Author: Bill Cooper

Idaho’s nickname is the Gem State. This is very apt, since the 43rd state is truly a gem among states. In the north along Interstate 90, you’ll find lush green forests, picturesque lakes and the historic silver mining town of Kellogg. In the south along Interstate 84, you’ll find deserts and history – the Oregon Trail that brought pioneers to the West passes through here. In-between, you’ll find Highway 12, a scenic byway that parallels the Clearwater River that Lewis and Clark followed on their expedition to the Pacific. You’ll also find great recreational opportunities among the best places to…

The death penalty was abolished in Washington state Thursday after Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill into law eliminating the state-sanctioned punishment. Besides the death penalty, Senate Bill 5087 also eliminated other laws, including a measure that allowed sterilization as criminal punishment. The Democratic-controlled legislature passed the bill earlier this month. “I initiated a moratorium against the death penalty in Washington State in 2014, and our rationale for that decision was affirmed by our (state) Supreme Court decision in 2018, when they invalidated the death penalty statute,” Inslee said during the bill signing Thursday. “They made clear, and we know this to be…

Today’s significant AUKUS announcement about Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines is the single biggest investment in our defence capability in our history and represents a transformational moment for our nation, our Defence Force and our economy. The agreement will: Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States have agreed to a phased approach that delivers on the commitments of the Albanese Government and provides significant, long-term strategic benefits for all three countries. For Australia, the three key elements are: Australia and the UK will deliver SSN-AUKUS, a new conventionally-armed nuclear-powered submarine, based on a UK design, incorporating cutting edge Australian,…

Australia’s decision to buy three nuclear-powered submarines and build another eight is so expensive that, for the $268 billion to $368 billion price tag, we could give a million dollars to every resident of Geelong, or Hobart, or Wollongong. Those are the sort of examples used by former NSW treasury secretary Percy Allan on the Pearls and Irritations blog, “in case you can’t get your head around a billion dollars”. Such multi-billion megaprojects almost always go over budget. For instance, when then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the Snowy Hydro 2.0 pumped hydroelectricity project in 2017, it was supposed to take four years and…

Nuke submarine deal seen by some as threat to ZOPFAN and TAC treaties that seek to keep peace and great power rivalry at bay “I would say, ‘Do you need to be contained? Are you expanding? Are you an expansionist power?’ To a very great extent, the United States was the champion for China’s rise. And in no way are we seeking to contain China. But we are seeking for them to play by the rules,” said Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Fleet, in a recent interview. Many regional states have been forced “to forge closer military ties to…

At the end of this year, Novak Djokovic could become The GOAT aka The Greatest of All Time in Grand Slam tennis. Last month Novak Djokovic won Australian Open 2023 rather easily. While also battling a hamstring injury, he dispatched 7 opponents almost all with straight sets. He only lost one game against Enzo Couacaud in the second round. Djokovic defeated number 5 seed, Andrey Rublev (6-1, 6-2, 6-4) in quarter finals, and number 3 seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas (6-3, 7-6 [7-4], 7-6 [7-5]), in the final. The Serbian claimed a record tenth Australian Open title. He already won Australian Open…

A former Libyan intelligence operative accused of preparing the bomb that brought down Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988 was taken into US custody after being abducted from his home by a notorious warlord and then detained by armed militia for two weeks, the Guardian has been told. Mohammed Abouagela Masud appeared briefly in court in Washington DC on Monday, accused of having set the timer for the bomb that destroyed the Boeing 747, killing 270 people in the most deadly terrorist attack to have taken place on British soil. The US Department of Justice announced it had…