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We all know that civilization is in collapse due to climate change, environmental degradation and over-use of resources. The classic graph (which doesn’t even take into account climate change) is this one.

Not pretty, and this blog tends to write about such topics a lot.

But it’s not all bad. Let’s run thru that.

The solidarity for Palestine across the Middle East needs to feed into a revolt to bring down the corrupt regimes that collaborate with imperialism.

The post Revolution in the Arab world the key to Palestinian liberation first appeared on Solidarity Online.

Yesterday (November 7, 2023), the Reserve Bank of Australia raised its policy rate target for the 12th time since May 2022 by 0.25 points to 4.35 per cent. It was an unnecessary increase, just like the eleven increases that preceded it. And, from my perspective it represents a broken policy model. The RBA policies are…

Source - Patreon

Source - Patreon

Source - Patreon

Maybe… That case about whether domestic abusers should be allowed to carry guns was argued today: About 40 minutes into Tuesday’s Supreme Court argument asking whether a federal law prohibiting domestic abusers from owning guns is unconstitutional, Chief Justice John Roberts asked J. Matthew Wright, the lawyer arguing against the law, a question that no attorney ever wants to hear. “You don’t have any doubt that your client is a dangerous person, do you?” the Chief asked Wright. There is, indeed, very little doubt that Wright’s client, Zackey Rahimi, is a very dangerous man. A Texas court determined that Rahimi “has committed family violence” and that he “represents a credible threat to the physical safety” of his ex-girlfriend or other members of her family. If anything, that’s a massive understatement. Rahimi allegedly hit his ex-girlfriend in a parking lot, and then fired a gun at a bystander who witnessed the fight. He then allegedly called the ex-girlfriend and threatened to shoot her if she told anyone that he’d assaulted her.

And nobody seems to be able to rein him in. It’s obvious most Republicans don’t want to. Here’s a good analysis of where we are with Trump and his legal problems from Stephen Collinson at CNN: The judge in Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial despairingly pressed the ex-president’s lawyer: “I beseech you to control him if you can.” Judge Arthur Engoron’s plea reflected his frustration at an incorrigible witness who boasted Monday about his piles of cash, aimed scathing political attacks and spouted uniquely illogical logic. But Engoron, who is presiding over the New York trial, also put his finger on a deeper question that will define a singular political figure’s place in history. And the answer, as always, was no, Trump cannot be controlled. No mere lawyer could impose the kind of discipline that two-and-a-half centuries of constitutional checks and balances could not provide during Trump’s time in office or since.

The Biden administration put out a three-page list of arms for Ukraine, but information on weapons sent to Israel could fit in one sentence.

The post U.S. Weapons Transfers to Israel Shrouded in Secrecy — but Not Ukraine appeared first on The Intercept.

Bolts has a nice overview of what’s at stake in tonight’s elections. This is the intro, you just need to click over to see the cheat sheet: The 2024 presidential election is already in full swing, but first voters are settling a swath of critical races this fall. The balance of power in state and local governments is on the line in myriad ways, from the five states where trifectas are at stake to the fall’s sole race for supreme court. Bolts has identified more than 170 items—and counting—to watch across 31 states, and why they matter, including key races for governors, DAs, mayors, and lawmakers, plus dozens of referendums.  We’ll add more races to this page through Election Day: Thousands of additional offices, boards, and ballot measures are all on the ballot all around the nation; this page is Bolts’ selection of important races to monitor. We will also update the page with results once they are known. Most elections on this page are scheduled for Nov. 7, but there are some exceptions: Louisiana holds primaries on Oct. 14 and Nov. 18. Utah holds a special congressional election and mayoral races on Nov.

The Nation’s banks have called on the Albanese Government to relax the laws around selling human organs in order to allow people to afford the latest interest rate rise. ”The Government needs to do all it can to allow us... Read More ›

She says that Attorney General Tish James is “not that bright” I’m sure she’s just repeating what Trump says every day: Habba, in a Newsmax interview Monday, said James doesn’t have a good case. However, Judge Arthur Engoron already ruled that the fraud occurred, and the ongoing trial is set to determine damages. “She’s just not that bright. I’m sorry, I have to say it,” Habba said. “I’ve seen their case; I’ve seen their lawyers. They don’t know what they’re talking about.” She argued that what the judge ruled is fraud is actually industry standard behavior. The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the 12:30 Report newsletterSubscribe “Just because a bank who’s giving you a loan says it’s worth what the loan amount is, which is what happens when anybody takes a loan out, they’re never going to say the real value,” she continued.

I want to start by saying thank you—for being here, for your dedication, and for your unwavering commitment to this campaign. It has been the honor of my lifetime that this beautiful town—one I’ve been proud to call home for forty-three years—would even consider me as mayor. Unfortunately, our movement has fallen short; the time has come for me to honor the democratic process and concede this race to our incumbent, Rusty the French Bulldog.

Of course, our fine town is not the only place to have a non-human mayor. Idyllwild, California; Cormorant, Minnesota; and Georgetown, Colorado, join us in this tradition that could be described as “incredibly cute,” “what we need right now,” or “insulting to the people who dedicate their lives to public service.” It depends on who you’re asking.

But when I began this campaign, I asked you, the people of Riverside, if you wanted the mayor to be an experienced leader and five-term town council member or continue to be a dog who wears a bowler hat and a bowtie.

You chose the dog who wears a bowler hat and a bowtie. In a landslide.

Fifty years’ ago, the grainy black and white image of Whitlam with his ear pressed against the listening wall at Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, led to the joke: What is being said to Gough? Answer: ‘Mei you!’ The ubiquities response then by Chinese service staff in restaurants and stores in those day, loosely, ‘don’t have Continue reading »

“Your visit can be described as carrying on the past and opening up the future,” Chinese President Xi Jinping told visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Beijing on Monday afternoon, citing the fact that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the trip made by Gough Whitlam, the first Australian leader to visit China. Continue reading »