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Created
Thu, 11/05/2023 - 19:53

‘Class struggle,’ Bob Gillespie was fond of saying, ‘is 24 hours a day, seven days a week.’ It was a lesson he learned in his poverty-stricken childhood, during national service as a bombardier in Hong Kong, and as a printshop labourer fighting for a somewhat shorter week of 40 hours. And he held to it […]

Created
Thu, 11/05/2023 - 12:27
In Tuesday’s fiscal statement, the Australian government made a lot of noise about dealing with the climate emergency that the nation faces but in terms of hard fiscal outlays or initiatives it did very little, deferring action again, while ‘the place burns’. The Climate Council assessment was that the government “still seems to be on…
Created
Thu, 11/05/2023 - 09:30
This is just depressing. Let’s just abandon all knowledge while we’re at it: At the entrance to the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University there’s a plaque with a famous quote from its founder, Alfred C. Kinsey: “We are the recorders and reporters of facts — not the judges of the behaviors we describe.” That ethos is at the heart of all the institute’s research. For generations, the Kinsey Institute has shone a light on diverse aspects of sex and sexuality, in pursuit of answers that bring us closer to understanding fundamental questions of human existence. In a time of divisive politics and disinformation, it is more imperative than ever to preserve and defend the right of such academic institutions to illuminate the unfolding frontiers of science — even, and especially, research that might challenge us as it advances our understanding of ourselves. Thus it is tremendously disappointing that Indiana lawmakers voted late last month to approve a budget that specifically blocks Indiana University from using state funding to support the Kinsey Institute, and that last week Gov.
Created
Thu, 11/05/2023 - 08:00
I think this from Nicholas Goldberg in the LA Times is important to keep in mind: In Shakespeare’s plays or, say, the Victorian novels of Dickens, Trollope and Austen, there are often at least two plots moving forward at any moment: a serious dramatic story involving the work’s main heroes and villains and a comic subplot peopled by absurd characters. In the real world, we have comic subplots as well. Take Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who — while American democracy has spun out of control, the U.S. Capitol was overrun and Donald Trump became a serious contender for reelection — wanders on and off the national stage like a ditzy clown keeping the audience amused. Santos has been a recurring joke in the midst of our otherwise terrifying and riveting political drama — a somewhat doughy, somewhat hapless Mr. Magoo-turned-con man in a blazer, sweater and chinos. He is a fraudster who told lie after ridiculous lie, ad absurdum, about his family background, education and job experience and, though caught in the act, steadfastly refused to be held accountable. His free ride, though, could be coming to an end.
Created
Thu, 11/05/2023 - 06:30
Tuberville says he calls White Nationalists “Americans.” Maybe it’s time to stop calling them White Nationalists. Let’s call them what they are: U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama said there should be no efforts to block different ideological groups, including white nationalists, from serving in the military and criticized President Joe Biden for taking steps to remove them even as concerns about extremism in the military dates back to the Trump administration. Tuberville, a staunch supporter of the military and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made the comments in a Monday interview with WBHM, a National Public Radio station in Birmingham. Asked if he believed white nationalists should be allowed to serve in the military, Tuberville said in referring to the Biden administration, “They call them that. I call them Americans.” See? There are very fine people on all sides… “We are losing in the military so fast,” Tuberville told WBHM. “Our readiness in terms of recruitment. And why?
Created
Thu, 11/05/2023 - 05:00
There has been an enormous amount of hand-wringing over a recent ABC news poll that showed Joe Biden losing to Trump if the election were held today. The keening, the crying, the rending of garments from otherwise reasonable people was astonishing considering that it was just one poll, we are a long way from the election and most of them are old enough to remember when Barack Obama was toast in 2011 when his numbers were underwater. And yes, back then there was a ton of nervous chatter about replacing him on the ballot with someone else, putting up a serious primary and all the rest. So this is something Democrats do and it’s one their most annoying traits. Anyway, here’s some news for you to chew on: As Democrats coalesce around him as their inevitable nominee, President Biden still narrowly leads former President Donald Trump in a 2024 general-election matchup, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll. Yet the results also expose significant vulnerabilities for Biden — including his advanced age and the widespread perception that his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, would not be “ready to assume the presidency” if necessary.
Created
Thu, 11/05/2023 - 04:58
The best word for this budget is “complacent”. There’s nothing wrong with it; it’s keeping us from getting further into trouble. But it’s doing little to deal with the many troubles we already have: the transition to renewable energy, declining home ownership, the rental crisis, and problems with Medicare and education. And that’s before you Continue reading »
Created
Thu, 11/05/2023 - 04:57
America’s space policy reveals its hegemonic obsession and the future quandaries for Australian policy. Even America’s approach to exploration and colonisation of the Moon is only comprehensible in terms of terrestrial geopolitics. It now expects the world to bow to its power in outer space. Both China and America have ambitious plans for colonisation, resource Continue reading »