Former prime minister John Howard believes he would have been seen as "a coward" if he had stepped down voluntarily for Peter Costello but would have quit had a delegation of senior ministers demanded him to. Mr Howard's views and those of other key figures are contained in a recent essay by Sydney Institute executive director Gerard Henderson . John Howard has been described by some as “Australia’s greatest Prime Minister”. History might well see him in a different light. Despite almost... Read Full Story
"I do not come to the leadership of the Liberal Party from a lifetime of privilege. I know what it is like to be very short of money..." "I know what it is like to live in rented flats. For a time daddy and I had to rent a dingy penthouse in Double Bay..." "Daddy even had to drive the Rolls Royce himself for a time when we couldn't get a chauffeur; good help can be hard to find..." "The other boys at Sydney Grammar laughed at me when I drove my new MG to school; they all drove Porsches and... Read Full Story
On Friday 04/07/2008, in the first comprehensive assessment of the impact on Australia of climate change, Professor Ross Garnaut reported that Australians must pay more for food, petrol and energy or risk a rising death toll, economic loss and destruction of natural wonders such as the Great Barrier Reef. The Howard Government’s policies on the environment, climate change and global warming: scepticism, inactivity and a steadfast refusal to ratify the Kyoto Protocol did little or nothing to... Read Full Story
Can any parallels be drawn between the Australian elections of 2007, (the Kevin’07 campaign) and the current U.S. presidential elections? There are some similarities and some obvious differences. For a start, America is a super power and its political trends have far reaching global implications while Australia is by comparison an inconsequential backwater ( the arse end of the earth to use the phrase coined by ex prime minister Paul Keating ). Australia’s political system is fundamentally... Read Full Story
Telecommuting is a synonym for the use of telecommunications to work outside the traditional office or workplace, usually at home. Could telecommuting be an answer to the fuel crisis? The definitive answer is yes and no. On the yes side: If an increased number of people were able to work from home, huge reductions in emissions could be made. As telecommuting increased, the volume of commuter traffic would decrease. Huge savings would be made in fuel costs. Huge savings would also be made in... Read Full Story
"Real women, sizes 6-16 NAKED. No retouching, just brave readers, nude and honest..." So reads the cover of this month's Cosmopolitan Magazine . This is in keeping with the publication's 'Body Love Policy'. Editor Sarah Wilson explains the philosophy: "It can do a girl's head in seeing image after image of size 8 women with their clothing slipping off bony hips and shoulders, right? You begin to think it's standard — and desirable — and you compare your own body to this "normalised" image... Read Full Story
I'm thinking that many of the posts on my blog have been rather negative lately, and as I'm in a positive mood I'll try to write something positive. Another solution to the fuel crisis: biogas generators. These are apparently widely used in 'third world' countries and have a very high acceptance rate in China and the Indian sub continent. Biogas generators have been developed which provide for the production of biogas and allow fermentation and sedimentation. A biogas generator can supply up... Read Full Story
Rene Roch, president of International Fencing Federation (FIE), said in Beijing Friday that the Olympics should not be mingled with politics. "No one should capitalize on the IOC to boycott the games," Roch told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the 2008 FIE World Championships, which kicked off in Beijing on Friday. "We should look ahead in a long term and avoid conflicts," he said. source: Xinhua Many commentators have echoed this sentiment; wouldn't it be nice if we... Read Full Story
Did you ever happen to notice... Politicians have developed the annoying habit of constantly repeating what they consider to be their key catch phrases. A line like "We're about a fair go for working families" is always quickly followed by another: "yes, a fair go for working families". Do they really think the average person is so thick they won't understand the complexity the first time? Are they not aware that it really sounds just a bit patronising? In fact, this strategy serves several... Read Full Story
New NSW Premier Nathan Rees has told the press that sightings of a large, panther-like cat in Sydney's western suburbs might be credible. "I don't think it's necessarily an urban myth, there are too many people reporting sightings." Mr Rees told reporters. Sighting of big cats - dubbed either the Penrith Panther or Lithgow Panther - have been part of local folklore in Sydney's west and the Blue Mountains for decades. Rumours persist the big cats escaped from private zoos or a circus in the... Read Full Story
