Well, this certainly sounds stupid. So how did the wife of a COVID patient convince a judge that a drug used mainly for animals and in studies found to be ineffective at treating COVID be used on her husband against all medical advice?
Source: Ohio Judge Orders COVID Patient Treated With Ivermectin | Crooks and Liars
Amid the terminal amnesia of the U.S. media, it is refreshing to see someone remember the circumstances under which Trump pulled out of Syria, as a comparison to Biden’s Afghanistan. Let us just review that situation.
Christopher Pyne LNP MP (retired) is promoting Australia’s Arms industry
Florida Republican Michael Waltz made up to $25 million from the sale of Metis Solutions, a defense contractor with a spotty record training Afghan security forces. Lee Fang
Source: Mike Waltz Made Millions from Afghanistan Defense Contractor
Many brave, honorable Afghans fought there, but the cohesion and commitment, the belief in their mission, was not there. By contrast, the Taliban were organized, dedicated and coherent, and armed and trained for the actual combat taking place, not for European-style trench and tank warfare. The Taliban clearly had a plan that worked for that country, as the speed of the takeover shows. It succeeded; the U.S. and the Kabul regime failed in what became mission impossible. The fall of Kabul was inevitable. Washington, once again, deluded itself into thinking otherwise. The secretary of state said, “This is not Saigon.” It is Saigon. It is Baghdad. It is Kabul.
Source: Afghanistan only the latest US war to be driven by deceit and delusion
Was the Afghanistan War a failure? Not for the top five defense contractors and their shareholders. Jon Schwarz
In the wake of the Tokyo Olympics, another international scorecard has been released, and Australia does well here too. The US-based Commonwealth Fund conducts regular surveys of health care in 11 countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. In its latest comparison, Australia ranks third overall, slipping from second in the previous comparison in 2017. The US, not unexpectedly, ranks last overall, and last on four of the five component rankings.
Source: How does Australia’s health system rate internationally? This year it wins bronze
Earth has warmed 1.09℃ since pre-industrial times and many changes such as sea-level rise and glacier melt are now virtually irreversible, according to the most sobering report yet by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
and
Sky News Regional – a new free-to-air television offering – has just launched in regional areas across Australia with such luminaries as Alan Jones, Andrew Bolt, Cory Bernardi, Paul Murray, Rowan Dean and Peta Credlin hustling to get into our loungerooms, to flood regional airways between Cairns and Kalgoorlie, with anti-immigration rhetoric, climate denialism, conservative claptrap and vaccine misinformation all masquerading as news.
Source: When news is not enough : we make it up ! – » The Australian Independent Media Network
A federal tribunal has ordered Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s department to release secret documents about the workings of national cabinet after rejecting government claims the peak group is a committee of federal cabinet. The tribunal backed an appeal from independent senator Rex Patrick in a significant decision that opens national cabinet to public scrutiny through requests for its agendas, minutes and other documents.
Source: National cabinet thrown open to scrutiny in ruling it is not a cabinet
In a short time, Sky News Australia has turned itself from a cable television station with a small audience (most popular in politicians’ offices and Qantas lounges) to a digital juggernaut with one of the biggest reaches of social media of any Australian television station. The key to this turnaround was a strategy that leans heavily on opinion “After Dark” personalities who regurgitate right-wing international culture war topics and flirt with conspiracy, much like Fox News in the US.
Source: Rants, raves and bogus COVID claims: Sky News booms in rural Australia
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has not only proven himself a failure to Australians but also on the world stage, writes Bruce Haigh.
Low morale and dysfunction in DHA Finally, and also not surprisingly, Pezzullo says nothing in the briefing for Andrews about his Department having one of the lowest levels of morale in the Australian Public Service. And of course, he wouldn’t as this is primarily the result of his leadership. The fact is Pezzullo and Outram have lost control of Australia’s visa system and hence, border control. Recovery from this point will be extraordinarily difficult, costly and take many years. But with a government obsessed with its public reputation on border protection, Pezzullo and Outram know that is not what the Government wants to hear — so they have decided the best course of action is just not to tell them and hope they don’t find out.
One dose will not protect you! Yesterday the Premier of NSW Gladys Berejiklian offered ‘guidance’ that alarmed me to the core, because it was the absolute opposite of what the science is currently telling us. Australia, please heed this warning: the time to use the AstraZeneca to stem the Delta Outbreak in Sydney has passed and I cannot be more clear on that. Below are a series of correct explanations toward incorrect assumptions left by the NSW premier at the NSW press conference on the 23/07/21.
Source: We need to know the truth – » The Australian Independent Media Network
LNP Ignores the experts
Offshore wind farms are an increasingly common sight overseas. But Australia has neglected the technology, despite the ample wind gusts buffeting much of our coastline.
Source: Wind turbines off the coast could help Australia become an energy superpower, research finds
Students and academics at the University of Melbourne are mobilising against the opening of a Liberal-aligned research institute on campus that counts conservative commentator Peta Credlin and the chairman of right-wing think tank the Institute of Public Affairs as board members.
Source: Melbourne University students mobilise against Liberal Party-backed Robert Menzies Institute
On June 8, an internet blackout was precipitated by one customer updating their settings through a “valid configuration change”. With speed, 85% of the network of the tech infrastructure company Fastly began returning errors. A global outage ensued. “The downed sites,” according to Brian Barrett of Wired, “shared no obvious theme or geography; the outages were global, and they hit everything from Reddit to Spotify to The New York Times.”
Source: How CDN Providers Break the Internet – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Any wonder Costello sacked Hewson. The only thing keeping Morrison, Dutton, and Frydenberg afloat is private MSM
Support for Scott Morrison and the government have slumped in Newspoll, in a major backlash against the botched vaccine rollout. Labor has surged to a two-party lead of 53-47 per cent, compared with 51-49 per cent in the previous poll in late June.
Source: Morrison and Coalition sink in Newspoll with rollout shambles
On Sunday night, we got strong evidence that, for the most part, Republican voters understand that the Big Lie is indeed a lie. They just repeat it because they view themselves as co-conspirators in perpetuating it. In his speech at the second “annual” Conservative Political Action Conference of the year, Trump bragged about how he lies about polls and elections when he doesn’t win them. “You know, they do that straw poll, right?” Trump asked, referring to the 2024 GOP nominee straw poll CPAC conducted of attendees. “If it’s bad, I say it’s fake. If it’s good, I say, that’s the most accurate poll perhaps ever.” The “humor” of this not-actually-a-joke is due to being a sly reference to the Big Lie — an admission on Trump’s part that he didn’t win in 2020 and is merely saying otherwise for political gain. And it’s no surprise that Trump went there. He loves to brag about how much corruption and crime he gets away with. What is perhaps more important is the audience’s reaction to this not-a-joke.
Source: Trump supporters think they’re players — but they’re still just pawns | Salon.com
Despite this revelation, will the state still try to murder Julian Assange? It will be fascinating to watch its continued attempts to do so, if indeed it continues to attempt it.
Source: U.S. Government’s Witness Against Assange Admits He Lied | The Smirking Chimp
The Treasury Department told Congress last month that under-collected taxes are on track to total $7 trillion over the next decade, or about 15% of total tax revenues that would be owed under the law, thanks in part to budget cuts over the past decade that have sharply scaled back audits. Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Mazur recently explained to Congress that this trend has negative consequences, including higher tax rates elsewhere in the economy — that is, the costs are borne by people who follow the rules — as well as the fact that “persistent non-compliance also undermines confidence in the fairness of our tax system.” As other experts have explained, much of the “tax gap” as it is known comes from higher-income earners. While nearly all regular wage income is properly reported, other forms of income such as business partnerships and capital gains have higher rates of misreporting. (This news also comes in the context of a political environment in which billionaire executives such as Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk have successfully avoided having to even pay federal income taxes in some years, by receiving much of their compensation as stock in their own companies.) Wall Street
Source: Wall Street Journal columnist: Defund the tax police | Media Matters for America
Trump’s Tourists
“Of the nearly 700 Republicans who have filed initial paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run next year for either the U.S. Senate or the House of Representatives, at least a third have embraced Trump’s false claims about his defeat,” the Post reported Monday. At the federal level, there are dozens of “current Republican officeholders, lining up to seek reelection, who have backed Trump’s efforts over the past eight months by questioning the validity of the 2020 result, taking legislative votes, or signing on to official efforts to overturn it,” the newspaper noted, adding that 136 of the GOP’s candidates for next year’s vital midterm races are current members of Congress who voted against the certification of President Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory on January 6. Trump’s falsehood that he would have been victorious last November had it not been for cheating Biden supporters was enthusiastically taken up by the GOP at the state level, too. Despite a complete lack of substantiating evidence, that fabrication continues to be invoked by right-wing candidates hoping to win office this year or in 2022.
But prudish prohibitions were no match for the power of celebrity. Six years after Bernardini was the first woman in a bikini, Brigitte Bardot made The Girl in the Bikini. Pop singer Brian Hyland sang Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini in 1960. And in 1962, the original Bond girl, Ursula Andress, strode from the surf in a bikini with a knife holstered on her hip. There was no stopping the bikini taking off after that.
Source: July 5 in history: World’s first bikini is unveiled in Paris
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
Gaslighting, talk. spin and promises are a typical LNP strategy of “seeming” to be aware of the direction without any actions necessary to be taken. Tudge, like Morrison announcing what is needed as if it’s being done. Such as the bullshit that we were first in line to get vaccines the deal signed done and dusted when it wasn’t.
How do we attract high-performing school leavers into teaching? Everyone knows the answer. That is, except the Federal Education Minister.
Source: Alan Tudge wants Singaporean education excellence on the cheap
The former New South Wales director of public prosecutions, Nicholas Cowdery, has questioned the use of the fixated persons unit to arrest a 21-year-old producer for the Friendlyjordies YouTube comedy channel.
Israel’s “change coalition” facilitated, then criticized a Jewish supremacist rally in East Jerusalem, where Palestinians were threatened by racists and assaulted by the police. Robert MackeyRobert Mackey June 17 2021, 7:25 a.m.
Source: Israel’s New Leaders Facilitate, Then Criticize Racist Rally
My thought for the day. “I feel people on the right of politics in Australia show an insensitivity to the common good that goes beyond any thoughtful examination. They have a hate on their lips, and their hate starts with the beginning of a smile.”
PS: In its wisdom (or cruelty), the government granted the Tamil family community detention, which in reality is no decision at all, just an extension of its problem (or misery). This should be of no surprise given their attitude to such matters.
I believe that l have not fully covered my argument in this piece, so l will continue on this theme in my next post. Your comments might be of some assistance.
Source: What’s it all about, Albo? Morrison or you? – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Prime Minister Morrison would probably claim that it was his Coalition Government’s inspired leadership that was responsible for our good fortune. It’s not. Morrison’s Government chose to directly manage two parts of the response to COVID-19, aged care as well as vaccine procurement and distribution. Both have been botched. The Federal Health Department records that out of the 910 deaths in Australia, 685 of them were in aged care homes funded and under the direction of the Federal Government. It is certainly the case that residents in aged care homes often have other medical issues that could have increased the mortality rate, however low wages, casualisation of employment and the need for multiple jobs across aged care providers (all apparently Coalition policy) certainly didn’t contain infections to one facility.
Source: It’s not dumb luck. Is it more sinister? – » The Australian Independent Media Network
Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu will continue to be granted recognition, if not immortality. But Sutton and Walshe’s Dark Emu Debate will undoubtedly be acclaimed. As a critique of Pascoe’s book, it’s just about perfect — a volume with the twin virtues of rigour and readability.
Reporting on Friday revealed that Facebook knowingly allowed a digital marketing firm tied to a pro-Trump group to release a series of ads purporting to be from a fake left-wing organization ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, while election officials failed to investigate the group at the time. As The Guardian reported, a right-wing marketing firm called Rally Forge ran a $5,000 ad campaign beginning just days before the 2018 election, showing ads promoting Green Party candidates in an effort to split the Democratic vote and help Republicans in several close races. The ads were purported to be placed by a group called America Progress Now and expressed support for democratic socialism.
Source: Facebook allowed pro-Trump group to pose as leftists in attempt to split Democratic vote | Salon.com
There are a lot of totally gormless, Murdoch-manipulated, ill-informed intellectual midgets out there who keep voting for the worst, most callously inhumane, ineffective and corrupt regime – the LNP – over and over again! Tragically, it is these unspeakably stupid fools who believe everything they inhale from the twisted, totally biased, lying Murdoch press who keep propping up cruel, totally inept, misogynistic, self-serving, smug and elitist politicians – like Abbott and the current totally inept, smirking dullard, Morrison, who has a long, notorious history of taking credit for the hard work, blood, sweat, toil and good ideas and achievements of other people! Sadly, it is likely to happen again until gormless LNP voters attempt to learn more and research the backgrounds of the notorious types of ruthless psychopaths they put into power. In my experience there are three sorts of people who vote for the LNP:
Source: Scott Morrison: Who’s he trying to impress? – » The Australian Independent Media Network
AuthorAustralian Labor Party This is what Australia’s Health Minister genuinely believes – https://www.buzzfeed.com/markdistefano/hunt-healthcare-us
BUZZFEED.COMNew Health Minister Used Maiden Speech To Call For US-Style HealthcareNew Health Minister Used Maiden Speech To Call For US-Style Healthcare
1t5ShpconSssmoried · Is this what Greg Hunt meant when he said he thinks Australia should move to a US-style healthcare system? Scott Morrison and the Liberals are not on your side.
Popular support for Prime Minister Scott Morrison has fallen sharply amid Victoria’s COVID-19 lockdown, the poor vaccine rollout and disputes about quarantine facilities. But the latest Newspoll, which was released on Sunday night in The Australian newspaper, shows the two major parties locked 50-50 on a two-party-preferred basis despite the primary vote of both parties remaining the same. Conducted with 1506 voters between June 2 and June 5, the poll found the Coalition’s primary vote of 41 per cent remains unchanged since April and on par with its May 2019 election victory. Labor’s primary vote of 36 is also unchanged from the last poll, but close to three points better than its election performance.
Source: Support falls for PM Scott Morrison as Coalition regains lost ground
The Coalition is cracking down on charitable organisations. However, the Australian charity promoting arms deals on behalf of weapons makers that profit from humanitarian catastrophes is unlikely to be in the government’s sights. With the weapons expo LandForces wrapping up in Brisbane this week, Michelle Fahy delves into the charity behind LandForces.
Source: Landforces’ brothers in arms: how a weapons peddler qualified for charitable status – Michael West
Every time Israel bombs Gaza into smithereens, it is left to others to try to rebuild. The European Union, Qatar, and even the Biden administration are offering aid. (The US is giving a piddling $150 million; even tiny Qatar is pledging $500 million.)
But the filibuster, a Senate rule requiring 60 votes to advance a bill, allowed Republicans to kill the commission on Friday even though 54 senators voted to move forward and 35 senators voted in opposition. (Several senators missed the vote entirely.) This proves once and for all that the filibuster doesn’t encourage bipartisan compromise. It impedes it.
Boteach is a huge supporter of the odious Trump and is as dedicated to the Israeli colonial enterprise in the Palestinian Occupied Territories as Cecil Rhodes was dedicated to colonizing southern Africa with superior white people. He flings the charge of anti-Semitism around the way former Grand Wizard of the KKK David Duke throws around accusations that white people are disadvantaged. Boteach actually thinks it is wrong for Palestinians in al-Khalil, which he calls Hebron, to protest having their property stolen. Supporting human rights for Palestinians is not anti-Semitic. In fact, opposing anti-Semitism as a form of bigotry is incumbent on anyone who cares about Palestinian human rights.
“I admire what Liz Cambage said,” this Indigenous athlete says, “but it is easier for her, from America, where she is surrounded by famous black athletes, and a strong movement for black people. Here, we are nearly invisible, have no mention in the Constitution, and are not recognised in a mostly white world. If I said what she said, from here, I would be torn apart by mainstream and social media , and it is not just worth it.”
Source: ‘We’re overlooked’: Why aren’t some of our best athletes in the Sporting Hall of Fame?
Facebook is up there with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp when it comes to sowing the seeds of doubt about climate science, conducting just six fact checks a month on billions of posts per day. Elizabeth Minter reports.
Source: Forked Tongue: Facebook is in News Corp’s league on subverting climate science – Michael West
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