religion

Why Al Jazeera Hates Australia

Posted on by Nikolai Vladivostok

Al Jazeera sometimes does a brief story on Australia. It is very rarely about a bushfire, Toyota plants closing down or a state election. Rather, it is almost always about how Australians are mean, racist and Islamophobic.

Most recently we had that ridiculous coverage of the closure of the Manus Island detention facility for refugees/illegal migrants in Papua New Guinea. After years of protests, the government decided it wasn’t great and moved the detainees into community accommodation elsewhere on the island. Most of the detainees went, but a large number stayed and protested even more. What were they protesting about now? Oh, it was Read More

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Happy Holidays

Posted on by Nikolai Vladivostok

Now don’t get me wrong. I own albums by Robert Zimmerman. I think Einstein was one of the most brilliant men who ever lived. I even think the Holocaust really happened. So stop waving your adored, red-hot swastika brand around my face so that the rest of us can have a sensible conversation about the phrase ‘Happy Holidays’.

I seem to magnetically attract Jews. Perhaps this is something about my Read More

My Gods

Posted on by Nikolai Vladivostok

Gods are interesting, aren’t they.  Peoples makes them according to their own needs and outlook.

Primitive societies create animist gods.  They see a thing they don’t understand or can’t control – an enormous, gnarled tree, the wind; and they give it a god in order to wrap their heads around it.  There’s usually not much deep Read More