It has been two years now. Two years since unspeakable horror poured over the Gaza-Israeli border. First, it was just the sound of rockets. Then the sirens. Then the chaos. The attacks started just before dawn when ordinary people were asleep in their beds. Communities near the Gaza border—small kibbutzim where people lived ordinary lives—were…
It’s an hour after midnight. The town slumbers under clear skies, nothing stirring except the occasional possum or a couple of fruit bats squabbling in the trees. An elderly couple is fast asleep in their bed – and is suddenly jolted awake by an insistent beeping. It took us (yes, it was us) a while…
It’s not often that I agree with the odious current occupant of the White House, but I do agree with him about the uselessness of the United Nations. The United Nations was born out of the ashes of the Second World War. Its founders dreamed of an institution that could prevent another global catastrophe, foster…
I’m carefully avoiding the news again and find myself looking at my photos of Singapore’s orchids. So, I’ve put some more up for you to enjoy. And now for something completely different. Like most readers of crime, I have an interest in Jack the Ripper. I wrote a review of Bruce Robinson’s book They All…
I don’t much like reading the paper these days. It’s depressing to read about thousands of useful idiots marching across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to stop the ‘genocide’ in Gaza. For those who may have forgotten, on 7th October 2023 terrorists from Hamas crossed from Gaza into Israel to attack civilians, raping, torturing, murdering, and…
The world is a scary place at the moment and it’s likely to get scarier. So this week I’m going to share some of the happier times, leafing through the photograph albums of our travels. I blog all our trips so I’ll put a link to the relevant page for each entry. Just click on…
We’ve had another huge case of a grown man sexually assaulting toddlers at multiple child care centres, this time in Victoria. Joshua Brown has been charged with 70 offences – and 1200 kids are being tested for infectious diseases. Imagine how the parents must feel, having left their children in facilities which are supposed to…
The big news over the last couple of weeks is Israel’s attack on Iran, resulting in tit for tat drone and missile strikes between the two countries. Which was followed by the American attack on Iran’s three biggest nuclear facilities. Of course, lots of people are doubling down on President Donald Trump for authorizing the…
No visitor to Norfolk Island would miss the green hand symbol. One town block is covered in these symbols of opposition to what the locals see as the Australian Government’s takeover of their island in 2016. As far as they were concerned, Queen Victoria had given the Pitcairners Norfolk Island in perpetuity. The sign reads:…
Quite a few years ago I accompanied Peter on a business trip which required him and a few colleagues to visit Belgium before moving on to the Netherlands. We stayed overnight in a hotel in Brussels with the intention of catching a plane to Amsterdam the next day. It takes about 55 minutes, one of…