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It will probably shock most Australians but the political system which they take for granted to be a democracy capable of safeguarding their and their kids’ interests is hardly a democracy at all. The reality is that the “democracy” we live in is a very limited one because it is governed by a Constitution under Continue reading »

Recently, while trawling the net, I stumbled upon something startling. As a young man, my great-grandfather had unearthed a hideous crime. Against Aborigines. Charles Heydon––known only through family whispers because he hadn’t married my great-grandmother—was a Supreme Court Judge and NSW Attorney General. According to the historian Raymond Evans, after a number of shipwrecked sailors Continue reading »

I wonder how many Australians know where the Ayungin Shoal/Second Thomas/Ren’ai Jiao is? Do they know that their Navy has been deployed to this atoll, ostensibly to defend their “national interest”! Do Australians know that the sovereignty of the Philippine occupied shoal (since 1998), is being disputed by China, Vietnam, and Taiwan? Do they know Continue reading »

With experts seeing risks in America’s domestic politics, is it wise for Korea to bet the house on the US? “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing — after they’ve tried everything else,” Winston Churchill once said. Since establishing itself as the “benevolent hegemon” of the free world after World War Continue reading »

How understanding Earth’s deep past can lead us into our radically altered future.

The post What the Earth Knows appeared first on Nautilus.

A presidential candidate is promising extrajudicial summary execution and it’s just normal. Of course, once he declares war on Mexico we’ll be dealing with the laws of war so there’s that. Meanwhile, the wheels are coming off: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has privately complained about a powerful operative at the center of his 2024 presidential effort, according to three people familiar with the comments, a sign of the internal drama that has complicated his struggling White House bid. DeSantis has expressed regrets over Jeff Roe’s hiring asa lead strategist at the super PAC Never Back Down, an outside group that has assumed many responsibilities in the race traditionally handled by campaigns, two of the people said. One, a DeSantis donor, heard the comments directly from the governor, this person said. DeSantis has also voiced anger over a pre-debate strategy memo from Never Back Down, which was publicly posted last month on the website of Roe’s firm, Axiom, these people said. One of them, the donor, said the governor was “apoplectic.” The finger pointing has officially begun.

Saturday: I sleep for seven restful hours and am gently awakened by the warmth of the rising sun. The world is full of promise.

Sunday: I sleep for thirteen REM-less hours and jolt awake to my air raid siren alarm. Nothing to do but hunker down and brace for Monday, because the weekend is basically over, as is life itself.

Saturday: I take a chance on a new brunch spot, and love my Persian-inspired date and saffron scramble.

Sunday: Who can think about food at a time like this? Breakfast is stale toast. The end pieces. The mold-free bits.

Saturday: Hopefully, I’m not getting a cold, so I can make Jamie’s surprise party.

Sunday: Hopefully, I’m getting Ebola, so I can miss work.

Saturday: I visit two museum exhibits, switch the laundry, and then pop over to Jess and Alex’s house to babysit at the last minute. I have endless energy for my beloved community.

There are a number of crazy political events taking place right now, from the Paxton trial in the Texas senate to the GOP threat to remove a Democratic Supreme Court Justice in Wisconsin and the impending impeachment of Joe Biden. (Oddly, the only one that’s justified in the one in Texas, brought by Republicans against a Republican so corrupt even they couldn’t ignore it.) We also have trials against former president Trump in civil and criminal court pending in five different jurisdictions. Oh, and we’re also looking at a possible government shutdown. It’s a lot. The one place that seemed relatively sane, at least by comparison, was the U.S. Senate. Sure they had a some big dramatic fights last year over President Biden’s legislative agenda but they were pretty standard policy battles that mostly took place within the Democratic caucus. The Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson were as ugly as usual but they didn’t feature a lot of fireworks. All in all it’s been a fairly functional institution lately. But that’s not to say that the Republicans haven’t been playing any games at all.

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I recently read the book Not Too Late by Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young Lutunatabua. It’s a book about the climate crisis, with a focus on providing some level of incentive to sufferers of climate despair. I have really enjoyed Rebecca Solnit’s other work, so I thought I’d give this book a try.It’s a collection … Continue reading Not Too Late →

I have just commenced a six-month research project at the Budapest Centre for Long-Term Sustainability (https://bc4ls.com/), and one of my allotted tasks is to write a 30,000 word book. With apologies to my good friend Blair Fix, my working title echoes that of his blog (https://economicsfromthetopdown.com/): “Rebuilding Economics from the Top Down”. I start with … Continue reading "Rebuilding Economics from the Top Down—a work in progress"

David Tennant (Good Omens 2) discusses what it was like returning to film the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary three-episode special event.

A general failed to mention six U.S. outposts and described a quarter-billion dollar drone hub as “low-cost.”

The post Pentagon Misled Congress About U.S. Bases in Africa appeared first on The Intercept.

Credentials aren’t a measure of intelligence I never picked up much of an accent down here, much less one like Trae Crowder‘s, but the stereotype is familiar. People think it makes southerners sound stupid and uneducated. Then again, I’ve met P.E.s (professional engineers) who were useless and Ph.D.s who were clueless. Other people think rich means smart. Donald Trump and Elon Musk think so. About themselves. For some perspective, remember that Peter Navarro, the voluble former Trump economic adviser, promoter of the “Green Bay Sweep,” is from Cambridge, Mass. and attended Harvard. He was convicted Thursday of contempt of Congress. The jury found “Navarro guilty of two counts of contempt for refusing to testify before the House Jan. 6 committee and turn over subpoenaed documents.” Jurors deliberated just four hours (and may have taken a break for lunch). His defense called no witnesses. Navarro swears he is “willing to go to prison” to fight his conviction. Navarro is the second Trump associate convicted for contempt along with Steve Bannon. Crowder attended Tennessee Tech.

The significant gains made by the right across Europe in recent years haven't appeared out of the blue, writes Simon Speakman Cordall

Array

The post This Time It’s Different … Again appeared first on Alfie Kohn.

At last! I’m delighted to announce that my most recent book Days Like These is finally available for pre-order in North America. It will officially publish there in hardcover on 5th December and is available through all good bookstores and also Amazon. It contains a poem for every day of the year, each one inspired…

And you don’t mess around with Fani Rep. Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, wants to get into Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ face. He strongly suggests in a letter that Willis has brought charges for political reasons against 19 persons for involvement in a conspiracy to disrupt the 2020 elections in Georgia. Why, why, indicting federal officers for state crimes violates their free speech, Jordan alleges. “The threat of future state prosecution for official acts [that would be illegal acts] may dissuade federal officers from effectively performing their official duties and responsibilities.” And she’s interfering with the 2024 presidential election. Oh, and more. Much more. Jordan demands: Willis advises Jordan (not in so many words) to go suck eggs or, as Kurt Vonnegut might say, to take a flying fuck at the moon. Atlanta Journal-Constitution: On Thursday, Willis fired back, saying Jordan’s Aug.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a teacher in possession of one hundred essays to grade must be in want of a new season of Bridgerton to binge.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a student you gave a pencil to yesterday in possession of a perfectly functional pencil case must be in want of a pencil.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a teacher in possession of a chic new haircut must be in want of a student earnestly asking, “Why do you look so tired today?”

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a boys’ bathroom in possession of freshly painted walls must be in want of a hastily drawn penis.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a group of teachers in possession of decades of classroom experience must be in want of a mandatory three-hour professional development seminar run by an educational consultant who completed ten months of Teach for America in 1998.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that an educational YouTube video on the historical context of Things Fall Apart must be in want of an advertisement for adult diapers.

On Thursday 24 August, at around three in the morning, a water pipe burst in Bristol. For workers at the Amazon BRS1 warehouse, it meant no access to water and toilet facilities. In most industries, a disrupted water supply would lead to an operational standstill. But for Amazon, it was business as usual. Despite workers’ […]

As Saudi Arabia prepares to play two ‘home’ international matches in Newcastle this weekend, Adrian Goldberg asks if Saudi money has muzzled outrage at the Kingdom’s well-documented human rights abuses

A majority of voters believe "nothing in Britain really works" and say Rishi Sunak's party has made public services worse, according to an exclusive new poll