Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

"The world of depression is full of clichés and regrettably some of them are accurate. Clichéd and overused expressions like Denial, Avoidance and so many more. These clichés are reality during the process known as depression. Denial is what we all do when we first feel the symptoms of it. Avoidance is what we do to try and evade a deepening or reoccurrence of our low moods. We avoid people, places, songs, aromas, crowds, empty spaces. You name it and it will be a trigger for someone's depression..." Ross Chippendale

G'day. I got an email from a long-time Webdiarist today 'gobsmacked' by documents dragged out of the NSW Government which show its proposed desalination plant is, quite simply, not in the public interest. ... Scully has let the cat out of the bag, hasn't he? It's a classic case of the mess that results when the interests of government become merged with the interests of businesses.

Polls are, it might be said, what's left of American democracy. Privately run, often for profit or advantage, they nonetheless are as close as we come these days -- actual elections being what they are -- to the expression of democratic opinion, serially, week after week.

|| Peter Botsman on Labor, party democracy and Whitlam || Report on US forces in Europe || Boris Johnson on Bush and Aljazeera/Daily Telegraph || Rob Reiner says neoliberalism causes crime || Report on the clash of cultures within the EU || Mark Steyn in support of Conrad Black || Sean Carroll reviews books on space and hidden dimensions || AC Grayling on humanism and religion || Report on Buy Nothing Day ||

"Thirty-eight boxes of Government files on the desalination plant were released this week and the Greens, the Opposition, journalists and environment groups have found a wealth of evidence to confirm that a desalination plant is the wrong option to meet Sydney's water needs.... What the documents don't reveal is why the former Carr - and now Iemma - Government are pursuing the increasingly unpopular desalination option. In fact unpublished community surveys buried in the 38 boxes show that the people of Sydney want to do more to conserve water. In fact a clear majority want tougher water restrictions." Ben Oquist

"In the last few years, the Singapore Government has been very active in promoting to their own people that they should not forget their own Asian and Chinese values. They should not become too 'westernised'. In particular, they should appreciate, respect and 'look after' their own parents. If this is so, Singapore should spare Van's life for the sake of his mother and her suffering. Not for Van, not for Australia, or the Law, or human rights, international conventions etc etc. She has suffered enough." PF Journey

I got an email from a long-time Webdiarist today 'gobsmacked' by documents dragged out of the NSW Government which show its proposed desalination plant is, quite simply, not in the public interest.Scully has let the cat out of the bag, hasn't he? It's a classic case of the mess that results when the interests of government become merged with the interests of business.

"The notion that a politician could wrap up his time in public office in a book without amendment for how they might be regarded was inconceivable, before this one.  Mark Latham has not only (to use one of his own terms) pole-axed the Labor Party in The Latham Diaries, he has pole-axed along with the last of his public reputation that notion as well, at least for some time to come. But that seemed to be his intention. So why did he do it? The answer might be found in the great unspoken truth (by a serving politician) of the Australian political system - that it has been horribly reduced to falsity, treachery and showmanship - and that the media interface between that system and the Australian people, supposed to serve each of those, is even worse. Since his public regard was tied up in that mess, perhaps he considered it best to scuttle the lot of it." Robert Bosler