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

     Feminists and the Establishment support gender equality, and multiculturalism. Ok, then how about men wearing the burka …  is there any problem with this? A British man found out that there were problems a plenty:
  https://www.jihadwatch.org/2018/08/video-from-uk-when-a-man-covers-his-face-and-enters-a-bank 
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARpzLakdP_8

“Joshua Winston – Where did the inspiration for the video come from?
Michael – I had been in a Facebook argument with some people about the niqab and faces being covered. I felt I had to make  a statement and do something about it. Either everyone gets to cover their face or no one does. It’s not just about niqabs and crash helmets. It’s about safety and security. There were also no signs outside of the bank saying that people with covered faces couldn’t enter, and yet I was tackled by the manageress.

     Metaphorically speaking of course, and to introduce the topic of the end of Google, which I like to doodle as “Gooooooooogle,” as far-fetched as that now sounds.
  https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/08/17/george-gilder-google-repeats-marxs-errors-is-usurping-human-minds/

“American thinker and economist George Gilder joined Breitbart News Daily this week to discuss his book Life After Google, which makes the case that the big data era led by companies like Google is coming to an end. Gilder started by explaining why the Google model cannot last forever. “Their great mistake is addressing the issue of security successfully. One of the reasons for free is because nobody wants to steal free stuff. So the burdens on security for the network are greatly diminished,” Gilder argued. “A free model doesn’t really teach you. Capitalism is based on markets and prices and relationships with customers who you have to serve and who have rights. This is how capitalist progress works.”

     It is poor taste to laugh or even be smug about other peoples’ misfortunes, even if they are stupid. Thus I never watch those so called comedy video shows which typically have people having accidents. They may not die, but often get hurt. I don’t see human misery as a joking matter. Nevertheless that does not mean that we cannot deduce lessons of life from the stupid things that some people have done, especially liberals who have a deeply flawed idealistic view of the world.
  https://www.pluralist.com/posts/1824-millennial-couple-bikes-near-isis-territory-thinking-humans-are-kind-and-gets-killed

“Evil is a make-believe concept we’ve invented to deal with the complexities of fellow humans.” An idealistic young American couple was killed in an Islamic State-claimed terrorist attack last month while on a cycling trip around the world. Jay Austin and Lauren Geoghegan, both 29, last year quit their office jobs in Washington, DC, to embark on the journey. Austin, who worked for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Geoghegan, who worked in the Georgetown University admissions office, decided that they’re were wasting their lives working.

     Conservatives need to understand that it is not a mere question of opposing some powerful Left fringe group, but rather, that the cultural Marxist pathology has now infected whole societies. For example, we may write profound pieces about the utter splendour of the legal system, but the reality is, that in countries like Britain, the system has become as tyrannical as anything that existed in the USSR. Certainly, things are not at the same scale of oppression as was seen when the USSR was at its full power, but all the pieces for such a system are now in place. The ideology of globalism and multicult-immigrationism, has updated old style Marxist-Leninism, merely bringing these demonic doctrines to the full gestation:
  https://www.jihadwatch.org/2018/08/uk-video-tommy-robinson-abused-in-prison-what-they-tried-to-do-was-mentally-destroy-me
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYfStBZ2w8w
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JaZKyMisC8 
  https://www.jihadwatch.org/2018/08/video-uk-mep-janice-atkinson-on-the-migrant-crime-statistics-the-eu-doesnt-want-you-to-know

“In his first TV since being released from jail, Tommy Robinson told FOX News' Tucker Carlson about the conditions he suffered in a prison he likened to "Guantanamo Bay," notably how he could not open his prison cell windows because "excrement and spit" would be put through them. Robinson told Carlson he was put in the prison with the largest number of Muslim inmates in the U.K. after committing "contempt of court" by broadcasting a Facebook Live video of his commentary on the trial of a sexual grooming gang. The trial had "reporting restrictions."

     ‘The Age’ newspaper in Melbourne seems unwilling to publish any submission (letter or opinion piece) opposed to ‘indigenous’ constitutional recognition and/or the signing of a treaty. Is it afraid that the case against such change is too persuasive?

     On 14th July 2018 The Age published an opinion piece by well-known and very successful author Stephanie Dowrick entitled ‘Scandal at our nation’s heart’. It concerned alleged mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders by contemporary Australia. I at once submitted the letter below to the Letters Editor.

     Earth is a blue watery planet. 70% of its surface is covered by oceans of salt water, some of which are extremely deep. These oceans contain about 97% of Earth’s water. Another 2% is locked up in snow, ice caps and glaciers. That leaves just 1% of Earth’s surface water in inland seas, lakes, rivers and dams. We have plenty of water, but not much to drink. In addition to these vast surface water supplies, water vapour is the fourth most abundant gas in the atmosphere, after nitrogen (76%), oxygen (21%) and Argon (1%). Moisture in the atmosphere varies from almost zero over deserts and ice caps up to 4% over the wet tropics. (Carbon dioxide is a miniscule 0.04%).

     Then there are the large and unmeasured supplies of hidden underground water – “renewable” water from rain soaking into alluvial sands and gravels; artesian water in deeper permeable rocks; hydro-thermal water associated with volcanic and igneous activity; and primary water originating deep in Earth’s crust which feeds many natural springs and is sometimes discovered in unexpected places in very large quantities. With this abundance of water, why do humans ever find themselves short of fresh water? Three reasons – insufficient water is conserved when it is abundant, too much water is wasted, and power costs make desalination unattractive.

     First things first:

“The British government has admitted that no Christians were taken among the Syrian refugees flown into Britain recently, with the Home Office rejected the handful of non-Muslims selected for resettlement by the United Nations. Despite the persecution of Christians at the hands of Islamic extremists in Syria having been declared genocide by the U.S., the European Union (EU) and even British MPs themselves in a 2016 parliamentary vote, the 1,112 Syrians that Britain resettled in the first three months of 2018 consisted only of Muslims. The Barnabas Fund, an aid agency which supports Christians persecuted for their faith, obtained the figures via Freedom of Information requests after “a protracted tussle with the Home Office”, The Sunday Times reports."
https://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/07/29/syrian-muslim-uk-rejects-christians/