Hubris on the US08 presidential campaign trail

It takes a healthy ego and full measure of arrogance to stay the course in any U.S. presidential election and, Barack Obama obviously has both.

He has built himself a considerable nation-wide volunteer campaign team, but is he in danger of losing control of this political beast or did he really O.K. the disastrous faux seal shown in this photograph?

The Los Angeles Times reports that Obama has been widely mocked for the seal.

Obama's people are in damage control.

From Mark Ambinder's blog yesterday:

I'm told that Obama recognizes that it was a silly mistake, that the universal reaction at Wacker and Michigan was, "Boy, was that dumb," and that they don't think the seal staging will matter to actual voters.
Does the press think Obama is arrogant? Yes. Does the seal represent arrogance? Only tangentially, actually. The worry for Obama's image managers is that it gives the press a pretext to call Obama arrogant, an example for them to add to a list of arrogant moments, and a way to distract them from what Obama is saying.

Photograph from The Los Angeles Times.

A message to the people of Japan in June 2008

Photograph from Mail Online

This mother and child are not meant to be food for an ancient and civilised people or the domestic pets they keep.

The member for the Planet of the Apes interjects....

I opened the Clarence Valley Review the other day to find one of those dob-in-a-terrorist-or-the-neighbour-you-don't-like adverts taking up a good half of page 17 in the last issue.
This money wasting exercise featured a tag cloud in the shape of Australia which highlighted such gems as I know this person who has downloaded a lot of documents from suspicious websites and I can't shake the feeling something's wrong.
Well, I thought, what a yawn - the internet filters installed on Federal Parliament PCs seem to feel that half the political blogs written by Australians are suspicious and the President of the Senate and the Black Rod appear to think that all internet activity by elected senators is inherently dangerous.
But then I read the adverts' main blurb; So if you see or hear something that just doesn't feel right, please call the National Security Hotline and keep the information flowing.
Now there's a thought! It's hard not to see and hear things that aren't quite right in Canberra these days, so perhaps I should let my fingers do the walking and inform on...........
Luke Hartsuyker, Nationals MP for Cowper, for this inane remark demonstrating a waste of space; The member for the Planet of the Apes interjects.[House of Reps 29 May 2008]
Tony Abbott, Liberal MP for Warringah, for these bon mots; Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The member for Shortland is wasting our time raving on about people going surfing. If she has a question to ask the minister, she should ask it. and Mr Deputy Speaker, I am not making any personal aspersions against the member for Maribyrnong. [House of Reps 5 June] and Mr Speaker, I said that she was a liar and I withdraw that. [26 March 2007]
Wilson Tuckey, Liberal MP for O'Connor, for insulting peanuts; Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I want to refer you to standing orders 88, 89, 90 and 91 relating to disorderly conduct. If you want disorderly conduct in this place, let that peanut carry on with matters that have nothing to do with the question. [House of Reps 18 June]
Malcolm Turnbull, Liberal MP for Wentworth, for the crime of over-explanation; Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation. [House of Reps 19 June] and Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation [19 June] and again Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation [17 March] and yet again Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation. [12 March]
Julie Bishop, Liberal MP for Curtin, for copying Malcolm Turnbull's homework: Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation [House of Reps 19 June] and Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation. [18 June]
Brendan Nelson, Liberal MP for Bradfield, for his daffy ways and disrespectfully using the term "silly idiot"; Mr Speaker, just to assist you: if I have said anything at all which is in any way offensive to the Deputy Prime Minister, I withdraw. [House of Reps 18 June]

* A big thankyou to the four blokes and a sheila at OpenAustralia who have just made hunting political snipe that much easier! And quite seriously, have made Hansard searches a little less daunting when looking for your local member's contribution to debate.

Predator Tweed needs rubbing out

The Australian Government would do well to take a big stick to predatory share trader David Tweed and others whose actions suggest they possess morals akin to those of ally cats.

Tweed, who changed his name by deed poll from David Tschernitz, preys on shareholders who have little awareness of the value of shares they own.

Tweed's companies, which include Direct Share Purchasing Corporation (DSPC), obtain copies of companies' share registers that show the names and addresses of shareholders and then use a mass-mailing strategy and post unsolicited offers buy shareholders' stocks for less than market value.

The Australian reports Tweed has had a victory in the Federal Court with a ruling that he can buy copies of share registers for a fraction of the cost of producing them.

Tweed's DSPC took legal action against financial group Axa Asia Pacific Holdings, alleging Axa had overcharged for a copy of its share register.

Axa argued that it was merely passing on the $17,195.39 charge levied by registrar Computershare, but judge Ray Finkelstein ruled on Thursday that this was not a reasonable amount and that Axa could charge only $250.

Axa has been ordered to refund $16,945.39 to Mr Tweed and pay his legal costs.

The decision removes one of the few barriers between Mr Tweed and the small shareholders he regularly targets with unsolicited offers to buy their stock for less than market value.

A brief lesson in humility for our political leaders

"kevin rudd" "brendan nelson" "god"

With populism, political expediency, paternalism and pomposity continuing to be the order of the day in Canberra, Google Trends offers a different perspective from the perennial opinion polls.
Full worldwide breakdown here.