Jerry Lewis, the comedian and filmmaker who was adored by many, disdained by others, but unquestionably a defining figure of American entertainment in the 20th century, died on Sunday morning at his home in Las Vegas. He was 91.

This cartoon of a woman cricketer by Minns, published in 1885 at The Bulletin, shows a certain amusing sexism. Sports cartoons in these days illustrated:

— the cost of professional Aussie Rule players looking more at the cash to be made than keeping their eyes on the ball, 

— the unruly crowds and players leading to a lot of injuries,

Influential crossbench senator Nick Xenophon has announced he will refer his election to the High Court after discovering he has a form of British citizenship.

In this very well drawn racist cartoon from The Bulletin 1888, Victoria's Premier Duncan Gillies tips a barrel of "chow" rubbish onto the New South Wales garden of Premier Henry Parkes...

Quite funnily these two characters were born in the United Kingdom. Who knows if they rescinded their Pom nationality? They did not have to, the constitution was only declared in 1901. Parkes was born in Coventry, where the population of Pakistanis is now bigger than that of white English people. 

Gillies was born in Scotland, migrated and worked in the Australian gold fields first as a miner then as a businessman. 

A scientific report done every four years has been thrust into the spotlight because its findings directly contradict statements from the president and various Cabinet officials.

The lack of care taken by a number of politicians about something as basic as their eligibility to sit in the parliament speaks volumes about the lackadaisical attitude of Australia’s political class to the rules of their road, which reflects our entirely deficient mechanisms for accountability and enforcement in politics.

Politics is an art form like religion and painting nudes. Religion is calcified artistic imagination. Politics is fluid and some people describe it as a science but to tell the truth, there's more sociopathy in politics than of sciences. And this is unfortunate. This sorry state of affairs is mostly due to our ability to con people and to be conned by people. 

Quoting Gus Leonisky:

Here we are when we thought it was safe to go back in the water, Annabel springs an analysis of democrasea upon us. Those murky waters need not to be disturbed, unless we recall the joyful Whitlam years:

"I shall continue to accept the advice that I and my predecessors have accepted — that in the interests of security I should travel by Royal Australian Airforce aircraft. In this context I want to assure honourable gentlemen that the body guards they see accompanying the Leader of the Opposition are not to prevent other people from shooting him but to prevent him from shooting himself."

                       Gough Whitlam

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Many priests are presently defending the sanctity and secrecy of confession. And this is fair enough. But there is a difference: many sins are not even catalogued as crimes in the penal code. Take the deadly sin of "gluttony" for example. It even does not rate a mention at a Jenny Craig Clinic.