meija comments

Chop Chop, but aren't Mexico paying for the wall, as we were told all through the campaign leading up to the 2016 election? We've since had 2 years of complete Republican control of the government, and no wall... Yet only now this becomes an issue and it's all the democrat's fault? Whose to blame for the last 2 years of inaction? All those drugs and families and deaths and such... 2 years of complete Republican inaction!!! Sure, I'm happy to blame the Democrats for the past few weeks, but I'm laying full blame on the Republicans for the 2 years leading up to this.

Hang on, I'm confused. Why has the American government been shut down because Mexico won't pay for the wall. Mexico is paying for the wall, aren't they? That's what we were promised...

Imagine finding the job you love, and then, while still young, having to give it away. I don't blame him for breaking down. Full respect to him.

These singalongs are actually quite fun. If you're as uninterested as deadbeatles, then fine, stay away, but an audience all singing along is a great experience for those interested. Do we really want to complain about studios actually giving people what they want?

This is such a non-story, I'm kind of disappointed that it's appeared in the international media at all. This isn't a practice that's done by religious schools, this story hasn't come to the media's attention because any school has done this, it's only come to attention recently because the loop-hole in the law was discovered, and will be fixed with full support of both sides of politics, left and right, and rightfully so. That's how a functioning government works. If you find a problem, fix it. For some people, though, this is just a platform to scream "bigotry" despite the fact that nothing has actually happened.

A problem in the law was found, all sides of government, and religious schools as well, agree that it should be fixed. It's getting fixed. But don't let that get in the way of any outrage...

I agree that Hawke and Howard were popular, and they both make a great case study in how politicians can be successful. Howard earned serious respect after Port Arthur and his gun control legislation. I can't think of any politicians today who would have the guts to do what he did.

I agree with pretty much everything else you've said, except one thing: "rather they join a micro party as a form activism that really seems to go nowhere." I'd lean more toward not joining micro parties, but becoming apathetic to the whole process, and voting micro parties because they're sick and tired of the stupidity coming from the major parties (speaking from experience here). Political parties, volunteer organisations, religious groups, sporting clubs etc... all have seen a downturn in membership over the past few decades.

We have high quality institutions and legal system and a level of corruption that is not completely out of control.

I agree that this is a key factor. I probably should have been clearer and referred to the political system, as in the way the major parties are organised. Both Liberal and Labor have falling membership numbers that have seen falling moderate voices, and that has resulted in the Liberals push further to the right and Labor further to the left of the more mainstream Australian view. It is these members who preselect (on the most part) their candidates, and as a result, we end up with politicians who don't actually represent what most Australians want. I think Turnbull briefly got considerably over 50% public approval ratings after he ousted Abbott, but apart from that, I can't remember the last time we had a political leader that the majority of the country actually wanted. Is it as bad as the U.S.? No, and as you say, the overall structure in Australia is stronger with things like anti-gerrymandering laws and mandatory voting that help limit the level of extremism we get. But the last 10 years of Rudd-Gillard-Rudd-Abbott-Turnbull-Whoever have been hard to take.

If the LNP wants to win the next election, they need to pick up some Labor voters.

The actual Liberal or Labor votes are quite small. They need to pick up some independent voters. As one myself, both sides of politics fill be with dread. Both like to paint the world as left and right and instead seem to just paint themselves into corners where they become irrelevant to a large percentage of the populace. Looking at what's happened this week, it really feels like the whole system is broken.

Beautiful voice, beautiful soul. For once, let's drop the politics (previous post), and just appreciate true talent.

"While all Muslims are not terrorists, certainly all terrorists these days are Muslims"

A U.S. Government Accountability Office report noted 225 deaths from 85 violent extremist attacks since 9/11 (up to the end of 2016). 74% of them were conducted by far-right violent extremists. While these are U.S. statistics, they show just how misguided Fraser Anning is, and why he was condemned by other leaders to the right. This man represents ignorance. Far-right violent extremists are no more representative of people with conservative views than Islamic militants are of Muslims in general. Immigration is a debate that needs to be had in Australia, but the depth of this guy's idiocy make it hard for the rest of us to have a rational conversation.

Some people here don't seem to understand the definition of hypocrisy. It has nothing to do with rights or laws. Hypocrisy is, say, condemning extra-marital affairs while at the same time cheating on your wife, or saying chain migration is evil while using it to get your in-laws citizenship. That is hypocrisy. For the few here doing verbal gymnastics trying to deny the obvious, it's the condemnation and subsequent use of chain migration that makes Trump a hypocrite. It's pretty easy to follow.

You couldn't script this farce. Every day brings a new low.

"To have someone with any amount of power be reflective, and say, 'I did something wrong, I learned something and I'm sorry'...

It's worth stopping to think about this for a moment. A non-trans actor playing a trans character is being defined as doing "something wrong"... If an Australian actor plays an American character, are they doing something wrong? Should we call for the sacking of all Star Trek actors because none of them are really officers of Starfleet?

Acting is, by definition, playing a part. It is not simply representing yourself. Trans actors should be judged on their acting ability, not on being transgender. This idea of "authentic casting" is stupid. They need to focus on "best casting", otherwise what's the point?

Wow, this is dumb on so many levels (and would be equally as dumb no matter which president pushed for this). Communication and spy satellites already form a part of overall military intelligence. What is Space Force going to do? Add an extra layer of bureaucracy to a process that already exists? Fit the satellites with machine guns? Station armed soldiers in orbit to protect them? Hey, it's not like the country is running an annual deficit...

It even seems that even the apologists who are trying to say that this is a good thing on the sole basis that it came from Trump are clutching at straws over this one. Doesn't matter if you're left or right, tall or short... this idea is just plain dumb.

"He's kind of used sport to... divide us and that's something I can't relate to, because I know that sport was the first time I ever was around someone white. You know?" said James, who on Monday opened an elementary school for at-risk youth in his native Akron, Ohio.

How dare this sportsperson who has done absolutely nothing in his life (excluding the working hard to be a success in his chosen field and then give back to the community so others can benefit) say anything about the president. Trump's response of "he's sooooo dumb!" (paraphrased) is clearly justified! Trump is showing in his humble response that he is in fact a uniting figure, not a dividing one, and it's only the people who won't join in the Trump chorus of everyone else is stupid that are actually dividing the community... as many of the commenters here so helpfully point out. Good on you Matt and bass for clearing all this up for us!

I fully support Trump imposing tariffs. Let him make it more expensive to trade with the US. The rest of the world... we'll continue trading with each other without these artificial tariffs. Pure capitalist supply and demand. As trading with the US becomes more expensive, we trade elsewhere. Everyone wins (except Trump's US). Market forces at work.

The United States will seek to convince Japan and the European Union to join it in a more aggressive stance against Chinese trade practices...

You mean America's "foe", the EU? Someone's failed diplomacy 101 here. Fat chance the EU will support the US on this. Why should they?

Trump talks out of his arse : Usually. But he was correct when he pointed out that we are enemies at war.

Who are at war? Are you talking trade? Clearly nothing stops a war like suing the other side. If only the French and British had sued Hitler in the 1930's, then WW2 would never have happened...

Trump's comments show his attitude to negotiation. Don't. As world leaders come to realise this, they'll stop bothering and come to alternate arrangements. If a leader wants to isolate their country from the rest of the world and end up having the influence of a damp squid, I say let them.

A Japanese idol singer’s success hinges on their ability to create a personal bond, or at least the feeling of one, between themselves and their fans.

Well, it certainly doesn't hinge on the music, being all repetitive and manufactured. God forbid that a singer relies on music talent for success. Imagine a world like that... Insanity!

I used to live in a country area of Mie Prefecture and about 12 or 13 years ago, a number of people were killed by a landslide on the outskirts of town. News like this brings back bad memories and my thoughts are with all who are dealing with this now.

Just on another point about driving through flood waters. Tests have shows that with cars being sealed so well these days, it takes very little for them to start to float and be able to be washed away. Less than 50cm of flowing water can have catastrophic results. :(

Im no Trump lover but Im pretty sceptical about intelligence reports by unidentified officials without concrete proof.

Totally agree. I personally didn't see any of WW2, so at this point in time. I don't believe that it happened. #sarcasm

Nothing new came from Trump's meeting with Kim Jung Un in Singapore. North Korea have a history of promising the world and delivering nothing. While I'm not a supporter of Trump, I do hope that the current administration can make actual progress on this issue as a lot is at stake. Words are meaningless to North Korea.

While the World Cup that kicks off later this month will focus the attention of football fans around the world on Russia it will have little impact on the country's economy

I don't think all the bribes paid by Putin and Co. to host the cup were for the purpose of the economy. It's more a PR balance to all the nasty stuff Russia is doing around the world at the moment. In that context, they probably think that it's money well spent.

...and thinking about it, the high levels of mercury and other toxins found in whale meat, that's just another argument to "protect innocent humans" by ending this farce of a whale hunt.

Good for Japan. Their country, their culture.

Yes, the seas on Antarctica are a part of Japan's country and culture... except they aren't. I sense a pattern developing here...

Whale harvests are The settled law of the land in Japan and thankfully will be around forever...

Yes, so thankful that all natural resources are limitless and therefore will be around forever. ...Except for those that aren't and won't be...

From the BBC: "He was known for petty crimes. We had monitored him and thought there was no radicalisation," Interior Minister Collomb said.

...So the suggested "solution" of throwing anyone in jail at the first sign of jihadism wouldn't have had any impact on this event at all. As is usual in real life, solutions aren't always simple.

I just want to add a little perspective. You are FAR FAR more likely to be killed in a car accident than a terrorist attack. I'm not sure of the stats in France, but in the U.S, roughly 4 times the number of mass killings are done by right-wing extremist compared to religious extremist. Most extremists are home grown and cannot be deported. Also, innocent until proven guilty has long been a fundamental foundation of Western society. It's easy to over-react to a situation, though it isn't always helpful to do so.

At least it's over now. Apparently 3 innocent victims lost. 3 families in mourning because some idiot thought that they were justified in killing innocents to make a political point. The only point I see that this idiot made was that he was mentally ill. If we can ever be justified in quoting Donald Trump, now is the time. SAD... (I think I got the caps right.)

Japan's foreign minister said on Wednesday he personally regretted the departure of "frank, trustworthy" U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson... Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono told reporters in Tokyo.

Good thing he actually made a public statement and didn't just tweet this. That would have been sooo disrespectful...

Serrano... some guy on Youtube spouting his anger at Obama and Clinton over claims that have already been proven false proves what...? The only "Oh my" I can see is the "Oh my, some people clearly don't understand what's happening at all..." If that's the "Oh my" you're referring to... Totally agree and a thumbs up from me!