Clivegr(bsky too)

1st trip to China 1979.Taught English to Chinese Ss in many provinces over 12 years.Examined English in India's Punjab. Cycling. Ocean swimming. Chinese name:大山

[Jewish Council of Australia @jewishcouncilAU]

Ceasefire deal: relief, mourning and hope for a future of peace, justice and accountability

Yesterday we woke to news that Israel had agreed to a ceasefire deal with Hamas, many details of which are still unknown. The Jewish Council welcomes this ceasefire, and sends our solidarity to all who have suffered, and to those who have lost, and continue to lose, loved ones to this senseless violence.

While we breathe a sigh of relief for the likely end to this round of violence, this deal – a version of which Israel rejected in May 2024 – comes far too late.

In the weeks to come, we will learn more about the extent of Israel’s devastation of Gaza. By many estimates, Israel has killed far more than the official number of 47,000 Palestinians. The UN says it will take 350 years to rebuild Gaza’s economy to pre-war levels.

Respected organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have found that Israel has committed acts of genocide – the intentional destruction of Palestinian life in Gaza in whole or in part.

The Netanyahu government has repeatedly rejected deal after deal. Netanyahu has, in part, continued this genocidal war for his own political gain, disregarding not just the lives of Palestinians, but also the lives of Israeli hostages.

While Israel has continued to act in clear breach of international law, pro-Israel Jewish organisations in Australia have been blindly following it into the moral abyss, unashamedly beating the drums of war and attempting to silence those who have called for the violence to stop. The government-appointed antisemitism envoy has been amongst those doing so, arguing that the war must continue until Hamas is destroyed: a claim used to justify genocide.

Israel's advocates in Australia and internationally bear significant responsibility for the destruction of Gaza and for this moment taking so long to arrive. The fact that they now appear to support a ceasefire deal, at the exact moment Netanyahu does, shows how closely they have aligned with his regime. Our government and civil society must see these organisations for what they have become, blind defenders of Israel’s genocide, and treat them accordingly.

Now is the time for accountability, for Australia to throw its full weight behind international legal mechanisms, including the arrest warrant for Netanyahu issued by the International Criminal Court, and South Africa’s case before the International Court of Justice, to hold the Israeli government and military accountable. Israel must immediately lift its blockade of Gaza and humanitarian aid must be allowed to flow.

It is also the time for Australia to join with the international community in addressing the root causes of this violence: Israel's brutal occupation, unequal treatment, and continued campaigns of violence against Palestinians.

For many Jewish people, in Australia and elsewhere, the past 15 months have forced a reckoning – with the State of Israel and the political ideology of Zionism. We all have a responsibility to continue to raise our voices to say that the violence of Israel and its advocates is not in our names, and to call for peace, equality, and justice for all people between the river and the sea.

[Clivegr(bsky too) @Kurragong]

Gave up on Qantas when couldn't use 80,000 points + pay to get MEL-HKG flight.

[ShanghaiPanda （ Account deactivation） @thinking_panda]

I'm on a business trip in Jiangxi Province, China.
This is a job AD for a local fast food restaurant👇 - the monthly salary for a waiter/waitress is 3600 RMB ~ 6500 RMB... five insurance and free board & lodging.
The cost of living here is much lower than in Shanghai.

[ShanghaiPanda （ Account deactivation） @thinking_panda]

The real medical bill of a Chinese farmer.
4 heart stents + Surgery + 11 days in hospital, total cost RMB 274,000, reimbursed RMB 238,000.
The reimbursement ratio is 87%.
She paid 508 RMB per year for this.
For a country with a population of 1.4 billion, the CPC does well👍

[Clivegr(bsky too) @Kurragong]

Elon Musk has ruined Twitter which was a great social media platform, so getting off it & on to Bluesky.

[Jason Smith - 上官杰文 @ShangguanJiewen]

China has 45,000 Kilometers of the highest quality and fastest High Speed Rail on the planet.

The US has 0.

Another reason Chinese manufacturing is so successful is down to more modern logistics and better infrastructure.

#Infrastructure

[Pearls and Irritations @johnmenadue]

The Albanese government with their policy is likely to turn Australia into the 51st state of the United States, writes former Prime Minister of Australia, Paul Keating. #auspol #USPolitics
https://t.co/W4TxIoIJCN

[Julian Hill MP @JulianHillMP]

🍿👀🪓
Only the Victorian Liberal Party could be at their most popular for decades (which admittedly isn’t very much) then dump their relatively sensible leader in a giant Christmas bloodbath, while the State is literally on fire.
🪓 #auspol #Springst

[Johann Spischak @SDGMasterglass]

At a Tel Aviv train station, reserve soldiers refusing service are posting signs and handing out flyers, urging others to sign their refusal letter in a bold act of resistance. ✊👍👏

[Paul Gregoire @PaulrGregoire]

The attorney general waited until Xmas to drop it on @FreeDanDuggan that he'll be extradited to the US

This act of callous political expediency obviously outweighs any undue harms that its delivery at this time might have upon the Duggans
👇
https://t.co/9Vo7AxXLqe
via @sydcrimlawyers

[Australia Institute @TheAusInstitute]

"How anyone would think this is a smart deal...is completely beyond me."

@TurnbullMalcolm on Australia's AUKUS submarine debacle.

🎧 https://t.co/zFTsQQd9ce

#auspol @EmmaShortis

[Clivegr(bsky too) @Kurragong]

Bluesky for you Craig

[Craig Emerson @DrCraigEmerson]

When I click onto X the feed goes straight to “For you.”

It’s a stream of violet videos of young men and women punching each other until one or more falls to the ground unconscious.

Is this what Elon Musk believes we all want to see?

It’s not the society I want.

It’s sick.

[Robert Barwick @RobbieBarwick]

A quick YouTube video to explain the issues at stake with @AlboMP & @MarkDreyfusKCMP's decision to approve @freedanduggan's extradition to the USA.

In short: the Australian government will not protect Aussies if the country coming after us is the USA.
https://t.co/OyaA0mZ09I

[Professor Christopher Painter @PrfChrisPainter]

Why do wealthy individuals like Musk support far-right political platforms? Because they believe in kleptocracy, not democracy, under which a small minority corruptly help themselves to a lion's share of the state's spoils.

[Yanis Varoufakis @yanisvaroufakis]

Israel is dipping the soul of its soldiers into a pit of poison. Do they believe that, after annihilating the Palestinian population of Gaza, the soldiers who return can live down the ill effects on their subconscious? Do they believe that a normal life is possible for them?

[UNRWA @UNRWA]

According to @‌dropsitenews, the State of Israel has been providing unverified intelligence to news organizations to justify attacks on civilian sites over the past 14 months.

Two-thirds of UNRWA facilities have been damaged or destroyed and nearly 260 UNRWA team members have been killed.

Full article: https://t.co/cd1jMBkWX0

[Rashida Yosufzai @Rashidajourno]

For the first time @MSF says it is seeing what is happening in northern Gaza are "undeniable signs of ethnic cleansing".

https://t.co/wKmcfcM7NM

[Clivegr(bsky too) @Kurragong]

@bicycle_network Re 'Getting turns right on St Kilda Rd', sorry but turning right into Domain Rd from St Kilda Rd heading north 'doesn't work well'. There are 2 sets of lights & delays - much, much longer than before.

[Clivegr(bsky too) @Kurragong]

https://t.co/eaI1PMOz4a

[_Kat_ @Kat_Zilla_]

Why is Jim Chalmers a more effective speaker, especially in press conferences than Albo? Because he articulates, fires back on the BS! Know how to hit the opposition with facts including the press ! He’s PM material!