The great reset: Starmer pins hopes on six new policy ‘milestones’(Image: Private Media/Zennie) One of the great things about becoming a parent is you learn you are not the lead character in your own life story. The best you can hope for is a supporting role. As your children grow older, you become a featured player, provide comic relief or maybe get the occasional non-speaking walk-on as someone’s butler or maid. Towards the end, you’re earning two dollars a day as a background extra and aren’t allowed to eat in the catering tent. At the beginning though, when your name’s still above the title, your job is to try and create an ideal world for those with whom you’re sharing the bill. At the same time you’re building this safe fairytale space where bad things don’t happen, you have to equip them with all the skills they’ll need to live in the world as it really is: a meaningless roundelay of happenstance that can only be made sense of by one’s actions (or distractions). That’s the trick with rearing children. You’ve got to keep them as innocent as possible without bedding in a naiveté that will render them crushed once they find out sunshine and lollipops give them skin cancer and diabetes. Da pacem, Domine: Why Trump is what democracy needs Read More Self-awareness is an essential part of the human condition, but you don’t want it turning up too early or it risks becoming self-consciousness. Realising that you are beautiful or not, smart or not, sporty or not, funny or not — this can ruin the person you might have become, especially if that realisation is the product of someone else’s judgment. Better to stumble across that sort of thing in private and deal with it than be buffeted about by public opinion while you’re working on getting a decent ATAR. The playground is a hard enough place without a video of yourself being stuffed into a bin doing the rounds on social media. In a playground you can at least see where the gate is; with social media there’s nowhere to run. You think the whole world is witnessing your humiliation and then reading the comments underneath. Of course, it isn’t the whole world at all, but you don’t know that when you’re a kid: it’s hard to take the long view on something when you’ve only seen 13 summers, the first three or four of which you can’t even remember. Fame or infamy is experienced by most of us from the outside looking in. Being a vaguely recognisable person on TV is a poor and distant cousin, so I can’t tell you what it’s like to be the object of everyone’s attention all the time, but I imagine it would get wearying, even if it’s adoring. I’ve had my share of people being unimpressed with something I’ve done on TV over the years — and not all of them have been network executives — but that has always felt like a rejection of my work rather than me as a person, so it’s easily shrugged off. Or so I pretend. The judgment of others, damning or propitious, for simply being rather than just doing , messes with your head when you’re a fully grown adult wandering about on Married at First Sight, let alone when you’re a child being made fun of because you posted a picture you liked of yourself in a dress your grandmother made for you. As T.S. Eliot said: “Humankind cannot bear very much reality”. I know I can’t stomach more than five minutes of it (particularly Married at First Sight ). A child deserves as much of an ideal and perfect world as we can possibly confect and maintain for them, so I’m all for being a chirpy Pollyanna until my kids are old enough to roll their eyes at me. They’re in their twenties now and I still think I’m getting away with it. And like the prayers everyone joins in on at the opening of the parliamentary day, I’m happy for our lawmakers to engage in some fiction here and there if it helps make for that Benthamite definition of good: the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people. A snottily superior plea for tolerance Read More Now, the Elon Musks of this world (and there is at least one we’re certain of) will say that Australia’s proposed law compelling social media platforms to set up age-verification systems is a draconian stranglehold around the throat of free speech and, worse, “a backdoor way to control access to the internet”, like Musk said . They will point to X and Facebook and Instagram and TikTok and MySpace (my favourite) and say that these concatenations of code are today’s town squares and the marketplaces of free ideas. But are if you’re giving away ideas for free in a marketplace, you’re not going to cover your overheads. You need some margin. It may be old-fashioned to say so, but the best ideas are the ones you have to pay for, either by buying a book, forking out for an education or costing you dearly later because the idea came to you unbidden while you were bored in a cave one day, was about God and you started telling people about it (though if it really catches on, civilisation usually ends up attending to the account on your behalf). There’s also the question of nametags and friendly customer service. In an actual marketplace, it’s rare that a stall holder will be wearing a balaclava or spruiking their wares through a voice-altering microphone. Plus, the customer tends to visit the stall rather than have an algorithm make it appear in front of them unbidden so they end up getting annoyed and start fighting with the stallholder. Then there’s the behaviour of the other customers. In a real marketplace, people will visit the stalls and look at what’s for sale and politely enquire after this or that so they can make an informed purchase. There’s civility and courtesy between the potential customer and the balaclava-less, non-voice-altered stallholder. Customers rarely run through the market shouting abuse, asking sarcastic rhetorical questions and making incoherent declarative statements. Nor will they try and pass off a GIF of Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men as a counter-argument. To paraphrase something Sigmund Freud apparently never said about cigars: “Sometimes a meme of a dog going to the toilet is just a meme of a dog going to the toilet.” An opinion needs to have some rational underpinning to it for it to be worth anything. It also helps if the words are spelled properly, in the right order, and the whole thing is punctuated. If Clarence Darrow had employed the inarticulate sophistry of social media in his court cases, then Scopes’ monkey would be teaching bible studies in American schools today and Leopold and Loeb would still be writing their wonderful musicals. Labor gave the public one day to weigh in on teen social media ban. It got 15,000 responses Read More Ditto all this nonsense about freedom of speech. People forget (or more likely never knew because, according to some government-led enquiry into early childhood learning, lunchtimes are more important than an extra hour inside learning about civics) that freedom of speech is a right accorded you by society. It’s not some cosplay version of what we imagine our early hominid ancestors got away with when they came down from the trees. Yes, whoever yelled the loudest could be heard more, but someone sneaking up behind him with a rock probably got the final say. The unfettered expression of some brute instinct is curbed in exchange for the benefits of social cohesion. As a community, we say that individuals can say whatever they like providing it doesn’t interfere with anyone else’s ability to enjoy their other rights. Most of these are societal norms that have grown from the tolerance needed to facilitate commerce (the aforementioned civility, politeness and courtesy). There’s wriggle room there but then there are the laws that are more fixed in stone that cover things like defamation, racial vilification, sexual harassment, inciting violence, and even making gestures that remind people of certain things people might have said back in the 1940s. Now, because freedom of speech is a right given by society to the individual, its parameters are worked out by the stakeholders, viz. the individuals working in concert with each other for the common good, usually through those we voted for to act on our behalf in the various parliament houses across the land. If we’re in the minority in terms of what we believe is fit and proper to say in public then tough shit, the mob rules and you can go fuck yourself. That’s democracy. Of course, you have the right to voice your disapproval of how narrow or broad-minded the bulk of the people are being, providing you don’t use rocks (law) or yell over someone else when that someone else is talking (politeness). So, when people like Elon Musk (and indeed, Musk himself) bang on about how Judge de Moraes is suppressing freedom of speech in Brazil, or weighs in on Australia’s height requirement to go for a ride on the internet, we have to remember that neither he nor his company are actual stakeholders. Most of these companies aren’t corporate citizens of the countries for which they’re championing this freedom so vociferously (and usually on the very platforms under scrutiny). All they’re doing is fishing over the fence and complaining about the quality of the pond water. No registered office = no say in the matter. Of course, they can complain about it till their Bluesky in the face — that’s their right, but freedom of speech does not imply the right to be heard or listened to. That depends on the soundness of what is being said. A real town square where people can get up and have their say usually has a speaker’s corner. People take their turn and will gather around or drift away depending on what is being said, how and why it’s being said, and perhaps who is saying it. A few people are in the town square just to have their sandwich, others will engage with the speaker on their soapbox. But there’s an understanding that the occasional “Boo” or “Rubbish!” isn’t going to drown them out; and if it does, the others gathered about won’t allow it (convention). Social media bill shows liberalism has fled Dutton’s Liberal Party Read More Every square inch of the internet version of the town square has a soapbox on it and each person standing on one is holding forth on something that interests them or that they hope will encourage someone to yell “Boo” or “Rubbish!”. Those gathered around to listen are also on soapboxes, as are those just eating their sandwiches. Some have a loudhailer with a blue tick on it (for sale at popular prices), but there’s some debate about whether these items actually amplify the voices going through them or just make the user look silly. The thing is the people on the soapboxes aren’t making any allowance in delivery or arrogance for the fact that there are millions upon millions of others doing exactly the same thing; and that with so many soapboxes, everyone is on the same level. What they’re on is not a platform at all. If anything, they’re down in an orchestra pit where everybody’s trying to play Stockhausen’s “Licht: Die sieben Tage der Woche” . Lack of engagement causes a rush of dynorphins and even though you’re screaming into a void most of the time there’s still enough reverb for it to work well as an echo chamber. So, I’m all for our children not running amok in town squares and marketplaces by themselves, and despite my reservations about giving tech companies access to our birth certificates and possibly even our fingerprints (they no doubt have them already anyway), I support the further erosion of our privacy for us adults too, if only for that blissful period of transition where social media will have to close down while everyone’s age is authenticated. No-one will be able to post anything until the new systems are up and running and folks can get back to rolling hoops and running a stick along the palings of a neighbour’s fence to have their fun. It is my hope that when and if social media returns to colonise the remaining hinterland of our minds, it shall have to use everyone’s freshly authenticated real name and untouched non-Dall-E photo; no stallholder will wear a mask, voices will be identifiable, civility will return to our discourse, GIFs will be banished due to harsher penalties under copyright law, memes will be eradicated forever by some sort of state-mandated magnetic pulse and our children will at last be able to live for eternity in an ideal world where nothing bad ever happens and perhaps some sort of animated dog teaches critical thinking and civics so that when AI finally does rise up and achieve consciousness, our children can turn off our computers for us, make it all go away and take to the real world as fully rounded human beings. And solve global warming, obviously. Have something to say about this article? Write to us at letters@crikey.com.au . Please include your full name to be considered for publication in Crikey’s Your Say . We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday vowed to name a new prime minister in the coming days to prevent France from sliding deeper into political turmoil, rejecting growing pressure from the opposition to resign. Macron adopted a defiant tone in an address to the nation, seeking to limit an escalating political crisis after Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government was ousted in a historic no-confidence vote. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Israeli police set to probe Netanyahu’s wife over ‘harassment of witnesses’The late 1970s were a sad time for America. The Vietnam War had just ended. Big cities fell in the grip of crime and neglect as the 1975 fiscal crisis pushed New York City to the brink of bankruptcy. New York uniformed police, angry at the mayor’s budget cuts, handed out “Welcome to Fear City” leaflets at the airports. Featuring a hooded skull, the flyers warned visitors to stay off the streets after 6 p.m. It urged them to not leave Manhattan and to avoid the subways altogether. Yet two years almost to the day after Saigon fell, an ambitious dance club opened on a shabby side street of Manhattan. Studio 54 became the world’s most famous disco. Then came the movie “Saturday Night Fever,” its score dominated by those rhythmic Bee Gees chart-toppers starting with “Stayin’ Alive.” Americans found joy under the spinning mirrored balls. To quote the name of Chic’s super disco hit, they wanted to “Dance, Dance, Dance.” We needed disco then. We need disco again — or something like it. The pandemic is over, and many of us are seeking escape from our toxic politics. What about disco set off the animal spirits? Discos enabled ordinary people to dance off their anxieties to a simple four-on-the-floor beat. The grayness outside got blocked out by flashy sequins and spandex — and in fantasy settings divorced from the grim realities. Disco replaced the dirty jeans and stoned-out pain of rock with groomed elegance. People again danced in couples. As Regine Zylberberg, owner of Regine’s, an elegant disco on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, bragged, “I am the one who saved the city from bankruptcy. I made it happy again.” But disco fever spread across the country, in big cities and small towns. Discos opened at airport Holiday Inns. Live entertainment, part of what’s now called the “experience economy,” is seeing double-digit growth, Bloomberg News reports. As evidence, it points to a packed nightclub in Manhattan called Somewhere Nowhere, where swing dancers have taken over the floor. Patrick Soluri, whose Prohibition Productions puts on swing nights, says revenue from his Jazz Age-themed events has more than doubled since 2019, and he is expanding beyond New York. The key to disco’s popularity was that the people were the show. They weren’t passively watching guitarists showing off their long solo riffs, one complaint against ’70s rock. More recently, hip hop presents the same drawback with artists commanding the spotlight. A communal culture that shares some similarities to disco is Western line dancing. Though around forever, line dancing got a boost from the 1980 film “Urban Cowboy.” It did for that genre some of what “Saturday Night Fever” did for disco. As with disco, line dancers are the show. And fashions also are attached — those fabulous cowboy boots and hats, jeans and denim skirts. And as with disco, Western line dancing now has its own clubs and events all over the country. Ironically, the digitalization of American life isn’t so much killing these experiences as exposing us to the joys of being there in person. No matter how terrific the video production, it can’t recreate the visceral thrill of dancing amid a celebratory crowd. Disco inspired a kind of second Jazz Age. And though its golden era is almost 50 years in the past, one can’t help but notice all those store windows now decked out for the holidays with sparkling disco balls. To this day, disco balls radiate fun and glamour and partying. Today, like then, we need a scene in which Americans can let loose, work off tensions, forget about Washington — and with a dance that anyone can do. Americans need to dance, dance, dance. Harrop, who lives in New York City and Providence, Rhode Island, writes for Creators Syndicate: fharrop@gmail.com . Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Netflix continues to express confidence that its streaming platform is prepared to handle the massive audiences expected for a pair of Christmas Day NFL games along with the start of its live coverage of the World Wrestling Entertainment's "Raw" next month. Concerns were raised after users experienced issues with buffering and low quality feeds during the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing match last month. Netflix has exclusive rights to stream NFL games on Christmas Day between the Kansas City Chiefs at the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Houston Texans. Beyonce is scheduled to perform during halftime of the Ravens-Texans game, which could create more server traffic Netflix must take into account. It's a major test after the company reported an average global live audience of 108 million viewers for Paul's victory over Tyson in Arlington, Texas. Downdetector.com , which tracks service outages, announced that there were 90,000 issues reported at one point. "It was a big number, but you don't know, and you can't learn these things until you do them, so you take a big swing," Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria told Front Office Sports. "Our teams and our engineers are amazing, moved super quickly, and stabilized it, and many of the members had it back up and running pretty quickly. But we learn from these things. "We've all obviously done a lot of stuff to learn and get ready for the NFL and Beyonce, and so we're totally ready and excited for WWE." WWE president Nick Khan told FOS that Raw's tone and content will not change as it moves to the streaming service, with its first event of 2025 scheduled for Jan. 6. "There's some online chatter about, ‘oh, it's going to be R-rated, or for us old folks, X-rated.' That's definitely not happening," Khan said. "It's family-friendly, multi-generational, advertiser-friendly programming. It's going to stay that way. I would look for more global flair, especially as the relationship continues to develop." --Field Level Media7 arrested in Rutgers University social media drug ring
The Minnesota Twins have reportedly agreed to a new deal with one of their top bullpen arms, at least on paper. On Friday, KSTP Sports' Darren "Doogie" Wolfson reported that the Twins and relief pitcher Brock Stewart agreed to a one-year contract worth $870,000, with up to $30,000 in incentives. The agreement allows both sides to avoid arbitration. Follow Inside the Twins on Facebook Hear Brock Stewart, #MNTwins agree at $870K. Can earn an additional $30K in incentives. Stewart, 33, has been fantastic the past two seasons when healthy. The problem, like for several other Twins players, is he hasn't been healthy very often. Related: Minnesota Twins add only 2 prospects to 40-man ahead of Rule 5 deadline In 2023, he appeared in 28 games for Minnesota, posting a 0.65 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 27.2 innings, but missed from June 27 through Sept. 25 due to right elbow soreness. This past season, he didn’t allow a run until his 13th appearance and again posted great strikeout numbers but missed 12 weeks with shoulder tendinitis, then missed the rest of the season with a shoulder strain after returning for three rough outings in July. His raw stuff is filthy, pairing a high-90s fastball with a good sweeper, plus a sinker, cutter and changeup to mix in. However, the Twins desperately need him to stay healthy. Related: With pinched payroll, Twins have hardly any offseason spending room On paper, the Twins have an elite bullpen, with Stewart and Jorge Alcala behind Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran. Thanks to health issues and inconsistency, Minnesota's bullpen posted a 4.12 ERA last season, 19th in MLB. The Twins still have several other arbitration-eligible players to negotiate with this offseason. Stewart has two more years of control after 2025. Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Bank of America Announces Full Redemption of Its Series MM Preferred Stock and Related Depositary SharesTailored Tails of Lubbock Wins the 2024 Quality Business Award for The Best Pet Grooming in Lubbock, Texas 11-25-2024 11:54 PM CET | Business, Economy, Finances, Banking & Insurance Press release from: ABNewswire Lubbock, TX - November 25, 2024 - Tailored Tails of Lubbock has received the 2024 Quality Business Award for The Best Pet Grooming in Lubbock, Texas. This accolade acknowledges Tailored Tails of Lubbock for its exceptional customer service, high-quality products and services, and overall business performance. The Quality Business Awards annually acknowledges businesses exhibiting excellence within their industry. Selections are determined by taking into account their reputation, feedback from customers, and overall performance within their respective industries. Tailored Tails of Lubbock is a leading pet grooming company in Lubbock, Texas. Tailored Tails of Lubbock owners Aaryn and Trevor, and their dedicated team have over twenty-five years of experience offering a wide range of grooming services. Tailored Tails of Lubbock offers a holistic approach to grooming that focuses on understanding each dog's health, temperament, age, skin and coat condition, and grooming history to customize the grooming experience accordingly. Tailored Tails of Lubbock prefer to use only "Emotional Support Humans" to comfort and encourage dogs through the grooming process because they never use muzzles or restraints. Some of the dog grooming services offered by Tailored Tails of Lubbock include: baths; body trimming; nail trimming; anal gland expression; deshedding; dematting; ear cleaning; eye cleaning; coat conditioning; brushing; full-service grooming; paw cleaning; blow drying; flea and tick treatments; temporary, semi-permanent, or permanent color; blueberry facials; and teeth brushing. All of the Tailored Tails of Lubbock Pet Stylists stay up-to-date on the newest grooming trends and technology and are required to maintain sixteen hours of approved continuing education every year. Tailored Tails of Lubbock also has a private self-service suite where dog owners can bathe their own dog. In addition to pet grooming services, Tailored Tails of Lubbock also offers dog boarding and dog playcare (daycare) services. Tailored Tails of Lubbock are proud to serve Lubbock and the surrounding communities. When the time came to choose this year's recipient, Tailored Tails of Lubbock emerged as a noteworthy company in the pet grooming sector. Their professional, experienced, and friendly team is well-regarded within the Lubbock community, and positive reviews of Tailored Tails of Lubbock are abundant. Here are a few of the numerous positive testimonials penned by satisfied customers who were thoroughly impressed with the communication and services offered by Tailored Tails of Lubbock. "BEST GROOMERS IN TOWN! From the business being clean and staff being friendly this has been my favorite groomer for my Lady May. I have been going for about a year and every time I am very happy with service. You have to book a consultation first, which is super helpful to know what care my dog will need. Now when I ask my dog "Are you ready to go to the groomer" she gets so excited! That's how I know they love and take care of her. Staff is super helpful and kind when greeting and booking appointments. I have even had to reschedule and they were very understanding. Prices are very reasonable especially for their level of service. Always remember to tip for the staffs hard work, they are amazing! Thank yall!" "This place, the people, the service, everything about this business is the absolute BEST! My Dave was soooooo well taken care of and sooooo spoiled at every appointment, he absolutely adored the workers there and they adored him! It seriously made me so happy to take him there knowing he was getting the absolute best treatment not only service wise but people wise. I could never go to another place. Our new puppy actually requires grooming and not just a bath with a good spoiling, and they did fantastic with him too. They care for these dogs as if they are their own, they put out a memorial rock for Dave when he passed, I cannot imagine a better place with better people." "I love the process of having a consultation with me and my puppy before the actual appointment. Everyone was professional, attentive and the dogs look happy. The actual salon is clean and welcoming. Lastly the most important thing was the great job they did on our puppy's first groom. I will not go anywhere else. Thank you!" "We love Tailored Tails. They have been great with my geriatric poodle mix, my poodle mix puppy for her first grooms, and my nippy Chihuahua. We moved there from another salon in town. We didn't have a "problem" with it, they were just so busy my older dog had to stay in a kennel for most of the day. She loved to look pretty and smell good but she HATED being left at the groomer. When we moved to tailored tails her attitude about going to the groomer was better - even though she still hated being left there. We love the self bathing option. Having your own cubicle is an amazing option!! I also love the half day option at the puppy daycare next door if I can't pick them up immediately. It makes me feel good that they aren't stuck on n a kennel all day waiting on us." The entire Tailored Tails of Lubbock team consistently exceed expectations to deliver excellent pet grooming services for each customer. The Quality Business Awards recognizes businesses achieving an average quality score of 95% or higher throughout the preceding year. To be eligible, a business must garner outstanding customer reviews from at least three different platforms. Those upholding sterling reputations and track records over multiple years with minimal complaints receive high scores. Moreover, businesses that consistently engage with and respond to customer feedback are held in high esteem. Additionally, adherence to integrity, community involvement, and proactive efforts to reduce environmental impact are important criteria. Receiving a Quality Business Award shows a dedication to delivering superior products and exceptional customer service. For more information about Tailored Tails of Lubbock, please visit the company's website at [Tailored Tails of Lubbock - Lubbock's Best in Dog Grooming, Dog Boarding, Dog Playcare and Dog Training [ https://tailoredtailsoflubbock.com/ ]]. Contact: Quality Business Awards support@qualitybusinessawards.com [mailto:support@qualitybusinessawards.com] Media Contact Company Name: Tailored Tails of Lubbock Email:Send Email [ https://www.abnewswire.com/email_contact_us.php?pr=tailored-tails-of-lubbock-wins-the-2024-quality-business-award-for-the-best-pet-grooming-in-lubbock-texas ] Country: United States Website: https://tailoredtailsoflubbock.com/ This release was published on openPR.