Lovell (2022), Julia, and Wu Cheng'en , Monkey King: Journey to the West, Penguin Classics 2022 ' Before there was The Lord of the Rings, there was China's Monkey King, one of the all-time great fantasy novels--which Neil Gaiman has said "is in the DNA of 1.5 billion people"--now published in a thrilling new one-volume translation with an illustrated foreword by the author of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel that is the basis for the Disney+ series American Born Chinese, starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu, as well as Daniel Wu as the Monkey King' 
Amazon   back

Nicholls (2025), Jeffrey, Cognitive Cosmogenesis: A systematic unification of physics and theology, Austin Macauley Publishers 12025 ' This book is a personal narrative of those events and a defense of the belief that the universe itself is divine. The central argument is that by embracing this reality and abandoning notions of supernatural deities, humanity can resolve its problems. The universe, it is argued, is self-creating, and a proper understanding of physics leads to a plausible scientific theology. The natural intelligence inherent in the universe, from cellular organization to ecosystems, far surpasses any artificial intelligence. Comprehending this natural order, the author suggests, would make achieving world peace relatively straightforward. The book contends that modern theologians should recognize the physical world, rather than ancient texts, as the foundation for credible theology. It also addresses the historical entanglement of religion and politics, asserting that the model of creation presented herein fundamentally rejects the imperialistic ambitions that have fueled genocidal holy wars.'  
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Rawls (1999), John, A Theory of Justice, Belknap Press:Harvard University Press 1999 ' “In his magisterial new work. . . John Rawls draws on the most subtle techniques of contemporary analytic philosophy to provide the social contract tradition with what is, from a philosophical point of view at least, the most formidable defense it has yet received...[and] makes available the powerful intellectual resources and the comprehensive approach that have so far eluded antiutilitarians. He also makes clear how wrong it was to claim, as so many were claiming only a few years back, that systematic moral and political philosophy are dead. . . . Whatever else may be true it is surely true that we must develop a sterner and more fastidious sense of justice. In making his peerless contribution to political theory, John Rawls has made a unique contribution to this urgent task. No higher achievement is open to a scholar.”―Marshall Cohen, New York Times Book Review' 
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von Neumann (2018), John, and Nicholas A. Wheeler (editor), Robert T Beyer (translator), Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Princeton University Press 2018 ' Quantum mechanics was still in its infancy in 1932 when the young John von Neumann, who would go on to become one of the greatest mathematicians of the twentieth century, published Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics--a revolutionary book that for the first time provided a rigorous mathematical framework for the new science. Robert Beyer's 1955 English translation, which von Neumann reviewed and approved, is cited more frequently today than ever before. But its many treasures and insights were too often obscured by the limitations of the way the text and equations were set on the page. In this new edition of this classic work, mathematical physicist Nicholas Wheeler has completely reset the book in TeX, making the text and equations far easier to read. He has also corrected a handful of typographic errors, revised some sentences for clarity and readability, provided an index for the first time, and added prefatory remarks drawn from the writings of Léon Van Hove and Freeman Dyson. The result brings new life to an essential work in theoretical physics and mathematics.' 
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ABC iview, And We Danced Series three episodes, The Australian Ballet entered a new millennium with a bold crestive appointment. Fresh from the dancer's ranks and with no leadership experience, David McAllister took over from Ross Stretton as Artistic Director in 2001. back

Alex Lo (2026_05_26), Trump makes everything worse but he didn’t start it, ' While cleaning my basement, I found an old copy of Foreign Affairs dated September/October 2014. If you didn’t look at the publication date but only its table of contents, you would have thought it was a recent edition.
Titled “See America: Land of Decay & Dysfunction”, the edition’s front cover is a painting of a crumbling Capitol Building that houses the United States Congress.
Keep in mind we are talking about the second year of the second term of Barack Obama, whose presidency is now fondly remembered by many Americans as the high point of US democracy and prestige in the 21st century.
Some of the essays were penned by people who still write about US foreign policy. One essay is by Francis Fukuyama, the “end of history” guy. In “America in Decay: The Sources of Political Dysfunction”, he argues that the US’ political system is past its use-by date.' back

Blackfriars Priory School, Optimist: News and events, ' The OPtimist is the Blackfriars bi-annual community magazine. Each issue is packed with updates on what is happening at Blackfriars, what our Old Scholars are up to in life and the latest with BOSFC and BOSA FC. This publication is available to all community members past, current and future. If you would like to be added to the mailing list please contact development@bps.sa.edu.au with your mailing details.' back

David Bowie, Blackstar, ' In the villa of Ormen, in the villa of Ormen
Stands a solitary candle, ah-ah, ah-ah
In the centre of it all, in the centre of it all
Your eyes

On the day of execution, on the day of execution
Only women kneel and smile, ah-ah, ah-ah
At the centre of it all, at the centre of it all
Your eyes, your eyes

Ah-ah-ah

Ah-ah-ah

In the villa of Ormen, in the villa of Ormen
Stands a solitary candle, ah-ah, ah-ah
At the centre of it all, at the centre of it all
Your eyes, your eyes
Ah-ah-ah

Something happened on the day he died
Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried
""I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar.""

How many times does an angel fall?
How many people lie instead of talking tall?
He trod on sacred ground, he cried loud into the crowd
""I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar, I'm not a gang star.""

I can't answer why (I'm a blackstar)
Just go with me (I'm not a film star)
I'mma take you home (I'm a blackstar)
Take your passport and shoes (I'm not a pop star)
And your sedatives, boo (I'm a blackstar)
You're the flash in the pan (I'm not a marvel star)
I'm the great I am (I'm a blackstar)

I'm a blackstar, way up, on money, I've got game
I see right, so wide, so open-hearted pain
I want eagles in my daydreams, diamonds in my eyes
(I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar)

Something happened on the day he died
Spirit rose a metre then stepped aside
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried
""I'm a blackstar, I'm a star's star, I'm a blackstar.""

I can't answer why (I'm not a gangstar)
But I can tell you how (I'm not a flam star)
We were born upside-down (I'm a star's star)
Born the wrong way 'round (I'm not a white star, I'm a blackstar)
Ooh-ooh-ooh (I'm not a gangstar, I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar)
Ooh-ooh-ooh (I'm not a porn star, I'm not a wandering star)
Ooh-ooh-ooh (I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar)

In the villa of Ormen, stands a solitary candle
Ah-ah, ah-ah
At the centre of it all, your eyes
On the day of execution, only women kneel and smile
Ah-ah, ah-ah
At the centre of it all, your eyes
(Your eyes, ah-ah-ah) back

David Bowie - Wikipedia, David Bowie - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ' David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his innovative work during the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, and his music and stagecraft had a significant impact on popular music.' back

Ivo Daalder (2026_05_26), America’s way of war isn’t working, ' The U.S. has the most powerful military in human history. It also hasn’t won a war in more than 30 years. Since 1945, the U.S. has fought major wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and now Iran. Among them, only the 1991 Gulf War counts as a genuine success — and even that planted the seeds of future disaster. Meanwhile, the outcomes of the rest range from stalemate and defeat to strategic catastrophe, with Iran perhaps being the worst strategic blunder the U.S. has made post-World War II.
[. . .] The U.S. way of war is built on three structural flaws. First, the ends and means are inverted: Rather than define a political objective and then select the appropriate instrument, Washington does the reverse. It reaches for the military tool and hopes the politics will follow. “Rolling Thunder” in Vietnam, “Shock and Awe” in Iraq, “Epic Fury” in Iran — each time the U.S. deployed overwhelming force in the belief that wholesale destruction will produce the desired outcome.
It never does.
The second flaw is overreach. U.S. wars are framed around the most expansive goals possible: regime change, civilizational transformation, establishing democracy, ending terrorism. But these aren’t objectives, they are fantasies; and military force is a poor instrument for achieving them.
The Gulf War succeeded precisely because then-President George H.W. Bush rejected this logic. His objective was narrow and defined: Reverse Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and restore the status quo ante — nothing more. He resisted enormous pressure to march on Baghdad, and that restraint was not a weakness. It produced a genuine coalition, legitimacy and victory.
Years later in the Middle East, President George W. Bush — influenced by the very advisers who had pushed his father to go further — chose differently. The result? A decade of war, a strengthened Iran, and a far less stable region than before.
Finally, the third and most fundamental flaw is that those making the plans in Washington believe overwhelming force can compensate for asymmetric motivation. It cannot. America may have the force, but the other side has the will. The Vietcong, the Taliban, the Baathists, the Islamic Revolutionaries — they don’t budge. They have nowhere to go and nothing to lose.' back

James Horncastle (2026_05_26), Trump’s ‘largely negotiated’ truce with Iran exposes a deeper crisis in U.S. strategic thinking, ' United States President Donald Trump has announced via social media that a peace deal with Iran has been “largely negotiated.” While Trump and his allies have been trumpeting the agreement for days, details are vague, and Iranian authorities insist the two parties have yet to reach a formal deal.
In fact, it appears much more negotiation is still required between Iran and the U.S. The confusion likely stems from one of Trump’s fixations: that the U.S. is winning the conflict, an assertion that’s at odds with the actual evidence.
Trump, in his various statements on the Iran conflict, has become increasingly adamant that the U.S. has defeated Iran. He’s even accused reporters critical of the American war effort of treason.
[. . .] Trump frequently emphasizes that the U.S. has the world’s strongest military. This contention isn’t up for debate.
But there are nonetheless limitations to what the U.S. military can accomplish. This is particularly true during unpopular wars, like Vietnam, because casualties must be avoided to a greater degree than in conflicts with popular support.
{. . .] While this has long been a problem in American strategic thinking and policy, Trump magnifies these problems. His belief in his personal superiority means he is unwilling to see that he and his advisers are caught by the same flaw in strategic thinking.
Furthermore, Trump’s lack of focus means that unlike other presidents who at least attempted to solve the crises they created, he’s already pivoting to focus on Cuba.
The result is that while Trump may claim the Iran conflict has been resolved on terms favourable to the U.S., the war has ultimately left both him and the country in a weaker strategic position than before.' back

Jeff Sparrow (2026_05_29), Friday essay: How to Sell a Genocide exposes the double standards of reporting on Gaza, ' When the University of Queensland Press cancelled the publication of Wiradjuri poet Jazz Money’s book Bila: A River Cycle because of a blog post by its illustrator, 60 UQP contributors signed a letter of protest. Some declared they would no longer publish with UQP. Fourteen staff members issued a statement decrying “the precedent the University of Queensland has set”.
Had HarperCollins, a publisher owned and controlled by the Murdoch family, nixed an Indigenous children’s book, the decision would perhaps not have been experienced as such a betrayal. UQP, however, boasts on its website of “publishing literary works, poetry and Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander stories”: scarcely an orientation one usually associates with politicised book pulping. [. . .]
Conservative politicians and the right-wing press systematically demonise the Palestinian cause and its supporters. According to a study by Ette media, the Australian published, between October 7 2023 and April 9 2026, an astonishing 412 articles wholly or in part about Palestinian writer Randah Abdel-Fattah. Yet some of the most punitive campaigns have played out not in the corporate sector but at the ABC and within the university sector.
In How to Sell a Genocide: The Media’s Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza, Adam Johnson explores a similar phenomenon in the United States. [. . .]
“There was,” Johnson reminds us, “a Democratic president in office when the genocide began in earnest, and support from Democrats in Congress and in the think-tank and media world was dispositive in continuing said genocide.”
His critique of what he calls the “Center-Left media” is based on careful documentation of some 12,000 articles and 5,000 television clips. He brings, as they say, the receipts.
For instance, Johnson notes that CNN – a pillar of US liberalism – mentioned the child deaths in the first 100 days of the Ukraine war far more (4,223 times) than child deaths in the corresponding period in Gaza (3,632 times). On MSNBC, child victims of the Ukraine war featured 1,775 times, compared with 1,522 times for Gaza.
Yet, in the first 100 days of the Ukraine conflict, 262 children died. In Gaza, the toll of dead kids exceeded 10,000.' back

Katayoun Shahandeh (2027_05_27), Art in exile on show at London’s Iranian Contemporary Art Biennale, ' With Iran’s official cultural presence on the international stage increasingly uncertain, the 6th Iranian Contemporary Art Biennale in London, With My Roots, carries significance that extends well beyond the gallery walls.
Held at Mall Galleries from May 22–30, it brings together more than 100 Iranian artists from 17 countries, with over 180 works spanning painting, photography, sculpture, installation and video. Despite its scale, the exhibition feels intimate: a space where Iranian culture emerges not as a single story, but as a field of tensions, inheritances and unresolved attachments.
Iran’s withdrawal from the Venice Biennale earlier this year exposed how fragile national representation has become, at a moment when art and geopolitics are increasingly difficult to separate.
Against that silence, this biennale tells a different – and in many ways more urgent – story. It shows how Iranian art continues to circulate when official platforms falter, and why independent cultural infrastructures matter in moments of political and material crisis.
Founded in 2016 by curator Marina Panahi through the gallery Capital Art London, the Iranian Contemporary Art Biennale has become a rare meeting point for artists inside Iran and across the diaspora. It brings together communities separated by migration, sanctions, censorship and political borders.
The biennale foregrounds tensions central to Iranian modern and contemporary experience: homeland and exile, tradition and modernity, visibility and erasure. These curatorial themes reflect the realities of artists working inside Iran. Censorship, economic pressure and restricted mobility shape their daily practice.
These themes also reflect those in the diaspora for whom distance can be both a wound and a resource. Their work often carries the pull of elsewhere: the longing for Iran, the act of translation, and the unsettled feeling of belonging in more than one place. The biennale brings such experiences together without collapsing them into a single story.
But this year, these tensions have sharpened. War, internet restrictions, disrupted phone lines, suspended flights and mounting economic pressure made even the movement of artworks from Iran to London difficult.' back

McQueen (film) - Wikipedia, McQueen (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopdia, ' McQueen is a 2018 biographical documentary film, directed by Ian Bonhôte, written and co-directed by Peter Ettedgui, and produced by Ian Bonhôte, Andee Ryder, Nick Taussig, and Paul Van Carter under the banner of Misfits Entertainment, and Salon Pictures. The documentary is based on the life and career of British fashion designer Alexander McQueen.
Film director Ian Bonhôte, and producer Peter Ettedgui approached Alexander McQueen's family to make a documentary film about McQueen; the family declined the request. In February 2017 Bonhôte, and Ettedgui proposed their idea to several film distributors. The film was financed within three days, and director Ian Bonhôte added, "We wanted to make a really respectful cinematic version of Lee’s story".
The production team took the project, with "zero access and zero original archive at our fingertips", and worked 18-20 hour days for a year to finish the project.' back

Mohana Basu (2026_04_21), Ebola outbreak spirals out of control: how might it have started?, ' The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) might have caught most people by surprise, but not James Baguma. He has studied the interactions between wildlife and people in Uganda’s Bundibugyo district, where the species of Ebola virus behind the current outbreak was first identified some two decades ago.
The latest outbreak is the 17th outbreak of Ebola in the DRC since the virus was first identified in 1976. So far, 51 people have tested positive for the Bundibugyo species; another 600 people have suspected infections, and 139 are thought to have died from the disease, according to the latest update from the World Health Organization’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Infections are expected to rise further, he says.
The origin of the latest outbreak in the Ituri province in the DRC is unknown, but fruit bats are suspected. They are a reservoir of Ebola viruses and are common in the region. Past Ebola outbreaks have been caused by ‘spillover’ events, in which the virus jumps from bats to other animals or people.
Baguma, who is based at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, talks to Nature about what makes the region high risk for zoonotic spillover events.
Why is this region so at risk from Ebola outbreaks?
People in Bundibugyo live close to national parks. These parks have a high number of fruit bats, along with primates such as monkeys and baboons. These animals interact with the communities. People go out to these national parks to hunt, and animals go to people’s gardens for food. Physical contact with wildlife is common, and some people eat these creatures. The ecosystem is tightly interlinked, which increases the possibility of a spillover through direct contact.
Uganda’s border with the DRC, where the current outbreak is taking place, is very porous. People move in and out freely, often without passports or other forms of identification.
There are bushmeat markets between the DRC and Uganda, where people sell the meat of monkeys, baboons and bats.
People from these communities tell us they eat this meat often and don’t get sick, which makes it difficult to effect sustained behaviour change. All you can do is guide people. But I think that is how these outbreaks start.
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Paul of Tarsus, Galatians, 5:16-24, '16 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.' back

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory - Wikipedia, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ' Founded in 1962 as the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, the facility is located on 172 ha (426 acres) of Stanford University-owned land on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, California—just west of the university's main campus. The main accelerator is 3.2 km (2 mi) long—the longest linear accelerator in the world—and has been operational since 1966.
Research at SLAC has produced three Nobel Prizes in Physics:
1976: The charm quark—see J/ψ meson
1990: Quark structure inside protons and neutrons
1995: The tau lepton . ' back

The Mandalorian and Grogu - Wikipedia, The Mandalorian and Grogu - Wikipedia, the free ncyclopedia, ' Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (titled The Mandalorian and Grogu on-screen) is a 2026 American science fiction film directed by Jon Favreau, who co-wrote the film with Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor. Produced by Lucasfilm and Fairview Entertainment, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is part of the Star Wars franchise and is a continuation of the Disney+ television series The Mandalorian (2019–2023). Pedro Pascal stars as Din Djarin / The Mandalorian—who was also portrayed on set by Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder—alongside Jeremy Allen White, Jonny Coyne, Martin Scorsese, and Sigourney Weaver. In the film, which is set following the fall of the Galactic Empire, Djarin and his apprentice Grogu are enlisted by the New Republic to rescue Rotta the Hutt (White) in exchange for information on a target.' back

vKelly Richards & Emma Hussey (2026_05_27), World’s largest study of child sexual abuse perpetrators reveals why they abuse, ' 'Researchers have long tried to answer the question: why do some men sexually abuse children?
We recently set out to find an answer.
In the largest study of child sexual abuse perpetrators’ accounts ever conducted, we systematically analysed nearly 700 adult male perpetrators’ accounts from 39 studies to document the ways these men account for their actions.
The men were aged 18 years and over and came from across the globe – from Norway to New Zealand, Malawi to Brazil. We were interested in documenting what perpetrators’ accounts can tell us about preventing child sexual abuse.
The men’s accounts varied dramatically. Some blamed drugs and alcohol, or their own experiences of childhood maltreatment. Others claimed they were seeking exciting or risky new sexual experiences. Help experts be heard above the din.
Others said they were “in love” with or trying to “educate” the child.
The most common way perpetrators explained their behaviour was to cast their victims as consenting participants in the sexual activity. In especially egregious cases, perpetrators positioned themselves as the hapless casualties of their (mostly female) victims’ devious sexual scheming, describing their young victims as “flirtatious”[. . .] Our findings therefore highlight the need for policymakers and practitioners to strengthen efforts to combat misogyny, male sexual entitlement and patriarchal privilege. Challenging rape myths (false beliefs about sexual violence, those who perpetrate it, and those affected by it) and rape myth acceptance (the acceptance of these false beliefs) remains critical. While such measures are typically targeted at preventing sexual violence against adult women, our analysis suggests they may also help prevent child sexual abuse.' back

Vladimir Kara-Murza (2026_05_26)Do Russians support the Ukraine war? This poll is remarkable., , ' Polling is a tricky business in an authoritarian state: No reliable surveys are possible when respondents are afraid to speak their mind for fear of personal consequences. In September 2024, a Muscovite by the name of Yuri Kokhovets was sentenced to five years in prison for giving the “wrong” answer in a street poll about the war in Ukraine. In such conditions, the results of any opinion polls are necessarily skewed toward the socially expected — and personally safer — responses.
With this disclaimer in mind, it is nothing short of remarkable that last month’s polling by the independent Levada Center has shown that 62 percent of Russians favor peace talks with Ukraine, with only 27 percent wishing to continue the war. One can only imagine what the actual result would be if one removed the fear factor from the polling.
[. . .] Up until now, the regime has been approaching this task in the simplest way possible: by keeping anti-war voices out of the political space. It is difficult to score a high result in an election when you are not on the ballot. In January 2024, amid the drumbeat of official propaganda about the supposed national consensus in support of the “special military operation” — Kremlin-speak for its war against Ukraine — a lawyer and former parliamentarian, Boris Nadezhdin, announced his maverick anti-war bid for the presidency — and hundreds of thousands of Russians lined up outside his campaign offices across the country to sign petitions to get him on the ballot. Needless to say, he was barred from running, but his disqualification was more revealing about the state of Russian public opinion than Putin’s improbable 87 percent official vote tally could ever be.
As Putin’s war, now in its fifth year, and its everyday-life consequences — from rapidly rising prices to expanding internet blockages — grow ever more unpopular, the Kremlin seems to be turning to its old playbook. Of the formal multitude of registered political parties in Russia, there is only one that opposes the war in Ukraine. Yabloko was founded by prominent economist and onetime deputy prime minister Grigory Yavlinsky as a left-of-center liberal party in the early 1990s. Throughout its existence, one of the party’s main tenets has been opposition to war — Yabloko opposed both military campaigns in Chechnya (this was Yavlinsky’s main theme when running against Putin in the 2000 presidential election) and the 2014 annexation of Crimea, which it denounced as illegal.' back