As one of the pipers for the Australian War Memorial, I get a unique view of the crowds around the Pool of Reflection during the daily ritual that is the Last Post Ceremony. Invariably, the faces are solemn and reflective. Not infrequently there are tears. On the way out, I move with the crowd. The Continue reading »
politics
“Of all of these four objectives that I call sustainable development. 1. Material Sufficiency; 2. Social Justice; 3. Environmental sustainability; and 4. Peace; we’re off track on all of them” – Prof. Jeffrey Sachs. “Nothing about the international economy guarantees the end of poverty or social justice. There’s nothing in the global economic system that Continue reading »
America’s privileged technocrats are not ready for what’s about to happen to them.
The post Today’s Class War Is the 1 Percent Versus the People Just Below Them appeared first on The Intercept.
The Taliban has not once, but twice eradicated Afghanistan’s poppy cultivation, the world’s largest source of heroin. Despite western accusations, it has never been The Taliban behind the Afghan drug industry, but only ever the US and its allies, with billions in profits breezily laundered through the global financial system. First published in THE CRADLE Continue reading »
The Israeli army’s recent attack on Jenin refugee camp resulted in 13 deaths (12 Palestinians, including four children, and one Israeli soldier killed by suspected friendly fire). An additional 143 Palestinians were injured, with 20 in critical condition, and up to 4,000 displaced. While this mass displacement has received less media attention than other aspects Continue reading »
Some might argue the appointment of Michele Bullock as RBA Governor renders irrelevant the slandering of two of our most senior public servants as “tainted”. Peter Dutton should not be let off the hook so lightly. Perhaps a product of the Fadden bye-election, Peter Dutton’s slur was misguided and mischievous. Two distinguished public servants, particularly Continue reading »
The Australian War Memorial Council believes it’s a strength that Council members can campaign against Council decisions – a far sighted and enlightened view in many ways but also one that could allow a minority to undermine the AWM’s mission. Recently the Defending Country Memorial Project Inc wrote to AWM Chair, Kim Beazley and the Continue reading »
Its mid-summer in Rome and last week there was a heat wave with a top temperature of 38° Celsius. Hot days in Rome are stifling, with the heat compounded by the over-whelming influx of tourists. Like most Italian institutions, the Vatican normally closes down in summer, with previous popes retiring to Castel Gandolfo on Lake Continue reading »
I just read a disturbing paragraph in a New Yorker article about the Instant Pot, a popular electronic pressure cooker whose parent company recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy: “So what doomed the Instant Pot? How could something that was so beloved sputter? Is the arc of kitchen goods long but bends toward obsolescence? Business Continue reading »
John Frew has some erroneous views about the students, teachers and principals in Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn that must be corrected. Attracting and retaining teachers is a critical issue for every school system around Australia. With the on-going teacher shortage, the challenge for employers is to enhance the vocation of teaching with the best possible Continue reading »