An Ex-Con's Guide To Prison Weightlifting: It's part of the macho prison culture to lift weights, and to be manly and tough. Some convicts, after years of hard work, really do look imposing. At first glance, it's understandable why a right-wing legislature might want to prevent prisoners from becoming physically stronger. But from personal experience, I can say that the discipline and dedication required by weightlifting, plus the confidence it inspires, make for a better man. Perhaps slightly vainer, too, but with at least one success under their $50 leather belts. Many prisoners are former drug addicts; many suffer from low self-esteem, the result of being poor, ignorant, and generally unsuccessful in life. The weight yards help them to see a better version of themselves, and offer them a concrete achievement in a place meant to degrade and diminish.
Abbott unveiled, and we don't like what we see - The Drum (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): It doesn't matter how mild the Budget appears when it is finally released next week, the attempts to destroy the pillars of egalitarian Australian civilisation - universal health care, universal education, and a minimum wage - are not going to stop.
The whole reason the conservative parties exist is to enact precisely this agenda. If they don't succeed today they will still be there tomorrow, or next week, or next election or in 20 years pushing for the same changes. The people who finance them will still be providing the funds, and certain think tanks will still be there slopping on the paint of intellectual respectability.
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