Hello everybody hooded Cobra Commanders have an 8-8 here. It's time for another GI Joe comic book review I'm trying to get to these once a month They've been a little bit difficult to fold into my schedule But we are coming up on some iconic issues of the GI Joe comic book series And I don't want to miss them recapping the story from last issue through a series of improbable events Quinn and snake eyes were able to find the fugitive Cobra officer Scarface and Through him get the location of dr. Venom Quinn is determined to take revenge on dr. Venom scarface was then captured by Destro who took him to Libya where he was injected with plague toxin by dr. Venom Cobra's plan was to have scarface Captured by the Joes who would then take him back to GI Joe headquarters and he would spread the plague Cobra would then watch for Quarantine procedures to find out where GI Joe headquarters was located that brings us to issue number 19 with the publishing date of January 1984 and on the cover we have an epic battle with Destro atop a his tank and the Joes all around there are Explosions gunfire this looks like the epic battle We have been promised for a couple issues the comic did not deliver on the epic battle promised in last issue So in this issue, I really hope that's what we get on the opening splash page. We have the title Joe triumphs Spoiler apparently Joe wins. We have a creative team of Larry Hama Scripter Mike Vosberg pencil breakdowns and John Dagostino finishes on that opening splash page We see the Joes constructing a metal framework and that metal frame is in a recognizable shape It is the 1983 headquarters command center I had that play set, but I did not recall the play set being used in the comic book So it's kind of a thrill to see it here. That was one of my favorite toys back in 1983 There are several shirtless Joes, and I have no idea who these guys are that is a sad fact about the 1982 Joes they did kind of all lookalike according to the dialogue that Joes are building this prefab fortress and they are doing it in GI Joe's Secret base called the pit and they are doing it below ground level snow job and dock wheel in a hospital bed And on that hospital bed is the Baroness all bandaged up a few issues ago The Baroness was badly burned in an exploding hiss tank Cobra commander tried to assassinate Destro and the Baroness intentionally crashed her tank to prevent it Dung Ho and Doc do this weird comedy bit about accents, and I'll just let that go elsewhere in the pit Scarface is explaining Cobra's plan to the Joes and why shouldn't he? There's no reason to be loyal to Cobra at this point They injected him with a lethal plague toxin with the full expectation that he would be captured Spread the plague and eventually die Scarface reaches into his boot and pulls out a vial And that vial contains the antidote to the plague toxin He had it the whole time. Wait, wait, wait, hold on stop the comic book So Scarface was captured by Destro flown to Libya in a hijacked jet Injected with the plague toxin by Dr. Venom set up for capture by GI Joe Captured by GI Joe taken to GI Joe headquarters and at no point in any of that Did anyone search him and find this in his boot? It's not like he was hiding this in a body cavity or something A standard Terry Frisk would have found this Which means nobody searched him So he was brought to GI Joe headquarters He could have had a bomb on him and they would never know Now that the Joes know Cobra's plan, Hawker reveals his countermeasures He plans to convince Cobra that the motor pool building that sits atop the pit is actually GI Joe's headquarters They will destroy the motor pool building Believing they have destroyed the actual headquarters and then go on their merry way This is a really dumb plan The plan involves revealing to Cobra the actual location of the real GI Joe base But just trusting that Cobra will not suspect that the base is underground This plan could have worked just as well at some abandoned army base In fact, it would have worked better There is no reason to draw Cobra to the location of the real GI Joe base in order for this plan to work Hawker also says he took the liberty of moving major blood and the Baroness to the pit from Washington So they won't miss the big show This plan is nonsense These are valuable prisoners They should not be placed in a position where the enemy may rescue them or they may escape And why would the Baroness be there? She is unconscious She can't see the show The only reason to have her there is for someone to eventually rescue her Meanwhile, at Cobra headquarters, Destro has spotted quarantine procedures in satellite photos So now they believe they know the location of GI Joe headquarters I have to say Cobra's plan is not that great either They are depending on Scarface being brought to GI Joe headquarters But that's not a natural place for GI Joe to take him He could have been taken to any detention facility And the idea that they can find GI Joe headquarters by watching for quarantine procedures is also kind of absurd So quarantine procedures are only happening at this one location throughout the entire United States Cobra commander almost accidentally reveals to Destro that the Baroness is still alive Remember, Destro thought the Baroness died in that burning his tank The story shifts to Dr. Venom's secret laboratory near the old Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard is a real place It was closed as a naval base in 1966 and was reopened as an industrial park in 1969 A major tenant, Sea Train, closed in 1979 So in 1983 and 1984, there would have probably been plenty of vacant buildings for Dr. Venom to set up a secret lab Quinn and Snake Eyes are observing Dr. Venom through a skylight And Quinn again reveals his intention to take revenge against Dr. Venom And he wonders what Snake Eyes plans to do about it They crash through the window Quinn is ready to beat the living hell out of Dr. Venom when he is interrupted by the approach of Cobra helicopters These helicopters are more made up vehicles for the comic book that did not exist as toys They look like Huey helicopters They are not the more famous Cobra transport helicopters that were used in many issues of the comic book The story shifts back to Staten Island and we get a brief description of Fort Wadsworth and the U.S. Army Chaplain's assistant school there Fort Wadsworth is, or at least was, a real army base on Staten Island It was the home of the U.S. Army Chaplain School from 1974 to 1979 The Chaplain School was no longer at Fort Wadsworth in 1984, it had moved to Fort Monmouth in New Jersey Since G.I. Joe is anticipating a battle at Fort Wadsworth, they are sending the Chaplain's assistance on a bus trip to the Presidio in San Francisco on the West Coast That'll be a very long trip This is another reason why this is a bad plan Fort Wadsworth, at least in the G.I. Joe universe, is a working army base With personnel that have nothing to do with G.I. Joe In order for this plan to work, G.I. Joe has to send them elsewhere If this had been staged on some abandoned army or navy base, that would not have been necessary In order to draw Cobra in, G.I. Joe has had to give the appearance of quarantine procedures, which means the motor pool is surrounded by ambulances Short Fuse has misgivings about placing claymore mines under the ambulances, saying it must be against the Geneva Convention And oh my god, he is right Those ambulances in this artwork very distinctively have the red cross Tripwire hand waves away that criticism, saying they are placing the mines under the ambulances, not in the ambulances, which is a distinction without a difference Then Tripwire says, oh, besides, all the weapons used by American police departments are illegal under the rules of the Geneva Convention Which is a false equivalence and a non sequitur The Geneva Conventions do have numerous regulations that would make what the Joe's are doing here very illegal According to the Hague regulations of 1907, it is forbidden to make improper use of the distinctive badges of the Geneva Convention, including the red cross The Geneva Convention of 1929, Article 24 says the red cross shall not be used, except to protect or indicate medical formations and establishments and the personnel and material protected by the Geneva Convention Using ambulances marked with the red cross to cover weapons and mines is an improper use of that marking and the Joe's know it And I hate that the comic book just handwaves away that problem If the Joe's want to be the good guys, they have to behave as the good guys and this is not that The excuses that the other side in a conflict doesn't follow those regulations or some civilian police departments that have nothing to do with this issue don't follow those regulations is not logically or legally justifiable Compounding G.I. Joe's war crimes, they move a prisoner into a combat zone, they move major blood into the motor pool building and chain him to a radiator I know Larry Hama is trying to inject some military pragmatism here, but this is making me question who I'm supposed to be rooting for Back in Brooklyn, since Dr. Venom hasn't given the proper recognition signal, the Cobra Troopers believe his lab has been taken and they plan to storm it Snake Eyes figures out a way out of this mess by putting on the Cobra Snake Armor Dr. Venom confirms that Snake Armor has offensive capabilities and powerful mood changers to strengthen and enhance the powers of the user Why would they need that? Dr. Venom is known for creating mind reading and mind control devices Snake Eyes knows this and he has just been told by Dr. Venom that the Snake Armor has some of that technology in it and Snake Eyes puts it on anyway Dr. Venom activates the Snake Armor which takes over Snake Eyes' mind which causes him to disarm and incapacitate Quinn So this is another weird and kind of dumb plan Dr. Venom designed the Snake Armor to take over the mind of the user and cause the user to direct the Snake Armor in the way Dr. Meinbender wishes The exact same thing could have been accomplished if Dr. Venom had simply taken over the Snake Armor directly and taken control away from the Operator Trapping the Operator in there This extra step of taking over the mind of the Operator just gives Snake Eyes the opportunity to overcome the mind control Something Dr. Venom knows Snake Eyes can do Quinn is placed in the other suit of Snake Armor and Cobra proceeds with their plan to attack Fort Wadsworth Back at the pit, General Flag orders the Baroness to be moved to the prefab fortress which has been constructed under the motor pool building Doc protests that she is in critical condition, she should never have been moved in the first place and now they are placing her in the midst of a potential firefight Thank you Doc for being the only grown up in the room General Flag says he is aware of the ethical problem and takes full responsibility, but it doesn't work that way Doc is individually responsible for his ethical choices This exchange means the comic book is aware of the logical and ethical and legal problems it is presenting and it's just turning its back on them On the next page, Steeler wonders why they are building the prefab fortress on the level of the pit under the motor pool building when they are trying to trick Cobra into believing the GI Joe base is above ground How then, he asks, are they going to get this base on the surface Hawk says the base was built on the hydraulic lifts and they are going to push the whole base up through the ground floor What? Why? As we will see later, there is plenty of room in the motor pool building for this prefab fortress So why not just build it in there on the ground level? Why build it under the ground level and push it up through the floor? Clutch and Breaker take the prisoners, Major Blood and Scarface, on a patrol with the vamp and I think I actually understand this part They are taking the prisoners out where they will be visible because they want to confirm for Cobra that they have found the right place They want to draw Cobra in and as soon as they see Major Blood and Scarface, their belief that they have found GI Joe headquarters will be confirmed But wouldn't this make Cobra suspicious that GI Joe is on to their plan because taking prisoners out on a patrol is not a normal thing to do As Cobra helicopters approach, Clutch speeds the vamp back to the motor pool building pursued by Cobra Fang helicopters Hawk follows through with his plan to push the prefab fortress up through the floor of the motor pool inside the building This is just incredible, the vamp makes it through the door just in time as missiles blow up the facade as the smoke clears the fortress is still standing I've complained a lot about the logical and ethical problems with this issue but finally we get the epic battle we have been promised As Cobra attacks GI Joe headquarters in force, the headquarters takes out the Fang helicopters, those things are death traps As the Cobra troopers approach, the Claymore mines under the ambulances blow them away, solidifying GI Joe's status as war criminals In case there is any doubt about whether GI Joe is misusing the markings intended to protect medical personnel and the wounded, the artwork again very distinctively shows the Red Cross No, I will not let that go and neither should you with the reader One of the great things about the GI Joe comic book is it does not treat us like dummies and it often asks us to think Well, it has given us something to think about here GI Joe deploys the pack rats, these small remotely controlled battle robots Meanwhile, Doc is being taunted by the prisoners who are handcuffed to jail cell bars The pack rats are able to take out some of the his tanks, it's nice to see the pack rats used here, those toys are very small and could easily have been overlooked by the comic book To counter the pack rats, Dr. Venom deploys the snake armor, manned by mind controlled Quinn and snake eyes As the snake armor takes out the pack rats, there is an unfortunate art choice here The pack rat missile launcher is a tracked vehicle and of course the treads on the toy are fake, it actually rolls on wheels that are concealed underneath As the missile launcher is taken out here, the artwork shows the wheels that are on the toy that's not supposed to exist in universe Dr. Venom reflects on the time snake eyes overcame his brain wave scanner Dr. Venom knows snake eyes can overcome his mind controlled devices and that's exactly what snake eyes does Snake eyes takes over the snake armor and tries to use it to fire at Dr. Venom's his tank But he can't because the snake armor is programmed not to fire at anything painted in Cobra blue Of course the his tank is not blue, it is black, the blue coloring of his tank in the comic book is just kind of a convention of comic book coloring Some things that are black are colored blue for comic books just because it looks better on the page Since snake eyes can't take out the his tank, he instead frees Quinn from the other snake armor All of this would have been preventable if Dr. Venom had simply been able to control the snake armor directly Rather than mind controlling the person in it Quinn uses the pack rat machine gun to fire on Dr. Venom's his tank Cobra bombards the base with artillery, these are vehicles that did not exist as toys G.I. Joe deploys their air and ground vehicles and we get more all out Warfare Quinn finally has Dr. Venom in his clutches and plans to stuff a grenade down his throat That is hardcore A fang helicopter lands on the roof of the fortress and a cobra trooper plants a bomb Doc is momentarily distracted by this and is knocked out by major blood General flag intervenes and holds major blood and Scarface at gunpoint He says you're a 10-8 and that's what you're staying 10-8 is a military police 10 code that refers to a prisoner in custody This is apparently different from civilian police 10 code Scarface kicks the gun out of general flag's hand Major blood picks up the gun and shoots general flag Major blood uses the handcuff keys from flag to release himself But leaves Scarface chained to the bars Major blood leaves the jail cell with the Baroness On the roof of the fortress that cobra trooper is finally getting the timer to work on that bomb But he is shot in the back by major blood who straps the Baroness to the fang helicopter and flies away It's amusing to me that the fang helicopter in this panel has the foot peg that is on the toy Back on the battlefield Quinn has Dr. Venom right where he wants him Quinn has a change of heart though He says the spirit of the weasel lives in Dr. Venom But Quinn also has the spirit of the weasel And he can't fight that spirit in others until he conquers it within Inside the fortress Doc moves the wounded general flag out But has to leave Scarface chained to the bars Because major blood took the keys Back outside on the battlefield Quinn walks away But Dr. Venom can't simply just get away with his life He pulls a pistol and shoots Quinn in the back Dr. Venom taunts Quinn So what have you got to say now? No more mumbo jumbo aphorisms about weasel spirits No last lunge to try to strangle me with your last breath No, there's no more anger left in me Venom I've made my peace with the weasel Quinn will not harm you while he lives That I promise Quinn falls over dead in view of his friend Snake Eyes From his hand falls the grenade Right at Dr. Venom's feet He has kept his promise He did not harm Dr. Venom while he was alive The explosion is the last we see of Dr. Venom A moment later the bomb on top of the fortress Explodes and disintegrates it Doc who is kneeling over the body of general flag Turns and tells us he couldn't stop the bleeding General flag is dead Cobra commander believes he has destroyed G.I. Joe headquarters He orders his troops to regroup and retreat Retreat? You retreat after you win? You just destroyed the base Press your advantage and wipe out the whole team If Cobra had continued to fight They may have discovered that the fortress they destroyed Was only on top of the base G.I. Joe is celebrating because they did In fact trick Cobra into believing They destroyed G.I. Joe's headquarters But the last panel reveals the cost of that major victory Two characters that have been important to the Joes so far Have died In fact four characters that have been important To the G.I. Joe universe have died Because Scarface was blown up inside the base And Venom was blown up by a grenade There is so much to unpack with this issue I'm not sure where to begin I do like this issue despite my criticisms We do finally get the epic battle we were promised It is a very important and dramatic issue Because it saw the death of several major characters It's important to point out that none of the characters That died in this issue had action figures at the time These were characters specifically created for the comic book Larry Hama did this from time to time In the comic book series Of course he could not kill off characters That had action figures for sale at the time Hasbro would not allow him to do that But neither would he show war without consequences He created characters like Quinn and Dr. Venom And he took the time to really flesh them out Over several issues he made us really care about those characters They are not just background characters Because we care about them their deaths matter They mean something The death of Quinn is especially poignant He had become the friend of Snake Eyes Snake Eyes has had a tragic life He tends to lose the people most important to him Even though I like this issue and I'm satisfied with the conclusion We went through some strange twists and turns to get there The issue has numerous logical problems Both G.I. Joe and Cobra's plans are very flawed The fact that either of their plans worked stretches credulity This issue raises several serious ethical problems It's aware of those ethical problems It even spotlights those ethical problems And it seems to resolve those issues in unethical ways In fiction you often have characters that view ethics As an inconvenient impediment to them achieving their objectives I know Larry Hama is a pragmatist And he often takes the opportunity to show military And political leadership as being less than honest and forthright And that may be what he's trying to do here With hawk and general flag But the dishonorable choices of the leadership trickle down to the rank and file When the Joes intentionally take action they know to be illegal And before I get complaints that I shouldn't worry about these issues That it's just a comic book, that it's just for kids That it's just to sell toys The comic book itself raised these issues The comic book could have ignored these issues but it didn't It specifically brought them up And if the comic book wants to bring them up Then it can't expect me to not think about them Do I recommend this issue? Of course I do This is not one to be skipped This issue has repercussions deep into the comic book series This issue is kind of the end of an era We are moving out of 1983 And it's about time to introduce some of the new characters from 1984 The next issue is a transitional issue We get a little bit of a breather from this heavy drama Coming forward you will start to notice something The writing for this comic book series is about to get a lot more sophisticated And a lot more layered The characters will become more complex And the interconnection between them will become more interwoven That was my review of issue 19 of the comic book series I hope you enjoyed it Next issue as I said is kind of a transitional issue So I hope you will join me for that I am trying to do these comic book reviews about once a month As always I will have vintage GI Joe toy reviews coming up I hope you will subscribe so you don't miss them You can find me on Facebook and Twitter And I have a website HCC788.com Thank you to my patrons for making this show possible I couldn't do it without your help If you like the show and you would like to support the show in that way Please check out my Patreon I'll see you next time And until then remember only GI Joe is GI Joe


Ogun State PDP 15 Shagun Shawumi has commanded the outcome of the party's governor's meeting over the forthcoming general election, the outcome centres of electoral act, hydrocarbon, security amongst others. He advised the party to address fundamental issues affecting it in preparation for success in 2023. Party with the slogan power to the people was demonstrated in reality. And if you ask what kind of option will I suggest, I will say all options are on the table. They could start by quickly reviewing them, they could start by coming in to come and speak to the stakeholders and figure out what is moderate and modest if the escrow will remain. Shall we all now go to the table of that same individual to go and be begging for ticket to contest an election? And some of us who are under a lot of pressure to challenge him or to challenge and run for the governorship, shall we not look clearly what is the likelihood of a potential contest, since there is no point waiting until the 13th hour before you start screaming? He maintained that liberalized democracy can help to strengthen internal democracy.


Welcome to Why Australia Needs a Radically New Defence Policy. My name is Tony Erskine and I'm the still relatively new Director of the Coral Bell School of Asia-Pacific Affairs. Now to begin, I would like to acknowledge and celebrate the first Australians on whose traditional lands we meet and pay my respect to the elders of the Ngunnawal people past and present. I'd also like to note that this event including the Q&A session will be recorded and available online in the coming days. We have three very distinguished speakers here tonight. Emeritus Professor Paul Deeb, Honorary Professor Richard Braben-Smith and Honorary Professor Brinton Sargent. I want to say a few words about our speakers tonight, although I realize that for most of you they require very little in the way of introduction. Paul Deeb, who will speak first, is Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies in the Bell School Strategic and Defense Studies Centre here at ANU. He was head of the Strategic and Defense Studies Centre from 1991 until 2003. His previous positions include Deputy Secretary for Strategy and Intelligence in the Department of Defense, Director of the Defense Intelligence Organization and head of the National Assessment Staff in the National Intelligence Committee. Tonight he will talk to us about Australia's deteriorating strategic outlook, how China is threatening our strategic space, why the US is becoming a less reliable ally and why we need to become more self-reliant. Richard Braben-Smith is an Honorary Professor at the Bell Schools Strategic and Defense Studies Centre where he follows his interests in Australian and regional security. Previously he held a wide variety of senior policy and corporate management positions in the Department of Defense. He has included Deputy Secretary for Strategic Policy and Chief Defense Scientist. He will focus on why defense warning time has now dramatically shortened because of the potential threat from China's military capabilities, and he will examine the consequent implications for the ADF. Brendan Sargent is also an Honorary Professor in the Bell Schools Strategic and Defense Studies Centre. He's held many senior positions in defense in other government departments. From 2013 until 2017 he was the Associate Secretary of Defense and from May to September of last year he was acting Secretary of Defense. He will explain the crucial need for a much more imaginative strategic policy that strengthens Australia's ability to handle defense crises and he will argue for a significantly increased defense budget. Paul Dib told me yesterday that together these three speakers have worked in defense for more than 70 years and I thought I should check that claim before repeating it tonight. Based on my own calculations these three gentlemen have worked in defense for a combined total of 80 years, 8-0. So tonight we have the opportunity to listen to analyses with 80 years experience behind them. Each of our distinguished speakers will speak for about 15 minutes, leaving ample time for questions. So please do have your questions ready. Let's begin. I'd like to invite Emeritus Professor Dib to the lectern please. Well thank you Professor Erskine, so you've now got the age in troika of professors and I didn't serve the longest in defense. Brad 33 years, Brendan 29, me only 18. Okay, Australia's international security outlook is starting to look very unpredictable and potentially threatening. Australian defense planners must now deal with a world which is very different from any they have known before. America is undermining the international order. It has started what looks like a trade war and it is threatening the unity of NATO. At the same time China and Russia are becoming increasingly assertive militarily and aligned in their anti-Western attitudes. All this is taking place at the same time as a crisis of democracy in the West is distracting it from wielding national power. America's new national defense strategy, launched by Defense Secretary Mattis in January this year, proclaims that interstate strategic competition and not terrorism is now the primary concern for US national security. The central challenge to US prosperity and security, he says, is the reemergence of long-term strategic competition by the revisionist powers of China and Russia, which want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian models. Long-term strategic competition with China and Russia is now the principal priority for the US and requires increased military investment because of the magnitude of the threat they pose to US security. Mattis identifies the Indo-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East as the three key regions prioritized for US preparedness for war. We should note here that he wrecks the Indo-Pacific first before Europe. These key US judgments should be a wake-up call for Australia's defense planners. We now live in a threatening world and it is no good pretending that China and Russia are not becoming serious military threats to the West and its values, as Julie Bishop did on one occasion a few weeks ago. The former Director General of the Office of National Assessments, Alan Gingel, has recently stated that the international order we have known for the past 70 years has now ended. He says, it's not being challenged, it's not changing, it's over. That statement effectively undermines important judgments of the 2016 Defense White Paper. With its utterances on more than 50 occasions of the importance of the rules-based international order to Australia's security. Gingel observes that the two previous international systems ended in war. This one, he says, seems to be draining away as its core components led by the US lose confidence in its purpose and emerging powers see opportunities to assert their interests. An American belief in the West's international security system and willingness to invest in it with an effective network of alliances are now in doubt. Each of the three elements that have characterized Australian foreign policies since 1945, the alliance, the region and the rules-based order now look very different. The Trump administration is pursuing interests and values in a number of areas which differ more clearly from Australia's than any we have seen before. At the same time, we are dealing with a China which is more confident, more powerful and more assertive. The speed and direction of change are challenging all previous comfortable assumptions about stability and peace in our region. The 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper argues that without American political, economic and security engagement, power in our region is likely to shift even more quickly. The central question now is where will the leadership come from, if it is not to come from America, to sustain a stable new international order without conflict and it certainly will not come from China. And we all know how an unstable international order ended in the interwar years as rising new powers were appeased. Russia wants to see the end of NATO and a weak and divided Europe, which in my view is increasingly in prospect given Trump's undermining of the alliance. Trump sees Russia as merely a competitor, not a potential enemy. That is not the view of key European members of NATO. In contrast, Trump describes the EU as a foe that he claims was invented to take advantage of the US economically. Trump's meeting in Helsinki with Putin on 16 July was an utter disaster in my view. He described Putin as, I quote, extremely strong and powerful, unquote, and accepted Putin's advice over that of the US intelligence community that Russia had not interfered with US elections. Trump's meeting with Putin has boosted Russia's image of itself as a great power, or in Russian Velikaya Dejava. China wants to be acknowledged as a natural hegemony of Asia and to see an end to America's alliance system in the region, including Anzac. On current trajectories, it would not be surprising if much of the Indo-Pacific region in 2030 is substantially shaped by China. The status quo is not likely to continue. These, I put it to you, are central strategic challenges for Australia as China increasingly asserts power into our strategic space, not only in Southeast Asia, but also in the South Pacific. At the same time, we are experiencing an increasingly unpredictable presence of the United States. He is boasting of having a trade war, not only with China, but also the EU and Canada. If a fully-blown trade war results, the world will stumble into a moment of great political uncertainty. When this happened in the world in the 1930s, the results were disastrous. Only this week, Francis President Macron has warned that the rise of nationalist forces is plunging the system of international cooperation into crisis. By comparison, in his speech yesterday at the United Nations, President Trump asserted that, and I quote, we reject the ideology of globalism and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism, end of quote. And so we are witnessing a potentially dangerous global shift away from internationalism towards extreme nationalism. And we can take no joy in supposing that Trump will be gone in a little over two years. In my view, there are enduring popular grievances in America about the impact of globalization and foreign trade on employment that support his populist stance of America first. We are thus in a period of unpredictable strategic transition in which the comfortable assumptions of the past are over. I am not one of those who believe that America is about to pull out of Asia, but I do think we need to give serious thought to what Australia should do if the US made it clear that it expects us to do a lot more for our own defence. I suggest we need to focus on the following key challenges to deliberately develop a more self-reliant Australian defence policy. First, we need to focus more on our own region of primary strategic concern, which includes Southeast Asia, including the South China Sea, the Eastern Indian Ocean and the South Pacific. We should get out of Afghanistan and the Middle East and reassert our influence in our own region, as China moves increasingly to challenge our strategic space and constrain the projection of our national power. Second, while aiming for greater defence self-reliance, it is vital that we continue to have access to highly advanced American military equipment, combat systems and weapons, defence science, intelligence and surveillance, to ensure that we maintain a clear margin of military advantage in our own region. The simple fact is that we have no credible defence future without access to the military advantages the US Alliance provides in this way. Increased defence self-reliance for Australia can never mean defence self-sufficiency. Third, we need to undertake a fundamental review of our relationship with Beijing and determine where its limits should be. We have become far too dependent on China for our economic well-being. We need to consciously diversify our trade, investment, tourism and international student businesses with other countries. These should include Japan, South Korea, India, Vietnam and Indonesia, as well as Europe, which is experiencing its own problems with China. Fourth, the time has come for some serious long-term defence planning for Australia's strategic future. It should include considering crisis situations in which the US may look to Australia to join it in military contingencies such as the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula, the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific and perhaps even Taiwan. Ministers and defence planners must avoid being caught by surprise by such events and seriously consider what our responses might or might not be. Fifth, we need to re-examine our core assumptions and messages about the Alliance and how it may function during future crises in the Indo-Pacific. In emerging conditions of uncertainty, Allies need to focus harder on understanding each other's interests and calculations of risk. Allies cannot take each other for granted or make assumptions about one another's future decisions, including mutual expectations about future contingencies and the use of military force. American actions and signalling will have a decisive effect on the choices we face as a US ally. We need to be alert to the gaps between promise and delivery in today's American defence and foreign policies. Sixth, the Anzac Alliance has its best and most realistic chance to shape the long-term future regional order over the next few years. It will be much harder to influence and limit Chinese defence decision-making and the strategic mindsets of other regional countries like India and Indonesia in subsequent decades. Passivity on the part of the US and its allies will give China the initiative and increase the prospect that future crises will lead either to over-correction or a back-down by the United States. Chinese expansion in the South China Sea is a good example of Western passivity in the face of China's political system which can rapidly mobilise a coordinated effort to single-mindedly pursue its strategic interests. We may be seeing such Chinese behaviour being replicated now in the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific. Canberra and Washington need to be more direct with one another and our polities about this looming strategic challenge. Profound and corrosive change could occur because of the US and its allies being passive or distractive as China expands its dominance. In this regard, Southeast Asia is likely to be a focus of Chinese power and coercion and become a zone for incremental steps towards Chinese hegemony and a sphere of influence. This would have severe strategic implications for Australia. China's projection of military power in the South China Sea is already threatening to constrain our ability to defend our maritime approaches. So the next few years are critical to shape the perception of the willingness of US allies to incur risks and costs in limiting China's ability to dominate the region. The United States and Australia, amongst others, should clearly identify what aspects of Chinese strategic behaviour they find unacceptable. This will require greater willingness to signal to China where its behaviour will be resisted. Finally, and let me stress above all else, we must recognise that we now face the prospect for the first time since the Second World War of a potential major power adversary with whom we do not share fundamental values operating in our neighbourhood and capable of threatening us with high intensity conflict. To counter this eventuality we must develop a stronger defence force capable of denying our approaches to a well armed adversary. The key issue here is whether we are now entering strategic warning time regarding future conflict and whether our capabilities are sufficient to sustain a credible defence posture in a deteriorating strategic environment. Events could now become more serious much more quickly. Therefore, more thought should be given to planning for the expansion of the ADF and its capacity to engage in sustained high intensity conflict in our own defence in a way that we haven't previously had to consider for several generations. Thank you. As this is a university, let me start by saying, Temporar Mutantor, Nost et Mutamos in Ilis. For the few of you who need a translation, let me offer, the strategic bus is leaving town and if we don't get on board it will be all too late and it will all end in tears. It is difficult to overstate the significance of these strategic changes we are now experiencing. Specifically, increases in the capacity of armed forces in the Indo-Pacific serve to undermine one of the critical foundations of what has been defence policy since the 1970s. For one nation to contemplate the use of force, military force against another, it needs to have the motive, the intent and, importantly, the capability to conduct operations. So what is it that we are changing from? In the 1970s and for the next three plus decades, no one in our broad region had the military capability to do us much harm. Further, while motive and intent could change relatively quickly, it would take much longer for a potentially hostile nation to develop the necessary capability, doctrine and proficiency. These were key observations. They led to the observation, they led to the conclusion that in the context of the defence of Australia only lesser contingencies were credible in the shorter term and that more serious contingencies were credible only in the longer term. This in turn gave rise to the notion of 10 to 15 years of warning time for such more serious contingencies. There was also the policy conclusion that the size and shape of the defence force should be sufficient to handle shorter term contingencies and be the basis for expansion during warning time for more serious conflict. All this is familiar stuff. In contrast, today, higher levels of military capability in the region are changing the basis that underpinned these policies. In particular, China continues to modernise and expand its arms forces. This means that its ability to conduct operations at high levels of intensity and technological sophistication has increased and will increase further. This is not, I repeat, this is not to paint China necessarily as our adversary. Although, as Paul has pointed out, China's values and strategic ambition are already in some respects in sharp contrast to our own Australian values and interests. Rather, it is to say that because the capability exists or is planned to come into service, warning times for more serious contingencies are now potentially much shorter. Further, indicators of warning will come to depend more critically than in the past on assessments of motive and intent. Such judgments are inherently more subjective and fluid than assessments of capability. Strategic risk management, therefore, becomes much more challenging. What are the consequences for defence planning? I have five principal points. First, there is a need to reconsider the spectrum of possible contingencies, and in particular, contingencies envisaged as credible in the shorter term will need to embrace higher levels of technological sophistication and intensity than in previous years. What would be the nature of such contingencies? What would be their context? How would our Australian interests be engaged? What level of intensity and duration might be expected? How would they be conducted? How would the risk of escalation be managed? How would they be drawn to a conclusion? What might we plan to do to avoid them in the first place? And in the context of my part of this lecture, what are the implications for the force structure and its readiness and sustainability profile? Such analysis would require a more sophisticated approach than one based only on lesser contingencies in the shorter term and more serious conflict put off into the never-never second. How should we approach indicators and warnings for potential conflict? The need for clear judgement in this area would be compounded by the likely absence of an obvious warning threshold as there could be high levels of ambiguity. There could well be contestability between the intelligence assessment agencies and between them and the policy areas within the machinery of government. Third, and following from the prospect of shorter warning times, is the need to consider higher levels of readiness and sustainability. This is manifest in a wide variety of ways. Training levels, stocks of missiles and torpedoes, holdings of maintenance spares, the ability to sustain operations for weeks or months, many months, around the clock, with particular implications for surveillance, command and control, intelligence staff, cyber operators, combat pilots. What about fuel stocks and their reliability and operational bases, especially in the North? In previous years, many consumables have been held at levels not much more than those appropriate to peacetime rates of effort and low levels of preparedness. Fourth, is the matter of the size of the Defence Force and its potential for expansion. On the one hand, recent years have seen some important new capabilities, such as the Wedge Tail early warning and control aircraft, the Jinder Lee radar network, better tanker and transport aircraft and much improved command arrangements. System for system, tomorrow's Defence Force will be much more capable than yesterday's. Further, by 2040, we will have a few more frigates and by 2050 or so, which is a long way off, we will have doubled the size of the submarine force to 12 submarines. On the other hand, in many ways, the Defence Force, now planned for, is only modestly expanded from that of the benign years of the 70s and the 80s, at the height of the core force and expansion base period. In many respects, the numbers remain modest, especially against the prospect of more intense conflict. Two issues follow from this. First, whether the Defence Force would be large enough to handle the more demanding, short warning contingencies that are now becoming a real prospect. And second, what would the modes and mechanisms for timely expansion of the Defence Force be, including over a much reduced expansion period? I suggest that we should, at the very least, identify the steps that should be taken now to shorten the time that future expansion would take. A related issue, as Michael Shubridge of ASPE has pointed out, is the need to consider attrition reserves, not just for peacetime accidents, but also for combat losses on operations. My fifth point is the matter of capabilities that could prove to be important additions to the Australian order of battle. Technology will bring new possibilities and imperatives anyway. Hypersonics come to mind. But some specifics for consideration include improved strike capabilities for enhanced levels of deterrence, a point on which Brendan will say more. Nuclear-powered submarines, perhaps eventually. And an Australian maritime area denial weapon, perhaps drawing on the formidable capabilities of the Jindali radar network. The other great policy challenge comes from uncertainty concerning the United States. What I have said so far assumes that the US continues with more or less its present levels of commitment towards its friends and allies in the Indo-Pacific. What might America do that would be different from this? An obvious possibility is that America would raise the threshold for its active involvement in its allies' security. It would expect its allies to become more capable to conduct operations in their own defence. A sort of Guam doctrine, Mark II. Currently, we get privileged access to US defence capabilities, intelligence, science and technology and doctrine. Provided this access continued, the consequences for us would be to increase the emphasis on what I have already mentioned. More readiness and sustainability, improvements to northern bases, attention to the expansion base, enhanced strike and so on. This would cost more, but would not in itself represent a major redirection of policy. Much more worrying would be if the United States withdrew into its shell and significantly reduced its interest in the Indo-Pacific and its allies, and for that matter in the North Atlantic too. I believe this to be unlikely, but if it were to happen, the consequences for us and for others would be severe. Alternatives to American high-tech equipment would not be as capable and probably just as expensive, probably more expensive. Reduced access to American intelligence, science and so on would be a severe disadvantage and further with American withdrawal we could expect a more assertive China to fill the vacuum. A particular concern would be the end of extended nuclear deterrence, not just for us, but for other US allies in the Pacific, Japan in particular. To say the very least, such a development and the prospect of nuclear proliferation in the Pacific would require Australia to review its own position on nuclear weapons. What I have just outlined is not a council of despair, far from it. In many ways, Australia's defence force today is in good shape and the modernisation plans are impressive and reassuring. Our relationships with such countries as Japan, Indonesia and India are already a good basis on which to build and to advance our shared interests in the security of the Indo-Pacific. While past policies cast a long shadow, defence itself recognises that changing times mean that policies themselves must change. Whether the rate and extent of change are sufficiently recognised is however a moot point. And as Brendan is about to argue, a higher level of strategic imagination would help position us better for the future. In conclusion, time is not on our side. We cannot afford complacency. Our future strategic circumstances will be much more demanding than those of the past 40 years and we need to respond to these changes now. The strategic bus is leaving and we need now to get on board. Otherwise, it will be all too late. Thank you. Good evening. It's a great pleasure to be here and to see so many familiar faces. We know that the world we have lived in is changing in profound ways. We do not know what the future will look like. Any genuine crisis is a challenge to imagination.  The challenges to our security in the emerging strategic order of the Indo-Pacific are first a challenge to our strategic imagination. To respond effectively, we need to reimagine our place in this order and work to shape it to our interests. So we must think radically about policy and strategy. I say radically because thinking must over time consider the fundamentals of our strategic environment, the ways in which it is changing, our place in it and the measures we need to take to ensure security and prosperity. The changes we are seeing call into question the utility of current policy frameworks as a guide to action in the future. For decades, Australian defence strategic policy has been guided by the over-rating goal of maintaining strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific in ways that support our national interests. Australia has pursued this goal in three ways. We have supported and participated in the creation of regional communities of interest. We have pursued regional capability and capacity building through bilateral and multilateral defence cooperation. We have intervened to help resolve regional crises, either in the context of natural disasters or in relation to political challenges such as Cambodia, Timor in the Solomon Islands and more recently, Marawi. This has occurred in an environment that has been stable and underpinned by US power and broadly agreed assumptions now under challenge about the nature of the strategic order and how it should work. Our strategic goals may not change that much, but we are going to have to work a lot harder to achieve it. Strong defence capability signals both the willingness and the capacity to defend our national interests with force if necessary. It ensures that we are taken seriously in our region. Australia's strong defence capability has for decades been one of the foundations of Australia's ability to build community, build regional capability and ensure Australia's influence in regional decision making. How we build capability in the future will be the key to our capacity to continue to exercise influence and support regional security. Policy is important. It is much more than words. Policy establishes how we understand the reality we are in and guides our decisions. The question for policy is not only what does it enable us to see so that we may make decisions with confidence, but what does it prevent us from seeing? What does current policy suggest are our current blind spots? The DFAT White Paper, the Central Foreign Policy Document of the Government, argues that the world is changing that we have an abiding interest in the continuation of the current rules-based order. The question that lies on the other side of the White Paper is how might we operate in a world where the rules-based order we are comfortable with is being supplanted by something with which we are less comfortable, such as a different conception of what the rules might be, or a world where we see coercion as a policy instrument used more frequently. The DFAT White Paper speaks to this with its focus on strengthening our regional relationships. A pace of an extent of change in our strategic environment raises the question of whether we are putting sufficient resources into implementation. The border has emerged as a major, indeed, perhaps the central organising idea for much of our national security thinking. Central to this is the idea of the border and the necessity of border integrity. This goes with a trend in thinking that suggests that the border embraces and mediates every aspect of our relations with the rest of the world. This gives policy and strategy development an operational focus because most threats to border integrity, real or imagined, demand a short-term operational response, strengthen policing in a hardening of the border in the context of the challenge of the changing strategic order in the Indo-Pacific is insufficient as a conceptual framework to guide policy and decisions about future engagement in that strategic system. More profoundly, it suggests a failure of strategic imagination because it turns us inwards, embodies a fear of the world and either narrows or takes us away from engagement. The 2016 Defence White Paper was in many ways a landmark document because it established a funded investment programme that will guide development of the ADF for the next decade, particularly the rebuilding of the Australian Navy. The White Paper does not establish priorities for forced structure planning but focuses on Australia's strategic defence interests and consequential strategic defence objectives. These strategic defence interests are a secure, resilient Australia with secure northern approaches and approximate sea lines of communication, a secure near-region encompassing Maritime Southeast Asia and the South Pacific, a stable Indo-Pacific region and a rules-based global order. Each of these strategic defence interests has allocated to them corresponding strategic defence objectives. The conceptual problem that the White Paper presents is that it gives equal priority to each of these interests and by extension the defence strategic objectives. The problem of having strategic defence interests of equal priority is that priorities for capability building and strategic decision-making are then conditioned by whatever the current crisis is. Short-term crises, which are visible, will often take precedence over longer-term crises which are not so visible. We are in a period of transition. A characteristic of periods of transition is that the strategic environment will be ambiguous. We see experiments and hedging. We will see countries large and small across the Indo-Pacific behaving in unexpected ways as they seek to position themselves in a potentially different strategic order. Because we don't know what the future will bring, the past can become very seductive because it is what we know. Policy therefore becomes very important because the task of policy must be to help us see the reality of our strategic environment and to guide decisions to respond. So what should we do? I have four suggestions. Another list. We need to increase presence and build integration with regional countries at the force level. In times of transition, presence matters. Presence means that you are there and that you can respond both operationally and strategically to events, both to solve problems now and to create the decision-making structures of the future. We should increase our presence in the region both in diplomacy and in defence. For defence, the guiding policy framework should be on capability building to create the capacity for forces to integrate to deal with both strategic and operational challenges. Forces should be capable of integration to respond to contingencies at every level of potential threat. Integration must embody partnership, including acceptance of leadership from other countries when that is appropriate. With Indonesia, the country of most importance to Australia and our long-term security, we should build integrated capability to a level where we can create an operator-combined task force that can be led by either Indonesia or Australia and be capable of dealing with a major regional security challenge. The operational test for capability building should be the capacity to integrate forces. The strategic test should be the capacity to operate as an integrated force for high-intensity contingencies to either resist coercion or signal willingness and capacity to do so. Increased presence reflects a genuine partnership and a building integration requires a profound change in strategic and operational culture both for Australia and for our regional partners. We need to understand, build and use defence capability strategically. We're building use defence capability to strengthen our position in our strategic environment to make us more powerful. An ADF that possesses major strategic capability increases Australia's ability to act independently or in coalition. The primary lens for future capability development should be on the extent to which it contributes to this goal. Emerging capabilities such as the Joint Strike Fighter, the Future Frigate and the Future Submarine will change our strategic environment, increase Australia's military power and will create new opportunities for engagement and capability building in the Indo-Pacific. We need to understand what these capabilities represent strategically, how and where they can increase Australia's power and the ways in which we might continue to develop and use them to increase our ability to act independently in support of our national interests. One of the major implications of these capabilities is that in giving Australia more power, they will give Australia more capacity and opportunities for leadership. I make the point that our experience of leading in response to a major security crisis in our region is limited. In recent history, it is only the independence of East Timor-Leste that I would consider a major security crisis that directly engaged our interests and where Australia had to exercise leadership. We should build deterrence capability that is independent of alliance systems. The alliance enhances our deterrence because our deterrence capabilities are integrated into larger alliance systems. Policy should focus on strengthening our capacity to exercise deterrence without necessarily drawing on these systems. It may mean a greater focus on developing indigenous capabilities that have deterrent effects. It may also condition how we want to think about and use some of the emerging strategic capabilities such as the future frigate in the Joint Strike Fighter. We should understand that budgets drive capability which in turn determines our capacity to operate effectively in our region. We are getting smaller in relation to other economies of the Indo-Pacific. This means that if nothing changes, we will over time have less power, including military power. To offset this, we will need to increase our defence capability. This means that we will need to put more resources into defence. The defence budget, 31.2 billion in 2018-19 budget papers is significant but it is by no means the largest item of projected Commonwealth expenditure. It is less than the expenditures on health, 78 billion, education, 34 billion, social security and welfare, 176 billion. The measure of the adequacy of the defence budget does not lie in how much a proportion of GDP it represents. Nor does it lie in the share of annual budget allocations across Commonwealth expenditures. The only meaningful measure of whether the defence budget is adequate lies in how much capability it allows us to acquire or develop. It is the level of capability that determines the contribution of defence to our ability to support our national interests in the Indo-Pacific. Ultimately, how much is enough rests on a judgement about the level and nature of strategic risk and the extent to which we want to try and mitigate it through capability building. As each of us tonight has argued from different perspectives, our strategic risk is increasing. In summary, the changes to how we participate in the Indo-Pacific will be profound. We will not only have to reimagine what we do, but in some ways who we are. We need to build much greater defence integration with countries of the Indo-Pacific, particularly Indonesia. We need to build capabilities that give us more deterrence with less reliance on aligned systems. Priority for capability development should focus on increasing our capacity to support our strategic interests in the region where we live. We need to be ready for leadership in the event of a major security crisis that engages our national interests. In summary, we need a defence capability that can support our participation in a world where the rules are likely to be negotiated continually and where the capacity to exercise force will be an essential foundation of our ability to live in this world as we want. Thank you.


Frontier Town, the saga of the Roaring West. Frontier Town, El Paso, Cheyenne, Calgary, Tombstone. Frontier Town, here is the adventurous story of the early West, the tamed and the untamed. From the Pekos to Powder River, Dodge City to Poker Flat. These are the towns they fought to live in and lived to fight for. Teaming crucibles of pioneer freedom. Frontier Town. Not too far below the continental divide, nested in the narrow valley between the Red and the White Rivers, lies the boisterous, brawling Frontier Town called Dos Rios. That's where I come from. The little shingle hanging outside my office above the livery stable reads Chad Remington, Attorney at Law. Now that you know who I am, maybe you're thinking of Saddle Stop lawyer leads a pretty dull and humdrum life. But don't you ever believe it. No, sir, with the few good folks we have and the few bad ones out my way, life is pretty raw most of the time. Well, just take what happened to me about a month ago. Cherokee O'Bannon, who owns the livery stable, now that he's reformed from peddling his rattlesnake oil, came hot footing up the rickety wooden steps which lead to my office, a copy of our weekly newspaper clutched in his hands. Chad, just wait. Just wait here, my boy. Do you see this? Oh, what have you got there, Cherokee? A new formula for a patent medicine that is absolutely guaranteed to cure bad livers, cold shivers, sore withers and heaves? Nothing of the sort. Nothing of the sort. Just read this. Right here in this box at the front page. Okay, here, let me have it. Federal government throwing Tioga National Forest Reserve open for homesteading. Well, opening up the Tioga Reserve means turning over about 6,000 square miles for settlement. Absolutely correct. And if you know that territory, you'll be as excited as I am. By Chad, I believe that Tioga country is even richer than the Dos Rios Valley.  Chad, you know me well enough by this time to know that I'm not a mercenary man. Why a dollar doesn't mean any more to me than... Then you're good right on. Than my good right? No, certainly not. The only real use I have for money is not for the real me, but for the other me, the drinking me. However, when I think of all the folks who are going to make that run into Tioga and settle there, it makes me realize they're going to need horses. And that a livery stable getting in on the ground floor should coin money, extended palm over closed digits. That's hand over fist to you. Oh, Cherokee, I'm inclined for once to agree with you. A livery stable there stands a fair chance of making some money. But now that you're established here, why take the risk of moving to some new place where you might fail? Nothing ventured, nothing gained, they say. And I'm a venturesome character. How about it, Chad? You haven't taken a trip in months. Why don't we both get down to that land rush and look to Tioga over? Well, if for no other reason, I guess I'd better go just to keep you out of mischief. And anyhow, I must admit I get a real thrill out of singing something like that. That's democracy really in action. Chad, you've just warmed the cockles of my heart. And now also the other part of me warms up too. I think I'll repair to the tavern across the street for a toast to the future. Be sure you make that just one toast. Well, if I'm going to make a trip with you, I'm going over to the judge's house and see Libby. The least I can do is tell her I'm going away. Shortly after sunrise, two mornings later, we crested the brow of the hill and looked down on one of the most satisfying sights man's eye has ever been privileged to see. Stretched out in a thin line for more than a mile were horses, mules, wagons, and even a few high-wheeled bicycles. Anything and everything a man or family could ride in, which would take them into the race for a piece of that rich Tioga land. But even Cherokee was impressed. Chad, and this comes from my heart.  No, it certainly is. History's been made right before our eyes this morning. Can you explain to me exactly how this land rush works? Well, as best I understand it, to make sure that everyone has an equal chance that no one gets in first and stakes out the choices land, the government's put up a barrier. Yes, I see the barrier down there now. Then you can see all the cavalrymen down there policing the barrier. Only in just about ten minutes, if my watch happens to be right, a bugler's going to come out and blow boots and saddles. Boots and saddles, eh? Yep, to warn everybody to get ready to start. And then a few seconds later, an officer will trigger a rifle. And that shot will be the start of the greatest land rush in history. I never saw this many people all together at once, even when I was making a high pitch from the back of my medicine wagon. Men, women, children, dogs, look at them all. Instead of looking at them, let's get down there with them before we miss the starting gun. Up there, fella, come on. Well, darling, you excited? This is a sight I'll never forget as long as I live, never. Then you're not sorry we left at Lanta? No, I'll have my moments. But I guess I'm just a farm girl at heart. Three hundred and twenty beautiful acres to work with our own hands to build into something that'll... Oh, Sue Weller, now you're going to start that all over again. Well, there's plenty of time for ranching when I got the newspaper on a paying basis. Just think, the Tioga Weekly Sun. Kent Ramsey, if you're so much in love with printer's ink, we might just well as stay there. Oh, Sue Weller, this is no time to start a nog. Hey, look at that, will you? That big burly-looking man in the frock coat trying to push his way to the front of the line ahead of everybody else. Well, look at him, Kent. He's got two bruises with him. Probably his bodyguards. Well, he better not try to push his way in front of us. Take it easy, take it easy. That's plenty of land to go around.  Kent, he is going to try to get ahead of us. Just let us through there. Just a minute, friend. Where do you think you're going? Oh, that you just said? I said, if you think you're going to crowd in ahead of us after we've been waiting up here in line for more than 14 hours, you've got another thing coming. Kent, darling, be careful. He looks meaner than a cornered possum. I beg your pardon, ma'am. Did you say something? Yes, I did. I said you looked meaner than a cornered possum. And it wouldn't surprise me if you were even meaner than that. Why, you, if you're going to... It's dark. We're polite to ladies, or at least we try to be. Are you going to get to the back of the line while you belong? Or am I going to have to... Are you going to have to what, my friend? Oh, you mean that?  They say experience is the best teacher. Kent, don't. Now leave that gun right where it is. That door, me, Sue Ellen. All right, all of you, keep your hands up where I can see you. All right, Cherokee, watch my horse. And who do you think you are butting in here? I'm the man who's been following you for the last five minutes, watching you almost run down people to get up to the front of the line. And I'm the man who's advising you to turn around and go back where you belong, at the rear of the line.  I don't need a six gun in my fist to see that those orders are carried out. Huh? Here, mister, you hold my gun. Why, uh... Sure, sure. Now there's nothing in my fist but fingers. And I'm still telling you to move on. Come on, Fritz. You two ready? Well, all right, don't you? I'm taking your advice this time, mister. But I'm going to give you some advice in exchange. The whole of Taiyogo isn't so big that I won't be running into all of you again. Get around that boy. Come on. You've got words to thank you enough for what you did. Most of the doing you did, ma'am. When you grabbed your husband's hand and stopped him from drawing his gun, one of those bodyguards of the man they call Laredo had time to get his out just in case his boss was too slow a drawer. That's when I thought it was time for me to interfere. Well, if you're rushing into Taiyogo with the rest of us, you stay right up here. Chad, better get back on your horse. Here comes the bugler. Oh, here comes, honey. Get ready. Come on. Look, folks, I've got to get mounted. Riding horses will have a better chance than you folks with your wagon. So, Jeriki and I'll go ahead and you follow us. I'd feel better about Mr. Laredo if we were all together for a while. A flash of two or three riders cutting up through those trees to our right may be a shortcut. Through those trees? Yeah. And from here it looks as if one of those men is wearing a fronk. Oh, it's like hit you. Great gilded gilhooly. What am I going to do now? Here I am in the middle of no place and Chad Remington's been shot clean off his horse. We'll return to the exciting second act of our Frontier Town adventure in just about one minute. And now Frontier Town. For a change, Jeriki, you've been right. I most certainly had been shot off my horse. A soft-nosed slug from a carbine hit my shoulder and spun me out of this saddle like a pinwheel. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on which end of the rifle you might have been, the wound is a little gory but not too serious. After washing it and tying it up, we were able to continue. The greeting we'd gotten in the new territory thoroughly convinced Mr. O'Bannon that he didn't want to make his fortune in Tioga. But it was the man in the frock coat who answered to the name of Laredo that made me decide that I was going into Tioga Falls, the little settlement which had sprung up as a metropolis of the new region. So we sort of limped into town, not finding anyone in the Marshal's office. I decided the best place to look for my man was by checking at the office of the newspaper. The Tioga Weekly Sun. Would you be good enough to give us some information? Oh, I certainly do again. Camp, my husband and I followed you for several miles, but... In the newspaper office, let's just say it was a little accident. Camp, my husband's back in the press room setting up part of this week's edition. Are you calling me, Sue Ellen? I thought I heard you... Hello! Am I glad to see you two again? I don't say this from politeness. We're glad to see you and your wife alive. After what happened to Chad, we didn't know if they'd gotten you too. If who all had gotten us? That gent we tangled with the other morning at the starting line. The one in the frock coat. Oh, you mean Laredo Jake Ellison? Laredo Jake Ellison, huh? How come you know his name? Oh, why didn't you know? He's opened a bar, a hotel, and a gambling hall, and he's practically running this town already. Did you say a bar? Oh, no, Cherokee, you're incorrigible. Oh, tell me, how'd you happen to open a newspaper office from the looks of what you had in your wagon? I'd have thought you were going to get yourself a rant.  Well, gentlemen, it's a long story. But if you're really interested, sit down and I'll tell you. Well, with a little friendly bickering between Sue Ellen and Kent Ramsey, we learned their story. I must say I didn't wholly disagree with Kent. The young fella had real ambition, and a newspaper can be a very influential voice guiding the destinies of a frontier country. I also learned that Laredo Jake, even in this short time, had almost everyone in and around Tioca Falls, either bulldozed or buffaloed, was starting to run the new town very much his own way. It was a wild little town, and I talked to a lot of people and found out nothing until about the third day when we were chewing the fat with Sue Ellen and Kent in their newspaper office. Well, Chad, do you think Laredo Jake's going to think of this editorial? I don't think he's going to like it very much, Kent. But if I were you, and I'm not talking just as a lawyer, I'd take it a bit easy. After all, Chad's got more of an axe to grind as far as that crook's concerned, and he's just biting his time. Oh, you all argue with the man. Husband of mine or not, I seem to have no influence on him. Well, she's afraid she'll be a widow before she's really a bride. She's no laughing matter, Kent. When you're abating a man like Laredo Jake Ellison, you're not out angling for catfish. You're going for shark. If you don't mind, Jerike and I will sort of hang around your office tomorrow after the paper comes out, and the gentleman in question's had the chance to read what you think of him. What Kent Ramsey'd printed in the Tioga Sun would have raised the hackles on a more self-possessed person than Mr. Ellison. Well, we waited most of the day and then late in the afternoon we saw him coming. Jerike and I shifted our holsters just in case and waited for Laredo to say so. Boys, I'll tell you why I dropped in. I come by to congratulate the Ramsey's on getting out of fine fighting newspaper. I believe that about as much as I believe that my rattlesnake oil cures lead poisoning. You're wrong, my friend. Because in this last week I've had my eyes open. You're lucky someone didn't close. Yes, sir, I've had my eyes open. I never knew before what an enormous influence a newspaper can have in a town. Mr. Ellison, we'd appreciate it if you'd stop beating around the bush. All right, Mrs. Ramsey. Since finding out how important a newspaper is, I've decided to make you an offer to buy you out. An offer I don't think you refuse. And suppose I do refuse, what then? What then? I don't know. I can't make you sell out. But I don't think you're going to turn down an offer of $10,000. Ellison, I wouldn't sell out to you for $30,000. You know, I've always heard that literary men didn't have good business heads, but I never believed it before. Well, there's no use wasting any more time. I'll just be bidding you a very pleasant good day. Well, how do you like grass? Here I was sitting with my both fists cocked all ready to go, and he talked so sweet butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.  So will I. Why, he's so pasnickety mean I wouldn't even throw him in a swamp to alligate us. My word. At this rate, Chad, we could spend six months down here trying to find something on that glute. Trying to find something on him? Well, I guess you might as well confess it. That little accident which put a bandage on my shoulder when I rode into town, I'm afraid it was no accident at all. But it had been planned by Tioga's leading citizen, the right dishonorable Jake Ellison. Chad hadn't been turned halfway around his saddle. He wouldn't be here to tell a story. Wow, that vicious, sneaky, no good. Imagine, Kent. You know what I got a good mind to do, Chad? I got a mind to run that story. Yours about Lareda right smack on the front page of my next edition. Uh-uh, nothing to do, Kent. Even as poor a lawyer as I am, I know we haven't got a case built against him yet. Case?  We all just told you a little story. A story no one can prove. Well, and how are you going to prove anything against a contemptible crook like that? By exercising a little patience. Now, for example, he wouldn't be so sure of himself that he'd come in here and offer to buy you a paper if he didn't feel he had this town and this whole country right where he wanted it. So? So, I'm expecting that life around Tioga isn't going to be as peaceful even as it has been. Now, there are too many gunslingers hanging around his cafe to be just waiting for Sunday to go to church, if we had a church. I'll make a book on that and give you six, two, and even. Not bad odds, either. Suppose you're right, Chad. Well, then, I think we can take a leaf out of Lareda's book and play it smart ourselves. Well, when you've got a newspaper, mister, plus a little patience, it shouldn't be too hard to prove that the pen is mightier than the sword. Now, I don't want to sound like an, I told you so, but it wasn't very long before the Wells Fargo safe was blown. And 24 hours later, the stagecoats coming in from the north was held up. And then the very same night, two men who'd won at Faro never got home. Well, the next afternoon, Cherokee got himself a little Dutch courage at once alone and then walked over to the place that Laredo Jake ran. Well, Laredo, here's to you. Here's to all of us, Fitz. Drink hardy. Yeah, here. I cut up the Wells Fargo money today. $1,200 apiece. You stick with Laredo Jake, Ellison Fitz, and you'll be warned.  You were looking for me, my friend? Well, Fritz ain't here just now, but I'm expecting him soon. Tell Ramsay I'll give him his message and send him down. Thanks. What the blazes do you think they wanted me at the newspaper office? What do you think? Probably figurein' to pull a double-cross on me. Pump you. You go down there, Fritz. See what he wants. If he gets too hard to handle, well, you know what to do. Well, Laredo... You heard me, now get goin'. I can't wait to find out what this is all about. Say, Ellison, uh, is that a minute? No. Oh, you still hangin' around Tioga Falls? You should've found out by this time that a loyal starved to death in this town. Oh, I don't know. Looks now as if you might be needing one.  Dead lawyer? After the way you missed me that first day into Tioga? Well, maybe you're a bum shot, but I think our local editor has hit the bullseye plum center. Huh? Yeah, yeah, I thought you'd like to get a look at tomorrow morning's paper. Why, that good for nothin' linin'? Looks pretty bad in print, doesn't it? Confederate's confession implicates cafe owner in robberies. Man, looks like you're all done, doesn't it, Laredo? Why do you think Ramsay sent for your friend Fritz? What are you trying to do? Scare me?  Deny these things right in front of him. Why, sure.  Hey, Fritz! Fritz, come over here.  All right, yeah, that big guru that came in here and said they wanted me at the newspaper office must've been crazy. I waited more in an hour and that editor wasn't even... Did you tell Ramsay I engineered those raids?  Why should I give you away? Oh, yes, Fritz. Why should you?  But, fortunately, you're not me, and I'm not you.  Hey, Marshal! Marshal! While you're sneaking low down... Drop that gun, ever since! Kiss me again, Laredo, but I'll see if I can make my aim a little better.  Because you and I are going down to the newspaper office and get a real confession. You should have seen Chad. His arms like two widbills. His fists like two pile drivers. Why, I tell you, the man was magnificent. A perfect example of American manhood. Oh, good night with that kind of flowery prose, Kent. Well, you ought to keep Cherokee here in Tioga and put him to work on your newspaper. Of course, not as a reporter. He got his facts a little wrong. Oh, but he makes it sound so beautiful. What facts has it got wrong? Oh, just a few essential ones. For example, I had only one fist flying. My other hand was well occupied wrestling that buzzed for his gun. Just one fist. You can't blame that entirely on me. That saloon you sent me to from a Dutch courage treated me so well I was seeing double. And moreover, Mr. Remington, I was not wrong when I say that your brilliance, your sheer and unmasked genius gave birth to the idea which caught that crook. Cherokee's right about that, Chad. It was you who had the idea to print up a single copy of the paper with that phony headline to trick Ellison. Maybe it was phony, but now you can run 3,000 copies of the paper with the same headline because it's true.  Right now, Chad? Right now. All your fortune. While you were demolishing Ellison's saloon, I saved one full bottle from falling off a table and hit it under a chair. Can I go back down there for just a minute? Nothing doing.  And Cherokee, I certainly didn't mean 100 proof. Frontier Town, starring Tex Chandler as a Brucell's production. Story and supervision by Joel Murcott. Direction by Paul Franklin. Music written and played by Ivan Ditmar. Be sure to be with us again same time next week for another fine action adventure story with your favorite young western star, Tex Chandler. This is Bill Foreman telling you that Frontier Town came to you from Hollywood.


This research has developed a new method to increase the photothermal conversion efficiency of polydopamine nanoparticles, making them more effective at killing bacteria. The researchers used silver nanoparticles to coat the polydopamine nanoparticles, creating a new type of photothermal agent that is able to deliver higher levels of energy to the targeted cells. Additionally, they incorporated the nanoparticles into a hydrogel matrix, which prevents them from clumping together and allows them to be delivered directly to the site of infection. In tests, this combination was found to be highly effective against bacteria, demonstrating its potential use in treating infected wounds. This article was authored by Xiao Yangqi, Yijing Huang, Xingye Yu, and others.


Yes, we are back with some more of hip-hop Thursday special thanks to Michelle Asher and Eddie for that informative segment It's called hip-hop and it's basically what's popping in the world of hip-hop I go by the name of by Moses or it's very more Navy social media platform And it's time for our first interview of the day You've been listening to the sounds of DJ Rages and it's not about to stop keep your request coming on our social media handles That white 5 for channel on Twitter white 5 for underscore channel on Instagram and white 5 for on Facebook So in studio with me is a guy representing here Michael Right. Yeah. Yeah, he goes by the name And is accompanied by a sister who's barely Fishing ice-coo curry bunny sauna Yeah Mississippi This is the right place to push your music as an artist in Kenya right now because we are all about Kenyan music All right When you go back to school All right I All right, so this is just a trial a lot for me when you put a ender We're not doing a fun. I'm thinking but you're trying to bring it into the music industry Sindo represent Fresh All right, but that is besides the point today Influency No, okay So You know, when you say Barbie, when you say Audi, where are you? I'm in the lab, I'm the one. I'm the one who represents, I'm the one who is responsible. I am the one who represents hip-hop, real hip-hop. Instagram, and it is a safe way to... All right. Cease me and I will also be on 40. I'll be on the side and I'll mic. Me, Cease, and I'll be on 40, brother. Oh, 40 brother, 40 brother. All right. Be sure to follow Hans' brother. He goes by the name of Cease. He'll be representing K. Michael, representing hip-hop, and representing his hood to the fullest. So there's a small line on the bottom that is bad. What was that? That was... All right. So what was your...? What was that? And what did you did in that? One day I was like... Okay, I was on 30. This is the age of 37. So I was like... I was on 30. I was on 30. So I was like, there was too much inspiration on that. And as I'm the one who's inspired, I'm inspired by the way you are, the motivation. I want to find out what motivation is.  That's true. I'm inspired by what I'm doing. I'm inspired by what I'm doing. I'm inspired by what I'm doing. You're inspired by what you're doing. I'm inspired by what I'm doing. I'm inspired by what I'm doing. I'm inspired by what I'm doing. I'm inspired by what I'm doing. I'm inspires. Alright, then what is the thing the producer does? A producer is developing and she's building her company. My farm is an entertainment company. When I was in school with my family, the result was 84, I think it's a very good artist. Alright, so, what kind of recordings do you invite to come to Ungerze? Do you have a studio to promote you? Okay, I have a studio. I'm a musician. I work in the industry, I record and practice. I work with the people. I work with the people who are in the industry. I'm a poor person. I have a lot of respect for the people who work here. I love that you guys are on Genesis Cassie. What was the first time you went to the studio? It was scary at the first moment. There was a lot of people in the studio. I went to Brow, Weber and Producers. I went to Bistess and Brow. It was scary at the time. How did you find the job? It was a bit of a relief. It was scary. Did you fall in love with it? Yes, I fell in love with it. I love the music. You are famous and I have blogs. You are interested. Yes, I am. How long have you been in the studio? I have been in the studio for a long time. You are very talented. My parents tend to be very protective with their daughters. How many children do you have? I have 11 children at home. I have 7 children at home. I have a lot of children in the studio. I have a lot of children. How do you feel about this music? I feel good. Because you are from a different generation and it is from a different generation. I feel that. I am a single. I have a video on YouTube. People are curious. What kind of music do you have? What kind of music do you have? What kind of music do you have? I have a lot of music. I have a lot of producers. I have a lot of friends. I have recorded Kwanzaa, but I am not a big fan of music. I have a lot of lives. I am a female a bit older. I have a lot of friends. I had some other friends, and they are the best. I chose one. I have a lot of friends. I have a lot of children. What music do you have? as a magic abyssal. What's coming up? Projects are going to come. We're very interested in new projects. The more music in a drop, the more industry in a grow. So what is up for us, with the project Compia? Okay, I laugh when it's Compia. Okay, as long as I do hip-hop, I'm going to be connected to an expert who's going to attack me. Okay, like, I'm going to be an artist. I'm going to be a songwriter. I'm going to be spoken. I'm a poet, I'm going to be a poet. Hip-hop. Hip-hop is just one of the things you're doing.  I'd like to talk to DJ Raji. Some siblings are DJ Raji. Some of them are season dogs. Some of them are DJs. Some of them are like... Swayzzi, Swayzzi Katra. Swayzzi Katra. As long as I go into it. As long as I go into it. As long as I go into it. As long as I go into it. As long as I go into it. As long as I go into it. As long as I go into it. As long as I go into it. Alright, but I'm going to try to go into it as long as I go into it. What can you ask my guest? My guest is a collaborator in Kenya, in the industry. What is your name? I'm a collaborator. I'm a collaborator. I'm a collaborator. I'm a collaborator. I'm a collaborator. OK, so what's my name? I'm a collaborator. I'm a collaborator. I'm a collaborator. I'm a collaborator. I'm a collaborator. I'm a collaborator. You evaporate from me, you evaporate from me. OK, so the next question. I'll try to inspire. Every artist I meet What do you want to do in the future? I want to do a collaboration with King Water. And you're coming for the next as well. You could. Alright, so since my cup is over, I want to ask you, where did you come from? Like, which generation of yours went to high school? Who's Popin? Sai. I came from Penda and I came from Poh. You came from Penda and you came from Pops, right? I came from Kuevo. You came from Kuevo, Sai. I told you Raji.  What's your name? Mingen. Nya Shinski. Nya Shinski is Popin. I came from Kali. What's Kuevo number? Number one. Ah, Kuevo handshow. Eh, Nakadibi. Nakadibi, yeah. Alright, just give them your social media, bro. Eh, Zote Nii, Nisi Sipi. Nisi Sipi, who is the one who followed Bro up with you? Who is the one who came to Kichezangoma? Follow Bro, IG Nisi Sipi, Facebook Nisi Sipi, YouTube Nisi Sipi, yeah. Alright, Killa Mali Nisi Sipi, and Sid that and she's on this track, Niamta. With the brother and it's an amazing track, representing for the hood, representing for K.A. Michael, representing for Nairobi, and representing for here for, DJ Raji's is about to spin it. But before we spin it, your last remarks to the viewers and to your fans, now let off my fans when I win Leo for the first time. I'm the leader of the QNL, Son Mandela. I'm WCISMAPI, I'm the C.P. Next, we'll see you on 1 in the morning on Hip-Hop Thursday. You're about to listen to his latest track, me, Amta, featuring Anne the sister, brought to you by DJ Rage's himself. We'll be back with some more of Hip-Hop Thursday. Don't go nowhere.