=== Todays Toon ===
Obama tastes defeat=== Bible Quote ===
“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”- Romans 13:1=== Headlines ===
Long Road Ahead for President Following Election Night Losses
Obama says he'll seek 'common ground' with Republicans — but the new GOP leadership says it will abide by the 'mandate' of voters 'to reduce the size of government.'Pelosi on Future: 'I'll Let You Know'
House speaker faces an uncertain future as Dems must decide whether to re-elect her as top leader once the party takes its new minority position
House GOP Eyes Health Care Repeal
Newly empowered Republicans take aim at 'Obamacare' as speaker-in-waiting Boehner says 'we have to do everything we can to try to repeal this bill'
Tea Party Looks to Build Coalition on Hill
The conservative movement is looking to carve a foothold in the nation's capital after big congressional wins in Tuesday's elections, including Rand Paul's Senate victory
Corby case long way to go - Gillard
NEGOTIATIONS to transfer convicted drug trafficker Schapelle Corby to an Australian prison still have a long way to go.
Ozzy Osbourne is a 'genetic mutant'
GENETICISTS baffled by rocker Ozzy Osbourne who has genes which they've "never seen before".
Dollar parity a 'mixed blessing' - PM
AUSTRALIA'S push above parity with the US dollar will have a mixed impact on the economy, Prime Minister Julia Gillard says.
Omega-3 'not effective' for Alzheimer's
OMEGA-3 pills do not halt the mental and physical decline in older Alzheimer's patients, a study says.
Gillard 'angry at banks' for rate hike
PRIME Minister says she is angry at Commbank over its latest interest rate hike, but is ruling out regulating interest rates.
Toddler dies in farming accident
A THREE-year-old boy has been killed in an accident involving a hay baler on a property near Dorrigo, on the state’s North Coast.
Decomposed body recovered from rocks
A BODY was recovered from rocks at La Perouse in Sydney’s south-east yesterday afternoon.
Young hoon driver keeps police busy
A 14-YEAR-old led police on a 30-minute driving rampage last night near Coffs Harbour before two truckies helped apprehend the teen.
Sophie's dad wants to be an MP
SOPHIE Delezio's father will run for Liberal preselection for the seat of Kogarah, giving him a strong chance of becoming a state MP.
They're a slow train to disaster
THE $1.9 billion Waratah train project has been delayed again, with none of the trains likely to be in service before next year's election.
Country offers answer to mortgage stress
TINY country towns offering cheap rentals at just $1 a week could be the answer for those suffering from the latest interest rate rise.
Electricity profits are electrifying
ELECTRICITY companies are making bigger profits and paying more in dividends to governments than ever before. See why.
Court told of doctor mutilation
A NSW doctor accused of "massively disfiguring" a female patient's genitals will tell a court he was in fact her medical saviour.
Medich charges upgraded to murder
SYDNEY property tycoon Ron Medich will today be charged with murder over the alleged contract killing of Michael McGurk.
Speed camera war erupts
RANGERS told to issue parking fines to mobile speed cameras as councils try to ban them altogether
Wheel fears during tense flight
NINE people have spent a tense 45 minutes after their light plane experienced undercarriage problems as it came into land at Mount Isa.
Man robs chemist for painkillers
A MAN who claimed he had a gun under his coat has held up a pharmacy for strong painkillers. Police hope to identify him from CCTV footage.
Dad 'did something horrifying'
BONE found in search for Zahra Baker as fresh letter links her disappearance to her father.
Vet dies after brown snake bite
A VETERINARIAN has died in hospital four days after being bitten several times by a brown snake on a property at Nobby near Toowoomba.
Balcony gives way during brawl
TWO men have fallen off a first floor balcony during a brawl at Labrador on the Gold Coast.
Fire damages Westpac branch
A WESTPAC Bank has been damaged in a fire but luckily no-one was injured, say firefighters.
Bail and jail for pregnant accused
A PREGNANT woman with a history of stealing has been granted bail after a magistrate said she would be in ''some distress'' in custody.
Mal content to renew party ties
MAL Brough may have to face a ''please explain'' before he can join the LNP after once calling the party an ''abomination'' founded on ''lies and deceit''.
Headmaster in special needs row
ANGRY parents are targeting the head of an exclusive Brisbane private school via an anonymous website claiming he wants to stop taking special needs pupils.
Man hurt in house blaze
A MAN is in hospital suffering burns after a house in Flinders View near Ipswich was destroyed in a fire on Wednesday evening.
Moped crash kills Victorian in QLD
A VICTORIAN man has been died in a moped crash in far north Queensland.
Eight men trapped by floodwaters
MEN aged in their early 20s who are trapped by floodwaters at a camping site in the state's northeast have run out of food.
Mystery man killed at crossing
A JOGGER killed after being hit by a train in Seaford yesterday evening remains unidentified.
Green deal threatens Ted
TED Baillieu's control over the Liberal Party is slipping, with a fresh attack on the party's planned preference deal with the Greens.
Mothers battle their body blues
FORGET yummy mummies - new mothers returning to work can feel more like office outcasts.
Brumby's $148m promise for CFA
MORE than 250 CFA stations across Victoria will be overhauled or rebuilt if the Brumby Government is re-elected.
Brothels house people trafficking
AN investigation into illegal brothels in inner Melbourne has uncovered people trafficking, bribery and unlicensed prostitution.
Dogs shot after attack on youth
TWO rogue dogs were shot by police after a youth was attacked in dramatic scenes in Melbourne's west.
Doncaster line rejected by study
THE proposed railway line to Doncaster has been branded a waste of money.
'Agitated' Tyler defied police - friend
ARMED teen Tyler Cassidy advanced on police while telling them he "wanted to die anyway", an inquest heard.
Pouring cream recalled in two states
THE Fleurieu Milk Company has recalled its pouring cream product after tests revealed contamination with e.coli bacteria.
Family dog shot execution style
A NORTHERN Territory father is devastated after he had to tell his six-year-old son his puppy dog Zac had been cruelly "executed."
We pay more for our beer
DOWNING a beer in the front bar of an Adelaide pub costs more than any other Australian capital city, figures show.
Rann's Italian job to hit $1m
TAXPAYERS will spend close to $1 million on a special European envoy from the Puglia region of Italy.
Residents vent anger at Port explosion risk
ANGRY residents last night claimed Port Adelaide homes near the Dock One expansion have been ruined by pollution from industries.
Candidates to retract park claim
AT LEAST two council candidates have used misleading information in their election material, breaching legislation.
New school merger push
A MERGER between Pultney Grammar School and Annesley College is becoming ''more difficult'' with every passing day, Pulteney's principal says.
Who'll get the chop?
HEALTH, education and transport will bear the brunt of more than 3740 jobs to go from the public sector over the next four years.
Search for missing Salisbury man
POLICE are appealing for help from the public to locate a missing northern suburbs man suffering from dementia.
What mo should Mike grow?
PREMIER Mike Rann is growing a moustache to raise money for charity during `Movember'.
Woodside locals welcome Abbott
OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has received a rapturous welcome from Woodside locals opposed to the Inverbrackie Detention Centre.
Woman charged with murder
A YOUNG woman has been charged with murder following the death of a man in a domestic disturbance in Mt Gambier
Medic 'aware' of concoctions
A PERTH doctor whose house was being used to treat cancer sufferers with toxic concoctions told a grieving husband to speak to her lawyer.
More boats push arrivals to yearly record
THE surprise approach of two asylum-seeker boats to Christmas Island last night appears likely to have broken an unwanted record.
WA 'jihadist' in Norway mosque battle
A FORMER WA jihadist who trained with the Indonesian militant group Jemaah Islamiah and later left Australia for Yemen has resurfaced in Norway.
Roxon meets Grylls, miffs Barnett
FEDERAL Health Minister Nicola Roxon has denied trying to get West Australian Nationals Leader Brendon Grylls to lobby Premier Colin Barnett to sign up to a national hospitals plan.
Young drivers face new restrictions
RADICAL changes to laws for young drivers are expected to be unveiled by Transport Minister Simon O'Brien tomorrow.
Friend arrested over father's stabbing death
A MAN wanted by police over the stabbing death of a Bassendean teenager has been arrested in Perth's northern suburbs this afternoon.
'Falling star' was Soyuz rocket
THE mysterious "falling star'' sighted over Perth early Saturday morning has been identified as a Soyuz rocket body which was scheduled to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere.
Vigilante killers jailed for 45 years
TWO men have been jailed for a total of at least 45 years for the frenzied "vigilante" slaying of a 48-year-old man in Mandurah.
Heat hits with 36C November maximum
PERTH got an early blast of summer today with the forecast top of 36C being reached by midday.
Man, 81, car-jacked and robbed
POLICE are hunting two men who robbed and car-jacked an 81-year-old Mt Hawthorn man as he pulled up in his driveway late last night.
Nothing new
=== Journalists Corner ===
"I've Spent My Whole Life Chasing the American Dream"Watch Rep. John Boehner's emotional victory speech after Republicans took control of the House.
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Slashing Government Spending!
Military? Taxes? Health Care? America wants to SLASH GOVERNMENT! So, what needs to go, and how will D.C. respond?
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Shift in the Balance of Power
Bret Baier and his powerful political panel focus on the key issues, and look at America's future.
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2010 Midterm Aftermath
It's election fallout on 'The Factor' with our "star-studded" lineup! Stephanopoulos - Morris - Miller - Goldberg - Crowley & Colmes!
On Fox News Insider
EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS: Hannity, Van Susteren, Perino, and Williams Look Ahead to 2012SLIDESHOW: Behind-the-Scenes with Geraldine Ferraro and Sarah Palin
VIDEO: Victory Leaves Congressman Jumping for Joy (Literally)
WATCH: Christine O'Donnell: "I Do Feel Like We Had a Victory"
VIDEO: Rand Paul Reacts to His Win
=== Comments ===
My Dad, Ronald Reagan, Warned Us About National Health CareBy Michael Reagan
Now that the elections are over the real work begins. My father, Ronald Reagan, warned us decades ago about “socialized medicine”. His words are as true today as they were in 1964.
If given the chance, he said then, the American people would reject a government take over of medicine and, by nearly every poll result, we did.
But Congress and the White House ran right over the will of the American people and enacted a takeover of a huge segment of our private economy. This is not the America directed by its citizens upon which our nation was founded. Instead, we have been misled, bamboozled and treated with utter contempt by elected officials drunk on power. Even faithful representation has been ignored:
- We were promised the health care act would not increase private insurance premiums or taxes but premium increases have already begun and new taxes are on the way.
- We were promised that senior citizens would not be harmed but with $500 billion in cuts to Medicare (to achieve patently phony “savings”), that cannot be true either and the elderly know it and now fear the future.
- It was promised that this legislation would finally control escalating health care costs but we got the opposite of cost controls. Without such controls, Congress has engineered increased demand against a finite supply of doctors and hospitals—a virtual guarantee that both the national debt and household bills will skyrocket.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was even caught on tape telling a roomful of San Francisco musicians that instead of worrying about finding gainful employment, they should pursue their artistic ambitions--because working Americans would be paying for their healthcare.
With nearly half of the country paying no income taxes, liberal politicians have calculated they can be elected forever with the votes of those who contribute little to the common good but who are given the fruits of the labors of those who do work.
This is what was meant when former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel arrogantly mused that the opportunities presented by the economic hardships facing the American people should not be “wasted.”
The health care law is a blatant attempt to restructure the political landscape to produce more of those who are dependent on redistribution of wealth and subservient to government benefactors. The problem being, of course, that we have run out of taxpayer money to give away and now we must borrow huge sums from overseas to satisfy this cynically false and inherently destructive promise.
For the good of the nation it will, as usual, fall to those who actually fight our wars, invent technology, grow our businesses and raise our next generations—average Americans from coast to coast—to undo the damage created by those who, most commonly, have never balanced business books, created any new business, served in the military or struggled to put food on the table—in other words, the political elite.
Only the American people have the combined clout to reverse the destructive course our leaders have set us on and, not a moment too soon, it’s about to happen.
Those who ran over the American people to enact Obamacare have been reminded this week about who really has the last word on American policy and politics. Here’s a hint—they don’t live in Washington, D.C.
As my father predicted, given the chance, the American people will reject socialized medicine.
The first order of business with our new Congress must be repeal of this assault on our economy and our own pocketbooks, preserving the proper relationship between doctors and patients and reviving the very idea of majority rule. If there is an impasse then the American people will resolve it in favor of the American people.
The rise of the Tea Parties, the growing number of independent voters and the rejection in one contest after another of political seats that “belong” to any party or political dynasty are evidence that the sleeping “silent majority” has awoken and is not happy with Washington's insider dealings, phony accounting, and cavalier attitudes toward the will of the people.
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of Ronald Reagan, is leading the charge to repeal Obamacare at RepealHealthCareAct.org. He is chairman and founder of The Reagan Group, The Reagan Legacy Foundation and The Reagan Report.
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GOP Wave Long Predicted, but Still Many Surprises
By Karl Rove
The year 2010 was full of surprises, and not just the scope of the wave that swamped Democrats and carried Republicans into the House majority, a strong position in the Senate, a big majority in governorships and a record number of state legislative seats.
Surprise: At least 10 senior House Democrats, each with 18 years' service, went down, including three committee chairs.
Surprise: The first Latina governor of America was elected, and she's a Republican (Susannah Martinez of New Mexico).
Surprise: In fact, the only Latino governors in the U.S. are all Republican (New Mexico, Nevada and Puerto Rico).
Surprise: Three of four candidates for whom the president campaigned in the last week were defeated.
Surprise: GOP wins Illinois Senate race and loses the governor's race after Republicans led for months in the polling on the statehouse and were essentially tied in the Senate race. Go figure.
Surprise: In the Ohio governor's race, Democrats do better in Cleveland than they need to and lose. In the Pennsylvania Senate race, Democrats do better in Philadelphia than they historically need to do and lose. In both instances, GOP does better in suburbs and rural parts of the state and in Ohio, better in Columbus and in Pennsylvania, better in Pittsburgh.
Surprise: Record number of gubernatorial three-way contests -- Maine, Rhode Island, Minnesota.
Surprise: It appears a write-in for the Senate succeeds, first time since Strom in 1954.
Surprise: The large number of minority candidates running under the GOP banner who win, including two congressmen, and in Texas, two African-American members of the Texas House and a record number of Hispanic GOP victories for the legislature and local office.
Karl Rove is the former senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush. He is a Fox News
contributor and author of "Courage and Consequence" (Threshold Editions, 2010).
===
President Obama, America's Trial Separation From You Has Begun
By Dana Perino
America’s relationship with President Obama is strained, to say the least. In the midterm elections on Tuesday, America told him that it’s time to take a break and see other people. Call it a trial separation.
Across the country, in nearly every demographic, nerves are frayed and tempers have flared. The passion from the first days of dating has cooled and some people can’t remember what they saw in him in the first place. And so they’ve decided to send a message – loudly.
There’s not even a courtesy thrown his way to soften the blow, as in “It’s not you, it’s me…” because it is, actually, about him – his policies, approach, tone and agenda.
Every midterm election is about the president. That was true of President Bush when he won seats in the 2002 midterms, and when he lost seats -- and his majority -- in 2006.
The sooner President Obama and his team recognize that, the better the chance is of reconciliation. If not, we could be headed for a permanent break-up.
So, as I asked here in Fox News Opinion in September, can this relationship be saved?
In a country where slightly more than 50 percent of marriages end in divorce, it’s unlikely. But if there’s any hope of getting back together, here are 3 suggestions on what President Obama can do to repair the damage:
1. Lead
The election rhetoric in 2010 has been heated, but no more so than other elections. What has been different this time is the very personal attacks the president himself has leveled at others, which is one of the reasons this election is assuredly all about him – he helped make it so.
Contrary to what some Democrats are spinning, the onus for cooperation is not on the Republicans – that responsibility rests with the commander-in-chief.
He needs to be the one to extend the olive branch, even to apologize for some of the nastiness he encouraged. He did, after all, call the opposition party “enemies.” If he can rise above it, remind people to forgive and move on, he’ll have a chance of getting people to cooperate on the important issues in front of us.
And even if it doesn’t work with members of Congress, it would serve him well with the public at large.
2. Make a bold policy break
A lot of questions are being asked about what President Obama will do now, on Nov 3 now that his Party has suffered a major setback in the elections. Will he tack to the center, stick to the left, try to pass any major legislation, or just decide to hammer the GOP as the "Party of 'no'" for the next two years?
Since the election has been about his policies, in particular the health care law, he could do something shocking, such as agreeing to re-open the health care law and allow a constructive debate to improve it. Then see if he can get bipartisan cooperation this time. It would take swallowing a gallon of pride, but it could be the only way he gets people to back to supporting his health care plan.
He could also cave early on extending the tax cuts – he won’t win a long, drawn out tax fight, so why not just say at his press conference on Wednesday afternoon, “I’ve heard you, America – and in the interest of providing businesses the certainty they need going forward, and to avoid raising taxes in a recession, I will support a three-year extension.” This will take away one of the GOP’s best offensive point, and, well, it’s the right policy anyway.
President Obama has to take the first step -- he can’t just expect the opposition party to get in line, especially after their expected historic wins – he has to give them a reason to do it, something didn’t do last year.
3. Get America to laugh with him, not at him
A lot has been made about the disastrous appearance by the president on Jon Stewart's "Daily Show," and it’s probably good that it happened – because maybe it won’t happen again.
Instead of putting himself in situations that can bring ridicule, like an appearance on a late-night comedy show, the president should let down his guard a tad and crack a joke about himself – one that shows he gets it, he understands, that he’s able to take a punch and show some good-humored humility.
As most women say about their successful marriages – "he could always make me laugh."
We’ve not been laughing with him lately. Sure, the handpicked crowds may chuckle and hoot about the car in the ditch when they hear it for the umpteenth time, but for the rest of America it’s gotten old and annoying. He needs some fresh new material and a new attitude to go with it.
There’s no guarantee that these steps would win back America’s heart – but it’s worth a shot, isn’t it, to try to salvage the relationship?
Otherwise, we can expect that by 2012 we’ll have gone our separate ways with the hope that one day we’ll be friends.
Dana Perino is a Fox News contributor and former White House press secretary.
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No need for our jihadist to go to Norway for a mosque
Andrew Bolt
Why didn’t he just go to a Muslim country instead?
A FORMER West Australian jihadist who trained with the Indonesian militant group Jemaah Islamiah and later left Australia for Yemen has resurfaced in Norway.There are plenty of Saudi-funded mosques in Saudi Arabia already. Why wouldn’t Wenham just go there, especially with Mecca so much closer?
He is now at the centre of a heated controversy over the proposed building of a Saudi-funded mosque.
Former Perth man Andrew Ibrahim Wenham has emerged as a central figure in a fiery public debate over construction of a mosque in the small town of Tromso in northern Norway.
(Thanks to reader John.)
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Inventing new reasons to make Gillard’s NBN a disaster
Andrew Bolt
Another reason to think tehnical advances in the form of broadband most consumers want will make the Gillard Government’s $43 billion investment in fibre broadband instead a white elephant:
The CSIRO has invented new wireless internet technology that will give people in remote areas faster broadband by using old analog TV channels.(Thanks to reader Shogun.)
It is designed to fill the gap in the National Broadband Network (NBN), where some homes and businesses are too remote to be connected to optic fibre.
Although the wireless connection will never reach the same speeds as optic fibre, it will be a dramatic improvement over current wireless technology.
The CSIRO says the technology can reach speeds 100 to 200 times the speed of dial-up internet.
UPDATE
An insider answers what some readers asked:
To clarify some points, the bandwidth is 7MHz and distance of opertation at Smithton will be a max of 15km.===
Obama sees red, but won’t stop
Andrew Bolt
Republicans paint America red in the mid-term elections, but Barack Obama is reluctant to read the message:US President Barack Obama would not concede today that a Republican election rout marked a massive repudiation of his agenda…Instead, Obama borrows a slogan that didn’t quite work here, either, in persuading voters to ignore past disasters:
Hours after Republicans captured the House of Representatives and slashed the Democratic majority in the Senate, a subdued Mr Obama said in a White House news conference that voters were mostly preoccupied with the slow recovery.
“I think that there is no doubt that people’s number one concern is the economy,” Mr Obama said. “And what they were expressing great frustration about is the fact that we haven’t made enough progress on the economy.”
“I have got to take direct responsibility for the fact we have not made as much progress as we have got to make,” he said…
But Mr Obama repeatedly avoided the chance offered by journalists to concede that his sweeping political agenda, including health care reform, had been an overreach of his 2008 mandate.
“Moving forward, I think the question’s going to be: can Democrats and Republicans sit down together and come up with a set of ideas that address ... core concerns?”The scale of the hiding:
Republicans, bouncing back from their own election drubbing by Mr Obama in 2008, had picked up 60 seats in the 435-seat House of Representatives by midday today (local time), more than the 39 they needed for a majority.UPDATE
They also grabbed an extra six seats in the 100-member Senate, with three outstanding races yet to be decided, setting the stage for a likely gridlock in Washington, despite voter demands for both parties to work together.
The Age is astonished that Americans are so stupid as to not appreciate record deficits, massive waste and bigger government:
The message that Mr Obama wished had got through to more people lay in the solid achievements of his administration and its allies in Congress: extending health-insurance cover to the majority of Americans, better regulation of financial institutions to avoid a repetition of the 2008 collapses on Wall Street and the ensuing recession, and a $US787 billion stimulus package to revive the economy. By normal standards any of these would count as a triumphant success.It sees in growing Republican power a threat to all that’s decent:
Implementing an agenda that delivers a better life for the majority of Americans will consequently be all the harder...And,of course, voters who don’t choose the Left are by definition fools and the dupes of sinister forces:
These voters have become easy prey for populists touting simplistic solutions: that too much government is the problem, for example, or that there will be no recovery until Americans again live within their means… President Obama’s failure has been a failure to persuade them, and the disenchanted voters whose anger they exploit, otherwise.(And, no, I don’t know what the ominous “otherwise” is doing in the sentence.)
Are the arrogant Age ideologues who write such under-grad stuff on the same planet as the rest of us?
(Thanks to readers Richard and the Dean.)
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Who to trust: Rudd or Gillard?
Andrew Bolt
Did Kevin Rudd hold fake meetings to freeze out his finance minister?
Gillard ducks:
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has declined to confirm whether her predecessor held fake pre-budget meetings to make sure then finance minister Lindsay Tanner did not leak details to the media…Rudd denies:
“I don’t talk about cabinet processes - cabinet processes are confidential,” she said.
Foreign Minister and former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has denied reports that he held fake pre-budget meetings to avoid the possibility of plans being leaked by Lindsay Tanner.===
The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported earlier in the week that some meetings with the then-finance minister would deliberately be light on detail because others in the so called “gang of four” were so suspicious of him.
After the meeting ended, the Strategic Priorities and Budget Committee’s other three members - Mr Rudd, Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan - would reconvene and discuss their plans in detail, according to the reports.
“That report is without foundation, as far as i am concerened” Mr Rudd told ABC TV’s Lateline program.
Flannery gets the winter he says global warming killed
Andrew Bolt
I’m astonished that people still take this shameless alarmist seriously despite all his dud predictions. The latest example:
Tim Flannery in The Sydney Morning Herald, February 12, 2009:===
THE day after the great fire burnt through central Victoria, I drove from Sydney to Melbourne. Smoke obscured the horizon, entering my air-conditioned car and carrying with it that distinctive scent so strongly signifying death or, to Aboriginal people, cleansing. It was as if a great cremation had taken place.
I didn’t know then how many people had died in their cars and homes, or while fleeing, but by the time I reached the scorched ground just north of Melbourne, the dreadful news was trickling in. And the trauma will be with us forever.
I was born in Victoria, and over five decades I’ve watched as the state has changed. The long, wet and cold winters that seemed insufferable to me as a boy vanished decades ago, and for the past 12 years a new, drier climate has established itself.
Bureau of Meteorology Monthly Weather Review, Victoria, August this year:
OVER half the state recorded rainfall in the highest 10 per cent of previous totals, with some locations in the western district, specifically Weeaproinah, Cape Otway Lighthouse and Apollo Bay, all highest on record. In fact, Weeaproinah experienced not only their wettest August on record, but also their wettest month on record, with a 628mm soaking.
BOM, Melbourne Metropolitan Area, last month:
WETTEST since 1975.
Home of the closet totalitarian
Andrew Bolt
What is it with the Left and violence?
A WAVE of bombs has unnerved European officials already scrambling to secure the continent’s air-cargo system after two explosive devices were intercepted en route from Yemen to the United States.===
Anxiety spilled over in Athens yesterday as officials destroyed one suspicious package at the airport’s cargo terminal and were inspecting a second.
In all, Greek officials dealt with nine confirmed bombs - four on Monday and five on Tuesday - including one addressed to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, as well as the embassies of Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Chile, Mexico and Russia…
Greek officials said they had charged two young men, who were arrested on Monday, with committing terrorist acts. At least one of them was suspected of being tied to radical leftist organisations...
No, the banks aren’t thieves
Andrew Bolt
Terry McCrann explains why the banks must raise their rates:
THE numbers that explain - and justify - the banks putting up their home loan rates by more than the official increases from the Reserve Bank are buried in the fine print - page 87 actually - of the Westpac profit report.===
Not only are they not gouging their home loan borrowers, they are their own worst enemies in being so inept at explaining why they aren’t.
Simply, over the year, Westpac’s total interest income from its housing and business loans increased by 12 per cent. But the interest it paid depositors and other funding sources increased by 19 per cent.
Simply, Westpac took a hit. Only a small one, but a hit nevertheless. The arithmetic is impossible to deny.
Westpac lifted its lending rates by less than it lifted its deposit rates.
I wouldn’t be alone
Andrew Bolt
I should have plenty of company in the dock:
A YOUNG Aboriginal woman was ‘’humiliated’’ to hear she might not look indigenous enough for a job promoting the Aboriginal employment initiative founded by mining entrepreneur Andrew ‘’Twiggy’’ Forrest.I’ve been advised that to better defend my right to free speech, I should say and allow none on this topic. So comments are off, with my deep apologies. I don’t make the laws.
Tarran Betterridge, 24, a Canberra university student, applied for the post through ACT company Epic Promotions, which had been asked to find five people of ‘’indigenous heritage’’ to staff a stall at Westfield in Canberra handing out flyers for Mr Forrest’s GenerationOne.
Ms Betterridge was interviewed for 20 minutes on October 20 and told she was ‘’perfect’’. However, the interviewer, Emanuela D’Annibale, said she first had to check with her client, an agency called Let’s Launch, because of guidelines specifying it wanted ‘’indigenous-looking’’ people for the job…
The incident comes as the issue of Aboriginal identity plays out in the Federal Court. Nine Aborigines are suing Herald Sun columnist Andrew Bolt for racial discrimination over referring to the ‘’fashion’’ of light-skinned people identifying as Aborigines.
Betterridge is pictured at the link.
===
Describes herself
Andrew Bolt
Joy Behar does nothing to disprove my argument that the Left is the natural home of the modern barbarian.
(Thanks to reader Rick.)
===
Gillard sets a record for boat people arrivals
Andrew Bolt
They’re now coming in two by two, and a record falls:
THE surprise approach of two asylum-seeker boats to Christmas Island last night appears likely to have broken an unwanted record.And, yes, indeed, the record has fallen, with 82 more boat people arriving:
Their arrival appears likely to have pushed the number of arrivals for the year beyond the record during the years of the Howard government.
Labor was just 51 people shy of outstripping the Coalition’s record of 5516 asylum-seekers in 2004 (2001) when the two boats appeared on the horizon soon after 3pm local time (7pm AEDT)…
On Tuesday, Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor confirmed the interception of two asylum-seeker boats off Christmas Island, the 112th and 113th this year.
Initial indications suggest there are 11 passengers and one crew member on board the first vessel. This vessel was towing another vessel.(Thanks to reader Pira.)
Initial indications suggest there are 71 passengers and one crew member on the towed vessel.
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Why must we pay for her sex?
Andrew Bolt
Surely you’d be too embarrassed to even try this on?
A public servant who was injured while having sex on a work trip has taken her battle for compensation to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.(Thanks to reader Keith.)
The woman was in Nowra for a conference in November 2007 when she and her partner engaged in sexual activity in her motel room and pulled a glass light fitting from the wall. It fell on the woman, injuring her nose and one of her teeth.
After the Australian Government’s workplace safety and compensation authority, Comcare, refused the woman’s claim, she sought a review of the decision in the AAT.
===
Not the places for Gillard to bring her boyfriend
Andrew Bolt
Bernama, Malaysia’s government-owned news agency, announces the visit to the conservative of Julia Gillard and her, um, er...:
Gillard, Australia’s first woman prime minister was accompanied by husband Tim Mathieson.Thing is, you see, Malaysia and Indonesia were perhaps not quite the places for a Prime Minister to bring a boyfriend. Indonesia’s President, for instance, has certain views on de factos:
“Living together out of wedlock is still viewed as a disgraceful deed that goes against the norms of religions and laws,” he said.Miranda Devine lays it out to Gillard:
“I am of the opinion that we should safeguard and maintain the principles and values of families forever.
“We do not need to imitate the lifestyles of foreign nations, which are incompatible with the soul and characteristics of our nation.”
Why, when visiting conservative Islamic countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, did she decide to bring her de facto partner, and flaunt a non-marital domestic situation that is in strict contravention of the mores and laws of her host societies.(Thanks to reader Stu.)
In the majority Muslim nation Malaysia, after all, every Valentine’s Day the modesty police go around town raiding budget hotel rooms, arresting unmarried couples and charging them with “khalwat” or “close proximity”, a sexual misconduct offence that carries a maximum two-year jail sentence…
So what were Gillard’s protocol people thinking? More to the point, what was she thinking? This isn’t a backpacking tour where you say, “To hell with local customs. I’m a proud Aussie and I’ll do what I want”.
As it happened, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak miraculously came down with chickenpox on the eve of Gillard’s arrival, so was unable to meet her. This prompted Malaysian newspaper columnists and Twitterers to sneer about “sickies” and their “chicken” leader.
“Is it really chickenpox,” asked the Malaysia Chronicle…
We find such attitudes offensive in our own country but, according to one diplomatic source who has travelled to Malaysia and Indonesia on official visits, the nature of Gillard and Mathieson’s relationship would have raised confusion and awkwardness in these very conservative countries…
SBY, as he is known, is “quite pious”, says the diplomatic source. “He is a great bloke but very conservative. No world leader is as important as he is to Australia. The Indonesians would find it strange to have him sit down with a woman in that position (a de facto relationship). It’s not something they would tolerate in their own families.”
UPDATE
That said, I have to disagree with Miranda here.
Miranda dismisses my own concern about Gillard being “out of her depth” and about the signals sent by the underemployed Mathieson tagging along, at times not dressed for the formal occasion. She says this issue of confronting conservative Muslim leaders with her de facto is the real faux pas.
But is it? I agree Gillard should not needlessly confront other leaders culturally, especially if she wants to influence them, but, on the other hand, she should not kowtow to them, and hide in shame a man she loves.
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