3 October 2018, 101 years after the Russian Revolution, in politics, as in life, words really matter. They are more than signposts by which we find our bearings, make sense of the world, and live our lives. Words have wings; agents of power, they take us places. They can bring us greater clarity, but they can also corrupt our thinking, lead us into confusion, or worse.
Especially in times of political upheaval, suggest the contributors to this public forum, paying careful attention to key words in public circulation becomes vital. Words such as ambivalence, resentment, cynicism and hope teach us much about why present-day democracy is on desolation row. They help us understand the causes and contours of its deepening crisis, the reasons why it breeds ambivalence, resentment and cynicism among citizens and why, against tremendous odds, the small word hope may provide a key to facing up to the worsening troubles faced by practically every democracy on our planet.
Chair: Benedetta Brevini, Department of Media and Communications
Ambivalence: Adele Webb, Sydney Democracy Network
Resentment: Robert van Krieken, Department of Sociology
Cynicism: Rick Benitez, Department of Philosophy
Hope: John Keane, Sydney Democracy Network
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Exclusive Observations by Nick Greiner in 1997
Corrupt police once tried to plant spies in NSW corruption watchdog
From its inception, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has been warding off threats to its integrity, with its chief architect revealing 30 years later that “unsavoury” sections of NSW Police had tried to plant spies inside it.
According to newly released cabinet papers from the formative months of Nick Greiner's government in 1988, police officers were seconded to help set up ICAC.
Gary Sturgess, who was head of Greiner's cabinet office at the time, revealed that federal police had warned them that NSW police were attempting to install officers of questionable integrity.
Andrew Podger's brilliant reimagining of the APS
VERONA BURGESS: Former Commissioner Andrew Podger’s 8800-word submission to the Thodey review stands out for thoughtfulness, depth of knowledge and grasp of the APS.
MPs' proposal to cash in on public-private algos given a solid 'maybe'
UK.gov pats self on back in
response to MPs' report on data-driven decision-making
The House of Commons Science and Technology issued its report on algorithmic decision-making in May, and the government has this week published its response (PDF).
The House of Commons Science and Technology issued its report on algorithmic decision-making in May, and the government has this week published its response (PDF).
Quaedvlieg seeks his right of reply to parliamentary sledging
DUTTON ROW: Any citizen or resident who gets picked on in parliament has the right to ask for their side of the story to go into Hansard, and the former Australian Border Force commissioner wants to use it.
Book club John Rachel Bek Georgie Michael Liz etc loved Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels so it is wonderful to spy HBO’s upcoming miniseries adaptation of the first book. But I did and I’m…cautiously optimistic? Eight episodes, premieres in November. Oh god, It is even better than Cold River ...
P.S. When life imitates art and visa versa Phenomenal Phenomenal.
Transport agencies didn't know users of 6200 mobile phones: audit
"An internal audit has revealed the extent of gaps in the oversight of thousands of mobile phones, laptops and other devices handed out to government staff." (SMH)
It’s 2018 and Britain is fighting to keep its last African colony
"On Britain’s side stands three countries, Australia, Israel and the United States." (Quartz)
Why becoming more argumentative will make you smarter
"Here's why avoiding conflict at work is a terrible mistake.” (BBC)
Even Control Freaks Need Wisdom to Accept What They Can't Change
Transport agencies didn't know users of 6200 mobile phones: audit
"An internal audit has revealed the extent of gaps in the oversight of thousands of mobile phones, laptops and other devices handed out to government staff." (SMH)
It’s 2018 and Britain is fighting to keep its last African colony
"On Britain’s side stands three countries, Australia, Israel and the United States." (Quartz)
Why becoming more argumentative will make you smarter
"Here's why avoiding conflict at work is a terrible mistake.” (BBC)
Even Control Freaks Need Wisdom to Accept What They Can't Change
Fines or imprisonment for travellers if they do not comply with new police powers at airports
Police will be able to request ID, eject people from the premises and ban them from flights.
Once you have your alternatives, how are you supposed to assess them? One approach, known as scenario planning, developed by a handful of management consultants in the 1970s, involves imagining three different future environments for each alternative: Concoct one story where things get better, one where they get worse, and one where they get weird.Storytelling is something we instinctively do anytime we are contemplating a big decision. If you’re thinking of leaving the city and moving to the suburbs, you tell a story of family hikes through the trails behind your house, and better public schools, and a garden that you can tend in your backyard. The difference with formal scenario planning is twofold: First, we rarely take the time to do a deep analysis of all the forces that shape that story; and second, we rarely bother to construct multiple stories. How does the story unfold if your children don’t like their new classmates, or if one part of the family loves the new lifestyle but the other is homesick for the old friends and vitality of city life?The psychologist Gary Klein has developed a variation on this technique. He calls it a “premortem.” As the name suggests, the approach is a twist on the medical procedure of post-mortem analysis. In a post-mortem, the subject is dead, and the coroner’s job is to figure out the cause of death. In a premortem, the sequence is reversed: “Our exercise,” Dr. Klein explains, “is to ask planners to imagine that it is months into the future and that their plan has been carried out. And it has failed. That is all they know; they have to explain why they think it failed.”
Star Trek: Voyager, reviewed Via Kotke. Origin Story… Up next in the book department: Now My Heart Is Full, The Good Neighbor, or Fantasyland.
Foggy hikes. (A+)
American Animals. This is like Ocean’s 11 directed by Errol Morris. Stealing things is more difficult than it seems in the movies. (B+)
Past installments of my media diet are available here.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout. I’m not a particular fan of the series, but this was so fun that maybe I should be? Love the practical effects. (B+)
Bundyville. This podcast came highly recommended by a reader but as soon as Cliven Bundy opened his mouth to speak I realized I did not want to spend a single second of my life in this asshole’s ville or town or mind or anything. Maybe this makes me intolerant or incurious? Not sure I particularly care…there are worthier things I can choose spend my time on. (-)
Radiohead at TD Garden, 7/29/2018. I somehow won the Ticketmaster lottery and got floor tickets, so we were about 35 feet from the stage. Cool to see my favorite band that close. (A)
French Pastels: Treasures from the Vault, MFA Boston. I don’t have much experience with viewing pastels but these seemed simultaneously alive and dreamy. (A-)
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. One of our culture’s recent great storytellers. It’s dated (and cringeworthy) in places, but that Bourdain voice and perspective is right there on the page, almost fully formed. In the chapter about Tokyo, you also get to witness the prototype for Bourdain’s third and, arguably, greatest career as a culinary and cultural observer of far-flung places. Pro tip: get the audiobook read by the man himself. (A)
My new electric toothbrush. Why didn’t anyone tell me about this sooner? My teeth feel (and probably are) so much cleaner now! (A-)
Holedown. I’ve spent too many hours playing this. It sucks I hate it it’s so good and I can’t stopppppppp. (A-/D+)
David Wojnarowicz exhibition at the Whitney. A strong show about an artist I didn’t know a lot about going in. (B+)
Celebrating Bill Cunningham exhibition at the New-York Historical Society. The exhibition was in a small room and featured very few photographs, so I was a little disappointed. But I did get to see the Norman Rockwell/FDR exhibition, including this arresting painting. (B)
Through a Different Lens: Stanley Kubrick Photographs at the Museum of the City of New York. Even though I have the book, the original photos were worth seeing in person. (B+)
Eighth Grade. The feelings generated by watching this film — dread, crushing anxiety — closely approximated how I felt attending 8th grade. Well played. (B+)
Sorry to Bother You. If you haven’t seen this, don’t watch or read anything about it before you do. Just watch it. (A-)
Arbitrary Stupid Goal by Tamara Shopsin. This had me thinking about all sorts of different things. Recommended. (A)
Succession. This wasn’t quite as good as everyone said it was, but I still enjoyed it. My tolerance for watching rich, powerful, white assholes, however entertaining, is waning though… (B)
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Unsurprisingly more spare than the TV series but still powerful and unsparing. (A-)
The Dark Knight. If not the best superhero movie ever, it’s close. (A-)
Crazy Rich Asians. A romantic comedy with a strong dramatic element rooted in family & cultural dynamics, women who are strong & interesting & feminine in different ways, and a wondrous setting. Also, put Awkwafina in every movie from now on. (A-)
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?. Fred Rogers was a relentless person, a fantastic example of a different kind of unyielding masculinity. I sobbed like a baby for the last 20 minutes of this. (A)
BlacKkKlansman. Messy. I didn’t really know what to feel about it when it ended…other than shellshocked. Was that the point? (B+)
Tycho’s 2018 Burning Man Sunrise DJ set. Always an end-of-the-summer treat. (A)
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. I watched this movie at least 100 times in high school. Despite not having seen it in probably 20 years, I still knew every single line of dialogue — inflections, timing, the whole thing. (A+)