Reading

On the trail of an extinct mustelid in Maine.

The post A Mink Tale appeared first on Nautilus.

Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgaard on the inspiration for his latest novel and his turn to sci-fi.

The post Don’t We Belong to Nature? appeared first on Nautilus.

Get ready for the deportation grift. It’s going to be epic: President-elect Donald Trump told NBC News on Thursday that one of his first priorities upon taking office in January would be to make the border “strong and powerful.” When questioned about his campaign promise of mass deportations, Trump said his administration would have “no choice” but to carry them out. Trump said he considers his sweeping victory over Vice President Kamala Harris a mandate “to bring common sense” to the country. “We obviously have to make the border strong and powerful and, and we have to — at the same time, we want people to come into our country,” he said. “And you know, I’m not somebody that says, ‘No, you can’t come in.’ We want people to come in.” As a candidate, Trump had repeatedly vowed to carry out the “largest deportation effort in American history.” Asked about the cost of his plan, he said, “It’s not a question of a price tag. It’s not — really, we have no choice.

Your guide to what the hell just happened in the election and what’s ahead.

Trump’s stated positions on major international issues, e.g. climate change and the value and importance of multilateral institutions, both political and economic, and on particular issues such as Ukraine, the Middle East and relations with China, give grounds for plenty of concern when compared with Australian interests and policies. Australia is a small country in Continue reading »

On Tuesday the American people spoke with clarity and determination. They voted for jobs, secure borders and to be able to look to the future in an uncertain world with confidence and optimism. What we know from Trump 1.0 is that he his true to his word. We can then expect that Trump’s foreign policy Continue reading »

Just like in the US , the next Australian election will be decided by the cost of living. Both the US and Australian economies have performed quite well, in difficult circumstances. However, the lesson from the US election is that both Governments need to tell their story better. It seems likely that the core issues Continue reading »

For many years, American politicians have recited and acted in accordance with the “truism” that “no politician ever lost an election by being too pro-Israel.” In an opinion article entitled “Democrats Ignored Gaza and Brought Down Their Party” which was published by the New York Times on November 7, Peter Beinart makes the argument that Continue reading »

In Asian media this week: World must brace ‘for extreme chaos’. Plus: Beijing pivots towards military junta; Yoon now engulfed in political strife; Haggling intensifies to decide on Japan’s leader; Indonesia’s debate over joining BRICS; Anwar Ibrahim always one of the elite. Difficulties with trade, growth, defence, security, alliances and climate figure prominently in the Continue reading »

The need to restructure energy planning and regulation in Australia has been apparent for over a decade, since households and businesses began rapidly installing solar panels on their roofs, flipping the traditional one-way, large-scale supply of electricity into a two-way, consumer-led transition. There needs to be thorough expert consideration on how best to facilitate this Continue reading »

Jonathan Holmes, a respected journalist and former host of Media Watch, with an impressive career spanning over 40 years including work as an executive producer for programs like Four Corners, Foreign Correspondent, and 7.30 Report, has shared his perspective on the challenges facing Australia’s national broadcaster, the ABC with Michael Lester. Reflecting on its over Continue reading »

Prabowo Subianto has got his diary right: First overseas handshake from the new President of Indonesia is for his bankers in Beijing, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. Trump can wait. A year ago Bank Indonesia reported the nation owes China more than US$27 billion and is already in a debt trap according to Continue reading »

It’s a time of major events: Donald Trump has again been elected President of the USA and its biggest foreign spy base Pine Gap features in the movie Twilight Time to be screened in Alice Springs on Saturday. For decades “the base” has been described as a prime nuclear target. Does that worry the town? Continue reading »

Vladimir Putin rarely uses English in his speeches. So if in his speech to the recent BRICS meeting in Kazan he insisted the reason for Russia’s 2022 attack on Ukraine was that he was duped (he pronounced it ‘dooped’) by Germany and France in the 2014-5 Minsk Accords then he probably meant it. The Accords Continue reading »

Now that we’ve had a chance to catch our breath a little bit and get through the grieving process over last Tuesday’s election, the inevitable recriminations have begun in earnest. Social media is awash with accusations against the Biden administration, the Harris campaign, the left, the right and everything in between. The Democrats are out of touch with Real America, they don’t know how to talk to Latinos, men, young voters, anyone really except college educated women. Was it an expression of deep desire for fascism, misogyny and racism or a simple admiration for the reality show ringmaster who tells them what they want to hear? I suspect we will spend many years dissecting what happened that put Donald Trump back inthe White House this year. There is no doubt a kernal of truth in much of what people are saying. Any losing team has to look at their game plan and question where they went wrong.

The re-elected President’s backers believe democracy is finished – the fight to save it must transform it

One of my favorite metasciences lines is: “Does anyone look around and say…things are going great, I just think we need MORE PAPERS?” Obviously, we all want more scientific progress, better evidence, broader scope — but I don’t think that this is best accomplished by churning out more of these fancy peer-reviewed pdfs. Indeed, our systems […]

“Resentment against elites proved to be deeper and more profound than many in both parties had recognized.” — NYT

“Many other billionaires and industry titans have thrown their support behind Trump. Now, some could be in the running for cabinet posts, while others may wield influence behind the scenes.” — USA Today

At long last, the privileged elites have been defeated. And by who? The perfect heroes, of course. The ultimate anti-elites. The champions of the average worker. The most relatable folks on the planet: the billionaires.

Finally, the out-of-touch vision of the ruling class has been thwarted by a handful of the world’s wealthiest people who plan to make even more money off the suffering of the poor and disenfranchised. Take that, aristocrats!

A marketing problem? Really? “There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them,” closed out each episode of a police procedural from the mid-twentieth century. It also approximates the hot takes this week and in coming months on why Kamala Harris lost the 2024 presidential election to a fascism-curious, [your list of Donald Trump’s crimes and character flaws here], in obvious mental decline, etc. The world now faces a period of disruption to rival post-September 11 wars, the Great Recession, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a fresh land war in Europe. And maybe worse. The twenty-first century has been nothing if not disruption. Trump fosters it. He keeps rivals off balance with it and blames Others for it. MAGA finds its scapegoats primarily among immigrants but doesn’t limit itself to them. Where pundits find theirs for what happened on Tuesday confounds me. As after Donald Trump’s first election in 2016, the usual suspects will fall back on their usual simplistic answers. Remember “economic anxiety“?

I’m delighted to announce a plethora of new shows for May 2025 with the brilliant Henry Normal. We’re be coming to BIRMINGHAM, CAMBRIDGE, HARROGATE, LANCASTER, LIVERPOOL, LONDON, MANCHESTER, MELTON MOWBRAY, NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME, NORTHAMPTON, STOCKTON-ON-TEES and WHITLEY BAY. Tickets have gone on sale today. As previously announced, we’ll also be reading poems in ASHFORD, BURNLEY, CARDIFF, HALIFAX,…