I’ve been writing and speaking about Wikileaks since 2006, its year of inception. I support the group for its belief in transparency. There’s a new book just out, through The New Press in the US, that features a range of voices that discuss any number of issues, from climate change to nuclear weapons and US…
Showing all posts in June 2019
Rewarding failure; Australia keen to embrace G4S to “manage” refugees in PNG
What does it take for a corporation to be shunned? Clearly not massive failure, like G4S. The Australian government needs its head read but it shows that firms like G4S sell themselves as invaluable and “efficient” service providers: The Federal Government is looking to have the Manus Island immigration centre run by G4S, the same…
Challenging #firstworldproblems in Haiti
This is an interesting campaign and certainly eye-catching that makes a viewer uncomfortable. Perhaps for a place like Haiti, that I visited recently, we need to be shocked out of our inertia:
America is blind in Syria
The lead story in today’s New York Times is comical. Almost. What’s clear is how little Washington understands the Syrian revolution, who is fighting and why. Its intelligence is clearly suspect and hardline Islamists are being strengthened. America learns nothing from history.… Afghanistan in the 1980s, anybody? Most of the arms shipped at the behest of… Saudi…
Rabbis target the real enemies of life, the smartphone
Israeli publication Ynet reveals the holy war being fought by Rabbis against the greatest threat facing the Jewish people: Ultra-Orthodox rabbis are stepping up their war on smartphones, using the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah as an excellent opportunity to prove just how serious they are. On Monday evening, during the traditional singing and dancing…
America’s (almost) silent drone war and mainstream media largely ignoring civilian murders
America’s unrelenting drone war in Pakistan and elsewhere receives little accurate media coverage. The reality of civilians living in these areas are often ignored. Instead, we’re told “militants” are being killed. But who is really telling us this? A friend, Justin Randle, recently attended the Imran Khan anti-drone march in Pakistan (his report is here…
“After Zionism” book launch in Sydney
The following event took place in Sydney at independent bookstore Gleebooks on 2 October with Sydney Peace Foundation head Stuart Rees chairing proceedings and journalist Peter Manning interrogating me. It was recorded and edited by Green Left TV’s Paul Benedek:
Why the one-state solution is gathering steam
During my recent After Zionism tour in Israel/Palestine, one of the events was in Ramallah. Present in the audience was Philippe Agret, Agence France-Presse bureau chief of Israel and the Palestinian territories. Here’s his piece (inspired by that event?) published in Lebanon’s Daily Star: OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: A renewed Palestinian bid to seek upgraded U.N. status…
Haiti, in need of real support, faces shoddy aid “support” from US star
Most of the world’s media ignores Haiti. Too poor and too complex. The New York Times routinely frames the country as desperate with no interest in true independence. During my recent visit there I examined the reality behind the headlines, how multinationals and well-meaning souls are doing more harm than good. But now and then…
Public service film by Kid Rock & Sean Penn
It’s easy to just hate this cheesy short film but there’s something about its cheekiness and tongue in cheek humour that I like: