Andy Hazel

As beautiful as they were powerful: Jon Kudelka’s political cartoons were made with true conviction The award-winning cartoonist Jon Kudelka died in Hobart on Sunday, aged 53. Over 30 years, his work resisted the polarisation of the contemporary Australian media.

This is lovely
theconversation.com/as-beautiful...

The Australian's coverage of Bad Bunny's halftime show is bonkers. On the front page: "Bad Bunny divides America". Inside, the headline is "Bad Bunny's Super Bowl goal: Divide and conquer".

Andrew McMillen's actual write up is 100% positive.

www.theaustralian.com.au/culture/bad-...

Segments: Uncommon Sense: Richard Cooke On Wikipedia's Wild Cultural Impact — Triple R 102.7FM, Melbourne Independent Radio Richard Cooke is an author, reporter and screenwriter. He has been published by many of the best outlets in the world including the The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Republic, WIRED…

Had a fascinating chat with Richard Cooke about the cultural impact of Wikipedia on its 25th birthday.
Richard wrote the brilliant essay on Wikipedia, "The Last, Best Place on the Internet":

"Your journalistic antennae are raised immediately when people don't want to give you answers."

Guardian Australia's Ben Doherty on the "troubling" reality that the US government is far more transparent about the AUKUS submarines deal than Australia's government is.

🎧 theaus.in/4rhMet1

The Australian's coverage of Bad Bunny's halftime show is bonkers. On the front page: "Bad Bunny divides America". Inside, the headline is "Bad Bunny's Super Bowl goal: Divide and conquer".

Andrew McMillen's actual write up is 100% positive.

www.theaustralian.com.au/culture/bad-...

Emerald Fennell's “Wuthering Heights” is a work of devastating craving and infatuation “I have not broken your heart - you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine.” – Heathcliff To this day there has never been an English language adaptation of Emily Brontë’s gothic no...

Emerald Fennell’s adaptation is noted as “Wuthering Heights” for a reason. Fennell isn’t pretending naturalism or fidelity at all.
- @nadinewhitney.bsky.social in @thecurbau.bsky.social.

Extraordinary footage. Police pulling off people engaged in peaceful prayer.

Lessons from political cartooning After being diagnosed with an inoperable glioblastoma, The Saturday Paper’s editorial cartoonist took time to consider what really matters – and it is not politics.

"While having come to terms with my imminent demise, I have decided I wouldn’t change a thing, apart from the brain cancer, of course."
Jon Kudelka in @thesaturdaypaper.com.au

VALE one of the best cartoonists, and people, this country has ever known. A truly lovely, fearless and funny man.

"A thousand innocent people get killed every day! But a millionaire's pet gets detonated, and you're marked for life."

Folks - independent media is having a bit of a moment, thankfully.

Here's a few websites that you should subscribe to, either for free or as a paid subscriber. All are owned and operated by the writers who make it happen.

You’ll never guess but the solution to people not having money is to give them money.

Ships of fools How the Spirit of Tasmania became the greatest infrastructure disaster in the state’s history

New:
An almost comic history of the worst infrastructure disaster in Tasmanian history, the rolling disaster of the new Spirit of Tasmania ships. A story of incredible ineptitude.

Police have charged a 31-year-old man with terrorism over the alleged attempted bombing of an Invasion Day protest in Perth.

In a joint press conference on Thursday, WA premier, Roger Cook, said “we must call this what it is”.

Lucky you! She is so great.

Ley is toast and the Coalition isn’t just on a break. This bust-up is serious A growing number of Liberal MPs privately concede the differences within and between the parties are intractable and irreconcilable, so entrenched that neither leadership changes nor a re-formed Coali...

The party’s federal executive wobbled in December when Peter Dutton messaged the federal president, John Olsen, while it was discussing the formal election review and threatened to sue the party if it was released unedited.

I'm in.

"I like imaginary stories better than history, whose truths eventually lose their shape. The lies in stories eventually become a kind of truth or, at least, a mysterious, new, and delightful form of history. The famous tale of Beauty and the Beast is British in origin. Madame Leprince de Beaumont lived in England for a while and must have heard ghost stories there, as well as rumors of those songs of great families who were hidden away because of some birthmark or blemish that might frighten society and dishonor a noble name. Many people who saw the movie I made of this story would have preferred it if the gentle beast had not turned into Prince Charming, like Beauty, they were disappointed by his transformation. I had decided to remain faithful to the original story but, nonetheless, when the Prince asks Beauty if she is happy, I made her close her eyes and answer "I shall have to get used to it." For ordinary beauty could not easily take the place of the terrible beauty that won her heart. The whole meaning of the story lies in this little sentence, and in the secret disappointment which the audience shares with Beauty.

Jean Cocteau's afterward to the Knight edition. "I like imaginary stories better than history, whose truths eventually lose their shape. The lies in stories eventually become a kind of truth, or, at lest, a mysterious, new, and delightful form of history..."

Never forget Epstein’s little helpers – the powerful men who knew about his crimes, and helped him out anyway | Marina Hyde I’m sorry, but this is not just a political scandal. Time to refocus on the horrific mistreatment of women and girls, and the role of these ghouls, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde

Twenty of the Epstein survivors recently released a statement saying that information about them was included in the latest file release, “while the men who abused us remain hidden and protected”. That is the dark heart of this – yet even now we’re looking the wrong way.

First look at ‘CAPE FEAR’, exec produced by Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg

• Starring Amy Adams, Javier Bardem and Patrick Wilson

• Follows 2 attorneys who are in danger after a serial killer they put in prison escapes & seeks vengeance

• Premiering June 5 on Apple TV

Electoral Amendment (Group Voting and Vote Counting) Bill 2026

Victorian Greens have introduced a Bill to abolish Group Ticket Voting and fix Inclusive Gregory distortion. I understand debate on it is adjourned for two weeks www.legislation.vic.gov.au/bills/electo...

#springst

Individual States Join World Health Organization After Trump Drops It Illinois is the latest state to take this step.

The Illinois Department of Public Health sidestepped the federal government this week by independently joining the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN). It is the second state to do so, after California joined the network last month. trib.al/0ecIsxF

Trump, ICE set to be handed access to Australians' biometric data, ID documents The Albanese government is giving the Trump administration and agencies like ICE access to Australians' biometric data — and we're not being told anything about it.

The Trump administration and ICE will be quietly given direct access to Australians’ biometric information and ID documents by the Albanese government, in response to a US demand for tighter security for all countries with Visa Waiver Program arrangements, reports @crikey.com.au.

Not. Everyone. Can carry the weight of the world

Not [crash]. Everyone. Can carry the weight of the world.

Epstein Files Library Archive | Public Document Search Search and analyze the Epstein Files Library document archive including court records, flight logs, DOJ disclosures, and more.

Goodnight bluesky. Here’s a library of all the releases Epstein files with search functions ❤️ epsteinfta.com

Get this: the Israeli president’s visit will be so divisive, according to NSW Police, that the appropriate response is to ban all public assemblies while he’s here, rather than, say, him not coming.

Ships of fools How the Spirit of Tasmania became the greatest infrastructure disaster in the state’s history

“This rolling failure, almost comedic in its ineptitude, is an unconscious cry for help from a deeply troubled state.”

Jaw-dropping read from @nickfeik.bsky.social in @themonthly.com.au

cinemanova.com.au Australia’s Celebration of African Cinema Makes its Melbourne Debut at Cinema Nova.

Cinephiles in Naarm, the Africa Film Festival comes to @cinemanova.bsky.social from March 27-29. I especially recommend Akinola Davies Jr's 'My Father's Shadow'. Blinder of a film.

Mark of Cain singer comes out as trans ‘to finally live as myself’ Josie Scott, who has played in the Australian heavy metal band with her brother Kim for 40 years, writes to fans: ‘I’ve decided to embrace, rather than endure, who I am’

I'm not sure I ever saw a heavier, louder or more masculine gig than Mark of Cain at the Doghouse in Hobart. This makes me so happy.

Sign up for our free newsletter, delivered weekly at lunchtime on Wednesdays, and read the review of Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s new album, Laughter in Summer: satpa.pe/aLH7zyp

So we have a Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism who won't comment on literal Nazis marching through the streets.

And we have a Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia who won't comment on the abhorrent islamophobia being pushed by Morrison.

What are these Special Envoy's doing exactly?