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One of the big problems with the use of adult stem cells has been the difficulty in obtaining them in large quantities. The Catalyst television show last week described a process that has been developed to efficiently do this. It involves tagging the stem cells using antibodies, and attaching magnetic beads to the antibodies. A magnet is then used to extract the stem cells. In the procedure being described, the stem cells are then injected directly into healthy tissue, with the hopes that they will take on the characteristics of the healthy tissue, and replace nearby diseased or dead tissue. I would expect that the cells can also be used to regrow 3D tissue structures.

After all, we are told that the current Iraqi government likes the US/Australian forces, and that "we are on their side".

What are the facts:

How many WMDs have been found?

What concrete evidence of Al Qeada working with Saddam is there?(i.e. devout [and probably misguided] Muslims dealing with Atheist Comunists Barthists)

How many US civilains were killed in 9/11?

How many US Military have been killed in Iraq?

How many Iraqis were killed in 9/11?

How many Iraqi civilians have died in Iraq since the invasion by the "Coalition of the Willing"?

How many of those were at the hands of US or Australian forces?

I have yet to see any really good answers to any of these questions except 2.

But I, like most Slashdotters, live in the U.S., and here Calculus is only taught at the better high schools. I very much doubt the the U.K. is any better.

John Bolton: There is no United Nations. There is an international community that occasionally can be led by the only real power left in the world, and that's the United States. When it suits our interest, and when we can get others to go along. The United States makes the U.N. work when it wants to work, and that is exactly the way it should be, because the only question, the only question for the United States is what's in our national interest. And if you don't like that, I'm sorry, but that is the fact.

Stan Correy: John Bolton is now the US Ambassador to the United Nations, an organisation he's publicly disdained for almost 30 years.

John R Bolton may be called 'the ugly American' and be widely disliked, yet his pivotal role as US Ambassador to the UN makes him extraordinarily powerful and important in world affairs. Obsequious, arrogant, doctrinaire and above all, Americanist - but no fool, neocons hope he may save the Bush administration.

John Bolton: There is no United Nations. There is an international community that occasionally can be led by the only real power left in the world, and that's the United States. When it suits our interest, and when we can get others to go along. The United States makes the U.N. work when it wants to work, and that is exactly the way it should be, because the only question, the only question for the United States is what's in our national interest. And if you don't like that, I'm sorry, but that is the fact.

Stan Correy: John Bolton is now the US Ambassador to the United Nations, an organisation he's publicly disdained for almost 30 years.

John R Bolton may be called 'the ugly American' and be widely disliked, yet his pivotal role as US Ambassador to the UN makes him extraordinarily powerful and important in world affairs. Obsequious, arrogant, doctrinaire and above all, Americanist - but no fool, neocons hope he may save the Bush administration.

...I distinctly remember seeing this idea on "The Inventors" on ABC (Australia) TV in 1974 or thereabouts. Back yard inventors would submit their inventions to a panel of experts who would opine on the invention's commercial prospects. BTW the show is still around .

:D in past it has only been applied to animals, i think this is a first for decoding human thought patterns. Apparently i wasn't the only one jealous of the mouse that could control his water with his mind. However please take note ... This first phase of the project was controlling the animals long before we could read their minds :o ... i'm hoping no mind control stuff comes to humans :p but atleast it is a reward based control rather than punishment. Artificial bliss doesnt sound all that bad, probably addictive though (but who isnt addicted to bliss). I hope Sanjiv K. Talwar gets the deserved credit. super mouse: http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s948847.htm remote control mouse: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/05/05 01_020501_roborats.html

In Australia, the [Chinese, as it happened] researcher,
who felt compelled to blow-the-whistle on her research-
head (for apparently not performing several experiments
reportes as if they'd been performed, etc) the whistle-
blower suffered, but the "bad guy" still has his job at
University of NWS & may still be involved in scientific
reseach there...

BACKGROUND:

2002: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/ss/stories/s53140 6.htm

"Scientific & Financial Misconduct [re: Professon Bruce Hall at UNSW in Australia]

The Science Show - Broadcast Saturday 13/4/2002

Summary:

This week on The Science Show, Norman Swan presents a major investigation into
scientific and financial misconduct at the University of New South Wales.

Transcript:

Norman Swan: Hello, Norman Norman Swan here sitting in the chair on The Science
Show this week instead of Robyn Williams, because today I have a special and
disturbing feature for you.

Hong Ha: I want my story to be heard by the public because what I have been through
I don't want my children or any one else's children to go through. I want them to
admit the faults that they have done: they exploited me for free labour. This
problem has been going for too long. I want it to be stopped.

Norman Swan: This is a story about powerful scientists with international
reputations who've committed scientific misconduct so severe, it could be
considered fraud; as well as mismanaging public funds where the institution,
the university in which they work, has been slow to protect staff who've raised
their concerns. In fact, at times the university seems to have actively favoured
the strong over the weak. It's fifteen years since the exposure of Dr. William
McBride's scientific fraud, what you're about to hear suggests that safeguards
against scientific misconduct are still inadequate.

[Reading from UNSW Homepage:]
Why study at the University of New South Wales? The University of New South Wales
is one of Australia's major research institutions, attracting top national
competitive research grants and has extensive international research links.

Norman Swan: The University of New South Wales is one of the largest universities
in the country with a highly respected medical faculty. A few years ago, following
Sydney's sprawl to the south west, the university set up a clinical school in that
area centred on Liverpool Hospital.

They even attracted Bruce Hall, a well-known Australian immunologist, back from
Stanford University in California. Bruce Hall is a kidney specialist who researches
how the immune system deals with transplanted organs. The university made him
Foundation Professor of Medicine at Liverpool where he set up his own lab.

With him came his wife, Dr Suzanne Hodgkinson, a neurologist who studies rats with
brain inflammation similar to Multiple Sclerosis. Bruce Hall hired Dr Clara He,
a medical graduate from Shanghai with an Australian PhD and post-doctoral
experience in immunology.

Clara He: Professor Hall was asking me if I was interested in his new senior
position in Liverpool Hospital. I feel that could be new opportunity for me, so
I can design my program. I respect him; I believe we can collaborate and
make good program.

Norman Swan: Dr He has her own research group at Liverpool and is also the
laboratory manager. She's introduced molecular biology into the lab and
her small team has cloned and produc

Sadly, you'll have to scratch Australia from that list. We've already had our government signals agency tapping phones and using aggregate data for political purposes. http://www.abc.net.au/am/stories/s479149.htm Since there were no repercussions from that instance of domestic spying, you'd have to say there's a strong probabliity they're still doing it.

Documented in an Army Inspector General's report obtained by Salon. Here's a link to the official report (sorry, PDF).

If the methods used at Guantanamo disturbed the FBI agents who visited (another source of problem reports early on), then the rest of us should be disturbed too.

>If you don't like the laws of this country, nobody is stopping you from picking up and moving

One of those laws is the Constitution. It's the root law of the US.

Some people seem not to like the Constitution. For example, they want to do mass searches without probable cause. One such person is rumored to have called it "just a God-damned piece of paper".

Are you, perhaps, suggesting that people who pass laws like USAPATRIOT, who imprison with charge or trial, who seize property without court authority and who torture their alleged enemies ought to leave the country? Wouldn't you prefer they stay so we can give them the fair trials they have denied to others?

Both type efforts (archaeology and minerals/oil location) are benefiting from satellite remote sensing. We just recently had the lost city in guatemala found, the huge impact craters in the sahara, etc from satellite analysis (radar/photo). The impact craters were also helped by web based universal access, google maps helped amateur researchers there.

As to the bosnian pyramid, it has long been known/suspected there in the locals handed down oral histories. It was more accurately RE-discovered. Just like when western scientists "discover" some new animal the locals have been *eating* forever and have names for.

There's another interesting development off the coast of cuba, an alleged underwater city.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/05/05 28_020528_sunkencities.html

similar off of japan

http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2004/s110720 3.htm

(I am sure there are better links for those stories)

It's an interesting topic. A lot of oral and written tradition from around the world all relate a period in history with a "great flood". It will be nice if modern tech helps us discover what really happened and add to our knowledge of the real "olden days", whichever way it shakes out.

I'm a little dubious here - the lead of this project, Semir Osmanagic says (from abc) he sees astonishing similarities between the structures and Mexican pyramids dating back to about 200 AD, which also come in pairs, one believed to represent the Sun and the other the Moon.

How can he know that with so little excavated? And his foundation has the rather fortean-timesish name of "Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation"

There's a far better (and longer) article at the art newspaper.

You can also the have a look at the photos of the hill (scroll down) in this bosnian forum (yup, looks like a pyramid).

It's true that in Australia we do have a Medicare card that contains all of our claimable medical history and that we have driver's licences that are commonly used as proof of ID (though we can survive without a driver's licence - I did for a good 15 years as an adult).

However, these are currently separate. The only thing that my Medicare card is used for is medical claims (doctors, hospitals, prescriptions, rebates). It is not *ever* used as proof of ID in a non-medical situation. No one who just needs to know who I am needs to have access to my medical history (legitimately or not) and, up until now, no one would have had that access.

The 'smart card' would change all of that. All my medical history, any social security payments I've recieved, all of my personal information would be lumped into a card that I would be expected to show to people that only need to know who I am. The local Video Retail outlet does not need this information. If I were collecting unemployment benefits, the lovely government people in charge of this do not also need a card that has my medical history. It's not relevant and I don't want any piece of technology available to make this accidentally, criminally or legally available to these people.

It's not just about an identity card - it's about a card for everything.

Our Prime Minister has been quoted as saying "it will not be compulsory to have the card" which is possibly vaguely true. Just so long as you don't get sick, become unemployed or disabled, or anything else that you may need to live in extenuating circumstances. Aside from that, sure, it's not compulsory. Just don't get up in the morning and you'll be fine.

http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200604/s1624397.h tm

"Please understand the issue before commenting on it." - Good advice, I suggest you take it.

"Just like the drivers licemce(sic), passport, credicard(sic), and Club membership card you currently hold in your wallet." - I (intentionally) have only a drivers license as it is a legal prerequisite for driving, for very obviously sensible safety reasons. I see no such compelling reason for a National (not)ID Card.

"If the government was going to infringe on our civil liberties, they would pass legislation applying to everyone, if they wanted to know who we are, they would look at our drivers licence, or other numorous forms of identification. So those aguments cannot be used in this discussion. If the government wants something about a person, or wants to restrict a person, they will do it, reguardless of the notion of a national ID." - As far as I can see this is the government passing legislation applying only to the lower classes. I think I would prefer an all-inclusive approach as this smacks of the divisionist tactics that worked so well in France recently.
As far as the government doing what it wants there are several checks and balances to limit the effectiveness of a draconian government: elections, no-confidence votes, direct and indirect public action being just a few. This is why we are discussing this issue, otherwise we would not worry our guilt free heads and leave our well intentioned politicians to look after our interests for us.

"I'll say this, it is much harder for your inexperienced ID theif(sic) to steal your identity when he does not have the same finger prints, iris and dna as you as used on national ID cards." - The card (hey I thought you said it wasn't a national ID card...) will not contain any of the biometric data you have listed above, and even if it did even the highest quality biometric scanners have to be supervised and still perform at levels far below acceptable in terms of both false negatives and positive identifications. The only positive note to come from this sentence is your credibilty has reached zero. "The card would contain a photograph and a computer chip containing the person's Medicare number, concession status and immunisation data. It would not include a tax file number or identity card information such as a fingerprint..." - http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s162 4266.htm

"So lets stop looking at the negatives..." - Or you could look at the balance of positives to negatives?

Your list of positives is a complete fabrication with no grounding in reality. I have noted the information the card does carry, but this is still not the same as "providing proof", I predict even if introduced it will generally be used in conjunction with existing identification - effectively making it yet another card to add to your earlier list...

"Becase(sic) if you have nothing to hide, then yu(sic) have nothing to worry about, and if you do have something to hide, then you should turn yourself in." - Wow, the philosophy of a child. How sweet...

Q.

Most of them have long since lost that creative spark by the time they're thirty anyway. This is straying from the intent of the article's reasoning, but there's a study that mentions getting married tends to lower your 'creative spark', although they were specifically talking about men.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s930305 .htm

Quite a few jokes circulated after those news, such as: "Two young astronomy students sit on a beach, watch the stars, until the guy says romantically "where would you rather be, on the ground (=Earth) or on Huya"..

mm doesnt quite work in English though..

"Why is the Australian government even doing this?"

It is in our constitution that what the USA does our government must try to go "one better". It used to be about having cattle stations bigger than a Texan ranch (maybe even bigger than Texas?). Nowadys its all about who can find the most terrorists.

"Has there been any major terrorist attack on Australia?"

No, Aussies have been targeted in three major Indonesian attacks over the last few years. We have had some "minor" attacks in the past from neo-nazi groups, organised crime and a few solo mental cases. Oh, we also had the Alan Jones riots in Sydney last year. ( His single-handed incitement of the riots was very poorly covered in the media. Politicians continue to give this guy clout by lining up to be on his breakfast show ).

"Do they really think there will be one in the future?"

Of course, the western governments are building an massive industry around it. We are also locking up some new scapegoats, the most recent is known as Jihad Jack who was locked up for 5yrs just a few days ago.

"What's the point, other than crushing freedom?"

Defining, monitoring and dismantling "social networks", preferably before they can form a political movement. Besides our PM has always dreamed of dragging us back to the 1950's.

This does not surprise me, as an Australian I can say that I've definitely noticed a slide into a very right wing agenda here. The current government is right wing and has an absolute majority in our parliament, meaning they can pretty much pass any law or any bill they want without the chance it might be vetoed by opposition parties.

I've been out of Australia for quite some time, I've found there to be quite a contrast to the Australia I left more than a year ago. I arrived back here just a couple of days before the Cronulla Race Riots. Since then our leaders have been spouting racist generalisations. There has been a large police crack down, the muslim community have made many claims that they are being unfairly targeted, I can personally verify this as on two occasions I've personally witnessed police unfairly targeting muslim men. I've also noticed since the riots (where our flag was used as a symbol of racial hatred), many police cars have had Australian flags mounted to their cars. I can't help thinking this is a sign of solidarity with the rascist mob.

I really don't even know how these riots could have occurred without police complicity. We have Racial Villification Laws here in Australia, that if they were applied that day could have been used to arrest most of the mob that day before any violence even began.

And with all this, in the background we have our detention camps in which whole families including children have been kept in detention. There have been cases where children have basically grown up in detention.

Unless there's a big turn around here I think the future for Australia could be something straight out of Huxely's Brave New World or 1984.

Until the share price rises and they sell of the rest, having already passed the approprieate enabling legislation through both houses of parliament.

Until the share price rises and they sell of the rest, having already passed the approprieate enabling legislation through both houses of parliament.

"Gone are the days of peaceful protests."

Exactly what day(s) are we talking about here? The days when people bashed "nigger lovers", the day MLK was shot, the days spooks followed John Lennon around or something more recent in the days "Cat Stevens" is considered a terrorist sympathiser. I have picked US events since most will recognise them. From what I can remember and what I read, western governments in general got a whole lot more peacefull when crowds started chanting "the whole world is watching" toward the end of the 60's. But that development and mobile comms is about all that has changed about "protesting" since WW2.

There were "troublemakers" back then, just as there always has been. It is also not unknown for "troublemakers" to be sponsered by governments so as to "discredit groups" they see as a threat, "make cause" for increased powers or even just to "flush out the troublemakers" because they are feeling parinoid. I'm not only talking about third world dictatorships, western governments have a poor records of abstaining from these tatics and I see no reason why they would suddenly stop when global parinoia has gone through the roof.

What also has me baffled is why you have decided MTV are the "troublemakers", 1/4 million people went to the G8 protest with very reasonable demands. Like it or not, 1/4 million people is a large (unarmed and in places drunk) army who were better behaved than any regular unifomed army that decides to "demand" something. Just how long they would stay peacefull when a UAV swoops, (or drops), out of the sky and into the crowd is debateable.

I do agree mobile comms are being used in sophisticated ways to manipulate crowds via disinformation and coordinate the ensuing riots. I have no idea who is responsible or how UAV's could possibly help ease tension in an already angry mob.

The Prime Minister, John Howard, used spam provided by his son's company in the last election campaign. Unsoliticated email was sent containing Liberal Party election material to voters.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200408/s11863 89.htm

--

0x00

Um- What about this one?
Debbie Does Dallas The Musical! (Not a joke)
All the plot, no nudity or sex!!!
(Link is marginally suitable for work- pic just shows bare midriffed actresses in cheerleader costumes) http://www.abc.net.au/thingo/txt/s1175206.htm
Because man, the plot of most porn movies is so good, that you can take out the sex, and have an awesome story!!!!

Peter Macinnis journeyed to Woomera to watch the July 2002 test of the University of Queensland's HyShot scramjet. He was lucky enough to watch history being made - the test was the world's first successful scramjet launch.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/slab/hyshot/default. htm

I can't find if someone has said it here already, but... the media has reported that HyShot it was a successful flight and trial.

Also, unlike other comments here, you'll notice that the rocket went (not to 35km altitude) to around 300 kilometres. The joke in our office among the trial managers has been that the HyShot team was trying NOT to shoot down the International Space Station (see my earlier comment). It appears that they also succeeded in this aim. (And, before anyone asks... yes, there is an international coordination of all such launches and they DO get a 'launch window' time when the rocket is unlikely to hit anything.)

Well done to the Space Cadets!

Here he is winning GOLD in boxing at the games :) http://www.abc.net.au/sport/content/200603/s160080 8.htm

This has been done before, at Woomera test range. The University of Queensland launched HyShot in 2002, and had a major success.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/slab/hyshot/default. htm

ScramJet is the work of Australians Ray Stalker and Allan Paull who achieved the phenomenon with a budget of tins cans, string and glue whilst Nasa failed with a team of hundreds and a 9 figure budget.

I'm reminded of John Howard's apology in The Games. Except that in that apology the distinguished, official-looking gentleman delivering the speech never claimed to be anybody other than John Howard, speaking from Sydney Australia.

This was perfectly true: he really was John Howard, just not the John Howard. But few people outside of Australia know what the John Howard who hangs out in Canberra looks like...

...laura

This has South Park written ALL OVER IT :-D

In Fact, put it with this news article and you'll have one of the most deadly WMD (Weapon of Mass Derision) known to man!
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/health/HealthRe publish_1590861.htm

How many people even understand more than half the lines?

Shakespeare wrote in modern English. About 90% of his English is identical to what we speak today. Most people would understand it just fine if they weren't either afraid of Shakespeare or lazy. Hell, jive-talking nigga speak used in GTA probably has less of a relationship with the English 99% of America (or any other English-speaking populace) knows and understands. So word up, fo shizzle ma nizzle.

90% source. I'd always heard 75%, but at least it's a source: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/arts/ling/stories/s691493 .htm

Sorry, was there a mistake in my maths? Appeal to authority seems rather weak when I've given you numbers. Much better to point out where I went wrong. Of course the tankless manufacturers say their systems are more efficient. I just don't see the advantage in the numbers. The same sites seem to talk about the pilot light a lot, which is amusing because the pilot light only really wastes energy in tankless designs.

I can't say the wikipedia entry is very compelling. It says 'can', which is a weasel word. Their point about losing lots of heat in the pipe of course applies to both technologies (but not to point of use systems), but there are two obvious points. firstly, where only hot water is useful (shower?), or you want to save water, you can use something like the envirosave:
http://www.abc.net.au/newinventors/txt/s1389495.ht m

secondly, if the pipes are inside the insulation, the heat is not really wasted as it heats the house.

Find me some real numbers.

Surely you mean 666 years to complete :)

Let's see anyway - printing press invented in 1440. Add 666 years. That's 2106. Plenty of time for RFID to become required, and just about the time this asteroid will hit Earth!

Ha! I win the thread!

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200603/s15812 91.htm This story sums up nicely societies and the laws take on gender equality in sexual convictions. This is not the first time a woman has walked from these sorts of charges either. If the genders had been reversed the teacher would be looking at 5-8 years gaol.

There is an Australian comedy called 'Chaser' and they do man in the street interviews with average USians. It is quite an insight into US culture (even more so than 'Dude, where's my car'. Here's the links (you need realplayer and a sense of humour. I have no personal affiliation with these sites).
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/video/
http://www.abc.net.au/cnnnn/

There is an Australian comedy called 'Chaser' and they do man in the street interviews with average USians. It is quite an insight into US culture (even more so than 'Dude, where's my car'. Here's the links (you need realplayer and a sense of humour. I have no personal affiliation with these sites).
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/chaser/war/video/
http://www.abc.net.au/cnnnn/

I see what you are saying but there is a bigger picture than privacy. The laws are obstensibly about how to deal with those who incite violence, that problem is as old as the human race itself. History has shown time and again that the answer is not to silence them but to educate ourselves to recognise those who manipulate our fears into vengence.

Here's one that was spotted in Sydney the week before the Alan Jones riots that caught the attention of international media late last year. The fact that our top politicians have (for years) regularly appeared on his show and have often invited him to wine and dine in the halls of power,,,,makes me want to puke!

If politicians were interested in the public well being they would refuse to dignify/support ANYONE who preaches hate and violence from their mass media soap box, instead they wait a few months before pandering to the mob mentality

Note to AC's and right wing nut-jobs: The fact that, if I lived in Iran I could not make similar critisims about politicians, does not detract from their validity.

I see what you are saying but there is a bigger picture than privacy. The laws are obstensibly about how to deal with those who incite violence, that problem is as old as the human race itself. History has shown time and again that the answer is not to silence them but to educate ourselves to recognise those who manipulate our fears into vengence.

Here's one that was spotted in Sydney the week before the Alan Jones riots that caught the attention of international media late last year. The fact that our top politicians have (for years) regularly appeared on his show and have often invited him to wine and dine in the halls of power,,,,makes me want to puke!

If politicians were interested in the public well being they would refuse to dignify/support ANYONE who preaches hate and violence from their mass media soap box, instead they wait a few months before pandering to the mob mentality

Note to AC's and right wing nut-jobs: The fact that, if I lived in Iran I could not make similar critisims about politicians, does not detract from their validity.

This reaseach is a very grave finding, certainly for the sharks, but also more importantly for the health of the biodiversity of the oceans as a whole. The role of the sharks in the general health of the oceanic eco-systems very well documented. Ie, we'll certainly miss them when they're gone.

However, there are signs that shark numbers ARE depleting. Take for example the grey nurse shark. There are now less than 300 grey nurse sharks on the entire east coast of Australia.

So disregard the many comments here poo-pooing the content of the article. The article is highlighting a very important finding.

"the Australian govt has made it really difficult"

As Malcom Fraser once said "Life wasn't meant to be easy". Sorta sums up the prevailing government attitude really.

Seriously though, what is the preocupation with fucking fertilizer, there are sheds full of commercial explosives dotted all over the bush secured by nothing more than a kmart padlock. What good is the bueracratic bullshit now required to buy a common commodity when we live on an island, big yes, but still a fucking island with less people than Tokyo! I'm sure a terrorist would have the brains to steal it just before they required it and if they don't have that kind of foresight then how can they be considered a serious threat.

I recently watched a doco about how two jewish men (one an escaped forger from Auchwitz) had spent a large part of WW2 pretending to be German soldiers. They found that with the right forms, stamps and a bit of care, they did not have to fight or work they simply kept moving around and minapulating the system, officials happily provided transport, uniforms, food, shelter, weapons, entertainment, ect, all on the strength of bits of paper.

Databases have largely replaced the old forms and stamps but I think with a little care and skill today's secret police would be just as easy to fool. As someone else in the thread pointed out, it is impossible to stop people who are deterimed to kill themselves in a spectacular way.

If your an Aussie (what else could you be with a name like BushPig, eh-bloke), you might be interested in the Alan Jones riots.

"the Australian govt has made it really difficult"

As Malcom Fraser once said "Life wasn't meant to be easy". Sorta sums up the prevailing government attitude really.

Seriously though, what is the preocupation with fucking fertilizer, there are sheds full of commercial explosives dotted all over the bush secured by nothing more than a kmart padlock. What good is the bueracratic bullshit now required to buy a common commodity when we live on an island, big yes, but still a fucking island with less people than Tokyo! I'm sure a terrorist would have the brains to steal it just before they required it and if they don't have that kind of foresight then how can they be considered a serious threat.

I recently watched a doco about how two jewish men (one an escaped forger from Auchwitz) had spent a large part of WW2 pretending to be German soldiers. They found that with the right forms, stamps and a bit of care, they did not have to fight or work they simply kept moving around and minapulating the system, officials happily provided transport, uniforms, food, shelter, weapons, entertainment, ect, all on the strength of bits of paper.

Databases have largely replaced the old forms and stamps but I think with a little care and skill today's secret police would be just as easy to fool. As someone else in the thread pointed out, it is impossible to stop people who are deterimed to kill themselves in a spectacular way.

If your an Aussie (what else could you be with a name like BushPig, eh-bloke), you might be interested in the Alan Jones riots.

Another video showed a handcuffed man repeatedly pounding his head against a metal cell door. The same prisoner was shown in other pictures, including one in which he is smeared in his own feces and another in which he dangles naked from the top bunk of a bed. SBS said the man was mentally ill and became a "plaything" for the guards who "experimented with ways to restrain him."

The US government tried to prevent this being aired (this last week) on the grounds that it would "instill further anti-American sentiment". I don't know about you, but that's beginning to come up to the same league. It's certainly far more intense than the 'humiliation' that's previousy been talked about.

You are missing the bigger picture, it's not simply the greens (or the fossil fuel industry) hijacking the debate, a large section of the public (particularly those over 40 such as myself) will not consider nuclear because they have an understandable and rational fear of it.

Cheynobal, (not the greens or Kennedy), ended commercial nuclear power in the minds of most people who lived through it. I agree that new technology such as pebble bed reactors are incapable of igniting a "China syndrome" but I have never heard ANY political voice say the words "pebble bed".

Here in Australia we have the highest per capita GHG emmissions on the planet but any politician who calls for replacing coal with nuclear will not have a job at the next election. Even the minning of our vast uranium deposits is politically very controversial with a significant proportion of the public adament that we should keep it in the ground because it is too dangerous for anybody to use. We have our share of "bush bunnys" and ludites but the conservatives are in power and have been for 10yrs, their policy is the same as the policy of the other main political parties in Australia, ie: a "nuclear free" Australia.

The problem is not about convincing an over the top minorirty, it is convicing the "mainstream" that nuclear is safer and cleaner than fossil fuels. The anti-nuke sentiment prevailed in the 80's because at that time it was the rational thing to do, the decades of debate about the safety of nuclear power were instantly settled by images of a smoldering reactor and news of radioactive milk in Scotland. However hindsight is 20/20 and we now find ourselves in a situation where most of the heavy weight politicians are from the same 40+ demographic that instinctively point to the "exclusion zone" in Russia and declare the case for nuclear power closed.

For three decades I was convinced nuclear power was too dangerous to be left in the hands of governments and corporations, I had very sound reasons for an opinion that was (and still is) held by the overwhelming majority of the population. Time and technology have seen those reasons evaporate but politicians and the public in general made their decision in 1986 and are unwilling to reopen what they see as a closed case.

Nothing would help us more than to have politicans of ALL colours with enough balls to go into the political wilderness and listen to people like Lovelock and Lord Oxborough.

Have a guess about the number of complaints about the game.
Here's a clue: Australia has a population of just over 20 million...
According to Australian Youth Radio Station Triple J, There were only two!
That's right - only two. You can download a podcast here: http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hack/ (Thursday 16/2/06)

Having a personal vendetta against cane toads as they almost killed our dachshund when I was 5, I roped in my family to submit an invention for Australia's Northern Territory Government's competition last year (sadly, we didn't win, though it was still genius, of course - http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2005/s1356797.htm )

In any case, the NT Government competition had way too many controls around the invention with the organisers wanting it to be a physical trap, when, in my opinion, they'd be best served by a bot similar to Ian Kelly's Slugbot (http://www.ias.uwe.ac.uk/People%20Pages/i-kelly/t ta.htm) as the Cane Toad's spawn are quite distinct from those of native toads - which are beautiful, and we don't want to kill, obviously.

That's why he, when he is not banning games, states that it is necessary to wire-tap people who are not suspects of any crimes (why, they *might* one they become suspicious!) or promote the idea (so much so that it is the law) that promoting the idea of the forceful removal of the (sorry, "The") Government is worth quite a few years in behind bars. And he is right, because if you cant trust the Government...

He loves us, he and our wise government do indeed, they are our true Big Brothers and we have to trust them without reservation.

Last year, the Australian New Inventors show featured a cane toad trap, which used a light to attract insects, which in turn attracted cane toads, which would jump onto the top of the trap and fall through trap doors. The trap won a competition with over 100 entries, sponsored by the NT government.

I agree with you entirely about home solar power, it's a bloody stupid idea.

However does this constitue under $5/watt
700 million dollars / 200 million watts = $3.5/watt, and that's AU$.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/earth/stories/s38 1152.htm

Admittedly it's not PV, but it's still solar power.

Wasn't that to stop "chroming"? Kids getting high on the fumes? I seem to recall Extra did a nice big story on it, and then a short while later they put the restrictions in place.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/10/23/10345 61498638.html
http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/qld/content/2005/s 1504831.htm