Hey everyone, welcome back to Flashback Friday. Another week of news, another wrap. Let’s get to it.

As always, I’ll start with the political landscape. And in a big week in Parliament, we saw the new PM Scott Morrison progress steadily through his first sitting week of Parliament this week. The LNP talked policy all week, and showed that there may yet be some hope for this government to continue in the future. But the Labor Party made sure to continue to pull the government back to issues such as Peter Dutton’s eligibility and au pair decisions, as well as the reasoning as to why Malcolm Turnbull was rolled. Turnbull himself tweeted out this week suggesting that Peter Dutton be referred to the high court over his eligibility, something which he voted against when a motion was put to the parliament a few weeks ago. And in other Parliamentary news, Dave Sharma has been selected to be the Liberal candidate for the Wentworth by election which will be held on the 20th of October. It comes after a week in which the bullying card was once again played by women in the party, including former Deputy Leader Julie Bishop. Additionally, the Greens made a shocking attempt to have the reading of the Lord’s Prayer at the commencement of Senate sittings ousted this week, a motion which failed easily. The Greens really need to have a good think about what they’re doing, because it’s not working, and we aren’t going to be fooled by it. As always, an interesting week in the Parliament.

In some other news, this week saw a nine year old Queensland school girl by the name of Harper Nielsen attempt to make a political statement. The young student refused to stand for the Australian National Anthem at her school assembly this week, citing that the anthem was not inclusive of Indigenous Australians. She was told by the school that she could go and sit outside while the Anthem was played, however she refused, because she just had to make a point. It is quite obvious that this is most likely coming from her parents’ influence, however her father has stated to the media that it was her idea. The school gave her a lunchtime detention for her refusal, and asked her to write an apology. They have also threatened expulsion. Since this occurred, 2GB host Alan Jones, former Labor leader Mark Latham, and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson have all criticised the young girl for doing what she did. Hanson in particular pointed out that Indigenous Australians have embraced the National Anthem, citing examples such as Cathy Freeman and Warren Mundine. Now while I won’t personally comment on this just yet, I will be touching on this in a future article. But what I will say for the sake of this is that young children shouldn’t be attempting to make political statements like this due to parent influence.

In sports news this week, and the US open has concluded with an uproar. Novak Djokovic claimed another title in straight sets in the men’s final against Juan Martin Del Potro, however it was the women’s final that really stole the show, with Serena Williams copping three code violations from the umpire and ultimately losing the match to her opponent Naomi Osaka. Williams claimed it was because she was a woman that he was penalised, practically using sexism as reasoning. And the feminist movement once again showed themselves when Sun Herald cartoonist Mark Knight was heavily criticised for his cartoon of Williams, Osaka and the chair umpire at the final. He was accused of being sexist and racist by many individuals, for the majority women. J.K. Rowling even tweeted about the cartoon, once again slamming Knight for sexism. And then there was The Project host Waleed Aly, who said there were reasons for the cartoon being labelled as sexist and racist, reasoning that was so utterly ridiculous. All in all, the cartoon was an accurate depiction of the scenario, and was not at all racist or sexist. Don’t let the feminists fool you.

And in technology news, Apple has unveiled three new phones plus a new watch at this week’s Apple event in the US. The new phones, the iPhone Xs, Xs Max, and XR are the tech giants’ biggest phones yet, and will feature a dual sim, meaning that you will be able to maintain two phone numbers on the one phone. The Apple Watch Series 4 also has features some new breakthrough technology, with the capability for electrocardiographs (ECG), allowing you to take an ECG by simply touching your finger to a specific part of the watch. It has been approved by the FDA, and will be able to detect any irregularities or underlying heart conditions you may have, as well as any signs of stroke. The new devices will be released over the next couple of months.

And that’s it for another week of news. Join me in the upcoming week for another Short Story Sunday, Part 2 of the Exposé Series, another Flashback Friday, and maybe a few more articles in between. Have a good one!

JJ

Hey everyone, welcome back to Flashback Friday. As always, let’s get right into it.

First to political news, and this week saw the beginning of a Senate inquiry into the au pair decisions of Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. The Senate heard from AFL boss Gillon McLachlan, who had made requests from the Minister on multiple occasions. Dutton still denies that he had any personal relationships with those who made requests, and stands by the decisions he has made. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has this week visited Indonesia and met with President Joko Widodo to sign off on a free trade agreement put together in the Turnbull era. He has also given a speech at the Menzies centre, showing his values and giving the people of Australia an idea as to what he stands for. It was a fantastic speech, and things may finally be starting to look up for the government a little.

Meanwhile, over in the US, President Donald Trump has become discontent after an op ed allegedly written by a member of his staff appeared in a newspaper. The piece detailed how Trump was not necessarily doing a great job as President, and has Trump fuming. Members of the President’s own staff are turning on him, and it has become a mess. There has also been fresh speculation that Trump could be impeached, news that comes after the article which suggested members of Trump’s own administration were working to undermine the President, potentially destroying his Presidency. This has ultimately put Trump on the hunt to find out which senior official wrote the piece and who may be attempting to undermine him as President. It’s really one big mess.

To some sports news now, and this week saw the rise to fame of Australian tennis player John Millman, after he managed to win his match in the US Open against 2nd seed Roger Federer to progress to the Quarter Finals for the first time. He won the match against he World No. 2 in four sets, after fighting back from being almost two sets down. The amusing thing was that his parents weren’t even watching, but that didn’t phase them, and they were still very proud of him. He went on to play Novak Djokovic in the next round and was unfortunately knocked out of the tournament in straight sets in a match that saw both players feeling the heat. Good to see an Australian playing well though.

And finally to some entertainment news, and it was announced that legendary actor Burt Reynolds has passed away this morning after suffering a heart attack. The actor had starred in over 200 films, and really left his mark on the acting world. Our hearts and thoughts are with his family and friends at this time. Additionally in entertainment news, today saw the release of the second season of one of Netflix’s Marvel series, Iron Fist. The series follows the release of the second season of Jessica Jones and the second season of Luke Cage earlier this year. It is available to watch on Netflix now, with all ten episodes being released simultaneously. So if you’re a Marvel fan, go check it out.

And that’s it for this week. As always keep watch for more coming soon. I actually have an article in the works at the moment which should be out sometime next week, so get ready for it. Have a good one!

JJ

Hey everyone, seeing as it was Father’s Day today, and it’s been a bit busy, as well as that I haven’t been able to think of any story ideas for today, I’m postponing Short Story Sunday for this week. There may be an extra one to make up for the lack of Short Story today at some point in the future. Thanks for continuing to follow the blog, I’ll be back with more this week. Have a good one.

JJ

Hey everyone, welcome back to everyone’s favourite Friday segment, where we look back on the news of the week. Let’s get right into it.

Starting with news on the political landscape, and it was an interesting first week in office for new Prime Minister Scott Morrison, with his Cabinet announcement taking place on Sunday afternoon. There were quite a few changes made, most notably Angus Taylor being given the Energy portfolio, and a new Education Minister in Dan Tehan, who happens to be a Christian very much like Scott Morrison. There were also non-Cabinet jobs offered to former leaders of the LNP, with Barnaby Joyce being given a role as special envoy for the drought, and Tony Abbott being offered the role of special envoy for Indigenous Affairs, a job which after much consideration he has accepted. Meanwhile Matthias Cormann has retained his job as Finance Minister and Leader of the Government in the Senate, Greg Hunt has kept the Health portfolio, and, despite the challenges and chaos, Peter Dutton has taken back the role of Minister for Home Affairs. Meanwhile, Julie Bishop has declined the offer to continue as Minister for Foreign Affairs, opting to sit on the backbench, with the role being handed to Marise Payne, who Bishop recommended for the job. The Cabinet has since been sworn in, and are already working in their portfolios.

Meanwhile in other news out of Canberra, and Liberal MP Julia Banks, the member for Chisholm, has announced this week that she will not be contesting the next election, citing bullying and intimidation, particularly in the events which took place last week, as her reason for leaving Parliament. Banks won the seat of Chisholm in the 2016 election, after it was held by Labor for 16 years. She supported Malcolm Turnbull in the leadership debacle last week, and wanted to see him continue as Prime Minister. She has claimed that there were three members of the Liberal Party who bullied and intimidated her, however they have not been named. In addition to this, Scott Morrison, a Christian man, has this week had his Christian faith mocked and criticised by many, including a despicable and appalling segment on the ABC Comedy television show the Tonightly with Tom Ballard. The show has already been cancelled and is seeing out its last season, however they decided to do a segment this week which just mocked and made a joke out of the new Prime Minister’s faith. It’s just shocking to see how politicians of the Christian faith have been criticised and practically persecuted for their faith. Education Minister Dan Tehan, also a Christian, has had comments made on his faith, and it’s truly appalling. It has also been announced this week that former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will resign from Parliament today, with a by election to be held in the seat of Wentworth, which is expected to occur on Saturday the 6th of October. And also in politics, Peter Dutton has come under fire once again this week, after he allowed two more au pairs to stay in Australia despite their visas expiring. He had already allowed one to stay back in 2015, and this week allowed a French au pair to stay in Australia despite his department strongly recommending not to. And today, it came to light that he has now allowed an Italian au pair to remain in Australia, reigniting the so-entitled scandal, and leaving many wondering, what is the go with the au pairs? There will most likely be more on this in the coming weeks.

In sports news now, and star Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt will make his debut for the Central Coast Mariners in their trial match against a local Central Coast club tonight, after working hard in training over the last couple of weeks. He will most likely come of the bench at some point in tonight’s match, more likely towards the end of the match. Bolt has impressed in his training sessions with the team, receiving praise from Head Coach Mike Mulvey. It will be an exciting event which will more than likely attract a good crowd, and Bolt will be looking to make a good impression on his debut.

And in a bit of other news, this week saw the tragic passing of US Senator and Presidential Candidate John McCain, who had been fighting brain cancer for just over a year. The well-respected Senator had served his country in a variety of ways for many decades, both in the US Navy and as a politician. He ran as the Republican presidential nominee in the 2008 US General election, however did not win the position of US President, with the position going instead to Democrat Barack Obama. The Senator continued on however, and played a significant role in the US Senate up until December last year. He passed away surrounded by his family on Saturday August 25th at the age of 81. Our hearts and thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.

And that’s it for another Flashback Friday. I’ll be back with more in the coming weeks, so be sure to keep an eye out for more posts. Have a good one!

JJ

Hey everyone, welcome back to Mystery Monday. Today it’s a bit of a different one. I’m going to share with you all some of the books I’ve read, some of my personal favourites and a few recommendations. Hope you enjoy it.

Skulduggery Pleasant Series: This is my all time favourite series of novels. Derek Landy writes so well, and is able to masterfully intertwine multiple events and story lines into each of the novels in this series. The series actually ‘ended’ after book 9, but it was so popular, and so after wrapping and releasing the third and final book of a separate trilogy, Landy announced the return of Skulduggery Pleasant, with Book 10 of the series. The series is now at 11 books, as well as some additional short stories and novellas. Additionally, there’s great humour throughout the series. I would highly recommend it.

Gone Series: This series by Michael Grant is all about the people of an American town, more specifically, the children in that town, and how they must survive after a dome of sorts covers the entire town and everyone over the age of 15 disappears. It’s a very interesting series, one I read a few years ago, spanning six novels. The story is thrilling and intriguing, and really makes you think.

Harry Potter Series: Obviously this is going to be on my list. The Harry Potter Series is one of the greatest series of all time, and will stand as a pure masterpiece for decades to come. The series is written brilliantly by J.K. Rowling, and is full of magic and wonder, so you can really let your imagination run wild. The films are great, but there is so much more packed into the novels. They are more than definitely worth a read, and I’d highly recommend them.

IT: Stephen King has a way of writing, of telling a story, that is so completely unique to him, and that really no one else could replicate. The terrors and horrors he implicates into his stories are just something else, and the detail he writes in just adds volumes to the terrifying ideas he brings to life. IT is a true horror story, but it’s written so well, and Stephen King always does his story justice. It’s not for the faint hearted, but if you like a good horror story, then give it a read.

Dangerous: This is more of an analytical book. Written by political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos, it focuses on political correctness, social justice and a variety of other topics and movements which Milo discusses in depth. He details and commentates on ideas and issues which can be controversial, and speaks harsh truths, which some may disagree with. He is quite clever in his commentary, and this autobiography is very much worth the read.

The Phoenix Files Series: This six novel series written by Australia author Chris Morphew is one I would recommend for anyone into science fiction based thrillers. The series is set in the town of Phoenix, run by the Shackleton Cooperative, and where the inhabitants have no access to the internet, phones, or cars. The plot becomes more intriguing as the series progresses, and Morphew is able to capture the teenage voice so well. The series is for the majority based around teenage characters, and will keep you hooked the entire time, so much so that you won’t want to put the book down. Definitely worth a read.

The Great Gatsby: I’ve put this one in for a reason. I’m not someone who generally reads classic novels per say. I often prefer to read science fiction and thrillers amongst other genres of novels. But Gatsby, a classic novel, was genuinely a good read, and I personally enjoyed the story and the way in which it was told. Telling the story through the eyes of one character is an interesting concept, and one I was intrigued by. F. Scott Fitzgerald writes masterfully, and this is one classic novel which I could see myself reading again, one which I’d recommend.

And that’s it from me. There are many more novels, books, and series I could mention, but then this could go on for a while. I hope you enjoyed this, and maybe you might feel like picking up one of these books after reading this. The other thing I’ll say is this: if you want to read a book, it’s always better to get a physical copy, rather than read it on your phone or an e-reader or any other device. Having a physical paper book is something else, and it feels great to be able to turn the page physically as you make your way through the story that’s told in any book. Anyway, have a good one and I’ll be back soon.

JJ