Showing all posts in June 2019

US-based Center for Public Integrity released a report last week that should cause concern to those who believe that democracy is more than a little sickly in the world’s only superpower: “…lobbyists have spent nearly $13 billion since 1998 to influence members of Congress and federal officials on legislation and regulations.” Roberta Baskin, the Center’s…

Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz is a regular visitor to Australia, frequently interviewed in our media and prone to giving long-winded speeches on Israel. During a recent talk in Canada, Dershowitz claimed that Israel no longer tortured Palestinians, a fact he said was confirmed by speaking to the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI).…

“Mother Jones has tallied some 40 ExxonMobil-funded organizations that either have sought to undermine US mainstream scientific findings on global climate change or have maintained affiliations with a small group of “skeptic” scientists who continue to do so. Beyond think tanks, the count also includes quasi-journalistic outlets like Tech CentralStation.com (a website providing “news, analysis,…

“Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is planning further unilateral Israeli withdrawals to follow the pullout from the Gaza Strip if he fails to find a political settlement with the Palestinians, aides said.” “A source close to Sharon said that new unilateral moves – which reportedly could see Israel hold on to over 20 percent of the…

If you’re unsure about Tony Blair’s lies over Iraq or Michael Howard’s xenophobia regarding asylum seekers, this site will help you make the all-important decision on May 5. Pick a small party. Accountability will thank you.

Further reports that the US and UK are using napalm in Iraq. Despite the mainstream media ignoring these charges, eyewitnesses are increasingly coming forward. Last year’s American assault on Fallujah remains the current target of these allegations. Medialens has been pursuing the BBC over the broadcaster’s failure to fully investigate. Read the report of April…

For fans of The Sopranos, the HBO series unlike any before, the long-awaited and supposedly final sixth season is about to start production in the US. Michael Imperioli, who plays Tony Soprano’s nephew Christopher Moltisanti, says that the episodes will probably screen in the US in early 2006, making our wait here just a little…

“Our presidents and prime ministers are poseurs”, writes Robert Fisk. “Where are the Great Men of today?” Pope John Paul II, thankfully, doesn’t make the cut (though is praised for opposing the Iraq war), Nelson Mandela certainly does and the Dear Leaders of the Unwilling are shown to be the duplicitous men that they are.…

I’m off to Melbourne for a couple of days. A long-time friend is getting married in what I expect to be an OTT extravaganza. I’ve already been informed that I’m sitting next to a former girlfriend, and another ex will be at my table. Joy to the world. Alas, I have few fears. Everybody has…

During the last years, the Australian government implemented the “Pacific Solution”, a system of dumping unwanted refugees on cash-strapped islands in our region. Many people approved of this practice, as John Howard and his media supporters frequently suggested that terrorists or undesirables were arriving on leaky boats. Ludicrous and lacking in fact, Australia was involved…