Tamarama comments

I currently have a bit to do with super smart, highly educated, multilingual Japanese, Korean, Chinese women who are native level English speakers because they come through the International schooling system in Tokyo. I was completely shocked when I first met them - they are contemporary thinkers, global minded, sound like they've grown up in the US, some of the most impressive people I've come across anywhere in the world. My first thought on meeting them was 'My god! Why aren't these people running this country???'

'Course, the answer is Japan Inc. Almost all of them study abroad if they can, and exactly none of them have any desire to work in Japan, especially not within the rigid boys club of the corporate world. And why would they? There is literally nothing for them in that world whatsoever, and they know it, despite their considerable talents. In fact their talents I venture to suggest, are simply too substantial for Japan Inc to know what to do with. Heaven forbid they be more capable than the boys. Heaven forbid Japan promoted talent over gender. Heaven forbid they lead corporate Japan into a more contemporary world.

The boys don't want that, and its silly stuff.

These women in these positions would be tough, hard nosed fighters who have put up with a stack of nonsense to get where they are, so my hat goes off to them. But there is a whole pool of talent that have much better options that simply aren't interested in wasting their time with it.

And Japan is the poorer for it.

It's also far from Iranian and Russian territory.

Distance from Jordan to the US: around 11,000 km. Distance from Jordan border to Iran border, around 650km.

So the US and others can be attacked with impunity and they must sit there and do nothing?

Tower 22 was a secret US base in Jordan, until recently. What's the US doing with secret bases dotted throughout the Middle East? Talk about meddling in regions. Wow. Does Iran have any secret bases in Canada? Or Mexico maybe?

Wealth buys power. I'm sorry our wealth and size offends you.

Wealth doesn't offend me at all, it's the misuse for hegemonic and nefarious purposes that greatly offends people, because it becomes a misuse of power - and then a tyrannical regime. If you study your history, you will see that all tyrannical powers fall. The US will too. As a global citizen, I have every right to call the US out on it's hypocrisy though and I'm pleased that offends you.

We had to fight two world wars because that innocent belief that we didn't need the other continents didn't really hold up to reality.

That's pretty funny, if you actually believe that. WWI taught the US that arming warring states made it fabulously wealthy. A lesson it has leveraged to its fullest capacity ever since.

If you can't beat us, join us.

Why would we?

How this isn't bigger news is dumbfounding to me. The hypocrisy of this is simply staggering and at this point the US seems free to do whatever it wants with impunity, and the majority of the World just sits quietly on thweir hands and says nothing.

Firstly, this is a LONG way from US sovereign territory. A LOOOONG way. On one hand they have diplomats traversing the region effectively warning surrounding states not to get involved in escalating the conflict, whilst on the other, they arm Israel and back them to the hilt in their genocide of Palestine and militarily strike all over the region to subdue the growing dissent that comes from both their, and Israel's actions.

The US narrative is that Iran are the dark masters, the evil empire in the region, but zoom out a little here and the story looks completely different. This is Star Wars stuff, and Iran ain't the Empire here. It's pretty clear who is though.

We are well and truly in the age of the US Empire. What was once a country that was founded on non-interventionist ideas has become the monster in 100 years or so. Bristling with weapons, aggression and hegemony. Acting with arrogance and impunity, whilst subjugating all others that oppose it.

最低.

Of course. If enemy combatants from a territory that elected a governing body that openly calls for the destruction of my country and aligns with groups who openly call for the death of my people just parachuted in and started massacring innocent civilians I’d be opposed to giving them a state as well.

Ignoring my point. Strawman.

Why do you “bet realistically they would take it” when there is literally 0 polling evidence to suggest so? Are you just using your imagination to justify your position?

Why? Use your common sense. The current alternative is they exist under Israeli control with no Statehood whatsoever. That's the other real choice - not some pie-in-the-sky alternative. Go and conduct a poll with these 2 choices, and let us know what numbers you get.

Palestinians had every opportunity to have their own state in 2000 at Camp David and they walked away from the table.

Go and do some homework on Camp David 2000 and deep dive into why they rejected the negotiations. You'll find it enlightening.

JboneInTheZone

I'm not your bro.

Hamas and the Palestinian people don’t want a two state solution. They believe the entirety of Israel belongs to them

So, no different from the Israelis on that score then.

Having lived in that region for eternity though, you can understand their position, if not agree with it. Particularly in light of the fact that the people parachuted in to form the new state are turning out to be genocidal madmen. If I were polled under those circumstances, I'd probably respond similarly.

Given that they clearly aren't going to ever remove the Israelis now though, I bet realistically they would take a 2 state solution, were it offered to them, every day of the week.

Given Israel seems to be trying to either exterminate, or drive them out of Gaza completely, 2 states is not going to occur without the International community, and particularly the US, doing a full 180 degree switch on their current stance and most likely sending in the blue helmets.

How else do you deal with the mad dog that has broken the chain?

The United Nations said Rafah is becoming a “pressure cooker of despair."

Yeah, because not only are the many member states of the United Nations not actively opposing one of the worst human catastrophes for 70 years or so, they are actually complicit in supporting it. It's absolutely appalling.

Right from the start, there was a distressingly small minority of voices that were critical of Israel on their actions. It's slowly grown as the horrors of what they are actually doing in Gaza have increasingly been laid bare, but it's still way too slow.

I'm going to just come out and say this: Israel has been given a Hall Pass for violence, oppression and land stealing because of their own traumatic history for far too long. Countries are too afraid to criticise and intervene for fear of being called 'Semitic', which is just a shrill card the hysterics play in their defence. This has absolutely nothing to do with Anti-Semitism. Nothing.

Imagine in the roles here were exactly reversed - the world would roll in the armed forces en-masse to protect Israel from the Palestinians, so why don't we do the same in this situation??? Its global hypocrisy and double standards on an epic scale.

Hamas are right to demand a total cease fire. They should also be demanding a 2 state solution and the world should be backing them on it.

This occurred in Jordan???

Oh wait, that's right. Israel stole that land from Jordan ages ago.

Crimes on top of other crimes.

All class, Israel, eh?

geronimi2006

Help! I need some money. Help! Not just any money (Chinese). Help! You know I need some Won. Heeelp!

Geography is a challenging concept for some, I know, but Japan and China aren't actually all the same country mate. They even use different currency - one is called the 'Won', the other has the 'Yen'. The Australian minister isn't visiting China. If you take a careful look at a map, you'll see what I'm getting at.

Australia is courting SK and Japan because it is currently trying to diversify investment away from China, which has heavily invested in Australian mining over the last 20 years. This is strategic, and involves broader partnerships with countries like the US.

Western Australia, where this pic is from, is flush with money. It currently has a budget surplus of around 4 Billion dollars.

Someone switch his mic off and quietly lead him away from the lectern.

People like this shouldn't be public representatives in any country, let alone here.

So the US is going to double down on Trump, eh?

What's actually happened to that country???

Astonishing.

Good decision, the right decision made by the right people.

Israel's arrogance means that they will complain and reject the decision of course, but this is the world officially putting them on notice, as it should, as it needs to.

Too late of course, for the 25,000 people they have decided to slaughter as retribution on their blood crazed revenge killing spree.

Palestinians need to be fully protected and insulated from Israel by a 2 State solution. It's the only fair, logical and safe solution for all.

These last couple of months have fully illustrated that fact to the world, and it's irresponsible to ignore it.

I have no problem with a different day of National celebration if it means that everybody can celebrate being Australian together. In harmony, in unison.

Here's a hard truth, though, a reality based on having spent several years in very close contact working with members of the Indigenous community.

I did not meet many people at all who genuinely wanted to be part of the broader Australian community. Many despised the general community of Australians and were perfectly happy to call them all manner of foul and racist names and insults, and cause violence and crime. Their hatred was deeply ingrained.

My feeling is generally that the broader Australian community very much want Indigenous people to be healthy, prosperous, successful members of the community because it's good for everybody and works beautifully within the multi cultural fabric of the country. I very distinctly felt as though that feeling is not mutual though.

Also, the idea of Indigenous Australians being a sovereign nation at any point of their history is a complete myth. Even today, feuds between families in localised language groups are rife and out of control. Rivalry and traditional enmity between neighbouring 'tribes' or language groups even worse. There is no cohesive sense of unity in the broader Indigenous community at all.

So, sure, if the date needs to be changed, I honestly don't care, it's kind of arbitrary anyway, in that the act of celebrating as a group is more important that when it actually happens. But the big question to me is: will it really change things that much?

Sadly, I suspect not, but I'm happy for Australia to try.

This would have to be one of the least vigorous wage discussions in the world, with one the weakest set of Unions in the world.

They are petting puppies.

Of course men are going to threaten her in Japan, they don't want the gender power imbalance to change here. She threatens the status quo of their patriarchy.

She is a hero and a very brave person. I wish her continued success in her quest to right the ledger.

Might be too late to put the Genie back in the bottle on this one, it's kicking off all over the Middle East.

Hardly surprising though.

Whilst the rest of the world is largely sitting on their hands, the more radicalised people in the region who at least feel a sense of kinship to fellow Muslims and object to their suffering, are going to take umbrage with the US backed Israeli wholesale killing of the Palestinians. There is every chance that all out war in the region becomes a reality. Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the US, the UK, Yemen are all currently involved to differing extents.

If it does, how far does it spread?

The first time I saw Porn, I was about 10 or 11 I guess, and it was a fairly random event with friends whereby we stumbled across this stash of extreme porn in a garbage bag in the bush. Kind of Stand by Me type stuff, mid 80's style. Everything about it was weird and disturbing, including the location.

It was full gimp gear, animals etc etc - truly horrifying and depraved stuff and I remember it looked ugly and vulgar to my young eyes. Without really understanding what I was looking at, it made me think very differently about adults and their world. Probably a true loss of innocence moment.

I truly hope my own kids have a much softer landing than that, which probably isn't very far away tbh.

Pay the ultimate price of religious extremism, intolerance, hate, fear and loathing, leads to the necessity to wage war.

I assume you are referencing the Israelis here, right?

The only upside to this indiscriminate genocidal murder by Israel is that people who have previously been nervous to voice their objection to Israeli oppression and apartheid of Palestinians are now out in full voice.

Palestinian State required, ASAP.

Taiwanisnotcha

Nobody gave a darn about Ukraine. Nobody is going to give a darn about Palestinians

Abject nonsense. You fundamentally misunderstand the nature of the conflict in both places, let alone are able to read the room.

Silly comment.

Israel have forfeited their rights to determine Palestinian statehood at this point.

The world had been very slow to wake up to the fact that Palestinians require protection from Israel, the genocidal state, but the penny is dropping here.

I would absolutely love it if this mad, murderous rampage by Israel ultimately results in Palestinian Independence.

That would feel like true justice and I will relish Netanyahu's despair, along with that of the hardline right wing backers.

Another little turn of the spanner to ratchet up the tension in the region.

That's very cool. I saw her ref at the women's world cup and she was very good.

TaiwanIsNotChinaToday  08:19 am JST

TamaramaToday 07:26 am JST

I don't notice Ukraine mentioned in your tirade so, takes one to know one.

Google 'Straw Man Argument', then get back to me.

Guilty as charged.

The world has to protect the Palestinian people from Israel and the US.

That's the long and short of it.

You have to marvel at the hypocrisy of the US, it's a divine comedy of the purest proportions.

They have just finished a round of 'diplomacy' in the Middle East urging countries to show restraint and not get involved in stopping the genocide in Israel to prevent the conflict widening in the region.

Meanwhile, the US itself has struck 'targets' in Iraq and now Yemen, so it is actually they who are widening the conflict. How is it, that US serves to provide one playbook for themselves and Israel, and a completely different one for everyone else? The irony of this is quite incredible.

By that rationale, it should be perfectly reasonable for Hezbollah to hit terrorist targets in Israel, or Iran to hit terrorist installations in Turkey, or Iraq to hit terrorist installations in either, or the Houtis to attack military targets in the Gulf of Aden or the Red Sea.

You simply cannot have the double standards. And at this point, you have a tragic and fascinating situation in the Middle East.

Whether Americans are aware of, or willing to admit it, the US has spent decade hegemonically meddling broadly in the Middle East, and it has a lot of enemies as a result. A LOT of them. That is simply a geopolitical fact, and if you aren't aware of it already, you either aren't honest, or need to do more reading. And more than any other entity in the World, they have given Israel their broad and sole blessing to do pretty much whatever they want in Palestine, and have done excellent business in the process by arming Israel to the teeth in the process. All the while, manipulating the region politically and militarily to leverage their own advantages.

But you just have to wonder how long people in this region are going to sit on their hands and watch all of this go on. Clearly the Houtis aren't going to, but how many other groups will join them? How many disaffected and angry young men and women who have had enough in the region are going to join them? The governments won't, or are unlikely to, but the people will.

See, the great folly of Israel's current actions is that they think they can destroy Hamas. And whilst they theoretically may be able to kill Hamas to the last person, they can't kill the ideology. In reality, what they are merely fostering in the region is that burning seed of a sense of injustice, resentment and resolve to rectify an ongoing crime against a people in the region, whom they would feel a sense of kinship to, even if it's a loose one. This is a very human response, but the controllers of the narrative try to debase this by labelling it 'terrorists'. It's not terrorism, it's people fighting for justice.

So, where does this go next? All out war in the Middle East? How far down that rabbit hole does the US want to go? If I were in the White House right now, I'd be sleeping very badly indeed.

Oh, and before anyone says it - if you think Hamas started this, you are delusional. Do more research. Israel and the US have been cultivating this for decades. Hamas is a symptom, not the cause.

I didn't say she was hot, I said she was cute.

Let's be fair here fellas, if she was office staff at the Eikiwa you work at, after your second Chu Hai on a night out with the team, you'd be thinking about it.

S'all I'm sayin'.

Now I know you’re joking, right? Seriously?

Dude, come on. A cold, snowy Pyongyang night. Just you and her.

It's got Korean drama written all over it....

zibalaToday  07:51 am JST

Blinken is actually warning the Arab countries to not get involved in Israel's international law compliant fight against the various Arab terrorist groups in the region.

Israel will continue with its humanitarian efforts directed at civilians, and defensive precision attacks on the terrorists and supporters.

The US recognizes the potential for further attempted genocidal efforts by the Arabs, and serves to let them know neither Israel nor the West will tolerate.

Those Arab countries will do themselves right by not biting off more than they can chew, as opposed to the path leadership in Gaza chose.

This is not a serious post, right?

I'm not gonna lie, she's pretty cute.

Can trash talk a little too, I see.

'Guys, we are gonna continue to support Israel while they conduct genocide, so we would appreciate you turning a blind eye and staying out of it. What can we do to sweeten that deal a little?'

Sickening. Disgusting.

Trying to look like the peacemaker whilst playing Kingmaker in Israel. How long does the world accept this farce?