Friday 29th of March 2024

a rat's fart...

climate change

Climate policy won't affect power prices: Abbott

Federal Opposition leader Tony Abbott says he can guarantee electricity prices will not rise as a result of the Coalition's climate change plan.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is chairing a Federal Cabinet meeting today and is expected to release her new climate change policy within days.

The Government has indicated it will outline a new plan to reduce carbon emissions after its emissions trading scheme was shelved.

an opinion about beliefs...

politics and religion...

A fourth argument holds that women wear the burqa only because they are coerced.  This is a rather implausible argument to make across the board, and it is typically made by people who have no idea what the circumstances of this or that individual woman are.   We should reply that of course all forms of violence and physical coercion in the home are illegal already, and laws against domestic violence and abuse should be enforced much more zealously than they are.

...

the real price of phoney foreign policy …..

the real price of phoney foreign policy .....

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the latest loss increased the determination of the soldiers serving in Afghanistan to get the job done.

"There will be Australians today who are asking themselves in the face of this loss why as a country do we continue to pursue our mission there." she told reporters in Darwin, ahead of the funeral of one of three Australian soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan last month.

"We pursue that mission because Afghanistan is a safe haven for terrorists.

"I believe Australia, while mourning these losses, will understand our continuing determination."

gathering small minds .....

gathering small minds .....

NSW Origin great Steve Mortimer has nominated former prime minister John Howard for preselection as the inaugural leader of rugby league's independent commission.

Howard had previously been mentioned as a candidate for league's soon-to-be top job, but he was nominated by Cricket Australia and its New Zealand counterpart as their choice to ultimately head the International Cricket Council.

That, however, has turned into a diplomatic nightmare after the sport's dominant Afro-Asia bloc ambushed his nomination for reasons it has refused to divulge. One theory is that he would shine an unwelcome light on the sport's murky areas. Howard has refused to withdraw his candidature.

and how was your week .....

and how was your week .....

The drug company Pfizer is best known for Lipitor, a drug that brings cholesterol down and Viagra, a drug that brings other things up.

But the "world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company" which sits between Goldman Sachs and Marathon Oil on the Fortune 500, is also closely associated with a seemingly never-ending series of scandals.

the great stupid …..

the great stupid …..

The Obama administration has revealed to the public, during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington, a series of understandings between the two countries on Israel's policy of "nuclear ambiguity" - which to date had been kept under wraps.

At the center of these understandings lies an Israeli veto on the holding of an international conference for a nuclear-free Middle East, as well as an unprecedented American willingness to cooperate with Israel in the field of nuclear power for civil use.

new orstralyens …..

new orstralyens …..

from Crikey .....

Lessons in History: asylum seeker fear is in the fabric of our nation

Mike Stuchbery, a Melbourne author and teacher, writes:

resurrecting rattus .....

resurrecting rattus .....

from Crikey .....

Battle for Melbourne: how Gillard's tougher solution will play in the city

Andrew Crook writes:

"aussie tony" & the importance of appearances .....

"aussie tony" & the importance of appearances .....

Ever since a group of ordinary people from more than 40 different countries came together and set sail for Gaza have we seen various world leaders scramble to persuade Israel to lift the blockade on Gaza. Why? To honour the memory of those martyred by Israeli soldiers who shot nine unarmed peace activists at virtually point-blank range? Hell no!

a war on ourselves .....

a wae on ourselves .....

Dr. Ron Paul is a Republican member of Congress from Texas.

Statement in the House on funding the war in Afghanistan, July 2, 2010

In January 1991, we went to war in the Middle East against Saddam Hussein, Iraq's dictator who was our ally during the Iran-Iraq war. A border dispute between Kuwait and Iraq broke out after our State Department gave a green light to Hussein's invasion.

misunderstanding...

settlement...

 

Israel's prime minister is flying to Washington DC for talks with the US president as the two leaders look to downplay reported tensions between the allies over Israeli plans to build housing settlements in occupied East Jerusalem.

Barack Obama will host Binyamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, with discussions expected to focus the deadly raid on an aid flotilla, the blockade of Gaza, talks with the Palestinians, Israeli settlements and Iran.

lost & found .....

lost & found .....

from Crikey .....

Found in my letterbox today a Liberal pamphlet spruiking Tony Abbott and 'Bennelong is my second choice' Liberal Candidate John Alexander. The set photo shot has the two of them pointing at a map of the Bennelong electorate.

Such a shame that the focus of both their attention is an area outside the electorate -- if fact if you look closely enough the two of them seem to pointing at an area inside the seat of Bradfield.

And yes, can it be?

They seem to have spotted Wolseley Road in Lindfield - where I understand Alexander still resides, despite promises at his pre-selection that he would move into Bennelong.

 

meanwhile in the greasepan...

oilsubsidies
As Oil Industry Fights a Tax, It Reaps Billions From Subsidies

By DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI

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