Cathy Legg

I have taken
the Tylenol
that was in
the medicine cabinet

and which
they think probably
is the reason
you like trains

forgive me
but that’s bullshit
you got autism
from your dad

The esteemed Prof. Bongiorno diagnoses Australian higher ed as trying to serve too many purposes at once, shortly before exiting his own employment at #ANU

Beautiful

Charts showing that since 1988-89 CPI has risen 110% while book prices have risen just 28%

Authors and publishers need urgent assistance to keep Australia’s literary culture thriving - we are in danger of losing Australian voices writes @alicektg.bsky.social #OffTheCharts

australiainstitute.org.au/post/authors...

Even accepting the premise that AI produces useful writing (which no one should), using AI in education is like using a forklift at the gym. The weights do not actually need to be moved from place to place. That is not the work. The work is what happens within you.

These Faculty Senates Are Trying to Band Together to Stand Up to Trump The idea of a compact among institutions is based on the idea that there’s strength in numbers, and it comes amid frustration that few presidents are speaking out against the administration’s actions ...

Faculty senates at Rutgers University, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, the University of Indiana at Bloomington, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst have passed resolutions calling for the creation of a mutual-defense compact. chroni.cl/4cBFrnu

Miles Franklin's secret life as a 'boy sober' undercover maid - ABC listen Journalist Kerrie Davies with the story of how novelist Miles Franklin went undercover as a maid for a year, in Sydney and Melbourne's wealthy houses, well before gonzo journalists became household na...

Oh Stella, our homegrown literary sensation, you were SO brave, and I don't think 1890s Australia was ready for you

She Inspired Laws to Hold the Fossil Fuel Industry Accountable. Now She’s a Target. A conservative group is suing for emails of a law professor who helped create legislation to force oil, gas and coal companies to pay for climate damage.

Another strand of the assault on academic freedom.

Stop Analyzing Trump's Unhinged Ideas Like They're Normal Policy Proposals The New York Times just ran 1,200 words gaming out the electoral math of forcibly annexing Canada. We're in trouble.

The New York Times analyzed the electoral impact of annexing Canada instead of asking why the president is talking like a dictator. www.readtpa.com/p/stop-analy...

This is a once-in-a-generation chance for teachers, politicians, media, activists and academics to rebuild from the ground up the legitimation of coequal branches, freedom of speech, tolerance, diversity, law, international cooperation, bureaucratic expertise, regulation, and a robust welfare state.

Aristotle, Nic. Eth. 5.6, 1134a35–b1:

This is why it is not a person that we allow to rule, but rather law, because a person does so in his own interests and becomes a tyrant. (Crisp tr.)

διὸ οὐκ ἐῶμεν ἄρχειν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ τὸν νόμον* ὅτι ἑαυτῷ τοῦτο ποιεῖ καὶ γίνεται τύραννος.

* M; λόγον ceteri

Well I think that clears that issue up!

Email signatures are harming the planet and could cost people their lives — it’s time to stop using them It’s time to retire the email signature and take a hard look at improving our communication efficiency.

Good grief, maybe we should all just send less email

It really lets you imagine how a bunch of Soviet agricultural scientists felt about having to live under Lysenko.

DOGE’s Dead Person Found Alive And Well “You wake up one day and discover you’re dead.“

The Seattle Times found a very much alive man who was wrongly declared dead and immediately cut off from his benefits.

I'm sure you teach some, though, and endeavor to guide them professionally

LOL, it's offensive

They Were the Original DOGE. Then Trump Fired Them. | NYT Opinion YouTube video by The New York Times

The true watchdogs speak back to the lapdogs. This is heartbreaking, not least because they seem such thoroughly decent folks.

A ringside seat to real-world battles at a proud institution

The old 'hard-boiled' journalistic types were, ironically, more idealistic in their trust in readers to handle dangerous ideas. Whereas journalists used to serve as 'sworn witness' so the public could be judge and jury, journalists have increasingly usurped the latter role, to everyone's detriment

He acknowledges that the vaunted NYT 'objectivity' was really a side-effect of a business model selling newspapers to as many folks as possible. (Now we're returning to C18th partisan 'subscription' models). Still, journalists on the ground developed a genuine ethic around it.

James Bennet: Is There a Mainstream Media? YouTube video by The Point Magazine

I found this a gripping watch, as James Bennet reflects deeply on his tenure at NYT during the first Trump presidency, and mistakes made as he now sees them.

What about the weird juxtaposition of dating opportunities and career advancement for talented young women in the field?

I read that back in the 90s. Really enjoyed the portrayal of "Noam Hillel" (!) But how much has changed since then?

We Democrats Will Fight Back Just as Soon as We Can Get Our Shit Together “More than 50 interviews with Democratic leaders revealed a party that is struggling to define what it stands for, what issues to prioritize, and h...

"We've heard your demands for action. Some of you have called for a strike to protest the Trump administration. We love that idea, with just a couple of minor tweaks. For example, what if, instead of a general strike, it was a national watch party of To Kill a Mockingbird?"

'I've had someone hit me in the head': Tyler Wright on surfing's 'dangerous' culture Two-time surfing World Champion Tyler Wright has described her sport as one that can be dangerous for women, and research shows she's not the only one who's been intimidated in the water.

Sad to see such an iconic Australian pastime has always been tainted by sexism. Reading 'Puberty Blues' in my teens should have tipped me off.

Counteroffer: we nationalize SpaceX and you go to prison

Ah ok. Fossicking is not pejorative in Australia - connotations of cheerful enterprise. I think it goes back to our gold mining days....

Which term are you referring to?

‘Every yellow lid is like a box of chocolates’: the Sydney retirees fossicking in bins to pay the bills Early mornings, razor-like broken window panes, private property restrictions and territorial fellow recycling collectors – it’s all in a day’s work for a growing cohort of elderly Australians

Old age: a time of gleaning. P.S. mainly women having to do this