Earlson Forbes
Category Archives: australian media
What’s in an “I”. Peris/Peiris …. !!
Nova Peris: What’s in Her Name?
Michael Roberts
In step with David Sansoni’s email questioning Victor Melder has categorically challenged my speculative suggestion that NOVA PERIS may possibly have had a grandparent who was a Sri Lankan pearler/trader/seaman in the north-western reaches of Australia .
VICTOR: “No, Nova Peris is not of Sri Lankan heritage; she is a prominent Indigenous Australian from the Gija, Yawuru, and Muran/Iw
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Filed under Aboriginality, accountability, Australian culture, australian media, cultural transmission, demography, ethnicity, European history, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, migrant experiences, outmigration, Pacific Ocean politics, self-reflexivity, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes
Nova Peris & Her Roots: Any Sri Lankan Links?
Michael Roberts
Since Nova Peris-Kneebone was one member of the Australian 4 x 100 relay team that secured a medal in the Olympic Games of 1996 ( ….. ), I raised the speculative question: does the name PERIS indicate that one of her grandparents was a Sinhalese merchant, worker or pearl-diver who was among the Sri Lankan personnel known to have particpated in trading, pearl-diving and labouring activities in the north-western, northern coastal areas of Australia from the early twentieth century and perhaps even earlier?

Australia’s gold medal team, (left-right) Sharon Cripps, N. Peris-Kneebone, Catherine Freeman and Tania Van Heer, celebrate their victory (Photo by Tony Marshall/EMPICS via Getty Images)

371732 05: Australian gold medalist Peris-Kneebone autographs the “Nova” watch she designed for Swatch Watches June 27, 2000 in Santa Monica, CA. Peris-Kneebone, the first Olympic torch bearer on Australian soil and a member of the Aboriginal Muran Clan was on hand to discuss her part in the 17,000-mile journey the olympic tourch will make. (Photo by Jason Kirk/Online USA)
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Filed under Aboriginality, Australian culture, australian media, cultural transmission, demography, economic processes, ethnicity, female empowerment, heritage, historical interpretation, life stories, patriotism, performance, politIcal discourse, transport and communications, unusual people, world events & processes
Tania Van Heer: Across Continents ….. A Widening Reach
The Thuppahi SITE can pat itself on its bum for featuring the athletic prowess of Tania Murphy nee Van Heer and her son Aidan Murphy over the decades — achievements on the athletic tracks as well as academic fields and moving beyond to a small welfare enterprise in Sri Lanka.

Australia’s gold medal winning team, (left-right) Tania Van Heer, Catherine Freeman, Sharon Cripps and N. Peris-Kneebone, wave to the crowd as they go on a lap of honour (Photo by Tony Marshall/EMPICS via Getty Images)
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Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, australian media, cultural transmission, education, ethnicity, female empowerment, heritage, historical interpretation, life stories, migrant experiences, nationalism, patriotism, performance, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes
World Political Propaganda TODAY: Revelation vs Deception at the Heights
Matt Gable, in an email communication ….where The Editor has taken the liberty of inserting his own highlights
We are told all three protests involved students, Gen Z, were social media driven, and used the same manga pirate flag depicting the Jolly Roger wearing Luffy’s straw hat.Share this:
Filed under accountability, Americna imperialism, atrocities, australian media, British imperialism, centre-periphery relations, disparagement, doctoring evidence, ethnicity, Fascism, foreign policy, historical interpretation, law of armed conflict, legal issues, life stories, news fabrication, Palestine, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, propaganda, taking the piss, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, world events & processes
USA vs Ceasefire in Gaza !!
‘Archie S’
The United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Gaza no longer exists. The UN is a zombie – an impotent bunch of misfits, like a limp dick. One can only feel sorry for the Palestinians. They’ll be turned into cutlets for the “Free World’s” dinner in “the great feast of celebration of democracy, freedom and prosperity” on the blood and bones of Palestinians. It reveals democracies are parasitic that feeds of the bones and blood of others.
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Filed under accountability, atrocities, australian media, centre-periphery relations, citizen journalism, disparagement, ethnicity, Fascism, foreign policy, historical interpretation, human rights, legal issues, life stories, Middle Eastern Politics, military strategy, Palestine, politIcal discourse, power politics, racist thinking, trauma, truth as casualty of war, vengeance, war crimes, war reportage, world events & processes, zealotry
The Western Newspapers Vicious ‘Images’ of India’s Foreign Policy
“Archie S‘… responding to Items in THE AUSTRALIAN newspaper on the 17th Sepember 2025 entitled “Dangerous Optics for the Quad” and “India crosses the Red Line” — with the highlighting below [other than the blackened words] being impositions by The Editor, Thuppahi
The AUSTRALIAN newspaper is desperate to try and bring India under Western control. They hate the idea of neutrality. They hate countries being non-aligned. The assumption of this editorial, as with all articles published in the Australian, is that these conservatives possess a total intolerance of all other political and social systems outside of the West, and they believe that all countries can only exist and must exist in the image of the West, conform to its political systems and doctrines or be deemed a threat. The assumption here is that the West is superior to all other civilizations – the same idea that has existed for 500 years. It is this attitude that turns many leaders in the global south away from the West to organisations such as the SCO and BRICS, not to be anti-Western, but to pursue alternative pathways that offer fairer and better outcomes for their peoples, without threats of sanctions and tariffs.
PRESENTING HERE the original TIMES article ….
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Filed under accountability, american imperialism, atrocities, australian media, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, chauvinism, disparagement, ethnicity, Fascism, governance, historical interpretation, Hitler, human rights, law of armed conflict, life stories, Middle Eastern Politics, military strategy, nationalism, Palestine, politIcal discourse, power politics, propaganda, racist thinking, religious nationalism, truth as casualty of war, vengeance, violence of language, war reportage, World War II and Ceylon
Peter Mayer: Straddling USA-India-Australia via Academia
Michael Roberts
The world of university lecturers is quite varied and cannot be easily distilled. My experience is mostly based on my years teaching at Peradeniya University n Sri Lanka (1960-62 & 1966-76) and Adelaide University from 1978-2004—besides exposures to the environments in Oxford, Chicago, Heidelberg & Bielefeldt.
I have decided to introduce my TPS readership to some personnel from this highly-variegated field. My first choice has been an easy one: PETER MAYER is an easy man – personable, talented, multi-skilled and well-travelled. As vitally, he is an American who has married an equally personable lady named “Latha” who is from India.
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AI Looms Over Our Future …. Look-Out!
ITEM in LUMEN, Adelaide University Magazine, September 2025 or so … no date specified clearly & bearing this title: “The Future and AI” …. Authorship unclear: maybe Carolyn Semmler, maybe Isaac Freeman
Whether we like it, or not, artificial intelligence is here to stay. The genie is out of the bottle. Its rapid evolution has been embraced by some, and met with raised eyebrows by others.
In our earlier issue of Lumen this year, we asked readers to describe their hopes and fears for the future. AI was an overwhelmingly present theme.
We shared some of these letters with academics from both the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia to help clarify and respond to concerns on four broad themes: impact on jobs; global security; wellbeing; and the potential for cognitive decline.
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Transforming Gaza …… “The Great Trust”
Outback Aussie
The Great Trust is a 38-page document setting out plans to turn Gaza into a grand American Riveria by constructing over the bones and bodies of Palestinians — hotels, casinos, bordellos, condominiums, golf courses, and million-dollar seaside properties. America has no legal basis for taking control of Gaza but they want to do it anyway which is why the US and the West support the genocide in Gaza, ethnic cleansing, and if need be the extermination of all Palestinians in Gaza.
Palestine and Israel news today on map – Jerusalem today – Israel News today – Palestine News today – israelpalestine.liveuamap.com
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