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This is extraordinary because the states supporting Israel, above all the United States, have claimed the high moral and legal ground and lectured the states of the Global South about the importance of the rule of law. Recall Samuel Huntington’s controversial, yet influential, 1993 Foreign Affairs article, “The Clash of Civilisations,” which ends with the Continue reading »

In my first piece for Pearls and Irritations, I cautioned about Australia’s involvement in Ukraine and alluded to the strikingly similar circumstances of the conflict to the war in Vietnam. One can recollect that the verb “escalate” entered our lexicon via the spirited speechmaking of Lyndon Johnson, from the US noun for “a moving stairway.” Continue reading »

Last year was the most widely anticipated recession in history because tight monetary policy, slower government spending and higher oil prices normally spell doom. Yet total economic output (GDP) in both America and Australia kept growing in real (after inflation) terms. So, what can we expect in 2024? Will economists get it right this year Continue reading »

Private school fee rises are as intrinsic to an Australian summer as the screech of cicadas. And instead of relaxing in the holiday heat, I find myself plagued with questions about whether or how to respond to the former. Do these fee rises even matter? Should I be pleased to see that prohibitive fees in Continue reading »

It is hard to see how it is in Australia’s interests to support Israel’s actions in Gaza. I first came across Colin Rubenstein of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) in March 2001 – twenty three years ago – when I was involved in a debate with him about the proposed USA National Missile Continue reading »

From the first days in their Jewish day schools and youth organisations, young Jews are drilled with the lie that Palestine was ‘a land without people for a people without a land’. From its inception, the Zionist movement has sought to suppress Palestinian history and narratives. Whenever there are exhibitions or events or publications featuring Continue reading »

The University is a place of questioning, investigation, reason and discovery. The University is corruptible and perennially corrupted, yes, but always open to such endeavours. Zionism has no place in the University – period. Other than as a historical subject and as a pathology for dissection. Political Zionism drove the forging of the state of Continue reading »

The Biden administration has officially re-designated Ansarallah — the dominant force in Yemen also known as the Houthis — as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity. The White House claims the designation is an appropriate response to the group’s attacks on US military vessels and commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, saying those attacks “fit the textbook definition Continue reading »

It was a chilly morning across Northern Ireland, with snow and ice warnings across the country, and the temperature hovering around zero degrees. But cold conditions were no deterrent to the tens of thousands of public sector workers who took to the picket lines today. The coordinated strike action, involving 170,000 workers and sixteen unions, […]

Chris Skidmore's resignation has sparked a scramble in the South West. Can Damien Egan take the seat - and muster some hope?

Yeah, good luck with that Democrats cannot let women forget what MAGA Republicans and Christian nationalists (to the extent they don’t overlap) think of them. My God, Rep. Matt Gaetz says it right out loud: “This is the blue collar realignment of the Republican Party and what I can tell you is for every Karen we lose, there’s a Julio and a Jamal ready to sign up for the MAGA movement, and that bodes well for our ability to be more diverse and to be more durable as we head into not only the rest of the primary contest, but also the general election.” Yeah, good luck with that. In case you missed testimony by Jessica Valenti (Abortion Every Day) on Wednesday before some Senate Democrats, her prepared statement was appalling. In part: Right now, there is a quiet but well-funded campaign led by the most powerful anti-abortion groups in the country that is focused entirely on pressuring and forcing women to carry doomed pregnancies to term.  They’re not only trying to do away with exceptions for nonviable pregnancies—they’re trying to eradicate prenatal testing altogether.

Understanding the extent of the threat posed by Bibi requires a broad historical perspective.

“All Americans owe them a debt for — if nothing else — releasing the idealism locked so long inside a nation that has not recently tasted the drama of a social upheaval. And for making us look on the young people of the country with a new respect.” That’s how Howard Zinn opened his book The New Abolitionists about the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee of the 1960s. Zinn pointed out a truth from the Black freedom struggles of that era and earlier: that young people were often labeled aloof and apathetic, apolitical and uncommitted — until suddenly they were at the very forefront of justice struggles for themselves and for the larger society. Connected to that truth is the reality... Read more

Source: Change Is Coming Soon appeared first on TomDispatch.com.

by Daniel Wortel-London

Can businesses become sustainable? Certainly—at least in theory. In recent years, new business models have emerged that attempt to place business on an ecologically healthy footing. The doughnut economy, the regenerative economy, sufficiency enterprises, and postgrowth and degrowth businesses: These and other experiments represent ways of doing business that not only create customer and firm value, but address social and environmental needs as well. 

Selling the fantasy “If you could have one superpower, what would it be?” is a familiar conversation-starter. Flying? Invisibility? Super strength? Marvel built a media empire around that fantasy. DC Comics too. Before Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman, If I Had a Million (1932) considered what Average Joes would do if they came into a sudden financial windfall. Donald J. Trump, heir to daddy Fred’s fortune, has been selling a fantasy his entire life. When he came to prominence in New York City in the 1970s, he conned New York Times reporters into believing he owned properties his father actually owned. Even the chauffeured Cadillac he ferried them around in during the interview was leased by Fred. In If I Had a Million , several recipients of million-dollar checks use the money to get even with those who’ve done them wrong. W.C. Fields buys eight cars to crash into “road hogs” he encounters. Others find out great wealth does not make them invulnerable. In addition to living a gilded fantasy, Trump has used his money for the former his whole life.

A 2023 Column Contest grand-prize winner, Laurence Pevsner’s Sorry Not Sorry investigates why we’re sick of everyone apologizing all the time—and how the collapse of the public apology leaves little room for forgiveness and grace in our politics and culture.

In 2015, Ariana Grande licked doughnuts that were not hers to lick. She and her boyfriend at the time, as some kind of lovers’ hijinks or truth-or-dare game, surreptitiously touched their tongues to several of Wolfee Donuts’ finest unpurchased offerings. Then, when the workers came out and presented Ariana with a fresh batch of glazed treats, she declared, “What the fuck is that? I hate Americans. I hate America!”

Unfortunately for Ariana, this strange series of events was caught on camera by Wolfee Donuts and broadcast by TMZ. The media, and even her fans, pounced. They called what she did disgusting and unpatriotic. Hard to argue with either. In one response video, a young girl named Chrissy burned a picture of Ariana atop a barbecue and said, “Say bye to your career!”

A public consultation proved that nobody supported an attack on the metric system as the Brexit culture wars suffer another defeat

The impotent 'War on Drugs' policy pursued by the Government won't work without an attitudinal shift, argues Ian Hamilton.

At U-Haul, we believe that your ability to drive a midsize sedan qualifies you to drive a ten-thousand-pound box truck. But why stop there? We are proud to introduce new and extreme rental options that will make moving as stressful as possible.

Semi-Truck

The day has come for you to pack up your childhood bedroom and say goodbye to your youth forever. This is a great time to drive an eighteen-wheeler for the first time. You won’t be worrying about which box you packed your blankie in when you’re barreling down the highway, about to career into oncoming traffic. Remember to wipe away your tears before watching a five-minute YouTube tutorial on how to drive a big rig, which, by the way, is also a manual transmission.