America getting out of Iraq

President Obama has set August 2010 as the deadline to end US combat duties in Iraq but he will still leave 50,000 troops ( thats about double the size of Australia's permanant army personnel) there until 2011:

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama has ordered an end to US combat in Iraq within 18 months.

"Let me say this as plainly as I can: by August 31, 2010 our combat mission in Iraq will end,'' Mr Obama said, laying out a new war strategy at a US Marines base in North Carolina.

But angering some supporters, Mr Obama said up to 50,000 US troops, compared to the current 142,000-strong force, would remain in Iraq under a new mission until the end of 2011, nearly nine years after his predecessor George W Bush ordered an invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.

Considering that the real hard yacca is over its properly a good decision. Senator John Mcain approves too. However I wouldn't be surprised if there are still considerable troops there long after 2011, especially if Iran becomes a problem, after all there are still US troops in Japan and Germany.

Women and men are different

Researchers have discovered something everyone has known for a long time, men and women are different.

WOMEN really are worse at reading maps than men. But before men get all high and mighty, it's also been proven that men are hopeless at finding keys.

New research into which side of the brain men and women use has helped explain age-old theories - and arguments - about the differences between the genders, The Daily Telegraph reports.

But don't worry ladies if you lose your way, a boob job will cheer you up:

MORE than 90 per cent of women who have cosmetic surgery such as boob jobs will feel better about themselves, a Sydney psychologist's research reveals.

Doomers at it again

Apparently global warming is going to be so bad that the population is going to be reduced to 10% and we are going to be vegetarians:

ALLIGATORS bask off the English coast, the Sahara desert stretches into Europe and 10 per cent of humans are left.

Science fiction?

No, this is the doomsday prediction if global temperatures make a predicted rise of 4C in the next 100 years. Some fear it could happen by 2050.

Its based on a report in New Scientist written by someone called Gaia Vince.

OK if this is all going to happen by 2109 or 2050 can someone please tell me by how much temperature will increase by 2015 and 2030? I really would like to test the prediction.

However lets put any GW skepticism aside for the moment. Lets assume Sydney gets caught up in the latitudinal dry belts they mention. Will we then abandon Sydney and have to migrate to the tropics? Nope. Instead it will be far easier to build a couple more desalintion plants and introduce water recycling. Run everything with a couple of nukes too.

Investing in air conditioning and enjoy the sunshine I say.

Hitler is looking for a parking space

Polygamy is good for the enviroment

Thats the logical conclusion from Senator Steve Fielding environmental objections to divorce:

DIVORCE adds to the impact of global warming as couples switch to wasteful single lifestyles, Family First senator Steve Fielding says.

He told a Senate hearing on today that divorce led to a "resource-inefficient lifestyle" and it would be better for the planet if couples stayed married.

When couples separate, they need more rooms, more electricity and more water, which increases their carbon footprint.

Remember this clown is only there because of Labor preferences.

A politician who believes

Being sent to the back bench hasn't stopped Cory Bernardi from blogging. Here's an extract from his latest post:

Personally I was never one to be won over. I always had a belief in free markets, smaller government, personal responsibility and what many refer to as 'traditional values'. This was unfashionable as a uni student but eventually these principles prevailed and provided Australia with unprecedented prosperity.

Yet in 2009 the political climate has changed and I suspect that us small government free marketeers will be unfashionable again for a few years yet.

Does that mean we should stop advocating for what we believe is right for families, for communities and for our nation?

I say no. If you believe in what you are doing. If you have the courage of your convictions then you can withstand almost any storm.

I think I will be linking to him more often.

The big tent

I have returned from holidays to find Mr Turnbull has had a few staff problems to attend too. Now Mr Pyne and I might disagree on a several issues. I expect Mr Pyne to be on a different point of the political spectrum then me. However I'm glad he is in the Liberal Party. Chris Pyne has come up with some original and radical proposals to modernise the party such as having the party members elect the Parliamentary Leader. Similar to what the British Conservative Party does.

A father at 13

The story is from the UK but how was it allowed to happen?

Baby-faced boy Alfie Patten is father at 13

By LUCY HAGAN

Published: 13 Feb 2009

BOY dad Alfie Patten yesterday admitted he does not know how much nappies cost — but said: “I think it’s a lot.”

Baby-faced Alfie, who is 13 but looks more like eight, became a father four days ago when his girlfriend Chantelle Steadman gave birth to 7lb 3oz Maisie Roxanne.

He told how he and Chantelle, 15, decided against an abortion after discovering she was pregnant.

The shy lad, whose voice has not yet broken, said: “I thought it would be good to have a baby.

“I didn’t think about how we would afford it. I don’t really get pocket money. My dad sometimes gives me £10.”.........

UPDATE: The story gets worse:

And amazingly the News Of The World has uncovered claims that Chantelle was sleeping with as many as EIGHT teenage boys around the time the baby was conceived on the Old Town estate in Eastbourne, Sussex....

Rudd's stimulus gets through Senate

Well the stimulus bill has been passed by the Senate. Now I'm glad the Opposition opposed it but its passing removes one danger for the Libs , a double dissolution with the package as the main issue. Its going to be hard enough for them anyway but they would have had a real tough time trying to explain why people should forgo short term gain for longer term economic stability and lower taxes.

Now they can criticize the government for the inevitable wasteful spending and if the stimulus fails or makes things worse they are in a far better position to attack Mr Rudd.

Stop Student taxes

The Rudd government wants to impose student taxes again, fortunately the Australian Liberal Students’ Federation is leading the charge against the tax with an excellent action orientated website.

From the site:

The Rudd government is set to slug students $250 a year in the name of student services and representation.

In 2005, the Coalition government lifted a huge financial burden on students by making student union membership voluntary, empowering students to choose which services matter to them.

The benefits have been enormous, with students saving up to $600 per year. This choice has forced student unions to provide better services – the ones popular with real students – not student union leaders.

The Rudd government’s student tax will remove this choice, forcing students to pay $250 for services they may not want or be able to afford.

The Rudd government’s student’s tax will remove the incentive for student unions to provide the services real students demand. The Rudd government’s student tax will increase student debt – the last thing they need amidst the financial crisis.

Go to the website, sign the petition or send a letter to the senate!

To much privacy?

Having worked in both the government and financial industry I understand the need for privacy when dealing with personal information. However we may have taken things too far:

PRIVACY laws and interstate bickering over funding sabotaged plans to introduce a nationwide fire-alert system in time for this year's killer bushfire season.

The federal Government is now fast-tracking plans to let state and territory emergency services access the national database of phone numbers, in order to bombard residents in areas of danger with automated phone calls and text messages.

Victorian Premier John Brumby is understood to have written to Kevin Rudd as recently as two months ago complaining about hold-ups to the potentially life-saving alert system.

The federal Government signed off on crucial legislation just three days before Australia's deadliest natural disaster.

Fire proof housing

Mr Rudd has pledged to help communities rebuild after the horrific fires. Fair enough. However can we please make sure that housing built in bush fire areas are fire resistant? It does seem to be possible to give housing a reasonable level of fire proofing without too much extra costs.

Thank you Mr Rudd

For saving the Liberal Party. Since the Prime Minister's essay in The Monthly and his 42 Billion dollar stimulus package we have had Malcolm Turnbull leading Liberals to complete opposition of the package and Peter Costello and Tony Abbott in the media tearing into Rudd. The difference between the two parties is now clear. Its between Rudd and his socialist Whitlamite agenda and the Coalition rapidly moving towards limited government and tax cuts. Thats exactly the direction the Libs should be going. Now can they please come out in opposition to internet censorship, limit or better still oppose ETS, and stand up against workplace restrictions so we can really have a party of liberty.

Costello hits back

Peter Costello responds to Rudd's stimulus package. He is devastating .

Good on you Malcolm!

Good to see the 'Bull has not been castrated. Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberals has rejected Rudd's $42 Billion spending spree:

But our judgement is that $42 billion is too much right now and $200 billion is too much debt.
This is not a time for panic. It is the time for sound calm judgement. There is no evidence that last year’s $10 billion cash hand out was an effective economic stimulus. It did not create the jobs the Government said it would. So we oppose rushing to another cash splash. Rather, we propose bringing forward permanent tax cuts for Australians.....

Good stuff. I also like the Libs proposal to help small business by reducing their super contribution. Now, if they can only ome up with some sort of tax swap with the states and abolish payroll tax.

However the Opposition do not control the senate, at the end of the day I expect the Government to do a deal with the Greens and independents and get the bill through, but a least the coalition is acting like a real Opposition.