February 6, 2012 - News & Politics - 
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A good op-ed from James Zoby in HuffPo: “Better than threats, which only serve to embolden Iran, I would suggest a combination of direct engagement (which has been tried too little), continued targeted sanctions (which are having a real impact) and a bit of ridicule.”
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February 5, 2012 - News & Politics - 0
Astonishingly, as part of the Facebook IPO, Mark Zuckerberg will end up forking out the big bucks to the IRS.
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January 27, 2012 - News & Politics - 0
Speaking of tax rates and rich Americans, here’s a great clip from The West Wing.
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January 27, 2012 - News & Politics - 0
Jon Stewart asks: “How in the world, do you, Mitt Romney, justify making more in one day than the median American family makes in a year, while paying the same effective tax rate as the guy who has to scan your shoes at the airport?” Responding to a clip where Romney says “I don’t think you want a candidate who pays more taxes than he owes,” Stewart replies, “No, but you might want one who thinks that’s wrong.”
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January 26, 2012 - Media, News & Politics - 0
January 26, 2012 - News & Politics - 0
Obama’s third State of the Union begins soon, and in it he’ll prioritise tax reform to combat income inequality.
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January 23, 2012 - News & Politics - 0
Commenting on my previous post, my old friend Gareth pointed me in the direction of this fantastic podcast from American public radio titled “Mr. Daisey and the Apple factory”. As horrible as these sweatshops are, they do ultimately improve things. The podcast quotes Paul Krugman: “It is the indirect and unintended results of the actions of soulless multinationals and rapacious local entrepreneurs. It is not an edifying spectacle, but no matter how base the motives of those involved, the result has been to move hundreds of millions of people from abject poverty to something still awful, but nonetheless significantly better.”
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January 23, 2012 - News & Politics - 2
The Sunday New York Times today features an investigation into the state of US manufacturing, but specifically related to the production of Apple products, and how, over time, it has shifted overseas. It reveals a lot about the future of middle-class America (something also applicable to Australia), and also the sheer magnitude of the Apple manufacturing process. For example, the article reveals that more than 200,000 assembly-line workers are involved in putting together the iPhone in China. But what implications does this have for wider Australian society?
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January 22, 2012 - News & Politics - 0
In a bizarre op-ed, the owner and publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times has suggested the Mossad might want to assassinate Barack Obama. I know what it’s like to write something controversial to try and provoke a debate in the Jewish community, something entirely worthwhile. Advocating for a foreign government to murder your head of state? “Brain snap,” as Barry Hall would say.
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January 21, 2012 - News & Politics - 0
Great op-ed at the Huffington Post by Jason Boxt: I’ve never been to the Western Wall. [...] I’ve never touched the Wall for a very simple reason: women by law are segregated from men, and cannot pray as I do — as a man — in that space. If the American government should strive as a foreign policy goal to protect the country of Israel from enemies such as Iran [...]
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