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Created
Fri, 17/11/2023 - 07:00
It’s been a wild one. Does it matter? Dahlia Lithwick on the stakes: It’s been just a clutch of days since former President Donald Trump and his allies made clear that if he wins reelection, he plans to gut the existing U.S. government and “install a pre-vetted, pro-Trump army of up to 54,000 loyalists” to take over senior legal, judicial, defense, regulatory, and domestic policy jobs in the civil service.
Created
Fri, 17/11/2023 - 06:00

Urban parenting is a battlefield. The best nannies, the right schools—the pressure is immense. Every decision, none more so than what to call your child, is an opportunity to stand out and gain an advantage. Sure, your suburbanite friends might find it distasteful and intense, and perhaps they’re right: not everything needs to be a competition—not a close one, anyway. Most points wins.

Will your child’s name upset your parents?
(+3 points)

Congratulations, you are about to be given the world’s most beautiful blessing: the chance to exact revenge for years of slights, both real and imagined, by instilling deep, lasting resentment in the people who gave you life. Without that, what’s the point?

Will it upset your partner’s parents?
(+10 points)

That’s the point.

Can the name be easily spelled on the first try?
(-5 points)

Respect for the historical roles of vowels and consonants would remove the opportunity to feel superior at least a few times a week. How did they not know that there are three y’s in Krystyyn? Plebeians.

Created
Fri, 17/11/2023 - 05:30
There is no debating what this is We can argue all day about whether supporting Palestinians or criticizing Israel is antisemitism but this is the real deal and can’t be denied. And it was disseminated by the man who owns one of the world’s most powerful social media platforms directly to his 160 million followers. Media Matter writes: The conspiracy theory, that Jewish populations are pushing “hatred against whites” and supporting “hordes of minorities” coming into the country, is the same one that motivated the 2018 Tree of Life shooter in Pittsburgh, as noted by The Atlantic’s Yair Rosenberg. Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and other figures linked to white nationalism are cheering on Musk.
Created
Fri, 17/11/2023 - 04:57
Everyone’s talking points have in bold type – ‘Israel has the right to defend itself’. This simplistic American militarist jargon is treated as if there was an untrammelled right. International law hasn’t emerged to facilitate war, but to constrain it. The rich body of international law is the product of several centuries of reflection and Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 17/11/2023 - 04:56
China is very important for Australia. The recent Prime Ministerial visit to Beijing, the first in seven years, underscores that. The fundamental question we need to ask ourselves across all the various sectors of Australia’s multi-faceted China-interested community is, are we getting China right? Do we know as much as we think we know? If Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 17/11/2023 - 04:54
Demand is exploding for materials used in clean technology and IT. Amid worries that China dominates supply of many of these, Australia is developing a $4 billion program to expand their mining and processing. In Washington, our PM and the President announced a joint “Compact” on critical minerals. There are hazards here, including possibly tying Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 17/11/2023 - 04:53
In January 2021, the Morrison government changed the way university fees are set with the Job-ready Graduates scheme. The idea was to steer students into courses that would lead to “the jobs of the future”. So the scheme made some fields (such as history and journalism) more expensive and some (such as nursing, teaching, computer programming and engineering) Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 17/11/2023 - 04:51
Both The US and Israel have turned out to be exceptionally brutal, exceptionally authoritarian and exceptionally unjust. The zeitgeist is peace, and Israel and the U.S. will be left behind when the world moves towards humanity and cooperation. Meanwhile they are going to dig in, stand firm on their use of blood curdling violence against Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 17/11/2023 - 04:50
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The non-profit collective of high-powered scientists, Climate Central, has released a new report demonstrating that the past 12 months have been the hottest on record, and inferring that they are the hottest in 125,000 years. They find that during the past year, 73% of the world’s population suffered through at Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 17/11/2023 - 04:00
What the physical violence in the US Congress portends Philip Bump takes a look at the possible meaning of GOP officials resorting to threats and physical violence this week on Capitol Hill. It is probably not terribly useful to draw sweeping conclusions from Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s demand Tuesday that a witness at a Senate hearing stand up and fight him. Mullin’s background is atypical for a senator, including a brief stint about 15 years ago during which he did mixed-martial arts fighting. The witness, meanwhile, was the head of the Teamsters union; his willingness to goad Mullin (R-Okla.) into the challenge was probably also atypical for someone appearing on Capitol Hill. We might also be cautious about the weird, probably overheated interaction between Reps. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), also on Tuesday, in which the latter accuses the former of elbowing him. Or the scuffle in January when the Republican Party was trying to elect McCarthy speaker in the first place. These were all isolated incidents, explainable in isolated contexts.
Created
Fri, 17/11/2023 - 03:00

Cheesy Flatbread Bolognese

Parmesan Toast Rippers

Italian Tostada

Mozzarella Sauce Cruster

Open-Faced Pepperoni Sandwich

Four Cheese Marinara Burrito, Unrolled

Topless Calzone

Mexican Pizza (Italian-Style)

Deep Dish Pinwheel o’ Cheddar

Wet ’n’ Starchy Caprese Salad

Detroit Style Discus Margheritus

The Papa John Special

Dehydrated Cheesy Gazpacho

Reconstructed Pizza Casserole

Busted Panini

Cheesy Beanless Chili on Bread Plate

Reppeponi Zippa

Donatello’s Surprise

Eese-Chay Izza-Pay