In the wise words of Groucho Marx: “He may look like an idiot & talk like an idiot, but don’t let that fool you. He really is an idiot.”

from Crikey ...

Set aside two minutes to read this and watch a 20 minute video. It will truly astonish you, no matter how cynical you may be when it comes to the so-called ‘war on terror’, Iraq, Syria and many other conflicts around the world.

“Russia suspected of election scheme. U.S. probes plan to sow voter distrust.”

In December 2013, Joe Hockey declared on the 7:30 report, “There’s no free lunches from government.  The days of just handing out cash and helicoptering money out is just not possible.”

What part have newspapers played in the demise of our democracy? There was a time in my life when to miss reading The Age daily would bring on symptoms of withdrawal. Newspapers have been part of my daily life for as long as I can remember. I purchased them for reasons of a desire to be informed. To understand what was going on around me. To shape a world view.

Where the Rod Laver Tennis Centre now stands, in Melbourne, the area was once occupied by massive Elm trees under which fierce political debates once took place. Rather like Hyde Park in London. It was there that as a teenage boy I spent many a Sunday afternoon. Politics has been for most of my life something that sort of ties things together. Other than what one might do in bed I can think of little that politics doesn’t invade in one way or another.

blaming other for democritical fucups with intent...

To the politicians of Australia,

Let’s simplify the debate here.

Hundreds of thousands of unemployed people just want a chance to work.

It is a crisis when almost a third of young Australians are either out of work, or without enough work, writes Leon Moulden.

More sensitive than we thought

The new paper recalculates this sensitivity again — and unfortunately the results aren't in our favour. The study suggests that stabilisation of today's CO2 levels would still result in 3-7C warming, whereas doubling of CO2 will lead to 7-13C warming over millennia.

The Turnbull government would have us believe that they have been successful in job creation – it’s their mantra – but a closer look at the figures suggests otherwise.

US President Barack Obama made his eighth – and final – address to the United Nations General Assembly this week. What a relief, not to be subjected to any more florid speeches filled with vacuous, psychopathic lies.

Our politicians have sold our country out from under the feet of the citizenry. We are no longer even the primary audience that our politicians are worried about. Policies are now crafted to be suitable to the Murdoch and Fairfax organisations and the big end of town. Exclusively. Common sense does not matter. Nor do Aussie citizens.