More than 2,600 housing units are under construction in West Bank settlements, including units in more than 1,000 new buildings, Peace Now contends in its semi-annual report. Read more »
The NSW LIberals look to block the Iemma Government's plans to privatise the state's electricity industry. This will force the Premier to back down from the proposal as he does not have support within his own party for privatisation in the lower or upper house. Iemma has been forced to rely on opposition support for the sale after up to 12 lower house Labor MPs and six upper house members, threatened to cross the floor. Read more »
There were three simultaneous tasks awaiting her when she walked out on stage in her tangerine pants suit.
She had to dispel any notion that she was not now solidly with Barack Obama. Any sign of doubt would fuel efforts by the Republicans to chip away at his support and legitimacy as the Democratic nominee. Read more »
In the weeks before Christmas last year, a brigade of battle-bruised soldiers left Colorado's Fort Carson for its third round of war in Iraq.
Sgt. Colin Barton was getting Botox shots in his forehead to kill the relentless pain from a brain injury. Army doctors said he should not wear a helmet - a safety requirement for the flight to Iraq. The Army sent him anyway. Read more »
At one stage, having read a lecture by Mark Davis in Overland, I thought his new book was going to be an update of Gangland. Read more »
“The rich beauty of Dr. James Orbinski’s writing contrasts with the stark poverty and suffering of the people he has served. . . . This book exposes truths most of us would rather not know. Do not put it down. . . . See who you become after reading it.” Read more »
With the Olympics out of the way and less than a fortnight to go until polling day, the Western Australian election campaign is on in earnest. The official Liberal campaign launch was held on Sunday – footage of Colin Barnett’s speech can be viewed here, but it doesn’t convey the highly Americanised razzamatazz that dominated [...]
Among the many bills the Coalition are committed to opposing in the new Senate is the legislation to change the threshold where a higher level of Medicare levy cuts in for those who don’t have private hospital insurance from 50k to 100k. The bill, introduced in May, was referred to the Senate Economics Committee which held extensive hearings and took submissions. The report [link to pdf] is out in time for the Senate’s spring sitting. Read more »
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Dear Pelican
Kathleen Miller
.............................. Read more »
The mainstream media vs blogging (yes, the debate rages on.)
Why can’t we all just get along?
In The Weekend Australian I wrote that many false claims are made about the state of our environment on an almost daily basis but because most Australians are illiterate when it comes to science and maths, they are mostly just accepted. My first example was eastern Australian rainfall and the claim that the east coast of Australia has suffered declining rainfall, a claim first made by Sir Nicholas Stern in his influential report to the British Parliament. Read more »
If I sold a kidney and a half and in an orgy of vain materialism bought this car(a BMW 135i, coupe of course), would I become a BMW driving wanker? It's cheaper than an Audi RS4... Read more »
So I’ve had my scan. The young girl said I wouldn't feel anything. But I did. So, what did it feel like? Read more »
Exclusive Brethren cult-leader Bruce Hales in an old family photo.
Screw the people, share the loot: the west's solution for Zimbabwe?The Federal Government and Opposition joined forces in the Senate today to block Greens' Senator Christine Milne's motion to release documents related to the Gunns Pulp Mill under Freedom of Information.
"It is pretty obvious that the release of these documents would add to the pressure on Gunns in their dealings with stakeholders and the public and I am disappointed that Labor and the Coalition have determined not to allow the public to see this document," Senator Milne said. Read more »
(But you'll have to click it to see it . . . damn WordPress)
(From a 2006 JREF thread featuring world-renowned net.kook David Mabus.) Read more »
On my evening walks I see the same regular batch of fellow walkers striding along. They're far more hard core than me. They have proper walking clothes, their strides are more purposeful, and indeed some of them "run". They remind me of the hard core bike riders who wear all the sprayed on clobber, which I think is more an attention seeking device - for the men at least - so the chicks will dig their Spinal Tap esq man packages snuggly protruding into the world in the manner of a rangy male ballet dancer. Read more »
It has been a bad week for those who still believe that Afghanistan constitutes the altruistic and winnable battlefront of the 'war on terror'.
The agony and the ecstasy of politics is being played out in exquisite detail in NSW as we move towards the end game of Morris Iemma's bold plan to privatise the state's electricity assets.
Political aficionados are in heaven. Macquarie Street is dominated by one question: "Will Barry back it?" Read more »
Yesterday Imre Salusinszky ran a piece arguing that NSW Liberal leader Barry O’Farrell would never be stupid enough to try and block Morris Iemma’s legislation…
Costa the political thug, the ultra bully, has been sprung according to The Sydney Morning Herald yesterday.
Too busy lately, to notice that I passed my fifth blogday last Saturday.
Time sure flies in this quiet little corner of cyberspace.
Thank you to my faithful little band of readers - I don't know why you keep coming back but I appreciate that you do (all two of you): talking to myself can get monotonous. Read more »
Lexicographer supreme Erin McKean, whose wonderful work has been discussed on LP previously, argues in the Boston Globe that, in the words of Boing Boing, English is a user-modifiable technology. We should forget “I’m not sure if this is a real word”, she urges: Read more »
That’s twice today that words have failed me.
Suspended sentence over sex with 12yo
(Emphasis is mine.)
A 24-year-old man who had his first sexual relationship with a 12-year-old girl has been given a suspended jail sentence in the District Court in Adelaide.
The man, who cannot be identified, pleaded guilty to three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a person under 14.
Read more »
The Lowy Interpreter is the blog for one of Australia’s leading think-tanks, the Lowy Institute. Read more »
Those who say they accept the general consensus about the threat of rapid and serious climate change but pretend we can prevent it without major and rapid changes to our lifestyle are the real climate change deniers. Read more »
Rap group call for the death of Bill O’Reilly
East Coast Avengers have outraged the right-wing blogosphere with lyrics such as ‘I’d rather kill your family in front of you by lunch time’
Steven Wells
guardian.co.uk
August 19, 2008 Read more »
I spent three or four hours in the Pepsi Center this evening listening to the Convention proceedings. The size of the whole production continues to impress. Down on the floor, delegates shuffle around like worker bees on a honeycomb. Rising up the steep sides of the arena are rows of seats, hospitality suites and skyboxes, of varying levels of prestige. Read more »
It takes at most a working day to get a response from the federal parliament when making a submission. A MANUAL response from ag.gov.au to my submission took less than 10 minutes. And there ain’t no response from Victorian parliamentary committees yet - not even an autoresponder.
But then, they didn’t get back to me when the water inquiry opened for submissions in July…. even though the folk doing admin for the enrc promised to (2008-05-26, Message-ID: OFD2489B06.0CE8BC76-ONCA257454.007C55CE@parliament.vic.gov.au). Read more »
Today, without intention, I was the man in black. Black shoes, pants, shirt.
I saw two of the delightful over the partition ladies were also wearing all black so I ran over to show off my equally themed duds.
I had been using my MP3 player with my stay-at-work headphones - big fuck off 'don't bother me I am working' black efforts that look like the subleader of the cybermen's headgear from 80's Dr Who. Read more »
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE: TAKE NOTE OF ANSWERS
Climate Change
Speech Read more »
The appalling war in the Caucasus is the subject of an article "Barriers are steep and linguistic" by Ellen Barry in the New York Times, 24/8/08 [thanks Philip!]. Read more »
When revolutions, Marxist, nationalist, religious or what have you burned across the post World War II world some dodgy renaming occurred for their militaries. Yes, I fully understand the need to rip away a Royal appellation when you're done gone and republicized but the Democratic People's blah of blah de blah blah doesn't really roll off the tongue.
Check out this effort for Iran Read more »
Who has come out of the naming cupboard and re-burst onto the blogging scene with a spanking new blog.
Of course she'll still always be MB to me, but nonetheless Michelle is kewl too.
Kudos Michelle!
Who I admit freaked me out when she commented earlier because she was using MB's graphic.
OK, so it's called an "inaugural speech" in these politically correct times.
See it here from Hansard 20 August 2008 and I've pasted it below. Well constructed, evocative to a point, but no surprises. I wish her well. Read more »
The Australian Greens have called on Environment Minister Peter Garrett to use his existing powers to protect Queensland beautiful Shoalwater Bay from the environmentally destructive Waratah Coal mine, pipeline, rail and port facility.
Greens Senator Christine Milne said the $5.3b. Waratah Coal project was projected to produce 50 million tonnes of coal per annum from an area 20 kms from Byfield town, linking by rail to a proposed port wholly located within a RAMSAR-listed wetland in Shoalwater Bay. Read more »
The Fin Review reported yesterday that a host of resource company execs are descending on Canberra on Friday for a pow wow with Martin Ferguson. Initially this meeting was being presented as a way of circumventing the BCA, who released a doom and gloom laden report last week basically threatening a capital strike. But it’s now clear that it’s nothing of the sort, as Marn’s department have also sent the BCA an invite. Read more »
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