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How the theory of relativity explains our minds.

The post Consciousness Is In Your Head. I Consulted Einstein appeared first on Nautilus.

Did you know about this trial? I guess I did but I forgot all about it: After Trump’s and his children’s civil business-fraud trial in October and his second federal civil trial in January for defaming the woman he raped and defamed—but probably before his federal criminal espionage/justice obstruction trial in Florida, and definitely before his state hush-money criminal trial in March and his probable federal and state criminal election fraud trials in Washington D.C. and Georgia—he and the kids have another trial in late January: federal, civil, for defrauding people with the Trump Network to sell vitamins and with Trump Institute seminars teaching Trump’s sales “secrets.” Here’s an explainer from 2020: The lawsuit goes back to October 2018, when plaintiffs filed a federal class action suit against Trump, his three eldest children (Don Jr., Eric, and Ivanka), and the family business for their role in an alleged pyramid scheme that caused them to suffer significant financial losses.

And then there’s this. Weaponization? You be the judge: Not too long ago, Donald Trump said both Joe Biden and Barack Obama should “be in jail for 50 years.” He also wondered why Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio hadn’t faced criminal charges yet. They are among at least 27 of Trump’s apparent political foes that, since launching his 2016 campaign for president, Trump has explicitly stated or otherwise suggested should be indicted or jailed, according to an ABC News count. Not one of them has been charged with any crimes. “It’s ironic that he often called for the prosecution of political opponents and now finds himself the defendant,” said Tom Dupree, a former senior Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration. As Trump seeks another term in the White House, he is under indictment by the Justice Department for his recent handling of classified documents, and by state prosecutors in New York over his alleged role in a years-old hush-money scheme.

While most discussion of the AUKUS Agreement has focussed on the geopolitical implications for Australia’s standing in the world, the escalation of the risk of war and the crippling cost of the nuclear submarine purchases when less expensive and more sensible non-nuclear options are available, little has been said of the risk to the civilian Continue reading »

An unholy war is brewing. The young and the old are being pitted against each other. Neoliberalism comes in many guises. But this strategy is at odds with how a civilised capitalism should treat people in the autumn of their lives. Cormac McCarthy may well say the good thing about old age is that it Continue reading »

“What convinces masses are not facts, and not even invented facts, but only the consistency of the system of which they are presumably part.” Hannah Arendt This article is based on notes following a visit to Crimea in April 2018. The contrast between what I had understood, formed by accepted narratives over many years, with Continue reading »

There may be some Coalition politicians and Murdoch employers who are motivated by genuine racism to oppose the Voice to Parliament. Some might believe First Nations Australians are unworthy. Some probably believe in “reverse racism.” That, of course, is the belief that there is a correct direction for racism to travel. Some undoubtedly believe in Continue reading »

Elite sport is something of a sacred cow. To criticise it is to risk being considered unAustralian. So while Premier Andrews’ announcement that Victoria would not host the 2026 Commonwealth Games was not a wholesale critique of elite sport, I am happy to take up the baton. While Premier Andrews’ announcement that Victoria would not Continue reading »

It isn’t something we expect from an august body that forms part of the United Nations but, according to CO-WEST-PRO Consultancy’s recently released fourth paper, the report issued by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on alleged atrocities in Xinjiang is “of substandard quality and is not a reliable source for Continue reading »

President Biden hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the White House on Tuesday. Herzog is addressing a joint session of Congress, which a handful of progressive Democrats are boycotting. The same members of Congress also boycotted the address of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a far right Hindu nationalist who is implicated in an anti-Muslim pogrom. Continue reading »

He promises to “expunge” Trump’s impeachments The impeachments happened whether Trump’s bootlickers pretend to “expunge” them or not. But that hasn’t stopped Trump from demanding that Kevin McCarthy demonstrates how servile he is anyway: After House Speaker Kevin McCarthy suggested on national television last month that Donald Trump may not be the GOP’s best presidential nominee in 2024, the former president was furious — and wanted the California Republican to rectify the slight immediately. “He needs to endorse me — today!” Trump fumed to his staff on his way to a campaign event in New Hampshire, according to people familiar with what happened. McCarthy, after all, had indicated to Trump’s team that he would do so eventually. Why not clean up the mess and announce his support now? But the House GOP leader — who has felt compelled to stay neutral during the primary so as to not box in his own members — wasn’t ready to do that.

“Now I become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” — J. Robert Oppenheimer, on witnessing the first detonation of a nuclear weapon.

What have I, J. Robert Oppenheimer, done? The deadliest weapon in history was made by my hand, leaving me the terrible responsibility to build a quote of equal magnitude, a remark just as horrifying and enduring, a soundbite so pretentious it almost eclipses what I did in the first place.

No one man should wield that much power. Yet still, I found myself experimenting with verbs in places no man has ever put them, constructing previously untested sentence structures, blissfully ignorant of what their irreversible consequences would be.

Now, decades of historical fiction epigraphs will carry the weight of my actions. Entire English departments will be brought to their knees by my words.

I don’t sleep anymore. Every night, I am gripped by the same question: “When my life is over, how will my name ring out in the annals of BrainyQuote.com?”

In the second part of its three-year investigation, Byline Times examines the professional conduct of the TV presenter when he was a leading editor at Rupert Murdoch’s powerful British tabloid

Think back 10 years and imagine what you would have thought if you saw this conversation on CNN: Advisors to former President Donald Trump have told him the only way he can avoid facing jail time is to win the 2024 presidential election, according to sources who’ve spoken to New York TimesNYT -2% reporter Maggie Haberman. “His advisors, in private conversations, have been pretty blunt,” Haberman said Wednesday on CNN This Morning. “They see it as he has to win the election and that is how he guarantees that he does not face jail time.” “The fact that they are looking to an election to the highest office in the land as some kind of insurance policy or an out for him really affects or colors the entire presidential race,” Haberman said. Good lord. And his followers call themselves patriots.

Sierra Club workers are taking a stand for environmental justice and solidarity with Palestinians in the face of the Sierra Club’s controversial apartheid tours to Israel.

The post Sierra Club Workers Challenge Leadership’s Greenwashing ‘Apartheid Tours’ appeared first on MintPress News.

Policy Exchange, Institute for Economic Affairs, Global Warming Policy Foundation and co refuse to name their donors. But Peter Geoghegan has found recently published US tax documents that reveal important new details about who funds these secretive think tanks

Trauma, bleeding, trickery and abandonment Unintended consequences ain’t necessarily unforseen consequences. Just yesterday, a friend mentioned fallout from a GOP effort in North Carolina to change how school board members are elected. The change would in theory make it easier to elect Republicans either by making the elections partisan or (in my county) by redrawing school district lines. Try explaining the latter to kids who suddenly find themselves assigned to different schools. Partisan-inspired chaos ensues. Fallout from the Dobbs decision was not unforseen either. GOP-led states are rushing to ban abortion. Women’s lives are put at risk. In Texas, for example (The New Republic): Women who suffered medical complications after being denied abortions in Texas are now having to relive the trauma of their injuries and dead babies as they plead their case against the state. Welcome to the Republican Party’s America. On Wednesday, women who are part of a 15-person (both patients and doctors) lawsuit against the state of Texas, returned back to court to challenge the state’s extreme abortion ban.

In October 2022, the far-right politician Giorgia Meloni became Italy’s first female prime minister. Her party, Fratelli d’Italia, campaigned under the same logo––a red, white…

Tories are using "fake" local newspapers in all three by-elections

Watching last night’s debate in the House of Lords was a disappointing experience as peers failed to protect the privacy of the 40 million British people who use private chat service. It was the final session of Report Stage in the House of Lords, and the last chance for the Online Safety Bill to be […]