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Australia’s first wellbeing framework, announced by the Treasurer under the Measuring What Matters banner, is important and can play a vital part in setting national direction and navigating significant challenges for Australia in the years to come. The framework uses larger and more diverse data to bring depth and resolution to the picture drawn by Continue reading »

Britain has commissioned a prison hulk to house immigrants, in a cruel re-enactment of history. Meanwhile, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has implemented two strategies to stop immigrants crossing the Rio Grande into America: one is a floating barrier with razor wire and rolling motion that pulls people under the water; the other is an apparent Continue reading »

When it comes to a ‘pivot state’ in Asia against China, the security apparatus of South Korea’s Yoon Suk-yeol is ignored or given a free pass by the West. Tens of thousands protest in the streets, calling on their leader to resign and clashing with riot police. The government denounces them as stooges and spies; Continue reading »

It appears that COVID is not going to be a big issue in the 2024 election and perhaps we should be grateful for that. It was only three years ago that the entire world was in a health crisis the likes of which we hadn’t seen in over a hundred years. In July of 2020 tens of thousands of Americans were dying each day in the first wave of a deadly pandemic and President Donald Trump was all over television alternately telling the people that they could cure themselves with unapproved drugs like Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin or telling them that the virus was going away and the economy needed to just open up and carry on as usual. It was a terrifying time and the trauma it caused has been very deep. 1.1 million people have died from COVID in the U.S. so far leaving many more family members and friends dealing with the grief and the loss. It’s only recently that it has felt like the country is getting back to normal with the economy fully recovering and a sense of freedom in our business and social interactions. But we may have changed permanently in some respects and not necessarily for the better.

Calling all office warriors and lunchtime heroes, a brand-new FEED is coming to this location. If you haven’t yet visited one of our eighty-one other identical locations in the city that all popped up last month, you’re in for a delicious new way to get the fuel you need to finish your workday strong. Think Sweetgreen—but it’s pig food.

Oink-oink, piggies, it’s feedin’ time. So line on up and dip your rabid snouts into our fast-casual slop trough. Hey now, take it easy: there’s enough slop to go around.

When we started FEED, we asked ourselves, How can we craft an even more degrading and impersonal lunch experience than Chipotle, Sweetgreen, DIG, Cava, Pokeworks, Chopt, or the one that’s Chipotle for Chinese food? The answer: We make no effort to gesture at any type of recognizable cuisine. Why? Because lunch shouldn’t be something you’re meant to enjoy. Our slop is fuel for productive city piggies. How fast can your hooves type?

"Apparently, he is 'putting Ashfield on the map'. I think he is making us a laughing stock" one constituent said

Tim Miller with a word for the pundits who think Tim Scott or Nikki Haley are running in a real primary: THERE’S ANOTHER WORLD out there—one that’s better than ours. In this world there are two healthy political parties waging vigorous primary campaigns with vibrant debates between factions and these factions have genuine disagreements over what policies will best serve our fellow Americans. I don’t begrudge anyone aspiring to build such a world. I don’t even begrudge those who have chosen to live in a blissful state of disreality and disconnect from politics entirely, rather than face the Super Not Great world we do live in. But I would expect professional political commentators, and donors shelling out millions in campaign cash, and the political strategists receiving that cash, to live in the real world.  Alas this is not the case. Instead we have a heavily capitalized right-wing ecosystem that exists to prop up an imaginary Republican presidential primary so that the participants can feel better about their party identification.

From the FrameLab Newsletter: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis broke a major rule of authoritarian politics at the very moment he launched his 2024 presidential campaign. Now his campaign is going broke, stalling in the polls and laying off staff. His most enthusiastic supporters, like the Fox channel’s Rupert Murdoch, are abandoning him. The political press, having served […]

The right is against kids’ freedom. The left is ambivalent.

The post Defending Bodily Autonomy Is Real Child Protection appeared first on The Intercept.

Governor Ron DeSantis said that forced labor would have been “a game-changer.”

I am attempting to catch up on a little bit of blogging. This last semester, I prepped and taught a new (to me) course titled “Digital Design II.” Digital Design I and Digital Design II are both upper-division electives for strategic communication that in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. I’ve been teaching […]

A bear found my GoPro and took a selfie

Grizzly bear GoPro selfie: raw unedited footage

What will they do now? A Gallup poll relased this month finds shifts in what Americans find “extremely” or “very important” in their lives. In a headline, “America used to have 2 religions: God and money. Only one of them is recruiting followers, and it’s not Jesus,” Forbes’ Chloe Berger reports: Decades ago, money was listed as extremely important to 67% of respondents, whereas religion was only slightly less esteemed, at 65%. Now, money has surged in popularity, described as extremely important to 79% of those surveyed. Religion, on the other hand, has lost traction, as only 58% regarded it as a very important part of their lives.  Money increased in value across the board, and was slightly more important for younger generations than baby boomers (increasing by 14% for those aged 18 to 34 and 35 to 54, and only by 10% for those 55 and older).  Despite “In God We Trust” appearing on the coins, it’s buying power, not spiritual power, that average Americans value most these days.

A new generation of Palestinians is rising up: how can we help them achieve their goals?

The post From Oslo to Unity: Reimagining Palestine Solidarity for the Future appeared first on MintPress News.

SAG-AFTRA, Social Security and solidarity All of us are in a union. The Union of American Taxpayers. Republicans want to take away our benefits the way entertainment companies want to shortchange the writers, actors and crew who create their products. The SAG-AFTRA strike and this from Digby on Sunday brought that home for me: Of course, it’s important to remember that they are completely shameless and will have no problem screaming “liar!” at anyone who suggests they agreed not to cut social security and medicare. But it will still be useful to have this to point out to voters. And, by the way, this fatuous “we’re only cutting it for the young” has never worked in the past and it won’t work in the future. The old people have kids and grand kids to protect and the young aren’t that stupid. Republicans are counting on older Americans not standing in solidarity with the young. Because they wouldn’t. “Everybody in this business is not rich,” said comedian Leslie Jones in an epic Twitter rant about the SAG-AFTRA strike. She was 47 before she made any money in show business.

But was the bank’s research into Farage diligent enough? asks Tom Scott.

We should celebrate the birth of the NHS and the welfare state – but also acknowledge it has too often let learning disabled people down in the worst way imaginable, writes Stephen Unwin

1. “This is a life-changing opportunity.”

2. “We need to expand our line.”

3. “Don’t you want to get in on the ground floor of transforming someone’s life?”

4. “The clock is ticking.”

5. “Sure, there’s a large up-front investment of time and money, but trust us, the payoff is huge.”

6. “Don’t worry, there are zero qualifications. Anyone can do it!”

7. “Are you still a vegan?”

8. “You know Sally from down the street? Well, she convinced her daughter Julia to get on board, and now look at her. Julia drives her three kids around in a Tesla SUV, has an inground saltwater pool, and only needs three hours of sleep!”

9. “No one ever feels ready!”

10. “Fine, we’ll take your ‘no’ as a ‘not right now.’ See you next week.”

Grandkid: 7
Both: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10

Hollywood is on strike. Actors and performers from the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), alongside writers from The Writers’ Guild of America (WGA), have combined to picket film and TV studios—the first time both unions have joined forces since 1960. And support and solidarity hasn’t been confined to the US.  […]

In today's BCTV Daily Dispatch: Justified, TWD: Dead City, Twitter/Elon Musk, Invincible, Futurama, Strange New Worlds, Doctor Who, and more!

The head of MI6 was right when he recently declared that China was 'absolutely complicit' in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, writes Brian Latham