A Historical View of Today’s Political Theater
It wasn’t until the first-ever televised presidential debate occurred between John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960 that the idea of face-to-face debates became a common thing.
History
The ‘Acceptable’ Hatred of Jews
We need to make clear that antisemitic views are not acceptable and that those who hold them are going to be stigmatised by society. And that starts with you.
No Hate Speech in NZ
Let terms like white supremacy, extermination and genocide remain where they lie buried – long ago and far away.
Goodbye to a Rag
Sir Bob Jones nopunchespulled.com When Stuff announced the closure of The Sunday News, I was stunned to learn it was still in existence. In its heyday decades back, it was famed for its pervading sleaziness, beatups over trivia and fictious sensationalism, for which evidently there was a market. Because
Going on Gut Reactions
Chris Trotter Democracy Project As angry Trump supporters filed out of the Butler showgrounds, many paused to hurl abuse at the media pack. As they vented their anger upon the assembled “mainstream” journalists, I couldn’t help recalling the behaviour of an even angrier crowd as it filed out of
Those Were No Ordinary Rabbits!
It’s one of the classic scenes of movie comedy: Tha’s nae ordinary rabbit! When Sorcerer Tim warns King Arthur and his questing knights that the way to the Grail lies through a cave “guarded by a creature so foul, so cruel that no man yet has fought with
A Nation Reinvented: 40 Years On
Richard Shaw, Massey University It’s easy to look back at the bad haircuts, beige clothes and brown Beehive carpets and chuckle. But whatever one’s views on its aesthetics, the Fourth Labour Government – elected 40 years ago on July 14 – was no laughing matter. After nine years of economic
Be One of the Brave Few
In the German movie Das schreckliche Madchen (The Nasty Girl), a high school girl is determined to win an essay prize by writing about her little town’s brave resistance to the Nazis during the Third Reich. Everyone is delighted. But, as she delves deeper, she finds the terrible truth:
The Fraught Relationship Between Science and Power
Toby Rogers Toby Rogers has a PhD in political economy from the University of Sydney in Australia and a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of California, Berkeley. I would like to start a conversation on the relationship between science and power. By “science” I mean the field
Full Stop, Comma, Comma, Full Stop
If you’ve ever slogged your way through Jack Kerouac’s stream-of-consciousness prose poetry, like the infamous two-page last sentence of On the Road or the whole of Maggie Cassidy, you’ll appreciate the importance of punctuation. As the old joke goes, it’s the difference between helping your uncle,
Unlocking the Secrets of an Ancient Marvel
In 1900, sponge divers found a submerged wreck off the Greek island of Antikythera. The wreck was a treasure trove, yielding bronze and marble statues, pottery, glassware, jewellery and coins. And a strange lump of corroded bronze and wood. When the finds were sent to the National Museum of Archaeology
Look Up! An Explosion Is About to Create a ‘New’ Star
Tanya Hill, Museums Victoria Research Institute and Amanda Karakas, Monash University Any night now, a “new star” or nova will appear in the night sky. While it won’t set the sky ablaze, it’s a special opportunity to see a rare event that’s usually difficult to predict in
Did a Saudi Operative Coach 9/11 Plotters?
The unspeakable atrocity of 9/11 has certainly spawned more than its fair share of silly conspiracy theories. But probably the most damaging one is the official one: that al Qaeda acted alone. That, it appears, is a lie. It’s a lie that should have been exposed almost immediately
There Are Two Classes These Days
In the US, the Democrats and their lickspittles are bragging that the economy is doing just fine. In Australia, Treasurer Jim Chalmers claims that the government is keeping inflation in check and mainstream media seals hork a chorus of agreement. Just don’t you believe your lyin’ eyes about the
Why Antisemitism Is Likely to Grow
Barry Brownstein AIER Barry Brownstein is professor emeritus of economics and leadership at the University of Baltimore. Let us be wary of the soothing narrative that downplays the seriousness of growing antisemitism. The belief that Jew hate will diminish once the Israel-Hamas war concludes may be misguided. As I go