Rather than seeing the inside of a prison or being bothered to the gallows by overly fussy lawyers, Kissinger spent ample time at high level receptions receiving huge wads of cash for offering his inner expertise. He was admired, adulated and pampered; the critics kept at bay.
Source: Henry Kissinger: Snake Oil Salesman of Gangster Realism – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Significant findings from the spotlight report include:
So, what does a sustainable retailer look like in 2023 and why should it be at the forefront of businesses’ minds? Through their extensive research and the steps taken by leading retailers in this area, The Purpose Agents and Power Retail have identified six key areas where changes can be made across the retail sector. These include:
Shocking false narratives are concocted by the west to create animosity towards rivals, says 500-page study from University of London researcher.
Source: Exposed: the US ‘atrocity fabrication’ industry demonising rival states – Pearls and Irritations
A war between China and Taiwan will be extremely good for business at America’s Frontier Fund, a tech investment outfit whose co-founder and CEO sits on both the State Department Foreign Affairs Policy Board and President Joe Biden’s Intelligence Advisory Board, according to audio from a February 1 event.
Source: China War Is Good Business, Says White House-Linked Venture Capitalist
Unfortunately there are millions of people around the world that are doing good works in the name of the Catholic Church, whether it be assisting people to find food, clothing and shelter, providing health care and emotional support to individuals or communities that are in distress. There are hundreds of practical and genuinely helpful programs across countless communities around the world routinely organised in the name of the Catholic Church. Yet it seems that some of the male hierarchy of the Catholic Church are more interested in retaining the status quo and their power than adapting their organisation to be relevant to the commonly accepted standards of the communities the organisation is active in. The decreasing number of those that are actually doing the good in the name of the Catholic Church have been dudded yet again.
Dudding those at the bottom of the power pyramid seems to be a common trait of those in power. Maybe it’s true – power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Source: Power corrupts … – » The Australian Independent Media Network
The United States and Russia are powers with self-serving ambitions, but their covert actions have produced more failures than successes. Even so-called short-term “successes” such as the coup in Iran have become long-term failures or liabilities. Clandestine Soviet activities in East Europe in the Cold War have created an East European membership for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation that is passionately anti-Russian. U.S. covert action in Central America merely increased the violence in that region, bringing great embarrassment and substantial emigration to the United States.
“Whatsoever a man sowed, that shall he also reap.”
Source: United States and Russia: Dangerous export of democracy and dictatorship – Pearls and Irritations
As Queen Elizabeth is laid to rest, only one living person remains who can match her for length of service at the head of a family firm. And while Rupert Murdoch’s publications have caused the royal family plenty of grief, there are many similarities between him and the late monarch, as Crikey founder Stephen Mayne reports.
Source: Queen Elizabeth and King Rupert: seven decades of exercising soft power and hard – Michael West
Of course, “justice system” was simply shorthand for much of what many white people unquestionably believe about their beloved country. Cops fear for their lives; Kyle Rittenhouse was just protecting small businesses; there were good people on both sides of the white supremacist march in Charlottesville; and the Capitol insurrectionists were legitimately upset over an election (unless, of course, they were Antifa in disguise). To that they might want to add: Derek Chauvin was just doing his job. But a jury decided that he wasn’t, and that verdict challenged the most dangerous and pervasive myth in America: White violence can usually be justified, especially when the perpetrator happens to be wearing a uniform.
Source: The Power of the Myths Many White People Believe About Policing—and America – Mother Jones
We should examine the oppressor, not the oppressed, otherwise all hope is lost, writes Gerry Georgatos. OPPRESSION IS NOT a phenomenon of modernity but a deliberation through the human ages. We are born with inherent rights to live in ways that warm the soul, but human beings have devolved to ways birthrights and choices are denied to us. Those who resist become outlaws. All recorded human history describes the oppressor and the oppressed and has imbibed punch-drunk justifications for ruling classes, tyrannies and carceral estates.
Power can be taken back by exposing our oppressors
Conclusion
These two preference deals show the conservative parties either playing disgusting political games or exposing their true roots. Whatever the motivation/s, the point is clear: power at all costs. Such unscrupulous deals, and the odium of the proposed partners, surely undermines the legitimacy of any government so formed.
Power at Any Price: The LNP’s Preference Deals – » The Australian Independent Media Network
What Murdoch’s Media denies (ODT)
Renewables boom boosts Port Augusta
Thirteen renewable energy projects are underway or under consideration — from wind farms and pumped hydro-electric power to solar with storage that can shift electricity made when the sun’s shining to meet peak demand in the evening.
“The one great resource we have here in Port Augusta and the upper Spencer Gulf is this wonderful natural resource called the sun,” Mr Johnson said.
“It’s no different to having a massive uranium deposit, a massive gold deposit, a massive copper deposit.”
In a country drenched in sun, this natural resource is particularly abundant in the arid landscape around Port Augusta, and there are also plenty of flat expanses on which to build the facilities needed to exploit it.
Framed by the Flinders Ranges, stage one of the Bungala solar farm stretches over 300 hectares of land owned by the Bungala Aboriginal Corporation about 10 kilometres north-east of town.
Bungala uses a solar photovoltaic technology, with panels mounted on a tilting axis that can follow the sun’s path from east to west, maximising output and efficiency.
Last month, U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell made headlines when he suggested he aimed to empower the far right across Europe, drawing the ire of critics at home and abroad. Yet a new Reuters report reveals he’s hardly an outlier within the Trump administration.
According to the international news agency, Sam Brownback, a former Kansas senator and governor, who currently serves as U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, lobbied Britain’s envoy to the U.S. to release infamous ultranationalist Tommy Robinson following his 13-month conviction for contempt of court. What’s more, Brownback appears to have acted at the behest of Breitbart, the far-right news site whose former chairman, Steve Bannon, previously served as Trump’s senior White House adviser.
via Trump Official Lobbies for British Ultranationalist at Breitbart’s Request
One needs to ask if this is a systemic case of the the institutional Corporate protection of power hierarchy. It certainly puts bed the case of Geoffrey Rush who whose been accused by a system that protects one’s accuser at all costs as once did the Spanish Inquisition and their townhall drop boxes. Ch 7 needs ask what it is supporting here and in whose interests. (Old Dog)
Amber Harrison faces possible jail after Seven pursues her for contempt
Tesla boss Elon Musk has held a party in South Australia’s mid-north to mark the halfway point of construction of the world’s most powerful lithium ion battery.
Wind and solar are much cheaper than coal, and rising electricity costs have more to do with gas prices and network costs than any green scheme, writes Ian Verrender.
According to a new report, Australia’s renewable energy sector produced enough power to supply electricity to 70 percent of the country’s homes last year.
Source: Australia Produces Enough Renewable Energy to Power 70% of Homes
Malcolm Turnbull says AGL may be open to selling Liddell to another operator who would be willing to keep it operating.
There are nearly 7.4 billion humans on planet Earth, but these 20 men and women make the world turn. Forbes’ annual ranking of the World’s Most Powerful People identifies one person out of every 100 million whose actions mean the most.To compile the list, we considered hundreds of candidates fro
Report of Donald Trump interfering with a federal investigation sets off alarm bells on Wall Street
Source: Wall Street tumbles as investors flee latest Trump crisis
The worst, the best, the sexiest, most beautiful or most influential.
Source: Who’s who list a rollcall of criminals, psychopaths and megalomaniacs
Never has there been a better time for people to exert their power. As we have seen, nervous politicians with a very tight margin seem to have a great deal of influence. They can even bring down Prime Ministers. Whilst the Coalition won 76 seats, 12 of them were by a margin of less than…
Source: People power – » The Australian Independent Media Network
In the cash-soaked world of American politics it’s known as “astroturfing” – or the use of artificial grassroots to create an impression of widespread support for a particular political agenda.
Source: The ‘institute’ with no members embarrasses Senate committee
We are in the midst of a wave of soul searching trying to understand the Lindt Café siege in Sydney. In a sense we’ve been collectively holding our breaths for years wondering if Australia would ever fall victim to a terrorist act.
Terrorism has many definitions but by and large usually refers to the use of violence and intimidation for political purposes. Its goal is to produce widespread fear and anger. The purpose is to polarise opinion and progress a political battle. It’s like throwing an accelerant on a fire: it forces the opposing parties to respond and fight.
There is a term in psychology called operant conditioning – it’s so intuitive to most people it barely needs description. It describes how we learn (at least in part) according to the outcomes of our behaviours. If you’ve ever raised pets or kids you’ll be an expert. So if I’m rewarded for a behaviour I’m likely to do it again. If I’m punished I’m likely to do it less. If a dog wees in the garden instead of the carpet and you pat it or give it a treat, it will soon learn to go outside every time it needs to urinate.
What can operant conditioning teach us about terrorism? How can we use our knowledge of emotions and conditioning to search for ways to undermine the success of terrorism?
First on the agenda is the fear and anger. We need to contain the fear and address the anger.
Our leaders need to stand up and promote calm to give the message that we are prepared for such situations and that our response is appropriate and considered. They also need to address our natural response of anger and blame. They should not jump to conclusions about events being terrorist in nature, they should encourage people not to start the blame game prematurely. My impression from the Lindt siege was that our politicians tried to convey calm and control, but didn’t quite achieve their goal.
The media is in a trickier position. The less attention they give to terrorism the better. However, unlike in decades gone by, where a smallish group controlled most of the media, there are now hundreds of thousands of players – especially online. There is less ability to give a measured response. Hysteria sells, it’s a crowded media market place and competition is fierce. I think it is reasonable to expect the ABC to prioritise reason over ratings, but I think the commercial networks cannot be expected to have the same balance.
Despite this, I was mostly impressed with the coverage. There were constant calls for calm, constant stories trying to quell racism against Muslims, and various attempts to provide a balance between information and understanding. Most media outlets refused to air videos made by the perpetrator in the cafe. The constant news on multiple channels was unfortunate, but unavoidable.
Terrorism is no more about religion than rape is about love-making
We need to somehow separate the act of terror from the cause it claims to support. Terrorism is no more about religion than rape is about love-making. It’s about power, control and violence. I’m not a religious person but my impression is that religion and spirituality aim to provide meaning and hope. By and large they promote humanity and peacefulness. I know many wars and unspeakable acts have been done in the name of religion, but my sense is that these acts reflect people’s desire for control and profit – religion just gets hijacked as a vessel.
Psychology has turned its hand to trying to understand terrorists, but it’s hard. Terrorists don’t volunteer for experiments! What we know is limited, and more driven by opinion than evidence. The limited evidence out there suggests terrorists are angry, disenfranchised, feel victimised, powerless and believe violence is not immoral.
Psychologists are also trying to understand the dynamic interplay between terrorists and government responses. For example there is some evidence that excessive responses to terrorist acts can encourage more people to join terrorist organisations.
Programs aiming to reduce terrorist behaviour tend to focus their efforts on addressing peoples’ fears of cultural annihilation, highlighting the common humanity between different religious groups and challenging the dream versus reality of terrorist involvement. These programs have a long way to go, but surely are a step in the right direction.
Violence is a popular weapon for people chasing power – it’s never been the weapon of choice for people spreading ideas. Violent acts say far more about the perpetrators personalities and life experiences than they do about their beliefs. Resist the temptation to blame a belief system for the way people act.
Finally, amongst all the soul searching, take time to recover. Spare some thoughts for the victims, their families and those who put themselves at risk to respond. Protect your kids from over-exposure and teach them how to react with compassion and consideration. Just like our leaders, we need to try to respond without fear and anger – the antidote to terror is calm, understanding and tolerance. Regardless of your ideological background, don’t jump to conclusions. Take some time to read the views of others and then spread your ideas…. with words.
olddogthoughts 
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