June 19, 2026

Who's going for Australia at the World Cup?

Normally I don't care who wins when they play, but for this upcoming game I've become a soccer expert, have learnt every chant and might even go out buy myself a shirt. Doubt I'll watch the game coz it'll probs conflict with something else I'm doing, but will be available after the game to gleefully gloat in the direction of any American (let's face it, their soccer chants suck) if we win. If, by chance we lose, then life moves on as normal and we shall never speak of soccer again. Also, the collective 'we' I use to show my unity with the team will swiftly go back to being 'they'.

Anyone else joining me in being a fairweather fan?

June 13, 2026

Dragged my old vinyl out tonight. I'm listening to Screaming Skull by Sonic Youth

It's like that song was written to make me very happy. It's got all my fave bands, musicians and record labels from that time all rolled up in it, even Superchunk!

June 13, 2026

Keith -Playlunch

I lived near a Keith a long time ago. Fucking arsehole.
Big C warning - if the word 'cunt' offends you, Keith isn't the song for you.

KEITH!

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June 13, 2026

Travel tips for my US trip needed

I was going to wait till Trump was a distant memory, but I've been asked to go watch the Rugby League in Las Vegas in February.https://www.nrl.com/rugby-league-in-las-vegas-2027/

We're going to fly to LA, look at things, drive on that coast road, go to San Fransisco, look at more things, drive to Las Vegas, watch the football, do the grand canyon and death valley, then go home. I think we've got around 3 weeks out aside for it.

Any suggestions on things to do on those places? I've never been to the US before and all I really want to do is go up a really steep street in San Francisco and visit that suburb that's falling into the sea but can't remember what city that's in.

May 21, 2026

Israeli security minister stirs diplomatic outrage with flotilla activist abuse video

Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has sparked a diplomatic crisis by publishing footage of Israeli security forces abusing international activists who were detained as they tried to sail to Gaza with aid.

Three activists were taken to hospital as result of Israeli violence, lawyers representing the group said. They were subsequently discharged. Dozens of others have suspected broken ribs, resulting in breathing problems.

“The team reports systemic violations of due process, and widespread physical and psychological abuse by Israeli authorities,” the rights group Adalah said in a statement. There were “a large number of complaints of extreme violence”.

Ben-Gvir’s video drew a rapid and furious response from countries whose citizens were onboard the boats, including the UK, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, in many cases from the top of government.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/20/israeli-security-minister-itamar-ben-gvir-stirs-diplomatic-outrage-with-flotilla-activist-abuse-video?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

May 10, 2026

The Platner Trap

By David French


I don’t want politicians to be “authentic.” I want them to be decent. I want them to be honest. I want them to be competent. And if they fail those tests, they don’t redeem themselves by opposing Donald Trump.

If you’re a conservative watching Democrats talk themselves into supporting Graham Platner, the Maine Democrat who until recently wore what sure looked like a Totenkopf tattoo (he covered it up after it became a political embarrassment) is to experience déjà vu. To a lesser but still familiar degree, I’m seeing Democrats engage in the same process of absurd accommodation and justification that Republicans use to excuse their deep love for Trump.

Let’s talk about that tattoo first, no matter how sick you are of hearing about it. For those who are not familiar with the Totenkopf, it’s the death’s head insignia of the SS-Totenkopfverbande, one of the three key branches of Hitler’s Waffen-SS, the armed backbone of the Nazi regime. And the SS-Totenkopfverbande arguably represented the worst of the SS. Among other duties, they were concentration camp guards, the people who were responsible for order in the industrial killing machines of Nazi Germany.

*snip*

But still, you might think, if push comes to shove, isn’t it necessary to support the lesser evil? There are two problems with this argument, however, one that’s obvious and the other that’s more subtle and insidious.

First, the obvious problem — the lesser evil is still evil. You’re still compromising your standards. You’re still empowering someone you’d never ordinarily support. If a person with an identical profile applied to be your manager at work, would you be comfortable hiring him?


https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/10/opinion/graham-platner-democrats-senate-maine.html?unlocked_article_code=1.hVA.6T_g.TxxkfMLt-N3d&smid=nytcore-android-share

I'm guessing by what I've read that some at DU agree with this. I do see some inconsistency in this logic.

May 6, 2026

(Jewish Group) Australian Royal Commission into Antisemitism

I'm not sure if anyone in the US has heard of it, but this is a result of the Bondi Massacre. Royal Commission's are slow-moving things, and the report won't be issued till late this year, but evidence has been happening over the past few days and some of it is heartbreaking. Two things from today have struck hard. The first is the fucker who was clearly trying to intimidate the Commission and was rightly arrested for it.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-06/swastika-shirt-antisemitism-social-cohesion-royal-commission/106646264

The second was the high school teacher who spoke of Year 10 students being rude to an elderly Jewish man who'd come to the school to talk to the kids about antisemitism and ended up being accused of being responsible for what was happening in Gaza. When the teacher complained about it to the school, she was told she was being too emotional.

If anyone wants to watch the Royal Commission, there's a livestream. With the time difference there might not be anything happening when American's are awake, but just in case....

https://asc.royalcommission.gov.au/

May 6, 2026

Man arrested by police after wearing swastika shirt outside antisemitism royal commission

A man has been arrested after wearing a T-shirt with a swastika on it while standing outside the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion in Sydney.

Police approached the man about 11am after he was seen loitering near the venue wearing the white shirt emblazoned with a blue swastika with a Star of David inside.

It also had the slogan: "Antisemitism. Proud to be accused. Speak up!"

Police initially issued the 68-year-old man with a move-on order after patrolling officers saw him in "clothing which allegedly displayed an offensive slogan on the front".

About 2:45pm, the man attended Manly Police Station where he was arrested by officers.

The man remains in custody while inquiries continue.


https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-06/swastika-shirt-antisemitism-social-cohesion-royal-commission/106646264

Revolting. There's children and traumatised people who are giving evidence at the Royal Commission who would have been exposed to that. I hope they throw the book at the dickhead.

May 3, 2026

My absolute favourite bit of an album. Husker Du, Warehouse: Songs and Stories

More specifically it's side 4. I've still got the LP that I bought when it was first released many years ago and until I relistened to it today, I would have awarded best album (or section of) to listen to all the way through to The Bends by Radiohead. But side 4 of this album is total perfection and in my very biased and ageing opinion, beats the absolute crap out of anything being released nowadays. Hüsker Dü (It may have also been The Replacements or maybe both at the same time) was the first band I discovered on my own after moving on from the influence of a very musically snobby boyfriend who introduced me to early REM, the Pixies, The Triffids and Echo & the Bunnymen. They changed the way I listened to music and what I listened to, and I listened to New Day Rising when I was in labour having my daughter. I'll always love Hüsker Dü and when I die I'm insisting 'Never Talking To You Again' be played at my funeral.

First, for anyone who had the misfortune to never come across Hüsker Dü. Totally agree with Dave Grohl describing them as Black Flag meets The Byrds.

Here's side 4 of Warehouse. Mainly just audio but it's so worth listening to!


Turn it Around



She's a Woman (And Now He is a Man)

&list=RDCvNRPHaxdRc&start_radio=1

Up In The Air (my absolute favourite!)


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You Can Live At Home

April 25, 2026

Queensland hate speech laws backfiring

I posted this in a thread in GD and suspect it will get lost in a thread that hasn't got any substantive discussion going on. It's a really good example of what happens when terms and phrases are criminalised.

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