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Scoop
a day ago
- General
- Scoop
Resilience Or Revolution?
One of the tropes that's been trod to death by pundits and preachers in recent years is the idea of 'resilience.' The meaning of the word falls somewhere between annoying adaptiveness and cloying optimism, which means that resilience refers to nothing substantive at all. AI, which is driving hackneyed thinking and writing like nothing ever before, provides an example of how the idea of resilience is 'nonsense on stilts': 'The 'polycrisis' concept highlights the need for spiritual and psychological resilience.' Resilience used to be a very useful word. It once referred to the ability to bounce back from adversity. In its bastardized usage however, resilience has come to mean personal adaptiveness without regard to socio-political reality. As the saying goes, 'It's no measure of health to be well adapted to a profoundly sick society.' Given the hyper-personal application of the idea of resilience, the word has become a cliché. And the drumbeat of resilience has promoted adaptation at the expense of what's more deeply and urgently necessary -- a revolution. Isn't encouraging 'the psychological quality that allows people to be knocked down by the adversities of life and come back at least as strong as before' incontrovertible? Yes, though isn't a matter of 'the adversities of life,' but the intensifying agonies and angst of a globalized culture, which is completely overwhelming people. Resilience, like resistance, is pointless in the face of the polycrisis. Advertisement - scroll to continue reading There's a fine line between questioning whether the present age is hopeless and quitting on humanity. The momentum of man's ecological and socio-political destructiveness may be too great to change course at this juncture. But if even a few human beings awaken the intelligence of insight, humanity could prevail in the future. And even if man is doomed, quitting on life is not an option, because to quit on life is to become one of the countless walking dead. (There's a reason that the long-running cable series by that name, or movies like 'World War Z' are so popular.) The fashionable idea of resilience is inextricably linked with two other false ideas – choice and agency. Consider this sentence for example, in an article in which the writer argues against the inevitability of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), 'which would amount to creating a new species.' (That too is a dubious claim, since however far AI advances, keeping it in its place is necessary now, equivalent to keeping thought in its place, an insight virtually no one else proposing.) 'Technology is the product of deliberate human choices, motivated by myriad powerful forces. We have the agency to shape those forces, and history shows that we've done it before.' 'Agency' means, 'having the power to act independently and make your own choices, free from external control.' Setting aside the tautology, there is no such thing as internal control, and the more we cling to that illusion, the more external forces control us. Agency is just another word for free will, which doesn't exist, because the action of choice through will is never free, but always conditioned (through socialization) within the individual. Socrates tried to point this out 2500 years ago. He rightly said that when we're clear, we don't choose; we act. But the western mind divided choosing and acting, and privileged the illusorily independent self. 'Agency' is just the latest misbegotten product of this long-running mistake and conditioning. Indigenous people didn't have a concept of agency because the individual was correctly viewed as embedded within the group, not some separate entity acting independently of the group. ('Group agency' is an oxymoron because the separate individual remains its cornerstone.) Indigeneity has become 'a thing,' which means that the same western civilization that destroyed innumerable indigenous cultures, and is now in its death throes, is colonizing indigenous traditions for meaning and profit. A couple of years ago talked with a white, wannabe Native American in Michigan who started a retreat center based on indigenous rituals. His center on Lake Michigan has sucked in enough retreatants to make his business profitable. Without a trace of self-awareness, this charlatan told of how current native peoples would sometimes tie a white wannabe Indian to a tree and leave him for hours. To go from the slime to the ridiculous, a writer down under proclaims that 'the global celebration of First Nations artists was a powerful way of showing that modern Australia had thrown off its colonial legacy, had grown into a truly mature and reconciled nation and come to terms with the ancient human heritage that makes it truly unique.' Clearly Americans aren't the only people fond of believing their own bullshit. In short, whether you're Shoshone or white baloney, if you put your identity as x, y or z ahead of our basic, undifferentiated humanness, you're contributing to the fragmentation of the Earth and the destruction of Humanity. The resilience of the self is the death of the spirit. Resilience, to the extent that it implies adaptiveness, precludes psychological revolution. Martin LeFevre - Meditations Scoop Contributor Martin LeFevre is a contemplative and philosopher. His sui generis 'Meditations' explore spiritual, philosophical and political questions relating to the polycrisis facing humanity. lefevremartin77@gmail
West Australian
4 days ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Embattled politician Mark Latham claims relationship with Nathalie Matthews was ‘sexed-up' but consensual
Embattled politician Mark Latham has renewed claims his relationship with former partner Nathalie Matthews was 'sexed-up' but consensual, as he denied allegations made by his former partner. This week, widespread reports detailed Ms Matthews' allegations that Mr Latham pressured her into 'degrading' sex acts and threw dinner plates at her. Speaking to the media at length on Saturday in south-west Sydney, an at times belligerent Mr Latham also refused to confirm or deny allegations that he had sex in his NSW parliamentary office. He instead responded by asking reporters if they had engaged in similar behaviour at their workplaces. 'These are matters that are private . . . I'm not making any comment on things that are private,' he said During the lengthy press conference, he said his relationship with Ms Matthews was an 'entirely consensual arrangement between two adults'. 'One thing's abundantly clear, what we had for over two years was a sexed-up, consensual, open arrangement between adults with a fair bit of other contacts, such as fun days of the races thrown in,' he said. 'I didn't make any moral judgment about her. 'I just enjoyed our time together, and it was enjoyable for 90 per cent of the time, the other per cent could be dark and disturbing, but I rationalised it by thinking at my age — an age at which my father had already dropped dead — 90 per cent beat 10 per cent but ultimately, there was an incident that ended it all I mentioned earlier; the races.' On the night of a contentious vote on the sale of Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney, an incident between the pair allegedly unfolded. Mr Latham, a one-time Federal Labor leader, later leader of One Nation NSW and now an independent NSW MP, claims the incident was the 'first time in my life I'd ever been physically scared of a woman'. He claimed Ms Matthews was 'covered in mud' and confronted him. 'This was like something from World War Z,' he said. Responding to additional reports that he had previously photographed female MPs during parliamentary sessions and sent derogatory private messages about them, Mr Latham acknowledged he had made a 'mistake'. 'I have apologised to both Susan Carter and Abigail Boyd, and they've accepted my apology, for which I thank them both sincerely,' he said. Mr Latham maintained that he did not breach any parliamentary standing orders and has never been formally notified of any complaints regarding his behaviour. Ms Matthews reportedly said part of the reason she applied for a domestic violence order against him was fear that intimate videos she claims to have filmed — including one recorded in NSW Parliament House — would be made public. Mr Latham insisted he had no knowledge of such video recordings involving him. 'I have checked my devices and I can't find any material (Ms Matthews) has filmed involving me, and that includes NSW Parliament House,' Mr Latham said. 'If she has recorded these videos, it is without my knowledge and consent, and there's a question about the legality of such a practice.' On Saturday, Ms Matthews issued a statement saying she was 'aware' of the remarks made by Mr Latham and would make no additional comments. 'I request the privacy that I deserve whilst I go through this stressful period,' she said. 'The full story will come out in due course in the proper manner.'
Daily Mirror
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Inside the eerie UK 'plane graveyard' where jumbo jets from around the world are ditched
For the past 30 years, Mark Gregory's Air Salvage International (ASI) has been assessing, chopping up, disassembling, and recycling planes at the private airfield, which sits two miles from Kemble in Gloucestershire What connects Saddam Hussein, Tom Cruise and Doctor Who? Cotswolds Airport, of course. The mass murderer, the action star, and the BBC space drama have all starred, in their own way, at one of the most curious pieces of the aviation industry: the plane graveyard. For the past 30 years, Mark Gregory's Air Salvage International (ASI) has been assessing, chopping up, disassembling, and recycling planes at the private airfield, which sits two miles from Kemble in Gloucestershire. Armed with redundancy money in the early '90s, Mark bought his first plane and spent six months breaking it down into sellable bits. More than 1,400 aircraft later, the business is thriving and employs dozens of people to cope with the growing demand from the ever-expanding aviation industry. And there are big bucks at stake. The equivalent of a commercial jet's MOT costs around £1 million, which is why many plane owners decide to send their ageing aircraft to Mark instead. Sometimes as much as £12 million can be salvaged from them, either in reusable parts or recyclable materials. There are a few other strings to the business's bow, Mark explained as he took me on a tour around the facility. ASI puts on dramatic training scenarios for organisations including the SAS, helping them practise plane-related emergencies. One mock-up situation had Mark and his team crush a van with a plane fuselage, creating a tricky day out for the special forces, who also had to deal with hijackers and "injured" passengers on board. The airport and its jets are also movie stars. Countless films have been shot at ASI, including The Fast and the Furious 6, World War Z, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Mission: Impossible, and Batman. You may also recognise it from small-screen appearances on The One Show, Horizon, Inside Out, Terror in the Skies, Engineering Giants, Casualty and, of course, Doctor Who. Look closely the next time you see a dramatic plane disaster or runway scene on screen, and you might spot some suspiciously Gloucestershire countryside in the background — or even Mark's arms. When not making cash out of old planes or hammering away at the drum kit set up in his runway-side office, the ponytail-sporting scrap magnate can be partially seen on the silver screen, 'piloting' the Boeing 727 in its latest movie escapade. Although many of the firms that send their planes to ASI know exactly what they want back — a demand list that can stretch to 2,000 parts from a single jet — other aircraft meet less formulaic fates. One big chunk of fuselage ended up in the shadows of The Swarm rollercoaster at Thorpe Park. Others are sent out to aviation buffs who want to decorate their homes with various bits and pieces. Through ASI's sister site, you can buy a redundant pilot's seat for £6,000, or small sections of fuselage with a window for £150. The money raised is spent on the staff Christmas party. Seat pockets filled with cash-stuffed wallets also occasionally bolster the coffers, although most of these find their way back to their owners. Another offshoot of the business is crash site investigation. Although downed planes rarely make it to ASI due to the extent of the damage, members of Mark's team are occasionally called out to inspect the aftermath of major aviation tragedies. Their expertise in breaking aircraft down makes them particularly useful when it comes to identifying remains and helping determine what went wrong. They were part of the investigation into the Afriqiyah Airways crash in Tripoli, Libya, in 2010, which killed 104 people. While most of the firm's planes get broken down and flogged off — sometimes for £10 million for a single jet — Mark Gregory can't bear to give up certain flying machines that come his way. One such plane is a VIP-fitted Boeing 727 that was once part of Saddam Hussein's fleet, after he instructed Iraqi Airways to steal all of Kuwait Airways' planes during its 1990 invasion of the country. Mark loves the historical significance of the aircraft and its classic '80s interior. When owned by the Kuwaiti royal family, the 189-capacity jet was stripped of its standard bum-numbing plane seats and kitted out with enough chintzy furniture to fill a retirement village. We're talking plush velour seats with extendable footrests, cutting-edge JVC TVs built into mahogany walls, and glass vases filled with plastic roses next to still-unopened bottles of bubbly. Before Iraqi forces swooped in and took over the Kuwaiti fleet, Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and other well-heeled royals used the plush plane to jet-set. On a patch of carpet now taken over by mould spores, the Emir would sit in a specially constructed throne, using radio equipment to issue commands to his staff from 30,000 feet.
The Herald Scotland
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Not just any old schmaltz fest as Tom Hanks is at his US Everyman best
*** TIME was when a Saturday night movie starring Tom Hanks would have involved an expedition to the cinema. Now you can see the double Oscar-winner for free, at home, in a film on general release not that long ago (as long as you don't mind the ads). Old Hollywood would think the business had lost its collective mind. A Man Called Otto began life as a Swedish novel and film before this US remake by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, World War Z). Tom Hanks plays a grumpy widower who thinks most of the world are idiots and a large proportion of them live in his street. Without Otto doing his morning 'rounds' and telling people off for poor parking and other crimes, it would be anarchy out there. So far, so Victor Meldrew. What are the odds, do you reckon, of Otto staying a grouch for long, maybe even doubling down on his crankiness? Perhaps in another movie universe, but on this planet, with this actor, forget it. Sure enough, a young family moves into the cul-de-sac and chips away at Otto's Easter Island exterior. Before you know it, he's doing good deeds left, right and centre. Among A-listers, what's left of them, only Hanks could get away with such an obvious schmaltz fest as A Man Called Otto. Tom Cruise would only attempt it if snow shovelling could be turned into a life-or-death stunt. Harrison Ford comes across as authentically grumpy, so that wouldn't be much fun. Clint Eastwood probably came closest in Gran Torino, though that too was a touch spiky for some. But Hanks, the heir to Jimmy Stewart as a paragon of decency? Perfect. Read more That said, credit to the Forrest Gump and Philadelphia star for sticking with the Swedish original and going to some very bleak places with the grief-stricken Otto. Otto, we learn from (too many) flashbacks is another in a long line of everyday American heroes to feature on the Hanks cv, but this one is interesting because he is ordinary to the point of almost being dull. What raises him aobve the norm is love, pure and simple. Hanks's son Truman does a fine job of playing the young Otto. It is keeping it in the family, but this is far preferable to the startling moment when Hanks appears as his younger self, complete with weird CGI face and unfeasibly dark hair. Besides staying true to the tone of the Swedish original, Hanks keeps a lid on the schmaltz by giving Otto a convincingly bad temper. Even though the targets are obvious - property developers trying to buy up the neighbourhood, etc - Hanks lets rip in spectacular fashion. As for the business model behind A Man Called Otto, it more than paid its way, being made for $50 million and grossing more than double that worldwide in cinemas. Nice guys like Hanks never finish last. Showing again Tuesday at 9pm on 4seven, and available to stream for 30 days for free on 4.
Pink Villa
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
F1 Worldwide Box Office Collection: Brad Pitt's sports drama ROARS in global markets, surpasses USD 300 million
F1: The Movie has been roaring at the box office these days. Released globally on June 27, the film is headlined by Brad Pitt. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the sports drama has achieved an important milestone in its theatrical run while crossing USD 300 million worldwide. F1: The Movie roars globally, crosses USD 300 million Also featuring Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, and Javier Bardem, F1: The Movie will soon complete two weeks of its theatrical run. Made on a massive budget of over USD 200 million, the Brad Pitt starrer has now surpassed USD 300 million in global markets. F1: The Movie, which is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, earned USD 112.7 million in domestic markets and USD 188.5 million internationally. The cume gross collection of the sports drama stands at USD 301.2 million. F1: The Movie beats Napoleon F1: The Movie is now the highest grossing film of Apple Studios. It recently surpassed the global earnings of Apple Studios' 2023 production, Napoleon. The epic war movie, starring Joaquin Phoenix in the titular role, collected USD 221.4 million in its theatrical run. F1: The Movie is Brad Pitt's one of the highest grossers of his career F1 has also joined the list of Brad Pitt 's highest grossing films of his career. World War Z (2013), which earned a lifetime business of USD 540.4 million gross in global markets, is on the top position. F1: The Movie is currently locking horns with Jurassic World: Rebirth at the worldwide box office. It is targetting to finish in the range of USD 485 million to USD 515 million. F1 stars Brad Pitt as retired Formula One racer driver, Sonny Hayes. Damson Idris is cast as Sonny's teammate and main rival, Joshua Pearce. Kerry Condon plays the role of Sonny's love interest, Kate McKenna. Disclaimer: The box office figures are compiled from various sources and our research. The figures can be approximate, and Pinkvilla does not make any claims about the authenticity of the data. However, they are adequately indicative of the box-office performance of the films in question.
