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Created
Fri, 17/01/2025 - 10:11

THE winners of the annual Bellingen Shire Community Awards will be announced on Thursday 23 January at the Bellingen Memorial Hall. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au The Community Awards serve as a platform to recognise...

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Created
Fri, 17/01/2025 - 10:02

COFFS Harbour sailor Eric Marsh, 71, is one of only fifteen intrepid sailors setting sail on a world-first adventure, the McIntyre Mini Globe Race (MGR). The 45,000km (28,000-mile) ‘round-the-world race starts in Antigua on 23 February, and is expected to take a year to complete. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it...

The post Coffs Harbour sailor sets off on solo ‘round-the-world’ race appeared first on News Of The Area.

Created
Fri, 17/01/2025 - 09:41
Today (January 17, 2025), MMTed releases Episode 10 in the Second Season of our Manga series – The Smith Family and their Adventures with Money. Have a bit of fun with it while learning Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) and circulate it to those who you think will benefit. The Smith Family is a middle-class family…
Created
Fri, 17/01/2025 - 05:30
The Wall St. Journal’s Callum Borchers wrote about the new moves among corporations to end their DEI programs. It seems like it’s coming in an avalanche — McDonalds, Walmart, Meta and many others have announced in recent days that their commitment to making their workplaces more diverse and equitable is over. But that means mediocre white guys no longer have any excuse: I wondered how these self-described DEI casualties are feeling. So, I spoke this week with the aggrieved engineer and seven others who contacted me with stories about doors allegedly closed on them because they were the wrong race or gender. Most feared for their jobs and insisted I not name them publicly.  They generally believe they’re more likely to get hired or promoted in an environment where Donald Trump is president, Robby Starbuck’s name-and-shame threats loom over corporate America, and Mark Zuckerberg heralds “masculine energy” on Joe Rogan’s podcast. Their optimism isn’t unbridled, however.
Created
Fri, 17/01/2025 - 05:00

“TikTok is still three days away from a likely ban in the United States, but many users are already bidding the app farewell and seeking out alternatives.” — CNN

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Everything in the United States was fine until TikTok came along. Before 2016, our country had practically zero problems. But in 2018, TikTok became the most downloaded app in the United States, and that’s when all the problems really began.

Sure, TikTok has some real problems, like the Chinese government accessing millions of Americans’ data. But who are we kidding? Our government already does that. We’re mostly just jealous that they thought of it before we did. No, the real problem with TikTok, and the real reason we have no choice but to ban the app entirely, is that it’s bringing Americans together.

Created
Fri, 17/01/2025 - 04:59
After 15 months of the most horrific live-streamed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Israel has been forced into an interim ceasefire. How long it will last is anyone’s guess but Israel’s contempt for any restraining agreements doesn’t offer much hope. The deal to stop the bombs and to allow food and medical aid into Gaza Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 17/01/2025 - 04:58
The long-overdue ceasefire in Gaza may be the beginning of a new chapter, and hopefully one that heralds freedom for the people of Palestine. It certainly will provide relief and respite, but we all know that the work of true peace building is only starting and the old work towards justice and liberation continues on Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 17/01/2025 - 04:55
Despite the decades both major parties have spent ingratiating themselves with the leaders of the United States, Australia is unlikely to receive any favours from the Trump administration. For once the clichés about turning points and game changers seem appropriate, even understated. Just when you might have been forgiven for thinking the international situation couldn’t Continue reading »
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Fri, 17/01/2025 - 04:54
Last week, news headlines heralded the disaster of 24 lives lost in Californian wildfires. Yet the same media outlets petered out the news of thousands more being killed by deliberate man-made bombing, starvation and destruction of homes and hospitals by Israel in Gaza. There’s coverage of very wealthy celebrities who have lost their homes in Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 17/01/2025 - 04:53
The law and politics can be callous. And it certainly has been in the case of 56-year-old Dan Duggan, a former US Marines pilot, now an Australian citizen. Five days before Christmas the federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus announced Mr Duggan would be extradited to the United States to face charges relating to allegations, vehemently denied Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 17/01/2025 - 04:52
High house prices are usually reckoned to be a product of supply, demand and the self- interests of the finance industry. This piece sets out a case for a fourth factor – post de-regulation regulatory stupidity. I have illustrated issues with examples from Gippsland in Victoria, but I suspect that the problems are nationwide. Once Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 17/01/2025 - 04:51
Peter Ford served in the UK Foreign Ministry for many years including being UK Ambassador to Bahrain (1999-2003) and  then Syria (2003-2006).  Following that, he was representative to the Arab world for the Commissioner General of United Nations Relief and Works Agency. He was interviewed by Rick Sterling on Jan 6, 2025 Rick Sterling (RS): Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 17/01/2025 - 04:50
Israel and Hamas have reportedly agreed to a ceasefire and hostage deal, which is scheduled to take effect January 19. The deal as written is apparently virtually identical to the one Hamas agreed to last May, which Netanyahu then sabotaged with the complicity of the Biden administration. As usual, Israel appears to be ramping up its aggressions to kill as many people Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 17/01/2025 - 04:50
Having denied Chinese firms access to advanced foreign semiconductors, Washington is launching probe into ‘subsidised’ domestic production. Last month, the United States launched another round of export controls on semiconductors by denying their sales to dozens of Chinese companies. It was quickly followed by an announcement from US Trade Representative Katherine Tai that she had Continue reading »