Confronted by the horrors occurring in the Ukraine, Ethiopia, Sudan, Myanmar and now the Middle East, it’s hard to contemplate that an even more imposing global tragedy is already here – climate breakdown. Numerous reports indicate that we’re careering inexorably toward climate catastrophe, with the lives of billions of people and umpteen non-human species at Continue reading »
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The failure of the latest round of government-funded research grants to include any topics related to China weakens Australia’s capacity to understand and manage relations with the region’s biggest power, writes Louise Edwards. The latest Australian Research Council Discovery Grants were released in October to very little fanfare. The federal government didn’t veto any grants; Continue reading »
Mark Dreyfus is one of those who gives every appearance of being intimidated by the national security state. It is one of the tragedies of the life of Mark Dreyfus, KC, twice Attorney-General with scores of legal initiatives attached to his name that he is not acknowledged, even on his own side of politics, as Continue reading »
While there is much hysteria from Peter Dutton and the Murdoch press associated with the 12 asylum seekers who recently arrived by boat (it’s a catastrophe apparently), there was less excitement about a new post-pandemic monthly record for primary asylum applications set in October at 2,322. That is now approaching the monthly record of over Continue reading »
Giving all adults the chance to get vaccinated should be easy. Vaccines slash the risk of severe illness. They are very safe for people who are recommended to get them. Best of all, compared to other ways to improve our health, vaccination is quick, cheap, and easy. It doesn’t require costly equipment, or a medical Continue reading »
Giora Eiland is one of the “thinking officers” in the Israeli Defence Forces. He has an idea – epidemics in Gaza are good for Israel. “After all, severe epidemics in the southern Strip will bring victory closer and reduce fatalities among IDF soldiers.” One only has to wait for the daughters of Hamas’ leaders to Continue reading »
If somehow all those ‘rules-based’ systems work overwhelmingly to the benefit of the US and its Western allies, the rest of the world may wonder why they should follow them. The latest meeting between presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden was covered all over the world. And yet, the Western media have been strangely silent Continue reading »
It seems like only yesterday that the entire Republican Party was calling for the smelling salts over the shocking decision by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that Senators not be required to wear suits and ties on the floor of the Senate. The keening and wailing from the members of both houses over the loss of decorum could be heard from coast to coast. How could the Republic survive such a blow to the dignity of the US Congress? Republicans were so outraged they sent a letter to the Majority Leader registering their “supreme disappointment and resolute disapproval” of the decision. The outcry was so overwhelming that the chamber ended up voting to restore the old dress code so the senate would once again be a place of honor and tradition. How quaint it all seems in light of what commonly happens these days in those sacred halls, mostly at the hands of the Republicans themselves. Just a week or so ago we had a US Senator from Oklahoma challenging a witness at a congressional hearing to a fist fight, right there on the senate floor. We have Supreme Court nominees blatantly lying under oath about their intentions and beliefs and suffering no repercussions.
The author on writing her new book "Curious Species: How Animals Made Natural History."
The post My 3 Greatest Revelations appeared first on Nautilus.
Why use many streetlights when one will do?
Don’t lose sight of the big picture David Kurtz at Morning Memo lays out the 2024 stakes: The rule of law is on the ballot in 2024, and it trumps every other political and policy consideration. It is the umbrella under which every other issue is addressed: Want to restore abortion rights? Want to openly debate Israel and Palestine? Want to accelerate the energy revolution to head off the worst of climate change? Good luck. Because if Trump, as promised, harnesses the power of the federal government to attack his perceived political enemies, exact retribution for slights, overturn elections, eviscerate the right to vote, and continue the effort to lock in GOP minority rule, he will break the democratic mechanisms for adjudicating policy preferences, enacting new laws, and enforcing them. Trump is promising a fundamental break with the rule of law and from that will flow a fundamental breakdown in democratic processes and institutions. It is as simple as it is hard to stay at maximum threat level for years on end.
The Lever speaks with journalist and author Cole Stangler about his new book, which explores how housing affects the economic and cultural character of Paris.
Including the newly revealed $30 million, the NYPD paid out more than $80 million in misconduct cases so far in 2023.
The post NYPD Paid Out $30 Million in Misconduct Cases Before Litigation in First Nine Months of 2023 appeared first on The Intercept.
Otto English has been watching Nigel Farage in the jungle so you don't have to.
Non-unionised HS2 construction companies in London have accident rates more than three times higher than unionised Hinkley Point C, Unite, the UK’s construction union, has this morning revealed. There have been 158 accidents on HS2 London sites since January 2023 but just 51 at the much larger Hinkley site. The difference is even more glaring […]
We’ve raised approximately $4,200.
I’ve recently been revising my book “The Creation of Reality” and it occurred to me that I’d like to release some chapters as part of this fundraiser. The book is written, just not completely edited, so rewards will be released during the fundraiser as the goals are reached.
The first five chapters at $6,200:
1. Introduction (why this matters);
2. Why do our societies make so many miserable?
3. The Social Facts Which Rule Us (Why and how the reality we created bends us to its will.)
4. Being Aware (Until you understand how reality is being created you can’t change it in beneficial ways.)
5. Human Alone (How are our personal reality is created)
Some of these chapters are short, thus five of them rather than the three in the other two tranches.
Chapters six through eight at $8,350.
Ten people say the RNC is short of cash Did they have tears in their eyes? Did they say “Sir”? The Washington Post declines to elaborate: The Republican Party’s finances are increasingly worrisome to party members, advisers to former president Donald Trump, and other operatives involved in the 2024 election effort, according to 10 people familiar with the matter. The Republican National Committee disclosed that it had $9.1 million in cash on hand as of Oct. 30, the lowest amount for the RNC in any Federal Election Commission report since February 2015. That compares with about $20 million at the same point in the 2016 election cycle and about $61 million four years ago, when Trump was in the White House. The Democratic National Committee reported having $17.7 million as of Oct. 30, almost twice as much as the Republican Party, with one year before the election. Kevin gets schooled Cash is not the only thing the RNC is short on. “Forget the Alamo!” is the RNC’s new cry of freedom. Kevin McCarthy was Speaker of the House. He holds a degree in marketing. Not his only B.S. Users of formerly Twitter were quick to point out where McCarthy went wrong.
The origins of the small red triangle do not matter. Maybe it was intended to represent something or was simply a technical choice made by a young, tech-savvy Palestinian fighter to let us know where we needed to look. What truly matters is its deeper meaning.
The post Gaza’s Call to the World: Unveiling the Silent Message of the Red Triangle appeared first on MintPress News.