Jazzy Jan

As the famous phrase and quote goes " Patriotism is the last refuge of the Scoundrel. So true with Trump and that it very frightening.

WTF ! This is too appalling for words. Racist, sexist stuff to the extreme. As if this particular Republican party would care about black men being falsely accused. They are so insulting to black people by trying to pretend they care when they are racist to the core themselves against black people. Look at what they are dong and how they disrespect the Black Lives Matter movement. Also what about the description of "white women screaming rape" Also putting down women and portraying them as liars - fitting their own twisted sexist logic. How low can they go to try and get votes and push their agenda.

San, they are unbelievable. I am not a Turnbull fan but the ultra right wingers forced him out of the job because he was too "left leaning" and now blame him for not campaigning for the ultra right factions in the Liberal party that plotted to remove him. Love though that Australia is rejecting this party. How about the Liberal party originally supporting Pauline Hanson's racist " It's Ok to be white" bill before they were called out and then pretended they did not know it was racist. I mean, it was brought up by Pauline Hanson. How could they not know ? . How low can they go.

Wondering what our Australian members here are thinking of the latest shambles going on politically. And International members if they have an interest in Australian politics. It is certainly out of control in every way. Will we have yet another new Prime Minister tomorrow ? For International members, our Liberal Party ( who are actually the conservative party - the title is misleading in itself ) are tearing themselves apart internally. There are far too many right wing politicians in that party who are holding PM Malcolm Turnbull to ransom. He can't get anything through as being hampered all the time by the ultra conservative factions and has to keep on appeasing them. There looks like there will be another leadership vote tomorrow which could see PM Malcolm Turnbull be replaced as PM. I kind of now hope that Peter Dutton does come PM although it is a terrifying thought. Simply because it will then completely expose their far right ideology to the people who have no interest in politics and they will be voted out in droves. No point in moderates in the Liberal Party ( moderate for their standards ) trying to run the party, because the same thing will keep happening. I truly fear for Australia if people like Dutton and co are allowed to continue having so much influence on the Liberal party. I don't agree with every single thing the Greens say but thought this speech from Richard Di Natale was spot on about what this government is about. He has the guts to say it too.

RIP Khashoggi. You deserved so much better in life than the horrific death you suffered.

This is an absolute disgrace. Saudi Arabia should be held accountable for this and made to reveal all. I suspect that yet again they will be excused and things swept under the rug. Just as they treat women like dirt and are excused for that and even have Ivanka Trump going there talking about respect for women.

The gap has narrowed as the postal votes that are being counted are favouring the conservatives. The swing has been massive against the government but it would be dreadful if they ended up getting home by the narrowest of margins. Her victory was called last night but apparently the postal votes are going entirely against the massive swing against Morrison and the Coalition. Wentworth has been the safest seat for the Coalition traditionally and the fact it is even close is a huge slap in the face to the government. Would hate it if the verdict announced was wrong though and Phelps did not win.

@Kim @karbatal @runa @Ciccone's Cheeks @Crystal Coffin @beta_test Keeping you updated in Australian politics ! @San Isn't this Wonderful ! This is fantastic ! An independent in Kerryn Phelps winning a bi election in the safest Australian conservative seat in Australia Malcolm Turnbull ( PM who was NOT ultra right wing who was replaced as leader by ultra right wing factions ) quit Parliament and his seat of Wentworth was now up for grabs. Kerryn Phelps is a campaigner for climate change, getting children off Nauru and offshore detention and she beat the Liberal party ( name of the conservative party in Australia ) . Really proud of Australia and it is proves that Australians are not falling for the garbage in the right wing Murdoch papers

So incredibly proud to be Australian with this news. Also, shows up the anti-vaccination people for their ignorance and scare tactics that get far too much attention. The anti-vaccinations groups complained loudly about this vaccine being made availble to young women in Australia but it has been a tremendous success. Also again proves that universal health care is vital. These vaccinations were free to schoolgirls - America take note ! Have watched several documentaries recently on how vaccinations have wiped out deadly horrible viral diseases such as Smallpox and Polio. Fascinating documentaries that prove how effective vaccinations truly are. . Anyway, Here is the great news for women everywhere Cervical cancer set to be eliminated from Australia in global first Cervical cancer is set to become a rare disease in Australia within just two years and rendered so uncommon by 2028 it will be deemed eliminated as a public health problem for the first time anywhere in the world. The new forecast has been detailed in research in the Lancet Public Health Journal, which found that although global deaths from the disease still exceed 310,000 each year, Australia is heading towards a scenario where cervical cancer would be almost unheard of. The positive prediction has been largely credited to the introduction a decade ago of the world-leading national human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program for schoolchildren, but key changes began in 1991 with the beginning of the country’s pap smear program. In the decades afterwards, cervical cancer rates in women dropped about 50 per cent, as abnormalities were identified before they developed. The incidence of cervical cancer in Australia now stands at seven cases per 100,000, about half the global average. Now research from Cancer Council NSW argues the most dramatic improvements are still to come, as the first recipients of the early HPV vaccination program begin to reach their mid thirties. In just two years, cervical cancer could be officially considered a rare cancer in Australia, with six new cases per 100,000 women annually. If current practices continue, the disease will be all but eradicated by 2066, when there will be about one case per 100,000. By 2100 there would be just three deaths per million women (compared to 21 deaths per million, or about 260 deaths each year today). Professor Ian Frazer, the co-inventor of the technology behind the HPV vaccine, said he expected that in time cervical cancer would be completely eliminated from Australia and the world. “Because this human papillomavirus only infects humans and the vaccine program prevents the spread of the virus, eventually we'll get rid of it, like we did with smallpox,” Professor Frazer said. “It’s not going to happen in my lifetime, but it could happen in the lifetime of my kids if they go about it the right way.” The free national HPV vaccination program was first rolled out to Australian schoolgirls aged 12 to 13 in 2007, and was expanded to boys in 2013. The current vaccine works by protecting recipients against the types of HPV that cause about 90 per cent of cervical cancers worldwide. It also prevents cases of genital warts, and a number of other cancers of the cervix, anus, vulva, vagina, penis and throat.

The corruption that goes on regarding Saudi Arabia makes my blood run cold. They are excused for everything because they do deals with oil and weapons that favour the USA. Seeing that Barbie Doll Stepford wife Ivanka Trump with her father in Saudi Arabia talking of women's rights was one of the most hypocritical revolting things she has done. The way women are treated in Saudi Arabia is an extreme violation of human rights but does the Western world care ? Does Ivanka care ? Does the world care when gay people, women and people of different faith are killed and tortured in Saudi Arabia ? No because money speaks all languages and they value money over human lives and human rights. They will trot out with glee that women can now drive as if they are going to move in the right direction. Yipee - what a crock of garbage. A journalist working for the Washington Post was savagely murdered in the Saudi consulate but their denial will be accepted completely and this will not become an issue to be investigated. Trump will say it is more important to retain the relationship with Saudi Arabia. Also notice how Saudi Arabia was not on his travel ban despite most of the terrorist groups coming from that country. Sickening.

Well, this is a big surprise. I love Fleetwood Mac and also have always loved Neil Finn from his work in Split Enz and later Crowded House. Crowded House frontman Neil Finn has joined Fleetwood Mac, after core songwriter and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham was dramatically fired from the band. Crowded House frontman Neil Finn has joined Fleetwood Mac, after core songwriter and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham was dramatically fired from the band. Buckingham, whose guitar interplay with singer Stevie Nicks has defined the rock icons since he joined the band in 1975 and then re-joined them in 1997 after a decade-long solo departure, was "fired" from the band after a disagreement over an upcoming tour, Rolling Stone reports. Finn and former Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell will be joining the band for the upcoming US tour, the band said in a statement. Finn confirmed the news on Twitter and in a statement to Rolling Stone, calling the decision a "natural fit". Two weeks ago, I received a wonderful invitation to be part of a truly great band. A few days later, I was standing in a room playing music with Fleetwood Mac. It felt fresh and exciting... I can't wait to play," he said. News of Buckingham's departure was met with criticism from Mac fans, some of who vowed to boycott the upcoming tour. "Absolutely ridiculous. You guys just got rid of your visionary, the man whose work created the sound of this lineup," said one viral comment on the band's Facebook page. "Good luck with the tour – as great as Neil Finn and Mike Campbell are, this is not a Fleetwood Mac I have any interest in," the commenter added. Drummer Mick Fleetwood looked to downplay the backlash with a statement saying the band "has always been about... a unique blend of talents." "We jammed with Mike and Neil and the chemistry really worked and let the band realise that this is the right combination to go forward with in Fleetwood Mac style," he said. Of course, this sort of drama is nothing new for the Hall of Fame band, who infamously navigated inter-band romances and break-ups throughout their heyday, fuelling biting hits such as Go Your Own Way and Silver Springs. The band, with its reunited core lineup featuring Buckingham, Nicks, Fleetwood and Christine McVie, last toured Australia in late 2015, although Nicks and Fleetwood also made solo jaunts in more recent years.

It is the typical debate as well. Republicans are called "elites" which is kind of hilarious in itself ( in a bad way ). I don't get how the word "elite" is thrown around so much by conservatives who basically adore the true elites of the world. Having any interest in politics apparently makes people elite. Does this happen in other countries or is it just an expression used in Australia to weirdly put down anyone who has any form of interest in politics or world events ? I know I am digressing but again it just shocks me that many intelligent people with compassion etc have no interest in world events such as this journalist going missing. I think that maybe they want to stay ignorant because it is so upsetting but I don't really know.

O'h and Trump's response was just as imagined. The money changing hands between America and Saudi Arabia is far more important than a journalist getting killed. It is a complete reflection of how this world works and it stinks to High Heaven.

What is just as infuriating and really makes me lose faith in humanity is the fact so many could not care less. Went out tonight with 4 friends for a meal and briefly the topic turned to politics. They were not remotely interested in this story so felt like I was talking to myself and gave up. Not going to talk to people or bore them about things that obviously don't remotely interest them. They did however talk about Harry and Megan touring Australia in detail for at least half an hour People just want feel good stories about celebrities and most don't even want to know about current affairs. Sad but true.

God yes. He was just divine in my imagination of the song too and that line about how he saw his own eyes with the baby - it was like a crazy soap opera but in a good way. The shock and the reaction when he realized the baby was his. Magic Man was another. Such descriptive and amazing songs. Gypsy by Fleetwood Mac was incredible as did not have to make up a scenario when listening because the video was perfect. Same with Madonna videos. Why I am such a fan of music videos because I think music, film, books etc are all inter-connected. Well they are in my crazy brain. If I did not like a video clip of a song I loved - i would just erase it from my mind and think of a new one myself when listening to it.

These Dreams and Alone are two of the very best songs of the 80's. I can also imagine Stevie singing These Dreams. The lyrics are just incredible. Weird facts in how I listen to songs. When songs really reached me, I created visions of them in my head while listening to them. These Dream's lyrics are so descriptive and imaginative that it is easy to do. Alone - I had it set in a magical toy room and the Girl singing was a toy fairy doll come to life at night and the love interest was a handsome action hero doll. They both were fully fledged adults too which kind of does not make sense. God, I know that sounds so weird but it did work and was sad and beautiful. Yes, this was before Toy Story too. All I wanna do is make love to you was another. What a great twist in that song. I really love Heart. The music, the lyrics, the singers and the stories in the songs. The passion the girls always sang with too.

Watched a lot of footage of his 60 minutes interview. There is a method in this buffoon's madness. Blames the media, Plays the victim, takes no responsibility for anything, deflects every hard question by pointing the finger at something or someone else. Easy for people to see through but I suspect his base of supporters would lap it up. It truly is a blight on America to see this man being the leader of their country.

Thanks for posting this @Flip The Switch. Love it. Such a magical beautiful song.

Yes, fantastic group and definitely underrated. Another group too that when people do cover versions of their songs - they can never capture the brilliance of the originals.

Such beautiful magnificent creatures. How anyone would want to hurt these precious animals is beyond me.

This is heart-breaking. Humans should be ashamed of themselves letting such a beautiful species become extinct. RIP Sudan the white rhino. Your species deserved better than this. Hunters, poachers and people that profit from the killing of endangered animals are the scum of the Earth The world's last male northern white rhino, Sudan, has died after "age-related complications," researchers announced Tuesday, saying he "stole the heart of many with his dignity and strength." A statement from the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya said the 45-year-old rhino was euthanized on Monday after his condition "worsened significantly" and he was no longer able to stand. His muscles and bones had degenerated and his skin had extensive wounds. The rhino had been part of an ambitious effort to save the subspecies from extinction with the help of the two surviving females. "He was a great ambassador for his species and will be remembered for the work he did to raise awareness globally of the plight facing not only rhinos, but also the many thousands of other species facing extinction as a result of unsustainable human activity," said the conservancy's CEO, Richard Vigne. Sudan was something of a celebrity, attracting thousands of visitors. Last year he was listed as "The Most Eligible Bachelor in the World" on the Tinder dating app in a fundraising effort. The last male northern white rhino had been born in Sudan, taken to a Czech zoo and then transferred to Kenya in 2009. Rangers caring for Sudan described him as gentle. The rhino "significantly contributed to survival of his species as he sired two females," the conservancy said. "Additionally, his genetic material was collected yesterday and provides a hope for future attempts at reproduction of northern white rhinos through advanced cellular technologies."

How low can Australian politicians go. Not to mention shock Jock Alan Jones. How this sexist, racist revolting man keeps his job is beyond me. Former Sydney Opera House boss attacks 'offensive' ad for 'shoddy horse race Michael Lynch says the link between the gambling industry and politicians is corrupting the integrity of the Opera House The former chief executive of the Opera House has described the decision to allow the promotion of a horse race on the sails of the building as “crass, inappropriate and offensive”. “I find it extraordinary that the state politicians on both sides have somehow decided that this is in the interests of Sydney, New South Wales or Australia to corrupt the way the Opera House works, to corrupt art integrity of the building and to be able to use it in any way a politician wants,” Michael Lynch told ABC radio on Monday. Lynch ran the Opera House from 1998 to 2002. “I would not regard myself as precious or elitist and I just find the lily-livered approach by the politicians on this issue [and] the nexus between the gambling bodies and the politicians seriously disturbing.” The NSW government’s decision on Friday night to order the Opera House to accept an application from Racing NSW came after a public campaign by the rightwing broadcaster Alan Jones and despite Opera House management saying the proposal contravened a policy to prevent the building’s commercialisation. It has prompted an outcry amid concerns about the use of the building – a petition opposing the decision had reached 170,000 signatures on Monday afternoon. On Monday afternoon the National Trust NSW conservation director, Graham Quint, said he believed projecting commercial material onto the sails contravened state laws. “They’ve gone with a decision that we think probably is not legal,” Quint told AAP. “It may be in breach of the Heritage Act.” Quint said the legislation made clear that projecting colours and images onto the sails should be “confined to exceptional, non-commercial occasions of brief duration”. Racing NSW’s board held an urgent meeting on Monday after receiving what were described as “threats” that raised serious security concerns for Tuesday’s proposed event to announce the barrier draw for the Everest Cup. A spokesman declined to elaborate on what sort of threats, but said Racing NSW, as the sport’s administrator, was taking them seriously and deciding what to do. The racing organisation had planned to hold a high-profile event to be attended by racing figures and politicians. It was believed to be scheduled to be held at the Opera House, where, at the same time, the barrier draw was to be projected on to the sails of the building. Racing NSW is attempting to turn the Everest Cup, which has the world’s highest prize pool of $13m, into an event that will rival the Melbourne Cup on the international racing calendar. But the furore over whether it constitutes commercial exploitation of the Opera House or legitimate promotion of an event has marred the lead-up to the event. The head of the Opera House, Louise Herron, has said the proposal risked the building’s world heritage listing. A spokesman for Unesco told the Guardian: “The World Heritage Centre is looking into this and will not comment before it finds out all the details.” On Monday the NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, stood by the decision, saying the government “would never support anything we though diminished the iconic statute of the Opera House”. “I am pleased the version we have landed on is a big compromise and it is different to what the government was presented with earlier on,” she said. “I want to state at the outset it is very good to have these great debates about what is important [but] I am incredibly comfortable with the decision we have landed at. All sides of politics support the decision and we are proceeding with it on that basis.” But Lynch said using the Opera House to “flog some shoddy horse race” was a contravention of the government’s responsibilities. “It’s similar to the idea of suddenly putting ads over all the ABC venues,” he said. “It’s just not the way you run a building that has been world heritage listed. It took us over 20 years to secure that world heritage listing. There are conditions and legal restrictions that the NSW government as owner of the site have entered into and now they’ve just said we don’t care about that, we’re not going to do that any more.” In a widely criticised interview on Friday, Jones berated Herron, saying “Who the hell do you think ... who do you think you are?” On Monday he went further, describing Herron as a “tyrant” and accusing her of double standards for opposing the advertisement because the building had already been commercialised via a Samsung partnership in 2013. “Many people have had problems with the same lady in the past. I won’t go into those problems now. But plenty of correspondence [sic] has talked to me about her being a tyrant,” he said. “Well done, Louise, have you told your leftwing mates that no one has commercialised the Opera House more than you? What’s the issue with the Everest?” Over the weekend the prime minister, Scott Morrison, backed the decision to allow advertising for the race, calling it “commonsense” and said he did not understand “why people are getting so precious about it”. “This is one of the biggest events of the year,” he said. “Why not put it on the biggest billboard Sydney has?” The Labor leader, Bill Shorten, criticised Morrison’s description on Monday, but declined to answer directly whether he agreed with the decision to allow advertising. “I don’t think most Australians, when they think about the Opera House, think of it as a billboard,” Shorten said. “To me, the Opera House is a representation of Australia’s capacity to build splendid things. Unlike prime minister Morrison, I don’t look at the Opera House and see a billboard, I see a remarkable Australian achievement.” Lynch said Morrison was “kidding himself”. “I think he should be preparing himself to go back to a job in tourism driving a bus post the next election, because I don’t think its appropriate that the prime minister interferes into a state-owned organisation.”

Agree completely. I have friends who have always voted for the Liberal party and now are not going to this upcoming election. The Liberal Party were never as extreme right wing as this previously, . Find it alarming that Malcolm Fraser would now be considered to be left leaning in today's climate with everyone in the Liberal party now being somewhat controlled by ultra right wing religious groups that support the opinions of the likes of Hanson.

I know ! He seems to have so much influence in Sydney but then again, everyone I know from NSW detests and hates him. He is in with all the corporate high flyers though. Napoleon, our shock jocks in Australia are just vile.

@horn Those tweets from Trump says it all. It reminds me of a report I saw recently that showed previous governments, politicians and corporations from years back mocking anyone that said smoking was dangerous. They deliberately tried to make the scientists and medical researchers out to be hoaxers and straight out dismissed any research so they could protect their financial interests. Same thing happening now.