Reading

Four years ago, I published Subtle Tools, a book on the erosion of American democratic norms in the face of what came to be known as the Global War on Terror. Both what had been done in the name of “national security” in response to the 9/11 attacks and how it had been done — through the willing neglect of procedural integrity, the exploitation of all-too-flexible norms, a remarkable disregard for transparency, and a failure to call for accountability of any sort — left the country wide open to even more damaging future abuses of the rule of law. And — lo and behold! — now, that future is all too distinctly here. What happened in the first quarter of... Read more

Source: The First 50 Days appeared first on TomDispatch.com.

First and foremost, this book would not have been possible without my beautiful wife, Kate, whose decision to end our marriage gave me unlimited time to finish Neigh It Ain’t So: A Coffee-Table Book of Badly Irregular Horses.

Thanks also to my editor and Domino’s delivery guy, Freddy. How it worked was, I’d order a pizza, and when Freddy showed up, I’d jump out and show him a picture of a horse. If Freddy vomited, the horse went in the book.

And I couldn’t have done this without everyone at Random House, who, when I interrupted their shareholders meeting to pitch my idea for a coffee-table book filled with visually upsetting horses, had their security guards subdue me non-lethally.

I’d also like to thank my roofer. Let me explain. He’s kind of a jack-of-all-trades guy, so when he was fixing a leak one day, I climbed up the ladder to ask if he thought it would be possible to make a book that was four feet wide and three hundred pounds. “Probably,” he replied. “But why?” It was none of his business, but I was feeling generous, so I told him the truth: only big, strong coffee tables are worthy of my coffee-table book.

17th of March 2025 В палате лордов заявили о лживой политике Британии в отношении Украины Link: https://russian.rt.com/world/news/1450257-skidelskii-politika-britanii-ukraina

Κάποτε είχαμε ένα όνειρο. Ένα όνειρο για το πώς θα μπορούσε να είναι η Ευρώπη. Μια Ευρώπη της κοινής ευημερίας, της αξιοπρέπειας, της ελευθερίας – μια Ευρώπη της Ειρήνης και της Ελπίδας. Αυτό το όνειρο εξαϋλώθηκε, διαλύθηκε, είναι νεκρό. Γιατί; Τι στα κομμάτια συνέβη στην Ευρώπη; Ξέρουμε τι συνέβη στην Ευρώπη! Ξέρουμε γιατί πολιτικοί καταφθάνουν από παντού […]

The post Το ευρωπαϊκό όνειρο είναι νεκρό. Απόψε ξεκινά ένα νέο όνειρο – Εθνικό Θέατρο Βρυξελλών, DiEM25 7-3-2025 appeared first on Yanis Varoufakis.

Η εβδομάδα που πέρασε ήταν ιστορική: Το γερμανικό Κοινοβούλιο τροποποίησε το Σύνταγμα εξαιρώντας από συνταγματικό φρένο χρέους τους εξοπλισμούς ώστε να επιτρέπονται απεριόριστες στρατιωτικές δαπάνες – όσο βαθιά στο κόκκινο και να σπρώξουν τον προϋπολογισμό της ομοσπονδιακής κυβέρνησης! Στο μεταξύ, καμιά αντίστοιχη δημοσιονομική γενναιοδωρία δεν αφορά στις επενδύσεις σε νοσοκομεία, εκπαίδευση, πυροσβέστες, παιδικούς σταθμούς, συντάξεις, πράσινες τεχνολογίες κ.λπ. Εν ολίγοις, όταν πρόκειται για τη χρηματοδότηση της […]

The post Αντίο Die Linke! – ThePressProject appeared first on Yanis Varoufakis.

Sovereign wealth funds let states quietly wield currency power—disguised as prudent investment

“UK Parliamentarian DESTROYS Western War Propaganda” 23rd of March 2025 Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fRekSG5p2U

Reflecting on the potential for extraterrestrial life can inspire awe and have a profound effect on your worldview

- by Graham Lau

Read at Psyche

Oscar Wilde is an icon of gay liberation from secrecy. But his life and his sexuality were not so simple – nor so binary

- by Sam Mills

Read at Aeon

If we truly want to strengthen Europe, the first step is not to rearm. It is to forge the democratic union without which stagnation will continue to erode Europe’s capacities, rendering it unable to rebuild what is left of Ukraine once Vladimir Putin is finished with it. ATHENS – Inducting Ukraine into NATO after forcing […]

The post The Case Against European Rearmament – Project Syndicate op-ed appeared first on Yanis Varoufakis.

Factory farms are blaming eggflation on animal welfare laws in an attempt to boost their margins and crush their competitors.

Unless the Labour party reconnects with its founding economic mission, they will merely lay the ground for a Nigel Farage Government, argues Neal Lawson

Today I’d like to talk about that delightful little companion of field and garden: the shrike. [copyright Rosemary Mosco, 2024, birdandmoon.com] If you know, you know.  And if you don’t know… well, let’s talk about shrikes. Shrikes are a group of birds found across the tropics and the northern hemisphere.  There are about 30 species, […]

Since the Academy Awards, the “No Other Land” filmmaker’s village in the West Bank has been targeted by Israeli settlers.

The post Attacks on Hamdan Ballal’s Village Ramped Up After He Won an Oscar appeared first on The Intercept.

Source - Patreon

Source - Patreon

Source - Patreon

Source - Patreon

Back in the 70s and 80s, the USSR’s economy was in terrible shape. It hadn’t always been, that’s a triumphalist myth: for a long time it out-performed the West, and economic textbooks of the 50s discuss the problem that the Soviets were growing faster than we were.

So Reagan’s administration came up with a plan: they’d increase defense spending, the Soviets would have to do the same, and the strain would screw over their economy. There’s various arguments, but it seems to have worked.

Recently Trump suggested that Russia, America and China all cut their defense spending in unison. Russia was interested, China said no.

Now, of course, the US spends way more than anyone else on its military, but that’s mostly because it over-pays for everything because of vast corruption.

The unfolding events in Turkey following the detention of Istanbul’s elected mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, mark yet another moment of crisis for Turkish democracy. This latest act by Erdoğan’s government is part of a long campaign to dismantle democratic institutions and silence opposition; it is not merely an attack on an individual, but an assault on […]

Mahmoud Khalil’s harrowing and unlawful detention on March 8th captured widespread attention after plain-clothes ICE...

BEEF BOULETTE BURGERS 2 pounds ground beef1 cup dairy sour cream½ cup dry bread crumbs1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained and chopped2 tablespoons finely chopped onion2 tablespoons snipped parsley1½ teaspoons salt¼ teaspoon pepper Mix all ingredients. Shape mixture into 8 patties, each about ¾ inch thick. Broil or grill 4 inches from […]

DOGE claims it’s not an “agency” that has to comply with FOIA. We don’t buy it — and so far judges haven’t, either.

The post DOGE Keeps Trying to Dodge the Freedom of Information Act. So We’re Suing. appeared first on The Intercept.

Public commentary on Peter Dutton’s possible referendum on a ministerial discretion to deprive dual nationals of their Australian citizenship has focused on whether or not this is just a thought bubble and whether or not it is politically wise to be holding yet another referendum. The real issue goes much deeper, to the merits of Continue reading »