In news that will interest fans of overwrought 1990s alt-rock, the Smashing Pumpkins have not only reformed but are supposedly playing a couple of shows in Germany. Will this be a triumphant return? Have the horrors of My Chemical Romance and their bretheren forever poisoned the well for the Pumpkins’ brand of I-have-a-loud-guitar-and-I-care […]
Archive for January, 2007
Tony Abbott seems to have decided to make faith an election-year issue, rather than allowing Kevin Rudd’s public airing of his own beliefs to pass without comment. An excerpt from The Australian:
Question: Do you think his advisers are telling him to tread softly, softly and that it may be starting to be counterproductive?
Abbott: Well, […]
london is not a battlefield
29Jan07The fight against terrorism on the streets of Britain is not a war. It is the prevention of crime, the enforcement of our laws and the winning of justice for those damaged by their infringement.
pan’s labyrinth
28Jan07Del Toro is clearly not someone who believes that the worst aspects of violence are better implied and thereby left to his audience’s imagination.
It’s a couple of days old but the latest Morgan poll has Labor leading the Government by 15 points. Even accounting for Morgan’s historical tendency to favour Labor that represents a reasonably large lead. Newspoll puts it at 55-45 in Labor’s favour.
Rudd hasn’t really said much in terms of substantive policy so far - a […]
Further to this post about the increasing influence of religious groups on the Government, yesterday’s cabinet reshuffle has promoted MP Christopher Pyne to the newly created position of assistant minister for health.
Pyne, like the health minister himself, is a devout Catholic and has in the past likened stem cell research to medical research work done […]
signs and portents in the sky
23Jan07Comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught), captured over our city last night by a friend.
When beggars die there are no comets seen;
The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.
Julius Caesar, Act II, scene ii
Seen a shooting star tonight
Slip away
Tomorrow will be another day
Guess it’s too late to say the things to you
That you needed to hear […]
I came across this handy list of the top 10 civil liberties violations of 2006 in Australia.
Near the top of my personal list would have to be #9, Freedom of Information and the effect of the High Court’s determination that a ‘conclusive’ Ministerial certificate is sufficient to prevent access to information. The effect of this […]
world’s #1 terrorist won’t fly
23Jan07This guy was prevented from flying to London because he was wearing a t-shirt featuring the words “World’s #1 Terrorist” and a picture of George W Bush. Our good friends at Qantas refused to let him fly on the basis that:
Whether made verbally or on a T-shirt, comments with the potential to offend other customers […]
There is an obvious and fundamental issue with the most senior member of the Government, and the democratically appointed leader of the country, lending the credibility of his office to any religious group
