Caleb Bastow

Australian writer, knowledge/iced coffee addict, perpetually tired. Here for the ride, I guess.

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

New site, new mailing list - keep updated with new posts as they arrive by signing up for the newsletter via email!
https://t.co/Onx2Ircbdi

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

"A consistent, human centred approach is to call out injustice wherever it rears its ugly head.

This is best done through engaging with global perspectives, and we should all support institutions like libraries that allow the public to access them."

https://t.co/Aqn15tB0uU

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

Companies like Palantir and Cellebrite are embedding themselves more into Australian life. Given these companies' past and current actions and role in global affairs, far more transparency is required regarding how and why these companies were chosen.
https://t.co/BuyGf09puZ

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

June saw the first cases of H5N1 bird flu reaching Australian shores. This week, the announcement of a readily available vaccine for wild and domesticated birds has sparked a new wave of conspiracy theories.

Read more:
https://t.co/dIOfzP0HQg

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

Scenes in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey were filmed in Western Sahara. The existence of this territory has come to light again, barely - Sahrawi voices ought to be heard before the world moves on.
https://t.co/GGceAZyxQf

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

There is a line to draw between falling for conspiracy theories and speculating about events and their consequences.

Mitch McConnell's current condition is one such example, with people convinced he's dead. I'm not as convinced.
https://t.co/bDmmt7JxFE

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

As the Catholic Church has another little schism, just a brief note on my favourite papal story, courtesy of a paragraph by Bertrand Russell is his History of Westernn Philosophy.
https://t.co/ln7BcOQrrI

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

The book 'The Future Is Peace' by Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah is one that I highly recommend reading. It exemplifies this in a deeply personal and yet broad context. We need more of that.

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

As the UN releases yet another report highlighting the genocide taking place in Palestine, now more than ever it is obvious that peace will not come from above, from leaders and officials.

It comes from the people actually engaged in peacebuilding.
https://t.co/wTPK356sYU

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

Source:
https://t.co/J8ZoMgRqUt

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

Finding out that Epstein was into crypto is probably one of the least surprising things I've learned about him, honestly.

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

Was the Australian government aware of the UAE's strikes against Iran? Was the military support we provided them involved at all?

These are questions the governmennt ought to answer, but I doubt we will hear anything on the matter.
https://t.co/iWdLNumefh

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

Economics is not my strong suit at all, however the 2026 Budget was released so I did some reading and had some thoughts.

Overall, better than expected, but hardly the ambitious scale or shift required at this juncture.
https://t.co/6Jyz6OiZVW

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

The Federal Court ruled in favour of Roxanne Tickle in the Tickle v Giggle case. Beyond being a small victory in Australia, this case was watched by people internationally.
https://t.co/LDYylSqWNR

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

One conspiracy theory going around at the moment regarding the hantavirus is that of a "lab leak" that took place in a Queensland laboratory.

Looking into it a little deeper, this claim does not hold up to the barest scrutiny.
https://t.co/rmXoIRCg7a

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

Richard Dawkins has convinced himself the LLM he's been speaking to must be conscious.

"One can only dryly paraphrase his religious take down of having an imaginary friend in the clouds in relation to his own imaginary friend in the cloud."
https://t.co/ght5og7Z3I

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

If anything, this is a victory more for Iran than the US as a former set of proposals appear to be accepted by Trump.

A victory that seems shaky as Israel continues to strike and claim territory in Lebanon.
https://t.co/NmGKOMid60

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

What we have witnessed, with hardly a reflection, a breath, was perhaps one of the most egregious threats of genocide in history.

A whole civilisation lives on.

For another two weeks, at least.
https://t.co/LpcC5hrZL4

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

I expected Trump to back down and extend his ultimatum again.

That doesn't make his threats to destroy "a whole civilisation" of over 90 million people any less real.

He has always been unfit for the presidency, but the sheer scale of escalations just this year is staggering.

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

It is incredibly amusing that after all the blasphemy Trump and his sycophants have already engaged in, he still found a way to be even more blasphemous by praising another religion's deity. On Easter Sunday, no less.

[Caleb Bastow @Mere_MortalCB]

What to do with a copy of The Spectator a relative hands you than wearily read it and write about how dull the selective outrage is after years of the same dribble?
https://t.co/49fLkZVQmz