#australian cultural fund

[milsmakesart]

For the next 10 days my campaign to raise funds for my Queer Gothic Horror Comic 'Lace' will be up on the Australian Cultural Fund Website. Please donate if you can! Funds will cover printing cost, editing, conventions and allowing me to eat!

https://artists.australianculturalfund.org.au/s/project/a2E9q000000CWVGEA4/queer-gothic-horror-comic-lace

#indie comics #gothic horror #horror comic #indie artist #australian cultural fund #milsmakesart #queer art history #regency #edwardian #lgbtq characters #lgbt representation #lgbtq #queer #queer romance

[collectmytears]

alfaromeostake A special design for a great initiative. ♥️

@.valtteribottas will auction off his special-edition, race-worn 2023 #AustralianGP helmet to raise funds for @.savethechildrensuisse, the team's official charity partner.

Known for displaying unique helmet designs on track, the Finn teamed up with contemporary Aboriginal artist, Ricky Kildea, to realize two one-off helmets ahead of the Melbourne race, as a way to pay tribute to Australia's Indigenous communities.

A highly dedicated and passionate Aboriginal consultant, Ricky Kildea is committed to address the disadvantages experienced by Indigenous communities, improve pathways to employment and make a real difference within the local Aboriginal community.

As an artist, Ricky links his cultural identity with his passion for sport to create unique artworks, mainly on Australian Rules footballs but, in this case, #F1 helmets.

After the race weekend, one of Valtteri's special helmets will be auctioned on the @.f1authentics platform, with all proceeds donated to two projects benefitting the local Indigenous community.

The Mooroopna Kinder Project, which is accessed by families who otherwise would struggle to afford to put their children in kindergarten, suffered damage caused by severe flooding in 2022.

Save the Children will use the proceeds raised by the auction to cover the costs of repairs, as well as buying new equipment to restore the kindergarten as an environment where children can thrive.

Artist Ricky Kildea chose the second project to benefit from the funding: Koorie Academy Basketball, a not-for-profit organisation supporting Aboriginal children who face obstacles when it comes to inclusion in sports.

The proceedings will go towards hosting a basketball clinic and a cultural workshop in Geelong for Aboriginal youth.

The auction of Valtteri Bottas' race-worn will run on f1authentics.com between March 28 and April 11, 2023, with Valtteri personally handing over the prized item to the successful bidder.

Fans and collectors alike will be able to place bids for the chance to own a unique piece of memorabilia, while helping raise funds for important causes.

#valtteri bottas #f1 #formula 1 #formula one #2023 helmets #helmets #australian gp 2023

[claraameliapond]

PSA : THE INDIGENOUS VOICE REFERENDUM 14th October 2023

The Yes Vote is literally just giving indigenous Australians A SEAT AT THE TABLE to give information and advice about issues and governmental decisions that affect them.

Indigenous information and advice for indigenous issues from indigenous Australians.

That's it . It's acknowledging their existence as the first peoples of Australia and recognising that they have valuable information to contribute about their cultures, the ways they live, what their most pressing needs are and the best ways in which to help, to enable governments to effectively help them.

The government already provides "help" each year, in an effort to close the gap on education access, healthcare access, and many other pressing needs - they are already using taxpayer money to do this but crucially, these efforts have not been successful because we are missing out on crucial information.

The Voice to Parliament gives the government access to invaluable information that enables it to create and better implement aid, education, healthcare , equal opportunity.

I have been very actively involved in many Reconciliaton efforts for the vast majority of my life -

At 16 I travelled to some of the indigenous rural communities in Australia, met elders and individuals no tourist has access to meet, learnt from them, and saw what was there.

I saw the attempts, the efforts to provide access to Western education, that the rest of the country has, to provide healthcare, housing etc.

They don't work

They are based on western ways of life, ideas of community and interaction.

It's not the same.

They don't work.

Fundamentally because even if well intentioned, your efforts to help can actually harm if you don't have access to crucial information about how indigenous communities live.

We need to accommodate our help, our efforts, our aid to the specific needs and ways of life, values and dynamics of the many indigenous communities, especially rural, that exist across Australia, so that they have access to the same human rights we all do.

The human right to healthcare and education that we all have- it's not accessible in the same ways for indigenous communities.

It's provided, but on western terms- with the western expectation that children will leave their families for 6 months at a time and travel extremely far away to attend school, for example.

This is so backwards and outdated even for western sensibilities, and an incredibly outdated mode of education that is unhealthy emotionally for any child, let alone vulnerable people who have to choose between a western run school and their culture, their families - literally being a part of their community, a present member.

There are better ways to provide access to education than this. Ways that don't disrupt their connection to community, land and culture.

And the best people to ask, to provide information that can properly inform us about these issues, and how best to navigate them, fix them, are the the indigenous Australians themselves- they are the experts.

So that our aid and help and efforts actually do - help. Actually work.

The funds are going there anyway. So we need to put it to use in effective ways.

What we have now doesn't work.

We can only make it better.

Please Vote YES for The Indigenous Voice to Parliament

It is the beginning of lasting, effective positive change for vulnerable communities, and for us all.

#VOICE TO PARLIAMENT #THE VOICE #AUSTRALIA #YES 23 #YES23 #AUSTRALIAN REFERENDUM #AUSTRALIAN REFERENDUM 2023 #INDIGENOUS VOICE TO PARLIAMENT #AUSTRALIAN POLITICS #INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS #AUSPOL #REFERENDUM #YES #VOTE YES #Important #Pertinent #Please share #love #Vote #Voting

[thehopefuljournalist]

According to a new survey, lawmakers are playing an increasingly important role in holding corporations and governments accountable for failures to tackle the climate crisis.

The research was done by Columbia Law School, and was commissioned by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). It revealed that the number of climate-related court cases has more than doubled since 2017 and is steadily rising around the world.

Their report confirms a trend highlighted in the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2023, which claimed that individuals and environmental organizations were, more and more, turning to the law, as it became clear that the pace of transition to net-zero emissions was too slow.

“Climate litigation is increasing and concerns about emissions under-reporting and greenwashing have triggered calls for new regulatory oversight for the transition to net zero,” the Forum report said.

The UNEP report catalogues a number of high-profile court cases which have succeeded in enforcing climate action. In 2017, when climate case numbers were last counted, 884 legal actions had been brought. Today the total stands at 2,180.

The majority of climate cases to this date (1,522) have been brought in the US, followed by Australia, the UK, and the EU. The report notes that the number of legal actions in developing countries is growing, now at 17% of the total.

Climate litigation is also giving a voice to vulnerable groups who are being hard hit by climate change. The report says that, globally, 34 cases have been brought by children and young people, including two by girls aged seven and nine in Pakistan and India.

Here are five of the climate breakthroughs achieved by legal action so far.

1. Torres Strait Islanders Vs Australia

In September 2022, indigenous people living on islands in the Torres Strait between northern Queensland and Papua New Guinea won a landmark ruling that their human rights were being violated by the failure of the Australian government to take effective climate action.

The UN Human Rights Committee ruling established the principle that a country could be in breach of international human rights law over climate inaction. They ruled that Australia's poor climate record was a violation of the islanders’ right to family life and culture.

2. The Paris Agreement is a human rights treaty

In July 2022, Brazil's supreme court ruled that the Paris climate agreement is legally a human rights treaty which, it said, meant that it automatically overruled any domestic laws which conflicted with the country’s climate obligations.

The ruling ordered the government to reopen its national climate mitigation fund, which had been established under the Paris Agreement.

3. Climate inaction is a breach of human rights

Upholding an earlier court ruling that greenhouse emissions must be cut by 25% by 2020, the Netherlands Supreme Court ruled that failure to curb emissions was a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The December 2019 ruling stated that, although it was up to politicians to decide how to make the emission cuts, failure to do so would be a breach of Articles 2 and 8 of the Convention which affirm the right to life and respect for private and family life.

4. Companies are bound by the Paris accord

Corporations, and not just governments, must abide by the emissions reductions agreed in the Paris climate treaty. This principle was established by a 2021 ruling in the Netherlands brought by environmentalists against energy group Royal Dutch Shell.

The court ordered Shell to cut its CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 bringing them in line with Paris climate targets. The judge was reported as saying there was "worldwide agreement" that a 45% reduction was needed, adding: "This applies to the entire world, so also to Shell”.

5. Courts overturn state climate plans

Up until now, three European governments have been defeated in the courts over their climate plans.

In March 2021, Germany’s highest court struck down a climate law requiring 55% emissions by 2030 cuts, ruling it did not do enough to protect citizens’ rights to life and health. The same year, the French government was ordered to take “immediate and concrete action” to comply with its climate commitments. And in 2022, the UK’s climate strategy was ruled unlawful for failing to spell out how emissions cuts would be made.

#climate change #climate #hope #good news #more to come #climate emergency #news #climate justice #hopeful #positive news #long post #important #good post #links #for future reference #law #climate law #paris agreement #paris climate agreement #government #democracy #politicians #economics #politics

[zvaigzdelasas]

Trash overflowed from bins on the streets of Edinburgh on Tuesday as a strike by council workers hit the city during its internationally renowned arts festival.

Tens of thousands of performers and tourists have poured into Scotland's capital for the festival, which runs through most of August.

But many have spoken at their revulsion at the stench as bins overflowed around the city[...]

"I'm from London and we've seen some quite bad protests and bad riots but this is up there," street performer James Tofalli, who was picking up litter outside Waverley train station, told AFP.

"I've not performed today. Not performed yesterday and for a few days because it's not a nice place to play."

Jenna Rank, an Australian tourist, said she had been excited to show "beautiful Edinburgh" to her partner, with the festival running in full for the first time since 2019 before coronavirus struck.

But she said she was left deeply disappointed after encountering an overpowering stench. [...]

"It was quite breath-taking and not just the smell. For some people it's their first time. It's a shame to leave that kind of impression."

Ian Tomlinson, who was born in Edinburgh, said he had never seen the city this bad, as fears grew about a surge in the population of rats and other pests.

"This is embarrassing. I am actually embarrassed to walk around the city at the moment and see so much junk," he said.

Cleaning staff working for Edinburgh City Council went on a 12-day strike last Thursday after rejecting a 3.0 percent pay offer which it called "derisory" in the current economic climate.

UK inflation is currently at 40-year highs of 10.1 percent on the back of soaring energy costs, and is predicted to hit 13 percent or even higher next year.[...] Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the strike action came while Edinburgh was at the "centre of the cultural world" and rejected claims of a lack of government funding for local councils.

Local residents have been asked to keep their rubbish inside rather than put it on the street. Waste and recycling centres are also shut.

Miles Briggs, a local government spokesman for the opposition Scottish Conservatives, said the rubbish piling up on our streets risked damaging the city's reputation.

"These annual festivals are supposed to be a source of pride, not humiliation," he said.

lol get fucked pay the binman better. Any pay rise less than inflation is a pay cut

#'who was picking up litter outside waverly train station' and putting it where bro #a 3% raise amid 10% inflation is a spit in the face to put it mildly

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

New SpaceTime out Wednesday....

SpaceTime 20240221 Series 27 Episode 23

Planet Earth’s Pacific plate is pulling apart

A new study has found that the Pacific plate is scored by large undersea faults that are pulling it apart.

The Odysseus lander on its way to the Moon

Intuitive Machines mission to the lunar south pole has launched into space carrying seven NASA experimental payloads designed to prepare the way for the ultimate return of humans to the Moon – this time to stay there.

NASA’s new PACE satellite reaches orbit

The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem – or PACE spacecraft will study the impact of tiny, often invisible things from space including microscopic life in the water and microscopic particles in the air.

Russian Progress cargo ship reaches space station

A Russian Progress cargo ship carrying two and a half tonnes for supplies has successfully docked with the International Space Station.

The Science Report

New study demands a more concerted effort to prepare for climate extremes in South Australia.

The new one minute test that provides early detection of autism spectrum disorder.

People who obsess over political beliefs more likely to engage in online cancel culture.

Alex on Tech: the battle of the A.I.s

SpaceTime covers the latest news in astronomy & space sciences.

The show is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Apple Podcasts (itunes), Stitcher, Google Podcast, Pocketcasts, SoundCloud, Bitez.com, YouTube, your favourite podcast download provider, and from www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com

SpaceTime is also broadcast through the National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio and on both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

SpaceTime daily news blog: http://spacetimewithstuartgary.tumblr.com/

SpaceTime facebook: www.facebook.com/spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime Instagram @spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime twitter feed @stuartgary

SpaceTime YouTube: @SpaceTimewithStuartGary

SpaceTime -- A brief history

SpaceTime is Australia’s most popular and respected astronomy and space science news program – averaging over two million downloads every year. We’re also number five in the United States.  The show reports on the latest stories and discoveries making news in astronomy, space flight, and science.  SpaceTime features weekly interviews with leading Australian scientists about their research.  The show began life in 1995 as ‘StarStuff’ on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) NewsRadio network.  Award winning investigative reporter Stuart Gary created the program during more than fifteen years as NewsRadio’s evening anchor and Science Editor.  Gary’s always loved science. He studied astronomy at university and was invited to undertake a PHD in astrophysics, but instead focused on his career in journalism and radio broadcasting. He worked as an announcer and music DJ in commercial radio, before becoming a journalist and eventually joining ABC News and Current Affairs. Later, Gary became part of the team that set up ABC NewsRadio and was one of its first presenters. When asked to put his science background to use, Gary developed StarStuff which he wrote, produced and hosted, consistently achieving 9 per cent of the national Australian radio audience based on the ABC’s Nielsen ratings survey figures for the five major Australian metro markets: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.  The StarStuff podcast was published on line by ABC Science -- achieving over 1.3 million downloads annually.  However, after some 20 years, the show finally wrapped up in December 2015 following ABC funding cuts, and a redirection of available finances to increase sports and horse racing coverage.  Rather than continue with the ABC, Gary resigned so that he could keep the show going independently.  StarStuff was rebranded as “SpaceTime”, with the first episode being broadcast in February 2016.  Over the years, SpaceTime has grown, more than doubling its former ABC audience numbers and expanding to include new segments such as the Science Report -- which provides a wrap of general science news, weekly skeptical science features, special reports looking at the latest computer and technology news, and Skywatch – which provides a monthly guide to the night skies. The show is published three times weekly (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and available from the United States National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio, and through both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

#science #space #astronomy #physics #news #nasa #esa #astrophysics #spacetimewithstuartgary #starstuff #spacetime

[starseedpatriot]

I got talking to an older Australian couple at dinner a couple of nights ago… the conversation turned, as it usually does, to the more difficult, less fluffy topics - without going into the nitty gritty, we both agreed that both sides of every major war (blood sacrifice) had been funded and directed by the same power, since at least the Napoleonic wars.

“War will continue so long as it is profitable” he quoted someone as saying. A younger, less tactful me might have gone on to add:

“and so long as the dark powers need the following:

- vast numbers of displaced children for their blackmail operations and AC harvesting

- blood sacrifice of soul-diers (“soldiers”) all dressed up in their occult symbolism covered Uni-forms

- the contracts to rebuild the countries they have just destroyed, now devoid of their original culture/ heritage and more easily modelled in the totalitarian, dystopian way

- the unaffordable war debt the people within these imaginary borders are forced to pay

- the black market profits on those enormous poppy fields or coca plantations (the Australian did know about the poppy fields of Afghanistan and the priority placed on their seizure when the U.S. et al. went in”

But thank goodness for a slightly maturer me and for the women at the table discreetly steering the conversation back to more palatable topics!

https://t.me/herosjourneyreturn

[dandelionrevolution]

Good News - April 8-14

(Actually 8-12 due to irl obligations)

Like these weekly compilations? Support me on Ko-fi! Also, if you tip me on here or Ko-fi, at the end of the month I'll send you a link to all of the articles I found but didn't use each week - almost double the content! (I'm new to taking tips on here; if it doesn't show me your username or if you have DM's turned off, please send me a screenshot of your payment)

1. Interior Department Finalizes Action to Strengthen Endangered Species Act

“These revisions, which will increase efficiency by reducing the time and cost to develop and negotiate permit applications, will encourage more individuals and companies to engage in conservation benefit agreements and habitat conservation plans, generating greater conservation results overall.”

2. Young Puerto Ricans Restore Habitat Damaged by Hurricane While Launching Conservation Careers

“Corps members help restore the island’s environmental and cultural assets and volunteer in hard-hit local communities. They also gain valuable paid work experience and connections to possible future employers, something many young Puerto Ricans struggle to find.”

3. Australian-born cheetah released in Africa for the first time ever. Watch the heart-warming moment Edie is set free

““The Metapopulation Initiative will bring in appropriate males, probably two initially, to breed with Edie,” King says. “It’s those future cubs, and their cubs, that will ensure the legacy of spreading Edie’s genetics across the southern African metapopulation. And we will have also provided Edie – a wild animal, let’s not forget – with a chance of a life in the wild.””

4. Baby Bald Eagles Confirmed in 2 of 4 Nests in Will County Forest Preserves

“A pair of fuzzy eaglet heads were spotted popping up out of one of the nests this week, officials said. Two weeks ago, monitors noticed adult eagles feeding an unseen hatchling (or hatchlings) in a different nest.”

5. New Hope for Love for Japanese Children Needing Families

“The new system, established by a 2022 law, offers private childcare institutions financing to transform their business model into “Foster Care Support Centers” that recruit, train, select, and support foster parents, and assist the independence of children living in foster families. If a childcare institution becomes a Foster Care Support Center, the government will fund full-time staff members based on the number of foster households they cater to.”

6. Nexamp nabs $520M to build community solar across the US

“Nexamp, a community solar developer and project owner, has secured a whopping $520million to install solar arrays around the nation in one of the largest capital raises to date for this growing sector. Community solar gives renters, small businesses and organizations the chance to benefit from local solar power even if they can’t put panels on their own roofs.”

7. A natural touch for coastal defense: Hybrid solutions which combine nature with common “hard” coastal protection measures may offer more benefits in lower-risk areas

“Common “hard” coastal defenses, like concrete sea walls, might struggle to keep up with increasing climate risks. A new study shows that combining them with nature-based solutions could, in some contexts, create defenses which are better able to adapt.”

8. Rewilding program ships eggs around the world to restore Raja Ampat zebra sharks

“A survey estimated the zebra shark had a population of 20 spread throughout the Raja Ampat archipelago, making the animal functionally extinct in the region. […] Researchers hope to release 500 zebra sharks into the wild within 10 years in an effort to support a large, genetically diverse breeding population.”

9. Forest Loss Plummets in Brazil and Colombia

“New data reveals a decline in primary forest loss in Brazil and Colombia, highlighting the significant impact of environmental reforms in curbing deforestation. According to 2022-2023 data from the University of Maryland’s GLAD Lab and World Resource’s Institute (WRI), primary forests in Brazil experienced a 36 per cent decrease in deforestation under President Inácio Lula da Silva’s leadership, reaching its lowest level since 2015. Colombia nearly halved (by 49 per cent) its forest loss under the administration of President Gustavo Petro Urrego, who has prioritised rural and environmental reform.”

10. New Agreement Paves the Way for Ocelot Reintroduction on Private Lands

“With the safe harbor agreement in place, partners plan to begin developing a source stock of ocelots for reintroduction. Over the next year, they plan to construct an ocelot conservation facility in Kingsville to breed and raise ocelots. Producing the first offspring is expected to take a few years.”

April 1-7 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

#hopepunk #good news #endangered #law #puerto rico #conservation #habitat #australia #cheetah #africa #big cats #bald eagle #birds #eagles #japan #foster care #solar #solar panels #solar energy #solar power #community solar #coastal #ocean #climate #shark #deforestation #rewilding #south america #ocelot #environment

[adiffident]

I am once again reading fics from recommendation lists and honestly no shade to the writers but if your writing about other cultures don't you do your research?? because it's very painful reading ships were one person is supposed to be german-ish or multilingual and you just have to put it down because it's painfully inaccurate

public transportation in Germany is generally pretty shitty, nothing's on time and trains also just sometimes don't arrive

Honestly if your character is a professor from a german university town he will not praise the efficiency of the U-Bahn in comparison to the New York subway because his city doesn't have a U-Bahn??

Some people think germany is digital heaven but that is not the case. It's very far behind in internet speed and digital equipment in schools and unis

Your professor cannot complain about blackboards 😭, especially if he teaches poetry. No, white boards are not more common. Like I'm a comp sci major and we have white boards in our building but all other lecture halls have blackboards and if I have my classes in the humanities or math department there's just blackboards??

Of course the equipment of the schools and unis is also dependent on state funding, donations and location but come on

People speak English, good English. Pretty much every non-British/American/Canadian/Australian etc. person speaks English, so keep up

Sometimes I try to force myself to keep reading because of the time period but no, making someone practically infantile while speaking English is fucking weird

Also just writing accents into the words is fucking weird and the way in which they're written doesn't make sense

(I also read a fic where the "Russian" accent just was german?? Google translate is free?? And also as a slavic person: what the fuck? There is a difference between da/ja and @ the people thinking slavic languages and german are equally harsh gibberish my relatives think my accent is "harsh" because I have a german one)

Also @ people incorporating german snippets into fics don't use the formal "you". I guess Americans don't learn different languages but formal pronouns are actually pretty common in most languages

Dirty talk in german is not sexy. It just isn't

Writing a modern AU with a German jew is very funny(but also very much not) because there are so few few jews in Germany today.. ever heard of the holocaust? Yeah european jews faced genocide and not just the German ones. I guess as an American it's pretty common to meet jews but that literally has a reason(!!!)

German people are also as a majority atheists or just christian-ish. Making someone fanatically catholic is weird (but more accurate if they're from Bavaria). Generally evangelism is more common

If you make someone speak another language *like so* using English idioms doesn't make sense (I always translate in my head and it doesn't work)

And accidentally "switching languages" like in fics doesn't happen or just if you are in an environment where you have to constantly switch between and translate multiple languages and are very tired but you realize mostly immediately

Knowing all vocabulary isn't realistic. Your vocabulary is dependent on the context for which you use those languages, so you can translate some stuff immediately but I mostly know the meaning of vocabulary separately but can't translate on the spot

...

Yeah I just can't read most fics ... :/

#erik lehnsherr #magneto #kurt wagner #nightcrawler #neil josten #nicky hemmick #aftg #andreil #andrew minyard #andrew minyard/neil josten #nicky hemmick/erik klose #nicky hemmick x erik klose #cherik #erik lehnsherr x charles xavier #nightangel #kurt wagner x warren worthington the third #fics #fanfiction #fanfics #ao3

[whenua-and-moana]

Banaba

How the West Made an Island Unhabitable (and Consumed its People's Bones)

Banaba, aka Ocean Island, is a small island in Micronesia. It's legally part of Kiribati [kih-ree-bas] but geographically, culturally, and politically very distinct. At three hundred kilometres from its nearest neighbour, Banaba is one of the most isolated places on earth.

It is also among one of the most ecologically devastated.

In the 1900's, a UK / Aotearoa / Australian owned mining company dug up and shipped away huge amounts of Banaba's phosphate-rich soil for use as fertilizer. They grew rich and created Aotearoa's massive agricultural industry from literal stolen land.

More than just the physical earth was taken. Phosphate mining stripped the layers where Banabans had buried their dead for thousands of years. The dust of their bones fed the lands of the West, creating rich green fields that Banabans would never see the profits of.

When I say 'huge amounts' of earth; 90% of the island's surface was stripped away.

[Left image: an aerial view of Banaba showing a roughly oval island with no vegetation in the centre. The outside is ringed by a thin strip of forest. Right image: a photo of the edge of a mining area. In the background is a forest, but then the ground drops off sharply into irregular rocky terrain.]

The ancient sacred caves were destroyed. The island's only source of fresh water was irreversibly polluted and left it unusable to this day. The interior of Banaba became one great hollow of uneven rock, so full of dips and pillars that it is now almost completely impassable on foot. It was left a barren land.

Banaba is not the only Pacific island devastated by phosphate mining; most notably, its neighbour Nauru had 80% of its surface stripped away. But nowhere has been exploited to quite the same extent as Banaba.

There were further indignities and horrors inflicted on the Banaban people, including indescribable atrocities carried out by Japanese occupiers during WWII, and tbe Britain-led forceful relocation of Banabans to Rabi Island in Fiji. Many still live there today. Others have migrated away.

[Image: Banaban girls performing a traditional dance on Rabi Island.]

The traumatic experiences of Banabans, the mass murders and the separation from their ancestral land have all caused significant cultural loss. This includes the loss of the Banaban language.

Approximately three hundred Banabans have returned to their home island, surviving due to supplies shipped in every few months. The only freshwater source remains unusable and severe droughts strike Banaba every three to four years. Although a desalination plant exists there, the vulnerability of the island became all too clear in 2021 when the plant broke down in the middle of a drought. It took three months for repair equipment to arrive. During that time the residents had no fresh water. Their only food was fish because all of their crops had died. They survived by sucking the liquid from fish eyeballs.

And an Australian mining company wants to do it all again.

Part of the reason that people returned to Banaba, despite the difficulties of life there, was to protect it from further mining. But in August last year, the Australian mining company Centrex announced a plan to restart phosphate mining on Banaba. The plan has been paused due to protests from the Banaban people, but it could be restarted again at any time.

We cannot leave it here. If you want to do one small thing to help, you can sign this petition from Banaban community leaders to stop the proposed new phosphate mine. But more than that, Banabans have been campaigning for Australia and Aotearoa to fund ecological restoration projects, especially for the sacred caves that were once the island's source of fresh water. As Katerina Teiawa says:

"We need to move away from this same continuous narrative of ‘the poor Banaban people, who have no water, help them’ and move towards an approach that is actually finding a solution.

This whole thing is a series of crises. We can’t just keep telling the story of devastation and vulnerability over and over again. Where does the crisis end, if not with justice?"

#banaba #micronesia #pacific islands #colonisation #indigenous rights #my posts

[superlinguo]

Linguistic Jobs: Interview with a Data Manager & Digital Archivist

This month’s interview is with Julia Miller, a Data Manager and Digital Archivist who uses their Linguistics background to archive high-quality endangered language materials. As a recent PhD graduate, I greatly appreciated Julia’s validating advice that the absence of a tenure-track position or a position in the tech industry does not qualify as “failing”.  This message is on-brand for this series, as one of the intentions behind these interviews is to demonstrate that Linguistics training is applicable to lots of jobs, not just the academic ones. Additionally, this interview contains some refreshing and practical advice regarding postdoc and PhD management. 

You can follow Julia on Twitter @Spectregraph. 

What did you study at university? 

I began my undergrad studies in Portland, focusing on art (printmaking) and languages (Russian, French, German, later adding Arabic and Latin). I loved languages and exploring the patterns; at this point I didn’t know about Linguistics. After a short break from school and a bit of reflection, I moved to Seattle, enrolled at the University of Washington, switched my area of study to Linguistics and ended up getting the hat-trick of degrees in Linguistics all from UW: BA (1998), MA (2003), and PhD (2013). My research focused on acoustic phonetics and sociolinguistics; my PhD project explored acoustic properties of lexical tone in two dialects of the Dene language Dane-zaa, spoken in NE British Columbia. During my MA and PhD studies, I was fortunate to have been part of the DOBES Documentation of Endangered Languages program, working on a collaborative documentation project of the Dane-zaa (Beaver) language, which offered funding for tuition and fieldwork, as well as providing me with training in field methods, language documentation & description, and archiving. When I was in the final stages of writing my PhD thesis, I relocated to Australia and began working with PARADISEC, based at their node at the Australian National University (ANU), in order to expand what I knew about digital language archives, building upon what I learned working with the Language Archive for the Beaver DOBES project. I then received a Postdoctoral fellowship at the ANU**, working on another DOBES-funded collaborative documentation project, working with the languages of the Morehead District, Nen, Komnzo, Idi, Nmbo, spoken in the Western Province in Papua New Guinea. The postdoc work included phonetic analyses, sociolinguistic interviews, mapping projects, as well data management and archiving. Despite my love of phonetic description and social network analysis, by the time I submitted my PhD thesis, it was clear that I was more interested in data management and archiving than in linguistic analyses. This was a difficult, yet freeing revelation.

**I do NOT suggest starting a postdoc when you are still writing your completely unrelated PhD thesis! I submitted my thesis in between field trips to PNG.

What is your job?

I am the senior data manager for the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language (CoEDL) as well as a digital archivist for the Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures (PARADISEC). I facilitate the archiving of indigenous and minority language digital material collected by CoEDL members and affiliates from the region, as well as other PARADISEC depositors world-wide. I offer training for researchers, students, and anyone interested in data management and archiving procedures. I liaise with other archives, cultural institutions, and language centres for collaboration. Despite not holding an academic position, teaching is still a large part of my daily work; I offer guest lectures in Field Methods and Digital Humanities courses and run intensive training sessions in digital archiving and data management for university researchers and job placement participants. I have developed curricula, technical workflows and archiving best-practice advice for audiences with different skillsets and goals. I also manage audio and manuscript digitising studios, where we digitise audio cassettes, reel-to-reel tapes, and field notebooks, etc. and I maintain a lending library of field equipment and offer training and advice.

How does your linguistics training help you in your job?

It would appear that my entire PhD path has prepared me for my current job. All the training I received in fieldwork, collaborative research, language documentation & description, and archiving allows me to understand the work our depositors are carrying out. I can offer informed advice and try to anticipate issues they may face in the field regarding data management, equipment failures, etc. And having archived my own materials in multiple archives, I can offer commiseration (and advice) as someone who has had to create metadata databases, follow strict formatting guidelines for A/V files, and adhere to deadlines based on funding agreements.

What was the transition from university to work like for you? 

I am still working at a university, but the transition from an academic role to what is considered a non-academic role has been a bit of a challenge. I find I still do a lot of research for my work, and then try to pass on what I have learned in training modules and technical writing projects. I am fortunate to be in an environment that allows me to carry out what could be considered ‘supplemental’ work. Knowing that teaching and outreach are very important to me will help me on my career path as it evolves.

Do you have any advice you wish someone had given to you about linguistics/careers/university?

As a MA/PhD student, I would have loved to have been told of career options outside of Academia (or Big Tech), or even just been reassured that it is a valid option to not pursue tenure track jobs. I think many of my cohorts and I felt as if we failed or let down our professors by not getting a tenure track position in Linguistics. I’m glad to see that the culture of academia is changing and that there is support and advice made more available to students now.

Related interviews:

Interview with a Metadata Specialist and Genealogist

Interview with a Data Scientist

Interview with a Museum Curator

Interview with a Librarian

Interview with a Computational Linguist

Recent interviews:

Interview with a Natural Language Annotation Lead

Interview with an EMLS/Linguistics instructor & mother of four

Interview with a Performing Artiste and Freelance Editor

Interview with a Hawaiian and Tahitian language Instructor, Translator & Radio Host

Interview with a Customer Success Manager

Resources:

The full Linguist Jobs Interview List

The Linguist Jobs tag for the most recent interviews

The Linguistics Jobs slide deck (overview, resources and activities)

The Linguistics Jobs Interview series is edited by Martha Tsutsui Billins. Martha is a linguist whose research focuses on the Ryukyuan language Amami Oshima, specifically honourifics and politeness strategies in the context of language endangerment. Martha runs Field Notes, a podcast about linguistic fieldwork.

#data management #digital archivist #digital archiving #language archiving #endangered language archiving #ling jobs #linguist #language #linguistics #linguistics jobs #archiving

[littledigest]

Asteroids indicating Activism and the Rebellious Spirit in your Birth Chart - PART 2

This will be separated into two parts since there are so many asteroids that have to do with the following:

Contributing to rebellion

Using your power to go against something bigger/tradition

Resilience as a stance

Drive and willpower

Intelligence and human advancement seen as a threat to others

Coming together as one group, power in numbers

Freedom, liberation

Justice

Sign of the times

Peace and Disharmony

PART 2 will focus on themes 6 - 10

905, 306, 1585, 202373, 8991, 6000, 214772, 274300, 1347, 5863,

567, 771, 269, 24, 5, 5145, 19521, 3696, 136199, 40, 58, 679, 3642

Keep in mind that, you do not have to agree or be fans of some of the people/groups listed. But it is the general or initial intention of those people and groups that are important.

These asteroids could also point to a more negative manifestation: zealotry, extremism, etc.

TOGETHER AS ONE:

Universitas 905

Named after the Latin word for the whole, total, the universe, the world

Can also be used as an education asteroid (university)

Unitas 306

Named after Angelo Secchi, an Italian astronomer

Means oneness, unity, undivided

Union 1585

Named after the Union Observatory

Can be read as union, meaning joining together or a group of people with a common purpose (think workers union)

Also used as a synastry marriage asteroid

Ubuntu 202373

Named after the Nguni Bantu word for humanity to others

Solidarity 8991

Re-named in response to the September 11 attacks along with two other asteroids: Magnanimity 8992 and Compassion 8990

Solidarity means unity and mutual support

United Nations 6000, UNICEF 214772, UNESCO 274300

Named after their respective organizations

United Nations is an international intergovernmental organization with the goal of maintaining peace and security among nations

UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) is an organization dedicated to protecting disadvantaged children and their rights

UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) is an organization dedicated to promoting world peace through education, arts, sciences, and culture

Could be taken literally; if you're interested in working for these places

Patria 1347

Named after the Latin word for fatherland, motherland, homeland

Patriotism; pride and loyalty to your ethnic origins or where you live

FREEDOM AND JUSTICE:

Tara 5863

Named after female bodhisattva, Tara, who is the mother of liberation

Savior who liberates souls from suffering

Eleutheria 567

The ancient Greek word for liberty; personification of liberty

Libera 771

Latin word for free

Justitia 269, Themis 24

Justitia is the personification of justice; Lady Justice

Themis is the Greek goddess and personification of justice, divine order, fairness, law, and custom; Scales of Justice

May also be prominent in charts of lawyers, judges, lawyers-to-be, or at the very least someone who takes fairness very seriously

Astraea 5

Named after Astraea, the Greek goddess of justice, purity, and precision

Abandoned Earth due to the wickedness of humanity

When she returns, she will bring a utopian Golden Age

SIGN OF THE TIMES:

Pholus 5145

Named after Pholus, a centaur who was civilized like Chiron

Pholus opens a jug of wine for Heracles. The wine creates a frenzy amongst the wild centaurs and Heracles kills many of the centaurs in retaliation. Pholus then decides to bury the dead centaurs but after looking at one of the poisoned arrows and wondering how something so small could kill a centaur, he drops it on his foot. The poison kills him.

Small and/or innocent actions have big consequences

Chaos 19521

Named after chaos, the primordial darkness before the universe was created

Means emptiness, vast void, chasm, abyss

Chaos needs a demiurge/fashioner in order to form a new order

Can also refer to the modern usage of the word meaning disorder and confusion

Herald 3696

Named after David Herald, an Australian astronomer

Can be read as the term herald, meaning a person or thing that is seen as a sign that something is about to happen (think ‘heralding the new year’)

Eris 136199, Harmonia 40, Concordia 58

Named after Eris, the Greek goddess of strife and discord

Named after Harmonia, the Greek goddess of harmony and agreement

Named after Concordia, the Roman goddess of agreement in marriage and society

Pax 679, Frieden 3642

Pax means peace in Latin

Frieden means peace, peacetime, and peace treaty in German

Read PART 1 here

#astrology #asteroids #natal chart #birth chart #universitas #unitas #unity #union #ubuntu #solidarity #united nations #UNICEF #UNESCO #patria #patriotic #patriot #tara #bodhisattva #eleutheria #libera #liberty #justitia #justice #themis #freedom #astraea #sign of the times #pholus #chaos #herald

[briemuffins]

As an Australian woman with a slight Jewish background I may not have much of a say in all of this, but I do need to speak my mind.

Israel. You disgust me.

You commit genocide en masse, treat yourselves like victims of circumstance for the media, while making it exceedingly clear you're just a country of colonizers, abusing the rightful owners of Palestine. A people who have done nothing to you, nothing compared to targeted bombings on journalists, families, and even those who are even LISTENING to your orders.

These are war crimes, blatant and given a blind eye by the governments of the world.

You are bullies with nuclear weapons, funded by assholes who could profit from it.

I stand with Palestine. You will never completely destroy their culture. You won't win in a way that matters. And as long is i can protest, donate and spread awareness i will.

🇵🇸

[claraameliapond]

For Australia, 26th January is invasion day, and that's literally it.

Today is a horrifically sad day in Australian history. Invasion day.

That's literally all it is.

Please please please do not join in the chorus of racism wishing anyone a "Happy Australia day" on the 26th of January

We can, have and are moving forward together as a country,

But we cannot truly do so if a celebration of our country and identity is held on the literal anniversary of the brutal and long-standing invasion, massacre and occupation of Australian aboriginals, the first peoples of Australia.

This invasion and subsequent violent Colonisation was full of many horrors that lasted well into the late twentieth century, and the long-standing repercussions of which have lasted to this day.

The stolen generations , in which generations - multiple generations of young aboriginal children were literally stolen by white colonists from their families, sent to missions, (detention boarding "schools ") , in which they were converted to Christianity and prepared for menial jobs, punished if they ever spoke their own languages, and subsequently put into the service of white families, with the intention to be bred out, never to see their families again. Never to be educated about their home, their families, their land, their culture, their languages, their history; they are the oldest continuing culture on earth. The last of these missions were in effect until 1969. By 1969, all states had repealed the legislation that allowed the removal of Aboriginal children under the policy and guise of "protection".

The indigenous health, longevity and poverty gaps still exist. Access to medicine, medical care, healthcare, a western education, all things we deem human rights by law, are not accessible to many rural communities still. They are provided, but in western ways, on western terms, with a gap of understanding how best to implement those services for an entirely different culture , that we do not have a thorough understanding of - that was what the referendum was about: , how best to implement the funds that are already designated to provide those services, because it's not currently working or usable by those communities. Our aboriginal communities are still not treated equally, nor do they have the same access we all enjoy to things like healthcare services, medicines and western education.

It is horrific and insensitive to therefore celebrate that day as our country's day of identity, because it's literally celebrating the first day and all subsequent days of the invasion, the massacres, the stolen generations, the subjugation and mistreatment, the inequalities that still persist today. It celebrates that day, that act committed on that day, of invasion , violent brutal massacres of Aboriginal people, as a positive, 'good' thing. As something that defines Australia's identity and should define an identity to be proud of.

That's nothing to be proud of.

Our true history is barely taught in our school curriculum, in both primary and secondary school. Not even acknowledged.

It needs to be.

We cannot properly move forward as a country until that truth is understood by every Australian, with compulsory education.

January 26th is Not 'Australia day'. It's Invasion day. It's a sorrowful day of mourning.

Please do not wish anyone a "happy Australia day " today.

It's not happy and it's not Australia day.

Australia day should be at the end of Reconciliation week that is held from the 23rd May to 3rd June.

A sentiment that is about all of us coming together as a shared identity within many identities, accepting and valuing each other as equal, a day that actually acknowledges Australian aboriginal peoples as the first Australians - because they are.

This is literally about acknowledging fact - that is the truth of Australian history. Aboriginal cultures should be celebrated and embraced, learnt from, not ignored, treated as invisible and especially not desecrated by holding celebrations of national identity on anniversaries of their violent destruction.

Australian aboriginal peoples, cultures and histories, should be held up as Australia's proud identity of origins, because it literally is Australia's origins.

That's a huge, foundational integral part of our shared identity that must be celebrated and acknowledged.

Inclusivity, not offensive exclusivity. Australia day used to be on 30th July, also 28th July, among others. Australia Day on the 26th January only officially became a public holiday for all states and territories 24 years ago, in 1994. It's been changed a lot before. It can certainly be changed so it can be a nonoffensive , happy celebration of our shared Australian national identity for everyone, that respectfully acknowledges and includes the full truth of our whole shared history, not just the convenient parts.

There is literally no reason it can't be changed, and every reason to change it.

#Always Was Always Will Be

#Australia #26th January #Invasion day #Important #Morality #Ethics #Australian aboriginal peoples #Always was always will be #Truth #Psa #Indigenous Australians #Indigenous Australia #Aboriginal Australians #Aboriginal children #Aboriginal people #Australian history #Australia day #Australian national identity #Inclusivity #Shared #Auspol

[aressida]

AUSTRALIA POLITICS - THE REFERENDUM: The Aftermath, The Treaty and the Meltdown. 19/10/23. (11PM)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------Welcome to Totalitarianism in its entirety.

Our freedom is about to be undermined unless we continue to apply pressure and watch our Australian government's house of cards collapse. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- A reminder: There is NO answer in any kind of terrorism, genocide, war, or retaliation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- I think it's unusual that some of our politicians are taking positions at the World Economic Forum, especially after the resignation. Take Dan Andrews, for example. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- A question: Is Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk attempting to secure a position in WEF?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk stated that, "all Australians agreed that there was a need to improve the wellbeing of First Nations people". "We are a generous nation. And we extend our hearts and our hand to all," she continued. She clearly does not accept NO for an answer.

Their strategy? Uses the power of manipulation based on The Voice's most emphatic rejection mechanism.

We've all attained a dangerously high level of liberty; we voted NO, and the result was "NO." NO! said Australia! -------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------- I know they are trying to take away Australia's constitution.

Our Australian Human Rights Commission, our culture, which is intertwined with Marxism, activism, and antifascism, the Albanese government, and Indigenous people are all seeking to support for the treaty. A treaty based on the heartfelt Uluru statement, 'UNDRIP.' It's important for us, Australians, to dive into the history of UNDRIP.

Jacinta has recently called for a Royal Commission investigating child abuse in indigenous communities, but Labor, the Greens, and the Teals have all voted solidly against it.

A question: Is the Royal Commission involved?

A royal commission into Indigenous child sexual assault has been denied by the government. Most likely, reveal the aboriginal funding gravy train.

Link -> https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/unfathomable-prices-motion-calling-on-government-to-hold-royal-commission-into-abuse-of-indigenous-children-voted-down/news-story/acb042fa7bbebbe832e8a1c467a66aa6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------That just goes to show that long-serving politicians do not care about native children. They were never sincere about assisting our First Nations people, as you are well aware.

More evidence that the referendum was never about Indigenous peoples - something we free-thinkers suspected all along. -------------------------------------------------------------------------Let's see what more there is.

Why are we as close as China? So who needs enemies? Because The Voice and the Chinese are still eavesdropping on us right now. "Five Eyes."

It violates the constitution. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ If calls for a second referendum are made, I won't be shocked. This is getting out of control; $400 million dollars have already been spent on the previous nonsense voice vote.

Our Prime Minister has let Australia down; the Voice referendum alone cost the Australian Electoral Commission more than $400 million. That's a $100 million overrun. Additionally, I don't believe he has offered an apology yet.

Enough of our country going bankrupt. We demand that the Voice Referendum be AUDITED. We are not here to serve you.

Sick of Zionist America owning Australia's ruling elite.

We, the Australian people, are on the verge of economic and financial disaster. From the expense of living to the unemployment rate. Put an end to the monopoly. This is why we must pursue the money.

We know they no longer reflect the values and beliefs of ordinary Australians. This is the ultimate kind of treason.

Do you think this will go well? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meme:

It's time for the rest of Australians to stop submitting and start standing on our own, supporting our neighbors and being united instead of dividing our loyalties.

For all Australians, Australia FIRST. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

#auspol #australia #vote no #australia first

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Claire Lehmann

Published: Jul 7, 2023

In medieval times, it was common practice for the wealthy to buy indulgences from the church to atone for their sins. These payments, the church assured, meant the person paying would not remain in purgatory for too long and would later ascend into heaven.

A wealthy person could even buy indulgences for their family members or ancestors who were long dead. Today we think of ourselves as far more enlightened than our medieval forebears. We secular folk would never pay a class of clerics large sums of money to atone for our sins. Or would we?

In recent years, billions of dollars have flowed into investment funds that market themselves as providing “environmental, social and governance” impacts. In Australia, industry super funds lead this trend, with money pouring into funds that then invest in companies that promote green, social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion causes.

The basic idea behind ESG, which has been promoted by organisations such as the World Economic Forum, is that one can make a profit and “do good” at the same time. Investors argue they can contribute to a net-zero future while making solid returns, or contribute to social justice alongside their fiduciary duty.

Rating agencies and research firms issue ESG “scores” to companies that are then used by bodies who advise institutional and retail investors which organisations they should invest in. Because ESG has no standardised metrics or even standardised definitions, such scores can be massaged by those companies that have enough money to play the game.

An entire industry of consulting agencies and non-profits exists today to implement cosmetic changes within companies to boost their ESG scores. Such cosmetic changes may include sponsoring a float at the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or offering paid leave for staff who wish to change their gender.

As I commented in these pages last year, “gender affirmation leave” is offered by our two biggest supermarkets, Coles and Woolworths, and contributes to these companies earning “gold- and platinum-tier” status by the Australian Workplace Equality Index – despite the fact both companies are simultaneously implicated in wage theft scandals.

Sometimes called “wokewashing”, the practice of buying virtue through ESG allows corporate entities to deflect attention away from their PR embarrassments, like Henry VIII’s Indulgences allowed him to go on indulging.

Such practices are called wokewashing because these changes usually do not go deep enough to really cause change within a large organisation. By sheer virtue of their size, our largest corporations often make mistakes that only a complete overhaul of management practices could possibly address.

Take BHP, for example. The biggest company in Australia, and largest mining company in the world, is now embroiled in one of the biggest wage theft scandals in history. Accused of underpaying 28,500 workers $430m in wages for deducting public holidays from leave entitlements, BHP is now supporting the Yes vote in the voice referendum and has pledged a $2m donation to the campaign. This pledge is likely to boost its ESG score, but whether it satisfies the workers who have been underpaid is yet to be seen.

It is not just the mining industry that seeks ESG redemption. The banking industry wants to buy its way into heaven as well. Following on the heels of the disastrous royal commission into the sector, the Big Four are all doubling down on ESG. NAB faced criminal charges in 2021 for failing to pay casual employees long-service leave entitlements, but this is offset by its sponsorship of Midsumma – Melbourne’s queer arts and cultural festival. Last year ANZ was fined $25m for misleading consumer practices, but it also announced it was offering its staff paid leave for a sex change.

Commonwealth Bank has been in hot water in recent years for breaching money-laundering laws and Westpac was required to pay a $1.3bn fine after 250 customers made transfers that were linked to child exploitation. Both organisations are atoning for these sins by campaigning for the Yes vote.

Almost every large corporation that has signed on to the Yes campaign for the voice referendum is embroiled in some kind of scandal that involves their core business. Whether Coles is underpaying its staff, or Rio Tinto is dealing with dozens of accusations of sexual harassment, each company has significant work to do internally.

And this is why ESG is so popular among our corporate class. Symbolic gestures that can be outsourced to consultants and NGOs are an easy box-ticking exercise. Systemic changes to management habits, or making sure business practices are fair, is much more costly and time-consuming than simply waving a rainbow flag.

In the medieval period, wealthy elites would pay indulgences in order to curry favour with the church because the institution was incredibly powerful.

It is not surprising then that our biggest corporations are pledging their support for ESG goals that are also supported by the government, unions, the majority of our media, academia and non-profit sectors.

While commitment to ESG is not necessarily a sign of true moral fibre, if it can assist in washing away the stain of sin, then every dollar pledged will be money well spent.

==

Whenever a large corporation pledges its commitment to some movement or ideology, especially those that are unrelated to their actual business, you should assume that it's hiding something.

The more controversial the movement or ideology, the bigger the scandal they're trying to distract attention from.

For reference, the "Voice to Parliament" is a referendum to embed in the Australian constitution a vaguely defined independent body with unknown powers, unclear authority and unidentified influence to be a whisper in the ear of the Australian political system, supposedly representing all indigenous (Aboriginal) Australians. In essence, it functions as a form of "reparations."

When it's rejected, as current polling indicates it massively will be, as with Affirmative Action, citizens will be scolded by the supporters for their "racism," and the country will be told it's irredeemably racist. Rather than recognizing the diverse objections to the initiative: the lack of transparency of what the body is or does; progressives who insist it doesn't go far enough (e.g. a desire to literally "hand back" the land); Aboriginal Australians themselves who are concerned about establishing a "separate but equal" system; importing Critical Race Theory ideas from the US to racially divide the nation; the rather racist notion itself that any single "voice" could represent all indigenous people, ignoring that their viewpoints are as diverse as everyone else's; and the very simple answer of "I don't like this particular solution."

But while all of that is going on, the companies will be looking for their next diversion.

#Claire Lehmann #wokewashing #woke washing #voice referendum #voice to parliament #referendum #wokescreen #indigenous voice to parliament