An Opening Salvo Five hundred days into a war to achieve death and destruction which at a glance looked like organised slaughter where most casualties were women and children, a carnage is justified by claims that even newborn babies must be terrorists, hence a beyond belief horror movie beamed nightly on television screens. Murder Unlimited Continue reading »
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Of all the horrors that emerged from the Nuremberg war trials it was a simple lampshade that was amongst the most confronting and memorable. The systematic murder of six million Jews was simply too large an atrocity to truly comprehend, coming as it did after the mind-numbing numbers of war dead in Russia, Europe and Continue reading »
“If Barack Obama decides to attack the Syrian regime, he has ensured — for the very first time in history — that the United States will be on the same side as al-Qa’ida.” Robert Fisk, The Independent, 28 August 2013 “I hate that we have leaders who cozy up to Islamist extremists, minimising them to Continue reading »
As the inevitable federal election approaches, the major parties are already revealing their strategies. The Australian Labor Party is opting for a cautious approach, banking on the expectation of securing a second term. Treasurer Jim Chalmers focuses on delivering intricate explanations of Australia’s economic performance within a global context, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese highlights Continue reading »
Australia’s new job classification system, OSCA, replaces ANZSCO with little fanfare. Its streamlined approach raises questions about workforce planning, transparency, and the evolving definition of work. Governments have long classified jobs to track employment trends, inform workforce planning, and shape policy decisions. A well-structured system helps determine migration eligibility, identify skills shortages, and guide education Continue reading »
For more than 75 years Kashmiris and Palestinians have suffered at the hands of colonial powers – genocide, human rights abuses and denial of fundamental rights feature in their shared history. While the Kashmiri struggle for self-determination rarely makes the headlines it deserves to be not only supported but also understood in terms of the Continue reading »
A report by King's College this week exploring prejudicial attitudes towards asexual people prompted an ugly online backlash
Trump’s executive orders, Musk’s power grabs, dismantling institutions faster than anyone can track, attacking science, knowledge and international cooperative bodies and allies are all part of the authoritarian playbook. I’ve also grouped the actions in a table to illustrate this. 2 books (How Democracies die, The Road to Unfreedom) highlight key steps to erode democracy:Undermine independent institutionsWeaken the oppositionDismantle social protectionsRetreat from international alliancesWeaponise nationalismUndermine scienceUndermine free elections (inc misinfo) ** Almost all of the actions Trump has taken over the last three weeks map directly onto those steps. ** This is from Prof Christina Pagel, @chrischirp.bsky.social. More here. It’s pretty amazing to see it laid out like this isn’t it?
“We've got them literally on the run, which hadn't happened up until now. Foot soldiers and corporals and captains, et cetera always thought that they could keep on vacationing in Europe and other exotic places, and they can't do that anymore.” Haroon Raza, HRF
The post Pariah State: Israeli Soldiers Face Arrests and Travel Bans Worldwide appeared first on MintPress News.
Trump isn’t scaling back foreign intervention—he’s just dropping the pretense, using direct political pressure and military aid to reshape Lebanon’s future.
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In a tweet announcing his attack on the Climate Justice Alliance, EPA head Lee Zeldin linked it to the group’s protected speech about Palestine.
The post Trump’s EPA Kills Grant to Climate Nonprofit Over Its Support for Palestine appeared first on The Intercept.
Lathaniel, thou knowest how I crave thy touch. Many a night—and morn, and afternoon!—have I lain enfolded in thine arms, as thou tendered thy lips upon my ivory throat and plundered my crevices with thy capable, veiny fingers. But there is a matter we must discuss.
Lathaniel. You have to stop ripping my bodices.
Yes, thou didst detect a switch to the cold, formal “you”! For I am wroth, Lathaniel! Thou hast destroyed ALL OF MY BODICES with thy heedless ham-hands.
Am I flattered by thy haste? Forsooth. I am not made of stone. But, good lord, man. I must wear something. Have some self-restraint.
Surely, thou canst sate thy lusts upon mine person without turning every garment I own into confetti? I look upon my shredded silks and weep, Lathaniel! My bosom heaves with anguish. And what shall support it? Not my bodices!
Sabotaging the government came later
EXCLUSIVE: The Home Office confirms that Walney, who was appointed by Boris Johnson, will now leave Government
The bullies who beat and mocked me in eighth grade were cruel and stupid. They despised intelligence and worshipped violence, although they would settle for athletic ability. The school blessed their thuggery by scheduling dodgeball. It was good preparation for Viet Nam, the country where I expected to be blown apart if I managed to […]
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ON THE MEDIUM OF ARTISTIC PRESENCE
- - -
THE ACCEPTANCE OF PERSONA
Every artist expresses persona. For performers, the public face is inside the art. The work of Charlie Chaplin, Billie Holiday, Ana Mendieta, or Jimi Hendrix cannot be separated from the undeniable power of persona.
For artists who send their work into the world, persona may be less apparent. Writers, painters, and composers will have little relationship to an exterior self unless they actively choose to engage it. Such private-minded artists may find the very subject of persona to be taboo, distasteful, and cringeworthy. They might bristle and scoff at the possibility that they, too, have constructed and worn masks for many years.
Donald Trump: And your point is? It’s not unlike the plot of that Die Hard movie where thieves keep police busy hunting for a bomb in a school while the they rob a federal gold depository. The Musk-Trump cabal has simply started firing federal law enforcement and robbing banks. Both robberies take place in New York City. Forbes: New York City officials alleged Wednesday the Federal Emergency Management Agency revoked $80 million in grants from the city’s accounts amid a feud with the Trump administration over the city’s use of federal funds to house migrants—a move the city’s comptroller called “illegal” and “highway robbery.” “Revoked” is a polite term for “stole.” Associated Press: Gone is a $59 million grant that the administration challenged earlier in the week and another award for $21.5 million, City Comptroller Brad Lander said. The money was discovered to be missing overnight, and Lander said no one in his office had been aware that the federal government had access to the city’s bank account. Lander is a candidate for mayor.
An official report found Black police officers are much more likely to be subject to internal misconduct investigations than their white counterparts
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies returns to drama with Tip Toe, a spiritual sequel to Queer as Folk but set in darker current times.
Our love is like the USS Scorpion…
The initial construction was reasonable, but regular maintenance was refused until negligence distilled an inescapable nightmare.
Our love is like the Titan submersible…
It was constructed upon premises that we were warned repeatedly would not go the distance, prompting concern from both professionals and those closest to us.
Our love is like the narco-submarines built deep in the jungle…
No one can know about us, baby. We have to stay under the radar. We were never designed to ascend to great depths but instead to remain superficial. This vessel is not built for comfort; it is a vehicle of misery. Also, I’m doing cocaine.
Our love is like the K-141 Kursk…
Our enemies were so curious that they expended great effort to dig up and examine the wreckage, hoping to find something they could use against us.
- by Psyche Film
- by Gordon Gillespie
“What he’s done is testing the limits of his power in a way we have never seen in this country,” says retired federal Judge Nancy Gertner.
The post Constitutional Crisis Looms appeared first on The Intercept.
Bad news for coffee lovers: you’re going to be paying more for your morning brew in 2025. Brazil and Vietnam are the world’s largest coffee producers, and both are forecasting lower production volumes this year. Brazil, which is the world’s largest producer of Arabica coffee, experienced the worst drought in seventy years in 2024. Drier […]