Lighting a match

Caffeine consumption found to alter brain structureNew Atlas (David L). Hard to see how there can be significant changes in a mere 10 days. Also seems to contradict studies that find that high consumption of coffee (5 cups a day, gah!) counteracts Alzheimers symptoms.

The Morrison government: increasingly an ethical vacuum

By JACK WATERFORD | On 9 February 2021

Almost weekly, the person behind Anthony Albanese’s Twitter feed puts out a short statement, hanging off a recent event, calling for powerful corruption commission. A Labor Party seriously interested in winning government ought to be doing much more.Continue reading →

       'Night of Ideas' 

       If you need something to keep you busy tomorrow, this year's Night of Ideas -- "a 24-hour virtual marathon event featuring philosophical debate and artistic performances produced in 75 countries around the world" --, with a theme of: 'Closing the Distance', looks fairly promising. 

 

 

Murdoch and his role in the Trump Presidency

By JOHN MENADUE | On 10 February 2021

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd dissects Rupert Murdoch’s role in creating the Trump presidency. “Donald Trump may have lit the match that detonated his country’s turmoil but it was Rupert Murdoch who diligently crammed the joint full of explosives.”

Continue reading → 

Mr Murdoch goes to Hell

By WILLIAM DE MARIA | On 9 February 2021

Even the Devil was impressed with the level of hypocrisy on display on the sin sheet of News Corp’s executive chairman. Continue reading →

Court Docs Show FBI Can Intercept Encrypted Messages From Deep State-Backed ‘Signal’ AppBig League Politics 

Minneapolis Bans Its Police Department From Using Facial Recognition Software TechCrunch

Facebook is reportedly building a smartwatch and wants to sell it to you starting next year in exchange for your health data Business Insider 

Google Explores Alternative to Apple’s New Anti-Tracking Feature Bloomberg

Those Whom The Gods Would Destroy

Posted by Sgt. Mom on February 14th, 2021 (All posts by Sgt. Mom)

… they first make mad, or so goes the popular version of a concept which goes back to the ancient Greeks. They who are on that irrevocable final spiral towards destruction do seem addicted to self-destructive or at least counter-productive behavior – either of the personal or institutional sort. I can’t help wondering if the powers-that-be at Lucasfilm/Disney are entering that death spiral, what with firing Gina Carano from the cast of The Mandalorian for … well, nothing much more than pointing out that the Nazi genocide of Jews started with a program of determined “otherization.” Ms Carano merely drew a parallel which has occurred to many another so-called “Deplorable”, and it certainly has not escaped attention of sharper observers than myself that a chorus of so-called tolerant progressives have been clamoring for the punishment and erasure of Republicans, conservatives, Trump supporters and flyover rural residents, ever louder and with increasing urgency of late. Why she should be singled out for cancellation for pointing out the obvious parallel, other than being in a notoriously prog-sympathetic profession?