The Brown Note

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...

Sean Kelly's important new book, The Game: a Portrait of Scott Morrison covers several of the main slants of this channel. Not only the invented fabrication that is Australia's prime minister but how our media has failed us by letting him getting away with it, and even promoting him uncritically, and also what it says about us as a nation that WE let him get away with it.

After satellite photo's of China's new ballistic missile systems and deadly new hyper-sonic super-weapon went global - a cursory look at what's actually happening here.

The normally flawless issues based TV show Insight, crashed badly with its recent program on narcissism, managing to perpetuate the most common myths whilst failing to explore the most damaging traits - for instance gaslighting wasn't even mentioned. Through my own personal exposure with this very misunderstood and dangerous mental illness, I try to set the record straight.

Contrary to the wailing and gnashing of Australia's Gladys worshiping media - the disgraced ex leader of the state of NSW could end up the best reason ever for a national Independent Commission Against Corruption.

All of Australia's worst ever prime minister, Scott Morrison's titanic failings are on full display at the climate summit in Glasgow - from his historic opposition to action on climate change to his ham fisted attempts to rule the 24 hr news cycle to his appalling lack of judgement or foresight in playing nicely with others. The trip is now dominated by his all out war with French President Macron...

Arguably the world's apex stand up comedian, Dave Chappelle's latest Netflix stand up, The Closer, is the most controversial of the modern age. Why I think it's also the most important. The most fearless, deliberate and confrontational work of his career, less concerned with being funny than staring down the zeitgeist, taking a blow torch to the sound bite universe and running a freight train thro...

I am now in possibly the smallest group of people in the country, I have had both vaccinations yet am unvaccinated, have a medical exemption and with the rest of Sydney now free, have another month of lockdown to look forward to. How my genius level intellect got me to this place. Also the farcical Australian Freedom Day copies the UK in name only and why I think more lockdowns are on the horizon...

Not content with randomly destroying our relationship with our biggest trading partner and the world's second most powerful nation, China, just to look good for team Trump, Australian Prime Minister and all round crazy dude, Scott Morrison has decided to throw Australia under a bus with France and potentially Europe too! Just to look good in the news for a week, he behaved like all bad boyfriends...