Reading

Yes, long ago, I dreamt of being a novelist. Two ancient manuscripts packed away in a distant corner of my closet attest to that (ir)reality, as does one novel focused on the world of publishing (in which I’d been an editor) that made it into print, even if it was barely noticed. Still, from time to time, I’ve thought about trying to write fiction again. These days, however, when I consider that possibility, I find myself smiling, however grimly. After all, how could you truly write fiction in a world — and I’m not just thinking of Donald Trump (though I most distinctly am thinking of him) — that seems ever more fictionalized? How could you write fiction in a... Read more

Source: Trumptopia and Beyond appeared first on TomDispatch.com.

Tim Walz on Labor Day The Labor Day clip of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaking in Milwaukee (“very good at this” below) went viral on Monday. After I transcribed and posted the gist of it on several platforms, it went nuts on Mastodon. (Don’t ask me why, but I seem to get more traffic on Mastodon than on X, Blue Sky or Threads.) As a teacher and coach for years, Walz said, “I was a dues-paying member of my union.” When Republican critics accused him of being “in the pocket of organized labor,” he said, “That’s a damn lie. I am the pocket!” Want to attack him for standing up for collective bargaining, for fair wages, safe working conditions, for health care and retirement, have at it. Democrats have to run for something, Walz continued, not just against the other guys. Fair wages and safe working conditions, expanded health care and addressing climate change, etc. are on Democrats’ agenda. Just one vote made the difference in moving Minnesota forward. “That’s our vision for the country,” Walz said in asking the crowd to give Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and President Kamala Harris working majorities.

Sufyan Gulam Ismail offers some advice on how Labour can win back British Muslim voters after losing so many over the issue of Gaza

In Doctor Who, a new companion entering the TARDIS for the first time is their "rite of passage" - so why do they always seem chill about it?

“So there I am, horns caught in the thicket. This Abraham fellow starts eyeing me, and I know this can’t be good. He just tried to ice his own flesh and blood. What’s he gonna do to a ram?”

“Let’s back up,” the police officer said. “What did you say you were doing on the mountain?”

“My client doesn’t have to answer that,” the ram’s lawyer interrupted.

The ram nodded. The policeman rolled his eyes.

“Okay, just start from the beginning,” said the officer, “you’re on this mountain. Then what?”

“I’m minding my own business, then these two guys waltz up. Look like a father and son. And I get it, y’know? It’s peak season, everyone wants a view. But they immediately start piling up wood, and there’s no way these clowns have a burn permit.”

“Okay, okay, but you said the older man was violent?”

“No, he was a real man of God, a peacemaker, it’s just that… oh, what was it… that’s right, he was about to murder his own child.”

“Just answer his questions,” the lawyer snipped.

The discovery of the bodies in a Hamas tunnel has set off a chain reaction in Israel

How a radical secret memo went from idea to reality.

The debate over the future of the 9-5, five-day working week, ever-present since the pandemic’s shake-up of established working norms, shows no sign of letting up. This week, the news that the government plans to strengthen the rights of workers to demand a four-day week as part of their New Deal For Working People dominated […]

The Government's constant attempts to second guess its critics are only disappointing its supporters and emboldening its opponents

Growing up under tiger parenting, I’ve seen that pushing a child to succeed often fails – and isn’t worth the emotional cost

- by Louis Li

Read at Psyche

For Indians to be truly free, Gandhi argued they must take up traditional crafts. Was it a quixotic hope or inspired solution?

- by Benjamin Studebaker

Read at Aeon

'Tory bible' set to fall into hands of tycoon who liked tweets about 'civil war' and 'mass expulsions' of migrants

This Briahna Joy Gray interview of David Sirota discusses the fundamental problem of money in USA. Politics. Near the beginning, they discuss the likely danger that Harris will lay out positions that are progressive, but eventually abandon them and capitulate to the donor class, as she did on Medicare for All in 2019.

Beginning around 39:23, Sirota summarizes The Lever’s new work on Lewis Powell and the Powell Memo, and how Powell enabled corporations to corrupt the political system. There is some important  information that was not publicly known before The Lever staff combed through nearly forgotten archives the past two years, including Powell’s friendship with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, and the group of secret task forces established by the Chamber of Commerce to implement the Powel Memo.

Launch of Captured: How neoliberalism transformed the Australian state

Speakers: Phillip Toner and Michael Rafferty

Thursday 5 September 2024, 1:30-2:30 pm

Room 341, Social Sciences Building, University of Sydney

Please join Phil Toner, Mike Rafferty and contributors for a seminar launching the recently released edited book Captured: How neoliberalism transformed the Australian state (Sydney University Press) 

The post Launch of Captured: How neoliberalism transformed the Australian state appeared first on Progress in Political Economy (PPE).

Source - Patreon

Source - Patreon

Source - Patreon

Source - Patreon

Since Trump is determined that we are going to talk about the Afghanistan withdrawal let’s talk about it. Kevin Drum has the best discussion that I’ve seen: The entire operation had only one serious failure: the death of 13 American service members (and 170 Afghans) to an al-Qaeda suicide bomber at Abbey Gate. Multiple investigations by the Pentagon concluded that there wasn’t really anything that could have stopped it. Everyone processes grief differently, and I can’t bring myself to reproach the families that blame Biden for the deaths of their children. But the fact remains that Biden wasn’t at fault; the Army wasn’t at fault; and deaths in the line of duty are a natural occurrence in war. The withdrawal wasn’t handled perfectly, but there weren’t any huge mistakes. Nor was it really possible not to withdraw given the situation Biden inherited: the Taliban’s takeover was inevitable as soon as Trump signed the withdrawal agreement with them. It might well have been inevitable even without that.

The Cairns Indigenous Art Fair featured paintings, works on paper such as etchings and linocuts, fashion, photography, sculpture, ceramics, 3D creations using a wide variety of materials, and more.

During Trump’s very weird event with Moms for Liberty last week he lied many times as he always does. And this particular lie is one he keeps telling and it keeps not being true. After telling them that he had wanted to make Ivanka “UN Secretary” (which would not have been possible) he said this: “Daddy, I just want to help people get jobs….” Yeah right. Reality (from 2019) Trump signed an executive order creating the National Council for the American Worker, co-chaired by Ivanka Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. One of the council’s priorities is asking companies across the US to sign the Pledge to America’s Workers. The pledge involves “committing to expand programs that educate, train, and reskill American workers from high-school age to near-retirement,” according to the White House. Two hundred companies have agreed to the pledge, with each providing different numbers of training opportunities. This brings the total number of opportunities pledged to just over 6.5 million.

At stake in the machinations between global asset managers, the firms they invest in, and regulators is the core question of what environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing really does and its function at the frontiers of contemporary capital accumulation. This is the question addressed in my recent book, False profits of ethical capital.

The post False profits of ethical capital: Finance, labour and the politics of risk appeared first on Progress in Political Economy (PPE).