The terrorist attack in Manchester where 22 people, including children, were killed and scores were injured, many critically, provoked an understandable sense of outrage into how and why this could happen. The answer to that question unfortunately has been to repeat the half-truths and stereotypes that have followed each of the terrorist attacks in western cities in recent years.  

in 2000

The breathless hypocrisy of Donald Trump’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia should leave us all reeling. The fact that the new president could make his first overseas journey to the very country he previously castigated, rightly, as the mother lode of 9/11 is bad enough. But the sycophancy he displayed to his hosts, especially King Salman, demonstrated just what a dangerous chameleon Trump is.  

New coal-fired power stations using 'clean coal' technology could be funded by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), under plans announced by the Federal Government.

He called it the best nine days of his Presidency.

“Just returned from Europe. Trip was a great success for America. Hard work but big results!”

This is the beginning sentences of an article written in... 1939, by Abraham Flexner in an article called "The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge", issue 179, Harpers.. It has enormous resonance with what is happening in the world today. Some of the useless things we do, have gone into the area of the inane, but by and large we still seek beauty and contentment, despite the shit our leaders throw at us via their petty ideas designed to enrich the rich and fiddle with your poor innards to make sure you're in pain. For these morons, sadists and sociopath, leading means inflicting pain to make you react and become a slave of their intent.

Tell you a story bout a girl named Shapele, 
forced into a life of hell 
surfing on beaches in Bali all day, 
and shagging her boyfriend on Saturday.

Schapelle took a holiday
Packed her boogie-board away
and caught a plane to Dempasar
With 5 kilograms of marijuana

She thought that her sex appeal
would keep her booty out of jail 

It wasn't a bad idea for a plan
but in practice it was an epic fail

..

Today we are studying international politics from the edge of a cliff... This was a way for Thomas Crombie Schelling to express the dynamics of mutual assured destruction via his game theory. Schelling had many strings to his bow, including understanding racial problems from a focal point, a tacit communication and cooperative point of view. 

"This is a long process we've set up now … with people putting up their hands up today and were chosen, we've got a very large working group that will continue to work on this process for the next while," she said.

Sadly once again, yet another suicide bomber has acted his revenge on innocent people in Manchester. The predictable Nazi sock puppets are out on behalf of their corporate backers, screaming for more surveillance, greater military, and an increasing attack on the Muslim community at large. Same old crap, same old conservative hatred and spin.

Adapted fiction from the New Yorker (this is a bad Gus spoof -- though a frightening possibility)

RESISTANCE, AGENCY, AND CULTURAL PRODUCTION