Reading

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Fri, 20/10/2023 - 04:56
As a postscript to Caitlin Johnstone’s piece in yesterday’s P&I, I wish to comment further on who is responsible for the attack on al-Ahli Arab Hospital on the 17th October. It seems odd to me that Israel, which is admittedly bombing Gaza relentlessly, would claim that Palestinians did it by allowing a rocket to malfunction, Continue reading »
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Fri, 20/10/2023 - 04:55
The Victorian government has just acted to ensure that the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC) is neutered by a subtle gambit in the crafting of the advertisement seeking applicants for the position of Commissioner. The first requirement in the ad was for a “leader with demonstrated experience and exceptional capability in: public sector leadership and Continue reading »
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Fri, 20/10/2023 - 04:54
If you are a critic of Anthony Albanese’s Labor government, stop whining about it. Do something instead. You can find leverage in the political opportunity structure to pressure the Labor party on three key demands: recognising Palestine; withdrawing from the AUKUS submarine deal, and stopping new fossil fuel projects. Here’s how. Phase 2 of the Continue reading »
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Fri, 20/10/2023 - 04:53
Environmental and some health organisations are requesting urgent legislative action to amend part of the EPBC Act of 1999, to include shale and tight gas so it can be applied to assessments of the Beetaloo shale gas development. In 2012, the Australian Government established the Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Continue reading »
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Fri, 20/10/2023 - 04:29
by Daniel Wortel-London

The catastrophe unfolding in Israel and the Gaza Strip is the product of many factors, including colonialism and religious fanaticism. But another impulse driving this disaster deserves discussion: competition over growth and the natural capital—particularly energy, water, and land—that ensures it. These resources provide the basis for economic and population expansion in the Middle East and elsewhere. As nations continue to recklessly pursue this expansion in a finite world we will see more and more struggles over fewer and fewer resources.

The post The Crisis in the Middle East is a Crisis of Growth appeared first on Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy.

Created
Fri, 20/10/2023 - 04:05
Touring again. Guest appearance​​ in Berlin. When there, yours truly always visits Walter-Benjamin-Platz (close to Kurfürstendamm, between Leibnizstraße and Wielandstraße). Interesting architecture and a couple of excellent restaurants and cafés. Regular blogging to be resumed next week.
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Fri, 20/10/2023 - 04:00

“Sara, You Should Smile More”

Baby hair with a woman’s eyes (but not in a creepy way)
You can feel me watching you in the night
All alone with me and we’re waiting for your Uber (his name is Derek—4.93 stars)

Sara, you should smile more
Oh, won’t you smile until your Uber arrives, Sara

If you feel like leaving, you know you can go take the E
But why don’t you stay until tomorrow?
If you wanna be free
You know all you gotta do is call the NYPD

“Upper-Middle-Class Girl”

You’re an upper-middle-class girl, and you’ve gone too far
’Cause you need to take your Lexapro
You can’t rely on the old man’s money
You can’t rely on the old man’s money (he finally cut you off)

Rent’s a bitch girl, but it’s gone too far
’Cause you know it matters to your landlord
Say money, but it won’t get you too far (your checking is overdrawn)
Get you too far (maybe Williamsburg)

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Fri, 20/10/2023 - 03:30
Fox News' John Roberts: If Democrats were in the majority, how long would it take Hakeem Jeffries to get to 218 votes? Jason Chaffetz: "Well, Hakeem Jeffries has now lost 17 races in a row. So 17 times in a row, he's been put up for Speaker and he's lost." pic.twitter.com/a6xlkCd7sp — Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) October 19, 2023 It’ doesn’t get any more asinine than that. Oh wait: Scott: Democrats knew what they were doing when they took McCarthy out of the Speakership Keilar: They didn’t take him out. Scott: Sure they did Keilar: You guys are in the majority. pic.twitter.com/lR71iYbSzQ — Acyn (@Acyn) October 18, 2023
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Fri, 20/10/2023 - 02:27

Two years ago, I was proud to be elected as a Labour councillor for Notting Dale, the ward in North Kensington, London, where I grew up. Since then, I have had the privilege of serving the community here and acting as deputy leader of the Labour group. Yesterday, I submitted my resignation from the party […]

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Fri, 20/10/2023 - 01:38

Join us TODAY, Thursday, October 19 at 1pm ET / 10am PT, as we resume our normally scheduled call to chat about all things Drupal and nonprofits. (Convert to your local time zone.)

No pre-defined topics on the agenda this month, so join us for an informal chat about anything at the intersection of Drupal and nonprofits.  Got something specific on your mind? Feel free to share ahead of time in our collaborative Google doc: https://nten.org/drupal/notes!

All nonprofit Drupal devs and users, regardless of experience level, are always welcome on this call.

This free call is sponsored by NTEN.org and open to everyone. 

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Fri, 20/10/2023 - 01:30
Republicans are underwater A lot of polling these days is crap. Presidential horse-race polls, especially. That doesn’t keep them from drawing eyeballs like Bat Boy pics at the checkout counter. Morning Consult has another this morning sure to provoke anxiety. Trump leads Biden in key swing states, per our survey with @business: AZBiden: 43%Trump: 47% GABiden: 43%Trump: 48% MIBiden: 44%Trump: 44% NVBiden: 46%Trump: 43% NCBiden: 43%Trump: 47% PABiden: 45%Trump: 46% WIBiden: 44%Trump: 46%https://t.co/ht2f2Sk2Wq pic.twitter.com/kAceURs9fv — Morning Consult (@MorningConsult) October 19, 2023 But so does Navigator. While presidential polling a full year out from November 2024 suggests another close election, Navigator reports the Republican brand is suffering: From the newsletter: Seven in ten Americans disapprove of the way Republicans in Congress are handling their jobs, as favorability for prominent Republicans is underwater. For the first time, Republicans hold a net negative view of Republicans in Congress (net -4; 45 percent approve – 49 percent disapprove; a net negative 23-point shift since early September).
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Fri, 20/10/2023 - 00:32

Let’s admit it: We are indeed mad creatures. This should truly have been the time of our discontent. The northern hemisphere just experienced the hottest summer in recorded history, including month by month the warmest June, July, August, and (by a country mile) September ever. Staggering heat records were set in place after place globally. Fires from Canada to Hawaii to Europe broke all records. (In fact, those Canadian summer fires are now threatening to burn straight into the winter months for the first time — and I fear this phrase is going to be become all-too-boringly repetitive — in history.) The southern hemisphere had a “winter” from — yes! — hell. In Europe, which was burning up, Greece experienced... Read more