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For the past seven months, life as I knew it has stopped. The enormity of the genocide in Gaza inhabits me. My short nights of interrupted sleep are bookended with hours at the computer combing the news of Gaza. Meal times are now brief moments to gulp tasteless food. A sentence or a photo triggers Continue reading »
You can’t solve a problem without talking about it, honestly. Take the impact of climate disruption on security. “Too hot to handle: The scorching reality of Australia’s climate–security failure” is a report published this week by the Australian Security Leaders Group (ASLCG) . This article is an extract from the report. One line of evidence Continue reading »
At a time when China is becoming increasingly more important to the Australian economy as well as to our stability and security in the Asia-Pacific, the overall decline in Australia’s China knowledge capability runs counter to our national sovereign interests. The opportunity to congratulate Colin Mackerras on his six-decade long involvement with China is bitter-sweet. Continue reading »
If we don’t recognise and understand the history of the struggle to end violence against women it will undermine efforts to eliminate it. On Anzac Day, April 25, the Australian media made sure we remembered the men who fought for Australia both recently, and a century ago in WW1. I am the daughter of an Continue reading »
Antony Blinken megaphoned the United States’ complaints about China in advance of his visit this week. They included Beijing’s unfair economic and trade practices, ‘industrial over-capacity’, and ‘genocide and crimes against humanity’ against Uyghurs. Coming from the nation most complicit in Israel’s human rights violations and potential genocide against Palestinians, the Secretary of State’s hypocrisy Continue reading »
On Sunday 28 April, Defence Minister Richard Marles announced $100 million in military aid to Ukraine. It was said to raise Australia’s support to $1 billion in support of Ukraine’s attempt to counter “Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion”. I have hitherto addressed the issue of the “morality”, at least, of Russia’s invasion: Ukraine: The other Continue reading »
Community trust in journalism is at an all-time low. Even politicians rate higher. Our media – journalists, publishers and broadcasters – should urgently get together and work out how best to rebuild public confidence in what is being presented as news. What lessons can be learnt from the recent high profile Ben Roberts-Smith and Bruce Continue reading »
Russian claims to Crimea based on historical ownership, language or the illegitimacy of past decisions are weak. They provide no justification for its invasion and annexation or continued possession of Crimea. Several myths about Ukraine and Russia’s invasion keep doing the rounds. One such zombie thesis is the idea that Crimea is historically and rightfully Continue reading »
The world would be a better place if US politicians exercised the same conscientiousness over Palestine as they have over the Chinese autonomous region. While American politicians have been busy sending weapons to Israel to slaughter Palestinians, they still find time to fret about freedom for Tibet. Just now, the US Senate Committee on Foreign Continue reading »
Kit Klarenberg explores the sudden vanishing act of Western media and political attention after new intelligence challenges the narrative surrounding Alexei Navalny's death.
The post Inside Job? Ominous New Questions Surround Navalny’s Death appeared first on MintPress News.
The good news about the Vatican’s recent document, “Dignitas Infinita: on Human Dignity” is that...
Georgian Dream's 'Russian-style' law has prompted strong statements of concern from the UK, US and EU with critics saying it is an attempt to muzzle the media and NGOs – it may also end Georgia's hopes of joining the EU
Dan Pfeiffer’s newsletter today answers one big question: The biggest divide in politics is not between Left and Right; it’s between political junkies and everyone else. There is a massive chasm between those who actively seek out political news and the vast majority of the country. The gap has been exacerbated by tectonic shifts in the media environment. I summarized the changes that led to this “News Gap” in a recent post: Readers (and the writer) of this newsletter have barely noticed the changesy. We watch cable news, we download podcasts, subscribe to newsletters, and (some of us) still use Twitter to track current events. We are junkies. We seek out political news at every opportunity. But for the vast majority of Americans, who do not actively engage with politics and the news, these changes significantly altered their media diets and what they know about politics and politicians. Pfeiffer says that 3 polls this week address that phenomenon and somewhat answer the question about why this race is so close.
Monday is your new Saturday morning, the start of the weekend. Once your kids are at school, you have a lazy morning of self-care (clearing your inbox) followed by brunch with friends (an all-hands meeting in the conference room with stale bagels). You round out the afternoon by spending time in nature (dozing off in a desk salad).
Tuesday is Saturday afternoon. After a slight interruption to your weekend (Monday evening with your kids), you’re ready to get back to the fun. You host a boozy book club (your colleague stops by your desk to comb through the latest all-company memo for hints that layoffs are coming). Tired, you decide to take in a matinee (mandatory webinar on cybersecurity).
Wednesday is spa day (pooping in the office bathroom stall with no interruptions). You deserve it!
Thursday, you have a sunny date in the park (meeting with HR to discuss an unfortunate misunderstanding of your office’s policy against filling the bathroom with lighted candles). Against a soundtrack of soft jazz music (buzzing fluorescent lightbulb and stern reprimands), you feel your stress melt away.
Plus, Boeing drops incriminating evidence on an attorney, gambling takes over old-fashioned arcade games, and that time Nixon almost fought climate change.
As everyone wrings their hands over campus protests let’s take a look at the leader of the Republican youth movement’s top leader: Yeah. I think we can all afford to take a deep breath and remember that campus protests are among America’s foremost liberal traditions and calm down about it. (I say that to myself as much as anyone.)
Reflections on a philosopher who believed we can solve the problem of consciousness.
The post I Never Stopped Learning from Daniel Dennett appeared first on Nautilus.