More than $100K paid to an accused rapist? Yes he denied the charges but the payments certainly don't look great for journalism and the swift pursuit of justice and truth. Australia, much as I love ya, sometimes your norms around journalism break my heart smh.com.au/national/nsw/j…

Nearly 500K bore wells, many running dry, in a city of ancient lakes and now a high-tech boom. Can past wisdom serve a new future? Can water scarcity in a land of digital dreams be solved? As usual in India, I saw a lot of struggle and a lot of optimism. nytimes.com/2024/03/31/wor…

Not a lot of detail in here on what would actually change, but it clearly shows the growing importance of Japan in regional security calculations and the push for the U.S. and Japan together (and alone) to do more to deter China and N. Korea ft.com/content/df9999… via @ft

Patterns continue. Often feels like there really is a Russian playbook for how to respond to such things.

Don't post much here these days but maybe this one will lead to a smile or two and a revival of a new-old way of thinking and communicating? nytimes.com/2024/03/22/wor…

When people ask me when my mother and grandfather died, I often struggled to recall the years because they were close together and mixed in with me covering the war in Iraq. When you’re busy (as Biden was) dates blur no matter how old you are. nytimes.com/2024/03/12/us/…

In Semafor Media newsltr w Semaforben + Max Tani another look at Edward Wong email that was taken out of context in Atlantic piece:

semafor.com/newsletter/03/…

Wong's point: it's foolish both-sides-ism to quote somebody *just because* he's GOP. Instead find a better GOP spox.

He says this happened before 2018. So why is he talking about it in his annual assessment now? And why isn't that a bigger part of the story? abc.net.au/news/2024-03-0… via ABC Australia

Just another Sunday for me as well.

Far from the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, a major shift in how the U.S. arms itself and its partners can be seen. These kinds of changes are easy to ignore but have far-reaching implications, revealing US vulnerabilities on one hand and adaptability too nytimes.com/2024/03/01/wor…

Please read the whole thread by Edward Wong. First two items from yesterday; subsequent ones today.

An excellent time-lapse of the crowds from two concerts at Olympic Park being taken home by train.

North Americans obsessed with stadium parking please take note

US Embassy today opened its doors in Solomon Islands. More than 20 yes absence, USA is back in town.