===
Bullying rife in teacher staff rooms school yards
ALMOST every teacher has been bullied by a colleague, a research study found. Despite zero tolerance for bullying in schools, University of New England researchers found 99.6 per cent of teachers were bullied during their employment. One in four said bullying - including racism, insults, rage, the spread of rumours and gossip, being belittled and unreasonable workloads - had affected their mental and physical health. - And still the right questions are not being asked regarding the death of Hamidur Rahman - ed.
Premier takes corruption grilling
NSW Premier Nathan Rees has faced intense questioning over allegations of corruption within the State Government, raised following the murder of Sydney businessman Michael McGurk. - he failed to answer the questions, merely deflecting them to pet bodies that won't attend to them. - ed.
Irwin retires from federal politics
Outspoken Labor MP Julia Irwin has fired a parting shot at the party machine while announcing she will not be contesting the next federal election. Ms Irwin said branch-stacking in her western Sydney seat of Fowler had become rampant, leading to the destruction of an effective local Labor branch. - Irwin is a failure who failed me in my time of need. She could have done more for Australia, but she seemed to only exist to keep her seat warm. - ed.
Abbott warns of more 'unruly' behaviour
Liberal frontbencher Tony Abbott won't say whether he deliberately blocked television cameras from filming the deputy prime minister during question time - but has warned of more unruly behaviour to come.
DOCS lost starved girl for five years
THE catalogue of neglect by DOCS of a girl, 7, who starved to death can be revealed for the first time in an internal review of its dismal failings. What happened to little Ebony?
'God told me to kill you and do it slowly'
A WOMAN says she was held in a caravan where her ex-boyfriend threatened and tortured her for five days.
Father jailed for trapping sons in fire
A father who ignited the family home after barricading himself and his two sons inside has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.
Female officer 'copped sex slurs'
A POLICEWOMAN claims superior officers sexually harrassed and bullied her.
Liquid bomb plane plotters get life in jail
THREE men were jailed for a "grave and wicked" plot to blow up passenger planes mid-air.
Patrick Swayze's classic movie moments
HOLLYWOOD heart-throb Patrick Swayze, 57, has died of pancreatic cancer. Swayze's months-long fight with the disease has been a constant presence on gossip and celebrity websites, with pictures emerging regularly of the physical toll the illness was taking on his appearance.
Motorcyclists keep speed camera immunity
RIDERS who go at twice the speed limit and do wheelies past cameras won't get easier to catch.
Men twice the liars that women are
MEN tell six lies a day on average, women only fib three times and probably about shopping.
Rocker Jon Stevens hospitalised
Former Noiseworks and INXS rocker Jon Stevens has been hospitalised and will undergo open heart surgery in Sydney.
Uni grad acted as $1m meter scam lookout
A university graduate who acted as a lookout for a crime ring that stole $1.1 million from Brisbane......
Disability workers to get minor pay boost
Disability support workers are to get a wage increase of up to 27 per cent - more than $160 a week......
=== Journalists Corner ===
A Special 'On the Record'
At tea parties and town halls they fought against a government that just wouldn't listen!
Now, these Americans put their demands 'On the Record'!
===
Ignoring American Voices?
Why one Democrat says Obama is making a mistake by ignoring the voices of discontent on health care reform.
===
Whitney Comes Clean
She once said "crack is whack!" Now Whitney admits she was an addict! Bill has the inside story!
===
Health Care Showdown!
Republicans say the president's health care bill makes them sick, so what's their cure?
=== Comments ===
Housing Dream Slipping Away!!
by Jim T
I am a libertarian thru and thru, but when it comes to the staples of life - food, clothing and shelter - Governments must ensure the foundation for affordability of such.
Australian's are being held to ransom by the State and Federal Governments when it comes to housing. We are rich in land and resources. We only have water issues because over the past 20 years Governments have failed to build infrastructure for a growing population. Ditto with other issues (electricity, roads, etc)... and all are fixable.
The great Aussie Dream is slipping away from tens of thousands of people. Why? Well, a country cannot have a government (State) that taxes land and housing to the extent that it is currently taxed, such, for example in NSW, and also be responsible for the development of housing policies, community planning, development approvals and land releases.
All that has happened, from Sydney to small regional towns, is a lack of willingness to allow homes to be built, to ensure demand exceeds supply, to ensure prices are kept up and tax revenue is not affected. Even local councils are encouraged to delay land subdivisions, by the State, through the use of tied grants or an ever changing LEP requirement imposed by the State Planning Minister ... all nicely disguised.
The result is a moral crisis in housing, where the Government manipulates the market for it's revenue purposes. In the current environment people are paying 20% more than they need to to buy a home .... the consequences of the FHOG.
I have just posted a new article (SMH) that makes a lot of sense .. pity though it only skims the surface of the problems ..seems that housing is a political hot potato, as for those Australians who managed to buy a home over the past 10 years when they were less than half the price they are today ... it's a chief source of their wealth. This crisis has yet to play out. - of course there is sufficient room in NSW and Victoria for the entire world's population to live the Australian dream of families of four on quarter acre blocks. And to have room to spare. - ed.
===
Open-door policy on unwanted guests
Piers Akerman
THREE boats carrying asylum seekers arrived illegally in Australian waters over the past week, making a mockery of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s pre-election pledge that he would “turn them back”. - Those two journalists were not the only ones to allow their reputations to be tarnished with a thoughtless promotion of the ALP. Had they exercised due diligence in their research they would have known that Rudd’s assurances were empty. Rudd offered no policy, and now everyone involved suffers.
I want migrants to come to Australia. My objections to Rudd’s policy, compared to Mr Howard’s policy, is that fewer migrants will make it to Australia, and those who get here will have been robbed by criminals, experienced great danger, possibly separated from family forever and yet not achieve the full certainty that free Australia offers of a new and better life as administration rushes to catch up with events.
It would be cheaper and safer to fly jailed criminals to Australia. And they said Mr Howard’s welcoming policy which allowed a larger number of people to come to Australia and enjoy all those advantages was cold and heartless. So have Paul Kelly and Dennis Shanahan apologized .. or said ‘Sorry?’ - ed.
By removing the deterrence factor Rudd is killing people, aiding and abetting in the trade of humans and undermining the hard work of legitimate refugees/migrants who have filled out all the requisite forms and submitted to background checks.- DD Ball replied to Tim
Which particular lobby group is pulling your strings now Kev?
I notice we have not heard from Swan in a while - funny that.
Tim of SlaveVille
Telling points Tim. We need a Rudd Watch to list those who have died from Rudd policy. People known to have drowned in transit. Soldiers who have died poorly equipped to do a job Rudd wants. Civilians who have died as Rudd uses bombs to achieve an end. People dying as Rudd supports regimes that corruptly assume power (like in Tibet and Zimbabwe).
On another list we should include those disnfranchised by Rudd policy. Those who were denied justice. Those who were promised more than they were given. In that way, by elimination of those on the list with those on Earth, we can see who the favored ALP members are.
===
NEVER MIND
Tim Blair
Ordnance saved, terrorists wasted:
===
SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLARS
Tim Blair
Australia’s ABC, via US correspondent John Shovelan, makes an early call on Joe Wilson:
There is speculation about the future of the Republican congressman who called US President Barack Obama a liar during last night’s address to a joint sitting of the Congress …
His likely Democrat opponent is reported to have raised $60,000 as a result of Mr Wilson’s outburst.
Wow. Sixty grand. Wilson is dead meat. Shortly afterwards, however:
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) has raised almost $750,000 in less than 48 hours since his shout of “You lie!” to President Obama during the Wednesday address to Congress …
And a day or so later:
U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson — the South Carolina Republican who heckled President Obama during his speech to a joint session of Congress — has raised more than $1 million, a campaign aide confirmed to CNN Saturday.
Wilson’s likely opponent has reportedly raised a similar amount. No update from the ABC’s John “$60,000!” Shovelan, though.
===
VOTE 1
Tim Blair
I choose World 1, mainly because World 3 has too many wind turbines and a fish that’s larger than Japan. World 2 is out because its timid Australian superfire isn’t large enough to threaten Adelaide. By the way, when will cartoon convention abandon the divided window and saw-toothed factory roof?
===
MODO WHIPPED
Tim Blair
Maureen Dowd is whipped and excited and deflated and exasperated:
As soon as I started covering Barack Obama, I knew he was going to be trouble …
He was going to be the kind of guy who whipped you up and then, when you were all excited, left you flat, and then, when you were deflated and exasperated and time was running out, ensorcelled you again with some sparkly fairy dust.
Unfair, Maureen! Obama hasn’t used sparkly fairy dust since he was a teenager. The rest of the column is notable only for Dowd’s continued use of cultural references that pre-date the 21st century, including:
• Jed Bartlet (president in The West Wing, first broadcast in 1999)
• Fantasia (1940)
• Spock (the original Star Trek ran from 1966 to 1969)
• Rocky (1976)
Museum Dowd’s history-trawling wouldn’t grate so much were her references not so painfully banal. It’s like she’s mining a yard-sale version of the Smithsonian. And now – just like Elwood Dowd in Harvey (1950) – Dowd is hearing things:
Surrounded by middle-aged white guys - a sepia snapshot of the days when such pols ran Washington like their own men’s club - Joe Wilson yelled ‘’You lie!’’ at a president who didn’t.
But, fair or not, what I heard was an unspoken word in the air: You lie, boy!
Maybe she was playing some old Beatles tunes at the time. You don’t know how lucky you are, boy! (1968).
UPDATE. The voices inside Dowd’s head are considered newsworthy by the ABC.
UPDATE II. Spot in comments: “When MoDo used the term ‘boy’ in referring to Obama back in May – ‘Boy Wonder’ ... ‘White House boy toy’ – was she being raaaaacist?”
UPDATE III. Althouse on Dowd: “Not just unfair … crazy.”
===
GO BACK TO BICYCLES
Tim Blair
Previously convinced that China forbids the sale of American cars, leading exaggermentalist Nicholas Stern now visits the reasonably enlightened one-party state – and seems a little surprised by the level of Western-style carbonism:
Nicholas Stern, the British author of an acclaimed review on climate change, told students in Beijing’s People’s University that 13 Chinese provinces, regions and cities had higher per capita emissions than France. Six also overtook Britain.
“There are many parts of China where emissions intensity and emissions per capita are looking much like some of the richer countries in Europe,” he said ...
I wonder if he also noticed any Hummers or Chryslers.
UPDATE. If China bans America cars, as both Stern and Al Gore believe, then it’s only fair that America blocks Chinese tyres.
===
RUNNING DOGS OF CAPITALISM
Tim Blair
Now available via Mark Steyn, your trusted name in global puppy endorsement. Also from Steyn, the NY Post‘s Kyle Smith takes a further look at the NYT’s claim that it was too short-staffed for adequate Van Jones coverage:
Here’s how long-staffed The New York Times actually is. Long after Glenn Beck reported — back in July — that Jones was history’s first communist czar, and even after Gateway Pundit reported, on Sept. 3, that Jones had signed a wackadoodle 9/11 “truther” petition, The Times sent two reporters to Boston (in a story published Friday, Sept. 4) to pre-report the non-story of Joseph P. Kennedy II’s run for Ted Kennedy’s seat. (He later said he wasn’t interested. Also, the picture of Joseph the Times ran was actually of his brother Max.)
Imagine how badly the NYT would have messed things up if they’d sent three reporters.
===
Glenn Beck on Jay-Z, ACORN and 9/11
This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," September 11, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
Watch "The O'Reilly Factor" weeknights at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET!
BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the "At Your Beck and Call" segment tonight: an interesting situation involving the rapper Jay-Z. As you may know, last January, on inauguration weekend, he said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY-Z, RAPPER: Never thought I'd say this (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Baby, I'm good. You can keep your (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I don't want no more Bush. No more war, no more Iraq, no more white lies. My president is black.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: However, tonight, Jay-Z is holding a benefit at Madison Square Garden here in New York City to help the families of police officers and firefighters killed on 9/11. So what are we going to make of this guy?
Here now, the always provocative and sometimes very sensitive Glenn Beck. Jay-Z, now, are you buddies with him?
GLENN BECK, HOST, "GLENN BECK": Love him.
O'REILLY: You love him?
BECK: Oh, he is — you know, this might come as a surprise to a lot of listeners or viewers, but I am — I blend in the rap crowd.
O'REILLY: I've heard you hang with Snoop Dogg.
Click here to watch the segment!
BECK: It's crazy. I don't want to drop names or anything like that. But actually, Bill, I have — you know, he mentioned you on his last...
O'REILLY: Did he, in one of his songs?
BECK: You know that, right? This is when he said this ain't black vs. white, my — anyway, he went off to — and said a lot of things. Please tell Bill O'Reilly to fall back.
O'REILLY: Yes.
BECK: It's not 2010 or 1864. I don't know if you're aware of that.
O'REILLY: I don't know what it means.
BECK: But are you aware of that?
O'REILLY: Yes.
BECK: Good friend of mine that works here at New York, Lisa Paige for 92.3 FM.
O'REILLY: Yes.
BECK: Here, your book. Could you show — there's Lisa. There's Jay-Z.
O'REILLY: Yes.
BECK: Lisa went, and she — can you show him signing the book? Do you have the other picture? There he is.
O'REILLY: He's signing "Bold Fresh."
BECK: He's signing the book. Here it is.
O'REILLY: Does he have any clue?
BECK: Yes. Oh, yes.
O'REILLY: He knew it was me?
BECK: Oh, yes. Right here. "Peace, Bill. Jay-Z. Off that."
O'REILLY: "Off that." What does that "off that" mean?
BECK: I don't know. I believe it's pronounced, "Off THAT."
O'REILLY: But you're a rapper guy.
BECK: Look, I don't know. Look...
O'REILLY: You don't know what it means.
BECK: You won't understand.
O'REILLY: Of course.
BECK: I mean, you're not — a lot of people — they look at you and say he might be a guy in rap.
O'REILLY: I don't know what they're talking about. I freely admit I have no idea what they're saying. But what are we — what are we supposed to think of this guy who does this little racial rap at the inauguration weekend and then holds a benefit? What do you think? Is he a good guy or what?
BECK: I'm going to come clean with you, Bill. I have no idea who the hell this guy even is.
O'REILLY: I think he's a good businessman.
BECK: Look, I mean, I'm — I'm tired of the race thing. I don't think the race thing works anymore. You know what I mean? There are racists.
O'REILLY: It works in the hip-hop community.
BECK: Yes, whatever. But there are racists. There is real racism. Every time you throw it out meaninglessly...
O'REILLY: Right. It denigrates the real problem.
BECK: Yes, yes.
O'REILLY: Now, ACORN, another scandal, it's like one a day now. This is Washington. Yesterday it was Baltimore. They had to fire two people there. Now we have a guy and a lady going in undercover.
BECK: They fired two people in Baltimore?
O'REILLY: Yes.
BECK: They said yesterday this was defamatory and fraudulent.
O'REILLY: They had to fire them, because they knew you and I were on the case. Now, these guys, the undercover guys, went to Washington to — posing as pimps and prostitutes. Roll the tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can have a business. She's not going to put on (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that she's doing prostitution.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's not going to put on that. But that's the reason for — that's the reason for us getting her the house.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She can be a sole proprietor, and she's making money, not saying that it's those kind of services that she's — whether she wants to sell gold, whether she's on the telephone, whether she's in marketing, whether she provides services as a marketer. Do you understand what I'm saying?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: So they're basically telling them, "You can buy a brothel. Here's how you do it."
BECK: What's wrong with that? These people are compassionate. They're just trying to help out.
O'REILLY: The ACORN people have gotten $56 million taxpayer dollars. I'm saying no more money. Not another taxpayer dime goes to this.
BECK: You know what? Look, America, I'm going to announce — tomorrow I'm going to be on the television from 1 until 3 here, covering the March on Washington and the tea parties and the 9/12 project all over the country. And I'm going to announce the next — the next phase. And that is, has the heart of our problems and the thing that we can unite on is corruption.
O'REILLY: Right.
BECK: This whole system is corrupt.
O'REILLY: Right. Whole ACORN thing top to bottom, right.
BECK: It's beyond ACORN. You can't talk about fixing health care until you clean up the corruption.
O'REILLY: But ACORN itself is a corrupt organization.
BECK: Yes, but you know what?
O'REILLY: You and I are investigating the Louisiana connection, the state attorney general down there.
BECK: The Louisiana connection, which also in the same building is ACORN and SEIU.
O'REILLY: Right.
BECK: Who does the president surround himself with? ACORN and SEIU. Well, gee, there's corruption there. We can't take anything.
O'REILLY: No more — no more taxpayer money, and if we find out about it…
BECK: Nothing.
O'REILLY: Right. No more bidding. No more anything. If we find out about it, we're going to expose all the politicians that are involved.
BECK: Did you see the ratings last night on this whole network?
O'REILLY: Yes, very high. Very high. You did very well.
BECK: But here's the reason why I bring it up. Did you see the ratings on the other networks? We were the only ones that were covering this story. The New York Times didn't cover it.
O'REILLY: No, of course not.
BECK: Nobody covered it. Nobody covered it.
O'REILLY: All right, today is the anniversary of 9/11. You got a little emotional on your program. I was watching you. A little emotional. Nothing wrong with that. You and Jack Parr. Remember Jack? Way back?
BECK: Yes. I'm not that old.
O'REILLY: No. But you were — you were angry and rightfully so that they haven't been able to put the buildings back, right?
BECK: Yes.
O'REILLY: Whose fault is that?
BECK: The system's fault. The politicians, the corruption, the special interests. Do you know — do you know there's no investigation? There's nobody calling for an investigation in ACORN. There's nobody calling for an investigation why this country hasn't built a building in eight years on that space. How is that possible in America?
O'REILLY: They're working on it.
BECK: No investigations on any of these things, Bill. But do you know that they just appointed a 12-person panel to look into the Cambridge police officer? A 12-person panel.
O'REILLY: This is about the Gates thing, right?
BECK: Yes. That's amazing.
O'REILLY: An interesting fact on your program today: that it took 400 days to build the Empire State Building.
BECK: Yes.
O'REILLY: And that includes putting King Kong on top of it.
BECK: I don't know about that. King Kong goes up.
O'REILLY: That was hard. Very, very hard.
BECK: Very long time.
O'REILLY: Four hundred days, ladies and gentlemen, to build the Empire State Building. And it's eight years, and they still don't have anything close.
BECK: Nothing. So Bill, let me ask you this. Are we different Americans? Are we different?
O'REILLY: It's the power structure.
BECK: It's exactly right, and it's corrupt. And it is — it is in bed with special interests. Because I guarantee you, if you take all that system out, if you take those politicians, the special interests, and all of the — all of the little politically correct groups out of the way, we would have built it with our hands within a year.
O'REILLY: All right. Beck is down there with a hammer on Sunday, so go see him. Glenn Beck, everybody.
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