Big Tech continues to move down the track of it tyrannical freedom-eliminating agenda, with the latest move being their play of seeking hospital and other health data:
  https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/08/14/alphabet-amazon-ibm-and-microsoft-want-hospitals-data/
  https://www.naturalnews.com/2018-08-22-google-amazon-and-ibm-all-trying-to-acquire-your-hospital-records.html

“Google parent Alphabet, Amazon, IBM, Microsoft, and Salesforce.com have launched a campaign for restrictions on data sharing between hospitals to be dropped. At the Blue Button 2.0 Developer Conference in Washington, D.C., the companies issued a joint statement against patient data sharing restrictions. “We are jointly committed to removing barriers for the adoption of technologies for healthcare interoperability, particularly those that are enabled through the cloud and AI,” the companies declared. “We share the common quest to unlock the potential in healthcare data, to deliver better outcomes at lower costs.” According to CNBC, the companies even proposed building tools “for the health community around a set of common standards for exchanging health information electronically.”    

     Two researchers investigated whether “people’s perceptions of the newsworthiness of events [are] biased by a tendency to rate as more important any news story that seems likely to lead others to share their own political attitudes.” The absolutely ground-shaking conclusion was reached that this was the case. Who would have thought that?
  https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3225878

“Are people’s perceptions of the newsworthiness of events biased by a tendency to rate as more important any news story that seems likely to lead others to share their own political attitudes? To assess this, we created six pairs of hypothetical news stories, each describing an event that seemed likely to encourage people to adopt attitudes on the opposite side of a particular controversial issue (e.g. affirmative action and gay marriage). In total, 569 subjects were asked to evaluate the importance of these stories ‘to the readership of a general circulation newspaper’, disregarding how interesting they happened to find the event. Subjects later indicated their own personal attitudes to the underlying political issues. Predicted crossover interactions were confirmed for all six issues. All the interactions took the form of subjects rating stories offering ‘ammunition’ for their own side of the controversial issue as possessing greater intrinsic news importance.”

     Thank God King Mal Turnbull has fallen. Morrison is marginally better, but the important thing here is that this is a symbolic victory. Turnbull combined the worst elements of the politically correct left and economic decadent right in one power packed package. He was bad on the Republic, big Australia, mass immigration and every other politically correct issue. However, where he excelled, as a liberal, was climate change, which he championed with the passion of a Greenie: 
  https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/08/24/another-greenie-bites-the-dust-aussie-pm-forced-out-by-climate-policy/

“Though Turnbull is a member of the Liberal party – Australia’s conservatives – his politics are very much at the squishier end of the spectrum. An arch-globalist, nicknamed the Honourable Member for Goldman Sachs (where he was a partner), Turnbull is fairly typical of the centrist, ideology-free conservatives who have tended to make the running in western politics in recent years. Indeed, when he first entered politics he seriously considered representing Australia’s Labor party (the socialists) rather than the Liberal party (the conservatives). Turnbull did not get off to a good start with Donald Trump. Shortly after the President’s inauguration, the two had a sticky phone conversation in which Trump refused to go along with a plan previously agreed with Obama whereby the U.S. was supposed to accept from Australia up to 2,000 economic migrants (mostly from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan).

     Opposing alcohol consumption was the key issue that drove the temperance movement across the West, which my other was active in so long ago:
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperance_movement 
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperance_movement_in_Australia

     However, today’s culture is so decadent that trying to curb alcohol consumption in a world where harder drugs circulate more freely than candy is pointless. For the time, the forces of darkness and absolute evil have won, at least the first round, but not yet the entire war.     Still, none of this refutes the original temperance attack on alcohol, that first, it is a moral poison, destroying rational self-control (“getting drunk” is that by definition), and secondly, the health effects, which science now confirms:
  https://www.livescience.com/63420-alcohol-no-safe-level.html?utm_source=ls-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20180824-ls

     Changing political leaders has become quite a frequent exercise during the last decade or so.  Whether it is changing the Prime Minister or Opposition Leader; it has been occurring since the Howard/Peacock swaps right through the Rudd/Gillard scenario.  More recently of course we have witnessed the Turnbull/Abbott/Turnbull case which was followed by the events this week which saw Mr Turnbull replaced by Mr Morrison. During the build up to these occasions, the media has a field day reporting the events including those behind closed doors. Not only do the media attempt to discover which candidate might make the best leader, but friends often ask politically minded people for their opinion.  They ask “What do think about candidate Smith getting the top job?”  Or perhaps, “Do you think candidate Brown would be much better than the present incumbent?”

     Answers include such characteristics as charisma; previous attitude to issues like same-sex marriage; monarchy; immigration taxes and power prices etc. Looking at the record book, we discover that in general there is very little change following a new face at the helm.  Sometimes there is no change at all. Prime Minister Morrison displays a ‘decent bloke’ image but what might we expect under his leadership? Mr Morrison has been a key figure in all the recent Turnbull policies which in many cases have not pleased the community.  Note too, that his Deputy Leader and new Treasurer, Mr Freydenburg has been involved in those outcomes. For Australia to advance to a genuine democracy it must regain its sovereignty.  The first responsibility of a Member of Parliament must be to his electors.  If he is not serving them, we must ask, who is he obeying?

     My apologies if I am wrong, but I think that the leading critic of radical Islam, Robert Spencer, is Jewish, and the heroic Pam Gellner definitely is. Not that it matters; they do excellent work and tackle issues few others are doing.  But, even so, both of these brave journalists find themselves constantly vilified by the “racist” tag from the radical Left, who are ever eager to defend anything that is even vaguely multicultural. I understand too, that both get numerous death threats. Now the attacks have gone beyond the slur and the death threat, to a direct financial attack:
  https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/08/15/mastercard-forces-patreon-to-kick-off-jihad-watchs-robert-spencer/

“Mastercard has reportedly forced funding platform Patreon to kick conservative author and “Jihad Watch” owner Robert Spencer off its site. “My name is April and I’m on the Trust & Safety team here at Patreon. I’ve been notified by Mastercard that we must remove your account from Patreon, effective immediately,” wrote Patreon in an email to Spencer. “Mastercard has a stricter set of rules and regulations than Patreon, and they reserve the right to not offer their services to accounts of their choosing. This is in line with their terms of service, which means it’s something we have to comply by.” “I have paid out your remaining creator balance of $475.22 to you via direct deposit,” the company continued. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience and frustration this might cause.” Yes, I bet you are “sorry.”
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2018/08/whats-going-in-canada-another-politician-being-persecuted-for-racism-for-challenging-extreme-liberal-multiculturalism
https://gellerreport.com/2018/08/criticize-islam-government.html/

     The Deep State is deeply concerned, in fact it is working itself up into quite a “deep state,” about problem child Austria, which has been very naughty:

  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/austrias-far-right-government-ordered-a-raid-on-its-own-intelligence-service-now-allies-are-freezing-the-country-out/2018/08/17/d20090fc-9985-11e8-b55e-5002300ef004_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.96bcf3c876c1

     Advances in artificial intelligence, and biology are coming together to give military spin offs, as expected. On the horizon are super soldiers, just like Captain America, and even super dogs:
  https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-08-18/us-government-developing-real-life-supersoldier-wonder-dog-new-research-program

“According to documents from the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), the “primary emphasis of the USSOCOM Biomedical, Human Performance, and Canine Research Program is to identify and develop techniques… for early intervention in life-threatening injuries, prolonged field care, human performance optimization, and canine medicine/performance. The project will allocate $15 million on bio-enhancement studies which could result in soldiers with “enhanced physiological performance” that require a fraction of a normal night’s sleep, as well along with other “human performance optimization,” according to documents from the Defense Department.

To The Age          Jewel Topsfield's otherwise comprehensive discussion of Giselle ("Truly, madly", 18/8) omits two important matters. First of these is Adolphe Adam's inspired music which unmistakably endorses the love relationship between Albrecht and Giselle. Second is the fact that Albrecht, as well as Giselle, is seen as a victim of a world insensitive to the need to honour true love. He is a hero, not a cad. Maina Gielgud is right to emphasise the holy nature of this ballet. It is not merely that it has "connotations of forgiveness and redemption" but that it presents and celebrates as sacred the experience of true, romantic love. Such love is not self-indulgence but a step towards heaven and a heightening of human nature.
  Nigel Jackson, Belgrave, Vic

     Conservatives are naturally law and order folk, believing in the rule of law, and trying to do the right thing. But, at least for the US, it has been argued that we, the people, are all “criminals,” breaking laws that people do not even know about, as argued by US attorney Harvey Silvergate in his book, Three Felonies a Day (2009).
  https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-08-18/have-you-committed-your-three-felonies-today
  https://lfb.org/three-felonies-a-day-reviewed-by-wendy-mcelroy/ 
https://www.amazon.com/Three-Felonies-Day-Target-Innocent/dp/1594035229

“If you are an average American, then you are a repeat felon. In his stunning book, Three Felonies a Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent (2009), civil-liberties attorney Harvey A. Silverglate estimates that the average person unknowingly breaks at least three criminal laws each and every day. Federal statutes and regulations have become so voluminous and vague that over-reaching prosecutors can target anyone at any time. They may think you are guilty, they could want leverage to force your co-operation, they may be vengeful, or they could be building their own careers; the motives are secondary. What’s primary is the clout and, in this, the federal bureaucracy of the United States now rivals the Soviet Union at the zenith of its power. Even if you are ultimately proven innocent, the ‘vindication’ will come after years of abusive prosecution during which your assets will be frozen, your family interrogated and, perhaps, threatened, your reputation smeared, your life left in shambles.”

To The Australian          Jennifer Oriel sensibly remarks that, as election time approaches, "the government needs to present a united front" ("Turnbull should go to future-proof his Liberals", 20/8); but how can this be done? A fundamental premise that still remains true is that the Coalition must function as a genuine, whole-hearted compromise between the Centre and the Right, as John Howard has never wearied of saying. Perhaps we need a new, comprehensive statement from the Coalition parliamentarians as a whole as to what are the main issues to be contested at the election and where they stand on these.  Five points in that statement could be as follows.

     (1) The holding of a referendum on the republic proposal only if there is clearly majority popular will for that. (2) The holding of a referendum on indigenous constitutional recognition only if there is clear public support for such. (3) An impartial and even-handed approach to the administration of any referendum. (4) Firm effort to widen the range of free speech while safeguarding the welfare of minorities. (5) Firm defence of Australian sovereignty and independence in the face of UNO and internationalist pressures. (6) An immigration policy that takes account of the wishes of all Australians and the ecology and climate of the continent. In summary: the defence of traditional Australia combined with wise flexibility and alteration at a slow pace. Let the ALP and the Greens then be seen as fools rushing in where angels fear to tread.
  Nigel Jackson, Belgrave, Vic

     I have come to believe that sugar is a drug, something that alters human behaviour, perhaps as dangerous as alcohol, if you are listening James Reed. The evidence for this continues to grow:
  https://www.naturalnews.com/2018-08-18-devastating-effects-of-sugar-our-brains-rewards-center.html

“Researchers unveil another alarming negative effect of eating too many foods high in fats and carbohydrates. In a study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, it was revealed that the reward center of the brain started to value and want more foods that contain high amounts of fat and carbohydrates, such as processed foods, than foods containing fat or carbs alone. This study supports the idea that such foods take over the body’s innate signals in regulating food consumption. A team of researchers from Germany, Switzerland, and Canada observed that foods that contain both fats and carbohydrates appear to signal their potential caloric loads to the brain through distinct mechanisms. The study participants accurately estimated calories from fat but were very poor at estimating calories from carbohydrates.”

     I have written previously about how the Pope’s present rejection of the death penalty should be acceptable to many, who are otherwise critical of his stance on immigration. But, the death penalty issue is controversial and there has been debates about the morality and theology of this for hundreds of years, with the best Christian minds being divided. It is foolish to deny this, as one Christian I spoke to did (there is no Christian case for the death penalty he said, and it just shows your prejudice!). This controversy continues to the present day:
  https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/08/16/catholic-scholars-call-on-cardinals-to-correct-pope-francis-on-death-penalty/

“A group of 75 Catholic scholars have written an open letter to the cardinals of the Church asking them to intervene to put an end to the “scandal” of Pope Francis’ recent teaching against the death penalty. On August 2, the Vatican press office announced that Pope Francis had amended the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding capital punishment, declaring it “inadmissible” and saying the Church “works with determination for its abolition worldwide.” In their letter published on August 15 in the journal First Things, the scholars—who include professors of philosophy, theology, law, and history from Catholic institutions around the world—state that God’s Word and the universal magisterium of the Catholic Church have always taught that “criminals may lawfully be put to death by the civil power when this is necessary to preserve just order in civil society.”

     Pauline Hanson has called for Australians to be given a vote on our immigration intake. With good reason according to this story from the Daily Mail in the UK. "Muslim Imam Shaikh Mohammad Tawhidi has warned that an independent state within Australia is the agenda of radicals, according to an upcoming interview on Today Tonight. The Muslim leader, who has openly spoken out against ISIS and extremists,is interviewed on Seven'sToday Tonight and claimed radicals would 'create a country within your country'. The agenda is to create a country within your country, 'Imam Tawhidi told Today Tonight.” Perhaps the realities of living with a Moslem State within Australia might wake a few sleepy Aussies sufficiently to support her lone brave voice.
  David Smith, Inverell, NSW

     Articles are appearing arguing a point that I have expressed for some time that China is already in war mode. The Pentagon has claimed recently that China is training bomber pilots to hit the US, something that the Chinese have denied, but it only stands to reason that they would be prepared. What does one expect from a super power aiming to be number one and rule the world: throw kisses?
  https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2018/08/17/pentagon-china-likely-training-bomber-pilots-to-hit-american-targets/

     The CIA, whom we can trust with the family silver, they are so rock solid, just ask old Don Trump, have said that we are already in a cold war:
  http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/top-cia-expert-china-is-waging-a-quiet-cold-war-against-the-us_07232018

     Another example of how diversity is working in Australia, to produce … sheer magic, splendour … I need to dry the tears of joy from my eyes …
  http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-18/islamic-leader-accused-of-land-clearing-claims-exempt-from-law/10133930

“A religious leader accused of illegal land clearing on a rural property used for religious prayer has claimed a Western Sydney council is infringing on his group’s religious freedoms by pursuing him over the allegations. Hawkesbury City Council has launched civil action against Dr Mustapha Kara-Ali and Diaa Kara-Ali in the Land and Environment Court, alleging they carried out illegal land clearing, earthworks and built gates, fences and driveways without seeking any of the relevant development approvals at a property in Colo, in Sydney’s north west. Mustapha Kara-Ali, a former member of then Prime Minister John Howard’s Muslim Community Reference Group and past postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, is the Imam of religious guild Diwan Al Dawla. A letter he wrote to a council staff member, filed in the court documents, says the members of the guild live “separated from secular lifestyles to pursue a religious mode of worship and an ascetic lifestyle under an oath of self-sacrifice and dedication to the purposes of Diwan Al Dawla”.

     The left, especially the feminist wing, enjoys demonising masculinity. For many academics in the Arts, it is their career, enabling them to get tax payer funded grants, and to write papers vilifying men, again on tax payers’ money, especially the men they vilify. This is known as digging one’s own grave.
  https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/08/16/prageru-breaks-down-why-the-left-demonizes-masculinity/ 
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-kxdyJs6y8

     The above video by a pretty young lass puts the case that “toxic masculinity” is not solved by eliminating masculinity, but by producing better masculinity. Aggression and competition cannot be eradicated from men, without destroying them, and the quest for egalitarianism has led to numerous social problems, such as the flight of the father from homes, with children ultimately facing increased risks of depression and unemployment. The take home message is one dear to us, that we need more and better masculinity, not less. Along the same lines, we also need women to be real women too.

To The Age          Your editorial claim ("In national interest, let the people vote", 22/8) that Peter Dutton's "pitch is based on fear, not policy vision" implies that a responsible statesman cannot reasonably be motivated by both at the same time. He is, in fact, an intelligent and dynamic conservative who rightly fears that the political order of Australia is being steadily subverted by foolish idealists, the end result of such decline being likely to be submission to external nations, notably China, and a disastrous drop in the standard of living and quality of life for most Australians. For a century or more in our land the Left and the Right have been at war with each other. Now that war runs right down the middle of the Liberal Party. Nationally the Left is close to gaining power and radically changing the whole nature of our political order for the worse. In a time of gross cultural confusion we need prophets, not a rushed election.
  Nigel Jackson, Belgrave, Vic

     With South Africa moving to steal the land of white farmers, the rest of the West is doing nothing. Well, no, not exactly, for Britain has come out and backed South Africa’s actions.
  https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-08-19/britain-backing-south-africas-land-confiscations-white-farmers 
  https://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/08/19/exclusive-british-govt-back-land-reforms-aimed-dispossessing-south-africas-white-minority/

“Theresa May’s government appears to be backing the Soviet-style policy of “land expropriation without compensation” aimed at dispossessing South Africa’s white farmers. Breitbart London has seen a letter written by Harriet Baldwin MP, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), to Sir Paul Beresford MP, who enquired what the government’s stance on the policy was on behalf of a concerned constituent. “The British government understands the need for land reform in South Africa”, Baldwinasserted, adding that they “welcomed” promises from President Cyril Ramaphosa that “the process of land [re]distribution would be orderly within South African laws” and be carried out “without negatively affecting economic growth, agricultural production and food security”. In a follow-up email to the constituent from the Africa Department (Central and Southern) of the FCO, also seen by Breitbart London and confirmed as “reflect[ing] Government policy on this issue” by the FCO newsdesk, the department confirms Theresa May is satisfied with having been told that “[the] process would be taken forward on a multi-party basis, through Parliament, and… within the bounds of the Constitution and carefully designed so as to avoid damaging food security or deterring investment”.

To The Australian          It is a step in the right direction for our five former and current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice commissioners to have admitted that a national indigenous representative voice could be established without any change to the Constitution ("MPs told to get the job done on recognition", 22/8). Perhaps such a voice should also be self-funded rather than propped up by all the rest of us through government grants. Advocacy of "some form of recognition of the special place" of our indigenous peoples must distinguish clearly between affirmation of their past culture and history, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, definition of the status of their presently living members who must first be loyal Australians, honouring Queen and flag, and not would-be separatists misusing "land rights", ceremonial greetings at public occasions and an unnecessary and spurious flag.
  Nigel Jackson, Belgrave, Vic