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I’s sure you’ve heard by now that Florida’s new school curriculum says that enslaved people in the United States may have had a rough time in some respects but they got some benefits from slavery too! (This isn’t a new thing, I’ve heard right wingers suggest for years that Black people thank white people for bringing their ancestors to America.) Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis was clearly not sure if it may have gone too far and didn’t claim credit for it but defended it anyway. Philip Bump at the Washington Post took a look at why he would do that: Asked about it, DeSantis offered that the curriculum — which he insisted wasn’t something he produced — would probably “show that some of the folks that eventually parlayed, you know, being a blacksmith into doing things later in life.” Needless to say, this is not generally how historians view the institution of slavery. But DeSantis’s argument isn’t offered solely as a governor of a large state.

Beleaguered Opposition leader Peter Dutton has defended his time in office as head of home affairs, including his controversial decision to hire death eaters to guard Manus Island. ”My record as head of home affairs was beyond reproach,” cried the... Read More ›

A better way to secure digital payments.

The post Venmo, Meet Quantum Mechanics appeared first on Nautilus.

Nobody works for DeSantis for long Ron DeSantis is apparently in the process of “re-tooling” his campaign in light of the miserable failure it’s been so far. He’s been burning through money using private planes and using the Four Seasons as his stomping grounds. Now he’s firing staff. None of this comes as any surprise to people who’ve been watching his career from the beginning: [T]he latest staff shakeup isn’t an anomaly within the arc of DeSantis’ career. It’s part of a larger pattern of a politician who has struggled to maintain a core group of trusted advisers or loyal employees. During his five years in Congress, his office had one of the highest turnover rates in the House. No employed member from his victorious 2018 gubernatorial campaign team is working in a senior role on his 2024 presidential race. And things didn’t change when he became governor. In his first term, he fired staffers with enough regularity that some formed an emotional support group, according to a 2021 Politico report.

The criminal former president is so far ahead of his closest GOP rival that the...

Senate Republicans have not been eager to sign onto Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s, R-Ala. one-man blockade of military promotions to protest a Pentagon abortion policy. A new online poll of likely voters from Data For Progress suggests their political instincts might be right: Given two statements, one dismissive of Tuberville’s actions and another supportive, 55% went against the senator’s plan while only 33% backed it. You will note that 57% of Republicans agree with interfering with the military in order to make a point about abortion. Tuberville is right in the mainstream of the party. It’s the party that is out of the mainstream of America,

America is our “great and powerful friend” so it matters a great deal how reliable our firmest strategic partner is. Is the US heading for a degree of political dysfunction that could blow back into its steadfastness as a leading player and an Australian ally in a multipolar Indo-Pacific?  Introduction “Things fall apart; the centre Continue reading »

On the eve of the Vilnius summit Foreign Affairs published an article by long term, and recently reappointed, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg entitled ‘A Stronger NATO for a More Dangerous World: What the Alliance Must Do in Vilnius—and Beyond’. Foreign Affairs is the bible of the American foreign policy establishment, being the journal of the Council Continue reading »

The commissioning of the new USS Canberra in Sydney amid accompanying fanfare and blanket Australian media coverage provided ample testimony to the extent that we are increasingly being taken for granted by the US civil and military leadership. The Canberra is one of the final run of 35 Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) built for the Continue reading »

An attempt by a branch of the ACT Labor Party to protest the tripartite AUKUS security pact was blocked over the weekend in what members believe is a consequence of Anthony Albanese wanting to quell dissent on the issue, writes Phillip Coorey in the Australian Financial Review Amid significant unrest among rank-and-file members – primarily Continue reading »

Prescription co-payments are imposed by the Federal Government for subsidised drugs. Australians pay $1.6 billion a year in co-payments. Why do we continue to have financial barriers to accessing these drugs? Co-payments are $7.30 or $30 per prescription for Pensioners and Health Care Card Holders, or the remainder respectively. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland abolished Continue reading »

One of the emerging political challenges of the 2020’s in Australia is the contest for the votes of renters. This contest has changed the political complexion of previously safe conservative seats and led to a major policy confrontation between the Greens and the Labor Party. Some interesting research has emerged which suggests, contrary to the Continue reading »

One side seems to prefer dealing with former leaders rather than current ones. The other likes to talk, while piling on coercive measures. If what passes for diplomacy between China and the United States is any indication these days, we are all in real trouble. One side seems to prefer dealing with former leaders rather Continue reading »

In a new article titled “Ukraine’s Lack of Weaponry and Training Risks Stalemate in Fight With Russia,” The Wall Street Journal’s Daniel Michaels reports that western officials knew Ukrainian forces didn’t have the weapons and training necessary to succeed in their highly touted counteroffensive which was launched last month. Michaels writes: “When Ukraine launched its Continue reading »

The Walt Disney Company is removing TV shows and movies from its streaming platforms and then claiming massive losses and potential tax write offs.

Preparation time: 25 minutesCooking time: 20-25 minutesTo serve: 4 You will need1 lb. minced beef1 large or 2 medium-sized onionsseasonings½ teaspoon mixed herbs1 heaped teaspoon chopped parsley1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce1 potatoflourtoasted breadcrumbshamburger bunstomatolettucewatercress Sauce:1 tablespoon corn oil½ small onion, chopped¼ oz. cornflour½ lb. tomatoes, peeled and sliced½ pint water1 oz. chopped lean ham1 oz. soft […]

Choose one: “Destruction of Ukranian w:BMP-3 IFV by Russian troops in Mariupol” or “A destroyed Russian BMP-3 near Mariupol, 7 March 2022”. [A]

Less than a day after owner Elon Musk changed the company’s logo from a decade-old internationally recognized symbol with sky-high brand awareness value to the letter ‘X,’ workers had moved in to start dismantling the building’s giant Twitter sign. The only problem was that Musk hadn’t secured the correct permits for the crane now blocking the street, according to a witness at the scene. Officers with the San Francisco Police Department quickly arrived and started “shutting it down,” he tweeted. The half-finished removal operation left only the sign reading just “er.” I think that says it all. After Donald Trump and Elon Musk, I wonder if we might be coming to the end of the “Genius Businessman will save us” era. Nah… Americans just love the idea that being rich means you must be smart. It’s hard to imagine them giving that up even in he face of such humiliation.

Kit Klarenberg delves deep into the web of manipulation, deception, and the weaponization of psychiatry exacted upon dissenting Americans, especially those of color, by the CIA under the guise of medical research.

The post New Files Reveal MKULTRA’s Terrifying Reach: Ethnic Bioweapons, Mind Control, and Disturbing Experiments appeared first on MintPress News.

“X is the future state of unlimited interactivity—centered in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking—creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities. Powered by AI, X will connect us all in ways we’re just beginning to imagine.” — Linda Yaccarino, CEO of Twitter, which has now rebranded to X.

Here at the Louvre, we’re proud of our storied 230 years of history, and rightfully so. But we don’t rest on our considerable laurels. We’re constantly innovating, disrupting, and activizationizing words that signify things in a dynamic and optimal way, unlocking new synergies that provide users with a transformative experience that will recalibrate their very perceptions of quantum possibility—to the nth degree.

Last September, Abe Newman, Jeremy Wallace and I had a piece in Foreign Affairs’ 100th anniversary issue. I can’t speak for my co-authors’ motivations, but my own reason for writing was vexation that someone on the Internet was wrong. In this case, it was Yuval Harari. His piece has been warping debate since 2018, and I have been grumpy […]