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Simply entertaining

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Princess Penny looses her cool;
Senator Wong has told small groups of chief executives from major power and other energy-intensive companies that the Rudd Government’s election promise of a renewable energy target was “not negotiable”. One of these meetings in Melbourne last Tuesday completely broke down, with Senator Wong reportedly furious at the way she was being treated by the eight business leaders present, telling them “you wouldn’t treat (former Treasurer) Peter Costello the way you are treating me”.
I wonder why? Could it be because Peter Costello would neither start a negotiation with a ‘this is not negotiable‘ statement nor would he have brought up the voodoo economics of carbon trading in the first place. Kevin Rudd is having all sorts of problems as the gilt tarnishes. In between shuffling piles of paper and spending days trying to justify his theory that watching something makes it cheaper he gives the troops, bound to support him, a morale building message.
Yesterday he said he accepted the consequences of his decision but, in a clear warning to disgruntled public servants, said he was aware some were finding their workloads “a bit much”. “I’ve simply got news for the public service – there’ll be more,” Mr Rudd said. The work ethic of this Government will not decrease, it will increase.”
I wonder what we are talking about here. Are the public servants just using their hours better or are they being forced to burn the midnight oil? The latter I would think. I’ve always been of the opinion that the Canberra bureaucrats have generally voted Labour and this makes me wonder what sort of discussions are going on around the water cooler today – could I suggest regret and remorse at least. Who leaked? We don’t know yet but Kevin has ordered the AFP to investigate the matter. It is reasonable to assume that some disgruntled public servant is guilty but Kevin wants to hope for exactly that outcome. The other choice would be a disgruntled cabinet minister or staffer and that would bode very poorly for a new government. THE indigenous people of South Australia’s remote desert country cast their vote on Jenny Mackin’s plan for the disadvantaged Australians.
In a new slap in the face for federal and state Labor, a meeting of more than 100 Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara residents asked Mr Brough to be their agent in dealing with both the federal and state governments.
And the elephant in the room? The words ‘Unions’ and ‘Strikes’ are starting to get more air time. All you young 30 somethings that voted for Rudd should get used to government under labour and all it’s entertainment value. Enjoy it while it lasts
Politics

But who is leaking?

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FuelWatch warnings ‘ignored’. I’m not surprised that the Rudd government comes up with shaky plans to convince people that they actually have the power, and more importantly, the ability to bring down fuel prices but I am surprised that someone is leaking the negative reports. Only 6 months into the Rudd government and people are ratting on them – maybe even their own people. The mind boggles.
Politics

Aborigines ‘don’t know rape is illegal’

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According to Richard Trudgen, CEO of the Aboriginal Resource and Development Services (ARDS)
In a report titled An Absence of Mutual Respect, researchers spoke to Yolngu people from a cross-section of the community, including interpreters, locals and community leaders. They were quizzed on the 30 most commonly used English legal words such as bail, commit, arrest, charge and guilty.
95% of the people questioned didn’t know the meaning of the words.
This can lead to “quite devastating consequences”, said Mr Trudgen, who referred to the case of an elder who had asked him if rape was illegal. “When I said yes, he told me `none of our young people know that’.
So on this flimsy anecdotal evidence Aborigines don’t understand the concept of rape. I’ve been amongst the Yolgnu people of Arnhem Land and this conclusion is bullshit! Every society protects it’s women to some degree and all know that taking a woman against her will is simply not on and deserves punishment, legal or not. They may not know what bail, commit, arrest, charge or guilty means but they know what violence means. Bloody apologists
Uncategorized

Pornography or Art?

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The art world are releasing a flood of words that seek to justify Bill Hensen taking and displaying photos of nude girls. Others are shouting ‘Pornography’ and even Rudd doesn’t like the pics (or he sees some votes in taking a public stand against them)
……Prime Minister Kevin Rudd described the works as “revolting” and devoid of artistic merit, the art community has come out strongly on the side of Henson, rejecting the accusation that his works are pornographic.
Put simply, it is morally wrong and illegal to take photos of naked children and display them. Calling it art doesn’t change the law or nullify the moral status and anyone suggesting that it does is simply giving us an insight as to why there is a disconnect between artists and the rest of us. The fact that Hensen might be charged and that commentators have suggested it would be difficult to gain a conviction likewise doesn’t change the status of the act; it simply reflects on a legal system that places legal point and counterpoint above justice. More poor taste in a poor taste week UPDATE: ACTRESS Cate Blanchett and other prominent Australians who attended Kevin Rudd’s 2020 Summit have backed controversial photographer Bill Henson, saying charging him would damage Australia’s cultural reputation. Well they would, wouldn’t they? It’s their style.
The letter, whose signatories also include writer Peter Goldsworthy, playwright Michael Gow, journalist and broadcaster Marieke Hardy, film maker Ana Kokkinos and economist Saul Eslake, said Henson was being subject to trial by media.
The Art world stand just doesn’t make sense to me. If I, or even Cate Blanchet had nude photos of children on our respective computers we could be charged with an offence if the pics were discovered. It’s not about art, censorship, trial by media or us terrible conservatives getting our way and I don’t care if Bill gets charged or not but I do care that we apply the same standards of law right across society. It is simply about the law.
General Musings

In poor taste

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THE Defence Department is investigating allegations that television celebrity Tania Zaetta had sex with Australian special forces soldiers during a recent tour of war-ravaged Afghanistan. So what? The lady’s behavior isn’t in question; it is the ethics and poor manners of those who reported the alleged incident, with name, to the Defence Minister and those who then released it to the media. Opposition defence spokesman Nick Minchin, who travelled on a transport aircraft with Zaetta and Anderson during the tour, has demanded an explanation from Mr Fitzgibbon. He says;
DEFENCE Minister Joel Fitzgibbon must apologise for the “gross” and “extraordinary” invasion of entertainer Tania Zaetta’s privacy after claims she had sex with Australian troops reached the media.
I agree and wait with baited breath for Fitzgibbon to make amends to the lady in question. I watched the Australian Story on ABC and was moved by these young guys and girls doing their bit for the morale of the troops. Conversely, I noted in the show that there were entertainers who declined to volunteer to join the entertainers for ideological reasons. If there is any naming to be done then maybe we could have the names of these bastards who have insulted our troops rather than naming of someone involved in a rumour. UPDATE: This entire event happened on Fitzgibbon’s shift but when called to task and asked for answers he has this to say in a Defence Media email release;
The Opposition Spokesman for Defence Senator Nick Minchin’s attempts to play politics with what at this stage is an allegation only has dragged the state of the Liberal Party to new lows.
Nick is not ‘playing politics’ with the allegation; he is questioning the release of the details of the allegation to the media. Just answer the questions, Minister. He goes on to make sure we know it’s not his fault;
The Minister has formally asked Defence for a review of the process which determines how ‘Hot Issues Briefs’ are generated and how widely they are distributed. He has also asked what measures are in place to test the necessity of using names in such briefs. Further, the Minister has directed that an inquiry be held into how this particular Brief came to be made public.
I look forward to the answers.
Defence

Kangaroo culls

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Pat O’Brien, the leader of the anti Kangaroo cull in Canberra claims kangaroos are already being culled and that it would only cost $750,000 to move the roos elsewhere. There are a bout 400 roos in the area so they are suggesting the country spend $1875 per roo to fix the problem. Yeah right! I figure one round per roo couldn’t cost much more than a few bucks and the problem is solved. If we never culled any roos we would be overrun by them, farmers would be in dire troubles and the panel beating industry would be on a winner. The video below has O’Brien explaining how Steve Irwin (now the zoo itself) is funding his anti-kangaroo cull. The video shows O’Brien living in a house owned by the Irwins and goes into details of how he just has to ask and $2,000 a day barristers are paid for by the Zoo. He submits a monthly budget and the money is there just three days later. I have no problem with the Australian Zoo doing there bit for wildlife but some common sense wouldn’t go astray. Helping endangered species would be a start – maybe they could spend a bit of their money culling the feral cats that are putting dozens of species on the endangered list or even helping to protect the bilby but to spend money trying to stop roo culling is pure activist idealolgical bullshit. Wasting money on a waste of time. I know who I’d be culling.
Uncategorized

Badcoe’s VC for auction

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This from today’s Australian. FOUR weeks ago, auction house chairman Tim Goodman received a call from a wealthy client in the US. The businessman, a passionate military memorabilia collector, had learned that medals and frontline archival material belonging to Australian army Major Peter Badcoe, who was killed in action in Vietnam in 1967, would feature in Bonhams and Goodman’s May auction, to be held in Sydney on Tuesday.
The collector told Mr Goodman he intended to bid for the Badcoe collection, which includes the only Vietnam War VC medal still in private hands and awarded to Major Badcoe posthumously. The estimated price for the collection, which also features the US Silver Star with Oak Leaf and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, Gold Star and Silver Star as well as 37 letters, photographs and audio recordings the major sent to his family, is about $400,000-$600,000.
I’ll watch this one with interest. Will the government help or will private enterprise act to keep the collection in Australia. Kerry Stokes please note
Vietnam

Blogging break

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I’m off to the RGH Greenslopes to have a femoral artery rebore so will be otherwise involved for a week. By the time I get back Wayne Swan will have done his part in stuffing the economy as he builds up reasons for a conservative come-back. Is the honeymoon over? I note Denis Shanahan pens a negative report on the Rudd government.
LABOR’S industrial relations changes are likely to trigger job losses and higher inflation that will ultimately create “wage-price spirals” and drive up interest rates, according to Treasury’s official analysis of the plan to scrap Work Choices.
And that’s before we delve into the Unfair Dismissal laws. Wage increase can’t flow on: Gillard. But they will Julia, the union power play/you owe us, Rudd approach to fiscal conservatism is about to roll over us. I’m reading books all week in hospital and will wait and see what come out in the wash next week.
General Musings, Politics

Digger killed in Taliban clash

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AUSTRALIAN troops are believed to have been involved in a Taliban attack in Afghanistan, resulting in casualties including the death of a soldier. The Australian Defence Force will hold a media briefing at 7.30am (AEST) today to provide details on the incident believed to involve casualties from a Taliban attack. UPDATE An Australian special forces commando has been killed and four others have been wounded in a firefight with Taliban militants near the Australian base in the southern Oruzgan Province. Twenty-seven-year-old Lance Corporal Jason Marks was killed last night (Afghan time) during an attack on a Taliban position 25 kilometres south of the Australian base at Tarin Kowt. Lance Corporal Marks was a father of two who was born in Broken Hill in the far west of New South Wales and was raised in Yeppoon in Queensland. Source ABC News The report continues;
Defence Force head Air Chief Marshall Angus Houston said Lance Corporal Marks was part of a Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) platoon which was leading a company-level “deliberate assault” at the time of the firefight. He said they were attacked while they were out in the open and preparing for their own assault on the Taliban.
Likely translation. The guys were involved in a Company Attack and were caught moving to or from the FUP
Defence, War on Terror
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