Nath

Nah, there are plenty of local acts that I would think of as the States best loved artists. I don't just mean the unrealistic ones like AC/DC - they're too big to play at some hick town like Perth unless it's in the Stadium.

We have:
The Waifs, John Butler, Eskimo Joe, San Cisco, Karnovool, Hoodoo Gurus, Tame Impala, Birds of Tokyo.
(This is by no means an exhaustive list. Just pointing out that there are very different names I'd put on a 'best loved artists of WA' list)

I readily recognise that I'm old and out of touch, but I've never heard of any of "Twenty of the state’s best loved artists".

Is anyone looking at this lineup with excitement?

Disappointed that today's emoji was not the fire one, @YarraByte.

Really? Giving lessons on taking off/landing on short runways - lessons that could be applied to air operations on an aircraft carrier, constutute state secrets? He hasn't denied teaching pilots this stuff, though he claims he never knowingly taught Chinese airforce pilots. He also taught tight formation aerial exhibition flying, which again could have military applications.

From what I can tell, that's the main thing he's accused of. There's been no accusations of weapons or combat training, actually landing on aircraft carriers etc. As I read it all, I thought "that's it?" He's also accused of sending money abroad in some sort of laundering thing, but I can't see how the US military would care about that enough to extradite him.

They might have more charges once he's in US hands, but from what I've seen in the indictment documents, people could probably learn that stuff in Australia.

What a fascinating case! Former US fighter pilot becomes an Australian citizen. Then trains pilots in Australia and overseas.
Is he training pilots in military flying? Or just civilian flying? Is he breaking any laws? Who bloody knows?

Reading more about his case:

The 2017 indictment said "Duggan provided military training to PRC (People's Republic of China) pilots" through a South African flight school on three occasions in 2010 and 2012.

He's denying this. Though the fact that he lived in Beijing for eight years looks pretty sus. He claims he's just teaching civilian flying.

His defence lawyer is claiming that ASIO gave him a security clearance to acquire an aviation license in 2022 while he was still in China, enticing him to return to Australia. That clearance was revoked a few days after he arrived and suddenly he's facing extradition to the USA. The defence is saying they lured him to Australia only to extradite him. And to be frank, that holds water. Though, I could probably also be convinced that US officials were monitoring his movement and started proceedings once he entered a country they had an extradition treaty with.

Dude has been in solitary confinement in Lithgow for over three years so far. That's frankly pretty damn harsh all on its own for the accusation of 'three cases of military training'. Three years in solitary for a person who hasn't even got a guilty verdict? Are the yanks saying that you go to prison for a year per military flying lesson? Are they going to recognise time served if they find him guilty? Are both government going to compensate him for what this has all cost him and his family if he's found innocent? They have frozen the family home half-built. It can't be sold or lived in. The family have racked up half a million dollars defending the case so far.

I have trust issues around releasing an Australian citizen to the mercies of the present US administration/military. I am unconvinced he'll face a fair trial.

You ask this like we don't know the answer. We had the draft in living memory.

We need a proclamation of a call to war before parliament 90 days before it can be activated. The government needs parliamentary approval from both houses. All Australian residents 18-60 can be called up (not only men in the 21st century) but the government can call up a subset of this cohort ('only men', 'only women with red hair', 'only residents of Bankstown' or whatever 'class' they wish).

Then everyone loses their shit, we storm our politicians and threaten them with being the first to war or something if they even think of voting this in. It would be so wildly unpopular and I can't see any government passing it.

It's not something the PM or Governor General can unilaterally do. Hooray for checks on politicians in Australia.

I don't know what the maximum sentence it is possible to give a kid in this situation, but the longer she's away from whatever toxic community such acts bring notoriety, the better. Also, there is a significant danger she'll kill someone if let out onto the street. That simple fact has to weigh down on whatever judge gets this case.

We're talking about a kid born in 2012, here. She was in year 2/3 during Covid lockdowns. It boggles the brain that someone so young can be acting this way.

57% vs 45%? That's the "cluck gap". It's a significant gap, but also means that most people who want kids can find partners who want kids, while most who don't can also find compatible partners.

The headline makes it sound like the "cluck gap" is going to be 90% vs 10% or something.

Also, the oldest Gen Z are still in their 20's. Let's see their attitudes in a decade or so. Yes, many will have unchanged stances. But if Gen X is anything to go by, some will change their minds.

Te Kura has played just five NRL games since making his debut in 2024 as he has struggled with a series of injuries and is yet to take the field this season, playing three games in the Queensland Cup with Wynnum Manly.

It doesn't sound like you'd be weakening them all that much.

I provided a statutory declaration affirming to whoever needed to read it that my friend and her English fiancée were a real couple; as well as photos I had taken of them at bbqs, concerts and zoo trips etc over the years as he was applying for permanent residency in Australia. What you are describing is a thing all immigrants go through - the white ones as well.

I personally think this portrait is rather flattering. Particularly in the context of Vincent's other works. I think she's far uglier in person.

This guy is about to learn that nobody likes him, isn't he?

Even the people who listen to him and are entertained by his awful antics don't tune in because they actually like him. He's just on in the car and they're a captive audience.