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Yeah, sorry. My post used to make more sense, but I redacted it before sending. Anyway, just to show there's no hard feelings here's a link to the ABC story.

I find this surprising considering only very recently that Rudd wanted several government bodies to clear media releases, including research, with the PM's office.

I suppose we should be grateful for small mercies such as these.

Disclaimer: I am an Australian lefty.

Bob Hawke: ... The Australia Card legislation, which my Government sees as essential to our continued campaign both to finally eliminate tax evasion and fraud in this country and also to the elimination of welfare cheating.
.
.
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John Howard: When you realise that the assumption of the Australia Card legislation is that every Australian is a cheat, when you realise that it involves establishing a level of intrusion of a draconian kind into the day to day activities of many people and when people really read and understand the legislation, I believe that the support that some people feel, particularly in the ranks of the Government for this proposal, is going to disappear.

While neat, that's not exactly a nuclear reactor. Power source yes, rector no.

This is from 2001, and based on the size seems to be the same or very similar device: Japanese design, 6.5m high (21ft) and 2m in dia. (6ft). Doesn't mention Toshiba though.

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/stories/s352244.htm

I think that, even if the device is the size mentioned, it does not include everything needed for a fucntional system? Does it include the genrator system? What about waste heat disposal? 200KW is not a lot of power, of course, so it's possible everything is included. A diesel generator of the same capacity takes up about a third of that space, not counting fuel tank...
=Smidge=

Sugar (table sugar) is sucrose. Sucrose is 50% glucose and 50% fructose. Yup it is bad for you but only half as bad as fructose is. Try this link and click "Show Transcript":
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/healthreport/stories/2007/1969924.htm
The person relating this "Bunk" is Dr Robert Lustig, Professor of Pediatric Endocrinology, University of California, San Francisco

Don't believe it? Fine. Do what you want but I suspect in ten years this will be one of those things where everybody asks, "why were we doing that".

BTW - Go to the grocery store and check the different brands of mustard. About 2/3rds of them have fructose in them. The cheaper yellow mustards seem to be less likely to have fructose. Also some of the gourmet mustards are fructose free too.

Also http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1925888.htm

Science works, religion does not.

That's absolute bullshit. There's scientific research to say that religion works, bozo. A quick google showed this among many others:

Dr Richard Davidson, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the US, and his team, have examined the brain activity of eight longtime expert Buddhist practitioners, including monks, while they meditated on unconditional compassion, generating loving empathic thoughts toward all beings.
...
Intriguingly, the electrodes detected much greater gamma wave activity in the experienced meditators, and found that this was much better organised and coordinated than in the brains of the novice meditators.
...
The extreme gamma wave activity detected in this group has also been associated with weaving together far-flung brain circuits, suggesting higher mental activity and heightened awareness of those mental states most likely to bring happiness.

There are other studies that show that praying produces similar results, and other studies that show that regular attendance at religious gatherings such as church on Sunday are benificial for peoples wellbeing because they establish order and stability which in moderation are important for mental wellbeing. I couldn't be bothered looking them up, but from memory these things aren't hard to find.

Religion of most forms combines routine and meditation and these things are benificial. I'm not particularly religious, but I find your attitude offensive because you appear misconstrue science, which is a method of enquiry, into the worst distortion of a religion - a fanatical and blinkered belief system which is the only truth and must be blindly supported as one would support a football team.

I understand the context of your post, but there to say what you have said as an apparent endorsement of science is an insult to scientific discovery. Most scientific understanding of existence is based on models and these models are just that. Models. There is not necessarily such a thing as an atom, but experiments yield results which support the model called "atom" to a point that is useful. Perhaps, instead of saying god isn't real and insulting religious people, try seeing god as a model. As with the particle model and wave models of light, your model and the various religious models can coexist if you want them too. It seems you are happy to be yet another religious fanatic.

the US has lost, not almost lost. same as afghanistan. the problem with iraq is we can't win and we can get out.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/18/2094012.htm?section=world

Coalition 'cannot win' in Iraq or Afghanistan

By Graeme Dobell

Posted Sun Nov 18, 2007 12:06pm AEDT
Updated Sun Nov 18, 2007 1:25pm AEDT
War without victory? British soldiers patrol a street in Helmand, Afghanistan

War without victory? British soldiers patrol a street in Helmand, Afghanistan (Reuters: Ahmad Masood)

One of Australia's top defence experts says the United States-led coalition cannot win the conflicts in either Iraq or Afghanistan.

Here in Australia, the ABC just showed the conclusion to the two-part documentary "The Rise And Fall Of The Russian Oligarchs", which is precisely about the title.

It's fascinating viewing and this weeks episode detailed how the oligarchs put Putin into power, thinking he'd be their patsy like Yeltsin had been, and how he turned around and stabbed them all in the back.

For me, it has put the current situation in Russia into context. Not that I agree with all of what Putin is currently doing, but I suppose it is the realpolitik of the situation.

Not to mention about DNA damage that may be passed onto further generations! Interesting related story about Australian and New Zealand soldiers used as guinea pigs during nuclear testing can be see here http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s2084983.htm where they finally have proof about how messed up their DNA is.

Jerry Seinfield has said that comedy movies are really hard to do. Comedy should be prescribed in short doses (a transcript for this quote is not yet available but should be soon - http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/pastepisodes/date_2007.htm).
 
I loved the Futurama movie ... lots. I actually watched it in short bursts (not the episodic way that David describes) but because my girlfriend thinks it is stupid and she gets bored with it (yes, it could be the source of a breakup). I had to download it because it will be AGES before it comes to Australia, but will buy it when it does. I can't miss the episode of hypnotoad.

Also, triple J put up free music on their web site to download: http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/listen/mp3s.htm

In Australia we have projects like Triple J Unearthed which are funded by the government through the Australia Council for the Arts.

Triple J is the government funded national youth broadcaster, Unearthed has been running since 1995 and has discovered bands and artists such as Missy Higgins, Unpaid Debt, The Bumblebeez, Sick Puppies, Endorphin, Killing Heidi, and Grinspoon. And if you haven't heard of any of these, you might have heard of Silverchair.

Give some Aussie music a go and stream or download it.

I don't know too much about the rest of the world, but for new australian music downloads I go to

http://www.triplejunearthed.com/

and

http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/listen/mp3s.htm

Both sites are run by the local government (read tapayer) funded youth network radio station and aussie music rips the rest of the world to pieces.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/healthreport/stories/2007/1969924.htm

"The question is why does exercise work in obesity? Because it burns calories? That's ridiculous. Twenty minutes of jogging is one chocolate chip cookie, I mean you can't do it. One Big Mac requires three hours of vigorous exercise to work that off, that's not the reason that exercise is important, exercise is important for three reasons exclusive of the fact that it burns calories."

"Some people say, I've heard obesity experts say, well it's surprising that will all the ready availability of food that we're not fatter. In other words that we are actually controlling our appetite pretty well given that we've probably been evolutionary designed to eat anything that goes, and there's anything that goes all around us, so why aren't we actually fatter?"

"If you look at the Atkins diet, the Atkins diet was no-carb, high-fat, no-carb and it worked. We look at the Japanese diet, high-carb, no-fat, it also worked. When you put them together you get something called McDonalds and clearly that doesn't work. So the question is what is it about the Japanese diet, even though they eat all of this white rice, that still allows this phenomenon to be OK?"

Five sick children and how many of these have been sold world-wide? Millions? And people should know that the according to ABC News (Australia) the two children there "...swallowed large amounts of the beads...."

Read that again. "Large amounts." http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/06/2082480.htm

This is a case of mass hysteria. More children probably get hurt from falling off a bicycle or choking on their Fruit Loops.

News - out just today - tells of the Moss report into Australian press freedom.

Apparently, our governments are keeping tighter & tighter reigns on information,
not to protect intellectual property, but to preclude scrutiny by journalists
and public alike; cf:

  "Press freedom declining: [Moss report of its] audit"

  http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/05/2081787.htm

The Moss report itself ("Right to Know") is here:

  http://www.abc.net.au/news/opinion/documents/files/20071105_righttoknow.pdf

News - out just today - tells of the Moss report into Australian press freedom.

Apparently, our governments are keeping tighter & tighter reigns on information,
not to protect intellectual property, but to preclude scrutiny by journalists
and public alike; cf:

  "Press freedom declining: [Moss report of its] audit"

  http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/05/2081787.htm

The Moss report itself ("Right to Know") is here:

  http://www.abc.net.au/news/opinion/documents/files/20071105_righttoknow.pdf

It gets easier than that, if you drive a black car: just put little Canadian flags on it and no-one will stop you. An ID card with JOKE printed on it helps, too.

I'm old enough to remember when TV had none of that shit - just the show, on screen.

When networks started watermarking their programmes, some people yelled "Fuck that, it's terrible!", but most said "huh, who cares, it can't get any worse..."

When networks started using animated watermarks on their programmes, some people yelled "Fuck that, it's terrible!", but most said "huh, who cares, it can't get any worse..."

When networks started running advertising banners over their programmes, some people yelled "Fuck that, it's terrible!", but most said "huh, who cares, it can't get any worse..."

Now networks run advertising banners with sound over their programmes, some people are yelling "Fuck that, it's terrible!", but most are saying "huh, who cares, it can't get any worse..."

Makes you wonder how much worse the next thing is going to be...

(FWIW, in Australia banners w/sound are uncommon, but I have seen them. More interesting are the guidelines as to what does and doesn't constitute an ad; guidelines developed by the networks and defined by industry policy, not law, in our deregulated TV advertising market. For instance, provided something doesn't cover the full screen, it's not considered an ad.

I'm awaiting with dread the day of the 719x575 "banner", with a single pixel of programme content in the centre of the screen.

Next time I meet an advertising, branding, or commercial television executive, I'm going to punch them in the face as hard as I can. Sure, I'll get done for assault - but I imagine it'll be a most cathartic experience...

Oh, and Shaun Brown? I'm going to punch you twice...)

Well as for the scientific knowledge, it's not actually true that no one has researched this well. In fact research into the cellular mechanisms of radiation damage are a huge research field. Insects esp. cockroaches have all been studied, well perhaps not with the same zeel that we study/kill mice (mice are better human analogues than insects). Any way, a well worded google scholar search reveals some of the research, some of which is accessible without journal subscriptions. Please note that cockroaches are found to be some of the most radiation sensitive insects! Good Brief Summary: http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s1567313.htm Google Scholar Search: http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&client=safari&q=radiation+%22cockroach%22&btnG=Search

1. Your memory is flawed. A few magazines (Time and Newsweek) made a big deal about it, the same way they do about the "Summer of the Shark". That does not make it accepted science. Look to the journals themselves if you doubt me. (I hope you appreciate that it's difficult for me to "prove the negative" here—i.e., the absence of journal articles dealing with the topic.)
2. Here is one site that says 2005 tied with 1998. Here is one that says 2005 is the hottest. Here is NASA's site. The fact that you think it was "during the early 1900's, around the depression era" suggests you've either been (a) reading sites that spread disinformation, or (b) didn't understand that they were talking about US temperatures and not global temperatures. (The US record year happened during the dust bowl—not a coincidence, I'd guess. We've currently come within a couple hundredths of a degree of passing that record.)
3. The land bridge has to do with sea levels, not sea ice. As for the 20% figure, since you seem to doubt it, here's a site for that, as well. As for why the sea levels wouldn't have risen due to significant sea-ice melt, maybe it's because the ice was in the sea already? When an ice cube melts in a glass of water, it does not (significantly) raise the level of water in that glass. You're thinking of the ice melting off of land—e.g., Greenland or Antarctica.

Try the actual actual site, http://abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/ - the poll is classic. Video podcasts are here: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/vodcast/

Try the actual actual site, http://abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/ - the poll is classic. Video podcasts are here: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/vodcast/

Try the actual site http://abc.net.au/tv/chaser/ You can even podcast full episodes.

National broadcast and government funded media outlet the ABC also runs a show called "Media Watch" which focuses more on inept journalism, although The Chaser do punch holes in current-affairs shows like Today Tonight and ACA with style and grace. Media Watch even attack the ABC which is funny. Their shows can be watched at http://abc.net.au/mediawatch/

Yah this has more to do with your changing standard of living, don't you think? If you're pulling in, after taxes, ~$5k/month AUD that has got to be enough for a mortgage, car, utilities, retirement plan, etc. If it's not, then you're living beyond your means.

My new job (starting next Monday, w00t!) is paying about EUR 10,000 per month and half that would be more money than I would know what to do with. I only need a studio apartment and some Ikea furniture and I'm happy...if you can, maybe you should consider downshifting a bit.

Even if you think that, if it's not a bomb, why can't she be released? Why does somebody have to be held for carrying something that we thought was a bomb but turned out not to be? The situation is normal so everybody can go home, or am I missing something?

* Jupiter actually gives off more heat than it gets from the Sun. This heat comes from two sources - the slow collapse of the solid core, and the heat of decay from various radioactive trace elements. This energy appears as radiation, and as various radio signals. The radiation from Jupiter at close range is enough to kill an unprotected human within minutes.

"...we are far more capable of cleaning up after ourselves than anyone else. Whether we clean it up on someone else's soil is a different political matter."

That's why we need strong international treaties so that "western companies" using "western technology" for "western consumption" doesn't mean abandoning our so called "values" just because the country is politically weak and/or corrupt does not mean we have the right to disreard the health, lives and livelyhoods of an "ignorant peasant" population "over there somewhere".

Capitialisim is a GoodThing(TM) but some corporates and their political hand-puppets are simply running a sophisticated and ruthless protection racket. "Informed democracy" may be the best answer but since 9/11 I haven't seen much of that anywhere, and I have no idea what the stone age tribes in west papua would view "freedom via democracy" but they are in for a rude awakening over the next 10-20yrs as their massive and largely unexplored jungle vanishes before their eyes.

"I know this will sound overly American."

The US is the largest economy in the west so to some extent is used as a scapegoat, google for "shell nigeria" and you will find similar "crimes against humanity". IMHO: Bush & congress have taken an overly cosy relationship between bussiness and politics and turned it into an incestous one, not as bad as Putin perhaps but still people in glass houses and all that...

There are no intelligent creationists, but there are sane Christians. I'm a regular listener to Sunday Night Safran, a religious discussion program with an atheist and catholic priest hosting, who had a TV series before their radio stint called Speaking in Tongues. Anyway, if you can spare the time have a listen to John Safran interviewing Bishop John Shelby Spong (33mb download, interview at 50:05 onwards). He has restored my faith in sane Christians.

The Chaser played some really nice footage that they shot of the whole exercise. You can see the relevant segment from their website.

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/video/default.htm?program=chaser&pres=20070912_2100

They also provide the entire episode, an mp4 format file is also available.

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/vodcast/chaser_2007_ep15.wmv

The Chaser played some really nice footage that they shot of the whole exercise. You can see the relevant segment from their website.

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/video/default.htm?program=chaser&pres=20070912_2100

They also provide the entire episode, an mp4 format file is also available.

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/vodcast/chaser_2007_ep15.wmv

Here in Oz the search for a run of the mill tourist (who is presumed to be in mortal danger) gets similar effort to a missing prime minister, however the length and publicity of the search for a presumed body would seem to relate to your social standing, most "lost in the bush" searches are scaled back after a couple of weeks depending on the chances of survival - none are forgotten by the authorities. Judging by the intensity of the search for the missing English girl in Portugal I would say Europeans behave in a similar manner and I think many US citizens at least expect similar treatment in their own country.

Note: Because of the circumsatnces of his dissapearence Holt was presumed dead after two days and despite a long and expensive search for the body, it was never found (people get suspicious when a politician or a billionare dies and there is no body to burry). I live not far from where Holt went missing, but hundreds (if not thousands) of seals and the two ton white pointers that prey on them live closer.

Chaser gets away with all sorts of scary and unbelievably insulting stuff. It's the most refreshingly truthful stab at "normalcy" that is around at present in AU. I think there's much less reason to trust the common media than there is to trust Chaser in what they say - Chaser have invested in telling "the stupid truth" via bitter-sweet parody.

(Original sources, should contain podcasts of the segments being mentioned.)

ABC Chaser's War site:
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/

Chaser's War Video archive:
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/video/default. htm

Chaser's ongoing website:
http://www.chaser.com.au/

Chaser CNN takeoff series: (aged material)
http://www.cnnnn.com/

Oblig Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chaser

Chaser gets away with all sorts of scary and unbelievably insulting stuff. It's the most refreshingly truthful stab at "normalcy" that is around at present in AU. I think there's much less reason to trust the common media than there is to trust Chaser in what they say - Chaser have invested in telling "the stupid truth" via bitter-sweet parody.

(Original sources, should contain podcasts of the segments being mentioned.)

ABC Chaser's War site:
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/

Chaser's War Video archive:
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/video/default. htm

Chaser's ongoing website:
http://www.chaser.com.au/

Chaser CNN takeoff series: (aged material)
http://www.cnnnn.com/

Oblig Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chaser

They've been arrested and charged with "entering a restricted area without justification", under new laws created for APEC. Un-Australian is right.

Stop Posting youtube links!

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/vodcast/

There you go. Download all the episodes from the shows website. It works in Australia but I'm not sure how good you foregners will go though.

You can get entire episodes and many other videos at http://abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/

You can download a whole collection of podcasts of entire Chaser shows - from their website,
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/vodcast/,
including the latest from three days ago. In a week you will be able to download the episode which may include this APEC stunt.

Download the episodes from http://www.abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/int/vodcast/

It's an Australian production, it comes pre-stolen or what you foreigners call free. Click here to steal the episodes from their homepage.

You can podcast it from the ABC website.

Or you can just watch all the episodes here. Now the question is, will the US pressure AU to treat them as terrorists, etc., and put them away indefinitely and levy heavy sanctions against the ABC? They should just let this one fade away, the only result of something like this will be to get the Chasers more publicity. Which actually, can be a killer in the guerilla media style they emulate.