Reading

Since the 1980s I have been urged by my Labor Party colleagues to keep political messages simple and to listen to the local community. This practical advice was welcome and fairly accurate throughout my political career in and out of parliament. Nevertheless, I also discovered that it was wise to never underestimate my electorate which Continue reading »

Not unexpectedly, the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine project has run into reality as Virginia class production slows down, leaving Australia with no Defence policy. A huge strategic failure, if endorsed government assessments are believed, which has left Australia vulnerable and dependent on America. The 2000 White Paper’s highest priority was to “be able to defend Australia Continue reading »

In Asian media this week: ‘Inexorable, predictable’ proceedings against Move Forward. Plus: South Korea’s new envoy at heart of political row; Xi revives Mao’s party-control dictum; Fukushima meltdown fuel still a mystery; China’s tai chi diplomatic culture; Singapore writer in long Taylor Swift gloat. In a slow-motion replay of the main contest in Thai politics Continue reading »

There has been significant media discussion (including P&I) of Defence Minister Marles’ recent announcement of the Surface Ship Review for the RAN – a step towards remedying the Defence procurement shambles inherited by the Albanese government and conducted by yet another retired US admiral! But there has been scant attention to the rabbit out of the Continue reading »

There is no argument that funding for aged care has to increase or that equitable funding requires that those with higher means pay more. The recommendations of the Aged Care Funding Taskforce fail to provide solutions on both counts, for older people needing care and their carers, providers, taxpayers, or government. The first fail is Continue reading »

The recent announcement by the Federal Minister for Education, Jason Clare, that the government wants to raise the percentage of young people achieving a tertiary education to 80% points to the huge stakes at issue in the current negotiations between the Federal and state governments on the next school funding agreements. To have any chance Continue reading »

With fuel emission standards Toyota Land Cruisers to cost more than Lamborghinis, economic advice from a wise lady for Treasurer Chalmers, consumer advice from a Minnesota Lutheran. Read on for the weekly roundup of links to articles, podcasts, reports and other media on current economic and political issues. Care of the aged Financing a growing Continue reading »

Beijing has been slow to address the visa and e-payment woes of foreign travellers, and some officials remain complacent about the exodus of foreign investment. China’s Luckin Coffee, founded in 2017, is the country’s largest coffee chain, with more stores and higher revenue than Starbucks. Its cashless grab-and-go model, where customers order on the app Continue reading »

So many people have tuned out of politics over the past three years because of the trauma of the Trump years, the pandemic and simple exhaustion and relief. As a result they are uninformed. Will Bunch writes: The biggest reason for the missing alarm about the prospect of Trump 47 might simply be a lack of information. The New Republic’s Greg Sargent recently reported on a poll of 1,200 voters deemed gettable for Biden in three swing states, including Pennsylvania, and found the vast majority didn’t know about Trump’s “dictator for a day” comments, or that he’d echoed Adolf Hitler in calling enemies “vermin” and claiming migrants are “poisoning the blood” of America. The pollster said only 31% of persuadable voters had heard much about these statements. You can call it voter apathy, but a lot of the blame belongs to a mainstream media that’s not banging the pots and pans like it should be and remains much more obsessed about the horse race odds of who wins the election than the stakes of an undemocratic presidency. Sargent says this presents an opportunity: That’s maddening for obvious reasons.

The Picture of Dorian Gray
by Oscar Wilde

A young man of beauty and grace
Tries to shield his good name from disgrace.
He looks like a saint
While he withers in paint,
But he still finds himself losing face.

Dracula
by Bram Stoker

A solicitor pays his respects
To a count whom no surface reflects,
And who moves to the UK
To follow his outré
Desire to suck on some necks.

Ulysses
by James Joyce

A lass who keeps raising her dress
Is awash with erotic distress.
’Spite her wandering womb,
Should she keep Leo Bloom?
Why yes, she says, yes she will, yes.

“A Modest Proposal”
by Jonathan Swift

A man caused a hullabaloo
By posting this practical view:
Economics call for
Irish babes of the poor
To be served to the rich as ragout.

Sherlock Holmes
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The world’s most proficient detective
Has deductive techniques most effective.
(Though his Watson stays close
With an opium dose
Lest Holmes hit him with an invective.)

One of the first things people ask you when you say you’re writing a book for O’Reilly Media is: “What animal is going to be on the cover?” O’Reilly books are famous for their lovely animal drawings, in rich detail, either in black-or-white or colour. Books are sometimes referred to by their cover animal, like … Continue reading Cover Animal For ActivityPub Book →

One of Donald Trump’s most famous quotes is from the 2016 campaign when he said,” I could shoot someone on 5th avenue and not lose any voters.” He seems to have convinced himself that it’s true. Despite the fact that he has been losing between 20 and 40 percent in most of the Republican primaries this year, he insists that they will all vote for him in the fall and anyway, he says, “I’m not sure we need too many.” As recently as Super Tuesday he told Right Side Broadcasting, “I don’t need votes, we have all the votes we need.” And why wouldn’t he say that? After all, as he told Newsmax again on Thursday night, “We won in 2016, we won even bigger in 2020 , we won by a lot more” so he’s certain to get as many votes this time. Or, at least, that seems to be his logic. But if he was really so sure of himself you’d think he wouldn’t need to ensure that the election is going to be a nightmare that makes 2020 look placid and serene by comparison, wouldn’t you? But that looks like what he has in mind.

As Theresa May's former Communications Director Robbie Gibb is re-appointed to the BBC board, the new retail edition of Byline Times’ reveals the inside story of how the corporation was cowed by the Conservative party machine

Kevin Gosztola: The Dissenter Drone whistleblower Daniel Hale was released from prison in February after spending 33 months in some of the harshest confinement conditions ever imposed on a person for disclosing classified information to the press. Hale remains in federal custody but is living in home confinement until July. Though President Donald Trump’s Justice Department indicted Hale, his case became the first major Espionage Act conviction secured by prosecutors under President Joe Biden.

Deutsche Welle: DW.com German Chancellor Scholz voices opposition to the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the US, stressing the importance of fair treatment. He calls on UK courts to ensure Assange's rights are protected.

From the state that brought you Jesse Helms Al Jolson telling the audience, “You ain’t heard nothin’ yet,” in 1927’s The Jazz Singer marked the end of the silent film era. Well, buckle up. The North Carolina that brought you Jesse Helms, the state that elected Christian nationalist Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and made him the 2024 Republican nominee for governor, isn’t done yet. The state’s Republican primary voters upset their own incumbent superintendent of public instruction, Catherine Truitt, on March 5 and replaced her on the ballot with Michele Morrow. “Every sign we had said that Catherine Truitt was going to win this election,” political scientist Dr. Chris Cooper told reporters. Jake Tapper and Andy Kaczynski introduced CNN viewers to Morrow Thursday night (via WRAL): Michele Morrow, a conservative activist who last week upset the incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction in North Carolina’s Republican primary, expressed support in 2020 for the televised execution of former President Barack Obama and suggested killing then-President-elect Joe Biden. “Wait a minute, I tell ya,” Jolson said.

Showrunner Russell T. Davies's Ncuti Gatwa & Millie Gibson-starring Doctor Who returns May 10th to Disney+ and May 11th to iPlayer/BBC One.

As ministers target ‘extreme’ groups for ‘undermining British values’, a new poll suggests it’s the Government which is most out of step with Britain

In this column, Kristen Mulrooney writes letters to famous mothers from literature, TV, and film whom she finds herself relating to on a different level now that she’s a mom herself.

Dear Marmee,

I always hoped I would be just like you when I became a mother. I dreamed that one day, my most literary child would write a book based on our family and portray me as an extraordinary beacon of light, wisdom, and patience.

So far, it’s not looking great.

I’m trying my hardest, but I wake up tightly coiled and exasperated every morning before anyone has even started asking me to play Roblox with them. Like most writers, I consider myself a Jo, maybe not in terms of talent but at least in temperament. Under your guidance, Jo learned to be less reactive and more in control of her emotions, so I’m assigning you the role of my new mentor. Congratulations.