With a suicide rate of 10.4 per 100,000 people, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, we rank about 18 out of 36 among OECD countries. And in terms of gambling, we are among the worst, experiencing the biggest losses per capita. The two can be linked: studies show gambling is the cause of an estimated 400 suicides annually.
Source: ‘Gamble responsibly’ message is a cop-out. Regulators must step up
Let’s put the daily COVID updates to the side for now. It’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture when you obsess about the next daily case count.
Source: Should you still bet on Australia? The big post-pandemic picture
Utilizing Putin’s playbook, Republicans make a mockery of free and fair elections. Putin, for his part, falsified election results and “managed” the electoral process by limiting who – and which parties – could actually stand for elections.
In contrast, U.S. Republicans do their “managing” a bit more obscurely, but even more harmfully for the whole idea of democracy. They are actively engaged in a campaign to disenfranchise voters from ethnicities and geographies that are not promising “hunting grounds” for the Republicans.
Source: Why U.S. Republicans are now adopting Putin-style “managed” democracy | Salon.com
LNP Australia admires FLAWED DEMOCRACY and is determined to follow it down the the gurgler (ODT)
A new index released this week offers a sobering look at how democracy is faring in the United States.
According to the 2018 edition of The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index, the U.S. doesn’t even make the list of top 20—its demonstrably “flawed democracy” notching it the 25th spot.
via United States Doesn’t Even Make Top 20 on Global Democracy Index
In an era obsessed with ratings, historians want in on the act, rating Donald Trump according to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
Source: Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler have more in common than slogans
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