Leave Cathy alone - one of this nation's greatest, bravest 'toonists in these difficult times Or come after me too, you fuckers!

Intriguing reporting from Nine here - the objection to former High Court justice Virginia Bell to lead the royal commission apparently relates to a previous decision where she upheld the democratic right to protest www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...

DONE!

Or

I do not think that, in any way, we are ready for this... www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...

An old question, but a goodie. Are you a "freshie" or a "saltie"? ($) www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...

Lovely visitors …Tawny Frogmouths. Guardian Bird of the Year 2025 … lucky us!

Trump in a single gaggle on Air Force One just threatened: -- a second strike against Venezuela -- Cuba -- Mexico -- Colombia -- Iran -- Greenland (which in turn would be an attack on the EU and Denmark)

On a humid SydneyJanuary arvo... thunder and lighting in the distance, and expecting a storm... puts me in mind of this one. Stick this in your fusebox! ( up loud) www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2AC...

As clear-eyed an analysis as you'll read today ... www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

Our AUKUS partner showing off the shared values Richard Marles loves to talk about

A Study Is Retracted, Renewing Concerns About the Weedkiller Roundup Monsanto had its fingers in the pie The most cited study on the safety of glyphosate, the world's most widely used herbicide, has been retracted www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/c...

podcasts

Such an excellent documentary -reminding us all what brave and fearless journalism looks like. What a hero is Seymour "Sy" Hersh who brought the My Lai massacre and Abu Ghraib torture to the front pages. Highly recommend! (on Netflix) www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn3X...

“The response to the Bondi massacre has been seriously strange.” Essential writing from one of Australia’s great thinkers:

For those who watched the John Clarke doco on the ABC tonight... You're welcome farnaklers!! www.youtube.com/watch?v=X454...

Wishing all of you who follow me here- and all those whom I love to see- a wonderful Happy New Year! Thank you for your pursuit of justice for humankind.Thank you for your advocacy for those who have no voice. I hope that in 2026 you find renewed courage and continue to inspire!

Formally categorised as extinct on the IUCN Red List in 2025 🔴 Slender-billed curlew 🟡 Christmas Island shrew 🟠 3 Australian mammals 🟤 a species of ebony tree and Hawaiian lobelioid ⚫ a cone snail news.mongabay.com/short-articl...

We can do so much better than this www.theguardian.com/environment/.... This draconian crap makes me so angry.

How bad an idea this is cannot be overstated

Orright… everyone off the socials. It’s jigsaw puzzle 🧩 time!

Marble armrests? What, no chicken nugget holders? The fuck?

Loving this time of year, when every request to my husband to help me with something ends with ....'when there's a break in play?' Aussies with partners will know exactly what I mean :) #Ashes

scrabbling for something positive here but the fact that they feel the need to pretend its clean suggests that somewhere in the brains of these oily, pimply edgelords there is some flickering neuron that looks something like shame or self-awareness

I despise AntiSemitism & the horrifying attacks on Jewish people, at the same time & from the same heart that makes me hate Gaza war crimes. I want much better security service action; way stronger gun laws; community & interfaith shows of solidarity. Not whatever this is.

Sigh! TWO channel-billed cuckoo chicks screaming and screeching in relay like cats caught in a blender from dawn till dusk. You cannot imagine what it's like until you've heard it. And relentless. Windows shut, ear plugs by the side of the bed and TV.music up loud. It's cruel.

Suffragette Christmas card from the Women's Social and Political Union, 1909. UK.#Womensart

Bit of nostalgia ...from 1984, the Gillies Report Twelve days of Christmas ... inc PADDINGTON BEAR!! Enjoy. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYzl...

Left-over sage and onion stuffing from last night's turkey dinner - might be my favourite breakfast of the year. Merry Christmas to all the cooks! Hope you have a wonderful day (and there's a wee bit left over for Boxing Day lunch) wx

“okay but what does the president say I CAN give this year, besides no more than two dolls and up to three pencils?” don’t worry, this gift guide has you covered

How many of us, I wonder are switching to Xmas Eve for the turkey dinner to avoid the increasingly hot Xmas Days? Feel for West Australians who are looking at 40 C tomorrow. Phew!

The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 1/5

Broken. Not broken. Today’s Sunday Age cartoon

Who's a lucky girl then? Left my phone in an Uber last night(DER)The folks who found it drove 10 k from Manly to bring it back ( my licence inside the case). Daughter was home to receive it and give them a bottle of wine. So grateful. Lovely people. That's the Christmas spirit right there!

"Latest list of new mine proposals reveals 97 new coal and gas projects are under development" #ThePoint thepoint.com.au/news/251219-...

Yeah, making it illegal to protest a genocide is going to help 🙄

OMG! Been hearing the relentless cries of a baby Channel-billed cuckoo for 16 hours straight now. Poor Mumma Currawong is trying to keep the interloper ( bigger than herself) fed. Geez nature can be cruel! And, what an unholy racket!!

Scrooged

Words fail. Parliamentarians hosting Parliamentary Friends of AUKUS, with an event featuring the Defence Minister, paid for by lobbyists who sell armaments. This is cash for access, pure and simple. Supported and promoted by ALP and Liberal MPs. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

Bernie Sanders on FB re what anti-semitism is and is not.

Thinking of the many from Venezuela who now call Australia home and must be out of their minds with worry in the face of mindless U.S. aggression. Hope they've been able to speak with loved ones in their home country and that networks here are supporting them.

Two men. My @smh cartoon.

Data centres are being marketed as 'vital cogs in the energy transition', but the metaphor is wrong. They're black holes, sucking up time, light, matter and energy from the decarbonisation space and redeploying it to protecting big tech's profits. www.businessinsider.com/ford-data-ce...

Just hours after the Bondi shooting, we saw a near-instant generation of closed loop of AI misinformation: It appears that AI was used to generate a lie, which was then absorbed by AI, then regurgitated to others in a breaking news situation. www.crikey.com.au/20...

"Any day now, the federal government will announce the outcome of the latest gas review," writes Ed Husic. "A lot is at stake. We need a complete rethink of the terms on which Australian resources serve the Australian national interest." satpa.pe/wYCzQFL

No words today. Just utter,utter sadness and desolation.

"I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating," writes Martin McKenzie-Murray. "Fuck FIFA." satpa.pe/lwF9MA1

Australia’s under-16s social media ban is framed as child safety, but its real impact is shifting power and profit back to legacy media, not improving young people’s digital lives, writes Stewart Sweeney. #MediaPower #SocialMediaBan #ChildSafety #NewsCorp #DigitalPolicy #auspol

Climate protesters win groundbreaking class action against Victoria police over use of pepper spray

Richard Marles refuses to talk about AUKUS. Luckily, US and British officials have more to say. And it's very, very scary, writes Bernard Keane.