is said

An application of blackberry jam makes any military intervention more palatable.

Glossaries of words used in pornographic novels will often duplicate a right-winger's
          vocabulary.

Embarking on gender reassignment surgery will sometimes increase the piquancy of
          sweet & sour sauce.

Next year will be worse than this if the increasing presence of despots continues.

The late nineteenth century gothic novel Dracula has replaced Sun Tzu's The Art of War
          as the preferred twenty-first century military handbook.


Often considered a prime example of the risible becoming totally unfunny, the rise to
          power of the current U.S. President had nothing to do with Magritte's ability to
          make the invisible visible.

Reminders of the war are everywhere, but the Prince of Peace keeps telling us that he has
          stopped the war, & that any residual damage is greatly exaggerated.

Absolution is often bestowed upon war criminals, if the powers that be consider that
          what they've done is not criminal but rather protecting the state. &, of course, the
          powers that be.

Nearer my doG to thee sing the sycophants as they kneel before the prince of pizza who is
           sitting on his gilded throne in the Awful Orifice.

Georgia is a state that Trump carried in 2024, but he can't accept that he lost it in 2020.
          So he has instructed his goons to send in the clowns FBI seeking the 2020 Fulton
          Country electoral records in order to find proof the state was stolen from him.

Eyeless in Gaza. Or. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

wednesday newstrip

"Cartel drone" incursion sparks El Paso shutdown. Turned out to be four mylar party balloons · White House fires federal prosecutor just five hours after his swearing in because the President had not appointed him. "Judges don’t pick U.S. Attorneys, @POTUS does" · Australian Liberal Party ousts its first woman leader, replaces her with a man described as the "best-qualified idiot they’ve ever met" · Kristi NoeminKnucklehead had Coast Guard pilot fired for leaving her blanket on a plane · Olympic Village in crisis as condoms run out · the freshly minted Liberal leader has doubled down on plans for a hardline immigration policy, pledging to cut migrant numbers & focus on those who reject Australian values · new poll says Bad Bunny represents America better than DoNuts T.®ump · Palestinians say Israel's new plans for the West Bank kill statehood hopes.

À / la recherche / du temps perdu

A couple of tracks I heard the other day in the background on YouTube, which came up quite close together, were a poignant reminder of how different things were before the reign of the gilded sTrumpet.

geographies: Meekatharra

 

open l'oeuvre

Eco-chic allure has no age limit,
but is closed on Tuesdays. The 
immense building, headquartered 
in Vienna, represents a set of open 
standards, is un centre d'art numé-

rique, full of confiscated church 
property, a new set of visual tools, 
both artwork & graffiti. A winged 
altarpiece displays two messages, 
swapped weekly; energeia precedes 

dynamis — Aristotle's Metaphysics, 
we learn to speak by speaking.  &
from Revelations: when the Lamb 
opened the seventh seal, there was 
silence in heaven for half an hour.

contretemps

Shooting the brisé, but then
it all went to shit. Jumped
off one foot, beat the legs to-
gether; & then the room was
filled with Shakespeare folios,

each clamoring for some time
on stage. Comes a plié, & all
the wannabees crawl back
between the legs & those knees
aligned with toes & vanish

from the stage. Save one, who
looks for an audience that isn't
there so orates towards the dark
at the back of the room: "My
liege, I did deny no prisoners."

A line from Ludwig Wittgenstein

Dante, lost in a dark place, Hell & 
its circles. Rescued from there by 
Virgil. Later guided through Para-
dise by his muse Beatrice. The tree

Petrarch in Hell because his muse
was unattainable, already married.
Laura. She died before him. Now
grief replaces despair. no longer 

Eurydice, wife of Orpheus, bitten 
by a snake, his music escorting her
back from Hell, until he turned to 
look at her. Finis. bending, breaks.

evergreen ephemera

 

wednesday newstrip

Man, 24, sparks evacuation at French hospital after doctors find 8ins-long live WW1 artillery shell in his rectum · more than 50 reptiles, including a cobra & a 1.3-meter crocodile, were seized when police discovered a makeshift zoo during an alleged drug bust near Kempsey on the NSW Mid North Coast · be 'prudent' about supplying arms to Taiwan, Xi tells T.®ump in call · shadow Arts Minister Chris Rath called for the funding of the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras to be reviewed, accusing it of being "hijacked by left-wing extremists" · Democrat victory in Republican stronghold in Texas could spell trouble for T.®ump · one of the world's largest scam compounds, complete with fake Australian Federal Police offices & workers wearing counterfeit uniforms to rip off Aussies out of millions, has been uncovered in Cambodia · 'farmers have not received a dime' of aid from T.®ump: rancher · World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) flags possible investigation of 'penis injecting' in men’s ski jumping event at Winter Olympics.

wednesday newstrip

Melania T.®ump has been mocked for selling popcorn buckets alongside the release of her controversial biopic. The Melania popcorn bucket is available to purchase for $12.99 at select theaters showing the documentary · a huge bush rave held in a state forest in Victoria has been shut down by authorities amid a crackdown on illegal parties & events · DoNuts T.®ump won't turn up to Super Bowl: anything to do with Green Day & Bad Bunny? · Pam Bondi Beach sparks fury from onlookers with Don Lemon arrest comment · gold & silver prices plunged overnight after US President DoNuts T.®ump announced his nomination for the US Federal Reserve. In the latest market rout, more than $US15 trillion was wiped from the gold & silver price over 24 hours · relief on the horizon for south-east Australia after record heatwave delivers 50C · nurse loses license after refusing to anesthetize MAGA patients · of the five evening screenings of Melania taking place on its opening day at cinemas across Sydney, none have sold more than 16 tickets. One has sold just six.

wednesday newstrip

Border Patrol chief blames Democrats & journalists for Minneapolis chaos · 'No rizz': Gen Z T.®umpers are rejecting 'no charisma' Republicans · mega-wealthy residents in glamorous California enclave demand their neighbors pay millions to protect the only road leading to their mansions · thousands rally & hundreds of businesses close in protest against ICE presence in Minnesota · renewed call for councils to ban 'ugly trend' of using synthetic turf along nature strips & in new homes sweeping Australian suburbs · 'Get out now;' residents ordered to flee as Victoria tipped to hit record 49C · New Zealand’s house price crash is cause for celebration · Ted Cruz warned DoNuts T.®ump that he would face a 'bloodbath' in the November midterm elections if prices continued to rise, prompting the president to respond, 'fuck you, Ted' · Gregory Bovine has been removed from his role as Border Patrol 'commander at large' & will return to his former job in El Centro, California, where he is expected to retire soon, according to a DHS official with knowledge of the change.

the more things change, the more . . .

The Palestinian death toll has risen to 821 people, and more than 3,300 have been injured since Israel began its offensive in the Gaza Strip two weeks ago.

A United Nations agency says nearly fifty percent of those killed in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip are women and children.

Ϋ

"But this is reality. You do your utmost to try and explain the difference between people aiming at women, children and babies in order to kill them because they are Israelis, and on the other hand – a democratic state trying to defend its citizens."

Dan Gillerman, retiring Israeli ambassador to the United Nations

Ϋ

"Many people in Israel call us traitors and war criminals because we talk about the war while it is still going on," said Teddy Katz of the Israeli peace group, Gush Shalom.

"But the truth is that this government ordered a criminal war."

Gush Shalom is one member of a coalition that held a news conference on Wednesday, January 7, 2009, to brief the media on peace camp positions.

Some speakers at the news conference focused on what they held to be Israel's real motives for the war - election success and, according to Katz, sanitising corrupt political reputations is also a factor.

Ϋ

UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness said senior Israeli military officials have confessed that there was no gunfire emanating from the school when it came under fire from one of its tanks.

Tel Aviv has attempted to justify its Jan 6 attack on the United Nations school as a response to "militant gunfire" and has released footage of the incident to substantiate its claims.

Gunness, however, asserted that the footage released by Israel dated back to 2007 and was not related to the current incident.

A post from gamma ways, january 10, 2009.

wednesday newstrip

'Europe will not be blackmailed': sweeping retaliation on the cards after T.®ump’s Greenland threats · life in Cuba is about to get harder as T.®ump threatens oil supply · Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was hammered by an immigration expert after falsely distorting DHS' own data on the criminal charges of detainees · T.®ump’s '‘Board of Peace' for Gaza to require $1 billion payment for permanent membership · Israel objects to US lineup of 'Gaza executive board', says the lineup runs contrary to Israeli policy · FBI Director Kash Patel has taken the unprecedented task of having agents comb through vast amounts of data at the agency in an effort to dig up dirt on opponents of President T.®ump · Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL), a T.®ump-endorsed lawmaker & sitting member of the House Intelligence Committee – one of Congress’ most powerful oversight panels – was widely ridiculed over the weekend after railing against aircraft condensation – a common target of debunked conspiracy theories.

The Art of Conversation

In this split & drifting space, strange 
bonds are knit. In a landscape of batt-
ling giants or of the beginning of the 
world, two tiny persons are speaking.
The art of conversation consists in the 

exercise of two fine qualities — never 
interrupt any one who is speaking; &
overlook the deficiencies of others 
when conversing with them. Men, at 
last reduced to silence, commune with

the signification of things, allow them-
selves to be touched by enigmatic, in-
sistent words that come from elsewhere.
Words are not bound directly to other 
pictorial elements. They are merely in-

scriptions on blobs & shapes. But in 
this context, words do not replace mis-
sing objects, occupy no hollow spaces.
A lady of true refinement will always
give your words candid consideration.

Sources:
This Is Not a Pipe, by Michel Foucault
The Ladies’ Book of Etiquette (1860), by Florence Hartley

dubious benefit

 

wednesday newstrip

Dozens of writers have pulled out of the Adelaide Writers' Week after it dropped a Palestinian author, Randa Abdel-Fattah, from the program due to "cultural sensitivities" following the Bondi Beach terrorist attack · a popular craft beer has been urgently pulled from Australian supermarket shelves over safety concerns, amid fears it could dangerously over-carbonate & create a 'bottle bomb' · five Indonesian fishermen have been jailed & three more charged after their vessel was spotted hidden among mangrove trees in the Northern Territory with an illegal catch of sea cucumbers on board · Elongated Muskrat’s AI tool Grok has been used to create sexually violent & explicit video content featuring women, according to new research · GTA 6 third delay fears won't go away despite positive leaks · research paves the way for safer colonoscopy bowel prep for people with compromised gut health · 'toughest conditions imaginable': Victorians urged to shelter inside from heatwave as tropical cyclone heads for Queensland.

The Withdrawal List

the 66 global organisations the US is leaving under Trump

31 United Nations organisations

Department of Economic and Social Affairs
UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) – Economic Commission for Africa
ECOSOC – Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
ECOSOC – Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
ECOSOC – Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
International Law Commission
International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
International Trade Centre
Office of the Special Adviser on Africa
Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict
Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children
Peacebuilding Commission
Peacebuilding Fund
Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
UN Alliance of Civilizations
UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and 
     Forest Degradation in Developing Countries
UN Conference on Trade and Development
UN Democracy Fund
UN Energy
UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
UN Human Settlements Programme
UN Institute for Training and Research
UN Oceans
UN Population Fund
UN Register of Conventional Arms
UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination
UN System Staff College
UN Water
UN University.

35 non-UN organisations

24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact
Colombo Plan Council
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Education Cannot Wait
European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats
Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories
Freedom Online Coalition
Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund
Global Counterterrorism Forum
Global Forum on Cyber Expertise
Global Forum on Migration and Development
Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research
Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
International Cotton Advisory Committee
International Development Law Organization
International Energy Forum
International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law
International Lead and Zinc Study Group
International Renewable Energy Agency
International Solar Alliance
International Tropical Timber Organization
International Union for Conservation of Nature
Pan American Institute of Geography and History
Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation
Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships 
     in Asia
Regional Cooperation Council
Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century
Science and Technology Center in Ukraine
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.

geographies: Hyden

 

wednesday newstrip

Imran Khan & wife handed 17-year jail terms in corruption case · images removed from Epstein files less than a day after being posted · 'We feel excluded': expensive tickets & T.®ump’s shadow dampen World Cup excitement in Mexico · judge accepts guilty pleas from Colorado funeral home owners for abuse of 191 corpses · DoNuts T.®ump admitted he's building the White House ballroom as a 'monument to myself because no one else will' · ICE reimagines Santa Claus as an armed immigration officer in controversial holiday ad · sister of Epstein victim reported him in 1996, but FBI failed to investigate, files reveal · Australia announces special honors list to recognize acts of bravery during the Bondi attack · Pam Bondi Beach’s approval rating plunges as she faces Epstein fallout · T.®ump's ego projects stem from childhood neglect: family member.

A poem from Donald J. Trump

I was sitting at the 
table. We had finished 
dinner. We're now 
having dessert. & we 
had the most beautiful 

piece of chocolate cake 
that you've ever seen, 
& President Xi was en-
joying it. & I was given 
the message from the 

generals that the ships 
are locked & loaded, 
what do you do? & we 
made a determination 
to do it, so the missiles 

were on the way. & I 
said, Mr. President, let 
me explain something to
you—this was during 
dessert—we've just fired 

59 missiles, all of which 
hit, by the way, unbeliev-
able, from, you know, 
hundreds of miles away, 
all of which hit. Amazing.


from: Circus Economies
gradient books, December 2017

A line from Donald J. Trump

The First Emperor of Qin
sported a striking headpiece of
human flesh as a show of his
glory. Teamed it with a figure-

hugging dress that some re-
porters thought was made from
bacon or, perhaps, prosciutto.
Scaly warts covered the few

exposed portions of his body.
I have sex dreams about random
people, he said. I will build a
great wall to keep them out.
from: the veil drops
Moria Books, March 2017

Ten years ago, at Series Magritte

             The Art of Living             



The orange people
used to be every-
where. Now only
a few scattered centers
are left. All small,
except, of course, for
Donald Trump, the
center of the universe,

with his swollen head
& disconnected brain.
The body transformed
by a business suit; but his
face still stained from the
clothes he wore before.
  

A stack of DoNuts to start the day

NotJustAnyahoo says his country will award US President DoNuts T.®ump its Israel Prize – the first time it will honor a non-Israeli · Boeing was given an $8.6 billion contract for the F-15 Israel Program, the Pentagon said after DoNuts T.®ump met NotJustAnyahoo in Florida · DoNuts T.®ump investors are among Wall Street’s biggest losers · DoNuts T.®ump says Washington has hit Venezuela "very hard," blowing up a "big facility that had been used to load drugs onto boats" · DoNuts T.®ump 'very angry' after Putain accuses Ukraine of attack on presidential home · DoNuts T.®ump says there will be "hell to pay" if Hamas does not disarm soon · DoNuts T.®ump warned Iran against reconstituting its nuclear program, saying the US would "knock the hell out of them" if it did · peace, power & profit — the logic behind DoNuts T.®ump’s dealmaking diplomacy · no one is standing in DoNuts T.®ump's way anymore. That offers a big lesson for Australia · Marjorie Taylor Greene says she was 'naïve' for believing DoNuts T.®ump is a man of the people.

wednesday newstrip

As the sun rose over the sand at Bondi on Friday morning, Rabbi Yosef Eichenblatt urged defiance in the face of terror. "They want us to be afraid," he said. "We need to be more joyful, more brave." Hanukah, he told those gathered on the beach, celebrates the victory of light over darkness. "We need to bring more light into the world … even in the darkest of times, we can always light a candle" · Pete Hogsbreath says young Americans 'too fat' & 'too dumb' to serve · a first look through the Epstein files reveals celebrity snaps, police notes, & a lot of Bill Clinton · T.®ump DOJ officials threatened with impeachment over Epstein file drop · Australia's illegal tobacco problem has made the proverbial transition from tragedy to farce. Illicit, excise-evading cigarettes now comprise half of the cancer-inducing products sold to Australia's 2.7 million smokers · a person infected with measles attended a community Christmas carol event while infectious, health authorities have revealed. It is the 58th confirmed measles case in Western Australia this year · US launches airstrikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria · amid the fierce debate around antisemitism, social cohesion, & political unity, it appeared symbolic that the principal resistor of an attack on a Jewish festival was an Arabic-speaking, Syrian-born Muslim. As the gunmen fired into the crowd, Ahmed al-Ahmed, unarmed but unhesitating, risked his life to save the lives of others unknown to him.

wednesday newstrip

DOJ says T.®ump using ASL interpreter could hurt his 'image' · a Border Patrol agent who allegedly threatened to shoot a bystander during an arrest in Chicago has been exposed for a history of extreme, racist, & hate-filled online posts · Elongated Muskrat had an ominous prediction about MAGA strategist Steve Bannonthebomb on Friday after a newly released batch of photos showed the former senior aide with the late financier & convicted child offender Jeffrey Epstein. "Only a matter of time before he goes back to prison." · new study exposes dangers of silicone baking molds · in a statement on Friday, the DOJ said it was suing Fulton County in Georgia, along with four states — Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, & Nevada — for voting records from the 2020 election. T.®ump lost in all of the localities that were sued · the U.S. claims 11 supercarriers—but nine more warships can launch jets, carry Marines, & fly F-35Bs · Taylor Swift reportedly gave out $197 million in bonuses to everyone who worked on the Eras Tour, including production staff & assistants, carpenters, dancers, & band members.

wednesday newstrip

T.®ump treats cabinet to stream of vitriol & untruths — but only when he’s awake · six people arrested on suspicion of deactivating fire alarms at Hong Kong fire apartment complex · High Court agrees to hear teenagers' challenge to Australia's under 16s social media ban · in its 2025 US National Security Strategy, the T.®ump administration praises the growing influence of what it calls "patriotic European parties", saying it gives "cause for great optimism" that the continent will be able to achieve a "revival of spirit" · The Kremlin has praised US President DoNuts T.®ump's new national security strategy, saying it is largely in line with Russia's views · condoms & contraceptives to become more expensive in China as Beijing accelerates push to lift birth rate · Signalgate report: Pete Hogsbreath jeopardized safety of US troops · T.®ump finally got his peace prize — from a soccer federation widely known for its corruption.

wednesday newstrip

Public libraries in Tennessee have begun to shut down as they carry out an order from state officials to remove children’s books containing LGBTQ+ themes or characters · T.®ump’s golf trips have cost taxpayers $71m since January & could eventually top staggering $300m across his full term, report says · climate activists stop three ships from entering world’s largest coal port in Newcastle, Australia · Israeli PM BeenJammin' Notjustanyahoo formally asks to be pardoned from corruption charges · Sydney police charge four men over alleged ‘international satanic child sex abuse material ring’ · death toll in Hong Kong blaze rises to 146 after more bodies found · a two-tiered cake & a groom-bride playlist for Australian Prime Minister's wedding.

wednesday newstrip

New Zealanders are leaving the country in record numbers, mainly to Australia, but the country still recorded a net migration gain in the 12 months to September 2025 · T.®ump calls Marjorie Taylor Greene resignation 'great news for the country' · Ukraine faces losing dignity or key partner under US plan, Zelensky says · U.S. senators say Marco Rubio told them Trump's Ukraine peace plan is Russia's 'wish list' · US drug dealer branded a killer by AI sues Google · at least 38 million tonnes of rubbish is disposed of illegally in England every year according to a UK parliamentary committee investigating "waste crime" · Virgin & Qantas to ban use of portable power banks after string of fires · a haunting 1940 self-portrait by famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo sold Thursday for USD $54.7 million & became the top-selling work by any female artist at an auction · a Gustav Klimt portrait has sold for $236.4m, a record for a modern art piece.