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A Producer Attempts to Pitch The Nutcracker

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-producer-attempts-to-pitch-the-nutcracker
Created
Fri, 20/12/2024 - 05:00

(A production office. PRODUCER 1 sits at a desk. Enter PRODUCER 2.)

PRODUCER 1: Take a seat. You said you have something Christmassy for me?

PRODUCER 2: Strap in, buddy. This one’s gonna be a doozy.

PRODUCER 1: Ha! Can’t wait.

PRODUCER 2: Okay, so: Curtain up. It’s Christmas Eve. A young girl named Clara is opening gifts. One happens to be from her favorite uncle, a kind of creepy mask-wearing guy named Drosselmeyer.

PRODUCER 1: Don’t love this…

PRODUCER 2: Hear me out: It’s a nutcracker.

(Pause.)

PRODUCER 1: A what?

PRODUCER 2: It’s a thing, you know, I don’t know. It cracks chestnuts.

PRODUCER 1: So Clara loves chestnuts?

PRODUCER 2: She’s never eaten them.

PRODUCER 1: So she hates the Nutcracker?

Can They Really Be This Nuts?

https://digbysblog.net/2024/12/19/can-they-really-be-this-nuts/
Created
Fri, 20/12/2024 - 05:00
Ok sure. I’m not sure that an immigrant can be in the line of succession but I’ve never heard otherwise. But why would Musk want such a thing? He can run the country just by pulling Trump’s strings and shitposting on his personal social media platform. Why would he want to do all that dirty work? Just give it Marjorie Taylor Green or some other MAGA cultist and have them do his bidding. I must admit that I’m a little bit surprised that it’s gone so far off the rails already. It’s not even Christmas! This morning Trump is saying that he wants to eliminate the debt ceiling altogether, which is actually a great idea. If that were to happen the Democrats would have to help because his Republican zealots will never vote for it. The big question right now is whether they will do it. I’m torn. It would be great if we could eliminate the debt ceiling. Democrats have been for that ever since the Republicans decided to use it as a weapon to threaten government shutdowns which they did even when Trump was president. (The Democrats never do that.) But should they help the Republicans get over this hump right now?

Reporting on a genocide: Questions for the legacy media

https://johnmenadue.com/reporting-on-a-genocide-questions-for-the-legacy-media/
Created
Fri, 20/12/2024 - 04:59
We are now 14 months into Israel’s live-streamed genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Why have you failed so dismally to report Israel’s blatant, murderous campaign of annihilation with any depth or rigour? Why haven’t you brought moral clarity, journalistic integrity, and humanity to your reporting? Is it fear of losing advertisers and readers; fear of Continue reading »

Hugh Marks does not have a background in journalism, yet becomes ex officio editor-in-chief of the ABC. Is he the right person for the job?

https://johnmenadue.com/hugh-marks-does-not-have-a-background-in-journalism-yet…
Created
Fri, 20/12/2024 - 04:58
Aspects of Hugh Marks’s record as chief executive of the Nine Entertainment Company raise questions about his suitability for the position of managing director of the ABC, to which he has just been appointed. Those aspects concern political independence, internal culture and news leadership, all issues of pressing concern at the ABC. On political independence, Continue reading »

Rare earths: a conundrum for our responsibility to care for country and kin

https://johnmenadue.com/rare-earths-a-conundrum-for-our-responsibility-to-care-…
Created
Fri, 20/12/2024 - 04:57
The increasing global demand for rare earth elements (REE) is driven by clean energy technologies. The electric vehicle in particular, is a strong driving force. The un-ceded sovereign lands of hundreds of First Nations – now colonised and called Australia – hold at least four per cent of the world’s rare earth element reserves. Australia Continue reading »

Killing Russian general won’t stop reality crashing in on Ukraine

https://johnmenadue.com/killing-russian-general-wont-stop-reality-crashing-in-o…
Created
Fri, 20/12/2024 - 04:56
States don’t tend to kill each other’s generals, not least because it invites reciprocal action. The bombing in Moscow this week, killing General Igor Kirillov, was a successful attack by Ukraine and its allies. The ongoing use of long-range missiles by the West to hit targets inside Russia is, I suggest, surprisingly similar. both are Continue reading »

Exposing social cohesion’s innate racism

https://johnmenadue.com/exposing-social-cohesions-innate-racism/
Created
Fri, 20/12/2024 - 04:55
In the wake of the deliberately lit fire in a synagogue in Melbourne on Friday 6th of December much has happened. It’s been categorised as a terrorist act, the Commonwealth government has established an anti-Semitism task force, claims of anti-Semitism have increased and, at press conferences, senior lawmakers and enforcers have called for restraint. Those Continue reading »

Finding a fair and productive level of inequality: A review of Battlers and Billionaires by Andrew Leigh

https://johnmenadue.com/finding-a-fair-and-productive-level-of-inequality-a-rev…
Created
Fri, 20/12/2024 - 04:55
When I met Andrew Leigh before his ‘Meet the Authors’ discussion of this new edition of his book, I had to ask him, ‘how on earth do you do this?’. Lyn Hatfield Dodds who moderated the discussion opened with the same question. Andrew Leigh is not only an extraordinary politician but an extraordinary person. Another Continue reading »

Decriminalising drugs: “Open secret that most of the NSW Cabinet now support major drug law reform”

https://johnmenadue.com/decriminalising-drugs-open-secret-that-most-of-the-nsw-…
Created
Fri, 20/12/2024 - 04:54
As Francis Hodgson Burnett said more than a century ago “at first people refuse to believe that strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope it can be done, then they see it can be done – then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries Continue reading »

Australian state curbs protest against Israel, silences Palestinians

https://johnmenadue.com/australian-state-curbs-protest-against-israel-silences-…
Created
Fri, 20/12/2024 - 04:53
Observe the formula carefully. On the public broadcaster SBS, Jillian Segal, still fresh in her role as antisemitism envoy, made a suggestion in the wake of the December 6 attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne. Australian “cities should not be utilised” for protests held in solidarity with Palestinians affected by the ongoing Hamas-Israel Continue reading »

Caste divisions among Indian diaspora remain in Australia

https://johnmenadue.com/caste-divisions-among-indian-diaspora-remain-in-austral…
Created
Fri, 20/12/2024 - 04:52
Australian politicians’ inability to understand the complexity of the Indian diaspora is, in part, fostering division among these migrants, the Guardian Australia claims in analysis published on Sunday (December 8). Writers Ben Doherty and Mostafa Rachwani say the diaspora is deeply divided – which should not surprise any educated person given that India’s Prime Minister Continue reading »

Little Donny Trump, Just Five Years Old

https://digbysblog.net/2024/12/19/little-donny-trump-just-five-years-old/
Created
Fri, 20/12/2024 - 04:00
After a long day on the golf course and a big dinner with his other new best billionaire pal Jeff Bezos, Little Donny was very happy indeed. Everybody loves him. All the fancy ladies in their glittery gowns want to take their picture with him and all the important men want to bow down to kiss his tiny ring. Meanwhile, his bestest friend, the richest man in the world, told all the bad people to shut down the government so America can be great again. And they did! He is the luckiest boy ever. The End

Once Upon a Time, a Nation of Laws

https://tomdispatch.com/once-upon-a-time-a-nation-of-laws/
Created
Fri, 20/12/2024 - 02:00

Post-election America finds itself in a panic. Voices from across a wide political spectrum warn that the country stands on the precipice of a potentially unprecedented and chaotic disregard for the laws, norms, and policies upon which its stability and security have traditionally relied. Some fear that the “new” president, Donald Trump, is likely to declare a national emergency and invoke the Insurrection Act, unleashing the U.S. military for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and for “retribution against” the “enemy from within” as well as “radical left lunatics.” As the New Republic‘s editor Michael Tomasky notes, writing about the nomination of Kash Patel for the post of director of the FBI, “We’re entering a world where the rule of law is... Read more

DrupalCon Atlanta 2025 - How to Convince Your Boss (Sample Letter Enclosed)

https://www.drupal.org/association/blog/drupalcon-atlanta-2025-how-to-convince-…
Created
Fri, 20/12/2024 - 02:00

DrupalCon Atlanta 2025 is coming up, and you’re excited to attend. But there’s one small challenge—convincing your boss to approve the trip. Don’t worry, this guide will help you build a solid case. Let’s get started!

Why You Should Attend DrupalCon Atlanta 2025

Your boss may ask if sending you to DrupalCon is a smart investment. But first, ask yourself: are you convinced? Here’s why attending DrupalCon Atlanta 2025 is an excellent idea for both you and your organization: 

The Bank Underground Christmas Quiz 2024

https://bankunderground.co.uk/2024/12/19/the-bank-underground-christmas-quiz-20…
Created
Fri, 20/12/2024 - 01:00
Before Bank Underground goes off on its Christmas holidays, it’s time for the Annual Bank Underground Christmas Quiz! We hope you enjoy testing your knowledge on our festive themed questions on economics, finance and all things central banking… If you want to get in touch, please email us at bankunderground@bankofengland.co.uk or leave a comment below. Comments will only … Continue reading The Bank Underground Christmas Quiz 2024 →