Archive for the ‘Big Questions’ Category
Paradox
I’m big on perceiving paradox and contradictions, quoting the already oft-quoted Walt Whitman from his Song of Myself: Do I contradict myself? Very well, I contradict myself. (I am large, I contain multitudes.) I see this everywhere. It’s OK. And I acknowledge that if I reach for the comfort/licence of that philosophy (which I do) [...]
Heady assumptions, a get-rich-quick climate, wishful thinking …
I’ve just read a fantastic article Rethinking the Great Recession by Robert J. Samuelson in the The Wilson Quarterly. Wow. Instead of hand-wringing and wailing about ‘What’s happening to us?’ Samuelson’s plausible analysis points to a widespread forgetting of the boom-bust lessons of history… The great economic and financial crisis that began in 2007 … [...]
An insane order of priorities …
Once again, Jon Stewart uses his platform — on Comedy Central (!!) — to sound a call for reason and justice and fair treatment. Watch as he castigates the Republican senators (and their mealy-mouthed supporters) for filibustering on the 9/11 First Responders’ medical benefits bill while whistling ‘tax cuts for the rich’ through an easy [...]
The sins of the fathers
It was pretty sobering to read of Bernard Madoff’s 46 year old son hanging himself just before the 2nd anniversary of his father’s exposure as a fraud. Consequences. Sad.
History will judge WikiLeaks. And they’ll be seen as right.
‘The Pentagon Papers’ author Daniel Ellsberg has added his voice to support for WikiLeaks … I heard John Pilger on the BBC, doing the same… these men are lions of conscience, and heroes of mine. Whistleblowers aren’t popular. WikiLeaks has teased the genie of transparency out of a very opaque bottle, and powerful forces in [...]
Joe Lieberman: I’m with Homeland Security and I’m here to help. Right.
So, remind me how the US, land of free speech is different to, say, China where the internet is censored as a matter of course. Via Salon’s Glen Greenwald we learn that the New York Times has catalogued another bit of heavyweight censorship — guilty without a trial — connected with WikiLeaks… … another company [...]
Why do you think we call it a struggle?
I referred earlier this week in ‘Words that may not be spoken‘ to what I see as a subversive, long-running and concerted political campaign which aims to suppress Maori culture in Howick, Auckland, where I live. That’s how I see it. I’ll explain why. Along with the rest of New Zealand, we’ve just had local [...]
Bruce Sheppard — closing thoughts?
This looong blog post by Bruce Sheppard is worth reading in its entirety. Part of it reflects on the baby boomer ‘inter generational wealth transfer’ conspiracy promoted by Bernard Hickey et al. A bunch of kids were born in the 1950s mostly, and as a result nappy valleys appeared all over the western world, schools [...]
Bishop Eddie Long — the unravelling of bling theology
Last week as I referred to in Shame, not shock, we learned that the cult-leader Bishop Eddie Long, the ‘spiritual father’ of Destiny Church’s Bishop Brian Tamaki was being accused of sexual abuse of young men in his ‘flock’. Here’s an insightful article — harsh, in parts, but fair, it seems to me — about Bishop [...]
OMG is the ‘inter-generational wealth transfer’ meme gaining currency?
The cover of the current North & South magazine features a young bloke wearing Jed Clampett-inspired depression couture with the headline: Ripped off by baby boomers? / The Broke Generation / or a bunch of wingers? I haven’t read the article yet, but it probably has some roots in the same ideas Bernard Hickey promulgated [...]
