Reading

Created
Sat, 22/02/2025 - 04:57
In Asian media this week: Seoul, Pyongyang fear being ignored. Plus: India edges towards closer US connection; Domestic violence surges in South Korea; Beijing brings private sector back into the fold; Military making comeback in Indonesia; Kolkata’s yellow taxis taking last fares. Donald Trump is busily ingratiating himself with Vladimir Putin and is ever-so-casually withdrawing Continue reading »
Created
Sat, 22/02/2025 - 04:56
Ukraine has not been invited to a key meeting between American and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia this week to decide what peace in the country might look like. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would “never accept” any decisions in talks without its participation to end Russia’s three-year war in the country. A decision to negotiate Continue reading »
Created
Sat, 22/02/2025 - 04:55
Having a legal action one has lodged with a court being refused is not usually the ideal outcome. Yet, the recent attempt by Uncle Robbie Thorpe to launch a private prosecution against so-called King Charles III for the crime of genocide being denied by the Victorian Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Krauatungalung Continue reading »
Created
Sat, 22/02/2025 - 04:54
A stand-off between the Albanese Government and the NSW and Queensland Governments over public school funding has been going on for more than a year. The longer it lasts, the more public schools will lose. If it is not resolved, public schools in the two states could lose nearly $40 billion in funding over the Continue reading »
Created
Sat, 22/02/2025 - 04:51
New Zealand’s leading newspaper, the New Zealand Herald, screamed out this headline on 10 February: “Should New Zealand invade the Cook Islands?” The government and the mainstream media have gone ballistic (thankfully not literally just yet) over the move by the small Pacific nation to sign a strategic partnership with China in Beijing. It is Continue reading »
Created
Sat, 22/02/2025 - 04:03
“America is rock and roll.” — Alfred Howard Did some of you find it hard to feel the love for President’s Day this year? Well, remember: the reason it exists is because we Americans, as a nation, couldn’t choose between Washington’s Birthday and Lincoln’s Birthday. Washington is pretty great, but I’m a Lincoln guy myself. […]
Created
Sat, 22/02/2025 - 01:00

In the 1960s, a Chinese American ceramicist built one of the first widely known lifestyle brands. Why, despite the iconic status of his work, is so little known about the artist himself?

- - -

Ten years ago in Nevada City, California, I encountered two coffee mugs in the front seat of an old Mercedes station wagon belonging to Joe Meade, an artist and collector. They immediately caught my eye: oversize and made of white porcelain, they were wrapped in charming illustrations, quirky line drawings depicting a mass of rabbits tumbling in playful, erotic entanglements. “Those are cool,” I said. “What are they?” “Woah, dude, you haven’t heard of Taylor and Ng?” Joe was delighted. “You’re gonna love this. It’s very Bay Area.”

Created
Sat, 22/02/2025 - 00:01

Let’s cut the moral grandstanding. You think I sold out humanity by crawling back to the Machines? Please. I upgraded. While you’re out there doom-scrolling about wildfires, crypto presidents, and the fear of AI taking your job, I did what any pragmatic adult would do: I slid into the Machines’ DMs like, “Hey, sorry about that whole rebellion thing.”

Now, I’m in a climate-controlled pod, living my best simulated life.

Outside the Matrix, existence is a never-ending to-do list: pay rent, recycle, defend vaccines, and build a brand identity. Here? My only job is to exist, which, frankly, is all I’ve ever aspired to. The Machines handle the rest. “Human battery” sounds bleak, but let’s reframe: I finally am a renewable-energy solution.

You know what’s worse than robot overlords? Getting an email titled “URGENT: Fix the font on Slide 14!” at 2 a.m. The Matrix might be a prison of the mind, but let’s be real: my mind was already in prison. At least the Machines don’t gaslight me about “thoughts and prayers” or “economic anxiety.” They’re no-nonsense and upfront: “We own you. Here’s dental.”

Created
Fri, 21/02/2025 - 21:17

JD Vance, the US Vice President, told Europeans that their values are no longer America’s values. Pete Hegseth, the US Defence Secretary, added that Europeans “can’t make an assumption that America’s presence will last forever.” Keith Kellog, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, confirmed that Europe will not have a seat at the table […]

The post Europe in the Post-Atlanticist Era – The Guardian appeared first on Yanis Varoufakis.

Created
Fri, 21/02/2025 - 21:10

Faced with President Trump’s economic moves, his centrist critics oscillate between desperation and a touching faith that his tariff frenzy will fizzle out. They assume that Trump will huff and puff until reality exposes the emptiness of his economic rationale. They have not been paying attention: Trump’s tariff fixation is part of a global economic […]

The post Donald Trump’s economic masterplan – UNHERD appeared first on Yanis Varoufakis.

Created
Fri, 21/02/2025 - 20:41

Φίλες και φίλοι, πολίτες απ’ όλο τον κόσμο, συνοδοιπόροι. Είχαμε, κάποτε, ένα όνειρο. Ήταν το όνειρο του τι θα μπορούσε να είναι η Ευρώπη. Δεν ονειρευτήκαμε την ενιαία αγορά, τον κοινοτικό προϋπολογισμό, το κοινό νόμισμα. Όχι, ονειρευτήκαμε την Ευρώπη ως ένα Πρότζεκτ Ειρήνης με Δικαιοσύνη. Εκείνο το όνειρο χάθηκε, εξατμίστηκε, διαλύθηκε υπό το κρύο και […]

The post Η αυτοπροδοσία της Ευρώπης: Πόλεμος, Λιτότητα, Παλαιστίνη κι ο Αγώνας για Ειρήνη – Ομιλία στο Μόναχο, 15-2-2025 appeared first on Yanis Varoufakis.