Headlines Saturday 3rd January 2009

FAR BEYOND MEDIOCRITY
Tim Blair
Yay! The Climate Youth are here to rescue us:

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FROM KIAMA TO NEWCASTLE
Tim Blair
There’s plenty to see and do in a Labor state.
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PEOPLE’S FOOD COURT
Tim Blair
“Hi,” writes reader Chris. “Thought you might like to know that next time you dine at Crown Casino, if you don’t fancy Nobu or Rockpool, there is a ‘casual dining’ restaurant you could always try.”
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BEARS KNOW SOMETHING
Tim Blair
Somewhere, Tara Brown is nodding to herself and quietly mumbling: “Proof. Now we have the final proof.”
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THE BRADMAN OF DEMANDS
Tim Blair
Pleased by Australia’s first domestic series defeat in 16 years, happy musterer (and centurian) Peter Roebuck is keeping the scorers busy:
Now the conquering sides must compete for the top spot.
The game will go on. Australia must lick its wounds and fight back.
No musts in his next column, although this is worth noting:
In this long-awaited moment, this moment of exaltation, the South Africans behaved impeccably.
Really?
Long after the ground had been cleared, the entire party returned to the scene of their triumph, linked arms and sang merry songs, not all of them flattering to their hosts.
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TRADITION OBSERVED
Tim Blair
“Vandals”, “minors”, “people” and “culprits” burned 1147 cars in France on New Year’s Eve:
The French government says vandals have torched 30 percent more cars on New Year’s Eve this year than during the holiday last year.

Burning cars on the last day of the year has become a tradition in underprivileged French suburbs.
In another car-b-q tradition, certain ethnic and religious factors (cough-Presbyterian!-cough) are rarely mentioned. Dylan Kissane emails from car-b-q central:
I hope your New Year’s celebrations went well.

Here in France it was pretty cold (about -3°C where we were) but it got warmer the closer you were standing to the burning cars. Indeed, the ‘youths’ set a new record on New Year’s Eve by lighting up 1147 cars:

“Four police officials were slightly injured, according to the interior ministry, which said its security forces ‘were of the unanimous view’ that New Year’s Eve was ‘rather calm and without major incident.’ The interior ministry had earlier said 445 vehicles were set on fire overnight, but later revised that figure to 1,147.”
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More doom and gloom for Aussies in '09 - Rudd Clueless
A group of eminent economists have given a bleak new assessment of Australia's economy in 2009, predicting that up to 250,000 people could lose their jobs and growth will slow to a crawl.
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Taxpayers forking out for obese Aussies
Our health system forking out a massive $8 billion a year to support the millions of overweight Australians, including special planes designed to carry super-sized patients.
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John Travolta's son dies after head injury
The teenage son of American actor John Travolta has died after injuring himself at his father's vacation home in the Bahamas, police say.
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US gives Israel free rein as troops prepare for ground war - Obama clueless
The United States has given Israel free rein over whether to send troops into the Gaza Strip, as Israeli tanks gather for an expected ground incursion.
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Serial hoon has car impounded for third time
A 21-year-old man has had his car impounded for the third time, after he was caught speeding in Melbourne's east.
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'Don't take Gitmo inmates': US General warns Australia
A top US General has warned Australia not to accept Guantanamo inmates, saying the terror suspects are likely to reoffend. - fresh from Rudd's 'win' in keeping Australian troops in Iraq, why wouldn't he? - ed.