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Nich Hills @nichhills.bsky.social · 16h

The Guardian article may have been updated. They are now giving stats, "The state’s crime rate has increased by 13.8% in 2024-25 compared to the previous financial year... About 5,400 serial repeat offenders – including more than 1,100 youths – are responsible for 40% of offending in the state..."

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Nich Hills @nichhills.bsky.social · 16h

In the Gospels the Pharisees are said to be hypocrites. So we don't have to call the MAGAs 'pharisaic', with the antisemetic overtones. There's a perfectly good Biblical word, 'hypocrites'.

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Nich Hills @nichhills.bsky.social · 16h

If only there were an Australian stereotype of Americans. Alas!

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Nich Hills @nichhills.bsky.social · 16h

Counterpoint: If I have a coffee after 3pm, I'll have poor sleep that night. If my cohort is large enough, it's not economical for cafes to stay open.

[Last century, there were coffee shops that stayed open well past dark. Whatever happened to those?]

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Nich Hills @nichhills.bsky.social · 17h

I won't say what s'more sounds to my Australian ear. :-)

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Nich Hills @nichhills.bsky.social · 18h

At the Last Supper, Jesus, said, ""And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one." (Luke 22.36b)

Strangely, this saying didn't make it into our Eucharistic liturgy.

[Scholars debate the meaning of Luke 22.36b.]

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Nich Hills @nichhills.bsky.social · 18h

Trump is not a Supreme Leader. He is merely a unified executive. /s

Nich Hills @nichhills.bsky.social · 18h

The thing is, there's the Gospels' depictions of the Pharisees, versus the historical actions and achievements of the Pharisees.

A lot of the Gospels' depictions are projecting CE 80-100 resentments as Christianity evolves from a sect to a religion, onto a 30 CE stage.

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Reposted by Nich Hills

Dan HIll @cityofsound.bsky.social · 21h

"Academics at University of Oxford and the University of Pennsylvania have conducted the most comprehensive review of evidence on the effectiveness on carbon offsetting to date and concluded the practice is ineffective and riddled with “intractable” problems" www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/news/carbon-...

Carbon offsets have failed for 25 years, and most should be phased out - research

Academics at the University of Oxford and the University of Pennsylvania have conducted the most comprehensive review of evidence on the effectiveness on carbon offsetting to date and concluded the pr...

www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk

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Nich Hills @nichhills.bsky.social · 19h

Some people would see the arch celebrating the first 250 years of the republic.

Others would see the arch as a memorial for the 250 years of republic.

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Nich Hills @nichhills.bsky.social · 19h

I'm not pretty, I'm striking.

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Nich Hills @nichhills.bsky.social · 19h

Oddly 'Assyrians', although it appears in the Hebrew Bible, is an appropriate derogatory. Historians of the era point out Assyrians were beastly to a variety of people, not just the Israelites. Assyrians earned their calumny.

[Oddly there are good Assyrians in the book of Jonah, because reasons.]

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Nich Hills @nichhills.bsky.social · 1d

Ken burns agrees.

Ken Burns rocking an amazing head of hair for a man his age.

Nich Hills @nichhills.bsky.social · 1d

Littorally.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKZG...

The Viking Song | Vicious Vikings | Horrible Histories

YouTube video by Horrible Histories

www.youtube.com

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Nich Hills @nichhills.bsky.social · 2d

I thought some of these media outlets had been captured by Trump! Who was wrong? Me, that's who!

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Nich Hills @nichhills.bsky.social · 2d

Indeed. In the original French, the bard Getafix is Panoramix. What?

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Nich Hills @nichhills.bsky.social · 2d

A different mad idea would be to teach at a university in the tropics, although that brings its own environmental issues.

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Reposted by Nich Hills

Roquefort Bloom @roquefortbloom.bsky.social · 2d

Life can still surprise me #auspol!

Dentist visits mean pain & an empty bank a/c. Today's appt took 35mins (checkup, denture adjustment)

Then, as I eased my credit card from my wallet he said there was no charge

No, that's not a typo

THE DENTIST DIDN'T CHANGE ME ANYTHING

What a very nice man 😊