Ich bin ja kein Freund von Word Clouds und so kreativer Hipster-Typografie, aber die zur CFTC-Anklage gegen Binance lohnt sich. Auch web3isgreat hat bermerkenswerte Details zusammengefasst. Weia.

Biden asked about Christians being targeted and slaughtered by the mentally-ill trans community. Biden makes a despicable partisan joke and cracks up laughing: Im just joking. Sick. Scumbag. Demonic. pic.twitter.com/p1ctxRW8Z4 Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) March 29, 2023

Rarely does a Judge end up a hero. Judge Michael Finnane was a hero to many. Michael Finnane KC/QC was a judge in the NSW district Court who had the atrocious task of listening to the horrific details of the Skaf Gang rapes that occurred back in 2000. Finnane put...

UPDATE Priorities, right?

The Show must go on.. Orlando Bloom meets Zelensky in Warzone .. pic.twitter.com/Oz3kLqtVvM Truthseeker (@Xx17965797N) March 27, 2023

France A clip that has not been shown on the vast majority of our mainstream broadcast media. The police get stuck into the protesters in Paris.#FranceProtests #Parispic.twitter.com/eSJwnZOllk James Melville (@JamesMelville) March 27, 2023

by Mary W Maxwell, LLB

One man can control millions of people. In 1505, Niccolo Machiavelli, who is sometimes called the father of political science, advised the prince, Lorenzo de Medici, about the importance of surprise and ruthlessness as ways to reach the top. He gave an example:

A prince may rise from a private station by some wicked or nefarious ways. Agathocles, the Sicilian, became King of Syracuse from a low and abject position. This man, the son of a potter, accompanied his infamies with so much ability of mind and body that, having devoted himself to the military profession, he rose to be Praetor.  One morning he assembled the people and s...

GUIDE: "Yes, sir, down the ramp...your mark is gonna be the blue one to the left. You got a blue mark." BIDEN: "I'll stay in my blue mark." pic.twitter.com/XSmxEgUr2z RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 28, 2023

Forget energy prices. Forget what happens after Liddell. The Premier is hard at work, for fish.

The post The Whale: A Blak perspective appeared first on IndigenousX.

Yesterday we brought you the news that Albanese's administration has appointed old mate Barry Cassidy as the Chair of the Board of Old Parliament House. No wonder he's smirking. The Museum of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House was established by this act https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2016L00739 It provides for the appointment of a...

There is no doubt that we need to take action to reduce the impacts of climate change and there are clear ways to move forward on this. One is preserving our native forests, an action that has multiple positive outcomes from carbon capture to helping endangered species survive. Yet our governments and their various bureaucratic arms seem unwilling to move quickly and effectively on this, which has seen frustrated Australians taking to the forest canopy, to the courts, and to the media to keep the pressure on for action.

Bees theyre fucking awesome! point out the Sweet Chunk Band in their melodious dedication to the bee, that sweet and essential little insect that helps keep us happy, fed, and alive here on planet earth. 

The little varroa mite is leading to the eradication of many beehives in NSW. The Varroa mite (Varroa destructor and Varroa jacobsoni) is a parasite of adult European honey bees and honey bee brood. It weakens and kills European honey bee colonies and can also transmit honey bee viruses. The varroa mite order remains on effect. 

My interview with ABC Radios Triple J on the mass protests convulsing Israel and what they say about the state of democracy in the country.

My interview starts at 4:53.

The post ABC Radio Triple J interview on Israeli democracy appeared first on Antony Loewenstein.

My interview on global broadcaster TRT World about the mass protests in Israel and faux discussions about Jewish democracy.

The post TRT World TV interview on Israels push for Jewish democracy appeared first on Antony Loewenstein.

Theres a paradox about being a settler in a stolen country. No matter when we arrived, we inherited the bounty of genocidal violence. Many of us are the beneficiaries of the intergenerational wealth-building that saw English, Irish and Scottish settler families grow rich on the sheep, timber, wheat and resources provided by stolen land. We have a profound responsibility to dismantle the lie-telling because it shores up this legacy and the systems of colonial violence that continue in our lifetimes.

The post Standing in the dawns new light: truth-telling for settlers appeared first on Overland literary journal.

This recent interview Julian Assanges father and stepbrother by Sabrina Salvati, provides a good explanation about key issues associated with the prosecution of the journalist and publisher. Issues like the deliberate strategy of keeping him in isolation, rising censorship and the curtailment of democracy, and the extent of the support for Julians freedom.

Video from Sabby Sabs

The post Video: John and Gabriel Shipton join In-Person Interview appeared first on The Pen.

By Svetlana Ekimenko Sputnik 28.03.2023

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida paid a surprise visit to Ukraine to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Moscow. Both visits came as the announcement of future DU ammo supplies to Ukraine hit the headlines.

Japans Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been condemned by the opposition for staying tight-lipped on the UKs announced delivery of depleted uranium ammunition to the Kiev regime, according to media reports.

Taro Yamamoto, leader of the opposition party Reiwa Shinsengumi, is said to have raised the issue at a budget committee meeting in the Japanese parliaments upper house.

Mr Prime Minister, do you intend to encourage the UK not to send such shells? the politician is cited as asking Kishida.

The head of the Japanese government ostensibly dodged giving a direct answer, saying something to the effect that, despite studies on the negative effects on human health, no concrete results have been obtained. However, Yamamoto would not let up, pressing further:

Actually, such munitions could already be classified as nuclear weapons, and it was found that there is a risk of cancer Mr. Prime Minister, during your meeting with Zelensky, did you ask him not to use ammunition with depleted uranium?

Kishida is said to have responded by saying that, As for depleted uranium weapons, I didnt say anything specific about it in my meeting with Zelensky.

The opposition leader then slammed this response as sending a bad message, and added, as a parting broadside, that the Prime Minister himself was from Hiroshima.

The US dropped two atomic bombs plutonium Fat Man and gun-type uranium Little Boy on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in August 1945. The bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, mostly Japanese civilians. Neither Hiroshima nor Nagasaki hosted any key military installations whatsoever.

Japans Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who will chair the Group of Seven (G7) summit scheduled for May, visited Ukraine on March 21. He met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a day after Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Moscow to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Kishidas visit was seen by analysts as tailored to demonstrate that Japan is the Wests reliable ally. Even though Kishida embarked on his Kiev visit to show solidarity with Ukraine, Tokyo has been contributing less economic help to Ukraine than other countries of the so-called...

Die Contentmafia siegt vor Gericht gegen das Internet Archive. Die Vorgeschichte ist, dass das Internet Archive Bcher gekauft hat, dann gescannt, und dann Leuten digital zugnglich gemacht hat. Allerdings nur soviele Ausleihen zugelassen hat, wie sie auch physische Kopien des Buches hatten.

Als dann Covid in die heie Phase ging, haben sie die Beschrnkung aufgehoben. Die Verlage wollten daher gerne das Internet Archive in einen Parkplatz verwandeln, aber sie wollen lieber nicht Covid und kleine Kinder im Lockdown als Kontext haben, also haben sie jetzt die gesamte Praxis der digitalen Ausleihe physischer Bcher vor Gericht angegriffen.

Das Gericht hat ihnen Recht gegeben.

Das war jetzt leider nicht blo irgendein Amtsgericht von Hintertupfingen sondern ein Circuit Court von New York, aber es gibt noch einen Rechtsweg, und den will das Internet Archive auch bestreiten.

Bemerkenswert ist allerdings, dass sie nicht nur das Internet Archive plattmachen wollen sondern auch die ganzen regulren Bibliothen, die das auch gemacht haben. Da droht also ein immenser kultureller Kahlschlag.

Das ist jetzt nicht unbedingt etwas, wo Europer mal eben mitmarschieren knnen, aber Spenden aus Europa nimmt das Internet Archive auch. Die sind dann halt nicht von der Steuer absetzbar. Publizieren des Problems ist aber das mindeste, was alle Benutzer von archive.org mal tun knnen.

In the finest traditions of policing. Heroes. Nashville Police have released the bodycam footage and it cannot be stressed enough how remarkable this response was. These men are absolute heroes. pic.twitter.com/aOT8IJyH04 Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) March 28, 2023

Widespread environmental benefits are becoming increasingly evident after recent flooding down the Murray in South Australia with fish, birds and other wildlife flourishing. High flows which peaked across December and January provided much-needed water to some parts of the river and its floodplain for the first time in more than 60 years. That's resulted in a surge in the number of wood ducks and black swans at Chowilla near the NSW border, with surveys also finding large numbers of other water and woodland birds making the most of the flood-enriched breeding and feeding habitats. Pacific black ducks and nankeen night herons have also been observed in numbers with groups of young emerging after the flood.

The final exchange, caught on camera between visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian host and counterpart, Vladimir Putin, sums up the current geopolitical conflict, still in its nascent stages, between the United States and its Western allies on the one hand, and Russia, China and their allies, on the other.

Xi was leaving the Kremlin following a three-day visit that can only be described as historic. Change is coming that hasnt happened in 100 years, and we are driving this change together, Xi said while clasping Putins hand.

I agree, Putin replied while holding Xis arm. Please take care, dear friend, he added.

In no time, social media exploded by sharing that scene repeatedly. Corporate western media analysts went into overdrive, trying to understand what these few words meant.

Is that part of the coming change that they will drive together? Ian Williamson raised the question in the Spectator. Though he did not offer a straight answer, he alluded to one: It is a chilling prospect for which the west needs to be prepared.

Xis statement was, of course, uttered by design. It means that the strong Chinese-Russian ties, and possible future unity, are not an outcome of immediate geopolitical interests resulting from the Ukraine war or a response to US provocations in Taiwan. Even before the Ukraine war commenced in February 2022, much evidence pointed to the fact that Russia and Chinas goal was hardly temporary or impulsive. Indeed, it runs deep.

The very language of multipolarity has defined both countries discourse for years, a discourse that was inspired mainly by the two countries displeasure with US militarism from the Middle East to Southeast Asia, their frustration with Washingtons bullying tactics whenever a disagreement arises, be it in trade or border demarcations; the punitive language; the constant threats; the military expansion of NATO and much more.

One month before the war, I argued with my co-writer, Romana Rubeo, that Russia and China might be at the cusp of unity. That conclusion was drawn based on a simple discourse analysis of the official language emanating from both capitals and the actual deepening of relations.

At the time, we wrote:

Some kind of an alliance is already forming between China and Russia. The fact that the Chinese people are taking note of this and are supporting their governments drive towards greater integration...

I may know how Richard Dawkins might be feeling. I know my encounter with the consequences of speaking out about Islam was life-changing. The diversity-dividend has been a tragedy for a previously enlightened West. A catastrophic tragedy. A heartbreaking scene. @piersmorgan is interviewing @RichardDawkins, one of the most influential minds...

The distressing footage from women's rights campaigner Kelly-Jay Keen's violent encounter with trans activists in Auckland has made one thing clear beyond doubt: the trans movement has a serious misogyny problem. At the weekend, Keen was pelted with tomato juice, jeered at and hounded by a crushing mob of trans activists. In the run-up to the event, she was demonised in the Australian and New Zealand media, who portrayed her as a crypto-Nazi. Attempts were made to have her visa revoked and to shut down her Let Women Speak tour. All this, because Keen campaigns for women's rights, because she does not mince her words about the need for single-sex spaces, and because she lends a platform to ordinary women who share her concerns about trans-rights activism. Keen joined Brendan O'Neill for the latest episode of The Brendan O'Neill Show to discuss her harrowing experience in Auckland. What follows is an edited extract from their conversation. You can listen to the full episode here.

Labor eventually rewards its media friends. Its taken a while but Barrie Cassidy has finally got his retirement kickback to supplement his already swollen ABC pension. Today, good-old-mate Tony Burke made Cassidy the chairman of the Old Parliament House Board with a generous taxpayer allowance. Cassidy used to pretend to...

Rugs can be an easy and effective way to add colour and texture to any room. However, you need to be extra cautious whenever youre shopping around for rugs. Nowadays, there are a lot of retailers and online shops that sell cheap rugs that leave a lot to be desired when it comes to quality.

But how do you tell the difference between a good rug and a bad one? If you dont know what to look for when shopping for one, it can be difficult to determine whether or not youre getting a good quality rug.

In this blog, were going to discuss some of the tell-tale signs of a poorly made rug.

1. Check the Material
   The material of a rug can be a great indication as to its overall quality. Poor-quality rugs are usually made with synthetic materials like polyester or acrylic, which lack the durability and longevity offered by natural fibres. Many high-quality Persian rugs, in contrast, are usually made of wool, silk and cotton.

   Synthetic materials are not only weaker and more prone to wear and tear, but they also have less breathability and are usually less comfortable to the touch.

2. Look at the Weaving
   Any areas on the rug where the weaving is loose or uneven could be indicative of poor quality. A high-quality rug should have dense, tight stitches to ensure durability.

   Because of this, you should always inspect the weave for evenness. If there are gaps between some of the threads, this is typically a sign that the rug was rushed and was made with inferior automated manufacturing methods.

   It is also important to examine the back of the rug. Sections with little or no piles could mean that those parts are likely to wear down faster than the rest.

3. Inspect for Shedding
   Another easy way to determine if a rug is high quality is to check for shedding. To make sure youre getting your moneys worth, give the rug a few good shakes and rubs before buying it. If there is significant shedding, its likely best to look elsewhere. Soft rugs that shed fibres easily are usually of poor quality.

   Quality hand-made rugs should only shed small amounts. Reduced shedding helps ensure the longevity of the rug and it also makes it feel softer and more luxurious to walk on. Additionally, it helps keep you and your home safe from contaminant-spreading fibres.

4. Examine the Edges
   ...

I watched this series on ABC Australia when it was first broadcast in 2020. It won a lot of awards. Its now out on Netflix.

This week on Yeah Nah Pasaran! we talk to Simon Hunt (Facebook /// Twitter /// YouTube). Sometimes AKA Pauline Pantsdown, Simon has a long history as an activist, artist and raconteur. We spoke to him about Posie Parkers recent tour, Continue reading

Sounds like Malka Leifers going down. And will be heading to The Big House to do her time, maybe 15 years. Very bad a mum with eight kids, a devout Jew, a school principal and citizen of Israel breached everyones trust and did this stuff to Australian Jewish kids.

After spending a lifetime complaining about people being judged by their skin colour, Stan Grant is judging people by their skin colour. He's complained that the ABC failed to racially load-up its election night panel. In 2023, how is it at all acceptable that an election night coverage features an...

1.00 AUD = 0.00002 BTC
0.00010 BTC = 4.05 AUD
Converter

AFSA Responds to 7:30 Report on CO2 Stunning of Pigs: Calls for small-scale local abattoirs

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

28 March 2023

Last nights ABC 7:30 Report exposing the realities of CO2 stunning used for 85% of pigs slaughtered in Australia was a much-needed wake-up call about the need to de-industrialise our food system, says the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA), a farmer-led civil society organisation of people working together towards socially-just and ecologically-sound food and agriculture systems that foster the democratic participation of small-scale farmers and local communities in decision making processes.

AFSAs members want to see a flourishing of more small farms with increased autonomy, access to and control of local processing infrastructure including abattoirs. They are opposed to the methods of industrial food production such as confining pigs and poultry in sheds, and using what they believe to be inhumane methods from tail docking right through to CO2 stunning. But in the case of slaughter, most smallholders options are limited as consolidation over several decades to a dwindling number of mostly large-scale abattoirs has left them no say in how far they have to transport animals or in the method of slaughter.

Lauren Mathers is a pastured pig farmer and Chair and Director of the Murray Plains Meat Cooperative, which is nearing completion of a small-scale abattoir in Barham, NSW to service local farmers. Mathers says, I personally do not believe that gassing pigs is humane, but it is an approved RSPCA process. This is one of the biggest reasons why small abattoirs are crucial.

While large-scale abattoirs prefer CO2 stunning because it allows for a higher number of animals to be killed in a day, small-scale abattoirs use captive bolt or electric stunning. CO2 gas has been known to be aversive and to cause pain and distress in pigs for over 20 years, a point made by Dr Ellen Jongman in the episode. Rather than more research into less aversive gases in large abattoirs, the best alternative according to AFSA is for state and local governments to support a revival of small-scale local abattoirs owned and controlled by local communities such as the Murray Plains Meat Cooperative and others emerging around Australia. 

Industrial agriculture and the global meatpacking industry have long demonstrated a lack of commitment to action on animal welfare, biodiversity loss, and climate change, with a business model built on feed-lotted and shedded animals, low-paid and dangerous labour, and reliance on deforestation to grow grain fed to intensively raised livestock. 

AFSA p...

BREAKING: *Sensitive Content* Security footage released showing transgender Nashville shooter Audrey Hale driving & shooting her way into the school building.pic.twitter.com/HiivhcXd2r Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 28, 2023

Spending time outdoors is an excellent way to relax, rejuvenate, and recharge. Whether you have a small patio, a spacious backyard, or a balcony, you can transform your outdoor space into a stunning oasis that reflects your personality and style. You can make your homes outdoor area more inviting, functional, and beautiful with a bit of creativity and effort.

Consider Local, Native Flowers

If youre looking for an easy way to add some natural charm to your homes outdoor space, consider planting native flowers. These plants are adapted to your local climate and soil, so theyre often low-maintenance and attract pollinators like bees and butterflies. Plus, they can add pops of colour and texture to your garden beds or pots.

From sunflowers to wildflowers, there are plenty of native options to choose from that will bring a touch of the great outdoors to your backyard.

Get a Table to Create a Second Dining Room

Have you ever thought about eating your meals outside? Its a great way to enjoy the fresh air and soak up some sunshine while you chow down. To make your outdoor dining experience even more enjoyable, you might want to think about investing in a nice dining table.

It doesnt have to be anything too fancy, but having a sturdy surface to set your plates and drinks can really elevate your outdoor meal game. Its the perfect excuse to invite some friends or family over for a backyard barbecue or picnic.

Build a Cosy Fire Pit

Do you love spending evenings outdoors, but wish you had a cosy, warm spot to gather around with friends and family? Consider building a fire pit! Its easier than you might think, and it can add a lot of warmth and ambience to your backyard.

You can build one with simple bricks or stones, or get creative and use different materials like metal or concrete. Not only will it be a great spot to roast marshmallows or enjoy some hot cocoa, but it can also add a focal point to your outdoor
area.

Set Up a Greenhouse

If youre a plant lover or looking to expand your gardening skills, setting up a beautiful greenhouse can be a great addition to your outdoor space. A greenhouse can provide a controlled environment for growing plants and vegetable year- round, even in harsh weather conditions. It also allows you to experiment with different types of plants and techniques, giving you the opportunity to grow your own fresh produce or rare flowers. Plus, a well-designed greenhouse can be an attractive feature in your backyard and even increase the value of your property.

There are many different types and sizes of greenhouses to choose from, depending on your needs and budget. You...

What a prick, he's thrilled with his vandalism and making power bills unaffordable.

Given some of the breathless media coverage about the proposed reforms to the Privacy Act, you could be forgiven for thinking that the government is about to embark on a radical transformation of our privacy laws, to the benefit of consumers and detriment of business.  However the devil, as they say, is in the details.  And when it comes to the Privacy Act review, the details in the final set of proposals are surprising.

The Final Report from the Attorney-Generals Department into their review of the Privacy Act was published last month, although just how final it is is debatable, given we have until 31 March to make yet another submission.  And at 320 pages long, and with 116 proposals for reform, there is a lot to digest.

Plenty has already been written by way of summarising the proposals, focussing on things like the introduction of a fair and reasonable test, mandatory Privacy Impact Assessments for high-risk activities, and a new right to erasure.

Indeed we have our own guide to how the proposed reforms will change the status quo, plus a webinar to explore their implications.

But a number of those reform proposals were very much as expected, having been flagged in the 2021 Discussion Paper.

So for a fresh take on the proposed reforms, today we have teased out for you some of the things we found most surprising in the Final Report.

In particular, we were surprised to find a disturbing amount of accommodation of the data-extractive business practices which Australians dont want; a doubling-down on the idea that consent can be forced via terms of service, contrary to the ACCCs exposure of digital platform processes which kicked off this whole review in the first place; and the introduction of unnecessary complexities which will confuse businesses and consumers alike, without improving privacy outcomes.

Lets tease out some of these surprising features from the Final Report.

Legislative whack-a-mole

One of the strengths of the Privacy Act is the flexibility offered by its technology neutrality and principles-based nature.  According to the Final Report, a common theme in submissions to the review was support for the current design.

So it is surprising to see so many proposals which could undermine the neutrality and flexibility of the Privacy Act, by proposing special rules for particular technologies, sectors or activ...

by Dee McLachlan

(Apologising to readers in advance as this is but another of many articles in a series.)

This is a follow-up on Part 1 on my reporting of THE KING v PATRICK FINBAR MCGARRY ODEA, WILLIAM RUSSELL MASSINGHAM PRIDGEON, ANN KATHLEEN GREER AND ORS. In that article, I wrote that the unquestioning evidence of what I see and have witnessed personally over the last...

Matt Kean is forced to preferences in his own very safe north shore Liberal seats - and still hes out doing stunts. The half flushed turd has no shame.

Contributed by Glen Davis

Just back from a nice holiday in Broken Hill. Theres a bit to do in Broken Hill, including visiting the cemetery and seeing the final resting place of those whove established this iconic outback town.

In the cemetery, within the general graves section, P232, lies Percy Brookfield. Many of us seem to have forgotten him. So Ill give a brief outline of who he was, with why hes important.

The monument over Percy Brookfields grave

Percy was born in England at a place called Wavetree, near Liverpool on 7 August 1875, At 13 he went to sea. Then after working as a merchant seaman, he landed in Australia. He took to the roads living the life of a swaggy (an iterant workman wandering the roads).

He finally settled in Broken Hill, where he became active in the Amalgamated Miners Association, rapidly rising to the role of Vice President. It was during this time he played a key role in obtaining the 44-hour week.

As well as being active on the industrial front, he was politically aware, involving himself in many Left-wing struggles, including leading Labours Volunteer Army in Broken Hill during the anti-conscription campaigns. Brookfield opposed WW1, the great trade war, also supported the Bolshevik revolution, as well as the anarcho-syndicalist Industrial Workers of the World.

Brookfield found himself elected to the NSW parliament as representative of the Australian Labor Party, (ALP). Voted in during a byelection, he increased his vote tally in the next general election.

With his radical politics he often found himself in conflict with t...

Stade de France, Paris

In a new program trial in Australia, oyster mushrooms are taking on an important new task. The fungi will consume the toxic chemicals and plastics inside up to 1.2 million cigarette butts, which will be diverted from landfills for the trial.

In Australia, people smoke about 18 billion cigarettes a year, and up to 9 billion cigarettes end up littered, according to the World Wildlife Fund Australia. Even with bans on smoking cigarettes in vulnerable areas, like beaches, much of the litter found still includes cigarette butts. In Victoria alone, an estimated 450 metric tons of cigarette butts go to landfills.

So in late 2020, researchers began looking for ways to repurpose littered cigarette butts. In 2021, researchers started working to train oyster mushrooms to break down cigarette butts, digesting the harmful materials like chemicals and microplastics and leaving behind materials that could be reused for other purposes.

Its a fascinating process to see, and most of our stuff is grown in glass so you can see the process, fungi researcher and founder of biotechnology company Fungi Solutions Amanda Morgan told Australian Broadcasting Corporation at the time. Mushrooms put out fine webs of mycelium and the roots spread through the cigarette butt.

Now, state government office Sustainability Victoria will fund a trial called CigCycle, a collaboration between nonprofit No More Butts and Fungi Solutions. The program will use cigarette butts destined for landfill, instead sending them to a lab to be digested by the oyster mushrooms. 

The mushrooms use cellulose acetate in the cigarette butts as a source of nutrition, according to the researchers. The oyster mushrooms consume most of the provided cigarette butts within about a week, as The Guardian reported. In a landfill, this waste would take about 15 years to break down.

In February, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) published an extensive investigation into the spectacular collapse of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), which the U.S. spent two decades and $90 billion building. In common with previous SIGAR reports, it offers a remarkably uncompromising, no-punches-pulled assessment, exposing corruption, incompetence, lies, and delusion every step of the way.

At the reports core is a highly detailed timeline of the ANDSFs and, therefore, the Afghan governments disintegration. That SIGAR was able to construct such a painstaking obituary is nothing short of miraculous, for the Special Inspector General was stonewalled and obstructed at every turn by the agencies it is officially charged with scrutinizing.

The Pentagon and State Department rejected SIGARs jurisdiction over them, declined to review interim drafts of the report, denied access to their staff, and mostly refused to answer requests for information. Very few documents SIGAR asked for were turned over, and material disclosed was often not materially relevant to our objectives.

In lieu of cooperation from the guilty parties, SIGAR conducted a panoply of probing interviews with U.S. and Afghan officials. While often unnamed, their admissions and analysis provide stunning insight into conversations, deliberations, and machinations hidden from public view at the time. Together, these accounts help explain how the ANDSF, much-vaunted by the White House until its demise, failed so spectacularly.

It is a highly cinematic retelling that is part thriller, part farce. Take, for example, a former senior Afghan national security official recounting the morning of August 15, 2021, the day Kabul fell. As Americans rushed to depart the country, en route to a meeting with President Ashraf Ghani, he was told by the Presidential Protective Service chief that the Taliban, contrary to promises not to enter the city, had done so.

In the presidents office, the pair scrambled to draft an official statement to be transmitted domestically and internationally on the groups unwelcome arrival. A secretary was asked to request some green tea from catering, as was customary in such meetings:

He went and brought the tray himself. Wait a minute, what happened to the server? He said, theres no one left. People in our offices had abandoned and they had gone[By around] 10 or 11, we no longer had a consolidated security force.

This mass walkout was evident in every state apparatus. The president contacted the head of the...

By Endre Sim, World BEYOND War, March 27, 2023

A speech at the Szabadsg Square Peace demonstration in Budapest.

The organizers asked me to be the keynote speaker at this demonstration. Thank you for the honor, but I will only speak on the condition that the honorable members of the assembly answer a question. Do you want Hungary to be independent and pursue a sovereign policy in line with our national interests?

Good! So we have a common cause! If you had answered no, I would have had to realize that I had become involved with those who put the American interest before the Hungarian one, consider Zelenskys power more important than the destiny of the Transcarpathian Hungarians, and who want to continue the war in the hope that they can defeat Russia.

Together with you, I also feared for the peace of our country from these people! They are the ones who, if they had to choose between America and Hungary, would be ready to throw away what was left of Trianon as a spoil. I certainly never thought that we would get to this point, and that we should be afraid that our domestic cosmopolitans, arm in arm with our NATO allies, would plunge our country into war for foreign interests! Against these bastards, lets shout at the top of our lungs that we want peace! Just peace, because we are tired of unjust peaces!

We hear a lot these days about how they would like to overthrow the Orbn government through internal and external cooperation and replace it with a puppet government that serves American interests. Some would not even shy away from a coup dtat, and are not even averse to the possibility of foreign military intervention.

They do not like the fact that Orbn does not want to allow our NATO allies to drag Hungary into a war against Russia. They cannot digest that, in its search for a peaceful solution, this government not only enjoys the support of the parliamentary majority, but also the support of the vast majority of our peace-loving compatriots.

You dont want to shed your blood for America and its puppet, Zelensky, do you?!

Do we want to live in peace and on good terms with Russia? With both East and West? Who wants our country to become a parade ground for foreign armies? To become a battlefield again, because the real masters of power deci...

Should they be taking them? Ukraine is desperate for any bit of warring materiel its armed forces can lay their hands on, but depleted uranium shells would surely not be a model example of use. And yet, the UK, in an act of killing with kindness, is happy to fork them out to aid the cause against the Russians, despite the scandals, the alleged illnesses, and environmental harms.

An outline of the measure was provided by Minister of state for defence Baroness Annabel Goldies written answer to a question posed by Lord Hylton: Alongside our granting of a squadron of Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, we will be providing ammunition including armour piercing rounds which contain depleted uranium. Such rounds are highly effective in defeating modern tanks and armoured vehicles.

The response from the Kremlin was swift. If all this happens, warned Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia will have to respond accordingly, given that the West collectively is already beginning to use weapons with a nuclear component. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu also foresaw nuclear collision.

The statement from Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Russian lower house, shifted the focus from potential nuclear catastrophe to the field of medical consequences, reminding his fellow members that the use of such ammunition by the US in former Yugoslavia and Iraq had led to radioactive contamination and a sharp rise in oncological cases.

News networks were left trying to convey a picture to the public, much of it skimpy on the perilous consequences arising from using such munitions. The BBCs characteristic language of understatement notes that such uranium, stripped of much of its radioactive content, makes weapons more powerful, but it is feared those weapons could be a threat to people in areas where they are used.

Sky News had its own benign interpretation of the dangers, suggesting that DU, in emitting alpha particles, did not have enough energy to go through skin, so exposure to the outside of the body is not considered a serious hazard. An admission as to the dangers had to follow. It can be a serious health hazard, however, if it is swallowed or inhaled.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs...

by Elyssa Cherney, Crains Chicago Business, and Steve Mills, ProPublica

The statue of Buddha that was up for sale at Christies auction house was, according to art experts, an early test: Would recent controversy around objects once owned by two prominent Chicago collectors hinder its sale and send a signal about how the art market views the renowned collection?

The answer came quickly. The 7 1/4-inch copper-alloy Buddha from 9th-century Nepal, which had been on loan to the Art Institute of Chicago until last year, failed to sell last week, a Christies spokesperson said.

It never received a bid in the estimated price range of $60,000 to $80,000.

Nobody wants to buy trouble, said Erin Thompson, an associate professor of art crime at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York who has advocated for repatriation of Nepali artifacts. Why would you buy someone elses stolen cultural property?

Although the Christies auction was a single sale of a single object, art experts said it was telling nonetheless. The rare Buddha had been in the collection of James and Marilynn Alsdorf, whose massive art holdings focused on pieces from Nepal and other parts of South and Southeast Asia.

The Christies spokesperson said 63% of the auctions 124 lots found buyers.

The Alsdorfs obtained the Buddha at a time when protocols around collecting were lax, and it was sold to them by a New York dealer who at the end of his career acknowledged engaging in questionable practices. Ethical standards for acquiring antiquities became more strict after a 1970 UNESCO convention prohibited the import of looted cultural property.

The Buddha was on loan to the Art Institute beginning in the late 1990s and was last on display in 2018 at the museum, which has galleries dedicated to the Alsdorfs vast Asian collection. Marilynn Alsdorf, who died in 2019, left much of the collection to the museum. James Alsdorf, who once led the museums board of trustees, died in 1990.

Last week, ProPublica and Crains Chicago Business published...

By Sally Beck | TCW Defending Freedom | March 27, 2023

Mayday! Mayday! is something no airline pilot wants to say, and no passenger wants to hear, but this month Virgin Australia, Emirates, United and Southwest airlines have all turned back aircraft or made emergency landings because air crew have suffered serious health incidents. A British Airways pilot died of a heart attack just before he was due to fly a plane from Egypt.

Heres the timeline:

       March 3: Virgin Australia crew received a memo describing why flight VARA A320 from Adelaide to Perth returned 30 minutes into the journey: The First Officer [co-pilot] became unwell. A return to Adelaide was considered the best course of action by the captain.

       March 11: United flight 2007 from Guatemala to Chicago was diverted because the captain had chest pains, landing at George Bush airport in Houston.

       March 12: It is reported that a British Airways pilot collapsed and died in a hotel in Cairo, Egypt, shortly before he was due to fly.

       March 13: Emirates flight EK205 from Milan turned back because the co-pilot felt unwell 90 minutes after take-off.

       March 22: Josh Yoder, President of US Freedom Flyers, an organisation fighting vaccine mandates for airline staff, tweeted: On a Southwest flight departing Las Vegas, the captain became incapacitated soon after take-off. He was replaced by a non-Southwest pilot who was commuting on that flight.

According to pilot and medical aviation doctor Jackie Stone, airline pilots have Class One medical clearance. This means they are extremely fit and extremely healthy, with less than a 1 per cent chance per year of having a medical incident that could immobilise them. They receive extensive annual medicals and are grounded if an incapacitating condition is picked up.

This makes the above highly unusual, and the favourite explanation for this increase is vaccine injury. Especially as we now know vaccines can cause...

Bidens Justice Dept. Keeps Hard Line in Death Row Cases

By MICHAEL TARM and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER

This photo provided by Taylor Legal Team shows Rejon Taylor. Taylor hoped the election of Joe Biden, the first U.S. president to campaign on a pledge to end the death penalty, would mean a more sympathetic look at his claims that racial bias and other trial errors landed him on federal death row in Terre Haute, Ind. But two years on, Justice Department attorneys under Biden are fighting the Black man's efforts to reverse his 2008 death sentence for killing a white restaurateur as hard as they did under Donald Trump, who oversaw 13 executions in his presidency's final months. (Taylor Legal Team via AP)

CHICAGO (AP) Rejon Taylor hoped the election of Joe Biden, the first U.S. president to campaign on a pledge to end the death penalty, would mean a more sympathetic look at his claims that racial bias and other trial errors landed him on federal death row in Terre Haute, Indiana.

But two years on, Justice Department attorneys under Biden are fighting the Black mans efforts to reverse his 2008 death sentence for killing a white restaurateur as hard as they did under Donald Trump, who oversaw 13 executions in his presidencys final months.

Every legal means they have available theyre using to fight us, said the 38-year-olds lawyer, Kelley Henry. Its business as usual.

Death penalty opponents expected Biden to act within weeks of taking office to fulfill his 2020 campaign promise to end capital punishment on the federal level and to work at ending it in states that still carry out executions. Instead, Biden has taken no steps toward fulfilling that promise.

But its not just inaction by Biden. An Associated Press review of dozens of legal filings shows Bidens Justice Department is fighting vigorously in courts to maintain the sentences of death row inmates, even after Attorney General Merrick Garland temporarily paused executions. Lawyers for some of the over 40 death row inmates say theyve seen no meaningful c...

Putin Calls West Instigators of Conflict in Ukraine

Russian President is convinced that the West crosses all red and even deep-red lines by supplying weapons to Ukraine

Mikhail Metzel/POOL/TASS

MOSCOW, March 26. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin sees Western countries as "initiators and instigators" of the conflict in Ukraine.

"An armed coup - that's where it all started. We were forced to protect the population of Crimea, and this way or another we ended up supporting Donbass. They pretend they had nothing to do with it. They are the initiators of this conflict and the instigators. And today they are handing over millions more munitions, hardware and so on," the president said, answering questions from host Pavel Zarubin.

Putin stressed that he had repeatedly spoken about this, adding that the former leadership of Ukraine could also be blamed for certain mistakes. "But it is their internal affair, of Ukraine itself. But staging a coup, besides a bloody one, - this is a completely different story," he went on to say.

According to Putin, the West is crossing all red and even deep-red lines by supplying weapons to the Kiev regime. "Yes, thats what they are doing, they did it from the very start in 2014. When they facilitated the coup," the president said, responding to Zarubin's question who said that weapons supplies to Kiev, including depleted uranium munitions, meant crossing red and even deep-red lines.

Russias Nuke Arms in Belarus is Response to Collective West Ex-top Yugoslav Diplomat

Zhivadin Yovanovitch noted that the agreement between Moscow and Minsk followed the announcement of the UK about plans to supply depleted uranium shells to Kyiv

BELGRADE, March 26. /TASS/. The deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus can be seen as a response to the actions of countries of the collective West, ex-Foreign Minister of former Yugoslavia Zivadin Jovanovic told TASS on Sunday.

"I think that the agreement on the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus...

A space scientist formerly based at the University of Sydney made up data in an unpublished manuscript, an investigation by the institution has found. 

The researcher, Joachim Schmidt, utilised Adobe Photoshop to make up results, according to a letter dated Feb. 15, 2023, from Emma Johnston, deputy vice-chancellor of research at the University of Sydney, to scientists at the University of Michigan who reported complaints in late 2019 about work by Schmidt and his former professor Iver Cairns to the Australian institution. 

Given the above, the Panel found there had been breaches of the Research Code on the part of Dr Schmidt. The breaches were viewed as serious, and the Panel considered them to be sufficiently serious to warrant a finding of research misconduct as defined in the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, the letter, obtained by Retraction Watch, stated. 

The fabricated image appears in a manuscript about the effects of weather in space Schmidt wrote with Cairns. The paper has yet to be published. 

Sydney has also launched a probe into all the images published in papers Schmidt co-authored in the last five years, according to the letter. 

In November 2020, Sydney was named the Academic Institution of the Year at the Australian Space Awards, and Cairns was one of the scientists who accepted the award. According to his LinkedIn page, Schmidt was a lecturer at Sydneys School of Physics from November 2010...

By Fyodor Lukyanov | RT | March 26, 2023

So much has been said about Xi Jinpings visit to Russia last week, that the descriptive genre has been exhausted. What is needed instead is either details on specific aspects or some sort of in-depth socio-cultural analysis. That will no doubt be done by specialists in those areas, so we will confine ourselves here to brief answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Are Russia and China allies?

Both countries have limited experience of alliances and are not really inclined towards this form of relationship. Such a declaration implies a commitment and, more importantly, a limitation of ones own interests and capabilities in favor of the other state. If it is reciprocal, it is fine and can be mutually beneficial but the dominant attitude in both Chinese and Russian political logic is freedom of action and maximum sovereignty. As a result, both Moscow and Beijing shy away from describing their relationship as an alliance, preferring more fluid phrases. This has happened again. It should be noted, however, that the expressions used by Xi come perhaps as close to the idea of an alliance (as is possible in Chinese culture) without using the term.

Is the relationship equal?

The question of equality is largely arbitrary it is not clear how to measure it. There is no formal hierarchy in relations between Russia and China, and in principle there cannot be such a system. It is difficult to compare the weight. China is, of course, much more powerful economically, and now also in many technological respects. However, Russia is a major military and political power in its own right. Indeed, when it comes to preparedness for adverse changes and shocks (lets call it state endurance), Moscow is probably in the lead, but Beijings room for maneuver in global politics is now much greater.

The question could be posed differently: who needs it more, and who should therefore do more to strengthen ties? At first glance, Russia would seem to need it the most no matter how well you do, an acute conflict with a group of the worlds most successful and influential states significantly limits your options. Thus, they need to be compensated by other partners which are no less important and therefore able to impose conditions. The most powerful of them all is China.

This is true, but there is another side to it. Beijing has finally realized that the time of peaceful and comfortable development is over. It is China that the United States sees as its main adversary for decades to come, and the pressure on it will only increase. Beijing has no more solid and reliable partner than Moscow; there is simply no other candidate. And the importa...

Ellen Brown, frequent Corbett Report guest and author of The Web of Debt and Banking on the People: Democratizing Money in the Digital Age, joins James to discuss her latest articles on the bank runs that are leading us toward the event horizon of the quadrillion-dollar derivative black hole. Sources, shownotes and links as

By Ramzy Baroud | MEMO | March 26, 2023

The final exchange, caught on camera between visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian host and counterpart, Vladimir Putin, sums up the current geopolitical conflict, still in its nascent stages, between the United States and its Western allies on the one hand, and Russia, China and their allies, on the other.

Xi was leaving the Kremlin following a three-day visit that can only be described as historic. Change is coming that hasnt happened in 100 years and we are driving this change together, Xi said while clasping Putins hand.

I agree, Putin replied while holding Xis arm. Please take care, dear friend, he added.

In no time, social media exploded by sharing that scene repeatedly. Corporate western media analysts went into overdrive, trying to understand what these few words meant.

Is that part of the change that is coming, that they will drive together? Ian Williamson raised the question in the Spectator. Though he did not offer a straight answer, he alluded to one: It is a chilling prospect, for which the west needs to be prepared.

Xis statement was, of course, uttered by design. It means that the Chinese-Russian strong ties, and possible future unity, are not an outcome of immediate geopolitical interests resulting from the Ukraine war, or a response to US provocations in Taiwan. Even before the Ukraine war commenced in February 2022, much evidence pointed to the fact that Russia and Chinas goal was hardly temporary or impulsive. Indeed, it runs deep.

The very language of multipolarity has defined both countries discourse for years, a discourse that was mostly inspired by the two countries displeasure with US militarism from the Middle East to Southeast Asia; their frustration with Washingtons bullying tactics whenever a...

More than 50 percent of the species that live in Australias shallow reefs declined in numbers as ocean waters warmed over the past decade. 

Thats the alarming finding from the countrys largest survey yet of marine life, which found that the numbers of more than 500 species had fallen.

This is very concerning to me, study lead author and University of Tasmania marine ecology Professor Graham Edgar told The Guardian. Ive been swimming up and down counting fish and seaweed for more than 30 years and Ive seen first-hand the effect of warming on the system. With the direction this is going, its a huge worry.

The research, published in Nature Wednesday, looked at the numbers of 1,057 common species found in 1,636 different locations. It found that 57 pe...

In Henrik Ibsens An Enemy of the People, the character Dr. Stockmann says:

The majority never has right on its side. Never I say! That is one of those social lies against which an independent, intelligent man must wage war. Who is it that constitute the majority of the population in a country? Is it the clever folk or the stupid? I dont imagine you will dispute the fact that at present the stupid people are in an absolutely overwhelming majority all the world over. But, good Lord!you can never pretend that it is right that the stupid folk should govern the clever ones! [the crowd cries out] Oh yesyou can shout me down, I know! But you cannot answer me. The majority has might on its side-unfortunately; but right it has not. I am in the rightI and a few other scattered individuals. The minority is always in the right.