Even more random links
Frankly, I'm knackered. Here goes:
btw, you get a lot of US stuff in this lj partly because the US dominates the Web, partly because I married an American and visit the country regularly, and partly because what happens in the US often influences or is relevant to what happens in Australia. For example, while racism Down Under and Up Over has different histories and characters, there's still a lot in common between them. So IMHO Reverend Denise Anderson's remarks about the shooting of young Black men by US police also have something to say to Australians:
"White people, you have heard it said that you must talk to other white people about racism, and you must. But don't talk to them about their racism. Talk to them about YOUR racism. Talk to them about how you were socialized to view, talk to, and engage with people of color. Talk to them about the ways you've acted on that socialization. Talk to them about the lies you bought into. Talk about the struggles you continue to have in shedding the scales from your eyes. Don't make it 'their' problem. Understand it as your own problem, because it is. To not do this would put you in danger of being yet another well-intentioned racist, convinced of their own goodness and living a life wholly unexamined and unaccountable to anyone. We don't need anymore of those. It's confession time."I think these words are especially relevant given the frightening return of One Nation. The response of many Australians is to jeer at Pauline Hanson's supporters as "rednecks". This is not quite the same thing as recognising our own racism, but would it be more effective to come down from the moral high ground and engage One Nation voters with a little respect and a lot of facts?
Muslims on what it's like to live in Australia (SMH, 2 May 2016) Pretty tough, and it's only going to get tougher. :(
How Long and Short Senate Terms are Allocated After a Double Dissolution (ABC, 25 April 2016) Antony Green elucidates the complexities.
Now some stuff from other countries.
Islamic State fighters caught in Iraq reveal motivations for jihad (ABC, 13 July 2016) Even this brief glimpse demonstrates that Daesh is about much more than fanatical belief. (Cf: Persecution pushing young Australian Muslims to the margins of society, says leader (SMH, 10 April 2015); The more we fear Islam, the greater the danger from terrorists (SMH, 16 May 2015)).
How one 'super-spreader' was responsible for nearly half of South Korean MERS cases (SMH, 12 July 2016)
South Korea covered up mass abuse, killings of 'vagrants' (AP, 19 April 2016) The way the victims of this "clean-up" for the 1988 Olympics were treated reminds me unsettlingly of descriptions of prison camps in North Korea.
Malawi's albinos at risk of 'total extinction,' U.N. warns (CNN, 1 May 2016) They are butchered for witchcraft purposes. Fucking hell.
Muslim anti-Isis march not covered by mainstream media outlets, say organisers (The Independent, 9 December 2015) Cut out and keep for the next time someone says Muslims don't speak out enough.
I'm on the Kill List. This is what it feels like to be hunted by drones (The Independent, 12 April 2016) "Friends decline my invitations and I have taken to sleeping outside under the trees, to avoid becoming a magnet of death for my family." Would that this was the SF it sounds like.
btw, you get a lot of US stuff in this lj partly because the US dominates the Web, partly because I married an American and visit the country regularly, and partly because what happens in the US often influences or is relevant to what happens in Australia. For example, while racism Down Under and Up Over has different histories and characters, there's still a lot in common between them. So IMHO Reverend Denise Anderson's remarks about the shooting of young Black men by US police also have something to say to Australians:
"White people, you have heard it said that you must talk to other white people about racism, and you must. But don't talk to them about their racism. Talk to them about YOUR racism. Talk to them about how you were socialized to view, talk to, and engage with people of color. Talk to them about the ways you've acted on that socialization. Talk to them about the lies you bought into. Talk about the struggles you continue to have in shedding the scales from your eyes. Don't make it 'their' problem. Understand it as your own problem, because it is. To not do this would put you in danger of being yet another well-intentioned racist, convinced of their own goodness and living a life wholly unexamined and unaccountable to anyone. We don't need anymore of those. It's confession time."I think these words are especially relevant given the frightening return of One Nation. The response of many Australians is to jeer at Pauline Hanson's supporters as "rednecks". This is not quite the same thing as recognising our own racism, but would it be more effective to come down from the moral high ground and engage One Nation voters with a little respect and a lot of facts?
Muslims on what it's like to live in Australia (SMH, 2 May 2016) Pretty tough, and it's only going to get tougher. :(
How Long and Short Senate Terms are Allocated After a Double Dissolution (ABC, 25 April 2016) Antony Green elucidates the complexities.
Now some stuff from other countries.
Islamic State fighters caught in Iraq reveal motivations for jihad (ABC, 13 July 2016) Even this brief glimpse demonstrates that Daesh is about much more than fanatical belief. (Cf: Persecution pushing young Australian Muslims to the margins of society, says leader (SMH, 10 April 2015); The more we fear Islam, the greater the danger from terrorists (SMH, 16 May 2015)).
How one 'super-spreader' was responsible for nearly half of South Korean MERS cases (SMH, 12 July 2016)
South Korea covered up mass abuse, killings of 'vagrants' (AP, 19 April 2016) The way the victims of this "clean-up" for the 1988 Olympics were treated reminds me unsettlingly of descriptions of prison camps in North Korea.
Malawi's albinos at risk of 'total extinction,' U.N. warns (CNN, 1 May 2016) They are butchered for witchcraft purposes. Fucking hell.
Muslim anti-Isis march not covered by mainstream media outlets, say organisers (The Independent, 9 December 2015) Cut out and keep for the next time someone says Muslims don't speak out enough.
I'm on the Kill List. This is what it feels like to be hunted by drones (The Independent, 12 April 2016) "Friends decline my invitations and I have taken to sleeping outside under the trees, to avoid becoming a magnet of death for my family." Would that this was the SF it sounds like.