porter

Christian Porter should be given “another chance” at being a minister in future, according to acting prime minister Barnaby Joyce, because there was “nothing illegal” about his blind trust donations scandal.

But Mr Joyce has conceded a federal parliament oversight committee may further probe Mr Porter’s anonymous benefactors, as Labor and the Greens demand further answers on where the money came from.

“He has had a bad day at the wicket, no doubt about that, and that issue has been dealt with,” Mr Joyce told a Canberra press conference on Monday.

trust

Australia has defended its decision to scrap a multi-billion dollar submarine purchase from France in favour of a new security pact with the US and UK. 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison rejected accusations that Australia had lied, saying France should have been aware it was prepared to break the deal. 

soros

A bizarre war of words has erupted in recent days in the pages of financial media between billionaire hedge fund and color revolution specialist, George Soros, and the gigantic BlackRock investment group. The issue is a decision by BlackRock CEO Larry Fink to open the first foreign-owned mutual fund in China presumably to attract the savings of China’s new (and fast disappearing) middle income population. In a recent newspaper interview Soros called the BlackRock decision a threat to BlackRock investors and to US national security. 

empire

Never trust the Americans: Europe feels cheated, humiliated, betrayed

When Joe Biden became President, he reassured Europe that he is going to reverse Trump's policy of tilting toward Asia-Pacific, and will revive the traditional American policy of considering Europe as the most important ally of America.

However, the recent American actions completely belie America's assertions. America has just announced a trilateral security alliance, AUKUS, with the UK and Australia. The first action taken by this group is the shocking betrayal of France. Australia is scrapping a 43-billion-dollar nuclear submarine deal with France, and the US will now share its nuclear-powered submarine technology with Australia. Senior officials in Paris were outraged and accused the US of betrayal.

britannica...

In 1965 Hubert Horace Lamb published his study on "The early medieval warm epoch and its sequel", based on "data from the realms of botany, historical document research and meteorology". His view was that "Evidence has been accumulating in many fields of investigation pointing to a notably warm climate in many parts of the world, that lasted a few centuries around A.D. 1000–1200, and was followed by a decline of temperature levels till between 1500 and 1700 the coldest phase since the last ice age occurred."

terror

The War on Terror Gave Us Donald Trump

In an interview, Reign of Terror author Spencer Ackerman explains how the brutal legacy of America’s post-9/11 wars has reshaped U.S. society and led to our era of authoritarian demagoguery.

bias...

Is sexist bullying confined to Twitter users or the exclusive domain of the Left? Managing editor Michelle Pini [independent Australia] considers Leigh Sales' recent calling out of so-called Leftist Twitter users.

THERE IS NO denying that misogyny is alive and well in modern Australia.

Recent examples that come to mind include the gross mishandling by the Morrison Government of the alleged sexual assault of Brittany Higgins and the Christian Porter rape allegations.

white

By Caitlin Johnstone, an independent journalist based in Melbourne, Australia. Her website is here and you can follow her on Twitter @caitoz

spin

Elon Musk’s SpaceX on Friday shared more images from inside its Crew Dragon capsule that’s already brought its four civilian passengers around the Earth more than 15 times, according to the mission, dubbed “Inspiration4.”

One image, shared shortly after midnight, shows the whole crew — Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Chris Sembroski and Dr. Sian Proctor — floating in microgravity as they orbit the planet.

stone

Gus is a rabid atheist. Gus "has a soft spot for Roger Stone." This is to say that Gus thinks Stone was badly treated by the Mueller inquisition. Stone may have told a few embellished stories, but his main sin was that he worked from Trump. He was charged for an obscure misdemeanour that would not even attract a parking fine and Stone got 40 months of prison for it.

The system did not like Trump, but it could not get at him and despite the noise, the system still cant. The "system" is the gigantic mechanism of the US Empire. Trump was shutting the system down. Trump tried anyway without success, and even if Biden has now exited the US out of Afghanistan, the system has branched into another money making military venture: AUKUS or as some people call it F**KUS...

babar

Anyone remember ‘Babar the Elephant’? I do. The story of Babar was part of my childhood. I don’t remember if I enjoyed it or not but my guess is that I did, or I would not have stuck through watching episode after episode. There was the beginning, when Babar’s mother was killed by a hunter, when the little elephant was found, taken in and ‘civilized’ by the Rich Lady and when he returned home to the elephants, was made king, married Celeste and flew off in an air balloon to go on adventures, leaving behind the kingdom to his trusted advisor Cornelius and cousin Arthur.

Babar The Elephant – Racism, Sexism, and Privilege in Children’s Stories

Raoul Wieland examines the effect of colonialism in children’s stories like Babar.

chrissake

More American troops and military manpower will be deployed to Australia after a new strategic alliance was forged with the United States and Britain.

shit

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/what-the-submarine-deal-means-for-morrison-s-future-20210917-p58sjo.html

See also: a scum deal...

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these

The Chinese embassy in Canberra has rejected what they call "unfounded accusations" against China by the defence and foreign ministers of Australia and their US counterparts after annual talks in Washington.

• China responds angrily to Australia-US joint statement criticising Beijing on issues like Hong Kong and Xinjiang

• The joint statement came a day after Australia announced a deal to acquire nuclear submarines in partnership with the US and UK