. As tensions with Iran escalate to the point of open military confrontation, critics argue this could be Trump’s latest ploy; a dramatic distraction aimed at diverting attention from a growing list of scandals and policy fiascos at home. On June 16, Trump abruptly abandoned the G7 summit in Canada, ostensibly to return to Washington … Continue reading Trump is Using Iran as a Distraction
Tag: United States
On This Day In Australia: In 1951, the ANZUS Treaty between Australia, New Zealand and the United States was signed
On 1 September 1951, the ANZUS Treaty between Australia, New Zealand and the United States was signed in San Francisco. The Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty (ANZUS or ANZUS Treaty) is a collective security non-binding agreement between Australia and New Zealand and, separately, Australia and the United States, to co-operate on military matters in the Pacific Ocean region, although today the treaty is taken to relate … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1951, the ANZUS Treaty between Australia, New Zealand and the United States was signed
Pictures from the past: aged 46 (with video)
This is from 2007, swimming with dolphins at Sea Life Park, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. https://videopress.com/v/OurbbHzi?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true
Pictures from the past: aged 46
This is from 2007 at Sea Life Park, Honolulu, United States.
Pictures from the past: aged 46
This is from 2007, having dinner with friends on a harbour cruise near Waikiki, Honolulu, United States.
Pictures from the past: aged 46
This is from 2007 in Seattle, Washington, United States.
Pictures from the past: aged 46
This was from 2007, at Sea Life Park in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States.
Pictures from the past: aged 46 (with karaoke video)
This was from 2007, singing karaoke in Waikiki, Honolulu, United States (see video below). https://videopress.com/v/xamAyWK3?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true
The need for gun control: A personal perspective
Australia has some of the best gun control laws in the world, and we should not change that. I am sickened every time some crazed redneck in the US points to our gun laws as "proof" that America should not have the same laws. What exactly is the point they are trying to make? That … Continue reading The need for gun control: A personal perspective
Homelessness in Honolulu
. In 2007, I moved to Hawaii in the United States. While it was meant to be a two week visit, it turned into a six month stay. I was surprised to find that even this tropical paradise has its share of social issues, including homelessness. I had travelled to Honolulu with an old friend … Continue reading Homelessness in Honolulu
The homeless in Seattle’s Underground City
In 2007, I found myself in Seattle, in the United States. I was meeting with a friend who wanted to tell me about the homeless in the underground city. The following are my observations from that time: Are homeless people living in undeveloped parts of Seattle’s abandoned underground city? From speaking with some of the … Continue reading The homeless in Seattle’s Underground City
Unmasking war propaganda against Russian aggression
Russian Propaganda War Since its unprovoked military aggression against Ukraine, Russia has inundated the world with misinformation and disinformation in efforts to justify its military operations and to claim its strict observance of the rules of warfare. Unsurprisingly, many of these efforts have often been penetrated due to the poor and blatant construction exposed by … Continue reading Unmasking war propaganda against Russian aggression
Ukraine: Is a new and different world order being created?
Russian Soldiers Europe is faced with yet another crisis that reminds of the horrors of the two world wars. The consequences of the war ravaging the Eastern part of the European continent, will not be limited only to the region, but will have ramifications on the rest of the world as well. Russia started the … Continue reading Ukraine: Is a new and different world order being created?
On This Day In Australia: In 1951, the ANZUS Treaty between Australia, New Zealand and the United States was signed
Signing of the ANZUS Treaty in 1951 On 1 September 1951, the ANZUS Treaty between Australia, New Zealand and the United States was signed in San Francisco. The Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty (ANZUS or ANZUS Treaty) is a collective security non-binding agreement between Australia and New Zealand and, separately, Australia and the United States, to co-operate on military matters in the Pacific Ocean region, although … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1951, the ANZUS Treaty between Australia, New Zealand and the United States was signed
On This Day In Australia: In 1975, David Hicks, a former prisoner at Guantánamo Bay, was born in Adelaide
David Hicks On 7 August 1975, David Hicks was born in Adelaide, South Australia. He would go on to become a prisoner of the United States Government at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. He attended Al Qaeda's Al Farouq training camp in Afghanistan, and met with Osama Bin Laden during 2001. He was then detained by the United States in Guantanamo Bay detention camp from 2002 until 2007. … Continue reading On This Day In Australia: In 1975, David Hicks, a former prisoner at Guantánamo Bay, was born in Adelaide
February 3, 1998 – US Marine jet severed ski-lift cable in Italy
On February 3, 1998, a U.S. Marine jet flying low over the town of Cavalese in the Italian Alps severed a ski-lift cable, sending a tram crashing to the ground and killing 20 people. Cavalese is located in the Dolomite Mountains, about 20 miles northeast of Trento, Italy. In 1976, 42 people there, including 15 … Continue reading February 3, 1998 – US Marine jet severed ski-lift cable in Italy
February 2, 1812 – Russians established Fort Ross in California
Staking a tenuous claim to the riches of the Far West, Russians established Fort Ross on the coast north of San Francisco. As a growing empire with a long Pacific coastline, Russia was in many ways well positioned to play a leading role in the settlement and development of the West. The Russians had begun … Continue reading February 2, 1812 – Russians established Fort Ross in California
January 31, 1950 – Truman announced development of H-bomb
On June 31, 1950, U.S. President Harry S. Truman publicly announced his decision to support the development of the hydrogen bomb, a weapon theorized to be hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan during World War II. Five months earlier, the United States had lost its nuclear supremacy when the Soviet … Continue reading January 31, 1950 – Truman announced development of H-bomb
January 28, 1986 – The space shuttle Challenger exploded after liftoff
At 11:38 a.m. EST, on January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Christa McAuliffe is on her way to becoming the first ordinary U.S. civilian to travel into space. McAuliffe, a 37-year-old high school social studies teacher from New Hampshire, won a competition that earned her a place among the seven-member crew … Continue reading January 28, 1986 – The space shuttle Challenger exploded after liftoff
January 23, 1849 – Elizabeth Blackwell becomes first woman in US to receive a medical degree
At a graduation ceremony at a church in Geneva, New York on January 23, 1849, Geneva Medical College bestows a medical degree upon Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman in the United States to receive one. Despite the near-uniform opposition of her fellow students and medical professionals, Blackwell pursued her calling with an iron will and dedicated … Continue reading January 23, 1849 – Elizabeth Blackwell becomes first woman in US to receive a medical degree
January 20, 1981 – Iran Hostage Crisis ended
Minutes after Ronald Reagan’s inauguration as the 40th president of the United States, the 52 U.S. captives held at the U.S. embassy in Teheran, Iran, were released, ending the 444-day Iran Hostage Crisis. On November 4, 1979, the crisis began when militant Iranian students, outraged that the U.S. government had allowed the ousted shah of Iran to travel … Continue reading January 20, 1981 – Iran Hostage Crisis ended
January 5, 1933 – Golden Gate Bridge is born
On January 5, 1933, construction begins on the Golden Gate Bridge, as workers began excavating 3.25 million cubic feet of dirt for the structure’s huge anchorages. Following the Gold Rush boom that began in 1849, speculators realized the land north of San Francisco Bay would increase in value in direct proportion to its accessibility to the city. Soon, a plan … Continue reading January 5, 1933 – Golden Gate Bridge is born
January 4, 1965 – L.B.J. envisions a Great Society in his State of the Union address
On January 4, 1965, in his State of the Union address, President Lyndon Baines Johnson lays out for Congress a laundry list of legislation needed to achieve his plan for a Great Society. On the heels of John F. Kennedy’s tragic death, Americans had elected Johnson, his vice president, to the presidency by the largest popular vote in the … Continue reading January 4, 1965 – L.B.J. envisions a Great Society in his State of the Union address
January 1, 1863 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation
On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation. Attempting to stitch together a nation mired in a bloody civil war, Abraham Lincoln made a last-ditch, but carefully calculated, decision regarding the institution of slavery in America. By the end of 1862, things were not looking good for the Union. The Confederate Army had overcome Union troops in significant battles … Continue reading January 1, 1863 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation
December 31, 1999 – Panama Canal turned over to Panama
On December 31, 1999, the United States, in accordance with the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, officially hands over control of the Panama Canal, putting the strategic waterway into Panamanian hands for the first time. Crowds of Panamanians celebrated the transfer of the 50-mile canal, which links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and officially opened when the SS Arcon … Continue reading December 31, 1999 – Panama Canal turned over to Panama
Craig Hill 