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Today, I want to talk about transformation. As mayor, I promise I will turn into a beast of policy and transform this town overnight into something we don’t even recognize. I want everyone to wake up the day after I’m sworn in and say, “What the hell happened last night? Gerald, what happened to your face?” Oh yes. Gerald’s face will be bloody—bloody surprised at how much better his life got last night, that is.

As citizens of North Harbor, I know you haven’t had it easy lately. I’ve heard the same worries from voters all across this town. Why is nobody doing anything about our favorite clothes that rip off our bodies at the sight of the moon? Why is nobody picking them up, folding them, and neatly bringing them back to us? Why, just the other day, I saw Stanley’s favorite “Dental Association Convention 2018” T-shirt near where those two hikers went missing, and I thought to myself, “Stanley must want that shirt back.” It is outrageous that no other candidate in this race has had the guts to speak out about this unspeakable town crisis.

A horrible illness has been widely neglected, thanks in part to the influence of a cruel and bizarre cult. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian  18th October 2024 How could this happen in the 21st century? The question could apply to many issues, but this one sends you reeling. A brilliant and lively young […]

IYKYK There’s a difference. A big one.

With a 92 percent disapproval rating, Peru’s Dina Boluarte is testing the very limits of disdain.

The post Meet the World’s Least Popular President appeared first on The Intercept.

Nationalekonomer hävdar ofta att det inte gör så mycket om de antaganden som deras modeller bygger på är realistiska eller ej. Vad som betyder något är om de prognoser som modellerna resulterar i visar sig vara riktiga eller ej. Om det verkligen är så, är den enda slutsats vi kan dra att dessa modeller och […]

You should opt out Dan Pfeiffer this morning examines the GOP push to psych out the public: Despite minimal evidence, a full-bore effort is underway to make Democrats think Kamala Harris is losing the election. This effort is abetted by preternaturally anxious Democrats expressing their concerns on social media. I have written a lot recently about the vibe shift in Democrats after Kamala Harris’s nomination. I don’t think the data validates such an extreme shift in emotions. However, I won’t shame anyone for being on edge these last two weeks. The stakes are enormous. Reproductive freedom, health care, democracy, and the planet are on the line in an election that could be decided by the weather in a random suburban Wisconsin county. Simon Rosenberg has been on about Republicans flooding the zone with conservative “red wave” polls meant to skew polling averages in Donald Trump’s favor. This is a GOP psyop meant to a) depress Democrat enthusiasm and, b) lay the groundwork for another “stop the steal” movement post-Nov. 5.

Our friends at 270 Reasons are gathering a polyphonic orchestra of brilliant writers, teachers, doctors, filmmakers, artists, and citizens of all kinds to weigh in about their plans to vote this November. These opinion essays run the gamut from advocacy for basic human rights to acutely personal mini-manifestoes. Read the rest over at 270 Reasons.

Because Kamala Knows That Immigrants Are America’s Strength

Kamala Harris is the proud daughter of immigrants. Like her mother, I moved to America from South Africa at nineteen with dreams of changing the world. This was a country of endless possibility. I vividly remember freezing in the National Mall with friends as Barack Obama, the son of an immigrant, was inaugurated.

I first met Dean after my wife and I had split up—dude, why is everyone freaking out, it was just a small earthquake. We get it. Move on. Look at everyone with their little Twitter jokes about the earthquake.

Okay, okay, book, book, book. Focus on the book.

So, that’s when I had first met Dean. I had also just gotten over a serious illness that I won’t bother talking about—why do I keep getting alerts about crime? I thought I turned off alerts for everything.

Jesus, look at this footage from their doorbell cam. People are just going around taking mail out of mailboxes?

If you take mail, like, let’s just say you came and took my mail, what could you possibly do with it? Oh, fuck, credit card statement, right?

Okay, book. So, basically, the theme of the book is going to be My Road Trip. I’ll travel across the country. Just write it as it comes.

Why are all these writers online saying they love to write? They’re copping bits like, “I’m passionate about telling my story.”

Starmer’s Government has an opportunity to reverse years of Conservative attacks on impartiality and independence – our democracy requires it to act beyond narrow party interests, former BBC producer and journalist Patrick Howse writes

Austerity Is Mostly Stupid… Mostly.

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There is no doubt that the government should be congratulated for the improvement to workers’ rights set out in the Employment Rights Bill. Trade unions have welcomed the introduction of ‘day one’ rights, the (albeit complex) provisions to limit zero hours contracts, and the restrictions on fire and rehire in particular. However, these measures come […]

This rollicking ode to modernity pairs Prokofiev with frenetic abstractions and Post-Impressionist animations of people at play

- by Aeon Video

Watch at Aeon

Aspects of opera can seem strange. But give it a try and you’ll soon find yourself absorbed in a truly magical experience

- by Alexandra Wilson

Read at Psyche

Why is the BBC giving so much coverage to a complete non-story about Labour and the Democrats, just because the Republican candidate would like them to?

Francesca Diluiso and Aydan Dogan To achieve the emissions reduction targets outlined in The Paris Agreement, many economies have started implementing various types of climate policies. These policies, which include subsidies for green production or investment, carbon taxes, and cap and trade schemes, are crucial for guiding the transition to a greener economy. However, by … Continue reading International spillovers from climate policy →

Some Wednesday snippets. First, I juxtapose the political machinations that the EU President is engaged in to consolidate and expand her power within the European Commission with the reality that Member State governments are becoming dysfunction because social instability and political extremism are rife. Then I reflect on my experience as Chancellor of Britain –…