“Human resources are like natural resources; they’re often buried deep. You have to go looking for them; they’re not just lying around on the surface. You have to create the circumstances where they show themselves.”
– Ken Robinson, British author ( via Marlin and Zak )
The State v The People. Government spurns hard-earned privilege of 1688
Freedom of Information legislation meets 1688 Bill of Rights in Supreme Court battle over access to information. Rex Patrick reports
Richard Marles to meet JD Vance and Marco Rubio in Washington
Snubbed, or secret envoy? Confusion reigns over Marles trip to Washington DC
Robodebt ghosts loom large as AI use increases - Andrew Wilkie
Powerful work from CNN senior reporter Chelsea Bailey with “I stopped for gas and witnessed an ICE arrest. Then, I spent days looking for the man who was detained.”
Question of the day
“Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker interviewed Vice President JD Vance on Sunday’s NBC program, but her best question of the day was to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Welker asked Lavrov, “Mr. foreign minister, here are the facts: Close to 50,000 civilians have either been killed or injured in this war. Russia has hit maternity wards, churches, schools, hospitals, a kindergarten just this past week. So either the Russian military has terrible aim or you are targeting civilians. Which is it?”
What a question.
Lavrov responded by saying, “Look, look, NBC is a very respectful structure, and I hope you are responsible for the words which you broadcast. I ask you to send us or to publicize the information to which you just referred because we never targeted the civilian targets of the kind you cited. You might be mixing, you know, the information because it is a fact that quite a number of churches were purposefully hit by the Ukrainian regime. Quite a number of just civilian settlements, human settlements.”
After another back-and-forth, Welker defended NBC to Lavrov, saying, “Mr. foreign minister, it’s all publicly documented, and we have reporters on the ground who’ve seen it with their own eyes. All of the information is publicly available. We do have reporters on the ground who’ve seen these strikes with their own eyes.”
Welker was strong throughout the interview, pushing and pushing back on Lavrov in a rare interview with the Russian foreign minister.
Trump Threatens to End Mail in Voting and Use of Voting Machines
“Robert B. Hubbell: On Monday [August 18, 2025], Trump contradicted a provision of the US Constitution that has remained unchanged since its effective date in 1788. Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 states:
The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.
Trump proclaimed on Monday that
the States are merely an ‘agent’ for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes. They must do what the Federal Government… tells them, FOR THE GOOD OF OUR COUNTRY
I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also, while we’re at it, Highly ‘Inaccurate,’ Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES…”
10 Things Your Smartphone Camera Can Do Unrelated to Photography
MakeUseOf: “Your smartphone camera is good for far more than snapping yet another overly flattering shot of your lunch. It’s a surprisingly powerful tool that can make your day-to-day life easier, more efficient, and occasionally even safer…Your smartphone camera is good for far more than snapping yet another overly flattering shot of your lunch. It’s a surprisingly powerful tool that can make your day-to-day life easier, more efficient, and occasionally even safer…”
