Reading

A conversation between Yo-Yo Ma and Fabiola Gianotti.

The post The Cellist and the Physicist appeared first on Nautilus.

News about Khan, a former prime minister at the center of a political crisis roiling Pakistan, mostly disappeared from the country’s media.

The post In Secret Meeting, Pakistani Military Ordered Press to Stop Covering Imran Khan appeared first on The Intercept.

Grab some popcorn and sit down for a very entertaining read from Hugo Lowell at The Guardian. The turmoil inside the legal team only exploded into public view when one of the top lawyers, Tim Parlatore, abruptly resigned two weeks ago from the representation citing irreconcilable differences with Trump’s senior adviser and in-house counsel Boris Epshteyn. But the departure of Parlatore was the culmination of months of simmering tensions that continue to threaten the effectiveness of the legal team at a crucial time – as federal prosecutors weigh criminal charges – in part because the interpersonal conflicts remain largely unresolved. It also comes as multiple Trump lawyers are embroiled in numerous criminal investigations targeting the former president: Epshteyn was recently interviewed by the special counsel, while Parlatore and Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran testified to the grand jury in the classified documents inquiry.

Henry Kissinger, self-praised and adulated as a statesman of genius, foreign policy expert of prowess, recently warned the world that, to avoid world war three, America and China must learn to live together. They have less than ten years, he argues. He has also become a centurion. It is a remarkable achievement, all the more Continue reading »

It has been my privilege to know Yunupingu, and for our lives to have criss-crossed and intertwined all these years. I think that now – finally – I have answered my own puzzlement about his life’s choices. I do not intend in these few remarks to chronicle this man’s enormous achievements. That is readily accessible. Continue reading »

In Asian Media this week: India Special: West’s one-two soft-soaping of country’s leader; anti-colonial Modi pushes ‘new’ future; forecasts of Indian century ‘magical thinking’. Plus: tighter US, Japan, South Korea ties; Timor-Leste’s ASEAN ambitions; Bangkok backing key to poll winner’s survival. India I: Anthony Albanese’s gushing greeting last month for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Continue reading »

Last year the NSW Education Department paid almost $10 million to Deloitte Consultants for ‘expert’ advice, not to mention how much of tax-payers revenue went into the pockets of the disgraced PWC for similar nonsense. This reliance on outside know-how is a ‘logical’ step up from the failed policy of governments employing experts in leadership Continue reading »

As a long-ago holder of an orange lobbyist Parliament House pass (referred to as a ‘gold diggers’ pass, in contrast to the ‘true blue’ pass of staffers or the ‘yellow press’ pass for the press gallery), I read the latest kerfuffle about lobbying, political donations, influence peddling and political insider trading with an element of Continue reading »

Inflation is coming down quickly; Prime Minister Albanese appeals to our best selves on the Voice; and Chinese-Australians – a quiet immigration success. Read on for the Weekly Roundup of links to articles, reports, podcasts and other media on current political and economic issues in public policy. Economics Inflation is coming down quickly – the Continue reading »

The recent ‘Red Alert’ series, along with statements by some U.S, and Australian military leaders would have us believe that Chinese military forces could soon in waves be running up Bondi Beach invading our erstwhile peaceful land. Strange then, given this immediacy of threat, our military preparations are increasingly linked to AUKUS, its central plank Continue reading »

3½ cups sifted* all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon salt1 cup butter or regular margarine, softened2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed2 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans FROSTING4 cups confectioners’ sugar½ cup butter or regular margarine, softened1 teaspoon vanilla extract4 to 5 tablespoons milk2 squares (1-oz size) unsweetened chocolate, melted […]

Well, it appears the House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has survived the tantrum from the right wing Freedom Caucus members after he made a deal with Joe Biden that essentially won none of their priorities and pushed off their next hostage opportunity until 2025. They weren’t happy but they were anxious to get back to screeching about “wokeness”, attacking the “Deep State” and pretending to do investigations into Joe Biden so they let it slide. With that saga ending with a whimper not a bang, it’s time to rejoin the Republican presidential primary clown car. Both front runner former President Donald Trump and his chief rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis were both in Iowa this week wooing the midwestern white conservatives who are the supposed avatars of Real America. Appearing before small intimate crowds isn’t either man’s strong suit but it’s an important rite of passage that even Donald Trump can’t entirely escape. He takes a lot of pictures with fans at Mar-a-Lago but they’ve paid an admission fee.

For the Gentlemen

1. Get out your measuring tape. Measure your waist.

2. Measure from your crotch to your foot.

3. Take those two numbers in the order you measured yourself. You are ready to buy pants.

For the Ladies

1. At what age did you first learn about death?

2. Add one for each member of NSYNC you can name—be honest.

3. Did you think about carbs today? How many times? (Add one per instance.)

4. What is your star sign? We figured we’d ask in case no one has asked you today, even though it doesn’t change your pants size.

5. Have you dressed in athleisure most weeks since 2020? (Add four.)

6. Subtract two if donning denim pants doesn’t involve grunting and flopping on the floor like a spawning, half-dead, and rotted-out salmon.

7. Do you know how to reset your router or attach a photograph to an email? Take away a third of your size.

8. If your butt were food, what food would it be?

529 plans offer families and beneficiaries a way to save for the future that has tax and other benefits beyond those of traditional savings accounts.

You be the judge All of cable news is saying that DeSantis is out of his corner and taking it to Trump. Ok. We’ll see. But he’s still battling the weirdness factor. And this is definitely weird. Some presidential candidates struggle to nail their message. Ron DeSantis is struggling to nail his NAME. In the early days of his campaign, DeSantis has gone back and forth between pronouncing his name Dee-Santis and Deh-Santis. Why it matters: DeSantis’ dissonance on how to say his name — for years an issue of confusion for his campaign teams — is a curiosity as many GOP leaders and donors wonder whether the Florida governor is ready for the scrutiny of a presidential campaign. What’s happening: During his first week as a candidate, DeSantis pronounced his name “Dee-Santis” during: The video announcing his presidential campaign.

A raft of states are looking to restrict property purchases by citizens of U.S. adversaries like China and Iran. Democrats in Washington are pushing back.

The post U.S. Lawmakers Seek to Preempt State-Level Bans on Foreigners Buying Property appeared first on The Intercept.

“Liberal bias” press grades Republicans on a curve Dan Pfeiffer is steamed over press coverage of Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s avoiding the ” first-ever default in U.S. history” and “a potential global financial collapse.” The press, Pfeiffer complains, is “treating the passage of this basic bill as a significant accomplishment for McCarthy.” He provides a few examples and responds: Everyone, go take a cold shower. McCarthy did the bare minimum required and didn’t get fired (yet) in the process. If folks want to say McCarthy exceeded historically low expectations, fine; but treating him as some conquering hero or the second coming of Lyndon Baines Johnson is ridiculously over the top. The way the media treats McCarthy is part of the broader and very annoying habit of grading Republicans on a curve. The GOP gets participation trophies from the press, while Democrats are often held to much higher standards. It’s true. And that stance is not limited to the press. More-progressive-than-thou (MPTT) activists can be brutal in their denunications of Democratic allies when they feel disappointed.

Earlier this week my office hosted a Bon Voyage party for one of my coworkers who is moving on to bigger and better things. The party was nautical-themed with little sail boats everywhere. I felt compelled to bust out my Jell-O molds, so I decided, in keeping with the theme, to make a fish-shaped gelatin.Continue reading Jell-O Pudding Idea Book: Pastel Pudding Dessert (1968) →

Air Force denies AI “killed” operators in simulation The Royal Aeronautical Society last week concluded its annual summit in London. The meetup included “just under 70 speakers and 200+ delegates from the armed services industry, academia and the media from around the world to discuss and debate the future size and shape of tomorrow’s combat air and space capabilities.” Among other cheery tech news, under the subhead, “AI – is Skynet here already?“, one Col. Tucker ‘Cinco’ Hamilton, U.S. Air Force Chief of AI Test and Operations, discussed “the benefits and hazards in more autonomous weapon systems.” He’s been involved in developing autonomous control systems for F-16s that have successfully defeated a human adversary in five simulated dogfights. Hamilton cautioned that adolescent AI remains too easy to trick and deceive.

After two years of investigation by Byline Times and The Citizens, the scandal of secret government communications is finally coming to light