Notices by Alpha1Nine (alpha1nine@aus.social)

#TheConversation #Science #Tech #auspol When news is stressful, how do you balance staying informed with ‘doomscrolling’? Read more…https://theconversation.com/when-news-is-stressful-how-do-you-balance-staying-informed-with-doomscrolling-248017

#TheConversation #auspol NZ report card 2024: how the country fared in 25 key global and domestic rankings Read more…https://theconversation.com/nz-report-card-2024-how-the-country-fared-in-25-key-global-and-domestic-rankings-245275

#TheConversation #Science #Tech #auspol A billionaire and an engineer have completed the first private spacewalk. But this isn’t just a vanity project Read more…https://theconversation.com/a-billionaire-and-an-engineer-have-completed-the-first-private-spacewalk-but-this-isnt-just-a-vanity-project-238980

What to do? What to do?

A friend of my better half messaged to say they were driving by & had dropped off some #LionsMane #mushroom for us.

I went outside & this is what I saw on one of the patio chairs.

It looks like a bag of wool but it’s Lion’s Mane.

My better half wants to eat some. I’ll need to look this up.

Mary Trump says:

#Trump seems to be on a mission to prove he’s still relevant and it’s not going well. His “interview” with Elon #Musk over on #Twitter Space may have been the nadir. He claimed that 66 million people joined but I think he simply conflated two numbers—the approximately 1 million people who logged on, and the 65 million of us who were laughing from afar.

In addition to his incoherent and hateful ramblings about immigrants, at one point Donald actually said Vice President #KamalaHarris’ portrait on the new cover of Time Magazine looks like his wife, #Melania. 

I’m not even sure how to interpret that and I’m a trained clinical psychologist. From everything we’ve seen in the last three weeks, it’s clear Donald’s already tenuous grasp of reality is deteriorating. The success of Kamala Harris’ campaign is getting to him in part because he knows there is nothing he can do to stop it.

On Tuesday, Axios reported that Donald is running an “alternative reality campaign.” 
“In former President Trump's version of reality, Vice President Kamala Harris' crowds are AI-generated, he's leading in nearly all the ‘real’ polls, and President Biden might reclaim his spot on the ticket at any moment.

“Why it matters: None of those things is true. And Trump's advisers and allies worry he's spending so much time in alternative reality that it's undermining his real-world campaign.”

The man who is running to be leader of the free world has lost his grip on reality and is conjuring opponents, poll numbers and AI-generated crowds from thin air. Compared to that, JD Vance seems grounded, if appalling.

#USPol #auspol #MaryTrump

#TheConversation #auspol #USPol

What a Kamala Harris presidency could mean for the world – and where she differs from Joe Biden Read more…https://theconversation.com/what-a-kamala-harris-presidency-could-mean-for-the-world-and-where-she-differs-from-joe-biden-235651

#TheConversation #Energy #Environment #auspol More than half of NSW’s forests and woodlands are gone as ongoing logging increases extinction risks, study shows Read more…https://theconversation.com/more-than-half-of-nsws-forests-and-woodlands-are-gone-as-ongoing-logging-increases-extinction-risks-study-shows-235416

In a fantasy world, I’d love for #Trump to go on stage at the Republican National Convention looking a lot like vintage Steve Martin.

It might have a calming effect on his audience.

Won’t happen of course.

#USPol #auspol

Alarm bells should be ringing out loud & clear across the U.S. & those countries where the far right echo #MAGA craziness!

#Trump #MAGA #FarRight #CivilWar #auspol #USPol

https://www.wired.com/story/trump-shooting-far-right-calling-for-violence-war/

#TheConversation #Energy #Environment #auspol Why saline lakes are the canary in the coalmine for the world’s water resources Read more…https://theconversation.com/why-saline-lakes-are-the-canary-in-the-coalmine-for-the-worlds-water-resources-232477

Do you sometimes think that the best thing we can do for this planet is to leave it?

Or is it just me?

#PlanetEarth #Humanity

#Bookstodon / #BookSky challenge: Choose 20 books that greatly influenced you. One book per day, for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. Day 16

#auspol Queensland Labor shelves reforms to stop faith-based schools discriminating against gay teachers Read more…https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jun/14/queensland-labor-shelves-reforms-to-stop-faith-based-schools-discriminating-against-gay-teachers

#auspol Peter Dutton wants a social media ban for children. But would ‘real life’ rules work? Read more…https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jun/14/peter-dutton-wants-a-social-media-ban-for-children-but-would-real-life-rules-work

#StolenValour Townsville Mayor Troy Thompson slammed by veteran groups over false military history.

#StolenValor Thompson has refused to stand down, telling the ABC he is "disappointed" councillors have turned against him but "looking forward" to addressing the matter at next week's council meeting.

In a lengthy post on social media on Friday night, Cr Thompson said he would not resign, regardless of any motion by the city's councillors at the next council meeting.

Special Air Service Association chair Martin Hamilton-Smith said his organisation investigated Cr Thompson's service history and found his purported links to the #SAS did not stack up.

“When people make these things up, and they're not true, I think they're trying to hang on to the coat-tails of people who have joined the Australian Defence Force — or in this case, special forces — and been through the mill and proved themselves," Mr Hamilton-Smith said.

"They want to be thought of by people as better than they genuinely are.

"It's wrong, it should be called out and it has been called out.

"It's a shame it wasn't called out before voting day."

Mr Hamilton-Smith, a former SAS soldier and South Australian politician, said the behaviour was a disappointing example of leadership and gave people a reason to be cynical about politics.

"I'm not sure how Mayor Thompson is going to be able to look people in Townsville in the eye — pretty solid community up there, they call a spade a spade — and be taken credibly going forward," he said.

#auspol #TownsvilleMayor

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-01/townsville-mayor-troy-thompson-false-military-history-veterans/103921804