Category Archives: Quotidian

Andrew L. Urban.  I had just re-watched British director Alan Parker’s outstanding 1988 film, Mississippi Burning, inspired by events in the 1960s, when two FBI agents (played by Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe) arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance … Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban. “There will be no removal of masks to consume alcohol outdoors.” With that single rule, Daniel Andrews demonstrated how to (mis)use the power of political office. He showed how to revel in it. Exhibit A: take a … Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban. Only an arrogant, self-absorbed performer (rapper /singer /comic /muso /actor) would think that everyone or nearly everyone in a random crowd of several thousand people in a stadium or theatre shares their political world view – especially … Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban. The Labor government’s proposed Digital Duty of Care laws are in reality intended to override algorithms with Alborithms, algorithms operating under the authority, assumptions and ideological preferences of regulators and governments. Voters have a ‘duty to care’ … Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban. “Forensic inquiry or ‘tokenistic’: Will Royal Commission deliver solutions to antisemitism crisis?” That’s the splash headline in The Australian today (17 August, 2026). In another story, under the headline “How Hamas outsmarted the UN and Western media … Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban.  There was “a shocking betrayal and re-traumatisation of Jewish people at the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion” say Barbara and Munganbana Norman Miller, co-founders of Indigenous Friends of Israel International. Writing in The Weekend Australian … Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban The PM’s sheila-shield of Gallagher, Plibersek, Wong and the rest, has now locked the PM out of any apology over his juvenile juggling of Japanese melons. How could Albo now apologise when these women have all said … Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban  According to The Australian’s editorial (11/8/2026) “There is no political reason to exclude (Josh Frydenberg): Labor MPs Mark Dreyfus and Josh Burns have testified.” Here, in a single sentence, the editorial exposes and contradicts the opposite of … Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban Given that only the manifestations of antisemitism can be held in check by laws, not the bigoted mindset, Josh Frydenberg’s article in The Australian proposing steps to do that (The royal commission must be the circuit breaker, … Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban  It’s not bad taste; it’s ugly hate speech wrapped in a torture porn fantasy. I bet you know exactly what I’m talking about. Yep, I’m piling on to the outrage expressed by so many at the ABC’s … Continue reading →