Reading

Created
Thu, 29/02/2024 - 05:30
They insisted that an embryo’s stem cells represented a human with full human rights. Of course IVF is on the chopping block This was the reason that those “fetal personhood”laws were all passed originally — to placate the extremists who would rather see actual people suffering and dying than allow embryos or fetal tissue to be used for life-saving research. Every time a Republican has been in the white house it’s been a huge controversy. IVF wasn’t discussed much on the right and when it was they turned to the far right Evangelicals who call the embryos “snowflake babies” and insist they should be adopted and implanted. (Considering how many of them there are it would obviously take a “Handmaids Tale” level of forced pregnancies to make that happen.) Now that they got Roe overturned, the chickens have come home to roost. Here’s Greg Sargent on the GOP’s dilemma on the IVF issue: When Donald Trump attacked the recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos should be considered children, it was widely seen as a glaring indicator of a new political reality.
Created
Thu, 29/02/2024 - 05:00

Hiya, Frank—T. J. Eckleburg here, from the optometry practice you did the ad campaign for. Listen, it’s been a while since the billboard went up, and to be honest with you, I’m not thrilled with the results.

The thing is, it hasn’t actually brought in any new business. Yes, I appreciate that your market research shows there’s been a significant uptick in people questioning the ethics of their actions even as they continue to debauch themselves—that, underneath the revelry, they feel an undercurrent of shame. And that’s… fine, I guess. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t really translate into people seeking out my vision care services.

Whenever I introduce myself now, people say, “Oh, T. J. Eckleburg? Aren’t you the guy with the creepy billboard that represents God?” And sure, I guess I’m thankful for the name recognition, but it’s not exactly the image I’m trying to project. I wish they would say, “Oh, T. J. Eckleburg? Aren’t you… the optometrist? Who offers quality care at a great value?”

Created
Thu, 29/02/2024 - 04:57
There has been much talk about nations’ and corporations being complicit in the war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide being committed by Israel in the wake of Hamas’ horrific attacks on October 7. Much of this discussion, and in fact action, has been taken in the context of governments approving the export of arms Continue reading »
Created
Thu, 29/02/2024 - 04:56
As opposition to AUKUS grows, the nuclear submarine project does not stand up to expert scrutiny. There is no doubt that opposition to the AUKUS agreement is growing within the Australian public. The more people see through the secrecy and obfuscation; the more they learn about the project’s far-reaching implications for them and the nation, Continue reading »
Created
Thu, 29/02/2024 - 04:55
The Australian government has decided to ignore critics of Aukus in parliament and the community. Rather it has moved to embed the idea of Aukus directly into the Australian psyche. We Australians consider ourselves a straightforward lot. We prefer to speak our minds simply and honestly. We do not readily embrace ideas such as weapons Continue reading »
Created
Thu, 29/02/2024 - 04:54
On Feb 17, aged 93, Norwegian Johann Galtung, polymath Professor of Peace Studies died. In a world riven with conflicts, whose leaders appear to know more about weaponry, destruction and murder than about peace making, Galtung‘s teaching offers a penicillin for peace, an antidote to the arms trade and to persistent violence. Galtung’s significance derives Continue reading »
Created
Thu, 29/02/2024 - 04:53
We must speak to people who require assistance and listen to their needs instead of speaking over them. In the case of Australia’s refugee policy, we wasted billions on toxic cruelty when we could have done much better by cooperating internationally and supporting people humanely. One of the “greatest pre-resettlement programs in the world” for Continue reading »
Created
Thu, 29/02/2024 - 04:51
In a recent interview with Victorian Health Minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, Melbourne ABC presenter, Raf Epstein, led off with a classic “gotcha” question: “I know it’s not your portfolio area, but how many Victorian homes are still without power since last week’s catastrophic storms?” Credit to Thomas’s political smarts (and probably good staff work) she shot Continue reading »
Created
Thu, 29/02/2024 - 04:50
This week Sky News reported it had a list with the personal details of 500 Palestinian people who had obtained visas to flee overwhelming violence in Gaza, 81 of whom are in Australia. The Jewish Council of Australia is concerned for the safety of the Palestinian people who have had their identities exposed to Sky Continue reading »
Created
Thu, 29/02/2024 - 04:00
Here we are again looking right down the barrel of a government shutdown because one half of one of the three branches of government is completely dysfunctional under GOP leadership. We’re talking about the Republican House of Representatives of course. They are simply incapable of passing legislation. In fact, 2023 was the least productive year since the Great Depression with congress passing just 27 bills that became law. (In 1948 President Harry Truman famously called the legislative branch the “do nothing congress” because they only managed to pass 511 bills.) This is the third time in six months that the country has been on the brink of a shutdown because the hard right in the House is holding their breath until they turn blue. It’s not clear what they want except perhaps to cause more chaos. The last time it cost Speaker Kevin McCarthy his job and the same fate may very await Speaker Mike Johnson as well. There’s nothing in his performance so far that suggests he has the skill or the desire to finesse this situation. There’s no need to reiterate the saga that continues over the Ukraine and border funding.