The Brown Note

I've never seen a conflict portrayed so lock step by the Western media as the war in Ukraine - even the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan drew a wider range of opinions and more critical views. The unbearable hypocrisy of our media in the way it's treating Russia here ignores two massive elephants in the room - recent illegal American invasions and Israel. The latter also pointing to an enormous amount...

Every time there is conflict, the overwhelming push from the media and politicians is that we live inside it and now is not the right time to ask questions on how we got here. Wrong, it is always the right time to question why a war happened, that's if you want to frame it correctly or stop it happening again. A look at how we got here through the lens of journalist Chris Hedges.

To those who support the recent protests from Canberra to Canada - be wary of who is standing next to you, just because everyone else is giving you stick, it doesn't mean those claiming to be with you are on your side and don't believe everyone who you think is against you isn't on your side either. Protesting the government and mainstream media has always been there, done by many you now call she...

With and Australian election looming and with nothing else to campaign on, the incumbent Liberal party have decided to double down on Prime Minister Scott Morrison's disastrous battle with China. No one fights an election on jingoism and patriotism unless they've nothing else left. Now the Liberal's want you to be terrified on of the big bad scary Chinese man at the door, even though they put him...

The trial and conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell is a side show, a distraction and slight of hand to avoid scrutiny of a far bigger story. Given Epstein's self professed connection with the US intelligence community and military since the early 80's, his ties with the Israeli intelligence community and military, the mystery of where he obtained his wealth, the fact the DA of South Florida claims he w...

Another of my world beating popular opinions, why some of our most sophisticated methods of communication - irony and satire - are under great threat from a relentlessly literal cancel culture, that cannot process either. And why comedy - at the vanguard of exploring permissible human expression, in valid ways utilizing shock humor, irony and satire - needs to be defended most of all.   Next up wh...

After the bush fire crisis, the misogyny scandals and now text-gate, the seemingly indestructible Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is entering his third annus horribilis in a row. But hilarious as his senior colleagues calling him a liar, hypocrite and complete psycho are, the one question on the entire country's lips - yet not being asked by any of our fine journalists - is, what about Br...

Renters are the new share-croppers - working their whole lives with nothing to show and giving any wealth they generate to a richer person to pass on to their children. The baseline birthright of any average wage owner was to own your own home, now in Sydney you can't even afford to rent a one bedroom flat. By every metric the economy tanks but house prices and rent keep going up. None of this mak...

In one of the years great misreported stories, the world was aghast at demonic New Zealand's treatment of this stranded pregnant journalist. The truth is NZ was her third choice country after she had to leave Qatar and Belgium said no (neither receiving any condemnation at all), and then engineered a PR storm that has enabled her to bypass a scheme to enter New Zealand she did not qualify for, and...

With Neil Young being probably my favorite recording artist of all time and a famously curmudgeonly one, I've found his battle with Joe Rogan and Spotify hilarious and very in character. A look at why he has reason to be touchy about vaccines and illness.

It's the same situation for both the UK and Australia's left wing Labo(u)r parties - after an unforgivable, interminable, in-explainable run of election victories by right wing parties, riven with endless incompetence and corruption, they are both finally in a position to likely win elections. Why this makes me really sad.

What used to be an Australia day icon has lost more than its date, with the childrens band The Wiggles winning what used to be a great round up of alternative music. The only problem is, that was the most alternative track in the list.

Australia's great celebration of national pride and unity is with us once again... to bring us together in our mutual hatred of each other

A not particularly serious piece about how the new sexualities have replaced Vegans as the people that just can't stop telling you who they are.

Echoing my "Why I Stand With J.K. Rowling" piece from a year and a half ago, in light of three recent events. The Scottish court's refusal to prosecute a trans activist for doxxing J.K., the mooted though unlikely version of Harry Potter, casting a trans woman in a biological woman's role and the disgraceful treatment of Rowling by the ingrate cast of the movies during the mawkish 20th anniversary...

The China Winter Olympics is on us and Australia (in economic and diplomatic war with China) is having a schizophrenic breakdown. Celebrating the event with their trademark over the top bombast, whilst pretending they don't know where it is. The TV network spamming adverts about the event, even have the words "Beijing" in tiny letters you can barely see. It's embarrassing. We are going to a party...

With the prospect of conflict in Ukraine flaring up again - a look at one of the Western world's most inaccurate media narratives of the last decade. That democracy loving freedom fighters overthrew Russian tyranny. What actually happened was an a Western backed coup, ousting a democratically elected leader, because he wouldn't accept trading Ukrainian sovereignty and autonomy, to accept European...

Exactly what is says it is, with a no doubt popular choice for worst film of the year.

In the weakest year for albums, tracks and movies of the century.

Working our my usual radio show end of year best-of lists, I was struck by how weak 2021 was - across albums, movies and tracks, the lamest of the century, why?

There is no doubt the previously hardcore fringe elements of the far right have piggybacked off the back off COVID related protests, mingling closer than the 1930's with the mainstream, but the public's ability to accept them has its roots in century old right-wing, American Evangelical Christian opposition to science and Murdoch press populist propaganda.

New Zealand's pre-emptive ban on smoking is a bridge too far - an overreach into lives beyond what government should be responsible for, at a time of record low smoking levels, that will only create a new generation of young people enticed into smoking being rebellious.

With a judge straight out of Mississippi burning, whose only job it seemed was to get a young and hopelessly misguided Trump supporter off his charges of killing two BLM protesters - a look at how the game of self defense in America is rigged to ensure a white man with a gun can do whatever he likes.

With an opposition, burnt by offering too much substance and policy at the last election, losing to a blunderbuss with none, we now face an election where neither side of politics will offer anything at all, and simply try to be seen as least bad in the 24 hour news cycle. We Deserve it.

The Australian state of New South Wales, finally began a debate, long blocked by right wing religious conservatives, to pass euthanasia/voluntary assisted dying laws. Ironically, it was through our most pious leader yet, Dominic Perrottet - who completely opposes it, perhaps noting that this is the most bi-partisan issue of the age. More than 70% of left wing, right wing and religious voters all s...