Hate the rich or love the poor?
Interesting musings from the economist Maarten Boudry on the topic of inequality, in a post titled “Is extreme wealth a greater evil than extreme poverty?”: Imagine you could wave a …
Read MoreAuthor: Arthur Chrenkoff
Make Architecture Great Again
Exciting news – if it will happen – from the White House about other future houses: While the country was riveted by the President’s impeachment trial, a Washington rumor was …
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Brexit happens
It’s entirely coincidental that as the United Kingdom is finally leaving the European Union, I’m reading Boris Johnson’s “Friends, Voters, Countrymen: Jottings on the stump”, his retelling of a (successful) …
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On dating woke women
British actor whom I’ve never heard of, Laurence Fox, has caused quite a stir as a result of an appearance on a TV show “Question Time” last week. Fox apparently …
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Charity served cold
Note: While this story is about Australia, the same issues apply to charitable sectors in all Western countries. An important thing to remember about large parts of the government bureaucracy and …
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Media more destructive than fires
Where the bloody hell are you? Not in Australia apparently. While no official figures are available yet, anecdotal evidence from international tour operators suggests significant cancellations (according to one report, …
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Join the Remainer Resistance!
This is both funny and sad at the same time: So at 11pm on 31 January, dismiss Johnson’s extravagant claims for what lies ahead and the faux celebrations. Light a …
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Those That Trust Trump, or Who Hearts America?
A fascinating update, courtesy of Pew Research Center, on attitudes towards the United States around the world, best summarised in this table: It’s personally interesting to note that Poland is the …
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BeWitchered
I wish I could have enjoyed “The Witcher” more than I did. For better or worse, all fantasy series and movies will now be compared with “Game of Thrones” (sans …
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Congratulations, Victoria!
Victoria is officially the safest state in Australia if you’re looking to escape the firebugs: Victoria Police say the fires engulfing the eastern part of Victoria are not being treated as …
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Is Australia still there?
Myself, as well as other people with families and friends overseas, are getting concerned and panicky messages to check if we’re safe in light of the catastrophic megafires that have …
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THOTs and prayers – and other ways to help the fireys and victims
There are many ways to raise money for the victims of natural disasters, from charity concerts to social media donation drives, but some enterprising young women in Australia and the …
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Walkleys for nothing and the chicks for free
The piece I have put together the other day about the 200 or so people who have been arrested – and most charged – with setting a significant amount of …
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Australia’s arson crisis (updated)
According to my calculations and estimates, the number of individuals around Australia whose arson has contributed to the current bushfire crisis has now passed 200. This figure is not presented …
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20 Best Books and 19 Notable Mentions I’ve Read in 2019
You know the gig by the now: not the new books that came out last year but the books I got to read throughout 2019. There have been far too …
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A very good question indeed
The former Labor Environment Minister, and a wistful reminder of the time when Labor had serious politicians, Graham Richardson, asks a very good question: Just how did Australia fall from a …
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Donald Trump: Making American Sex Great Again
The stock market is up, unemployment is down, wages are rising, manufacturing jobs are returning. And now this: A recent survey of 2,000 sexually active American adults asked respondents to …
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Russia and China after your internet
Nothing good ever comes of when these two take interest in something: The United Nations on Friday approved a Russian-led bid that aims to create a new convention on cybercrime, …
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That time Poland was wearing a short skirt
The year wouldn’t go past without Vladimir Putin managing to again eschew any role in starting the Second World War and instead blaming Poland for getting invaded: Speaking at a …
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10 Reasons Why Santa Claus is a Communist
Bah-humbug! Sorry people to snow on your parade (or should it be “sorry snowflakes to rain on your parade”) but there is something you should know about the supposedly jolly …
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