Page 58 - Long Shadow News Today

Fit for heroes? What happened when the Vietnam vets returned home We’re sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later. Dismiss Normal text size Peter Yule NewSouth, $49.99 Between 1961 and 1971 the United States sprayed about 73 million litres of chemical defoliant, primarily Agent Orange, across the Republic of Vietnam. In the aftermath of the war, veterans in both Australia and the United States seized on their exposure to Agent Orange as a way of explaining the healt...

Русский Myanmar’s latest general election, held on November 8, 2020, ended in a sweeping victory for Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling National League for Democracy, which won more than 80% of the democratically contested seats. This gives the NLD a commanding majority in the Assembly of the Union, even after one factors in the seats (25% of the total) set aside for appointed representatives of the military. In March 2021, barring any extraordinary developments, the NLD will form its second ...

Mortal field of land. A little death. Federico García Lorca, Huerta de San Vicente, Granada, 1932 / Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (public domain) Does anyone ever consider that their death is “little?” One would hardly think so, for it is far too personal, an end to being altogether; but perhaps as Lorca’s assassins led him away in the foothills outside Granada, the poet told himself that his death was foretold and therefore inexorable. Aaron Shulman’s The Age of Disencha...

Commentary: The rising tide of alternative meat is here and we are the better for it Toggle share menu Advertisement Advertisement Commentary Commentary Commentary: The rising tide of alternative meat is here and we are the better for it Viruses, which jump from animals to humans, will not go away anytime soon and this is why it is ever more urgent for us to embrace alternative proteins, says this observer. ...

It was a good year to read a book: Steve Pfarrer’s favorite reads of 2020 — Published: 12/30/2020 9:29:52 AM I jumped on that “Best of” bandwagon a few years ago when I started compiling my 10 favorite books of the year for the Gazette. But in 2020, the list has grown: With the pandemic shutting down many other entertainment options, I ended up reading more than usual. And with regional libraries — my primary source of new books — shuttered a good chunk of the year, I also turned...

Last modified on Wed 23 Dec 2020 06.59 EST There is a yearly argument – online if nowhere else – as to whether Die Hard, the Bruce-Willis-versus-European-baddies action flick from 1988, is a Christmas movie. It’s set during a holiday party, after all. But every year, people argue that it can’t be a Christmas film, for no other reason I think than the fact that it spills more blood than eggnog. And yet I’d say that Christmas and crime are not such strange bedfellows. For one thing, Chr...

If the past year was dominated by the huge human costs of COVID-19, the next few years will be about its economic aftermath, including the alarming rise of US debt. What’s needed is multilateral cooperation - a new Grand Alliance. On Friday, Congressional leaders failed to secure a bipartisan deal on a $900 billion pandemic relief package. A government shutdown was avoided only with a 2-day extension. A protracted shutdown would amplify the risks for pandemic escalation and economic ...

Originally published on December 17, 2020 2:55 pm A demagogue is defined as a political leader who gains support by appealing to people’s prejudices instead of using rational arguments or moral reasoning.  Author Larry Tye says at the core, a demagogue is a bully. In his new book, Tye profiles a poster boy for 20th century demagoguery — Joseph McCarthy.  The Republican senator from Wisconsin became known in the 1950s for whipping up fear with unfounded claims that everywhere from Washi...

Social Mobility Commission brought into heart of government The commission has revealed plans to join the Cabinet Office to advise the Minister for Women and Equalities on the importance of social mobility. From: 17 December 2020 Social mobility is to be put at the heart of the government’s levelling up agenda with new structures to ensure that policies are delivered to help the most disadvantaged communities. The Social Mobility Commission is to be brought more closely into the centre of...

Listen • 9:43 American politician Joseph McCarthy, Republican senator from Wisconsin, testifies against the US Army during the Army-McCarthy hearings, Washington, DC, June 9, 1954. McCarthy stands before a map which charts Communist activity in the United States. (Getty Images) A demagogue is defined as a political leader who gains support by appealing to people’s prejudices instead of using rational arguments or moral reasoning.  Author Larry Tye says at the core, a de...