directly pay athletes via name, image and likeness deals thanks to a state law signed Thursday morning, marking another significant step in the professionalization of college sports.

The new law, which is scheduled to take effect July 1, is the first in any state to make it illegal for the NCAA to punish a school for compensating athletes for their NIL rights. Current NCAA rules prohibit schools from signing NIL deals with their own players. The law could either give Virginia schools a significant recruiting advantage or provide a catalyst for similar changes elsewhere.

"If this law gets us closer to a federal or a national solution for college athletics then it will be more than worthwhile," University of Virginia athletic director Carla Williams said. "Until then, we have an obligation to ensure we maintain an elite athletics program at UVA."

Administrators from the University of Virginia took a leading role in crafting the legislation with help from colleagues at Virginia Tech, according to its author, commonwealth delegate Terry Austin. Both Williams and Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock declined to share details about how they are planning to use the new opportunities presented by the law.

The law explicitly states that athletes should not be considered employees of their school. Schools in Virginia are still not allowed to pay athletes for their performance in a sport, but starting this summer, they will be able to use university or athletic department funds to pay athletes for appearing in marketing campaigns. Williams said this was "maybe a distinction without a difference, but there's a distinction there."

Babcock said Virginia Tech is considering a number of methods for how it might deploy school funds in the future. Options could include contracting with third parties such as a marketing agency or a booster collective to pay the athletes, instead of cutting a check directly from the athletic department. He said the new law puts Virginia schools in a good position for both the current NIL marketplace as well as other forms of payment "that we think we see around the corner."

"There is a better model and a better compromise," Babcock said. "This is absolutely a step in the right direction for the commonwealth of Virginia and the country in my opinion."

The NCAA recently has modified its rules in similar circumstances to create a more equal playing field when state laws or court injunctions have given some schools a clear recruiting advantage over their peers. For example, the NCAA's initial decision to allow all athletes to make money through NIL deals was a result of changes in a number of state laws that went into effect in July 2021.

An NCAA spokesperson declined earlier this week to say whether the association would allow all schools to sign NIL deals with their athletes in response to Virginia's law. If the NCAA does not change its rules before July and a school decides to sign NIL deals with its athletes, the state could then sue the NCAA if the association attempts to penalize the school. The NCAA has previously told ESPN that in cases where a law that contradicts NCAA rules is permissive -- allowing a school to do something rather than mandating that a school do something -- the association expects schools to still follow NCAA rules.

In a scheduled session unrelated to Virginia's law, the NCAA's Division I Council voted to adopt new rules Wednesday that will allow schools throughout the country to get more involved in facilitating deals between players and a third party. The council-approved plans stop short of allowing the schools to pay players directly. The council held its vote before Virginia's law was finalized, and the new NCAA rules won't be officially adopted until they are approved by the Division I board of directors next week.

Despite its potential to spur a significant change for college sports, Virginia's new law garnered little attention before it was signed Thursday. Liberty University athletic director Ian McCaw, for example, said he was not aware the law would allow his school to sign NIL deals with its players when he spoke to ESPN less than 24 hours before the bill was signed.

"There are things we can do in terms of assisting with contract review and negotiations and financial management. I hadn't heard you can actually buy their rights," McCaw said. "That would be news to me."

McCaw said Liberty planned to adhere to the NCAA's restrictions. Athletic directors from other FBS-level schools in Virginia declined interview requests.

Both Williams and Babcock declined to discuss potential NIL budgets their schools are considering for competitive reasons. They both said they do not yet know with certainty how their schools would interpret Title IX laws when figuring out how to equitably share NIL opportunities with men and women athletes.

Title IX requires that schools provide equal opportunity for men and women to participate in sports on campus. While Title IX specifically requires schools to spend a proportionally equal amount of money on scholarships for men and women, it is not clear on whether schools would have to provide equal dollars for endorsement deals.

"It's still an open question, and it's a huge question," Babcock said.

The question could be answered by guidance from the Department of Education or otherwise decided through litigation.

Williams said school officials have been discussing how to implement changes with the new law for months, but did not have a deadline for when they wanted a firm plan in place. Babcock said that he expects Virginia Tech to have a plan in place by July when the law goes into effect.

Both Williams and Babcock said they would be pleased if the NCAA, Congress or other states have similar rules in place by July. Williams said part of the motivation for Virginia schools in passing Thursday's law was to create some urgency and incentive for either an NCAA rule change or a federal law that would provide more stability to the current marketplace for college athletes.

NCAA president Charlie Baker proposed in December that all schools should be able to pay athletes via NIL deals as part of a three-pronged plan to modernize the NCAA's rules. Baker doesn't have authority to enact NCAA rule changes on his own, and the voting members of Division I have not taken significant steps to implement Baker's suggestions.

Change could instead come from state legislators who want to make sure schools in their state aren't at a competitive disadvantage. Missouri has a state law that allows schools to pay a third party referred to as an "institutional marketing associate," which in turn pays athletes for endorsement deals. Virginia's law goes a step further in simplifying the way money can flow from a school to an athlete.

While at least six other states -- South Carolina, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Illinois, Louisiana and Mississippi -- have pending legislation that addresses their schools' ability to pay NIL deals, none is currently as permissive as Virginia's law. The proposed bills in those states all say that schools could pay their athletes if the NCAA or federal government changes rules to allow it.

Oklahoma state Sen. Kristen Thompson, who authored the pending NIL bill in her state, told ESPN the goal was to make sure no state laws would hamper their schools if the NCAA or Congress decided to update the rules. Thompson, who had not yet read the Virginia bill and spoke to ESPN before it was signed into law, said she was "committed to remaining competitive" with other states and would revisit her proposal if needed.

Lawsuits have also been a catalyst for nationwide NCAA rule changes. Virginia was one of two states that sued the NCAA earlier this year over some of its restrictions regarding when athletes can sign NIL deals. A judge in that case granted an injunction that now allows booster collectives and other third parties to make NIL offers to athletes before they enroll in their schools, which has opened the door for specific NIL dollar amounts to be a part of recruiting pitches.

When combined with the current injunction, Thursday's law will make it legal for the schools in Virginia this summer to directly present specific NIL deals to recruits before they enroll.

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Man who killed 2 police officers in Salina was doing cocaine with a friend, DA says

• Updated: Apr. 15, 2024, 11:50 p.m. |
• Published: Apr. 15, 2024, 6:43 p.m.

Police set up a perimeter after two officers were fatally shot near 4945 Darien Drive., Salina, on Sunday April 14, 2024. (Scott Schild | [email protected]) Scott Schild | [email protected]

• Jon Moss | [email protected]

Syracuse, N.Y. — A man who shot and killed two police officers outside his home Sunday night had been doing cocaine that day with a friend, according to Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick.

The friend, Shawn Kinsella, 33, told investigators that he and Christopher R. Murphy, 33, “had spent some time doing lines of cocaine,” Fitzpatrick said.

The two men are long-time friends, he said.

Any remaining cocaine inside Murphy’s home at 4945 Darien Drive will be collected by officers and analyzed, Fitzpatrick said. Officers will check to see if it was laced with anything, he said.

Murphy used a Springfield AR-15 gun to shoot Syracuse police officer Michael E. Jensen and sheriff Lt. Michael Hoosock, officials said. Both officers died from their injuries. Murphy also died from gunshot injuries from officers.

Fitzpatrick and Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley said it was not clear whether Murphy could legally possess the gun.

The trouble started Sunday with a traffic stop at 7 p.m. in the city’s Tipp Hill neighborhood, according to Syracuse Police Chief Joseph Cecile. That’s when Syracuse police tried to pull over a car, but the driver refused and sped off.

The driver went at speeds over 100 mph while fleeing, Cecile said.

Police took the plate number, which led them to the home on Darien Drive. There, police saw guns in the back of the car, Cecile said. And then, from inside the home, they heard the sound of a gun being readied to fire, he said.

It wasn’t long after that gunfire filled the little neighborhood as the officers and the suspect exchanged shots. Authorities did not know Monday how many total shots were fired, Shelley said.

On a recording from a nearby home the gunshots lasted about nine seconds , with shots firing off so fast, it is impossible to count how many were fired.

After the shooting, Kinsella was caught trying to jump over a fence, Shelley said. Kinsella has not been charged with any crime at this point, he said.

Kinsella lived on Trivet Drive South, one street over from Murphy, according to voter registration records.

Investigators have already spoken with Kinsella, said Fitzpatrick, who described him as being “coked up” at that time. Fitzpatrick said he hopes Kinsella will remain cooperative with law enforcement.

The DA said no charges are contemplated against Kinsella at this time unless new evidence emerges.

It’s unclear why Murphy decided to ambush the officers, Shelley said.

Cecile said there was something in Murphy’s past which “may be some indicator” as to why Murphy shot two officers. He declined to provide specifics.

The shooter’s only prior interaction with police was a 2014 drunken driving arrest, which also included a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest, authorities said.

2 CNY police officers killed

• Thousands to gather today for funeral of sheriff Lt. Michael Hoosock
• Hundreds say goodbye to slain Syracuse cop Michael Jensen - a beloved brother, a goofball, a hero
• Syracuse athletics honoring fallen officers with shirts, moment of silence during Saturday double-header
• Attorney General Letitia James attending funeral for Syracuse Police Officer Jensen in Rome
• Watch funeral service for Syracuse police officer Michael Jensen

Staff writer Jon Moss covers breaking news, crime and public safety. He can be reached at [email protected] or @mossjon7 .

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Guest Essay

Donald Trump’s Secret Shame About New York City Haunts His Trial

By Elizabeth Spiers

Ms. Spiers, a contributing Opinion writer, is a journalist and a digital media strategist.

With jury selection underway in Donald Trump’s criminal trial in Lower Manhattan, the former president’s chickens have finally come home to roost. It feels uniquely appropriate that Mr. Trump will have to endure the scrutiny on his old home turf. New York City residents have been subjected to his venality and corruption for much longer than the rest of the country, and we’re familiar with his antics — the threats, the lawsuits, the braggadocio, his general ability to slip through the tiniest crack in the bureaucracy or legal system just fast enough to avoid the consequences of his actions. He rose to fame here, but was never truly accepted by the old money elites he admired. The rich and powerful sometimes invited him to their parties, but behind his back they laughed at his coarse methods and his tacky aesthetic. His inability to succeed in New York in quite the way he wanted to drove much of the damage he did to the country as a whole, and arguably his entire political career.

For many of his admirers, Mr. Trump represents a certain kind of rich person whose wealth and success are emblematic of the American dream, and on the campaign trail, that was the story he told. That illusion was reinforced by “The Apprentice,” a heavily scripted pseudocompetition in which Mr. Trump pretended to fire people, something that in real life he generally has others do. He likes having authority but not doing the hard work of leadership and prefers to outsource the dirty work to underlings and lawyers.

It’s harder for Mr. Trump to avoid the actual untelevised reality of who he is in New York City, where he grew up the son of a wealthy Queens real estate developer and used his inheritance less to grow the family business than to grow his personal brand. His business dealings were murky , sometimes mob-connected and riddled with high-profile failures and bankruptcies . Serious real estate investors did not regard him as a peer. Eventually, banks began to refuse to lend him money. He was ruthlessly skewered by New York publications, most famously by Spy magazine, which called him a “short-fingered vulgarian.”

But he had a taste for being in the public eye — constantly. Gossip columnists at his favored tabloids often received tips from Mr. Trump about himself, even about his own sexual escapades, under the pseudonym John Barron . If you want to get attention without paying for public relations consultants, another good way to do it is to run for public office. Mr. Trump expressed interest in the presidency starting in the late 1980s, took steps in that direction in 2000 and considered it again in 2012 before being elected in 2016.

All of these qualities make Mr. Trump what the complexity scientist Peter Turchin refers to as an “elite aspirant.” It may seem absurd to refer to a rich guy who went to an Ivy League school and has been a public figure for a long time as an aspiring elite, but by Professor Turchin’s definition, Mr. Trump fits the term because he wanted forms of power he did not have. He had wealth, which is one of Professor Turchin’s four types of elite power, but precariously. He had neither the kind of influence that media figures who deal in persuasion have nor the raw political power that elected officials do. He admires dictators and people whose power is derived from violence (military figures, law enforcement) because he doesn’t have that, either.

If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere, the song goes, but Mr. Trump couldn’t make it here — at least not the way he craved — despite being born here and being one of the few people who could afford it.

So it’s easy to understand why he bashes his hometown as a crime-ridden hellscape, and why the Oval Office appealed. Washington offered him political power but also something he may have wanted even more: the respect New York denied him.

No physical space in New York City is more emblematic of Mr. Trump than his flagship Trump Tower. It’s flashy, slightly out of place on Fifth Avenue , with what seems like a general aesthetic philosophy that one can never have too much gold plating. When he got permission to tear down the Bonwit Teller building, which used to stand on that site, he promised to donate its Art Deco friezes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He destroyed them instead. New York magazine’s Marie Brenner wrote at the time that the building’s approval “ legitimized a pushy kid nobody took seriously. ”

The details of the criminal case getting underway in Manhattan make it salacious (A porn star! Hush money!) and it would probably have been a career-ending scandal for any other president, but against the backdrop of Mr. Trump’s endless appearances in supermarket tabloids, it just seems like par for the course. New Yorkers pride themselves on a certain kind of skepticism that allows them to spot a con man, but Mr. Trump’s cons have always been so out in the open that we may have underestimated his vindictiveness and his capacity to do real harm.

There were glimpses of it, though. It’s tough to identify the nadir of Mr. Trump’s bad behavior in New York, but I believe it was in 1989, when he took out ads in major media outlets (including this one) calling for the death penalty to be reinstated in New York State after five Black and Latino teenagers were accused of raping a jogger in Central Park. The five men had their convictions vacated in 2002, but Mr. Trump still refuses, out of malice or vanity, to apologize or acknowledge their innocence. When asked whether he believes they should have been convicted, he still insists that they admitted their guilt .

One of the men, Yusef Salaam, is now a member of the New York City Council. The day Mr. Trump was arrested in April of 2023, Mr. Salaam wrote, in an ad mocked up to look like Mr. Trump’s original, “I hope that you exercise your civil liberties to the fullest, and that you get what the Exonerated Five did not get — a presumption of innocence and a fair trial.”

And that’s what he’s getting, at last.

In many ways Mr. Trump’s success outside of New York is a function of a characteristic he has that the city itself does not: an inferiority complex. Even when confronted with evidence of his wrongdoing, he insists that he is a victim, and now so are the people who vote for him. When he was indicted in Georgia , he told his followers, “They’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you — and I’m just standing in their way.”

Mr. Trump was successful in part because he projected his own anxieties onto the people who were loyal to him. When pressuring the Georgia secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, to help him overturn the results of the 2020 election, he said, “They’re going around playing you and laughing at you behind your back, Brad, whether you know it or not, they’re laughing at you.” Mr. Trump both fears and loathes being laughed at, and publicly seethed his way through the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2011 when, as expected, he was the butt of some of the jokes. “He was pissed off like I’d never seen him before,” Chris Christie later said . “Just beside himself with fury.” The evening confirmed Mr. Trump’s suspicions that the elites were sneering at him and he wasn’t in on their jokes.

In this sense he’s a lot like Richard Nixon, who, as his former aide Tom Charles Huston said, understood “in his gut” when middle-class people “felt they were being put upon, because he felt he had been put upon.”

Mr. Trump also feels that he has been put upon not just by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, and the New York attorney general, Letitia James, but by all of the New York City liberals who did not take him seriously when he put on a faceful of makeup, donned a comically long tie and climbed into the clown car bound for Washington. There is some relief for New Yorkers who are witnessing the prospect of his comeuppance, though. The rest of the country is seeing a side of Mr. Trump that New York City residents have always been familiar with: the guy who’s angry that he hasn’t been accepted in the elite circles he admires and is outraged that others have.

Elizabeth Spiers, a contributing Opinion writer, is a journalist and a digital media strategist.

Mr. Winter used a small paper cutout of Donald Trump to create this image.

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"They fell to the ground with screams": Russian Guards fired at children single near Moscow - there is a casualty

2023-08-20T20:58:57.477Z

Highlights: In Russia, in the city of Elektrostal (Moscow region), during demonstrations, Rosgvardia soldiers began shooting at spectators with children from machine guns with blank cartridges. One child received serious damage from a rebounded cartridge case. In the video, a child can be heard crying and screaming violently. It is also interesting that Russia recently arranged a solemn farewell to Vladimir Shestakov, convicted for the murder of a child, who became a mercenary of PMC "Wagner" and was liquidated in the war in Ukraine.

In Russia, in the city of Elektrostal (Moscow region), during demonstrations, Rosgvardia soldiers began shooting at spectators with children from machine guns with blank cartridges.

So far, one injured child is known.

This was reported by the local Telegram channel of the Cheka-OGPU.

"Small children were clutching their heads screaming and falling to the ground. Not without injuries. The child received serious damage from a rebounded cartridge case," the report said.

One of the witnesses to the incident posted a video. It was her child who was shot by the Russian Guards. In the video, a child can be heard crying and screaming violently.

After the woman realized that her child had been wounded, she called her husband and doctor.

Meanwhile, Russian occupier Ivan Alekseev in the war in Ukraine after a drunken quarrel killed his colleague and tried to cover up the crime, saying it was the work of "Ukrainian saboteurs."

It is also interesting that Russia recently arranged a solemn farewell to Vladimir Shestakov, convicted for the murder of a child, who became a mercenary of PMC "Wagner" and was liquidated in the war in Ukraine.

• The suspect in the murder of a military volunteer was released from custody
• They will teach "patriotism": Russians in the occupied territories launch cadet classes
• Russia has created another training ground near Mariupol: how many soldiers are in the city

Source: tsn

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