Author: peterimrich

Tourist hub Bali swept up in Indonesia’s harsh lockdown despite 71% vaccination rate, as country’s infections spike — RT World News

Tourist hub Bali swept up in Indonesia’s harsh lockdown despite 71% vaccination rate, as country's infections spike

Given Bali’s popularity with tourists and its status as an economic hub, the immunization efforts have focused heavily on the island, where around 71% of residents have been vaccinated so far. Amid a recent spike in cases – seeing about 200 per day – the island remains closed to international tourism, including for vaccinated sightseers, allowing only Indonesian nationals and those with special permits to travel there. It boasts a population of some 4.3 million. Since the pandemic first emerged in late 2019, Indonesia has seen some 2.2 million cases and nearly 60,000 deaths.

Source: Tourist hub Bali swept up in Indonesia’s harsh lockdown despite 71% vaccination rate, as country’s infections spike — RT World News

Conservatives at war with Australian teacher education

Andrew Bolt attacks the educated simply because he’s not. He pretends to be and tells one and all he was educated at Adelaide University expecting that nobody would be bothered to check.( ODT)

Conservative politicians and political commentators are the antitheses of progressive education and free thinking in Australia, writes Dr A L Jones.

Source: Conservatives at war with Australian teacher education

Dutton Asserts China Is Now the Enemy, Not Islamic Terrorism

Dutton on China

But while the propaganda machine assaults us with nightmarish ideas about the looming threat of Beijing – aiming to inspire the same fear it did in regard to Islamic terrorists – it doesn’t have to worry too much about gaining popular support, as the public has no say in war decision-making. In this country, the National Security of Committee of Cabinet makes the decision on whether our nation goes into battle – that’s unless, as Bolt is concerned, China pre-empts a war with the US by turning its guns on us. The National Security Committee is currently made up of Scott Morrison, Josh Frydenberg, Marise Payne, Peter Dutton, Simon Birmingham, Karen Andrews, Michaelia Cash, and quiet probably as of this week, Barnaby Joyce. From here, it’s just a waiting game to see if the war remains cold, as it did with Russia, or it heats up like our successful ventures into the Middle East.

Source: Dutton Asserts China Is Now the Enemy, Not Islamic Terrorism

Australia COVID: Why the premiers have Prime Minister Scott Morrison pincered on COVID-19

Illustration: Simon Letch

There is a power shift under way in Australia, from the Commonwealth to the states. No matter how hard Scott Morrison tries to resist it, the pandemic keeps forcing him to collaborate with the premiers – on their increasingly assertive terms. On Friday we saw the clearest expression yet of this dynamic as the Labor states, led by Victoria, pulled rank on the Prime Minister and his most prominent state ally, NSW, to slash the number of international travellers to Australia.

Source: Australia COVID: Why the premiers have Prime Minister Scott Morrison pincered on COVID-19

The Forgotten Australian in Lockdown – » The Australian Independent Media Network

While we all dream of unrestricted travel, parties, dinners in our favourite restaurants and all the other luxuries we have come to accept as our inalienable rights to enjoy, I hope we can spare some thoughts to a brave Australian who has been held in harsh lockdown for more than two years.

Source: The Forgotten Australian in Lockdown – » The Australian Independent Media Network

The missing ‘magic numbers’ in Morrison’s COVID strategy are a stark reminder of our bungled vaccine rollout – ABC News

Scott Morrison looks into the distance at a press conference

Friday’s national cabinet wasn’t a step forward, it was but a stark illustration of the problems in our vaccination roll-out. The crumbling confidence in the national cabinet process to achieve unified purpose and the gaslighting of our medical experts doesn’t help. Nor does the spectacular lack of transparency about what vaccine supplies we’ve either got coming on stream, or what the government is doing about accelerating it in any way possible. Nor does the fact no one wants to say how much of the population needs to be vaccinated before we can open up. The “magic numbers” we need are the ones about vaccine supply.

Source: The missing ‘magic numbers’ in Morrison’s COVID strategy are a stark reminder of our bungled vaccine rollout – ABC News

Old Dog Thought- Morrison abandons plain speaking to confuse and seem to be doing something when he’s not doing anything. “Yes we can see you and that’s not a hose your holding”

Fighting Fake News with REAL 3/7/21; Humour, Academic Freedom, Insider Trading;

Michael Cohen says Trump’s time is up: “There’s no way anybody’s getting out of it” | Salon.com

Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney to President Donald Trump, departs his Manhattan apartment for prison on May 06, 2019 in New York City. Cohen is due to report to a federal prison in Otisville, New York, where he will begin serving a three-year sentence for campaign finance violations, tax evasion and other crimes. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Michael Cohen said Thursday that all roads lead to former President Donald Trump, at least as far as the indictments handed down against his family business are concerned. Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, reacted on CNN to Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg being placed in cuffs and charged with grand larceny, among an assortment of other crimes on Thursday, marking it as a signal the walls are closing in on the former commander-in-chief.

Source: Michael Cohen says Trump’s time is up: “There’s no way anybody’s getting out of it” | Salon.com

and

Why loyalty to Trump is a loser’s gamble

Amanda Marcotte

From jail to death via COVID-19, Trump always leaves his followers to pay the price — yet they remain faithful

Top 6 Things Trump should be Indicted for aside from Cheating on Taxes

There are some other more important charges that I wish had been brought, and against Trump himself rather than only his company.

Source: Top 6 Things Trump should be Indicted for aside from Cheating on Taxes

Tucker Carlson’s history of fearmongering about white replacement, genocide, and race war | Media Matters for America

Tucker Carlson anti-white maniaFlashing an “ANTI-WHITE MANIA” graphic on screen, Fox host Tucker Carlson declared on June 24 that something must be done “to save this country” from the scourge of critical race theory “before we become Rwanda.”

Source: Tucker Carlson’s history of fearmongering about white replacement, genocide, and race war | Media Matters for America

Supreme Court Ruling Delivers ‘Dark, Dark Day for Democracy’ | Common Dreams News

SCOTUS

“We are now on a clear path to enshrining a constitutional right to anonymous spending in our democracy, and securing an upper hand for dark-money influence in perpetuity.”

Source: Supreme Court Ruling Delivers ‘Dark, Dark Day for Democracy’ | Common Dreams News

Donald Rumsfeld Was a Bloodthirsty Warrior for the Free Market

The American warfare state’s upper reaches are filled with bloodthirsty megalomaniacs. But few have been as deranged as Donald Rumsfeld, whose appetite for imperial violence combined with free market zealotry produced one of the most spectacular failures in all of US military history.

Source: Donald Rumsfeld Was a Bloodthirsty Warrior for the Free Market

and

Donald Rumsfeld, Rot in Hell

Caught On Camera: ExxonMobil Lobbyist Describes Senate Strategy | Crooks and Liars

Caught On Camera: ExxonMobil Lobbyist Describes Senate Strategy

So why isn’t this story being pounded by our craven corporate media? It’s certainly timely, considering the world is on fire and all. Via Channel 4 in Britain, a senior ExxonMobil lobbyist has been caught on camera revealing how the company uses its power and influence to water down US climate legislation, most recently the climate change projects included in the infrastructure bill. Go read it all.

Source: Caught On Camera: ExxonMobil Lobbyist Describes Senate Strategy | Crooks and Liars

Jewish parties ‘compromise’ against Palestinians and call it democracy

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett sits with Labor Party head Merav Michaeli in the plenum hall of the Knesset, Jerusalem, June 2, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

Negotiations over a settlement outpost and a racist law show that Zionist parties of all stripes will find common ground to deny Palestinian rights.

Source: Jewish parties ‘compromise’ against Palestinians and call it democracy

The Communist Party claims to have brought prosperity and equality to China. Here’s the real impact of its rule

The current promotion of Chinese culture by the communist party-state is nothing more than a cynical move to exploit any opportunity to boost Chinese nationalism as a tool to provide legitimacy to the regime.

Source: The Communist Party claims to have brought prosperity and equality to China. Here’s the real impact of its rule

Falling cost of renewables creates coal test for federal government

As the price of renewable generation continues to fall, Scott Morrison is facing a test on energy policy as Barnaby Joyce backs new coal-fired power.

The regulator’s latest figures, to be released on Friday, reveal the flood of renewables and accelerating clean energy revolution have contributed to wholesale power price falls of up to 58 per cent, with the average prices falling below $70 a megawatt-hour for the first time since 2015. These price falls will add to the financial pain facing coal generators, which are more expensive to run than new wind and solar plants, and raise the risk of more coal-fired generators bringing forward their closure dates due to falling profitability.

Source: Falling cost of renewables creates coal test for federal government

ASIC fails to act in Westpac scandal

Despite being aware of the Westpac superannuation gouging scandal, ASIC failed to take any action resulting in the loss of billions in super funds. Anthony Klan continues his report.

Source: ASIC fails to act in Westpac scandal

A Turd in the Surf at Bondi – » The Australian Independent Media Network

In the end, the Joyce factor may end up multiplying Morrison’s challenges and highlighting even further his government’s corruption, ineptitude and inadequacy; its lies and, above all, its catastrophic failure to protect its people.

Source: A Turd in the Surf at Bondi – » The Australian Independent Media Network

For auditing assistance, park your truth here – » The Australian Independent Media Network

My thought for the day Sometimes, I allow myself the indulgence of thinking I know a lot. Then I realise that in the totality of things, I know little. I feel a sense of shame.

Source: For auditing assistance, park your truth here – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Old Dog Thought Hawke was the silver haired bodgie Morrison the silver plated turd

Who to believe on Bondi Cluster: Limousine Man or NSW Government?

Fighting Fake News with REAL 2/7/21 Pork Barreling; NSW Covid, Corporate Crime,

Informed Comment- Robert Reich

Historians rank Trump near bottom of U.S. presidents, Obama rises into top 10 | Salon.com

Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama and Donald Trump (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump was ranked near the bottom of a new list by historians surveyed on who they believe the best U.S. presidents are, and received the lowest leadership grades of any commander-in-chief over the past 150 years. It was Trump’s first appearance on C-SPAN’s Historians Survey of Presidential Leadership, with the one-term president ranked 41st out of America’s 45 former executives.

Source: Historians rank Trump near bottom of U.S. presidents, Obama rises into top 10 | Salon.com

A Bronx Tale: One Sperm Donor, 19 Siblings, and Six Decades of Secrets – Mother Jones

Sam Tufel’s sperm was being used repeatedly over the years? Was he donating widely to pocket a few more dollars? The Tufel half-siblings continue to look for answers, but for now, they live with the uncertainly. That’s the price of DNA sleuthing. The answers can come with more questions. Yet as Bresnick observes, “Even stories without an end have purpose.”

Source: A Bronx Tale: One Sperm Donor, 19 Siblings, and Six Decades of Secrets – Mother Jones

Bill Cosby freed from prison after court overturns sexual assault conviction

The court ordered that Bill Cosby be released from prison immediately.

New York: Bill Cosby was freed from prison and returned home less than two hours after Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned his sexual assault conviction, saying he never should have faced charges after striking a non-prosecution deal with a previous district attorney more than 15 years ago. The split decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday (Thursday AEST), came after Cosby had served more than two years of a potential three- to 10-year sentence in a state prison following his 2018 conviction.

Source: Bill Cosby freed from prison after court overturns sexual assault conviction

Clinching in the Breach: Matt Hancock Resigns – » The Australian Independent Media Network

The China Research Group, run by Tory MPs keen to drum up fears about China, fastened on Hikvision’s role in the Hancock affair in a statement. “There are questions over whether [Hikvision cameras] are currently used in Portcullis House (where MPs have their offices) and the Palace of Westminster (where the House of Lords and the House of Commons is located).” The group feared “the potential for Chinese intelligence agencies to tap into camera feeds in sensitive locations.”

Source: Clinching in the Breach: Matt Hancock Resigns – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Economy will be weak and in need of support after pandemic, say top economists in 2021-22 survey

Australia’s economy will limp along after recovering from the pandemic, failing to regain the growth it had either in the years leading up to the crisis or the much higher growth in the decades before.

Source: Economy will be weak and in need of support after pandemic, say top economists in 2021-22 survey

‘Completely false’: Victoria says Coalition can’t blame state for commuter car park failure | Australian politics | The Guardian

The federal assistant treasurer, Michael Sukkar

This has Morrison’s fingerprints all over it, Promises with no action has been his leadership style from the get-go.  It’s what salesmen without a product do.

The Victorian government says it is “completely false” for the federal assistant treasurer, Michael Sukkar, to blame the state for the commonwealth failing to build one of its controversial commuter car parks. The proposed Mitcham station car park in Sukkar’s electorate of Deakin was junked in May. It was one of two projects the Australian National Audit Office found had been selected for federal funding with no authorisation evident beyond a Coalition press release.

Source: ‘Completely false’: Victoria says Coalition can’t blame state for commuter car park failure | Australian politics | The Guardian

It’s the golden age of pork-barrelling. Here’s a list of snouts in the trough

Bridget McKenzie sports rorts

The car park fund dwarfs sports rorts, revealed by the auditor-general last year. And it’s the latest in a very long list of slush funds, misdirected grants and pork-barrels, many of which are now forgotten. Here’s a quick run-through.

Source: It’s the golden age of pork-barrelling. Here’s a list of snouts in the trough

Big, blatant rort: how Morrison and Tudge picked dud car park projects

What happened when the government spent hundreds of millions of dollars on car parks intended for electoral gain? Waste of taxpayer money on a colossal scale, and a revolt in victoria.

Source: Big, blatant rort: how Morrison and Tudge picked dud car park projects

No locking down ‘gold standard’ Morrison: The fool on the Hill

Scott Morrison is a man bereft of ideas, whose only talents are spruiking and spin; it’s driving Australia to the brink, writes Michelle Pini and Dave Donovan.

Source: No locking down ‘gold standard’ Morrison: The fool on the Hill

Old Dog Thought- Where is Scotty Loud Mouth

Fighting Fake News with REAL,1/7/21;Scott Morrison hiding; Education, Bali Vaccination Central; Assange,

Why Is Tucker Carlson Still On The Air? | Crooks and Liars

Why Is Tucker Carlson Still On The Air?

For dozens (hundreds?) of advertisers and would-be Fox advertisers, that choice over the years has been a no-brainer. Corporate America spends untold billions each year cultivating brand value and has no interest flushing that away via some hot-headed basic cable host. Bye-bye Disney, Lexus, T-Mobile etc. They all have dropped Carlson. He’s Madison Ave. poison. So why does he still have a show? What’s now protecting Carlson, aside from the support he gets from Murdoch’s powerful son, Lachlan, who has publicly defended the host’s white supremacy programming, are cable fees. Billions of dollars in cable fees. The network earns more annually in fees from cable operators, such as Comcast and Verizon, that pay to carry Fox News content, than the network earns from advertising.

Source: Why Is Tucker Carlson Still On The Air? | Crooks and Liars

From blood clots to Craig Kelly, is the media reporting Covid responsibly? | Margaret Simons | The Guardian

‘A journalist’s job is to find things out and tell people about them. Suppressing the news is considered indefensible in a democracy,’ writes Margaret Simons.

public health experts, politicians and journalists are having to wrestle with the implications, and a changed relationship with the public and with truth. The World Health Organization has described what we are currently living through as an “infodemic” running alongside the Covid pandemic.

Source: From blood clots to Craig Kelly, is the media reporting Covid responsibly? | Margaret Simons | The Guardian

Opinion | Dear NPR: The Stock Market Is Not the Economy | John Buell

wall street

Looking at America through the lens of the stock market not only is useless in forecasting major moves in the market itself it also blinds us to the conditions most citizens experience in their daily work and home lives. In any case as even most CNBC anchors remind us the stock market is not the economy. Some like to joke that

Source: Opinion | Dear NPR: The Stock Market Is Not the Economy | John Buell

Netanyahu Is Out But Nothing Has Changed for Palestinians | The Smirking Chimp

The bottom line: Netanyahu may be out, but creeping annexation and oppression continue. For Palestinians, nothing has changed.

Source: Netanyahu Is Out But Nothing Has Changed for Palestinians | The Smirking Chimp

‘Really bad practice’: Car park project chosen by Morrison press release

Prime Minister Scott Morrison authorised the use of $15 million taxpayer funds to upgrade a commuter car park simply by issuing a press release along with five other Liberal MPs saying it would happen. The project, one of 47 funded in a program slammed by the auditor-general for being opaque and failing to award funds based on merit, has since been cancelled. Former Finance Department deputy secretary Stephen Bartos said the use of a press release to allocate money was “appalling governance”, even though it was within the law.

Source: ‘Really bad practice’: Car park project chosen by Morrison press release

NSW car park promised in federal fund now slated at $200,000 per space

A car park planned for Woy Woy will cost more than $210,000 per space, which is 430 per cent above the benchmark figure.

PM’s Park Rorts

A car park planned to be built in Woy Woy on the NSW Central Coast will cost more than $210,000 per space, which is 430 per cent above the benchmark figure, according to an Australian National Audit Office report. The audit found the Urban Congestion Fund was used to bankroll commuter car parks in mostly Liberal-held or marginal seats across the country.

Source: NSW car park promised in federal fund now slated at $200,000 per space

and

PM funded 27 car parks one day before he called the election

Rape dossier release and private criminal charges haunt Porter

As the Morrison Government tries to manage the fallout following the release of a dossier detailing rape allegations against Christian Porter, New Liberals’ Victor Kline and Vania Holt intend to launch private criminal prosecution proceedings. Dr Jennifer Wilson reports.

Source: Rape dossier release and private criminal charges haunt Porter

“Reputation, reputation, reputation!” O, I ha’ lost my reputation, I ha’ lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial! – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Shakespeare explains it well: “Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing; ’twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands; But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him, And makes me poor indeed.”

Source: “Reputation, reputation, reputation!” O, I ha’ lost my reputation, I ha’ lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial! – » The Australian Independent Media Network

A Guide To Covid Vaccinations OR Naked Men Startle Deer… – » The Australian Independent Media Network

The stroll-out by Hunt and Morrison

Like the vaccine rollout, someone else will need to take over if it’s going to be finished any time in the near future.

Source: A Guide To Covid Vaccinations OR Naked Men Startle Deer… – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Old Dog Thought- Morrison want’s to return to the good old days

Sports rorter Bridget McKenzie back on the front bench courtesy of Barnaby Joyce

Fighting Fake News with REAL 30/6/21; Sports Rorts are back; Covid-19; Afghanistan

Why So Much Wealth at the Top Threatens the US Economy | The Smirking Chimp

Why Debt is the official business of the economy

Seventy percent of the US economy depends on consumer spending. But wealthy people, who now own more of the economy than at any time since the 1920s, spend only a small percentage of their incomes. Lower-income people, who were in trouble even before the pandemic, spend whatever they have – which has become very little. In a very practical sense, the U.S. economy depends on the spending of most Americans who don’t have much to spend. That spells trouble ahead.

Source: Why So Much Wealth at the Top Threatens the US Economy | The Smirking Chimp

A Litany of Failure: Nearly 20 Years Later, the US is Still Bombing Iraq, and Iraq is Still Condemning Israeli Occupation of Palestine

Joe Biden is still bombing Iraq in 2021, and Iraq is still supporting the Palestinians, and refused to join Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in recognizing Israel. Iraq is now so firmly an ally of Iran that its leaders have to do photo ops with Arab leaders to try to escape the perception that Baghdad is too tightly linked to Tehran. Neoconservative fail.

Source: A Litany of Failure: Nearly 20 Years Later, the US is Still Bombing Iraq, and Iraq is Still Condemning Israeli Occupation of Palestine

Memo to AOC: Only You Can Save the Government | Washington Monthly

Someone needs to challenge the broken political mind-set around the size and nature of the federal workforce. No one has a better track record of changing such political paradigms than you.

After decades of the “no more bureaucrats” political feedback loop, private contractors working for the federal government now outnumber federal employees, by a factor of more than two to one.

 

Source: Memo to AOC: Only You Can Save the Government | Washington Monthly

Media should be careful with polls about critical race theory | Media Matters for America

Media should be careful with polls about critical race theory

Three polls released in the past several months attempt to measure public opinion about critical race theory — asking respondents about the topic in general, how often they’ve heard about it, and whether they agree with it’s alleged use in elementary schools. However, none of the polls assess whether respondents accurately understand critical race theory, so given right-wing media spin on the topic, outlets must be cautious in reporting their results.

Source: Media should be careful with polls about critical race theory | Media Matters for America

US v China: Which nation is at the forefront of economic supremacy?

China versus the US: superpower showdown, the battle for economic supremacy

Source: US v China: Which nation is at the forefront of economic supremacy?

Workers in Australia Launched a Strike Against General Mills. They Just Won.

When ninety United Workers Union members went on strike on June 4 at General Mills in Rooty Hill, in Sydney’s outer-west, they knew they were up against a powerful international corporation. But they also began to sense their collective power as workers and union members. “We don’t care how long this lasts,” one of the striking workers told me. “We’re here for as long as it takes. Another day longer, another day stronger!” On June 25, the workers at General Mills celebrated a remarkable victory. The company had stubbornly refused to countenance their claims, offering them an average pay rise of just 1.5 percent, offset by cuts to their conditions and new clauses that could see them having to take on more weekend work. After three weeks on strike, the global food giant backed down, offering a wage rise of 9 percent over three years without any trade off in conditions. The workers also won a $1,500 bonus and protection for all labor hire casuals and contractors who participated in the strike.

Source: Workers in Australia Launched a Strike Against General Mills. They Just Won.

The Case for Social Media as a Public Utility – » The Australian Independent Media Network

In this piece, I want to make the case for social media companies to be regulated in similar ways to telephones. It is true to say that one cannot have one’s access to the telephone cut off if one says something offensive. Whatever one says, access to the medium is not restricted. If the medium is used for illegal activities, the state takes action rather than the private company. When it comes to social media, the state has effectively surrendered its power to enforce the laws.

Source: The Case for Social Media as a Public Utility – » The Australian Independent Media Network

The story Westpac and ‘The Australian’ didn’t want you to see

In 2018, ‘The Australian’ scuttled an exposé which detailed serious and systemic wrongdoing by Westpac and its superannuation arm, BT. Anthony Klan reports. WESTPAC HAS denied “colluding” with a top editor of The Australian to have a major exposé spiked, with the bank instead claiming the publisher ‘saw fit not to publish the story’.

Source: The story Westpac and ‘The Australian’ didn’t want you to see