Ned the Bear does national emergencies

It's always a bridesmaid and never the bride for Kevin Rudd when it comes to hosting a visit Down Under from U.S. President Barack Obama and naughty Ned the Bear takes full advantage of the situation. :-D
"He's cranky. He's orange. He's a cartoon bear." And he's here.

Those bl@@dy godbotherers and the Barclay Bros are at it again

Why is it that people who belong to certain long-established religions want to rule the world?
Here they are - at it again. And don't be fooled by the picture or the plea.
What this European group is really after in the long-term is for all ISPs around the world to keep records of every website you visit, page you open and image you download - then hand info it over to government on demand.

Of course they're not the only ones busily trying to create easily identifiable cyber profiles where none existed before.
Take a look at the Barclay brothers latest effort which is being sent out to frequent and one-time commenters on the U.K. Tele's online pages:
"Today we have released a new system that makes it easier to follow conversations across the website and gives every reader a profile."

Driver of golf buggy really blew it

NSW Police report that a man has been charged after allegedly being caught driving a golf buggy whilst intoxicated at Yamba on the state’s Far North Coast.

About 8.50pm yesterday (Friday 4 June 2010), patrolling police saw a golf buggy being driven north on Clarence Street towards the Pilot Street intersection.

It will be alleged a 51-year-old Yamba male then drove the buggy to the kerb on the road’s northern side and attempted to mount the gutter. The buggy was not equipped with head lamps, brake lights, or turn signals. The man was stopped by police and breath-tested, returning a positive reading of 0.135.

He was taken to Yamba Police Station and issued a Field Court Attendance Notice (FCAN) for drive with middle range PCA, and use unregistered vehicle on road. Police also suspended the man’s driving licence.

Source: NSW Police

How we feel about privacy for politicians

Excerpt from the Essential Report on 31 May 2010:

Media Coverage of Politicians' Private Live

Q. There have been some recent situations where a politician has resigned from their position or their party after some aspects of their sexual behaviour were made public by the media. Is it appropriate for the media to reveal details of a political figure's private life?

A majority (54%) believe it is appropriate for the media to reveal details of a political figure's personal life in some or all circumstances. 12% think details should be revealed in all circumstances and 42% in some circumstances. 38% say details of a political figure's personal life should not be revealed at all. 64% of Liberal/National voters and 50% of Labor voters approved revealing details of political figure's personal life in some or all circumstances. Greens voters were split 50% some/all, 50% not at all. There were no substantial demographic differences.

If answered "in some circumstances" –

Q. Is it appropriate for the media to reveal details of a political figure's private life in any of the following circumstances?

The majority of those who approved revealing details in some circumstances agreed that details could be revealed where there is a public interest due to impact on the politician's work or taxpayers' resources (92%) or where the politician has acted in a way clearly at odds with their publicly expressed views (88%). However, revealing details where a politician's personal choices are unusual or not considered mainstream was only acceptable to 20%.