Echoes of Peace: A Vigil for Palestine this evening.

// Students have been told Gazans "deserved what they got" and a Sydney teacher was "forced out [of] his job" for wearing a traditional scarf in what researchers say are increasing instances of anti-Palestinian racism in schools across Australia. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

// When Holocaust survivors are still living in the Australian community and large numbers of black-clad white supremacists mobilised in celebration of the Nazi ethic ... , it would appear as grave negligence on Segal’s part www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/antisem...

Disappointing development in Hong Kong. // The bill had proposed to allow residents who have already formed unions overseas to register their partnerships locally and to grant them rights in handling medical and funeral matters. www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/...

From our good friend Dr Julien Cooper - "Heritage and conflict in Sudan: Updates on the Sudan National Museum and archaeological threats across the country". 1pm Monday 18/8/2025 at Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney. www.sydney.edu.au/museum/whats...

// not only has Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal left this matter unaddressed publicly and in her action plan to combat Jewish prejudice, but PM Anthony Albanese ... has left this issue festering... www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/the-dis...

I know Heba in person - please have a read of this article to hear her voice. The situation is grim. The violence against minorities in Syria must be stopped. I urge the Australian government to take appropriate actions in response to this conflict. www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...

A Shiseido poster from 1983 featuring models in kimono.

Alexander McQueen's design "La Dame Bleue" (2007) inspired by kimono.

Alexander McQueen's design "La Dame Bleue" (2007) inspired by kimono.

Pretending to be a samurai at the kimono exhibition.

Maybe the 1930s was the time when Egyptomania spread to Japan? Japanese obi (sash) with pottery design inspired by Ancient Egypt, c. 1930.

The Australian Chamber Orchestra's Richard Tognetti has warned that the ANU's plan to axe its School of Music would result in an "act of cultural vandalism", with another Canberra ensemble saying its offer to help has been rejected.

Bach Cantata service at St John Southgate this morning. A thought provoking sermon by guest preacher Rev Britta Taddiken from Thomaskirche Leipzig about the perception of the end of the world and the final judgement, which is the theme of the cantata BWV70.

Bach Cantata service at St John Southgate this morning. A thought provoking sermon by guest preacher Rev Britta Taddiken from Thomaskirche Leipzig about the perception of the end of the world and the final judgement, which is the theme of the cantata BWV70.

A pleasure meeting Prof Nozumo Kawai at Australian Centre for Egyptology conference last Saturday. The Japanese team has been doing solid work in Saqqara. For years I've been calling for inviting our Japanese teams to join us here for conference - Amazing that it has come into fruition.

We need to continue rallying against Israeli plans and actions in Gaza.

I don't think I have ever met an Egyptologist who has movie credits on IMDB! What an honour to meet Prof Stuart Tyson Smith at the Australian Centre for Egyptology last Saturday who delivered two amazing lectures on excavation work in Sudan and his work in movies Stargate & the Mummy as consultant.

A sobering discussion last night on the destruction of heritage sites and cultural institutions in Gaza with Professor Chris Sidoti. Prof Sidoti highlighted the misuse of archaeology by the Israeli regime for ideological purposes... (1/4)

Fanboying soprano Danielle de Niese under a chilly opera house after her performance of Carmen last weekend. Finally got Danielle's autograph on my copy of her Handel recording.

A splendid performance of Bizet's Carmen at Sydney Opera House last weekend. Danielle de Niese is the perfect choice for the title role with her expressive performance combining singing & movement. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Jewish Council was proud to join the hundreds of thousands of Australians marching on Sunday to demand action from our political leadership. We demand an end to the genocide, today!

Marching with National Tertiary Education Union in support of the Palestinian people @nteunion.bsky.social

‘Attacks on the humanities at Australian universities are not new – but they are now more lethal’ www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

So many people from all walks of life in the pouring rain. So heartening to participate.

Talk about the Vestal Virgins? Dr G is in! Catch the conversation over on Betwixt the Sheets 🥳 I was super excited to chat all things Vestals with Dr Kate Lister! Be warned, some of the stories are wild 😉 #AncientRome #AncientBluesky

// Case, who has worked on the railways for 28 years, said the comfortable, purple-coloured seats were what commuters best knew the V-set trains for. “The seats inside are like a big, old, comfy lounge chair,” she said. www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...

Protecting your privacy doesn't have to be scary. Check out our Surveillance Self-Defense guides for step-by-step tutorials for keeping your data and devices secure.

President Trump has said U.S. strikes on Iran obliterated the country's nuclear program. An early intelligence assessment finds the strikes may only have set it back "a few months."

Interoperability xkcd.com/3105/

Courts have already found some DOGE employees in violation of the law. Access logs will help reveal what data they accessed and what they may have taken with them. But that’s just the start. There are audit trails, metadata, network traffic, and backup discrepancies.

There’s an active investigation into the access DOGE officials gained to federal IT systems. Fortunately, detailed documentation was kept by many along the way. More DOGE “resignations” are expected.

The next lecture in the Near Eastern Archaeology Foundation (NEAF) 2025 series celebrating 50 years of University of Sydney projects in Jordan is on 16 July - Phil Edwards on Wadi Hammeh 27. All talks are live streamed. Check out the full program! 🏺#archaeology neaf.sydney.edu.au/ancient-jord...

Random question: Where did Ancient Egyptian Papyri and crime fiction meet? Answer: in the hands of Dame Agatha Christie and her novel entitled "Death comes as an end" The novel was inspired by the Heqanakht Papyri which are displayed in part (not sure if all the letters are on display) 1/

I'm going to be honest here, I think AI is going to do so much damage to the usable internet that even after it's inevitably crashes out, it's going to take years to disentangle from every space it's polluted, like digital asbestos it's gonna be time consuming effort and likely expensive venture.

// The announcement, which follows an audit last month that found governance arrangements for the National Agreement on Closing the Gap in NSW are not operating effectively, will see funding to support 14 Closing the Gap initiatives. nit.com.au/20-06-2025/1...

// Last week, Macquarie held a 15-minute video presentation with staff in the Faculty of Arts and announced almost 70 job losses. The chat function on the video call was disabled and no questions were allowed. www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/educati...

This year we commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. What do people get wrong about the Council of Nicaea? To what extent is the Council of Nicaea significant? youtube.com/watch?v=vNQf...

At the theatre again this afternoon for the final performance of Pinchgut Opera's production of Purcell's the Fairy Queen.

// At Macquarie, ancient history and archaeology ... would all lose up to, or more than, half of their FTE staff ... a number of bachelor degrees would be abolished, including music, ancient history and archeology www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Opening weekend at Pinchgut Opera's production of Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell. A rather unique Australian take on a 300+ years old English semi-opera reimagining as scenes with barbecues, Bruces (c.f. Monty Python), and radio hosts on air in the first half.

The Trump administration is exploring plans to suspend habeas corpus rights for immigrants, one of the most fundamental protections in the Constitution.

“Abolish ICE” is the moderate position. Radical is “prosecute every ICE employee under RICO.”

ICE opened their detention center in Newark WITHOUT permission from the city, and in violation of state law. Mayor Ras Baraka has been fighting to close it down. RT this to THANK Mayor Baraka!

Victory for Labor in Parramatta and a nation wide landslide!

The moment when we realised our federal MP is projected to retain his seat by ABC News.

The moment when Antony Green from ABC News declared a Labor victory.

Joining my fellow comrades in Labor to campaign for a second term Labor government with good policies in health and education.