Saturday, January 24, 2009

Headlines Saturday 24th January 2009


'The news is not good': Global economic outlook worsens
The world economic crisis deepened as President Barack Obama called for urgent action, Britain slumped into recession and profits at General Electric plunged. - it's ok. We voted for change. - ed.
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Govt attempts to protect 50,000 jobs
The govt will create a $4 billion partnership with the major banks to finance commercial property projects in an attempt to protect 50,000 construction jobs. - If he gave me half that I would create twice as many jobs - ed.
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Surgery needed to cut feet from baby's buttocks
A young girl in Zambia is to undergo potentially lifesaving surgery to remove the feet of an unformed twin protruding from her backside. - this booty is made for walking - ed.
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Security tape shows dramatic Hudson River plane landing
A newly released security camera tape shows the emergency ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River in all its stunning drama - from seconds after the jetliner splashed into the frigid water until well after the last of the 155 passenger
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Players call for calm after violence erupts at Australian Open
The tennis players whose match was the catalyst for an ethnic brawl at the Australian Open say they have done what they can to reduce crowd tensions.
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Kevin 747 grounded by global economic crisis
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will not attend the World Economic Forum but will remain home to work on Australia's response to the global financial crisis.
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Man jailed over cricket star sex-tape extortion
We're not doing deals, we're running the state: Rees
Virgin pro golfer fined for fondling woman on flight
Alleged taxi rapist demanded fare from victim
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Obama to lift abortion funding restrictions
By Matt Spetalnick
US President Barack Obama will lift restrictions on U.S. government funding for groups that provide abortion services or counseling abroad, reversing a policy of his Republican predecessor George W. Bush, an administration official said. - brilliant way to celebrate the inauguration, by killing babies. - ed.
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HIGHS AND LOEFS
Tim Blair
The ABC secures “an exclusive interview with one of rock’s most enduring performers, Neil Young.” So exclusive, in fact, that all grammar and reason were excluded from the resulting text:
• “A 2006 refmation tour with his formative 1970s brand Crosby, Stills and Nash and Young, - became a political kairm pain against George W. Bush”
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GREAT DIVIDER DEPARTS
Tim Blair
In 2004, George W. Bush continued dividing America with his divisive policies by divisively winning the election with 50.7 per cent of the vote. In 2008, Barack Obama united the entire world in a unifying spirit of unity by winning with 52.9 per cent of the vote.
Beautiful Sunset
That 2.2 per cent makes a massive difference, apparently. What the media actually means with all this talk of Obama uniting everybody is that a majority of voters finally supported the media’s candidate; you can feel the unity in every US newsroom, from the New York Times to the Chicago Tribune.

And beyond.
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ALL THAT AWARENESS-RAISING FOR NOTHING
Tim Blair
According to a Pew Research survey, concern about global warming has plunged to hilarious lows:
Beautiful Sunset
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NO ONE’S TRYING TO FOOL ANYBODY
Tim Blair
President Milli Vanilli’s inauguration music was faked due to global coldening:
The somber, elegiac tones before President Obama’s oath of office at the inauguration on Tuesday came from the instruments of Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman and two colleagues. But what the millions on the Mall and watching on television heard was in fact a recording, made two days earlier by the quartet and matched tone for tone by the musicians playing along …

“Truly, weather just made it impossible,” Carole Florman, a spokeswoman for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, said on Thursday. “No one’s trying to fool anybody. This isn’t a matter of Milli Vanilli,” Ms. Florman added.

(Via Imre Salusinszky, who was quickly alert to Obama’s oathish issues – the linked piece ran prior to subsequent Presidential re-oathing – and who emails: “So the oath of office and the musical performance were both empty charades. Was ANYTHING at Obama’s inauguration what it seemed to be?")
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BACKMAN BACKS DOWN
Tim Blair
An apology from Michael Backman.

UPDATE II. Further from the Age:
Backman, a London-based business writer, denied he was anti-Semitic and said he believed Israel had the “absolute right to exist” …

Backman said he had a deep interest in, and respect for, Jewish culture, to the point where he named his son Shimon after Israeli President Shimon Peres.

“The accusation of anti-Semitism is itself hurtful and offensive,” Mr Backman said.

And from Age editor-in-chief Paul Ramadge:
“It has been suggested that, because it published such a column, The Age is itself anti-Semitic,” Ramadge said. “This is a false charge. This newspaper has a long and proud history of reporting on Israel and the Middle East with fairness, sensitivity and an awareness of the complexities of the issues.”
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DON’T THINK, JUST ACT
Tim Blair
Age headline:
Our cars say a lot about who we are - I use public transport - ed.

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