politics

Political figures, histories, and current events in the whole scope of modern and past politics. Work place politics.

Metallica Black Album
If you grew up with a tape deck in the dash and a boom box that could rattle the windows, you already know what happened in August 1991. Metallica did not just drop an album. They changed the address of heavy music. They took a sound that lived in clubs, tape trading circles, and late night college radio and parked it in the driveway of every kid who had never set foot in a pit. That record is Metallica , the self titled one everyone still calls the Black Album. Thirty five years later it is still the record Gen X reaches for when they want to prove a point about what metal can be when it is written like a hit and mixed like a weapon.
By Overdrive Records15 days ago in Journal
Burnham Calls for "Culture Shift" as UK Businesses Grapple with Rising Costs and Global Instability
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called for a fundamental "culture shift" in how the UK conducts business, positioning his government as a proactive partner to the private sector rather than a regulator. The statement comes ahead of a crucial meeting at Downing Street on Monday evening, where Burnham will host chief executives from some of the nation’s most influential companies, including BP, Shell, HSBC, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, BT, Vodafone, and Rolls-Royce.
By Mark Lim 15 days ago in Journal
The Human Cost of the Blockade: A Reflection on Sanctions and Solidarity
The recent government report from Cuba, presented by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, details a staggering economic reality: the US embargo incurred record losses of over US$8 billion for the island nation between March of last year and February of this year. This figure represents a 7% increase from the previous year’s peak, a rise driven largely by intensified pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration since early this year. Yet, as Rodriguez noted, this number is incomplete. It excludes the damages from the energy blockade imposed in January and the secondary sanctions levied against Cuban entities in May. While Washington attributes the island’s hardship to poor internal management, Havana points to an array of punitive measures that, as Rodriguez stated, “do not punish a government; they punish the daily life of a people in all its aspects.”
By Mark Lim 21 days ago in Journal
The Letter Was Dated September 3. The Applause Came on September 8.
A letter dated September 3, and a trial that premiered early On September 8, on the Lido in Venice, in the Sala Grande, the last of the four-hour credits rolled and the lights came up. The audience stood. The applause lasted five minutes. At the same moment, in a Los Angeles law office, a printer pushed out its final page. The date on the paper was September 3. The recipient: Jigsaw Productions. The sender: Alex Spiro. Above the signature was a line: if the content is not revised, HBO, Bleecker Street, and Universal Pictures will be sued.
By Jin23 days ago in Journal
Social Work England: Fitness to Practise Delays, Public Complaints and Regulatory Oversight
Social Work England: Fitness to practise delays and public complaints face scrutiny. Social Work England data and Bristol social services raise questions about regulatory oversight and public confidence.
By Alex Ray23 days ago in Journal
Social Work England: SWE Faces Judicial Review over Complaint Handling and Regulatory Accountability
Social Work England: SWE faces Judicial Review over complaint handling and fitness to practise delays. Social Work England accountability and Bristol social services raise regulatory oversight questions.
By Alex Ray28 days ago in Journal
The Sovereignty Deficit: Can Burnham Reclaim Britain’s Economy from Global Capital?
Andy Burnham arrives in Downing Street heralding bolder politics and a more productive state, yet his premiership will ultimately be judged on whether he can reverse a decade-plus economic slowdown rooted not in cyclical mismanagement, but in structural surrender. Since the 1980s, Britain has undergone a Great Sell-Off: public assets privatized, domestic firms absorbed by overseas capital, and national economic sovereignty steadily ceded to global tech giants, private equity consortia, and asset managers. Today, only about a tenth of the UK’s national asset pool remains commonly owned, down from 30% four decades ago, while overseas investors hold 54% of quoted UK shares, up from 8%. This isn’t mere market evolution; it’s a systemic transfer of decision-making power from democratic institutions to foreign boardrooms, where choices about investment, dividends, environmental targets, and industrial strategy are made without regard for British social priorities. Burnham’s progressive agenda, however well-intentioned, risks becoming theater unless it confronts this foundational imbalance.
By Mark Lim 28 days ago in Journal
The Letter and the Longing: Rebuilding Global Order from Community Upward
Britain’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham, now faces the gravest duty any leader can bear: signing the “letter of last resort,” a sealed directive to military commanders outlining whether and how to retaliate in the event of a nuclear strike. This solemn ritual, unchanged since the Cold War, arrives at a moment when the Doomsday Clock ticks closer to midnight than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis. Across Europe and beyond, publics sense the fraying of the post-war order. Russia openly scorns international law; China declares Taiwan’s reunification inevitable; and Donald Trump has threatened genocide against Iranians and even allies like Oman, revealing contempt for human rights, multilateralism, and the rule of law itself. In this descent from rules to brute force, where might makes right and nuclear proliferation looms in Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and beyond, despair seems justified. Yet beneath the dread lies an unexpected current of hope, revealed not in elite diplomacy, but in the quiet convictions of ordinary people worldwide.
By Mark Lim 28 days ago in Journal
Madhav Rajan’s Third Term at Chicago Booth: Stewardship, Scale, and Strategic Continuity
The reappointment of Madhav Rajan for a third term as Steven S. Wymer Dean of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business signals more than administrative continuity; it affirms a decade-long transformation that has recalibrated the school’s scale, reach, and financial resilience without diluting its intellectual identity. Announced by President Paul Alivisatos and Provost Katherine Baicker, the decision reflects sustained confidence in Rajan’s ability to steward Booth through an era defined by both opportunity and uncertainty in higher education. Since arriving in 2017, Rajan has overseen growth across every dimension of the school’s mission: faculty recruitment, curricular innovation, philanthropic engagement, and global strategy. Crucially, he has done so while anchoring all initiatives in Booth’s foundational commitment to rigorous, evidence-based inquiry, a balance that distinguishes his tenure from mere expansionism. His third term is thus not a reward for past performance alone but an endorsement of a forward-looking vision that integrates tradition with adaptation.
By Mark Lim 29 days ago in Journal
Killings, Kidnappings and Blockades, Why Has Ethnic Violence Returned to Manipur?
Manipur, northeastern India, is once again facing a dangerous escalation of ethnic violence, with killings, kidnappings, village attacks and road blockades deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis.
By Sahby Mehallaabout a month ago in Journal
IEC Reminds Political Parties and Candidates of Friday Deadline for Local Government Election Nominations
The Electoral Commission (IEC) has reminded political parties and independent candidates intending to contest the 2026 Local Government Elections that the deadline for the submission and completion of candidate nominations is Friday, 28 August. The Commission urges all parties and candidates who intend to participate in the elections to ensure that their candidate nomination details and all required information are completed and submitted well ahead of the deadline.
By Mark Lim about a month ago in Journal
Penn State Reminds Campus Community of Political Activity Policies Ahead of 2026 Midterm Elections
With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, Penn State's Office of Government and Community Relations is reminding both University and non-University groups of the various policies that apply to political campaign activities and the use of campus resources. The guidance comes as students, faculty, and staff prepare to engage in the democratic process, while the University seeks to ensure compliance with federal and state laws governing tax-exempt organizations.
By Mark Lim about a month ago in Journal