A Goal for Freedom

Sometimes, amid the noise and destruction of war, a small story emerges that reminds us what the struggle is really about.

This week one such story unfolded right here in Australia.

Members of Iran’s national women’s soccer team, in Australia for the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, found themselves caught between representing their country and confronting the brutal reality of the regime that rules it. What followed was a remarkable chain of events — part courage, part technology, part activism — and in the end, a small but meaningful victory for freedom.

The Anthem That Wasn’t Sung

The drama began before the Iranian team’s opening match.

As the players lined up for the national anthem, something unusual happened. They stood silently. They refused to sing.

For athletes from a free country this might seem like a minor protest. But these women were not representing a free country. They were representing the Islamic Republic of Iran — a regime that punishes dissent harshly and often brutally.

The reaction from Tehran was immediate. State media reportedly branded the players “wartime traitors” — a label that in Iran can carry the threat of prison or even death. (Wikipedia)

Suddenly what had been a symbolic act of defiance became something far more dangerous.

At their next game the team dutifully sang the anthem. Reports indicated their families had been threatened and that the players themselves were under intense surveillance. (Wikipedia)

This was not a team travelling freely. It was a team travelling under watch.

The SOS

Then came the moment that made the world stop and look.

After their final match, as the team bus departed, observers noticed one of the players making what appeared to be the internationally recognised SOS distress signal with her hands. (Wikipedia)

It was subtle. But unmistakable.

The message was clear: we need help.

Supporters from Australia’s Iranian diaspora quickly mobilised. Demonstrators gathered, pleading with the players not to return to Iran where they could face severe punishment. Some even tried to delay the team bus in hopes that authorities might intervene. (The Guardian)

Australia Hesitates

This is where the story becomes less inspiring.

Our government’s response was… cautious. Very cautious.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese offered sympathetic words but avoided committing to anything concrete. The message seemed to be that asylum was “their choice” if they asked for it.

Technically correct perhaps. But hardly the bold moral clarity the moment demanded.

These women had just publicly defied one of the world’s most oppressive regimes. A strong declaration from Australia that they would be welcomed and protected would have sent a powerful signal.

Instead we got what looked suspiciously like bureaucratic hedging.

Enter Drew Pavlou

Then something remarkable happened.

Australian activist Drew Pavlou, already well known for exposing Chinese Communist intimidation networks in Australia, took to X (formerly Twitter) and started raising the alarm.

He called for the players to be protected and for the Australian government to act decisively.

Social media did what modern communication networks sometimes do best: it amplified the story globally in real time.

And that’s when an unexpected player entered the game.

Trump Joins the Match

Then something remarkable happened.

Australian activist Drew Pavlou, already well known for exposing Chinese Communist intimidation networks in Australia, took to X and started raising the alarm.

He called for the players to be protected and urged the Australian government to act decisively.

Social media did what modern communications networks sometimes do best: it amplified the story globally in real time.

And that’s when an unexpected player entered the game.

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, weighed in publicly, urging Australia to grant asylum to the players and warning that they could face persecution if forced to return to Iran.

Trump even suggested that if Australia would not protect them, the United States would.

Then came the real twist.

According to reports, Trump personally telephoned Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.

Whatever was said behind closed doors, the tone changed very quickly.

Freedom at Last

Soon after, the Australian government moved.

Players from the Iranian squad began quietly seeking asylum, and seven members of the team have now reportedly been granted protection in Australia.

They are safe.

And free.

For women who had lived under the suffocating control of Iran’s regime — where women can be imprisoned, beaten, or worse for defying the state — that is no small thing.

A Small Victory for the Free World

This remarkable episode tells us several things.

First, the courage of the players themselves. They knew the risks. They knew what could happen if they returned to Iran. Yet one of them still flashed that desperate SOS signal to the world.

Second, the extraordinary power of modern communications. A single gesture, captured and amplified across social media, reached activists, journalists and politicians around the world within hours.

Third, help can sometimes come from unexpected places.

An Australian activist raised the alarm.
A global social media platform carried the message.
And the President of the United States picked up the phone.

So yes — hooray for Drew Pavlou.

Hooray for Elon Musk and a free X, where stories like this can spread before governments have time to bury them.

And hooray for Donald Trump, who acted like the leader of the free world and pushed the issue into the open.

Finally, a reluctant hooray for Anthony Albanese.

In the end, he did the right thing.

But the question remains.

If Australia is a nation that believes in freedom — and believes in protecting those fleeing tyranny — why didn’t our government say from the beginning:

“If any member of that team seeks asylum, Australia will give it.”

Why the hesitation?

Why the weasel words?

Some things should not require a phone call from the President of the United States to make them happen.

Oil Shock: The War That Just Exposed the Energy Fantasy

For years we have been told the same story.

The age of fossil fuels is ending.
Oil is yesterday’s energy.
Renewables will soon power the world.

Politicians repeat it. Activists chant it. Much of the media reports it as settled fact.

And then reality intrudes.

This week, as tensions in the Middle East erupted into open conflict involving Iran, global markets reacted instantly. Oil prices surged. Energy stocks jumped. Shipping insurance rates spiked. Stock markets wobbled.

Why?

Because the entire modern world still runs on oil.

Not partially. Not occasionally.

Completely.

The World Still Runs on Fossil Fuels

Despite decades of promises about a rapid transition to green energy, the global economy remains overwhelmingly dependent on fossil fuels.

Oil powers transportation.
Gas fuels electricity generation and industry.
Coal still produces vast amounts of power in developing nations.

Remove those fuels suddenly and modern civilisation would grind to a halt.

Planes don’t fly on solar panels.
Container ships don’t cross oceans on wind turbines.
Steel plants and cement kilns cannot run on good intentions.

The reaction of the markets to the Iran crisis tells us something the climate narrative prefers to ignore:

Oil is still the lifeblood of the global economy.

And it will remain so for decades.

The Renewable Revolution That Wasn’t

None of this is to deny that renewables are growing. Governments have poured trillions of dollars into solar panels, wind farms, subsidies, and mandates.

But after all that investment, fossil fuels still supply the vast majority of the world’s energy.

The uncomfortable truth is that renewables have not replaced fossil fuels.

In many places they have simply been added on top of them.

When the wind stops blowing or the sun sets, the grid still relies on gas, coal, or nuclear power to keep the lights on.

The result?

Higher energy costs.

Across Europe and parts of the developed world, electricity prices have surged as governments attempt to force the transition faster than technology and infrastructure allow.

And who suffers the most?

Not wealthy activists.

The poor.

The Hidden Cost to Developing Nations

The push to rapidly abandon fossil fuels has had another damaging consequence: it has made energy more expensive for the countries that can least afford it.

Developing nations desperately need reliable, affordable power to lift millions of people out of poverty.

Factories. Hospitals. Water treatment plants. Transport systems.

All require energy.

Yet international financial institutions and climate activists increasingly pressure these nations not to build fossil fuel infrastructure.

In effect, the richest countries in the world are telling the poorest:

"You cannot use the same energy sources we used to become wealthy."

It is a policy that borders on moral arrogance.

The Climate Debate Needs Some Honesty

The climate debate has become dominated by apocalyptic language and unrealistic timelines.

We are told the world must abandon fossil fuels within a decade or face catastrophe.

Yet every real-world signal tells a different story.

Energy demand continues to grow.
Oil consumption remains near record highs.
Natural gas demand is expanding.
Coal usage in Asia continues to rise.

Even the most optimistic projections show fossil fuels remaining a major part of the global energy mix for many decades.

Pretending otherwise does not change physics, economics, or engineering reality.

A More Realistic Path Forward

None of this means innovation should stop.

Cleaner technologies should continue to develop.
Renewables will play a growing role.
Energy efficiency should improve.

But decarbonising a global industrial civilisation is not a ten-year project.

It is likely a century-scale transformation.

Until then, the world must prioritise energy reliability, affordability, and economic development.

And that means acknowledging an obvious truth.

The Reality Check

Every time geopolitical tensions threaten oil supplies, markets panic.

Not because traders are foolish.

But because they understand something the climate debate often ignores.

The modern world still runs on fossil fuels.

Until someone invents a scalable, reliable, affordable alternative capable of replacing them completely, that reality is not going away.

The sooner policymakers admit it, the sooner we can begin having an honest conversation about the future of energy.

And about how to manage climate risks without crippling the very economies that keep the world running.

Weekly Roundup - Top Articles and Commentary from Week 11 of 2026

 

Here are links to some selected articles of interest and our posts from this week.

• Iran War Reveals Where Everyone Stands
• International Law Is Not A Suicide Pact

• Bill Maher Drops Truth Bombs On The Left
  
• The Media's Moral Inversion
  
• New Hope For Those With Alzheimer's
  
• Iranian Woman Sends A Message to the American people, must see

• Oil Shock: The War That Just Exposed The Energy Fantasy
• A Goal For Freedom
  

We welcome all feedback; please feel free to submit your comments or contact me via email at grappysb@gmail.com or on X at @grappysb

New Hope For Those With Alzheimer's

For decades, Alzheimer’s disease has been treated as one of medicine’s most frustrating mysteries. Billions of dollars have been spent trying to remove the amyloid plaques that accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Yet despite enormous effort, the results have been disappointing. In fact, the overwhelming majority of Alzheimer’s drug trials—more than 99 percent—have failed to produce meaningful results.

But a new line of research is challenging the assumptions that have guided Alzheimer’s science for years.

Instead of focusing primarily on plaques, researchers are now looking at something deeper: the brain’s energy system.

A recently published study highlighted in the video below suggests that Alzheimer’s disease may be closely linked to a breakdown in the brain’s energy metabolism. At the centre of this discovery is a molecule called NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), a compound present in every cell of the body and essential for producing cellular energy. When NAD levels fall, cells struggle to generate the energy they need to function properly.

And that may be particularly dangerous in the brain.

The Alzheimer’s Paradox

One of the longstanding puzzles in Alzheimer’s research is that many people have large amounts of amyloid plaque in their brains yet remain cognitively normal. In fact, studies suggest that as many as 20–50% of people with significant plaque show no dementia symptoms at all.

Why?

The new research points to NAD as a possible explanation. People whose brains maintain higher NAD levels appear to be more resilient, continuing to think clearly even when typical Alzheimer’s pathology is present.

Remarkable Results in the Laboratory

To test this theory, scientists conducted experiments using established mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. As the disease progressed in these animals, their NAD levels steadily declined. But when researchers used a compound that boosts NAD production, the results were striking.

According to the study:

• Memory deficits were prevented and even reversed

• Learning ability improved

• Brain inflammation dropped

• The integrity of the blood-brain barrier improved

• Key markers of Alzheimer’s pathology were reduced

Even more surprising, these improvements occurred even when treatment was started at later stages of the disease, challenging the long-held belief that Alzheimer’s is inevitably progressive and irreversible.

What About Humans?

While animal studies don’t always translate directly to people, the researchers also examined human brain data. They found a similar pattern: individuals with Alzheimer’s disease tend to have significantly disrupted NAD metabolism, with lower production and higher breakdown of this key molecule.

In contrast, individuals with high plaque levels but normal cognition tended to maintain higher NAD levels, strengthening the idea that NAD may act as a kind of metabolic shield for the brain.

A New Direction in Alzheimer’s Prevention

Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of this research is that it points toward practical strategies that may help support healthy NAD levels. These include lifestyle factors already associated with good metabolic health, such as:

• Regular physical exercise

• Maintaining muscle mass and cardiovascular fitness

• Intermittent fasting or ketogenic metabolic states

• Reducing chronic inflammation

• Maintaining good sleep and nutrition

None of these are silver bullets. Alzheimer’s is a complex disease. But this research suggests we may have been focusing too narrowly on plaques while overlooking a more fundamental issue: the brain’s energy supply.

If these findings continue to hold up, they could open an entirely new frontier in Alzheimer’s prevention and treatment—one focused not simply on removing damage, but on restoring the brain’s metabolic resilience.

That’s a hopeful shift.

The video below explains this fascinating research in more detail.

VV

The Media's Moral Inversion

If you want to understand the strange moral fog that now hangs over much of the Western media, you need only watch the reaction to the recent military action against Iran’s Islamist regime.

Within hours of the strikes by the United States and Israel, much of the commentary class had reached its verdict. The headlines warned of “dangerous escalation.” Television panels spoke solemnly about the “risk of widening war.” Editorial writers fretted about the stability of the region.

What was strangely absent from this sudden outbreak of concern was any serious reflection on why the strikes occurred in the first place.

Just weeks earlier, the same regime had brutally crushed its own people. Iranian citizens protesting the tyranny of the Islamic Republic were met with bullets, prisons, and executions. Thousands were arrested. Many were murdered in the streets. Families still do not know where their sons and daughters have been taken.

Yet the reaction from many Western commentators was little more than a shrug.

No wall-to-wall coverage.
No anguished editorials about “escalation.”
No emergency television panels about the rights of Iranian citizens.

But the moment action is taken against the regime responsible for that brutality, suddenly the airwaves fill with concern.

Concern not for the victims.

Concern for the regime.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is not some misunderstood regional power. It is a revolutionary theocracy that has spent decades exporting terror, funding proxy militias, threatening the destruction of Israel, and suppressing its own population with extraordinary cruelty.

It has financed terrorist groups across the Middle East.
It has armed militias that attack American forces.
It has openly called for the annihilation of Israel.

And inside Iran itself, the regime rules through fear.

Women are beaten for showing their hair.
Students are jailed for speaking their minds.
Protesters disappear into prisons.

Most recently, the regime demonstrated once again that it will kill its own citizens to stay in power.

Yet when the United States and Israel act to confront that regime, many Western commentators suddenly rediscover their passion for peace.

The moral inversion is astonishing.

But perhaps the most revealing images have not come from television studios or newspaper columns.

They have come from the streets.

Across the Iranian diaspora — and even inside Iran itself — videos have appeared of people celebrating the strikes. Iranian expatriates waving flags. Crowds chanting in support of action against the regime. Messages of thanks directed to the United States and Israel.

For many Iranians, this conflict is not about geopolitics.

It is about liberation.

They know the regime better than any Western journalist ever will.

They have lived under it.

They have watched friends disappear into its prisons. They have watched daughters beaten by morality police. They have watched a once-great civilisation reduced to rule by clerical tyrants.

So when they see the regime finally challenged, their reaction is not horror.

It is hope.

And that is perhaps the greatest disconnect of all.

While many Western commentators lament the fate of the regime, many Iranians are quietly praying for its end.

History has a way of exposing moral confusion.

Sometimes it reveals who stands with freedom.

And sometimes it reveals who instinctively sides with those who crush it.

Here is how Iranians have reacted to the attack on the Islamist regime and the death of the Ayatollah inside Iran.

And around the world.