It was only a matter of time before the more extreme elements of the GOP tried to undermine the bipartisan infrastructure. And right on cue as the bipartisan working group is attempting to finalize the bill’s details, some conservative groups are now demanding that the deal not include increased funding for IRS enforcement. This demand …
To The Times The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s modest housing measures deserve modest support, but most of this discussion misses the point. Of course supply must be increased, not least to deal with the backlog. The underlying problem, though, is uncontrolled demand. Most household growth comes from immigration, not from the domestic population: in recent …
Governments gave 20% more in overseas aid funding to fossil fuel projects over the last two years than to programmes to cut the air pollution they cause, according to an analysis from the Clean Air Fund. Air pollution kills more people than HIV/Aids, malaria, and tuberculosis combined, but just 1% of global development aid is …
A former U.S. official doesn’t view the Afghanistan withdrawal as an ‘intelligence failure’! Sue Gordon, who served as a top U.S. intelligence official under both the Trump and Obama administrations, said Sunday that she would not characterize the American withdrawal from Afghanistan “as an intelligence failure”, despite widespread criticism about how the Trump and Biden …
Some things are almost beyond parody. Lord Frost says the government will hire an external adviser to identify post-Brexit opportunities. We have high hopes of outside input into this process,” he says. The government of the United Kingdom, almost five years after the Brexit referendum, wants help on identifying post-Brexit opportunities! The natural response to …
Continue reading ‘Verdict on Brexit – and the current British government’ »
Recently, NYC launched the Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division, or “B-HEARD” program, to mobilize social workers instead of cops when responding to calls for people struggling with mental health issues. The teams respond to emergencies such as suicide attempts, substance misuse and serious mental illness. The result? More people (95%) accepted help from the …
Continue reading ‘Treating the mentally sick in a civilized manner’ »
“Zero tolerance has been a huge mistake. “Here’s a political slogan I’d get behind, “Zero tolerance for zero tolerance.” “For decades, political leaders have embraced zero-tolerance policies “as a response to all social ills: crime, drugs, sexual violations – even misbehaving schoolchildren”. In every case, the indiscriminate rigidity of this “deeply misguided approach” has backfired. …
The Amazon rainforest is emitting more carbon dioxide than it is able to absorb, a new study has found. The vast rainforest had previously been a carbon sink, absorbing the emissions driving the climate crisis. However, it is now causing its acceleration, emitting a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. The majority of the …
Arnold Schwarzenegger was recently named in a poll of British adults as the most suitable public figure to lead humanity in the event of an alien invasion. “I am ready to serve,” tweeted the 73-year-old action star and former California governor. (The Week, April 2, 2021) My moment: Phew!……What a relief. Now we’ll be o.k.
Southern Sweden may be home to big cities like Stockholm and Gothenburg, but the North is fast emerging as our nation’s industrial powerhouse. The lithium-ion battery cell factory in Skellefrea keeps taking new orders, the State-owned metals company LKAB has made giant investments in its Northern iron mines, and a zero-emissions steelworks has opened in …
Continue reading ‘News from Sweden. Nothing is simple or easy.’ »
US Attorney General Merrick Garland recently ordered a moratorium on federal executions and a Justice Department review of the death penalty. The move followed a decision by the Trump administration Justice Department to revive federal executions by lethal injection in 2019, using a one-drug protocol. The federal government then carried out 13 executions from July 2020 …
David Cameron might have been a disaster when it came to Brexit, but he did absolutely the right thing with the Unexplained Wealth Order. This is a government programme to uncover the crooks and thieves who use London to cover up corruption and theft in their home countries and to relieve them of dubious investments, …
On June 19th Americans celebrated Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the anniversary of June 19th, 1865, and the end of slavery in the United States. Many believe Juneteenth is a celebration of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, However, the document was actually signed in 1863. The real cause for celebration came two years later in …
Gun violence has become an epidemic in America. Over 38,000 people are killed every year because of deadly weapons. Over 38,000! And a huge proportion of the population doesn’t appear to care. Or maybe they really think that this what the Founders intended? There is no reason why anybody needs a weapon of war. My …
The Supreme Court has recently declined to hear a case on the constitutionality of the male-only military draft, framed as “end[ing] gender-based [draft] registration.” The petition expanding the draft to women does speak of “further[ing] the goal of military readiness” but concentrates upon the unfair imposition of “selective burdens on men”. The Pentagon has “unequivocally acknowledge[d] …
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