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While the AUKUS treaty has echoes of the tragic Iraq invasion of 2003, even closer comparisons can be found with the arms race of the 1980s. The political polarities of 2003 are reversed in AUKUS. The Anglophone coalition leadership of Liberal (Howard), Labour (Blair) and Republican (Bush) have become Labor (Albanese), Conservative (Sunak) and Democrat Continue reading »

Reform has its limits. Even as the Labor Government makes good several of its promised changes in economic and social policy, the boom-gate has dropped on defence and foreign affairs. Anticipated by Labor in Opposition since 2018, a review of how Australia goes to war began last September. A Parliamentary Committee worked hard for six Continue reading »

In recent years a contemporary China Threat narrative has emerged in Australia and elsewhere related to defence capabilities. An equally important China Threat though, is ignorance. Our knowledge of China and our Chinese communities has declined dramatically over the last thirteen years. How can we combat this threat? The People’s Republic of China [PRC] and Continue reading »

Perhaps the most significant thing about the Aston by-election was the comment on the result by Peter Dutton – a comment which provides a profound insight into Liberal thinking and why the Liberal Party is in trouble. The Aston by-election result was clear enough to get most of the media broadly on track about its Continue reading »

The main Israeli lobby operating under the name of the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC), a well-financed private group, is worried. Having a huge influence on the mainstream media, either through close relations with proprietors, such as the ideological alliance they have with media mogul Rupert Murdoch, or through bullying and intimidation, they are Continue reading »

A few acquaintances of mine decided to give up their Chinese citizenship before last year’s federal election after living on permanent visas for more than a decade. Their purpose was simple — it meant they could vote. Many of them, especially those who run small businesses, were long-term supporters of the Liberal Party. They had Continue reading »

Oriental and Mediterranean eggplants are about 5 inches long and 1½-2 inches in diameter. Elongated in shape and are excellent for busy cooks since they cook quickly. Eggplants are low in calories. Prepare this subtly flavored sauce ahead for ease in serving.3 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, ground coarsely3 Tablespoons sugar3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar (Japanese […]

In the past, Vallas took a Republican endorsement and toyed with switching parties. Today, despite GOP support, he’s distancing himself from the party.

The post Is Chicago Mayoral Candidate Paul Vallas a Republican? appeared first on The Intercept.

~ Today's Water Cooler ~

Hearts and Haggadahs

When a fire in Annabel’s glamorous city highrise destroys her family collection of Maxwell House Haggadahs, she sets out to find a suitable replacement. Her search brings her to the small-town coffee shop Get Thee to a Beannery run by Saul, a grump with a heart of espresso. Despite his initial resistance, things begin to brew between them, and Saul considers pouring his resources into sponsoring a new line of Haggadahs. Will they be the perfect blend of big-city java and small-town roast, or will this budding partnership grind to a halt?

Wirral Cllrs Yvonne Nolan and Sue Mahoney deselected by Labour – after demonstrating against deselection of Nolan’s carer for not attending enough out-of-ward door-knocking sessions. Nolan and her carer have been replaced by imposed right-wingers The deputy leader of Wirral Council, Rock Ferry councillor Yvonne Nolan, will stand against Labour as an independent after the […]

Attention conservation notice: short but entirely speculative exercise in amateur sociology/game theory, by someone who has no professional license to do either, and had a blue tick for a couple of years but was always bemused as to why. A quick note as to what went wrong with the Elon Musk strategy of giving power […]

New York's case against Trump would be a mere footnote of history if the U.S. actually believed in holding presidents and other top officials accountable.

The post The Prosecution of Trump Is a Good First Step. Now Do Bush. appeared first on The Intercept.

Criminals are arrested every day in every town in America. You are not special, Trumpie. You’re just a private citizen being held to account for your crimes. Go to court and let a jury decide. That’s exactly how it works. Just be glad you’re not Black.

The US-western-centric idea of fake news, waged by Republicans against Democrats and vice-versa, betrays a much larger, more ominous threat.

The post Lying about Lying: Why We Must Revisit the Definition of ‘Fake News’ appeared first on MintPress News.

Since Prime Minister Netanyahu and his far-right coalition have sought to curtail the powers of...

Recently, I’ve become victim to email reminders of the 2020/2021 academic year. OU’s main video repository system, MyMedia, has a two-year retention system. If a video has received no views for two years, then you are notified that it is up for auto deletion. This means that my classroom recordings for the Spring 2021 semester […]

The right wing obsessions Greg Sargent takes a look at Marjorie Taylor Greene’s grotesque 60 Minutes interview and the history of LGBTQ and pedophile slurs: CBS anchor Lesley Stahl was shocked to hear that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stands firmly behind her frequent claim that Democrats are “pedophiles.” On “60 Minutes,” Stahl pressed Greene on her use of the slur, and the Georgia Republican defiantly responded that it’s the truth: “They support grooming children.” “They are not pedophiles,” Stahl rejoined incredulously. “Why would you say that?” Stahl has been roasted online for granting Greene a plum “60 Minutes” interview, which aired Sunday night. But the real problem with this exchange is thatStahl did not show any signs of understanding the longtime role of the “pedophile” insult in right-wing discourse as an expression of deliberate bigotry against transgender Americans. As a result, Stahl squandered a high-profile opportunity to explainto a large prime-time audience what Greene and others really intend when they use this smear.

The direct action group plans to 'liberate' animals in slaughterhouses and farms over the summer – and halt horse-racing events, Josiah Mortimer reports

“The celebration of LSU’s first-ever national championship is being met with unfair criticism of Angel Reese, one of the team’s star players… Reese first waved her hand in front of [Caitlin Clark, the Iowa Hawkeye’s leading scorer]…. then pointed to her ring finger… Sports and political commentator Keith Olbermann referred to Reese as a ‘fucking idiot’… In addition, Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy tweeted ‘Classless piece of shit.’” — Forbes, 4/3/23