State captured

STATE CAPTURE

Once you understand state capture, much of the operation of the Australian political system makes complete sense. Read the report from the Australian Democracy Network. Scott Ludlam addresses it. And see a complementary take from the Human Rights Law Centre. Plus: for the South African origin of the term — in the corruption of the Gupta family and others — see here.

THE HUMAN BRAIN

Retractions only remove about two-thirds of the views originally posited, even if they’re completely false, a new study shows. Meanwhile a new book argues evangelical Christianity is implacably anti-Christian. But is there a “true” Christianity? In the “well, that’s not very exciting” department: it turns out we’re not constantly shifting through slightly different universes. Instead we’re just constantly rewriting our memories. First they were “just telling jokes”, then they were “just asking questions” — how some comedians ended up fleeing from accountability rather than being funny.

VOLUNTARY TAXES ON STUPIDITY

Online sports betting is spreading rapidly in the United States and the results are, well, predictable. Veterans of religious campaigns against betting can only look on in dismay. How sports betting is ruining the capacity to enjoy sport. How the US gambling industry carefully and methodically normalised online gambling. And how America’s National Football League embraced gambling.

THE INVASION

Some different takes on Ukraine and Putin’s intimidation attempts. It’s time to speak to Putin in a language he understands, rather than playing diplomatic games with him. Biden’s refusal to back Ukraine militarily is the right response. The US war machine will never stop urging conflict, and will always insist that “America’s credibility is on the line” no matter what.

KEEP ON TRUCKIN’?

Why a Frenchman wants to defeat the European Union’s plan for a carbon price. How the road transport industry in the United States went from a good wage, well-unionised job to a precarious existence, and how it has damaged supply chains. The lack of basic training requirements is worsening safety and industry retention. Large, relatively low-value goods like furniture are at the pointy end of the surge in shipping prices.

BEST OF THE REST

Is taxing empty homes an effective housing availability policy? San Francisco might find out. (Do empty house taxes work? Not especially, say economists). What’s gone wrong with UK policing? “But — her emails”: how come the US media which exploded over Hillary Clinton’s emails has paid little attention to Donald Trump’s far worse information handling? An incoherent philosophical rant about why eating animals is a moral good. And sewage sampling presents an exciting opportunity for tracking diseases well beyond COVID.

THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT

How Jim Morrison killed rock’n’roll (Oliver Stone’s Doors movie always reminded me of that old line about going to a Wagner opera — you’d sit through three hours of noise and screeching and look at your watch and realise it had only been going for 15minutes). Did you like Midnight Mass, the excellent series about religious bigotry (OK, and some other stuff too)? Some thoughts on why it worked so well. And sometimes you see a photo of a dog that you just want to frame. This is a work of art.