All the evils of Nazism

Every so often, a film is released that absolutely must be seen in a cinema. Nuremberg is one such film. Set for release in November 2025, the story of the Nuremberg war crimes trials after the Nazi defeat in the Second World War has been told before in previous film and television dramatizations, but not like this.

The story centres on Douglas Kelley, played by Rami Malek, a U.S. Army psychiatrist assigned to evaluate the mental fitness of Nazi leaders imprisoned at Nuremberg. Kelley becomes entangled in a psychological duel with Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe), Hitler’s second-in-command, who proves to be disturbingly charismatic and manipulative. As Kelley interviews the prisoners, he begins to question the nature of evil, the limits of justice, and his own moral compass.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29567915/

Grift away

Jake Tapper' and Alex Thompson's Original Sin is not a pleasant read, or listen. It is the intersection of politics and gerontology. Some readers who have experienced the decline of aging loved ones will relate to the Democratic politicians who, alarmed at President Biden's noticeable decline, implored him not to seek re-election, because he reminded them of their own aging parents. They, and the author, would have done well to have spoken up earlier, and more boldly. Goodness knows why they failed to do so. 

Real men read

Australians, especially young men, are reading less than ever before. The data shows that the population cohort that reads the least is males aged 15-24, with only 10.1% reading on any given day. The trend is reinforced from a young age, with parents more likely to read to their daughters than sons. The book industry initiative Australia Reads is calling for a national strategy to remind people of the benefits of reading, such as improved mental health, empathy, and focus.

I see that libraries are involved in this campaign. I support this, unlike some other initiatives that libraries are involved in. 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-14/australians-especially-men-are-reading-less-than-ever-before/105422070

https://australiareads.org.au/

Repugnant beliefs

The church is tarnished enough without Christian antisemites making things worse. Gerald McDermott, Anglican clergyman and academic theologian, offers an impassioned rebuke of them here. To my mind, there is nothing to object to here. 

https://www.christianpost.com/voices/new-antisemitism-rising-among-christians-is-heresy.html

Presented for the first time in stereo sound

If you had AM easy listening radio inflicted on you in the 1980s, this song would be familiar to you. John Rowles, born in 1947, must surely be one of New Zealand's most significant musical exports. If I Only Had Time, released in 1968, has poignant and powerful lyrics.

I thought it was daggy when I was a kid. Listening to it again as an adult, I appreciate it more. 

A nation for a continent

Sir Edmund Barton was the first Prime Minister of Australia. Holding office from 1901 to 1903, he later served as a judge on the High Court of Australia. Watch this video and tell your friends about it. He is not as well known as George Washington, the first President of the United States. 

Tense times

Some up to the minute analysis on the Israel-Iran conflict. It also draws on just war theory.