A very personal reaction to Rudd's promise to deliver a more effective emissions trading scheme by deferral and tweak

Let me now go to the question of targets. On the question of targets the Australian Government remains committed to reducing carbon pollution by five per cent against 2000 levels by 2020, regardless of action taken internationally.
Secondly, we also retain our commitment to reduce emissions by up to 15 per cent of 2000 levels by 2020 in the context of a global agreement that falls short of the 450 parts per million outcome but satisfies criteria already specified in the White Paper.
Thirdly, we now commit to reduce carbon pollution by 25 per cent by 2000 levels by 2020 if the world agrees to an ambitious global deal to stabilise levels of CO2 equivalent in the atmosphere by at least 450 parts per million by 2050. This of course, 450 parts per million outcome, is an outcome consistent with Australia having the prospect of saving the Barrier Reef.
Furthermore, if this happened, that is if we did achieve that significant and ambitious and comprehensive global outcome around 450 parts per million, the Government has further committed to realising five per cent of that 25 per cent – up to five per cent of that 25 per cent – by the Government purchasing international credits including investment in the protection of international forests.

The Prime Minister's full statement on 4 May 2009

Stephen Conroy: when a name is all

If your name is Stephen Conroy these are some of your anagrams:

Yon torn speech
Censor thy peon
Thence soon pry
Try snoop hence
Thence nosy pro
Hence p0rn toys
Censor the pony
Retches on pony
Phony crone set
The p0rn coneys
Hence p0rno sty
Potency nosher
Chosen entropy

If your title is Senator Stephen Conroy this is your unfortunate fate:

A hot teensy p0rn censor
Entrenches a snoopy rot

NASA looks at Antarctic ice

Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

The Wilkins Ice Shelf, on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, experienced multiple disintegration events in 2008. By the beginning of 2009, a narrow ice bridge was all that remained to connect the ice shelf to ice fragments fringing nearby Charcot Island. That bridge gave way in early April 2009. Days after the ice bridge rupture, on April 12, 2009, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra satellite took this image of the southern base of the ice bridge, where it connected with the remnant ice shelf. Although the ice bridge has played a role in stabilizing the ice fragments in the region, its rupture doesn't guarantee the ice will immediately move away. [NASA Image of the Day]

*Update*

The Independent reports that The first icebergs started to break away on Friday [April 24], and since then some 270 square miles (700 square kilometers) of ice have dropped into the sea, according to the satellite data and Laravatus Prodeo has more satellite images of the disintergrating ice.

en Passant on the money

Leonie gets right to the point when faced with a piece of post-Howard revisionism:

Crap Corner - Colonel Costello (1st Howard Regiment, ret'd)

Remember Peter Costello?

He's the guy who didn't spend nearly enough on infrastructure during his 11 years as Treasurer.

He's the guy who slashed spending on hospitals and schools but had billions for defence, ASIO and other unproductive sectors of society.

He's the guy who pissed the resources boom revenue up against the tailings.

The Colonel Blimp of Australian politics put on his old battle gear this Anzac Day and went 'over the top'.

His stormed the lines of the Conservative Rudd Labour Government......

Best blog quote of the month from Hexy

Hexy of Hexpletive guestposting over at Hoyden about Town about Andrew Bolt's nasty views in Andrew Bolt, Wajin-looking Koori, Aboriginality, and comments full of lies:

Oh, that's just magic. If Andrew Bolt can point to one single "full-blood Aborigine" with whom he has discussed this matter and who expressed that sentiment, I'll eat my hat. No, even more extreme… I'll f*ck Andrew Bolt...........

The only people who have ever expressed disbelief of my Aboriginality based on my skin tone have been over-privileged white f*ckwits who feel entitled to decide who does and does not get to claim membership of a demographic they themselves have no connection at all to. [letter substitutions to avoid those *#@ filters]

Hexy you are a joy to read.

Photo from Crikey

Obama changes his tune once again

It seems that Barack Obama has discovered the delights of former Australian prime minister John Howard's approach to core and non-core promises.

The latest to surface is in relation to the Freedom of Choice Act. It appears that once you're president then any pretence that you really believe in a woman's right to chose, in relation to pregnancy termination, flies out the window.

Here is FactCheck on the subject:

Is Obama shying away from the Freedom of Choice Act?
When CNN correspondent Ed Henry asked the president about his current thinking on FOCA at last night's White House press conference, Obama used very different language than he did during the campaign.
In 2008, as we noted in our Ask FactCheck item on FOCA, Obama told a Planned Parenthood audience: "The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. Now that's the first thing I'd do."
Last night, Obama specifically altered that statement. "Now, the Freedom of Choice Act is not my highest legislative priority," he said. "I believe that women should have the right to choose, but I think that the most important thing we can do to tamp down some of the anger surrounding this issue is to focus on those areas that we can agree on," such as reducing unwanted pregnancies.

Tim Fisher lives!

After costing taxpayers about $1 million a year to establish the first resident Australian ambassador to the Holy See, His Excellency Timmeh Fisher is almost but not quite earning his keep.
What's on the Tube tells us that; "Former deputy Prime Minister and now Australia's ambassador to the Vatican Tim Fisher said that charges have be[en] laid against the two members of the Chaser team on April 28 for breaching the no-fly zone regulations. Mr Fisher confirmed that they were detained by Italian authorities and questioned for eight hours before being released. Morrow today said on ABC radio, "I'm not sure whether charges have been laid yet but we certainly did spend a fair bit of time chewing the fat with the Italian constabulary"."
Apart from turning up at an English language Italian mass for bushfire victims in February, this is the first time I've heard a peep out of the ambassador since his appointment took effect at the beginning of this year.

Update:
Apparently Timmeh is not too good with spoken Italian, because ABC News says "On Friday, Australia's resident ambassador to the Vatican, Tim Fischer, incorrectly said charges had been laid." and The Chaser team say "We've since heard from Tim Fischer that we've been charged, but from an Italian lawyer that we haven't. We're backing the lawyer".

Northern Rivers artist explores the nasty side of Monsanto

Monsanto

Lyn Hope

original, unframed, abstract political work, revealing Monsanto’s nasty side

Displayed at Arthouse Australia