Best World Youth Day photo of the week

Darth Vader gets into the act in this photo posted at Larvatus Prodeo during Catholic World Youth Day 2008.
Hats off to ProjectEye for the original.

Worst World Youth Day quote of the week

Original picture found at Google Images

Bishop Anthony Fisher making a mockery of the pain and suffering experienced by sexual abuse victims and their families.

A thought to ponder as the politicians argue about climate change

In the Herald Sun yesterday.

"NATURAL disasters killed at least 150,000 people in the first half of this year, more than in the whole of 2004 when south-east Asia was struck by a tsunami, a top insurer said today.
The figures came from German re-insurance group Munich Re which warned that the pattern this year fitted a trend of worsening weather-driven catastrophes, and the company called for increased efforts to fight climate change.
Specialists at the German group recorded about 400 natural catastrophes in the first half of 2008, with overall losses so far estimated at $US50 billion ($52.48 billion).
In 2007, a total of 960 disasters caused about $US82 billion in damage, of which $US30 billion was covered by insurance."

Perhaps Nelson, Turnbull and Co. might like to think on this, as they baulk at beginning to implement solutions.

With most of the Australian population living within seven kilometres of the coastline and therefore in some of the most vulnerable areas of the country, there is no more time for these politicians to play petty games.

The poor will always be with us and poorly compensated for social and economic change

There is a lot of nonsense being talked about people living on or below the poverty line being adequately compensated by government, for rising costs due to the introduction of a mandatory national Emissions Trading Scheme.
This will not happen.
Any individual or family compensation will follow an historic pattern of an increase in benefit, allowance or tax rebate, which will have its real worth whittled away over time because the frequency of cost of living rises either markedly outstrip government expectations or government does not attempt to fully match post-ETS CPI rises.
Renters will be even worse off because it is highly unlikely that landlords will install water and energy saving devices in existing housing.
Any pensioner can tell you that the lag, between real cost increases and increases in pensions or allowances, mean that bills are often being met from dwindling resources.
So I have little sympathy for business or industry bitching over the 'sweet' deal they are getting from the Rudd Government.
Their own company bottom lines are unlikely to suffer - they will all make sure that the poor cough up to pay their increased fees and charges.

Free to a good home. One red-neck editor

If anyone in the Clarence Valley was surprised at either the increasingly strident editorials coming from the pen of new The Daily Examiner editor, Peter Chapman, his tabloid-style of journalism or the fact that he attacked one letter to the editor writer (critical of his fear mongering) by name in an editorial - be surprised no more.

It seems that the ABC's Media Watch 1999 archives may give a measure of the man that APN News & Media Ltd has foisted on our unsuspecting valley communities.

Richard Ackland: The flack asking the questions was the public relations manager of the Canberra Raiders, Peter Chapman.
Chapman and Pearson nutted out the questions and answers in advance of it being recorded, and released it to the over-excited news services.
No journalist got within cooee of a question.
But that wasn't the only deception.
Much of the video "press release" centred on the leak, and who had leaked:
Chapman: "Who had a copy of that statement?
Pearson: "Ah two people initially had a copy of that statement. "(Channel 10 News, 4/8/99)
Richard Ackland: Well, that was three.... And there was more probing:
Chapman: "Have you asked who released it?
Pearson: "Um, I've queried and I can only put two and two together."(Channel 10 News, 4/8/99)
Richard Ackland: I hope he got four. Then there was the immortal:
"How do you feel about the leaking of this confidential document?"(Channel 10 News, 4/8/99)
Richard Ackland: We know of at least two sources, and neither is the NRL's lawyer. One was Kennedy's manager, John Fordham.
But the other was much closer to home.
Peter Chapman was the confidential Raiders' source who had selectively leaked to the 'Canberra Times'.
The same Peter Chapman who asked all those "wide-eyed" questions which suggested the leak was a terrible betrayal.
It's all smoke and mirrors in the fabulous world of public relations.
Until next week, goodnight.

APN's current share price listed on its website last night was:
Australia 3.28 (0.01% change)
New Zealand 3.90 (0.00% change)

Some in the Valley are betting that, with editors like this, APN Australia is about to take a bath.

National carbon trading: Penny Wong's progress

Well, the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Green Paper (full report) is out.

Excerpt:

Mechanics of a cap and trade emissions trading scheme
Step 1: Significant emitters of greenhouse gases need to acquire a ‘carbon pollution permit’ for every tonne of greenhouse gas that they emit.
Step 2: The quantity of emissions produced by firms will be monitored and audited.
Step 3: At the end of each year, each liable firm would need to surrender a ‘carbon pollution permit’ for every tonne of emissions that they produced in that year. The number of ‘carbon pollution permits’ issued by the Government in each year will be limited to the total carbon cap for the Australian economy.
Step 4: Firms compete to purchase the number of ‘carbon pollution permits’ that they require. Firms that value carbon permits most highly will be prepared to pay most for them, either at auction, or on a secondary trading market. For other firms it will be cheaper to reduce emissions than to buy ‘permits’.
Certain categories of firms might receive some ‘permits’ for free, as a transitional
assistance measure. These firms could use these or sell them.

What can one say about this?
It is looking increasingly likely that this reduction scheme will be riddled by free permits and high levels of get-out-of-gaol-free pollution allowances for certain industries.

The only way the Rudd Government will avoid committing many of the same errors as Europe (when it first approached a mandatory scheme) is if the Australian electorate makes its views known and, signals an unwillingness to tolerate up to 20 per cent of permits being given away for free or exporting industries being allowed up to 90 per cent of their emissions to be exempt from the scheme.

See The Australian article yesterday.

The Federal Minister for Climate Change and Water, Penny Wong, states that submissions on the Green Paper will be accepted.
Organise a group of friends and lodge a submission before the 10 December 2008 deadline.

Submissions can be forwarded to: emissions trading@climate change.gov.au or
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Green Paper Submission
Department of Climate Change
GPO Box 854
Canberra ACT 2601

Download the full report - Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Green Paper

Time to get out the butterfly net, Julia Gillard and capture that flighty PM

Original photo from Google Images

Extract from edited version Kevin Rudd's speech at the official opening of Catholic World Youth Day 2008 found at the Australian Prime Minister's website.

"Some say there is no place for faith in the 21st Century. I say they are wrong. Some say that faith is the enemy of reason, I say, also they are wrong.
Because faith and reason are great partners in our human history and in our human future. Rich in humanity, rich in scientific progress.
Some say only that which they see wrong in Christianity and in the church, I say let us speak also about what is right in Christianity and the church."

With so many Aussies now having a religion that isn't 'christian', only paying lip service to their family's religion or having no religion at all, this is a perfect example of an increasingly evangelical Rudders on an electoral losing trail.

Julia, you delivered the party votes to this egotistical idiot - rein him in before he promises Bene and George that we will become a theocracy!

Satirical or tasteless? You be the judge

The Obama for America team are all het up about the cover of the 21 July 2008 New Yorker.

According to Globe and Mail:

WASHINGTON — Barack Obama's campaign says a satirical New Yorker magazine cover showing the Democratic presidential candidate dressed as a Muslim and his wife as a terrorist is “tasteless and offensive.”
The illustration on the issue that hits newsstands Monday, titled “The Politics of Fear” and drawn by Barry Blitt, depicts Barack Obama wearing traditional Muslim garb – sandals, robe and turban – and his wife, Michelle – dressed in camouflage, combat boots and an assault rifle strapped over her shoulder – standing in the Oval Office.

Image found at Globeandmail.com

Myself, I think that the team's sense of humour has flown out the window. Perhaps they should stick to the incessant fund raising that they do so well.
Anyone for a fridge magnet?