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Category: word power

Word power: Timothy Snyder on Putin’s Russia v Ukraine

Published November 29, 2022 by Pelidoug

Word power: Timothy Snyder on Putin’s Russia v Ukraine

(Yale-based historian Timothy Snyder is best known as the author of Blood Lands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin, a book which profoundly enriched/jolted not a few readers’ understanding of “The Holocaust”, this reader’s included)

What European history really shows, and quite powerfully, is that in order to become, quote unquote, a ‘normal’ European country, you have to become post-imperial, [meaning] you have to lose your wars.

Snyder’s words, quoted immediately above and below, are from an article published in today’s Australian edition of The Guardian.

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Word power: “soundscape enrichment” entices oysters…

Published October 29, 2022 by Pelidoug

Word power: “soundscape enrichment” entices oysters…

 

 

From a research article published this week in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Applied Ecology:

Our results suggest that the enrichment of natural soundscapes using underwater speakers may provide an efficient solution for boosting early recruitment and habitat building by oysters.

However, caution the researchers, restoration practitioners must consider the potential for negative impacts from speaker enrichment.

A question for you, dear reader:

before you read the quoted words, had you ever contemplated oysters’ “hearing”, much less their response to sounds played through underwater speakers?

 

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Word power: tax (cartoonist’s, economist’s & songster’s perspectives)

Published October 9, 2022 by Pelidoug

Word power: tax (cartoonist’s, economist’s & songster’s perspectives)

 

Australians’ 2022 views on taxation – and on taxation “reform” – are “informed” by a confusing array of truths, lies, twaddle, insight, credulity, chicanery, chutzpah, self-interested opportunism (sometimes naked, sometimes disguised) , rank hypocrisy, timidity, virtue-signalling, obfuscation, indifference, compassion, cruelty, ignorance, knowledge, and honest uncertainty.

The featured image is (Jon) Kudlelka’s cartoon for the 08 October 2022 edition of The Saturday Paper

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Word power: politically “astute”, utterly irresponsible, lethal…

Published October 3, 2022 by Pelidoug

Word power: politically “astute”, utterly irresponsible, lethal…

 

 

In this writer’s view, such a headline fairly describes how Australian governments, plural, have now “dropped the ball” on COVID-19.

Don’t take my word for it, but please do pay attention to the words and views of actual experts on epidemic management:

The number of deaths from COVID in Australia in the first nine months of 2022 is more than ten times the annual national road toll of just over 1,000 – but we are not rushing to remove seat belts or drink-driving laws so people can have more freedom…

While it was hoped hybrid immunity from vaccines and prior infection would reduce subsequent infections, this has not been the reality. Reinfection is becoming more common….

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Intertidal: #9 in series (“Windows 10 Beach”)

Published July 14, 2022 by Pelidoug

Intertidal: #9 in series (“Windows 10 Beach”)

Only a modest number of human feet have walked its actual sands, but every day of our so-called “21st” century many millions of human eyes see this singular beach, virtually.

An image of it is the “screensaver” viewed countless times by subscribers to Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system.

Doubtless, most of those subscribers have no idea of what and where is this “iconic” beach.

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Word power: not-blind Fred on ‘22 election

Published May 4, 2022 by Pelidoug

Word power: not-blind Fred on ‘22 election

 

It is worth remembering that these are the observations of a former senior Federal Government Minister, also – in Opposition – a Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, and that he departed Parliament at a time of his own choosing, as one of its more widely-respected members.

A government that must deal with sensible independent centrists is better than a government that must rely on the support of the most eccentric ends of its party spectrum.

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Word Power: pertinent/impertinent observations on ‘22 Election

Published April 24, 2022 by Pelidoug

This is #1 in a temporary series of not many episodes!

Utterly underwhelming as Australian vote-seekers’ performances have been, a few observers of “Scomo”, “Albo”, “Clive” et al – and of us, their target – have delivered choice, pithy observations…

We have inertia because we have arrived at the era of personal greed and the major parties feel obliged to pander to that greed.

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Word power: on Putin’s nigh-inevitable but Pyrrhic “victory”

Published March 1, 2022 by Pelidoug

Word power: on Putin’s nigh-inevitable but Pyrrhic “victory”

Combine Putin’s utter lack of scruples/decency/humanity with Russia’s overwhelming military superiority, and the result of the  invasion of Ukraine is almost inevitable: Russia “wins”.

However, ultimately, Russia loses; almost as inevitable as its initial “success” is Russia’s eventual failure – an inability to rule Ukraine, the collapse of Russia’s economy, and a decline in the “greatness” of Russia as a “world” power.

This post links to two of the better articles that seek to explain the nature of Putin’s miscalculation, and how “success” can be just another word for failure.

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