DailyClout
Bushfire and Fury: Calls for the Sending of Additional US Firefighting Resources to Australia Cited International Arrangement
This blog post was originally published by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School. To Australian eyes, the deplaning of US firefighters in Sydney in January 2020 felt like watching the Avengers arrive at a battle scene. Our battle scene this summer has looked apocalyptic, with the …
The Summer of 2019/2020, Australian Koalas Are Caught between a Firestorm and Political Expediency
In August 2019 the world woke to images of blackened bush, injured wildlife and uncontrolled infernos as Australia’s East Coast was consumed by unprecedented bushfires. Around Sydney and the state of New South Wales, 12 million acres of sensitive forest habitat has been ravaged by fire. The impacts on Australia’s …
Desperate to Help Desperate Koalas? The Government Won’t. Here’s What Will.
Most everyone worldwide knows that koalas and other wildlife have been injured, orphaned and starved in the recent Australian bushfires. But what can be done to help them now? Most Australians, and others, who care about wildlife, have no firsthand experience of the complexities which state and federal governments in …
“I Used to Model”: Former Model Shines a Light on the Dark Side of “Perfection”
Maybe it’s because I just turned twenty-nine, maybe it’s because blogging mandates good photography to drive traffic, or maybe it’s because I’m female – I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting as of late …on my appearance. A seemingly ironic confession coming from a self-described feminist blogger, but in reality …
Government and Big Business Funded Landclearing in Australia
Macquarie Bank is Australia’s biggest investment bank with strong ties to all levels of government. Among their many businesses they have some investment funds that are buying up farms and treating them appallingly. The photo below comes from the neighbour of one of the farms owned by Viridis, Macquarie’s specialised …
Australia’s Traditional Separation of Church and State is in Peril
Australian Prime Minster Scott Morrison’s allegiance to Pentecostalism was apparent during the summer of 2019/2020, when unprecedented bushfires ravaged millions of hectares of bushland and homes, destroying one billion animals and 33 human lives. Prime Minister Morrison failed to lead a national response to combat the fires (https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/12/morrison-responds-to-fears-over-bushfires-but-rejects-censure-of-climate-policy). His naive …
Opinion—Prevent, Don’t Lament: Holocaust Remembrance and the Danger of President Trump
Recently there have been many ceremonies, large and small, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. There were numerous moving speeches recalling the tragedy of the Shoa, and even beautiful music that brought attendees to tears. Since then, there have been articles and public programs discussing what should …
Letter from Australia: Australia’s Story of Demolished Human Rights
The origins of the rise of authoritarianism in Australia are grounded in Australia’s history of colonialization. Following Captain James Cook’s declaration, the new land wasTerra Nullius. This Latin term meant the land was uninhabited by people. This statement did away with the need to negotiate or compensate an Indigenous people.(1) …
Letter from Australia: Are Water Tankers Available from US Forestry Service that Burning Australia Has Not Requested?
A C-130J Hercules assigned to the 146th Airlift Wing based at Channel Islands Air National Guard Base in Port Hueneme, California, drops fire retardant chemicals onto a ridge line above Santa Barbara, Dec. 13, 2017, as part of the effort to contain the Thomas Fire. (U.S. Air Force photo …
Opinion—”Does Germany’s Industrial Growth Give the Lie to Liberal Economists?”
If politicians wonder about income disparity in the US, they need look no farther than the loss of manufacturing in this country. There are two major campaign promises that President Trump is fulfilling, both of which have come to a head this week. They are directly and problematically related to …