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Maybe because they're part of the "Cult of the Willing"? You're not getting "ginned up" for a fight, are you? :-)

Add some bullshit stats ("it's a million to one chance that ...")and suddenly we see people being declared guilty with very little extra evidence.

About five years ago when I wife was pregnant with our son we applied for a welfare payments from the Federal deparment of health and community services. This is a small payment which most people get when they are having children. It offsets about 1% of the cost of having a child so people don't take it very seriously.

A couple of days after we put the paper work in my wife got a call at home from the welfare people asking if her husband was the same Michael Smith who has a family of four in $some_other_suburb. Needless to say she was a bit pissed off (at them, not me) but there were more cases recently in the paper about similar things happening in the another department.

Its not the professional cop who you have to worry about. Its the dopey contractor charged with reducing fraud by 0.01% over the financial year who is let lose with a tool to grep a database of not particularly useful data. They do the obvious things with the results they get, not caring about the consequences.

Ahh, but that costs the Russians around $12 million dollars. In contrast, they probably only spend a few dollars a day to keep someone shivering in Siberia (and even less to have them shot). I don't think the IMF would approve of that expensive a ritual!

"Army Sergeant Sumariyanto, who is in charge of granting permits for rituals, says firstly it was gruesome and many animals were running amok trying to escape their fate. It didn't work either, he adds drily, saying that in some cases the mud got worse immediately after a sacrificial ceremony." http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,2 0987236-5003416,00.html

Slightly off topic, but I found Microsoft's current advertisement on http://news.com.au/ (a major Aussie news site, go figure) quite interesting. They've integrated what looks like the Vista desktop into the actual template of the site. Quite novel, it must have taken quite a bit of work to make that happen.

"And don't say "fewer attacks and/or security exposures on this OS as compared to Windows", because right now all non-Windows platforms are benefiting from "security through minority"."

Pre-release Vista was a minority too

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867 ,20979045-36375,00.html

How freaky was that farmers almanac tip!!!!

1. Porn goes for HD-DVD
2. HD-DVD encryption is broken
3. The Pirate Bay will buy a country

You don't have to be caught on video to have snoopers ruin your day. Spare a thought for the guys who kept a mannequin (named Lucy) in their apartment "to keep the place tidy", and then got raided by the cops because someone thought they spotted a body..

-FL

Cisco is attempting to break into the consumer electronics market. It already has several consumer VOIP products under Linksys as well as Cisco's line of enterprise level Telephony products. This may very well be an attempt to quash competition.

I doubt this is a simple money-making exercise on the part of Cisco. They seem to be doing pretty well for themselves. Given what I read in the news today this seems more likely to be an attempt to limit competition.

In answer to the parent post, Apple is a marketing company. Apple doesnt make their own hardware nor their own software (just modifies existing SW to fit their needs) so without their iLogo and shiny white cases they pretty much have nothing.

Then you would have COBOL screwing you.

Story about two kids who died imitating the Saddam execution video.

Or perhaps, more grist for the Darwin Awards...

Competition to post the most egregious vandalism videos on YouTube starts in 5... 4... 3...

confirmed: http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,21000 221-5005940,00.html

While I generally agree bad land/water management has compounded the problem, and acknowledge storms stubbornly track around the catchments instead of over them, I would not want to mow down the Tassie forests to plant cash crops. OTOH: I wholeheartedly agree we need solid data to adapt. The article in the Australian is not bad but it downplays the severity as can bee seen by looking at the BOM's drought statement archives. The most interesting ones are the latest one and the one for the 2000 downpour you mention. As an aside this years grain crop forecast was cut in half (12M tons lost) around july-august, since then the drought has got worse.

The 1:1000 (or sometimes 1:500) figure I quoted was arrived at using the same techniques as insurance actuaries use for weather related events.

You mean like this? Or these?

Have you seen him lately?

Maybe this is whats happening to all the penguins http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,20971241-1243 ,00.html?from=public_rss

See also
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,20 961327%5E15306,00.html

What most people think of as the Abu Ghraib scandal was a small group of bored, stupid soldiers engaging in some sick thrills which mostly occurred over a period of a few days. They have been punished for it. What they did was for "fun" not policy.

Japan, Italy, and Germany are presently peaceful democracies after suffering severe violence and occupation for up to seven years. Germany did have a short lived but violent insurgency (the Werewolves) that was put down. Germany seems to have come through it OK, the Nazi pagans didn't take over. The coup attempt by the Japanese Army didn't have legs either.

Iraq has just reached its one-year election anniversary, the Iraqi economy is strong and growing, the Iraqi security forces are leading increasing numbers of operations, and Iraqi tribes are turning on Al Qaeda in Iraq which has lost at least 7,000 terrorists killed or captured. If the Iraqi people, government, and the Coalition Forces can start getting a handle on the surging sectarian violence, much of which seems to be emanating from Al Sadr's militia which may be spinning out of his control, Iraq could do well.

1) Pretty females can have a stimulating effect on sex offenders (known and unknown), so will you ban women from walking in public?

Just so that people can't say he is being stifled, here is one of his numerous articles on climate change.

I throw him into the mix because, as much as I disagree with him and hate almost everything he writes, he does present his arguments coherently.

In Australia though it is worth noting that far from repressing the climate skeptics, we usually here that the debate has been hijacked in their favour. ie While nearly all climatoligists agree global warming is happening, the news appears to show it is tightly fought debate.

Have I missed something? A former spy gets killed by the country he was spying on/for/whatever... were talking about spies, they trick whomever they can to make a buck. Now, he got killed by the person he tricked. What's the big deal? This is not abnormal. If he was spying on the US we might have just offed him ourselves via the legal system.

1. ONE person committing terrorist acts si a significant fraction.

Mere characterization based on your opinion. That statement conveys no information.

2. Didn't answer the point: saying "those are bad people so keep tabs on THEM" is not good if you aren't cataloguing ALL bad people and that means every group.

Wrong. Just because everyone can't be stopped, that does not mean it's a bad idea to put a group that openly proclaims that it's committed to violence under closer watch. A group that openly supports terrorism and violence deserves closer attention.

Don't like it? Well, I invite you to move to Planet Earth.

3. Witch burning in Salem. Anti-abortionists. God-fearin' christians killing blacks (KKK). Look at the bible-belt TV. Look at Israel's actions. Look at the Indian problems. Protestant/Catholic problems in Ireland...

Q - Which one of those is backed by an entire religion, promising 72 virgins to those who kill infidels?

A - None of them.

You refuse to see that. Why are you so bent on making everyone and every religion morally equivalent to the point of ignoring evidence? That's the real question: why do your beliefs require you to ignore evidence?

Count those Islam-inspired acts in 2005 - 1500+. Count the number since August - 419, ignoring any and all in Iraq and Afghanistan.

You've utterly ignored all that while pulling crap like the Salem Witch Trials from hundreds of years ago to bash Christianity. I don't have to go back hundreds of years to find thousands of acts of violence committed in the name of Islam - just two.

4. Well we don't hear about them, do we? Because we are generally christian. Go to India and listen to the news there: attacks you never hear about because your news stations don't put out ALL the news.

Go and read that list from http://www.thereligionofpeace.com./ You do have the ability to do that, don't you? If you really think that there are an equivalent number of non-Islamic violent acts, why don't you find them? Why hasn't anyone found them?

Remember, you have to find 1500+ attacks in 2005. You have to find over a hundred a month.

Please, go find them. Try. Please do.

Because when you don't find one hundred non-Islamic acts of terrorism a month, you'll learn something, something that just might make you question the "everyone's the same" pap you've been fed.

Read the sceptics' annotated bible. Not a pretty read. The koran, as written, is actually quite a level-headed document.

Of course, that totally ignores the hadiths, now doesn't it?

It also totally ignores the fact that in Islamic theology, later writings completely override any earlier writings. Note that what you term the "level-headed" part of the Quran is the earlier writings.

That's the opposite of Christianity.

When you watch a magician, a lot of the tricks involved are based on getting you to look where he wants you to look so that the trick can be done without you seeing. Proclaiming only Islam is a problem blinds you to the other nutjobs and they will blindside you. Then probably convince you that Islam is the problem which you want to believe because that means you and people like you aren't the problem, IT IS SOMEONE ELSE.

Nice, content-less pap. Proclaiming there are other problems in the world does not make Islam a non-problem. But I bet you don't even see the logical disconnect there, do you?

Ask Theo van Gogh if Islamic interpretation of the Quran is "level headed". Oh, wait, you can't - your "level headed" Muslims killed him. Just like they did to Salman Rushdie's translator. See the big stink in Pakistan demanding a return to medieval rape laws that effectively give a free pass to rape. See how

I'm just glad I live in Australia, where education is valued.

Poddies still crooks under copyright law, by Simon Hayes, The Australian Newspaper
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,20 792269%5E27317%5E%5Enbv%5E15306-15319,00.html

From the article:
The Internet Industry Association, which claimed last week that singing Happy Birthday could result in a $6600 fine, has already been forced to back down, admitting it got that example wrong because the song was not copyrighted in Australia.

So that's what the Microsoft/Novell deal was all about ;-0 (http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,2 0733515%5E27318%5E%5Enbv%5E15306-15321,00.html) Roel

This could be really useful in the UK, we are getting frightening low on water during the summer months

The UK? Yeah, very serious drought there every summer...

• The article is in Australian IT, connected to The Australian newspaper.
• The report in question is a draft of a confidential briefing. So it hasn't been published, and so can't be "cited" in the conventional sense, by The Australian or anyone else.
• It's quite common for newspapers to mention that they've seen unpublished material that they're writing about, usually with the phrase "seen by"
• However, in Australia/NZ the phrase "sighted by" seems to be more common in this context.

The draft of the institute's intellectual property crime report, sighted by The Australian shows that copyright owners "failed to explain" how they reached financial loss statistics used in lobbying activities and court cases.

You would have to be american to think that that was racist in some way. They claimed he went to a playboy sponsored party. Are you telling me that playboy have never featured non-white women in their magazine? Now that would be wierd.

More significant (but not in the ad) was him ranting about the nuclear threat USA faces from the aspirations of Australia, Argentina and South Africa. WTF? South Africa is the only country who has had the nuclear bomb and then (voluntarily) disarmed itself of it (years ago). Australia is one of your staunchest allies, shoring up your rear now that you decided to give up on fighting al-quaeda and the taliban so you could concentrate on Iraq instead.

I agree with your sentiments but think that your obsession with voting for the ever-so-slightly-lessor of two evils is a cop-out. Out of 300 million americans can't you even find 100 good ones?

Totally agree with we have to start locally rather than wait for other countries.

That said I am in Australia where our leader, Johh Howard, has committed us to being part of the problem rather than any real solution. :-(

They're not fools, which is why their nuclear team is building a joint venture with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to stay competitive. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867 ,20676070-31037,00.html

That is the joke. The grandparent was referring to how the American President, George Bush, just passed one of the most controversial bills in United States history. After pretending to object to it, the Republican Congress approved a largely unedited version of it. From that article:

"The president can now - with the approval of Congress - indefinitely hold people without charge, take away protections against horrific abuse, put people on trial based on hearsay evidence, authorise trials that can sentence people to death based on testimony literally beaten out of witnesses, and slam shut the courthouse door for habeas petitions," ACLU executive director Anthony Romero said.

I think Americans joke about it because it scares them so much.

You mean like this fellow here:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867 ,20646437-601,00.html

Who thinks women are like pieces of meat and are responsible for triggering the violence against them?

FTFA:

In the religious address on adultery to about 500 worshippers in Sydney last month, Sheik Hilali said: "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat?

"The uncovered meat is the problem."

The sheik then said: "If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred."

He said women were "weapons" used by "Satan" to control men.

"It is said in the state of zina (adultery), the responsibility falls 90 per cent of the time on the woman. Why? Because she possesses the weapon of enticement (igraa)."

Yep, give that nutter a blog.

Also, bashing vegemite in public is not considered free speech.

Actually they dont even let you enjoy the wholesome goodness of vegemite in the US - thats the best reason to leave. Its illegal to import Vegemite into the US now, and they are searching people at the border for the stuff because it contains folate, which under US food laws is only allowed as an additive in breadstuffs for some reason.

US denies Vegemite ban

AUSTRALIANS travelling to the US can breathe easy. So can the 100,000 or so Australian expatriates living in America.

The US government today dismissed media reports it had banned Vegemite.

"There is no ban on Vegemite," US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) spokesman Mike Herndon said.

Media reports at the weekend claimed American border officials were confiscating Vegemite from Australians as they entered the US.

The FDA, charged with policing America's food supply, has not issued an "import alert" to border officials to halt the import of Vegemite.

Mr Herndon said the FDA was surprised by the media reports.

The controversy centres on folate, an ingredient in Vegemite.

Under US regulations, folate can be added only to breads and cereals.

"One of the Vitamin B components (in Vegemite) is folate," Mr Herndon said.

"In and of itself, it's not a violation. If they're adding folate to it, boosting it up, technically it would be a violation.

"But the FDA has not targeted it and I don't think we intend to target Vegemite simply because of that."

Joanna Scott, spokesperson for Vegemite's maker, Kraft, reportedly has said, "The Food and Drug Administration doesn't allow the import of Vegemite simply because the recipe does have the addition of folic acid".

But Mr Herndon said, "Nobody at the FDA has told them (Kraft) there is a ban".

To eradicate any grey areas or potential regulation breaches, Mr Herndon said, Kraft could petition the FDA, something other food manufacturers have done.

While many Aussies living in the US rely on visiting Australian relatives and friends to bring them a jar or two of Vegemite from Australia, the product is available in some US supermarkets.

The price slapped on Vegemite, however, is tough to swallow.

A tiny, four ounce jar of Vegemite sells for around $US4.80 ($6.33) in US supermarkets.

"Sir, please place your laptop computer on the table for inspection."
"OK"
"Please turn it on, Sir."
"Um.. er.. ah.."
"Turn on the laptop, Sir!" (Suddenly it grows quiet as everyone stares, particularly some armed security personnel)
"Er ah, OK." Click. zwinnngg zwikka zwikka bweet.
"Pornographic wallpaper, no problem. Thousands of mp3's, no problem."
"Um-er-ah.
sniff sniff sniff Arf! whine Whine Arf! Arf!
"What's this then!?!"
"Huh?"
"Sir, we're going to have to confiscate this laptop computer, our highly trained canine has detected the presence of a banned and extremely dangerous substance!"

Read about it here and here

The council's historic Resolution 1718 will deprive North Korea of military hardware such as tanks, missiles, artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters and warships; freeze the financial assets of entities and individuals involved in weapons programs; impose travel and financial bans on key figures in the Pyongyang regime; and ban all trade in luxury goods, including the lobster and fine French wine cherished by supreme leader Kim Jong-il.

Story I read in The Australian

Today is the 50th anniversary of the first Maralinga Atomic Bomb test in South South Australia. Here is a link to a story by local paper The Advertiser

As I said in my post--I don't know what's going to happen. Given how much our scientific knowledge is changing, it seems short-sighted to say the least to make such serious and excessive claims. Just last year everyone claimed that due to global warming, this year would, like last year, be hugely abnormal in the number and strength of hurricanes. Indeed this year HAS been abnormal so far--it's been below average.

And then there are articles like these: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867 ,20332352-601,00.html.

Now, you can just laugh that off, but I think it's a profoundly interesting correlation.

As I said in my post--I don't know what's going to happen. Given how much our scientific knowledge is changing, it seems short-sighted to say the least to make such serious and excessive claims. Just last year everyone claimed that due to global warming, this year would, like last year, be hugely abnormal in the number and strength of hurricanes. Indeed this year HAS been abnormal so far--it's been below average. And then there are articles like these: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867 ,20332352-601,00.html.

Your zeal and fervor is quite frankly blatantly obvious from what you write and the way you say it.

Actually though, let me explain my basis for the faith comments--you're willing to respond, and politely--which I ALWAYS appreciate. I'm history grad student, and I've specialized in Islamic histories. One of the huge themes in early Islamic history is that of apocalypticism--that is, the belief that the world's about to come to an end. I won't bore you with the history, but these kinds of apocalyptic beliefs are INCREDIBLY common across the entire world. Noah's arc. Revelations. The comming of a messiah and the end of the world. the year 1000 was widely believed by church leaders to be the end of the world at the time. Similar religious debates raged across Europe with the Spirituals and other messianic / apocalyptic groups. Today--y2k was believed by many to be the end of the world, you see religious nutcases all the time talking about the end of whatever because of ours sins. We seem them (and imho, RIGHTLY so) as nutcases. But then it struck me as I watched a TV news special on how a sea earthquake could cause a tsunami that would wipe NYC off the map... we're no different. People seem to have some kind of innate NEED to believe that things are awful, getting worse, and the world is going to end. The majority of us may no longer believe the world is going to be struck down by God, seized up in the rapture, etc whatever else, but majority of people do now believe that because of unstoppable forces--global warming--we're going to suffer horrific climate change (you cite floods--sounds like noah's arc to me) that will destroy our world. FURTHERMORE, this is happening because of ours SINS--because we don't live the good life--an ecologically sound life.

Now, you can just laugh that off, but I think it's a profoundly interesting correlation.

Science tempers fears on climate change

"THE world's top climate scientists have cut their worst-case forecast for global warming over the next 100 years. ..."

According to this article, you're right.

Mr Cropp said the stingray was spooked and went into defensive mood.

"It probably felt threatened because Steve was alongside and there was the cameraman ahead, and it felt there was danger and it baulked.

"It stopped and went into a defensive mode and swung its tail with the spike.

"Steve unfortunately was in a bad position and copped it.

"I have had that happen to me, and I can visualise it - when a ray goes into defensive, you get out of the way.

"Steve was so close he could not get away, so if you can imagine it - being right beside the ray and it swinging its spine upwards from underneath Steve - and it hit him.

Mr. Irwin died in the equivalent of an underwater car accident.
According to this link he was actually just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The speculation seems to be that the camara crew and everyone else being in the water likely spooked the stingray, and when it went defensive the 2.5m stingray swung it's barb strait up... into Mr. Irwin. Also, from the article, this is only the 18th such fatality on record worldwide. (17 before=18 now)

Just after 11:00 AM local time, (0100 UTC,) Steve Irwin was killed by a sting-ray barb to the heart. He was swimming off the Low Isles at Port Douglas filming an underwater documentary and that's when it occurred. His wife, Terri, who is trekking on Cradle Mountain in Tasmania, hasn't yet been informed.

This is a myth that has been thouroughly debunked.

Jewish Iran ex-pats have also spoken up to dispell this nonsense.

The original legislation is actually online but it is in Persian.

bablesfish won't help there :) http://www.ilna.ir/shownews.asp?code=305929&code1= 11

Enough independant scholars have combed over it to not leave a doubt that the "badge for Jews" story was a complete fabrication. What the legislation actually tries to promote is native Iranian clothing styles to strengthen the Iranian textile industry.

Nice try on your part though :-) Want to play some more?

the restriction on all liquids force even mothers with young children to have to test bottled milk to prove that it isn't a dangerous liquid.