Monday, November 26, 2007

PM Rudd, the new Australian prime minister will apologise to the Aborigine community...


SYDNEY, Australia - Newly elected Australian leader Kevin Rudd renewed a commitment Monday to apologize to indigenous Aborigines for past indignities.

The issue of apologizing for policies that helped make the continent's original inhabitants its most impoverished minority is a highly divisive one in Australia.

The policies included the forcible removal of indigenous children from their families on the premise that Aborigines were a doomed race and saving the children was a humane alternative. The practice did not end until the 1970s.

The Labor Party leader said he would offer the apology on behalf of the nation early in his first term — suggesting a timeframe of next year.

Outgoing Prime Minister John Howard angered many of Australia's 450,000 Aborigines and their supporters by steadfastly refusing to offer an apology, arguing this generation should not be made to feel guilty for mistakes of the past.

Polls show most people support an apology, and Rudd had promised to do so if he was elected.

Rudd's sweeping victory over Howard in Saturday's elections ended almost 12 years of conservative rule in Australia. He immediately put signing the Kyoto Protocol on curbing greenhouse gas emissions at the top of his international agenda.

That paves the way for Australia to play a greater role at a major international meeting on tackling climate change next week in Bali, Indonesia.

Rudd's policy on Kyoto leaves the United States isolated as the only industrialized country not to ratify the pact. His plan for the phased withdrawal of Australia's 550 combat troops from Iraq also poses challenges for Canberra's relations with Washington.

Australia has about 1,600 troops in and around Iraq, and Rudd says he wants the combat contingent to come home while leaving the rest — mostly in supporting roles such as guarding diplomats — to remain. Australia also has about 1,000 troops in Afghanistan, and Rudd has no plans to reduce that number.

Rudd held a second day of meetings Monday with senior bureaucrats and top advisers about taking over the levers of power. He began work on domestic priorities including his goal of providing a computer for every secondary school student and redrafting the country's labor laws.

Rudd told a news conference that implementing education and health policies were his top domestic priorities, and that he had ordered every incoming Labor legislator to visit two schools before Thursday's party meeting.

"It is important that we get to work on this straight away," Rudd said.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Myanmar military disempower their people - asset stripping nation's wealth...


Poverty stricken people have been disempowered by the military regime...

Lets look at some of the facts emerging from the former Burma, now known as Myanmar. Let Google do your walking. The military regime has disempowered their people and has virtually enslaved thousands of them. They are literally stripping the wealth from their country.

The real facts are emerging behind their behaviour towards their citizens - a millionaire military class is sucking the wealth from the ground.

Despite Western sanctions and calls for a boycott from top international jewellers, the military government hopes to sell 5,500 lots of jade, gems and pearls worth nearly US$300 million this year - the quality of their stones is claimed to be the best, according to one official. 2 000 merchants, mainly from China and Thailand, are expected at the sale.
The poverty stricken country is the source of 90% of the world's blood red rubies.

This auction is the first since the military junta cracked down severely on pro-democracy protesters - they did not want any delays to the auctions. There was international protest at their actions against the monk-led protests recently. There was initially tighter Western sanctions, including a crackdown on the gems trade.

The trade in stones supports the human rights abuses. The Myanmar Gems official said the most expensive jade lots was worth 80 million Euros - and highly prized by China.

The military have estimated they have earned US$750 million dollars since sales began in 1964 - as expected the state holds the majority shareholding, including the Valley of Rubies in the mountainous Magok area 200 miles north of Mandalay - the home of the famed Pigeon's Blood rubies and blue sapphires worth tens of thousands of dollars each.

Conditions in the mines are reportedly horrendous - reports from non-government groups strongly suggest that land confiscation, extortion, forced labour, child labour, environmental pollution and dangerous working conditions for miners are rampant.

The Writers Lounge

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Secret historical documents have absolved the Knights Templar...

Secret historical documents have absolved the Knights Templar...

The Vatican in Rome has allegedly published secret documents concerning the trial of the Knights Templar, including a parchment - long ignored because of a vague catalogue entry in 1628 - showing that the pope of that era, Pope Clement V, initially absolved the medieval order of heresy.

A 300 page volume has come out with a limited edition of799 copies, each priced at $8,377, said the Scrinium publishing house, which prints documents from the Vatican's secret archives.

The order of Knights, which ultimately disappeared because of the heresy scandal, recently captivated the public's imagination because of the best-seller "The Da Vinci Code", also made into a movie, which linked the templars to the story of the Holy Grail.

The Writers Lounge

Monday, November 5, 2007

The Mummy of King Tut is on display for first time...

The Mummy of King Tut is on display for first time...

Restoration took more than two years; CAT scans revealed he was not murdered.

Biggest threat is humidity caused by tourists; display should protect it

The ancient world is a big tourism draw for Egypt, which had 9 million visitors last year.

LUXOR, Egypt: The linen wrapped mummy of King Tut was put on public display for the first time on Sunday -- 85 years after the 3,000-year-old boy pharaoh's golden enshrined tomb and mummy were discovered in Luxor's famed Valley of the Kings.

"The only good thing (left) in this mummy is the face," says antiquities chief Zahi Hawass.

Archeologists removed the mummy from his stone sarcophagus in his underground tomb, revealing his shriveled leather-like face and body.

"The golden boy has magic and mystery and therefore every person all over the world will see what Egypt is doing to preserve the golden boy, and all of them I am sure will come to see the golden boy," Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass told reporters under the intense Luxor sun.

Hawass said scientists began restoring King Tut's badly damaged mummy more than two years ago after it was removed briefly from its sarcophagus and placed into a CT scanner for the first time for further examination. Much of the mummy's body is broken into 18 pieces that Hawass described looked like stones that were damaged when British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the mummy, took it from his tomb and tried to pull off his famous golden mask.

Hawass fears a more recent phenomenon -- mass tourism -- is further deteriorating Tut's mummy. Thousands of tourists visit the underground chamber every month. Watch the mummy be lifted from tomb and revealed »

"The humidity and heat caused by ... people entering the tomb and their breathing will change the mummy to a powder. The only good thing (left) in this mummy is the face. We need to preserve the face," said Hawass, who wore his signature Indiana Jones-style tan hat.

The mystery surrounding King Tutankhamun and his glittering gold tomb has entranced ancient Egypt fans since Carter first discovered the hidden tomb on November 4, 1922, revealing a trove of fabulous gold and precious stone treasures.

Archeologists in recent years have tried to resolve lingering questions over how he died and his precise royal lineage. Several books and documentaries dedicated to the young pharaoh, who is believed to have been the 12th ruler of ancient Egypt's 18th dynasty and ascended to the throne around the age of 8, are popular around the world.

In an effort to try to solve the mysteries, scientists removed Tut's mummy from his tomb and placed it into a portable CT scanner for 15 minutes in 2005 to obtain a three-dimensional image. The scans were the first done on an Egyptian mummy.

The results did rule out that Tut was murdered...

King Tut Mummy on display

Thursday, November 1, 2007

There was a political call for a fart tax in New Zealand some years back...

There was a political call here in New Zealand a couple of years ago by government politicians for a "fart tax"! The pollies claimed it contributed to global warming. Be that as it may, the farmers objected and protested so loudly the idea was discarded.

Cows allegedly produce methane when they fart which goes into the atmosphere and contributes to global warming and climate change.

I would strongly suggest that there is so much hot air produced in Parliament which probably contributes more to climate change and global warming.

After all what's a few farts among friends?


Submitted by Darius.
Very funny stuff this whole farting business. Scientists say that ome cow produces the same amount of pollution as 10 cars running all day.Well it all reminds me of a joke. A very proper lady is in a Harley shop, as she leans over to touch and admire the shiny hog she farts. Quickly she glances around hoping nobody heard her gaffa.She spots a young salesman coming her way so she immediately asks "young man how much is this magnificent vehicle".The salesman thinks for a moment and then says "I'm not sure I should tell you because you farted just touching it,your going to crap yourself when I give you the price". Keep the faith.

Good one, Darius

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