Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has sought to clarify his comments about farmers having the right to refuse coal seam gas miners access to their land, now saying it is a matter for the states.

Under law, minerals on private property are owned by the Crown and landholders are required to allow mining companies access for exploration or mining. The states administer the laws and glean royalties from mining.

In a radio interview on Friday Mr Abbott said: "If you don't want something to happen on your land, you ought to have a right to say no."

The 2012 Republican presidential debate in Ames, Iowa, Thursday night was exciting. Really.

Sure, it was a civil discussion between conservatives in nice-looking outfits. And it took place in the most midwestern of midwestern states – Iowans' insistence on maintaining an air of middle-class normalcy is almost fanatical. Still, the two hour-long affair sparkled, thanks to the event's co-host Fox News. If bad news is good news for television ("it bleeds, it leads"), however, then this bit of good news about Fox's performance is sure to be bad news for everyone – including the media organisation itself.

The climate sceptics can finally get excited about the 2012 election: Rick Perry, their candidate of choice, is about to officially throw his hat in the ring.

Perry calls global warming "all one contrived phony mess that is falling apart under its own weight." Unlike many of the other GOP presidential candidates, he hasn't expressed concern about climate change in the past, so he won't have to do any back-pedaling. Notorious climate denier Marc Morano is a big fan: "Based on climate views alone, anyone who is holding their nose voting for Mitt Romney because there's no other viable candidate will now rejoice to have an option with Rick Perry."

stuffed...

Rick Perry, one of the leading Republican contenders for the 2012 White House race, is under fire after organising a huge Christian evangelical rally at a football stadium in Houston, Texas.

Although he has not yet formally declared his intention to stand, Perry is in second place in some polls behind front-runner Mitt Romney. But critics say he is risking his reputation on Saturday's planned day of prayer and fasting that he has declared in response to the economic and moral crisis facing the country.

Lowering America’s War Ceiling?
Imperial Psychosis on Display
By Tom Engelhardt

Can a half-hour chat about God really warp children's minds? Listening to Australia's increasingly irate secularists, you could be forgiven for thinking so.

They have upped the ante in their war against ''special religious instruction'' in public schools, depicting it as the modern-day equivalent of a Christian crusade arriving on horseback to convert young Aussies to a lifetime of Bible-bashing. 

Critique of this rubbish follows:

This was expressed by Brendan O'Neill, a communist, an atheist (who must be getting old) in an article called: "A confident secularist society would tolerate school religion"

From Chris Floyd

So the deed is done. The "debt ceiling" crisis has been "resolved" by a further maniacal destruction of the commonweal, in a bipartisan pact that completely ignores the murderous imperial wars as the primary drain on the nation's treasury. As we noted here yesterday, the deal also sets up an unaccountable politburo (the special "Super Congress" committee) that will remove further coddling of the rich from the democratic process altogther.

Much of central and southern Australia has had its warmest end to July in decades, with the last few days of the month 3 to 8 degrees above average.

To get at least four days of this warmth at the end of July without a cool change is rare, Brett Dutschke, senior meteorologist at weatherzone.com.au said.

It hasn't happened in more than 100 years in some places, he said.

In each of the past four days, Adelaide reached 19 degrees and Hobart 15, their warmest end to July in more than 120 years of records.

Canberra also hit 15 degrees over four days, its warmest end to July in 36 years.

Melbourne had a top of 19 degrees yesterday and today's expected maximum is also 19.

Picture by Gus — dry river bed of a Finke River tributary, central Australia (Northern Territory) ...

Mr Nile also took aim at the Education Minister, Adrian Piccoli, who had refused to consider removing ethics classes because the government had given an election commitment.

''The impression I got was that [Mr O'Farrell] was unhappy with how the Education Minister had handled this,'' Mr Nile said.

In an indication the government has agreed to negotiate on issues other than ethics as part of the deal, Mr Nile says he is ''encouraged'' by discussions in the meeting about his other private member's bills.

Mr Nile, who has indicated a general willingness to support government legislation, has submitted 21 bills to the government.