Around a week ago the Financial Review confirmed what many observers had taken for granted: the US offered nuclear propulsion technology to Australia under the AUKUS arrangements in order to lock it into the anti-China coalition. Reporting on comments made at a public forum by White House strategic adviser Kurt Campbell, the article highlights his Continue reading »
Media
An EU paper explains how traditional Western allies on the continent are being turned into vassal states of the US as part of Washington’s strategy to contain the rise of China. China is unfairly subsidising industries, expanding its military ambitions and using debt traps to build influence in developing countries, according to Jake Sullivan, the Continue reading »
How did they allow a threadbare tale from a totally discredited news source to swamp the airwaves and the news pages, asks Brian Cathcart
Journalism is tough at a time when many topics could be seen through a political lens. Hong Kong provides an interesting case, although it is not the only place where journalism is having to navigate shifting geopolitics and social developments that divide countries and communities. Pearls and Irritations, created by Australians in Australia, is a Continue reading »
This food timeline started as a way to explore the revolution in Australian food that has occurred during the baby-boomers’ lifetime, but has since expanded to include more about the previous decades (and century) as well. Also included are overseas events and trends that had an impact here. The entries are brief, but there are lots of links if you want more information.
In the 2020s the new food influencers are all using Tic Toc. And on 15 September 2022, one of the craziest (my view) TicToc ideas suddenly went viral: the butter board. It started with a post by New York cook Justine Doiron, who happens to be a member of the “U.S. Dairy Dream Team” of […]
The move from the governing party has sparked concerns over press freedom
When it comes to propaganda the Chinese could learn a thing or two from the Western media. A dictionary definition of propaganda states that it is “information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view.” In the West, our mainstream media warns us of the dangers Continue reading »
Picture the Western media’s outrage if a Russian helicopter gunship went into an occupied Crimean city neighbourhood and began shooting missiles at civilian homes, claiming a militant lived in one. “War crime” would resound. When this occurred in the Jenin refugee camp nearly two weeks ago, killing seven people, including a teenager, it was framed as a Continue reading »
The New York Times has in recent years tried to redeem its reputation with a mea-culpa admission over its coverage of the blatantly transparent Iraq Weapons of Mass Destruction myth that enabled the 2003 invasion of Iraq. But over its key role earlier in cementing the Tiananmen Square horror story we have as yet had Continue reading »
Why oh why is anyone surprised by English reaction to the Bairstow stumping? After all it is no secret that the entire history of England has been marked by deep-seated hypocrisy. That Bairstow had tried the same thing unsuccessfully in the same Test. That coach McCullum had done the same – claiming the wicket in Continue reading »