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| The Illawara south of Sydney Picture by John Stapleton |
"This conflict threatens not only to destroy the lives of millions of people, but also to destabilise the world economy by massively disrupting global energy flows, shipping routes, air transportation and telecommunications systems, to create unprecedented refugee flows, to redraw the borders of half a dozen nation-states (with huge loss of life in the process), to drag regional and world powers (Iran, Israel, Russia, Egypt, China, Pákistan, Turkey) into an escalating - potentially nuclear - conflict, to encourage radical violence in scores of countries worldwide, and to enable the aggressive expansion of the Islamic state by means of military conquest. Some of this is already happening..."
Blood Year: Terror and the Islamic State, David Kilcullen.
"This case has been mismanaged from the beginning," an annoyed voice said in the dark reaches.
He could hear the disturbed voices of the ice addicts; the frustrated voices of the watchers on the watch, the muffled quiet of party goers trying not to attract too much attention.
"I wonder if he knows already," someone speculated.
Forgiveness and apology. "I understand now."
Australia Day. Or Invasion Day.
Endlessly politicised. Unable to celebrate its own story. It was a classic Australian day, someone had said earlier in the evening, although they meant it in a different sense as they speculated on how they would photograph the protests and the flag waving. Our indigenous brothers. Beaten, vanquished, the subject of brutal consequence. No story could be told without guilt.
He had been in Australia at the same time the previous year; another Australia Day dawning over-cast and disturbed, as if the colour had been drained out of everything. The then Prime Minister Tony Abbott had turned what at least in theory should have been a day of unity into an even greater farce by granting a Knighthood to the Duke of Edinburgh, as if the Queen's husband had any need of more awards from the colonies. The obsequiousness of Australia knew no bounds. Knightmare trumpeted the papers.
"So we pick up where we left off."
"Consumed by hatred." Because their lies had been exposed. "There's so many things wrong with this case."
Trails of stories from the previous few years continued to loom and vanish in an ever darkening night; as if, written out, everything that had gone before had vanished into history. He didn't know who to trust and who not to trust, what was true and what was not. Sometimes he used to chant: "Bring back the intelligent one." But of the invisible wraiths; few of them were kind. So he had shut down all contact, and vanished into the ordinary, as his kind had done so often.
Three a.m. on an Australia Day morning. There would be no forgiveness on this day, for him, from him; as the slate grey skies tumbled overhead. Like many Sydneysiders, he would go down to the Aboriginal themed Invasion Day events; and watch, if he watched at all, the flyovers and splashdash celebrations on Sydney Harbour on television. A face turned to the world. Another few would ever see. This was his country. These were the times.
THE BIGGER STORY:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-25/housing-costs-in-australia-second-only-to-hong-kong/7111490
Surging house prices in Sydney and Melbourne have helped keep Australia near the top of an annual list of the world's least affordable countries.
Key points:
The typical Australian house costs 5.6 times the median household income
Only Hong Kong (19) is less affordable; with New Zealand (5.2) and the UK (5.1) close behind Australia
Sydney is the second least affordable city in the world, with prices 12.2 times incomes
Australia is second only to Hong Kong for housing costs, with the Asian banking hub occupying a unique position given its high-income elite, miniscule size and proximity to mainland China.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-25/australia-day-sombre-time-for-aboriginals-says-dance-group/7113016
Australia Day may mark the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 and the founding of our nation, but for many Aboriginal Australians there is little to celebrate and 'Invasion Day' or 'Survival Day' as it is known is one filled with mixed emotions.
"I've performed for many years on Australia Day morning and it's really a mourning ceremony in my heart and my spirit," Peta Strachan, a descendant of the Boorooberongal clan and artistic director of the Jannawi Dance Clan said.
The dance troupe will open the Australia Day ceremony at Barangaroo in Sydney on Tuesday.
"If I'm dancing on the 26th, I dance for our ancestors who went through all that pain," Ms Strachan said.
"It's basically acknowledging all our ancestors and all the pain they went through since Captain Cook arrived."
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