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Archive - Jul 2008

Date
Submitted by Guest Contributor on July 31, 2008 - 6:29am.
The new Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia
He's a product of a Jesuit school, he's been involved in Aboriginal legal aid and as a convenor of an Amnesty lawyers' group. As if that's not enough of a pointer, don't forget his involvement this month in striking down the World Youth Day regulations designed to prevent pilgrims being "annoyed". Compared with the cactus-like, dry-as-dust figures of recent elevation, this fellow is a positive orchid. (Richard Ackland)
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Submitted by peter hindrup on July 29, 2008 - 8:26pm.
Tortured doubts
Ministers and senior military officers are today challenged over discrepancies in evidence they gave to a parliamentary committee on the use of torture techniques by British troops in Iraq. (Robert Townsend)
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Submitted by Marilyn Shepherd on July 29, 2008 - 8:05pm.
Restoring integrity to Australia’s immigration system
In the future the immigration system will be characterised by strong border security, firm deterrence of unauthorised arrivals, effective and robust immigration processes and respect for the rule of law and the humanity of those seeking migration outcomes. (Senator Chris Evans)
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Submitted by Fiona Martin on July 29, 2008 - 7:25am.
Media Students & Webdiary?
Margo and I have been talking since the Byron Writer's festival last year about getting students involved in Webdiary - in writing,commenting and site building/maintenance. But this can only happen if the Webdiary community is willing to embrace it.
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Submitted by Richard Tonkin on July 29, 2008 - 1:16am.
Driven to desperation
As the drivers voiced their cry for help in Adelaide, and most capital cities, do you know what the employer of six of them did for daring to strike?  Sacked them! There's an old-fashioned ways of supporting strikers... pass the hat around.  Show that you understand.   Get your supplies in and don't go to the shops that are driving these people, and their families, into poverty.
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Submitted by Richard Tonkin on July 28, 2008 - 9:05am.
Welcome to Beijing
Without prior official permission, the following activities are prohibited: any kind of publicity, advertising, displays or collection of money; distributing sales promotion samples or merchandise with commercial logos; TV reporting or using professional recording equipment.
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Submitted by Paul Walter on July 27, 2008 - 12:13pm.
The death of Sunday and Newsweek
The death of Nightline and Sunday is a strange story, a saga of the deterioration of a once mighty media empire with current events appearing to be a late and inevitable consequence…
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Submitted by Malcolm B Duncan on July 26, 2008 - 5:51pm.
Own goal
I hope the dimwits in the National Party and the Liberal Party up there sent their sitting Senators off for health checks before they voted to amalgamate because, by convention, the Governor of Queensland is obliged to follow the advice of his Ministers.
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Submitted by Guest Contributor on July 26, 2008 - 5:29pm.
The Last Lecture
Remember, the brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough.(Randy Pausch)
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Submitted by peter hindrup on July 25, 2008 - 8:57pm.
Strategic alliance between Venezuela and Russia
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez met on July 22 in Moscow with his Russian counterparts President Dimitri Medvédev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The encounter was arranged to formalize a military and defense alliance between the two countries.
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Submitted by David Roffey on July 23, 2008 - 10:47pm.
Temperature
Temperature
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Submitted by David Roffey on July 22, 2008 - 8:57pm.
Climate Science for Dummies
If the mainstream science is wrong, we need to reduce GHG emissions even more than is currently planned. Simple really. Now let's get on with it.
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Submitted by John Pratt on July 22, 2008 - 11:59am.
Winning or losing the War on Terror?
The only way to win the “war on terror” is to be less willing ourselves to use terror to win a political victory. The war on terror will be won when all terrorists – including those financed by democratic governments – are brought to justice in the International Criminal Court.
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Submitted by Guest Contributor on July 18, 2008 - 1:34pm.
Something big is happening
If modern technology had been used to promote the ideas of liberty, free markets, sound money and trade, it would have ushered in a new golden age – a globalism we could accept. Instead, the wealth and freedom we now enjoy are shrinking and rest upon a fragile philosophic infrastructure. (Ron Paul)
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Submitted by Democratic Audit on July 18, 2008 - 11:55am.
Democratic Audit Update 18 July 2008
In this month's update: political donations and disclosures in Victoria, guidelines for federal government advertising, protecting whistleblowers in the Australian Government public sector, and the possible formation of a new national indigenous representative body.
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Submitted by Richard Tonkin on July 18, 2008 - 10:21am.
Parkin - Federal Court decision today
"If the discovery order is upheld, my legal team will be able to apply for access to the adverse security assessment and other documents. This could mean that I finally find out what I am alleged to have said or done to warrant my detention and forced removal from Australia in September 2005. "-  Scott Parkin UPDATE: Scott won.
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Submitted by Fiona Reynolds on July 17, 2008 - 12:18pm.
Those were the days, my friends ...
For the young at heart, and for those who can remember.
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Submitted by David Roffey on July 17, 2008 - 9:45am.
SMH: Pope drives across the water, sails over land ...
According to the Sydney Morning Herald's handy illustration on road closures for today, the Papal flotilla will sail across the Opera House forecourt, and then the motorcade will drive down the centre of the bay into Circular Quay. Should be worth watching them try ...
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Submitted by David Roffey on July 17, 2008 - 9:36am.
pope movements
pope movements
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Submitted by Richard Tonkin on July 17, 2008 - 2:37am.
Leap of faith
Why should any religion hold copyright on the intertwining aspects of human nature? Why should abilities that are disciplined and learned through the focus on a deity be disregarded (or worse) if they aren't developed or practiced as part of a "sanctioned" doctrine? There's lots of things people do that are regarded as inexplicable, and yet in our temples we're required to take a "leap of faith."
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Submitted by Malcolm B Duncan on July 15, 2008 - 5:26pm.
Analysis of Evans v State of NSW
So, by all means go out and be annoying but don’t be inconvenient or obstructive or threaten anyone. The decision is, in my opinion, apellable but we’ll probably never get to that because of the time constraints. Nevertheless, would you put it past this NSW Government to pass a new Regulation tonight?
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Submitted by Fiona Reynolds on July 14, 2008 - 10:30pm.
Fiona and Margo
Fiona and Margo
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Submitted by Richard Tonkin on July 14, 2008 - 3:43pm.
Fiona's Birthday Card
Soppy rhyme inside.  It needs a picture, if anyone's got one. Happy Birthday Fiona! (Oh yes, and Malcolm too!) Please sign!
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Submitted by Claude on July 14, 2008 - 3:24pm.
Claude's Pilgrim Diary
From here I can see St Mary’s and there are tents all over Hyde Park – looks a little like the Peasants Crusade. Now you might think I don’t know much about the Crusades but they are in the habit of reading Runciman out loud in this household.
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Submitted by Michael Park on July 14, 2008 - 3:02pm.
2008 National Wage Case: An extra $21.66 per week. ACCI shocked
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is, as I write, undergoing its annual tearing out of the hair and rending asunder of its opulent board room curtaining. Yes, you guessed it: the Australian Fair Pay Commission has ruled on the latest National Wage case.
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Submitted by Ian MacDougall on July 14, 2008 - 12:33pm.
The future of carbon
If carbon capture and storage is capable of any significant dampening effect on global warming, then the CO2 involved will inevitably be a resource of massive importance for the future inhabitants of the Earth. That in short, is the other side of the CO2 coin.
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Submitted by Bill Avent on July 14, 2008 - 10:51am.
What price a miracle?
There are some things which we are simply at a loss to explain. We may be well advised to look beyond attempts to explain and understand, and instead try to appreciate the mystery itself. The world is full of such mysteries.
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Submitted by Fiona Reynolds on July 12, 2008 - 6:23pm.
pope
pope
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Submitted by Fiona Reynolds on July 12, 2008 - 6:22pm.
pied piper
pied piper
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Submitted by Fiona Reynolds on July 12, 2008 - 5:14pm.
pope&pied piper
pope&pied piper
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