Melbourne Beats

A senior military commander of the Taliban says the Taliban will give 100 kilograms of gold as a reward to anyone who killed the person responsible for "blasphemous" cartoons in Denmark, Afghan Islamic Press has reported.

Currently, the Defense Department says it is spending about $4.5 billion a month on the conflict in Iraq, or about $100,000 per minute.

lynt wrote:New Tunes in at DMC

lynt wrote:New Tunes in at DMC

system wrote:

lynt wrote:New Tunes in at DMC

Gratuitous promotion. Down 5 points.

Crikey wrote:"I've never been one," the Prime Minister said yesterday, "who believes it makes much sense to devote an enormous amount of time and energy and commitment of one's life to win election to parliament, and to the high office of decision-making, and then to spend the next stage of life busily handing over decisions to people who are not accountable." He was explaining why he believes Cabinet should maintain personal control over dispensing the RU486 abortion pill – and yet, when it comes to "busily handing over decisions to people who are not accountable," that's precisely what the Prime Minister and his most senior colleagues did when it came to the "decision-making" involved in paying apparently illegal bribes of $300 million to the regime of a country he was about to invade...

Look at it this way. In the most recent survey of countries and companies, Australia is ranked as the world's tenth largest economic entity, capitalised at $991 billion. Its CEO, John Howard, says he believes in the concept of hands-on decision-making, even to the extent of deciding which pills its shareholders should consume. Yet when it comes to paying the world's biggest bribes to one of the world's most obnoxious dictators, Australia's CEO chose to delegate that decision to people he says are "not accountable."

Or look at it this way. The micro-managing CEO who is opposed to handing over decisions to unaccountable managers when it comes to an abortion pill was prepared to delegate management responsibility for the reputational risk involved in the payment of bribes, and didn't even have a warning system in place in his $991 billion empire to alert him to a cock-up of that importance. Now we know.

THE US has entered the row over the Muhammad cartoons, accusing Syria and Iran of stoking up protests against the caricatures to suit their own ends.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she had no doubt Iran and Syria had gone out of their way to inflame sentiments and have used it for their own purposes. "The world ought to call them on it," she said.

valuetime wrote:us vice president elmer fudd accidentally shoots man while hunting:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington ... OE=NEWISVA

dust wrote:http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/ ... 98895.html

I really hope this passes. It should do, which would mean that decisions won't be made by politicians who still can't separate religion and state!

Incidcentily my mum was very involved in getting this bill to the table and made several presentations to the council. She said it was scary being harassed by all the pro-life folk.

Barnaby Joyce says the pill is a 'murder' pill.

I love that guy.

The Australian Muslim population, while relatively small, has been increasing steadily with immigration. More significantly, birth rates among Muslims, while starting to show a slight decline worldwide, are still significantly higher than non-Muslims. Although Muslims make up only 1.12% of the Australian population, the demographic shift is tilting sharply away from Australia remaining even a nominally Christian country.

High rates of birth among Muslims also mean that while the general population of Australia is aging, Muslims are starting to make up significantly higher proportions of youth. The 1996 census showed of Muslims in New South Wales, 52.5% were under 25 years of age. In the general population of New South Wales, only 35.6% were under 25.

Donna Vale wrote:every sperm is sacred!

valuetime wrote:us vice president elmer fudd accidentally shoots man while hunting:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington ... OE=NEWISVA

system wrote:

Donna Vale wrote:every sperm is sacred!

Rob M wrote:kinda sad.

my belief is that woman have a choice, and must have a choice. your body is your own temple.

Donna Vale wrote:that's 5 million potential Australians we won't have here

Special Hegg wrote:

Donna Vale wrote:that's 5 million potential Australians we won't have here

So is she saying the Muslims aren't real Australians?

Could she stir the shit any more? Fucking redneck.

valuetime wrote:what, not that fucking mall where video busters and go-lo is?

Special Hegg wrote:

Donna Vale wrote:that's 5 million potential Australians we won't have here

So is she saying the Muslims aren't real Australians?

Could she stir the shit any more? Fucking redneck.

Stray wrote:Independent World Television is building the world's first independent global non-profit news network.
Online and on TV, IWT will deliver independent news and real debate -- without funding from governments, corporations or advertising.


I hope this takes off and doesn't get shut down by political/corporate pressure.

The Smirking Chimp wrote:The Pentagon has developed a comprehensive strategy for taking over the internet and controlling the free flow of information. The plan appears in a recently declassified document, "The Information Operations Roadmap", which was provided under the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) and revealed in an article by the BBC.

The Pentagon sees the internet in terms of a military adversary that poses a vital threat to its stated mission of global domination. This explains the confrontational language in the document which speaks of "fighting the net"; implying that the internet is the equivalent of "an enemy weapons system."

The Defense Dept. places a high-value on controlling information. The new program illustrates their determination to establish the parameters of free speech.

The Pentagon sees information as essential in manipulating public perceptions and, thus, a crucial tool in eliciting support for unpopular policies. The recent revelations of the military placing propaganda in the foreign press demonstrate the importance that is given to co-opting public opinion.

great_magnet wrote:Krispy Kreme's is 100% confirmed to open at Westfield Fountain Gate Shopping Centre in the near future. How do I know this? I just received an invitation to their launch party!!

Currently considering CBD locations as we speak...

Stray wrote:

Stray wrote:Independent World Television is building the world's first independent global non-profit news network.
Online and on TV, IWT will deliver independent news and real debate -- without funding from governments, corporations or advertising.


I hope this takes off and doesn't get shut down by political/corporate pressure.

Why I think this needs to work

The Smirking Chimp wrote:The Pentagon has developed a comprehensive strategy for taking over the internet and controlling the free flow of information. The plan appears in a recently declassified document, "The Information Operations Roadmap", which was provided under the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) and revealed in an article by the BBC.

The Pentagon sees the internet in terms of a military adversary that poses a vital threat to its stated mission of global domination. This explains the confrontational language in the document which speaks of "fighting the net"; implying that the internet is the equivalent of "an enemy weapons system."

The Defense Dept. places a high-value on controlling information. The new program illustrates their determination to establish the parameters of free speech.

The Pentagon sees information as essential in manipulating public perceptions and, thus, a crucial tool in eliciting support for unpopular policies. The recent revelations of the military placing propaganda in the foreign press demonstrate the importance that is given to co-opting public opinion.

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/article.ph ... ed&order=0