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by SpeakTruth

6 October 2024 4 dys

What Is Freedom?

Freedom is a word with a lot of baggage in America. Think about free speech! The land of the free. The free market. Kris Kristofferson, who died this week, famously sang – “freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.” Americans are inundated with this term and have been since the inception of their country. What is freedom? According to the Oxford Dictionary:

1. The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants. “we do have some freedom of choice” Similar: right to entitlement to privilege prerogative due

2. the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. “the shark thrashed its way to freedom”

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close up of british shorthair cat relaxing indoors

by SpeakTruth

30 September 2024 1 week

Another Lazy Thinking Way Of Operating

There is no left or right, not really, not in political terms. There are many shades of thought and philosophies existing and interacting around the place at any one time in history. Grouping everything into a binary is just another lazy thinking way of operating. It is similar to focusing on one individual at the expense of acknowledging teams and organisations being responsible for actions, achievements and perceived failures. This all comes down to how we like to tell stories and the kind of stories we most like consuming. We, as human beings, shift the emphasis within episodic events to make them more coherent and linked to a central theme or character. We strip out the stuff we judge as tangential and beef up what we want to shine through.

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by SpeakTruth

20 September 2024 3 weeks

Greed Gave Us The GFC & We Have Been Paying Ever Since

The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) grew out of the wage suppressing impacts of neoliberalism and its response to the lack of domestic economic demand and growth this engendered within Western economies in the late Eighties and Nineties. Manufacturing jobs were moved offshore to cheaper labour […]

Episode 12: The Politics of Grievance - Robert Sudha Hamilton's Podcast

America is the great democratic experiment. Although, this is getting on for some 250 years now. This nation is in the grip of the politics of grievance. Partisan politics in America is more about hating the other side than particularly loving the side you are voting for. Americans have been encouraged to focus their attention upon their grievances via decades of negative campaigning and attack ads. Demonizing ‘the other’ is the favoured political pastime in the 21C. Identity politics and social values are the main game these days. Economic issues are now seen through this ideological filter.Murdoch, Fox & Stirring Grievance In AmericaRupert Murdoch and his Fox News are merchants of toxic polarization. This network is spewing out lies and fake news 24/7. Every presentation is top heavy in anti-woke content and a right wing bias. Regular viewers are sucked into a spin cycle of libertarian anti-government GOP grievance stoking. Old white men upset at their changing worlds, where heaven forbid minorities are now getting a say. OMG the sky is going to fall in. In this partisan realm complaints about there being too many coloured faces on TV and LGBTQIA folk making too much noise are legion. Uppity women talking about sexual harassment and such like make their viewer’s blood boil – which is the whole idea for Fox. Getting their audience riled up keeps eyeballs on them and advertising rates going up for their revenue.Popularizing Poisonous Issues For Political GainThe politics of grievance is all about popularizing these causes for the benefit of candidates and the party. The party promoting these grievances doesn’t need positive policies. They just bang on about how the other side is to blame for the problem.

Wary of breaking's controversial debut, surf lifesaving is preparing its Olympic push 10 October 2024
Ali Day wants to figure in surf lifesaving's push for Olympic inclusion, determined to ensure his sport doesn't "cop it" like breaking did in Paris.
Aggressive fish invading waterways on popular Queensland tourist island 10 October 2024
A noxious pest from Africa has found its way onto the world's largest sand island, K’gari. Experts are calling for the invasive fish to be eradicated to stop it from threatening native species.
Johanna Marie
Adelaide Zoo's only lions have been euthanased after one suffers a medical episode 10 October 2024
The zoo says the pair were euthanased this morning after 19-year-old male lion Mujambi suffered a medical episode over the weekend.
Imogen Hayne
First Indigenous Rhodes scholar reconnects with her past as she helps to preserve Aboriginal history 10 October 2024
Rebecca Richards's PhD in anthropology is taking her back to the regional community she grew up in to explore photographic archives and preserve Ngarrindjeri stories.
Elyse Armanini and Will Hunter
Police shoot three dogs dead after attack leaves woman critically injured 10 October 2024
Police have shot dead three dogs which attacked a woman at a home in Dandenong in Melbourne's south-east. The woman was left with critical injuries.
Grand Designs' Kevin McCloud gets real on the show's 'great legacy' — its own drinking game 10 October 2024
The host of the popular UK lifestyle show says he's grateful for the people willing to let cameras behind the scenes — "sometimes mistakenly" — while they push the boundaries on what's possible in design.
Georgia Hitch
Pilot of helicopter that crashed into roof of Cairns hotel was affected by alcohol, investigation finds 10 October 2024
Blake Wilson was killed when a helicopter he was flying crashed into the roof of the hotel on the Cairns Esplanade in August.
Christopher Testa
'Genius' Joe Root becomes England's greatest run-scorer with plenty of time to chase down Tendulkar 9 October 2024
Joe Root is now England's most prolific Test run-scorer, surpassing Alastair Cook in Pakistan, and he has time on his side to go for Sachin Tendulkar's overall record.
Outback community rallies to reopen run-down childcare centre amid three-year waitlists for parents 9 October 2024
After nearly 10 months and $180,000 in community-funded upgrades parents are rejoicing following the reopening of a childcare centre in a town where waitlists can stretch more than three years.
Zara Margolis and Maddie Nixon
When is the Bathurst 1000 and how to watch the Supercars 9 October 2024
Australian motorsport takes centre stage this weekend as the focus turns to regional New South Wales for this year's running of the Bathurst 1000.
Michael Doyle
Grace Brown withdraws from race in France during final week of her career 9 October 2024
Grace Brown has been left frustrated that she's managed to achieve a career first in her very last road race — by pulling out over dreadful conditions.
Live: Hurricane Milton slams into Florida's west coast after triggering tornadoes and evacuation orders 9 October 2024
An expanding Hurricane Milton has made landfall on Florida's west coast, spawning tornadoes and lashing the region with rain and wind. Follow live.
Jesmine Cheong, Liana Walker, Esther Linder, and Carrington Clarke
Sign of the times as town turns 'dead space' bowlo into a playground 9 October 2024
With populations shifting and community sport participation declining, towns such as Moora are looking into new uses for old clubrooms and other spaces that have seen better days.
Chloe Henville
Live: Essendon confirms meeting with Giants over Jake Stringer as club weighs up trade move 9 October 2024
Jake Stringer is waiting on the GWS Giants to officially register their interest in him as he plots an exit out of Essendon. Follow live as we bring you all the action from day four of the AFL trade period.
Chris De Silva
Wickets, runs and unique fields for Marnus Labuschagne to kick off his reign as Queensland captain 9 October 2024
Marnus Labuschagne is making his unique mark as skipper of Queensland with unique field placements, as well as taking wickets and scoring runs.
No other government has enforced a total ban for teenagers on social media – so why does Australia think it can? 9 October 2024
As a social media summit this week discusses the merits of Australia's proposed world-leading ban for teenagers, Ange Lavoipierre asks: why have so few others made it down this path?
Ange Lavoipierre
Severe thunderstorms lash south-east Queensland, bringing heavy rain, flash flooding and hail 9 October 2024
The SES has received 90 calls for help over the past 24 hours, predominantly from residents in the Moreton Bay area, north of Brisbane.
Shari Hams
Israeli retaliation against Iran will be 'lethal, precise and surprising,' defence minister says 9 October 2024
Yoav Gallant has warned an Israeli strike on Iran in response to its recent missile attack would be "lethal" and "surprising", as a separate Israeli air strike hit a Lebanese Civil Defense centre in southern Lebanon, killing five members stationed there.
Live: Marles contests claims after senior staffer alleges bullying in his office, as dispute goes public 9 October 2024
The chief of staff to Richard Marles holds a press conference to claim she has been in limbo since raising claims of office bullying with him. The acting prime minister has contested some of her claims.. Follow live.
Jake Evans
Indian business titan Ratan Tata dies at 86 9 October 2024
Ratan Tata, the former Tata Group chairman who transformed a staid and sprawling Indian conglomerate into a global powerhouse with a string of high-profile acquisitions, has died at the age of 86.