The Bull Ring

𝔻𝕚𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕘𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝔾𝕒𝕫𝕒 𝕒𝕤 ℙ𝕒𝕝𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕤𝕥. ℝ𝕖𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕤 𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 ℙ𝕒𝕝𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝔾𝕒𝕫𝕒 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕥 ℍ𝕒𝕞𝕒𝕤, 𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒 𝕤𝕚𝕘𝕟𝕚𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕥 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕣𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕡𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕔 𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕥.. T hese protests, occurring in areas like Beit Lahiya, Shijaiyah, and Jabalia in northern Gaza , have seen hundreds to thousands of people chanting slogans such as “ Hamas out ,” “ the people want the fall of Hamas ,” and “ we don’t want war. ” . Additional Reading: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕔 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕒𝕥 𝕙𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝔸𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕪𝕤𝕚𝕤: ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕃𝕦𝕩𝕠𝕟'𝕤 𝕀𝕟𝕧𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕚𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕁𝕠𝕙𝕟 𝕂𝕖𝕪'𝕤 𝕁𝕠𝕓 𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕚𝕥 ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕃𝕦𝕩𝕠𝕟 𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕘𝕘𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝕒𝕤 𝕔𝕠𝕤𝕥-𝕠𝕗-𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕘𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕞 𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣𝕤 ℂ𝕒𝕟𝕒𝕕𝕒’𝕤 𝔹𝕠𝕪𝕔𝕠𝕥𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕌𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕊𝕥𝕒...

ℂ𝕒𝕟 𝕃𝕖𝕗𝕥-𝕎𝕚𝕟𝕘 ℙ𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕚𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕤 𝔸𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕊𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕆𝕦𝕣 ℂ𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕? 𝕃𝕖𝕗𝕥-𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕚𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕤—𝕖𝕢𝕦𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪, 𝕔𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟, 𝕤𝕪𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕔 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖—𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕤𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕔𝕝𝕚𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖, 𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕢𝕦𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕕𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟, 𝕓𝕦𝕥 𝕟𝕖𝕖𝕕 𝕗𝕝𝕖𝕩𝕚𝕓𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕦𝕔𝕔𝕖𝕖𝕕. T he world’s in trouble—climate collapse, gaping inequality, and social fractures threaten our future.  Some insist left-wing principles—equality, collective action, systemic overhaul—are our only shot at survival.  Rooted in progressive ideals, they promise to tackle root causes, not just symptoms. But do they hold up?   Lets unpack this. . Additional Reading: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕔 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕒𝕥 𝕙𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝔸𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕪𝕤𝕚𝕤: ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕃𝕦𝕩𝕠𝕟'𝕤 𝕀𝕟𝕧𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕚𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕁𝕠𝕙𝕟 𝕂𝕖𝕪'𝕤 𝕁𝕠𝕓 𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕚𝕥 ℂ𝕙𝕣?...

𝔽𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕪𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕤 𝕒𝕘𝕠 𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕒𝕪: ℕ𝕖𝕨 ℤ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕚𝕥 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕕 𝕝𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝔽𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕪𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕤 𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕖 ℕ𝕖𝕨 ℤ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕’𝕤 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 ℂ𝕆𝕍𝕀𝔻 𝕝𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟, 𝕚𝕥𝕤 "𝕘𝕠 𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕕, 𝕘𝕠 𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕪" 𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕒𝕔𝕙 𝕤𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕕 𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕤, 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕖𝕕 𝕤𝕠𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕥𝕪, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕝𝕖𝕗𝕥 𝕒 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕩 𝕝𝕖𝕘𝕒𝕔𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕤. F ive years ago, on March 25, 2020, New Zealand entered its first nationwide lockdown in response to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic.  This marked a historic moment for the nation of five million, as then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a strict Alert Level 4 lockdown, urging citizens to stay home and act swiftly to prevent the virus from taking hold as it had overseas.  At that point, New Zealand had just 102 confirmed cases and no deaths, yet the government’s decision to "go hard and go early" set the tone for what would become one of the w...

ℙ𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕤 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕒𝕥 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕠𝕗 ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕖𝕔𝕙 𝕎𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕟 ℙ𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕗𝕚𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕖𝕝𝕪 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕕 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕒𝕥 𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕖𝕔𝕙, 𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 𝕗𝕒𝕤𝕔𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕤, 𝕣𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕦𝕡𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤, 𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕨𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕙. W inston Peters’ reaction to protesters disrupting his State of the Nation speech, at the James Hay Theatre in Christchurch was a vivid showcase of his combative political style.  The New Zealand First leader and Deputy Prime Minister faced heckling—possibly tied to his recent U.S. trip or domestic stances—and responded with biting force, reportedly calling the interrupters “left-wing fascists” and “communist, fascist, anti-democratic losers.”  Rather than sidestepping, Peters seized the moment, turning dissent into a platform to reinforce his narrative and rally his audience. . Additional Reading: 𝔸𝕟?...

𝕌𝕊 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕠𝕜𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕖𝕞𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕒𝕣𝕪 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕤 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕙𝕒𝕝𝕗 𝕒 𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕞𝕚𝕘𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕤 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔻𝕖𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕠𝕗 ℍ𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕊𝕖𝕔𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕠𝕜𝕖 𝕝𝕖𝕘𝕒𝕝 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕙𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕤 𝕠𝕗 ℂ𝕦𝕓𝕒𝕟𝕤, ℍ𝕒𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤, ℕ𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕘𝕦𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕍𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕫𝕦𝕖𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕤, 𝕤𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 𝕦𝕡 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕡𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕒𝕝 𝕕𝕖𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕚𝕟 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕒 𝕞𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕙. T he order applies to about 532,000 people from the four countries who came to the United States since October 2022.  They arrived with financial sponsors and were given two-year permits to live and work in the US.   Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said they will lose their legal status on April 24, or 30 days after the publication of the notice in the Federal Register. . Additional Reading: ℂ𝕒𝕟𝕒𝕕𝕒’𝕤 𝔹𝕠𝕪𝕔𝕠𝕥𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕌𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤: 𝔸 ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟...

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕔 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕒𝕥 𝕙𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕄𝕒𝕩 ℝ𝕒𝕤𝕙𝕓𝕣𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕖 𝕒𝕣𝕘𝕦𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕨𝕖 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕓𝕖𝕪𝕠𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟’𝕤 𝕡𝕚𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥, “𝕨𝕖 𝕟𝕖𝕖𝕕 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕒𝕤 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕦𝕤”. I  care little for the mere capitalist.” Such were the stark words of John Ballance, newly elected prime minister in 1891, as he faced down parliamentary criticism of his economic policy.   He told the House: "I care not if dozens of large landowners leave the country. For... the prosperity of the colony does not depend on those classes.  It depends upon ourselves, upon the rise of our industries and upon markets being secured in other countries, and not upon any such fictitious things as large capitalists or large landowners remaining in or leaving the colony.”   History, as they say, doesn’t repeat but it does rhyme.  And it’s hard not to hear echoes of that century-ol...