Stealthy moves of the predator

I can't really say that Peter Hartcher's Op Ed in today's SMH has anything new to say, or even portrays an objective position.

PM 'scaremongering' on climate change

History, it's often said, always repeats itself.

ACCC chief calls for ’fair go’

..........and on the subject of the good vicar, Pell, it’s all very well for him to have his own opinion, even to expressing the view of his church on the issue of stem cell research. In fact, on any issue.

On this morning’s Radio National Breakfast, the usual Friday Panel segment after 8:00am looked at the ethereal subject of “Happiness”.

Running three months late, the space shuttle Atlantis, carrying seven astronauts and a $367 million set of solar panels, roared to life and raced into orbit today, hot on the trail of the international space station.

STS-117 Shuttle Report

Yes indeed and surprise, surprise. The shuttle Atlantis left the ground today for a planned eleven day stay in space, most of it docked to the International Space Station where another power generation truss will be installed later in the week. From tonight’s news reports, you’d never have known. Seven human beings riding what has to be the most lethal of machines into the most hostile of environments where a single poor decision means death, and yet, we here on the ground, scurrying around with our small concerns and insular lives know nothing of the event, and could probably care less.

At ground level, we have far more pressing concerns, such as the G8 farce, rain and flooding in New South Wales, politics, genocide in Africa, wars in Asia minor and the Middle East, etcetera, yadda, yadda. Oh, yes.....let’s not forget the distress of Paris Hilton. The fact that humanity still undertakes manned spaced flights, that the International Space Station continues to grow in size and capability, feeding our collective knowledge of the planet we live on and the way we’re trashing it seems not to rate a mention any longer.

We, the human species Homo sapiens sapiens, have become a very self-centred and insular species. We’ve lost the focus we had a mere forty years ago. We’d much rather concentrate on our own small concerns, or worse, those of some self-possessed, flat-chested, painted blonde bimbo who broke the law of her land, then weeps over the miniscule price levied in retribution.

I find myself asking more and more these days. What’s more important? Celebrity hysteria or scientific endeavour? Who’s the more foolish? Military pawns pushed around the global chess board in constant efforts to destroy other military pawns, or those who volunteer to work in space for the betterment of the species?

We’ve lost all track of what’s important. I wonder if we ever really knew.

"Australians by and large accept that international settings and market forces will govern the price of petrol, but they will not tolerate being taken for a ride by anyone"

ABC News Online

How very prophetic and self-soothed by the little twirp as well. Have you noticed, reader, the almost incessant use by Howard of the terminology, "by and large"?

This long weekend saw the V8 circus return to Eastern Creek, outside of Sydney, for the first time since 2005.

ABC News

"This document is a dirty tricks manual and it is calculated through techniques of misrepresentation, push polling and the like to achieve one purpose,"

Watchdog probes Howard’s Kirribilli function.

My perspective on this shameful Kirribilli House party-for-the-rusted-on shindig is a plain and simple one.

ABC News Online
News from the ABC's Investigative Unit which last night revealed what looks suspiciously like more underhanded movements by the Howardian cabal towards embracing the nuclear power cycle, is reminiscent of John Howard's claims of non-involvement in ethanol marketing by the Manildra Group not so many moons ago.

"....It's about living with yourself forever."
Profound words and fittingly woven into the theme of "Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End". How was it? Well, non-stop action, real piratey themes, Geoffrey Rush and Johnny Depp playing their parts to the absolute hilt and neither treading on the other's thespian toes. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly? Bit players woven into the yarn for substance, but not seriously outstanding.

The whole of the plot was easy enough to follow, but the inclusion of at least two sub-plots tended to distract a little. That aside, I though this flick a rollicking good tale with action a-plenty, tongue-in-cheek humour and even the odd poignant moment, strangely enough. I laughed out loud several times, so the movie must have achieved what it set out to do from the comedic perspective.

If you're a fan of this series, I'd highly recommend seeing this one, even if just to complete the series. It's maybe not quite as good as the first two - 'Curse of the Black Pearl' and 'Dead Man's Chest' - but it does round out the tale and effectively bring the series to an end. At least I think it's found an end. Who knows? Oh, and keep an eye out for the Rolling Stone's Keith Richards.

Happiness is paradoxical. What we think will give it to us - invariably doesn’t. When we think we’ve got it - we invariably haven’t. We’re not even good at predicting what will make us happy people. From languishing to flourishing - can even the most troubled mind be primed for happiness? A panel of international trailblazers in the study of emotion, positive psychology and Buddhism get earnest about pleasure.

All In The Mind

The text from Radio National’s ’All in the Mind’ program which aired this afternoon. I happened to catch most of it while we were on out way to the cinema. I thought it quite pertinent and some of what the speakers had to say relevant to the ethereal nature of what we call happiness. Essentially, my own belief that happiness cannot be measured, quantified in any specific manner or nailed down to a certain thing or set of circumstances appeared to be borne out in this program. As Buddah tells us, learn to deal with what you have, not what you desire.

So, if you’re a John Quiggan or James Farrell type, do have a listen or download the podcast.

Further to my ’who-gives-a-shit’ rant from last week, I wonder just how many people realised that the International Space Station came closer than it’s ever done, since it’s initial meccano kit creation began in 1998, to falling out of orbit completely over the weekend.

With installation of what NASA calls the S4 truss array supporting a set of solar sails capable of doubling the stations power output in readiness for installation of the European Space Agency module later this year, power systems could be switched from the ten year old P6 array. The switching didn’t go as planned, with a power surge scrambling the station’s Russian navigation and station-keeping computer systems.

The so-called ’glitches’ were eventually resolved, but not until after the station’s Russian commander, Fyodor Yurchikhin, pulled an all-nighter in a bid to resolve the power problems and resultant computer failures. A 24 hour work-shift in space is unheard of. Did we see or hear anything of these days of dramas in our media, while the lives of some eight human beings were at terrible risk in the most hostile environment possible? Barely a whisper. I recall a passing few words on Friday’s ABC television news, but absolutely nothing over the weekend. In fact, except for these dramas which might have eventuated in abandonment of the ISS, even if temporarily, we’ve heard next to nothing about the arduous tasks undertaken and successfully completed by the crews of STS-117 and Expedition 15.

Manned spaceflight, even to low earth orbit, just doesn’t excite the populace any longer. I cannot help myself in asking why not? Space is the final frontier. It’s the last and greatest adventure humanity can undertake and will always be an adventure, a struggle and a challenge because we can’t live there long term. The irony being that for our species survival, we need to learn it’s secrets, and cope with it’s disinterest in our survival. If humanity is to continue on once this planet we call home is exhausted, as it will be someday soon, the rate we’re using it up, we need to master manned space flight. Places like the ISS enable us to train for that eventuality. But who cares? Very few of we planet-bound simpletons, so it seems.

Staff loyalty in business?
I suggest it's more likely to be staff gullibility, but who's really to blame if the workplace becomes too hard to handle?

MP repays electoral allowances

Mr (Ross) Vasta tonight told the Seven Network that he had repaid the Department of Finance over "administrative errors" in his electoral spending.

Noted on News-dot-com; Channel Seven and tonight’s ABC television news as having been "quietly repaid", Mr Vasta found some $24,000 had been the subject of this ’administrative error’. The Member for Bonner happens to be the incumbent in a very marginal Queensland seat. As are his colleagues Andrew Laming (Bowman) and Gary Hardgrave (Moreton), both of whom are also under investigation for allegedly rorting electoral allowances. One wonders if they too will ’quietly repay’ monies which have become subject of ’administrative errors’? Perhaps if they cough up the rorts now, quietly, Helen Coonan might find it in her cold, stoney heart to slip them a few bucks from her barrel of broadband pork.

I’ll be really keen to see if the AFP investigation continues on to it’s proper conclusion.

Couple married after meeting on Flickr
The power of the internet rests not just in delivery of information, but mainly in the ability for human interaction.

Ruddock 'running secret political unit'

Phillip Ruddock a master muckraker? Nooo.......not possible. For any human being to have a conniving, underhanded bent, surely they must have standard human emotions as a pre-requisite.

Tim Blair features large in Ken Parish’s latest poke at the blogospheric corpse. I make it a rule to not soil my blogging sensibilities by frequenting Blairville, but having seen the Media Watch spray at Blair last Monday, I felt almost compelled to follow the links.

Union crackdown no gimmick
I'm reminded of a knock-knock joke my dear Mother taught me when I was just old enough to appreciate humour but too young to understand what double entendre meant.

Mortgage repayments Hit New Record High
As someone who works within the Australian finance industry, I'm always alert to news and events which appear in my morning mail alert from Plugger.

"Kevin Rudd’s meek, kneejerk endorsement of it is almost as disgusting, and marks him unfit to lead Australia."

A damning statement from the self-annointed blogospheric centrist, Ken Parish.

And now for something a little less contentious and a whole lot more positive. Transportation Fuel From Sugar. No, it's not ethanol. In fact, it's something better, cleaner, easier and cheaper to make and longer-lived than ethanol.

Ex-Customs official spared jail

Domesticity decreed that I miss the start of the qualifying process for Round Six, but I did manage to catch the final ten minutes of the third session.

Extend Aboriginal porn ban to ACT, say Christians

When we hear about knee-jerk reactions to particular problems, this one has to be right up there with the jerkiest.

Yesterday’s indiscretions had to have consequences.

Ever wondered, dear reader, whether the solo blogger is a dying breed?

Both the Kessing and Harvey/McManus cases show the personal risks of revealing controversial or secret information to the public....... The Law Report - Whistleblowers

Regardless, or some might say, even in spite of, the public’s interest.

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Airport cargo security concerns 'being addressed'

Executive Director of the Office of Transport Security has stated:

"I can't give you a 100 per cent guarantee saying that we've addressed [the issue] or that there is no risk,"

Warming to the chance of an an August election

Peter Brent makes, what I believe, are valid postulations for an August poll.

SS Dickey,

"No serious wrecks were seen on the southern Qld coast between 1889-1893 until a small steamer of 143tons, built in Germany in 1883 and measured 96.5ft long, 21ft beam went ashore above Point Wickham at Caloundra "and has ever since been there". She was on her last voyage to Brisbane, she fought a strong gale off Caloundra but was driven ashore. All passengers and crew landed safely despite the heavy seas. An inquiry found that her loss was due to negligent navigation and the master lost his certificate for 3 months."

"We can talk about our surpluses, we can talk about our strong economic position, our growth rates, we can talk about our low inflation, we can talk about our strong exports. All of those things are important and it’s good to have them. But the greatest assets this country has is the fundamental decency of its people."

Howard announces new SIDS funding

In the words of Mr Creosote, "Better get a bucket, I’m gonna throw up!"