Pluralistic: 08 Nov 2020


Today's links



Villainry revealed by Monty Python Latin (permalink)

Adani is an Australian mining company that is so corrupt and brutal that it's a wonder that it's not a Canadian mining company.

Its signature initiative is a massive coalmine on stolen Aboriginal land in Queensland.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/carmichael-coalmine

The mine, and its associated railroad and port, are a toxic mix of long-term (CO2) and immediate (reef-killing dredging) environmental consequences. It's so bad that Australia's major insurers will not write a policy for the project:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/12/adani-mine-three-major-insurers-to-have-no-further-involvement-in-coal-project

The company's response to its critics has been predictably brutal as well, from hiring private investigators to follow activists' children around:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/oct/28/private-investigator-hired-by-adani-secretly-photographed-activists-family

to seeking the power to execute no-knock search-warrants on activists' homes:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/aug/27/adani-fails-to-win-court-order-to-conduct-surprise-search-of-environmental-activists-home

All of this evil fuckery has given Adani a bad rep, so it did the natural thing: hired a branding agency to come up with a new name for the company.

That name is "Bravus." Apparently, they thought this was Latin for "brave." It's actually Latin for "crooked," "deformed" or "assassin."

(The word they were looking for is "fortis")

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/nov/05/crooked-not-courageous-adani-renames-australian-group-bravus-mistaking-it-for-brave

While it's obvious that the company came up with the name through "Monty Python Latin" ("Biggus Dickus"), they claim it's a mashup of "Brave" and "Us," with the "Us" signifying the company's inclusivity and its loyalty to aUStralia.

Yeah, right.



This day in history (permalink)

#10yrsago Staircase storage: vertical shelving unit is its own stepladder http://www.dannykuo.com/staircase.html

#5yrsago It was once socially acceptable and surprisingly affordable to send children by parcel post http://www.centralfloridastampclub.org/pages/pics3/022015insa.pdf



Colophon (permalink)

Today's top sources: Super Punch (https://www.superpunch.net/).

Currently writing: My next novel, "The Lost Cause," a post-GND novel about truth and reconciliation. Friday's progress: 525 words (79380 total).

Currently reading: The Ministry for the Future, Kim Stanley Robinson

Latest podcast: Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town (part 21) https://craphound.com/podcast/2020/11/01/someone-comes-to-town-someone-leaves-town-part-21/

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