Digital Freedom
Wow, I’ve been super-busy and haven’t had a chance to post. There is a major copyright issue going through Australian Federal Parliament at the moment, so we’ve started a petition here: http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/10234.html
Please sign it, and let people know about it.
Bringing You Up-To-Date
I've been fairly busy the last couple days, what with MP sex scandals, dead celebrities and international turmoil. I'm worn out. So here's a brief rundown on what's been happening:
PM John Howard has won a High Court case which extends the Commonwealth's constitutional powers over industrial relations.
Belinda Emmett has died after a long battle with cancer. Sad Aussies were gladened by an announcement that Rove Live will not air again this year.
U2 have played a few dates, upset a few fans wth poor seats, and Bono has bothered anyone who'd listen.
MP Milton Orkopoulos has been found in a poor condition in his car at the Charlestown water tower just days after being charged with drug and child-sex offences. Police say he was concious and he is being treated at Mater Hospital for a drug overdose.
Two of the college fraternity brothers shown guzzling alcohol and making racist remarks in the Borat movie have sued the studio and producers for fraud, saying filmmakers duped them into appearing in the movie by getting them drunk. A spokesman for the film's distributor, 20th Century Fox, declined to comment except to say, "The lawsuit has no merit."
Beyonce Knowles and Eva Longoria will play lesbian lovers in a new movie. Men everywhere silently said "YESSSS!!!!"
The UK's sensational mass market Sunday tabloid, the News of the World, reports that Britney Spears' soon to be ex-husband Kevin Federline is shopping around an explicit video of his antics with his wife on honeymoon. And it claims he has already been offered $65 million by an online download site for the tape - hot on the heels of rumours that excerpts of the video are already appearing on the internet. Trashy star in home-made porn? Pamela who?
And finally, the best invention of the year goes to the Wearable Instrument Shirt. Check it out at
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/11/13/1163266457568.html
Treaty, Eh?
It seems that nowadays we need only to look at what a politician won’t say to glean the truth of a situation. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer is very excited about his new treaty with Indonesia, which may or may not be a security agreement. Or defensive pact. Well, whatever it is, it isn’t like the treaty Labor PM Paul Keating signed with them in 1995. But Alex isn’t quite sure why. When the issue of nuclear (sorry, new-kew-ler) agreements came up, he pleaded ignorance to the ABCs AM news program. Seems The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald are just beating up a non-issue. Fair enough, ‘Lex. Those two papers are known for their tabloid nonsense, scare-mongering, and news invention.
The fact of it is that Australia wants to sell uranium to… well… anyone, really. Indonesia wants to buy some. Sweet! We can sell uranium to the world’s largest Islamic state as part of our treaty. After all, we have their word they won’t develop weapons. And if you can’t trust the Muslim governments of the world, then who can you trust? Expect to see less West Papuan refugees in illegal detention.
Warning
This is to the band "Mattafix". Your name sounds suspiciously similar to my own. Mudd-ef-ex. Matt-af-ix. see the F X syllable combination? Not cool. This is your only warning Mattafix, change the name or I'll unleash the attack cat.
Attack Cat: surprisingly affectionate after a scratch under the chin
Run Donnie Run
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/Rumsfeld1.jpg)
It's somehow appropriate that Comedy Central broke the story of Donald Rumsfeld's sacking. After all, he'd given them so much fodder over the years. Here are some highlights:
*These are all ACTUAL QUOTES
"Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns - the ones we don't know we don't know.""I believe what I said yesterday. I don't know what I said, but I know what I think... and I assume it's what I said." "We do know of certain knowledge that he (Osama Bin Laden)
is either in Afghanistan, or in some other country, or dead.""I would not say that the future is necessarily less predictable than the past - I think the past was not predictable when it started.""Oh goodness ... I shouldn't say 'I don't think so', although that's what I think.""If I said yes, that would then suggest that that might be the only place where it might be done which would not be accurate ... necessarily accurate ... it might also not be inaccurate, but I mean ... I'm disinclined to mislead anyone."
Bloody Belgians
A Belgian tourist who slapped a stick on the water to make a crocodile come closer for a better photograph should be nominated for an idiots' award after it bit him on the leg, says the doctor who treated him.
Because of the tourist's actions, authorities say the creature will have to be removed.
Stefaan Vanthournout, 24, was with a group of about six other tourists who ignored crocodile warning signs and waded into Masons Creek, on the south side of Cape Tribulation in Far North Queensland, after spotting the two-metre saltwater crocodile lying on the riverbank.
"They looked across the creek and they saw this crocodile there on the other bank," Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service spokesman, Mark Read, said.
"They then waded across the creek to the other side. It's pretty risky behaviour."
As they did so, the crocodile, which locals call Allan, slipped into the water.
"Then the gentleman in question wanted to get a better photograph of the crocodile, which by this stage had submerged.
"And the gentleman then picked up a short stick, approximately 30 centimetres long, and was tapping the water within about a metre and a half of the crocodile to try and get a better photograph.
"The animal has then lunged at him and has inflicted a single bite to the left knee."
One of the other tourists raced away to get help from the local pharmacy.
"We just had someone coming running in off the beach saying someone had been attacked by a crocodile," Doctor Kelly Lash, owner of the Cape Trib Pharmacy, said.
Dr Lash called an ambulance while his partner headed down to pick up the victim, who he said was more shocked than physically injured.
"It just let go right away. He was sitting there in shock [and there was] a little bit of blood," he said.
"It lunged out and grabbed his knee and the worst part is he didn't get the photo."
"I tell you, it's a candidate for the Darwin Awards - the awards for doing stupid things."
The Darwin Awards "salute the improvement of the human genome by honouring those who remove themselves from it," says the awards' website.
Dr Lash said it wasn't the first time an animal had bitten Mr Vanthournout.
"The funny thing is his girlfriend told us he's been bitten by a monkey before."
Mr Read said the tourist was extremely lucky not to have received more serious injuries.
"He's very lucky. The animal is estimated at two-metres long and 70 -85 kilos in weight. Had the animal say bitten him on the face and then done a death roll, which is quite often part of their pray catching behaviour ... normally there's a much higher degree of injury."
The crocodile now has to be removed for public safety reasons, he said.
"The crocodile will be targeted for removal. We have an obligation to minimise the risk to all users of the area from crocodiles."
People should take extreme care in crocodile habitats, he said.
"It's one of our key messages. People shouldn't be wading and swimming in crocodile habitats. This is a good example of what can happen when you interfere with dangerous animal."
Mr Vanthournout was treated at Mossman Hospital for his injuries but was released last night.
Oh, George
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/sad_bush2.jpg)
Democrats have seized control of the US Senate and with it complete domination of Congress, as US President George W Bush licked his wounds and let his defence chief fall on his sword.
In sharp contrast to his buoyant, confident demeanour in the lead up to yesterday's election, a contrite George W Bush faced reporters today, describing the defeat of his Republicans as "thumping''.
And that was before consensus emerged that the Democrats had taken the sixth and final Republican Senate seat they needed to control the chamber.Bush now faces the toughest two years of his presidency, with Democrats controlling both the Senate and the House of Representatives, and promising voters sweeping change, especially where the Iraq war is concerned.
After telling reporters he must shoulder "a large part of the responsibility'' for the Republican drubbing, Bush stood beside Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as he announced his resignation.
Just a week ago the president was defending Rumsfeld, but today -- after an election defeat that reflected deep public anger over the war in Iraq -- he said it was time for change.
"Secretary Rumsfeld and I agreed that sometimes it's necessary to have a fresh perspective,'' Bush said in the abrupt announcement during his post-election press conference.
The president said Robert M Gates, who was CIA director under George Bush Snr father, had been nominated to run the Pentagon.
The White House hopes that replacing Rumsfeld with Gates will help refresh US policy on the deeply unpopular war and perhaps establish a stronger rapport with the new Democrat-dominated Congress.
In a later appearance at the White House with Rumsfeld and Gates at his side, Bush praised both men, thanked Rumsfeld for his service and predicted that Gates would bring fresh ideas.
"The secretary of defence must be a man of vision who can see threats still over the horizon and prepare our nation to meet them. Bob Gates is the right man to meet both of these critical challenges,'' Bush said.
In brief remarks, Rumsfeld described the Iraq conflict as a "little understood, unfamiliar war'' that is ``complex for people to comprehend''.
Asked whether Rumsfeld's departure signalled a new direction in a war that has claimed the lives of more than 2,800 US troops and an unknown number of Iraqis and has cost more than $US300 billion ($A390 billion), Bush said: "Well, there's certainly going to be new leadership at the Pentagon.''
Democrats were jubilant today on forecasts that both chambers had fallen under their control.
Jim Webb's tight win over Republican Senator George Allen in Virginia assured Democrats of 51 seats when the Senate convenes in January.
"The days of the do-nothing Congress are over,'' declared Nevada Democratic Senator Harry Reid, in line to become majority leader.
Americans had spoken "clearly and decisively in favour of Democrats leading this country in a new direction,'' he added.
A day after weathering what was arguably the worst defeat of his political life, Bush was subdued.
"I thought we were going to do fine yesterday. Shows what I know. But I thought we were going to be fine in the election,'' he shrugged.
"If you look at (it) race by race, it was close. The cumulative effect, however, was not too close. It was a thumping.
"I'm obviously disappointed with the outcome of the election and, as the head of the Republican Party, I share a large part of the responsibility.''
He pledged to work with the Democrats, who during the campaign called him incompetent and dangerous. Bush shot back with accusations that Democrats were content to let terrorists attack the United States.
"This isn't my first rodeo,'' Bush said today. "I understand when campaigns end and I know when governing begins, and I'm going to work with people of both parties.''
"People say unfortunate things at times. But if you hold grudges in this line of work, you're never going to get anything done. And my intention is to get some things done.
"They (Democrats) care about the security of this country like I do.''
Democrats, meanwhile, spent today telling Americans they had been heard.
"This new Democratic majority has heard the voices of the American people,'' said Nancy Pelosi, the liberal California Democrat all but certain to become the first female speaker of the House of Representatives.
"We will honour that trust. We will not disappoint.'' Pelosi, who just weeks earlier had railed against Bush, also struck a conciliatory tone and said any effort to impeach Bush ``is off the table''.
The Senate had teetered at 50 Democrats, 49 Republicans for most of today, with Virginia hanging in the balance.
A count by The Associated Press finally showed Webb had won the seat by just 7,236 votes.
Allen is yet to conceded, but Webb moved swiftly to establish himself as the winner.
"The vote's been counted and Jim won,'' said campaign spokeswoman Kristian Denny Todd.
Some absentee ballots remained to be counted, she said, but Webb considered that "a formality more than anything else''.
In the House count, Democrats won 229 seats and were leading in three, putting them on track for a 30-seat gain if trends held in remaining unsettled races. Party standings in that event would be 232-203.
Without losing any seats of their own, Democrats captured 28 Republican-held seats.
The party won in every region of the country and hoped to strengthen their majority by besting Republican incumbents in eight races that were too close to call.
With the Republicans booted from power in both chambers of Congress, departing Speaker Dennis Hastert announced he would not run for his party's leadership in the House, instead saying he intended to devote his time to representing his Illinois constituents.
AP/AFP
Duck Season Opens In US
That’s right, folks, it’s duck season. Well, lame duck season. Yes, Dubya has lost control of Congress and looks set to lose the Senate as well. Poor feller… seems the people aren’t buying the lies any more. A poll of voters has shown that the war in Iraq is the biggest reason for the massive swing towards the Democrats. Also on the top ten list is the general incompetence or incarceration of many of Bush’s cronies.
So, in Georgie’s last two years we may see the troops home from Iraq. How embarrassment?
Melbourne Cup
Japanese-ridden Delta Blues has just won the Melbourne Cup. Underdog favourite Tawqueet finished up towards the back, and favourite Yeats didn’t place. Just goes to show any horse can win the Cup on the day.
"Not Justice But Revenge"
Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has been found guilty of crimes against humanity... or war crimes... or something. The guy was bad news, okay? And it's this sort of trial that will surely lead to all sorts of nastiness in the middle east.
Don't get me wrong, I don't like Hussein at all. But I do believe in a fair trial, and the rules of law. While Saddam is unquestionably guilty, history will record that he was convicted by a virtual kangaroo court and sentenced to death without a fair trial.
The US President, George Bush, on the way to campaign in Nevada, said: "There is still a lot of work to do in Iraq, but this is an important achievement on the path to a free and just and unified society.
"Saddam Hussein's trial is a milestone in the Iraqi people's effort to replace the rule of a tyrant with the rule of law."
The Prime Minister, John Howard, also welcomed the verdict. "The whole process of the trial is a sign of democratic hope, and I believe the world should see it as such," Mr Howard said on television.
Britain said Saddam had been held to account for his role in ordering the deaths of 148 Shiite villagers in Dujail, north of Baghdad. The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, did not comment publicly, but the Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett, said in a statement: "It is right that those accused of such crimes against the Iraqi people should face Iraqi justice."
The British QC Geoffrey Robertson agreed it had been right to bring the former dictator to trial for genocidal attacks, but said the judiciary was not independent and Saddam should have been tried in a UN court.
"Saddam's public execution will provide an obscene spectacle, an example not of justice but of wild justice, otherwise known as revenge," the Australian-born lawyer said.
On another note, John Howard said that while he opposed the use of the death penalty in Australia or against Australians, "what other countries do with the death penalty is other countries' business". Unless of course it's Aussie drug smuglers in Indonesia. THAT's a different story altogether.
Six Months In A Leaky Boat
This may be the case for Fijians who are stocking up in case there’s another military coup. The new Prime Minister is looking at pardoning George Speight and his pals who led the 2000 coup. Fiji’s military chief is so dismayed at the possible release of coup-sters that HE has threatened a coup.
Rabbit Season! Duck Season! Rabbit Season! Duck Season! Duck Season! Rabbit Season!
… and they wonder why we don’t take them seriously.
Running With Nazis
November 1, 2006 - 12:03PMThe US actor Alec Baldwin wants to be removed as narrator of an Arnold Schwarzenegger documentary called Running with Arnold, saying filmmakers went too far by including images of Nazi rallies.
Baldwin wrote in a posting on The Huffington Post website that he agreed to narrate the documentary about the political rise of the actor-turned-governor based on reading the script.
He said that when he saw the film as he recorded the tracks he was "somewhat dismayed by some of the images".
"The filmmakers hammer Schwarzenegger over his private behaviour and his record as Governor," Baldwin wrote, noting he is not a supporter of the Governor.
"But Schwarzenegger deserves to be treated fairly and the film's images of Nazi rallies were over the line."
The California Governor's office declined to comment today.
Baldwin, who could not be reached for comment on Monday, wrote that he asked that his voice be removed and said he returned payment. He also had his attorney issue a cease-and-desist demand against the filmmakers.
The producer, Mike Gabrawy, said Baldwin had the script for more than a month and that they tried several times to set up screenings with the actor, even delaying recording the narration to accommodate him.
The film includes a photograph of the former Austrian President Kurt Waldheim, who was invited to Schwarzenegger's wedding but did not attend.
In the photo, Mr Waldheim is dressed in his World War II Wehrmacht uniform.
In 1987, Mr Waldheim was barred from entering the United States following an investigation into his activities as a lieutenant in a German unit associated with Nazi atrocities. Mr Waldheim insisted he was innocent.
Another image in the documentary shows the Nazi party paperwork of Schwarzenegger's father, Mr Gabrawy said. Other images of the Third Reich have been replaced.
Mr Gabrawy said he learned Baldwin did not want to be associated with the film days after the narration was recorded.
"What's really shocking about this situation is that this is not really a critical look at Arnold - there's a lot more we could've done to be critical," said Mr Gabrawy.
Mr Gabrawy said distribution of the film was going ahead.
-AP
Sex Not Funny
In the first comprehensive global study of sexual behaviour, British researchers found that people aren't losing their virginity at ever younger ages, married people have the most sex, and there is no firm link between promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases. So maybe it's just comedians who don't get any from their spouses. Can't say I blame them.
Getting Grumpy
You just know its Halloween when Hollywood couple Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Philippe split up. What a tragedy, the Cruel Intentions duo over after all these years.
More of a tragedy is the fact that we’ve lovingly embraced Halloween here in Oz. Maybe it’s a part of our desire to become the US (just look at our foreign policy, economic policy, neo-conservative government, fast-food outlets, misspelling mum, etc). Does anyone think we REALLY need another excuse to purchase?
And this business of trick-or-treat. If someone lobs eggs at the wrong house, it may spark a race riot. Perhaps I feel I’m being terrorized by the ghouls hiding around the corner. Can I call ASIO?
Nonsense!
A Sting In The Tail For The Overweight
SOUTH Park's creators have made a cartoon poking fun at Crocodile Hunter
Steve Irwin's death as his daughter Bindi prepares to launch a fitness DVD
"taking the bite out of obesity".
South Park has revealed an episode in which Mr Irwin attends a fancy dress
party in hell with a stingray sticking out of his chest.
Mr Irwin died on September 4 when a stingray barb pierced his chest while
diving on the Great Barrier Reef.
"We have offended people in the past and probably will again," a South Park
spokesman told a London newspaper.
The episode had been scheduled to air in the US on Wednesday.
The timing could not be worse after Mr Irwin's eight-year-old daughter
yesterday announced she would launch her first DVD Bindi Kidfitness.
Alternative titles included Don't Get Stung By Obesity.
ARIA 06
Bernard Fanning gets Album of the Year for ''Tea & Sympathy'' proving that
his songwriting transcends his band Powderfinger. Meanwhile Eskimo Joe took
out honours for Best Single with ''Black Fingernails Red Wine'', a song
that's catchy if nothing else.
The highlight of the evening came from silverchair playing a cover of
Midnight Oil's ''Don't Wanna Be The One''. The Oils were inducted into the
hall of fame. No one can deny Peter Garrett's rising popularity with
silverchair's Daniel Johns spraypainting PG 4 PM on the set.
There was a general appeal made for Aussie music to get back to sticking it
up the people in power and to take a step away from 'get famous quick' TV
shows.
Hear hear.
Deja Vu
Forensic investigators have made a shocking discovery about the Peter Brock crash in Western Australia. Contrary to popular belief, the car was fitted with a Peter Brock Polariser. It is believed that the unit failed to do anything at all, just like on the VL Calais Director, at which point Brock departed from the road like HDT did in 1987.
Dress Code
So a lot of women are upset at a Muslim cleric who says women who dress like tramps invite rape. But what about the traditional Islamic garb? Don’t those women invite attacks from ninjas?
Satan's Little Helper
US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld has struck out at critics of the war in Iraq, warning them to “back off”. Rumsfeld said that while benchmarks for security, political and economic progress are valuable, "it's difficult. We're looking out into the future. No one can predict the future with absolute certainty." He said the goals have no specific deadlines or consequences if they are not met by specific dates.
"You're looking for some sort of a guillotine to come falling down if some date isn't met," Rumsfeld told reporters. "That is not what this is about."
“You can’t hold us accountable for our actions. I know there are those Nancy-boys in the liberal media who keep talking about Enron and DeLay and Abramoff, but we’ve had a strong track record of doing what the President thinks is right, regardless of what anyone else says.”
Noting that this is the political season, Rumsfeld also complained that critics and the media are trying to "make a little mischief" by trying to "find a little daylight between what the Iraqis say or someone in the United States says. And we can’t have daylight in the Whitehouse, Cheney’s uncomfortable with it.”
When questioned about the goals and benchmarks, Rumsfeld responded “that kind of talk is exactly the kind of performance-based assessment the Democrats want you to buy into. It’s not that easy, you can’t just sit down and say ‘let’s bring the troops home, let’s create a stable democratic nation in the middle east,’ because if we do that, we lose our relevance, and when we lose our relevance, the terrorists win.”
Peek-A-Boo Scandal
A "sexy" pole-dancing kit has been pulled from the toys and games section of a website run by Britain's biggest retailer after protests from outraged parents.
The Peekaboo pole-dancing kit, which has a "sexy garter" to help "unleash the sex kitten inside" was sold in Tesco Direct's toys and games section, The Daily Mail reported.
"Soon you'll be flaunting it to the world and earning a fortune in Peekaboo Dance Dollars," its blurb reads.
"Unleash the sex kitten inside ... simply extend the Peekaboo pole inside the tube, slip on the sexy tunes and away you go!"
The £50 ($125) kit includes a 2.6-metre chrome pole, a "sexy dance garter" and a DVD demonstrating suggestive dance moves, the report said.
However, family campaigners slammed the kit's status as a toy, saying it would "destroy children's lives".
"It is an open invitation to turn the youngest children on to sexual behaviour," Dr Adrian Rogers of the Family First group told The Daily Mail.
"This will be sold to four-, five- and six-year olds. This is a most dangerous toy that will contribute towards destroying children's innocence.
"Children are being encouraged to dance round a pole, which is interpreted in the adult world as a phallic symbol.
"This should only be available to the most depraved people who want to corrupt their children."
The Daily Mail report said Tesco had removed the kit from the toys and games area of its site, but would still sell it as a "fitness accessory".
The retailer denied the pole-dancing kit was sexually oriented and it was clearly marked for adult use.
"Pole dancing is an increasing exercise craze. This item is for people who want to improve their fitness and have fun at the same time," a spokesman said.
Other British retailers had been forced to remove sexually suggestive children's products from their shelves, including padded bras with a "Little Miss Naughty" logo, the report said.
smh.com.au
Sad FM
One of our local radio stations just finished yet another countdown. This time it was the best 2006 songs of all time. And so, after weeks of drivel we’re presented with the top 20 (“top” being loosely related to best at best).
See the finalists here: http://www.kofm.com.au/prizes/essential/top20.php
I personally think number 13 is the best. What do you think?
***It’s a Friday Survey!!!***
Coke!... Uh, Blow! (Sorry About The Trademark Infringement)
7-Eleven has refused to carry Cocaine Energy Drink in its stores after complaints about the name of the beverage. This isn’t the first time the convenience retailer has had a problem with ‘pep-juice’. Some Hindu franchisees refused to carry Red Bull because it misrepresents a sacred animal as a caffeinated alternative to sleep.
Ghetto Gospel
New film ‘The Colour Of The Cross’ by Jean Claude LaMarre will feature a black Jesus. LaMarre, who plays Jesus, wrote, directed and financed the film.
"It's very important because (the film) is going to provide an image of Jesus for African-Americans that is no longer under the control of whites," says Stephenson Humphries-Brooks, an associate professor of religious studies at New York's Hamilton College and author of "Cinematic Savior: Hollywood's Making of the American Christ."
What Jesus looked like has long been debated by theologians around the world. Different cultures have imagined him in different ways, says Stephen Prothero, chairman of the religion department at Boston University. In Japan, Jesus looks Japanese. In Africa, he is black. But in America he is almost always white, like the fair-haired savior painted by Leonardo Da Vinci in "The Last Supper" in 1495.
While some black churches have images of a black Jesus behind the altar and others have claimed Christ was black, Prothero says "none of those arguments or images have filtered much into the mainstream."
It looks like a Ghetto Passion is on the cards.
“It provides a positive image of blacks, something that's been scant in the U.S.,” says the Rev. Cecil "Chip" Murray, longtime leader of L.A.'s First African Methodist Episcopal Church and a producer of the film.
Yep, black man arrested for no crime, tried and found guilty, then executed. WAY positive.
It’s taken over a hundred years to get a black Jesus onto the silver screen. News In Briefs wonders how much longer till we have a Palestinian (or HISTORICALLY ACCURATE) Jesus.
Pretty Silly
The National Federation for the Blind is suing Target in the US because it’s web site is inaccessible by blind people.
Screen-reading software like JAWS and HAL have helped blind people to navigate the internet opening up communication and shopping options.
Rather than let Target get away with it’s flashy graphics, NFB wants ALL website to be readable by blind-enabling software.
YouTube and Flickr are anxiously awaiting the verdict.
FINALLY! Real Drama On RAMSI Street
It looks like the nations of the South Pacific want to give Australia a time-out, and not the tasty chocolate kind. Attempts to extradite Julian Moti have been met with accusations of bullying by Soloman Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. Here’s the latest from AAP:
Sogavare fears he will be arrested over the Julian Moti affair when he returns home later this week.
Sogavare is in Fiji for the Pacific Islands Forum and has told his Papua New Guinea counterpart he could be arrested when he flies home on Thursday, PNG's Post-Courier newspaper reported today.
On Friday, a day after Sogavare left for the forum, police raided his offices in Honiara looking for evidence of involvement in Moti's illegal entry into the Solomons from PNG.
Moti - an Australian lawyer who is a friend and adviser to Sogavare - was able to flee PNG, aboard a PNG military plane, despite Australia's efforts to extradite him on child sex charges.
Sogavare wants the Australian to become his country's next attorney-general and has refused Canberra's demands to hand him over.
The Solomons Immigration Minister Peter Shanel has already been arrested on deception charges related to Moti's arrival in the Solomons, and Sogavare fears the same fate, the newspaper said.
The Post-Courier said Somare tried to offer Sogavare some comfort when the pair discussed the Solomons leader's fears of arrest.
He told Sogavare he hoped "Australia would not go to that extent of arresting the Solomons prime minister".
In Honiara, Sogavare's press secretary Deli Oso said she and other staff had heard rumours that the prime minister might be arrested upon his return.
"If there is a plan then the plan is illegal," she said.
During Friday's raid, Solomons and Australian police serving there seized a fax machine thought to have been used to send an exemption order to Moti, authorising him to enter the Solomons without valid travel documents.
Canberra had earlier cancelled his Australian passport.
A Honiara court has been told the immigration minister Shanel denied issuing Moti with an exemption order.
However just such a document, signed by Shanel, was allegedly made, according to Solomons Police Commissioner, Australian Shane Castles.
Sogavare - together with the leaders of PNG, Fiji and Vanuatu - issued a statement yesterday condemning the raid on his Honiara offices as provocative and unnecessary.
It was also a "a serious violation of Solomon Islands territorial sovereignty and integrity," the statement said.
Somare went further, later labelling Australia arrogant over the raid and Canberra's decision to suspend ministerial contact with PNG until it explains Moti's escape aboard a PNG military plane.
The Moti affair has severely damaged Australia's diplomatic relations with the Solomons and PNG.
Sogavare has threatened to oust Australians serving with the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) if Canberra continues to pursue Moti.
At the forum in Fiji today, he presented Pacific leaders with a plan to reduce Australia's role in the mission.
But it is understood to have been rejected by forum members, who fear what might happen in the Solomons if the Australians were pulled or forced out of the country.
Meanwhile, Moti - who is on bail on charges of illegally entering the Solomons - appeared for mention in the Honiara Magistrates Court today. He did not comment to the media.
Moti's associate and Sogavare's nephew, Robson Djokovic, also appeared today on charges of aiding Moti's escape from PNG.
He said it was obvious that the pursuit of Moti was politically motivated.
Djokovic was on the PNG flight with Moti and Honiara lawyer Chris Hapa but said they and the Solomons government had nothing to do with organising it.
"You can refer to us as cargo," Djokovic said.
Meanwhile, Melbourne silk Nathan Moshinsky left the Solomons today after cutting short his posting as the Solomons solicitor-general.
Sogavare last week threatened to "deal with" Moshinsky and the police chief Castles, accusing them of "spearheading" the "unnecessary arrest, detention and humiliation" of his immigration minister.
He accused them of being influenced "by their ultimate loyalty to Canberra".
Moshinsky cited family issues and the deteriorating political situation as reasons for leaving. He said he knew nothing of reports the government was moving to deport him.
Castles - targeted for removal by Sogavare - today said he was offended by suggestions he was a puppet for Canberra and was seeking advice on the Solomons government's threats to slash his wages.
Watering Down The Truth
This is our first attempt at emailing posts in, so bear with me if we lose something in the translation.
Anglican Archbishop Phillip Jensen has copped flak for opposing the ordination of gay ministers in the Church of England. His detractors highlighted the good examples set by some of the openly gay members of the Church. Jensen responded by quoting the Bible. Expect further division in traditional Churches as the issue of homosexuality butts up against the foundations of the Faith.
The Hamster Speaks
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/hammondcar_wideweb__470x283%2C0.jpg)
Upside down and breathing a field full of dirt, Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond was close to death.
Speaking for the first time since suffering a serious brain injury when he overturned a jet car in a high-speed crash last month, Hammond said he felt lucky to be alive.
"I was upside down inhaling a field," Hammond told Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper, in which he also writes a motoring column.
"My nose and eyes were full of earth. I'd gone ploughing on my head."
Hammond was filming for the popular BBC television motoring series when the jet-powered dragster, travelling at 464kmh, spun off the runway at Elvington airfield, York, on September 20.
"My very last thought was, 'Oh bugger, that's gone wrong. Well, we're checking out now. You've had it,'" Hammond said.
"I was aware of my brain saying, 'We'll wave the flag,' and that was the point I passed out.
"Doctors use a point system. Fifteen is normal, three is a flatline. I was a three. I was that close to being dead."
The 36-year-old spent time in intensive care and is expected to make a full recovery.
He is recuperating in the care of wife Mindy, 35, and daughters Izzy, six, and Willow, three.
The only obvious signs of his ordeal are a bloodshot left eye and a chipped tooth, leading him to joke that he had no scars to show off at the pub.
"There are people who fall off their trikes at the age of four who've got better injuries than me," he said.
"I've been through hell and I've got nothing to show for it except a chipped tooth!"
But Hammond, who suffered short-term memory loss known as traumatic amnesia, also revealed a more serious side to his injuries.
He suffered excruciating pain and struggled to make sense of what had happened after he was reduced to a child-like state when he emerged from his coma.
"My mind was like an office that had been utterly ransacked," he said.
"It was a total mess and I couldn't find my way around any more.
"It was utterly terrifying - the scariest thing that's ever happened to me."
The BBC has not confirmed the return of Top Gear to television screens.
The Daily Mirror said Hammond was aware the show was in the spotlight as an investigation into the crash takes place.
"On Top Gear we live in a world where we have to deal with an element of risk," Hammond said.
"It's our job to minimise it.
"The very fact that I made it is testimony to the fact that the precautions we ordinarily take are worth taking. I'm living proof that safety works."
AAP
We're Back!
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/indycars.jpg)
Well folks, News In Briefs is back from the Lexmark Indy 300 on the Gold Coast. Let me tell you, it's quite possibly the biggest party in Australia. You may scoff and claim that New Years Eve in Sydney is big, or maybe the Spring Carnival down in Melbourne, but Indy is a 96 hour party. Non-stop. Seriously.
We news types are generally a little more conservative than most, and so we spent time sleeping and having dinner and that kind of thing. But there were people coming and going from the hotel at all hours, one guy ordered a jug of bourbon and coke so he didn't have to queue at the bar. THAT's dedicaton to partying.
So if your girlfriend has an Indy tattoo on her body, ask her twice where she's been. Odds are good she was at Legends, Melba's, or at the Indy party.
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/legends.jpg)
Legends Hotel
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/melba1.jpg)
Melba's on Cavill Avenue
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/indy002.jpg)
INDY!!!
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/200/indy3.jpg)
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/200/indy1.jpg)
News In Briefs is heading to Surfers Paradise for the Lexmark Indy 300. Your normal service will resume next tuesday.
I Pity The Fool
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/mr%20t.jpg)
If Dr. Phil can dispense advice, why not Mr. T?
The TV Land network announced Tuesday that it will start "I Pity the Fool," a series where "The A-Team" star travels across the country dispensing inspiration and advice.
"The `T' stands for talking," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I'm going to talk it up. It's what I've been doing all my life."
The series starts in October. He'll offer help to people struggling with personal or professional problems.
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/mrt_ateam_240_001.jpg)
"My show ain't no `Dr. Phil,' with people sitting around crying," he said. "You're a fool — that's what's wrong with you. You're a fool if you don't take my advice."
-associated press
Kooky Kazakhs
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/BORAT.jpg)
Kazakhstan has released a series of bank notes with the word 'bank' misspelt on them. They use a mixture of cyrillic characters and someone forgot what language they were type-setting in. Despite pressure to recall the notes, Kazakhstan is sure it will all work out in the end.
Gone Fishin'
Scorsese Hits A Home Run
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/400/poster.0.jpg)
Go and see this film right now. Unless you don't like blood, language, violence and sex. In that case, stay at home. But it was worth the fifteen bucks.
Quite Interesting
The third commonest cause of death at work in the US is murder. In 2005, 677 people were murdered at work including 50 policemen and 205 salespeople.
What About His Daughter?
In his last interview, published a month before he was killed by a stingray in a freak accident off Port Douglas, Steve Irwin gave this homespun assessment of his daughter's future: "We've connected a big green cord from the ground to Bindi's butt to keep her earthed. She has celebrity parents, lives half the year in America and the other half in a zoo with 1000 animals.
"She travels to amazing places, is part of a multimillion-dollar conservation foundation. It'd be easy for her to develop an 'I don't need to work, I'll do whatever the hell I want' mind-set, thinking that life's only about fun. That just ain't true. Bindi has to earn her own money. She has to earn respect."
The first of her father's desires appears to be well on the way to fruition. The second has already been achieved, with aplomb, at his memorial service.
The diminutive eight-year-old moved many to tears as she stood before a crowd of 5000 and a television audience of millions to pay tribute to her daddy.
It wasn't just her delighted gap-toothed smile in response to the applause as she walked onto the stage at the Crocoseum, or the 183 words she wrote herself the day before.
What left its mark was the way she read them, tracing the words to avoid any mistake. The crowd could see the shadow of her finger behind the paper, blown up tenfold on the giant screen above the stadium, carefully following the lines of simple text, complete with an endearing lapse into present tense:
"My daddy was my hero. He was always there for me when I needed him. He listened to me and taught me so many things, but most of all he was fun.
"I know that daddy had an important job. He was working to change the world so everyone would love wildlife like he did. He built a hospital to help animals and he bought lots of land to give animals a safe place to live.
"He took me and my brother and my mum with him all the time. We filmed together, caught crocodiles together and loved being in the bush together. I don't want daddy's passion to ever end. I want to help endangered wildlife, just like he did. I have the best daddy in the whole world and I will miss him every day. When I see a crocodile I will always think of him.
"And I know that daddy made this zoo so everyone could come and learn to love all the animals. Daddy made this place his whole life. Now it's our turn to help daddy. Thank you."
Even then she did not rush from the stage back to the comfort of her distraught mother, but stayed to feed a trio of elephants led into the stadium, peering out into the stands while the crowd cried and fell in love with her.
So what were we witnessing? How could a little girl be so capable at such a traumatic moment? Was it genuine or practised; the product of a childhood sacrificed to ensure a television legacy? Will the weight of expectation snuff out the flame?
The day after the service when Alison Garton, a professor of psychology at Western Australia's Edith Cowan University, dared to suggest that too much pressure was being placed on her tiny shoulders it caused an outcry.
"She's obviously a very poised and mature eight-year-old, but I think some of these public statements are probably a bit extreme in this point in time," Garton said.
"She probably doesn't even understand properly what it means not to have daddy around anyway. It's a rare child that would actually live up to those expectations and thrive in them."
Garton told me her comments elicited a mixed response: "A lot of colleagues supported my concerns but, yes, I got a few emails from people telling me to butt out because I didn't know what I was talking about."
Among those who disagreed with Garton was Karen Brooks, a senior lecturer in Australian and cultural studies at the University of the Sunshine Coast, who argued Bindi would simply be continuing to do what was already familiar.
"Bindi has lived an exceptional life," Brooks said. "It is different to a lot of other young people, and I think what we see as extraordinary and incredible expectations are probably within her world of reality."
Garton and Brooks are probably both right. Bindi is a rarity who has already lived an extraordinary life. She took her first overseas flight at just two weeks, joining her parents on a film shoot in Texas chasing rattlesnakes.
She made her television debut in the US just after her first birthday and by the time she was seven had boarded more than 400 flights, visited 14 countries and crisscrossed Australia dozens of times as the Irwin caravan lurched its way from desert to swamp and reef to mountain range.
She sings and dances with a band - Bindi and the Crocmen - as part of the Australia Zoo entertainment, has her own line of clothing and next year will debut in a 26-episode pay TV program in the US.
Understandably, the family has shielded the children since the memorial service, although Bindi and her mother appeared last week at a children's TV awards show in Sydney to honour a commitment given before his death by Irwin.
This time there was no script. She faced questions with an innocent frankness that seemed to confirm the family's confidence: "It's kind of sad that he [Irwin] couldn't be here but it's nice that I can be here to do it," she nodded with amazing assurance.
Bindi has made clear in several interviews to promote her coming TV show that she wants a career in entertainment.
"I love being photographed, it's cool," she told the Women's Weekly.
"When people clap and cheer me, it makes me happy because I feel I've done something well. When I grow up, I want to be doing exactly what I do now - sing, act and work with animals."
The local paper, the Sunshine Coast Daily also did a short profile. It found she liked what normal eight-year-old girls like - dolls, the colour pink, chocolate, Britney Spears and The Simpsons.
When asked to describe herself, she replied: "Well, she's a wonderful girl who loves animals." And her parents? "They've given me a lot of good advice. Mostly how it's good to protect animals, and now that they've done that I'm like, 'No, don't kill that mosquito, don't step on that bull ant'."
Her mother feels the same way. When Bindi was three years old Terri Irwin wrote: "I will do my best to make the world a better place for Bindi, and I'm really not terribly worried about her. Life will be filled with adventure and challenge and I know Bindi will do well. She has to. Like her family before her, Bindi is a wildlife warrior."
But there are distinct differences between Bindi and her father, which he understood.
Steve grew up inside a tiny and struggling reptile park, attended Caloundra State High School and went surfing on weekends in a rusty Mazda with his mates. He even trained as a diesel mechanic before pursuing his madcap career as a crocodile trapper and conservationist.
By comparison, Bindi is growing up inside a major tourist attraction - a zoo come theme park that has no neighbours. She is home-schooled - by "Miss Emma" - because the family is too famous and travelling too frequently to keep up with lessons at the local primary school.
Even when they travel, the Irwins are mostly isolated in bush camps.
Bindi's hand-written letters reprinted on the zoo website - some delightfully skewiff, and complete with spelling mistakes - talk mainly of trips, croc research and animal encounters. There is little time or opportunity for friendships with children her own age.
Fame and fortune has its price for a family that prides itself on being ordinary - in an extraordinary kind of way.
The ubiquitous John Stainton, Irwin's long-time manager and film producer, doesn't look like a man who should be slopping around muddy creeks pouncing on crocodiles. He admits, ruefully, that often it was not much fun on a shoot with the Crocodile Hunter. Swathed every day in insect repellent, his ginger hair and pale, freckled skin a poor match for the Queensland sun. Perhaps that's why he is the only member of the Irwin crew who doesn't wear khaki, but it doesn't mean he is any less fierce in his defence of the family.
Behind his now trademark sunglasses, Stainton's eyebrows twitch at the suggestion that Bindi's welfare might not be at the forefront of their thoughts or that she is too young to have clear ambitions and a path in life. After all, her father caught his first crocodile when he was just nine, albeit with the help of his dad, and Stainton (in his mid 50s) insists he was the same age when he realised he wanted to make films.
"Bindi's really lucky that she has a direction at the age of eight," he says. "Most kids get to 17 and still have no idea where they're going or what they want to do."
Stainton, who met Irwin in 1992 while filming a beer commercial at the zoo, recalls a moment when Bindi was five.
It was during a pause in shooting around the zoo with Steve. "One of the crew asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up," Stainton says. "We all thought she would say that she wanted to be like her dad but she didn't. Instead, she said, 'I want to be like John because he tells my daddy what to do'."
The point he is making is that she has very strong goals for such a young girl.
"Until this year we hadn't done anything with her. She'd just come along and filmed and was, well, Bindi. "It happened suddenly. She wanted to do things. I sent her off with a cameraman and told her to go around the zoo and talk to the camera about all the animals. She didn't stop talking for 30 minutes; a single take on everything she knew on this tortoise, just like her father - who could talk under wet cement.
"Look, those kids have got fantastic parents. Terri is very different to Steve. She's very, what would you say, together. She's articulate and thoughtful. Those kids have the best manners."
Like a good filmmaker, he reverts to story-telling to illustrate his point: "Terri was always tolerant. She'd come home from the office after making the bed to find Steve was hiding [his son] Bob jr under the covers. So she'd make the bed again and then Steve would do it all again. Sometimes she'd make the bed three or four times in a morning because he'd keep mucking it up hiding Bob.
"As parents Steve and Terri made a decision to take the kids with them when they went on a shoot. They didn't want to leave them behind, so filming and travelling is part of their lives. As a producer, I would never ask anyone to do anything they aren't comfortable about. There would be no point.
"I know where Bindi is going and she knows where she's going. We all know that she will end up a much bigger star than Steve ever was. Things will explode when we get this series done, just like Steve. I knew it with him and I know it with Bindi. You can just tell."
It is this statement that seems so hard to understand. How can he be so confident about the future of an eight-year-old?
"Bindi is compelling. You can get any eight-year-old up on television. In America there are thousands of them, in soapies and series but they are very much little actors, set in what they can do.
"Bindi is natural, and being natural is the hardest thing on television. She has no fear; it's like a walk in the park for her. Everyone who has seen the early stuff we've done has the same reaction." And her character? Surely, not another Crocodile Hunter?
"Dunno, dunno; it's too early to tell. Maybe she'll be a famous Hollywood actor like Nicole Kidman or a singer like Britney Spears or Madonna. Maybe a dancer. Or maybe she could be a great wildlife presenter like David Attenborough. Who knows?
"Whatever she does she will be in the public eye. She loves performing; she's comfortable, it makes her happy. She may change within that scope, but that's her choice.
"If she wants to drop out and be a nurse at the age of 18 then no one is going to stand in her way. The saving grace for Bindi and for Bob is that they don't live in Hollywood; they live here, in Beerwah, which is very levelling. They will always be fine as long as they have this base. Australians will keep those kids on the straight and narrow.
-smh.com.au
30 - 18
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/Beaten.Man20.jpg)
That's right, 30 - 18. Suck it New Zealand! Nah nah na nah nah. Take your ball and go home.
World Wide Threat!
Boffins have just announced a new threat to our society. The 2038 bug promises to wreak havoc in the same way that the millenium bug was going to... well...
Anyway, it has something to do with 32bit integers reaching their end on January 19, 2038, which is already being called the "
last day of numbers". Planes will fall from the sky,
Friends will be optioned for a film, and Paris Hilton will ascend to lead the world through those darkest of days. I, meanwhile, will sit in my fortress of verisimilitude guarded by my
unholy penguin army. I bought them on eBay along with a piece of string shaped like John Lennon. Now THAT's an investment!
Bush Sees No Need to Change N. Korea Policy
That's the headline in today's New York Times. And right he is. I mean, if it never worked in the first place, there's no impetus to fix it. “I believe the commander in chief must try all diplomatic measures," Bush said, speaking in the third person.
The president said in response to a question that his statement of May 23, 2003 — “We will not tolerate a nuclear North Korea” — still stands. But he said repeatedly that that goal could be realized through diplomacy. -NYTimesHe wants to have his cake and eat it too. Nothing wrong with that, especially when the cake is so sweet and the calories will be passed on to the next generation. Guilt-free dessert! “Diplomacy is a difficult process,” Mr. Bush said between mouthfulls. What a wise man, a sage even. Mr. Bush said over and over, sometimes without prompting, that North Korea could be dealt with through diplomacy. When asked what military options were available to the United States “once diplomacy has run its course,” he replied: “Diplomacy hasn’t run its course. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.” ![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/Bush%20confused%202.jpg)
Bush was heard to ask "why's everybody always picking on me?"
New, Clear Vision
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/george%20bush%20as%20fred%20flintstone%2049.jpg)
In the aftermath of what may or may not have been a nuclear test in North Korea, Dubya has come out and scolded Kooky Kim Jong Il for his "threat to international peace and security”.
“The transfer of nuclear weapons or material by North Korea to states or nonstate entities would be considered a grave threat to the United States,” Mr. Bush said. Almost as grave a threat as having a head of state who can't speak properly. News In Briefs has had it with talk of new-kew-ler weapons. Even Australian politicians have started saying new-kew-ler. It's pronounced
NEW-CLEAR. I'll even let you have
NEW-CLI-AR. Morons.
***BREAKING NEWS***We can now reveal just what was going on in North Korea when that explosion occured. Seems Kimmy was simply remaking 'Star Wars' for the Korean audience. Seems Kim feels Darth Vader got a bad rap, and Luke Skywalker should have followed in his father's footsteps by continuing an evil empire that antagonised the forces of goodness and niceness.
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/kim-jong-il_1979.jpg)
Fast Food Hold-Ups
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/hamburglar.gif)
And we're not talking about the new 'Deli Choices' line at Maccas either. Several fast food restaurants have been held up in Western Sydney, with some being hit twice in the same day. Police suspect that the incidents are related, and have released this sketch of the perpetrator.
An Intowewabuw Fret
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/kim_jong_il2.jpg)
If you've been wondering where I've been the last couple days, I have one word for you: North Korea. Okay, so that's two words, but you get the drift. News In Briefs received an anonymous tip (via mainstream news services) that Krazy Kim would test a nuclear device in defiance of the UN security council.
As such, News In Briefs is the last outlet to actually bring news of the test to you (hey, Qantas doesn't have regular flights from Pyongyang). Now I don't want to disappoint you faithful few so here's a photo of Kim from his audition for 'The Matrix'.
Adult World Must Let Girls Be Girls
To be "hot, hot, hot" is not a fitting encouragement for five- and six-year-olds, writes Emma Rush.BRAS for eight-year-olds. Lip gloss for six-year-olds. Fashion and gossip magazines for girls from age five. The sexualisation of children is changing the experience of childhood, yet there has been little public discussion of its implications.
Children, particularly girls, are under increasing pressure from advertisers and marketers to adopt a "sexy" persona from very young ages. Those who apply the pressure claim they are simply responding to little girls' interest in looking "pretty".
However, the forms "prettiness" now takes, which include "bralettes" for girls as young as three, as well as the language used to describe appearance in girls' magazines directed at readers from five up ("hot, hot, hot"), give the game away. This sexualising pressure places children at risk in a number of ways.
The emphasis on "ideal" appearances brings some of the agonies of adolescence forward many years. In one recent study, about one-third of seven-year-old Australian girls wanted to be thinner, despite the fact that they were all within a normal healthy weight range. The pressure to have a "perfect" appearance places children at greater risk of developing eating disorders at an age when nutrition is crucial - while they are still growing.
The focus on sexual couplings found in girls' magazines, pitched at readers aged five to 13, may have dangerous implications for children who are approached by predatory adults. These magazines encourage girls to have "crushes" on men older than themselves, with heavy coverage of adult female celebrities and their boyfriends, as well as articles on and posters of adult male actors and singers.
In a cultural context where sex is heavily glamourised and represented as highly desirable, is it wise to actively encourage girls of primary-school age to have romantic fantasies about older men? How do we then expect them to behave if an older man approaches apparently offering romance?
To sexualise children in the way that advertisers do - by dressing, posing, and making up child models in the same ways that sexy adults would be presented - also implicitly suggests to adults that children are interested in and ready for sex. This is profoundly irresponsible, particularly given that it is known that pedophiles use not only child pornography but also more innocent photos of children.
One less obvious risk to children as a result of an excessive focus on "sexy" appearance and behaviour is that other important aspects of their lives can suffer. The developmental period known as "middle childhood" (about six to 11 years old) is critical to children developing a sense of self and self-esteem.
Children of this age are beginning to understand their place in the world, and are forming a sense of their own competence and the kinds of activities that are important. A significant part of this learning occurs through play.
If children perceive being "sexy" as important and their play times revolve around this theme (shopping, makeovers, imitating pop stars and so on) then they will miss out on other activities that better foster physical and cognitive development, such as sports, problem-solving games and imaginative play. As a result, aspects of their physical and cognitive development are likely to suffer.
Some seek to dismiss these risks as a "moral panic", arguing that children benefit from sexualisation because their sexuality gives them a source of power in a world in which most of the power is held by adults. In fact, this very power imbalance means that any sexual engagement children might have with adults is more than likely to end in the further disempowerment of children.
Rather than being empowered, children are being exploited by the process of sexualisation. For children seeking to become empowered in an adult world, a more promising route is to focus on developing cognitive and emotional capacities that enable them to negotiate power relations more maturely and with less risk to themselves.
Such capacities also enable young people to choose to use their sexuality in a respectful way, rather than for seeking to gain an advantage over others.
It is unrealistic to expect parents to stop the sexualisation of children by "just saying no" to sexy clothing, children's make-up and so on. As any parent knows, it is not that simple. Peer friendships take on much greater importance in middle childhood and the pressure to conform is keenly felt by children. No parents want their child to be the one left out in the schoolyard.
And no parents want to be put in a position where they must monitor and regulate their children's activities. The sexualisation of children should be tackled at its source: the advertisers and marketers who are seeking to create ever-younger consumers for their products. The burden of remedying the damage caused by sexualising children should not fall on parents, teachers, pediatricians and child psychologists.
There is nothing wrong with selling products. But sexualising children to sell products has social costs that are unacceptable.
Dr Emma Rush is a researcher at the Australia Institute and the lead author of the report Corporate Paedophilia, published yesterday by the institute.-smh.com.au
John Howard's Faux Pas
"It remains," said our humble PM, "an inconvenient truth that if countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia simply abandon the people of Iraq this would be an enormous victory for the forces of terror and extremism around the world."
Hmmm, inconvenient truth eh? What, like the one Al Gore is on about
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/gore.jpg)
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/childbaghdad.jpg)
or the real face of the War On Error?
Good to see our leaders heed Stephen Colbert's warning to "never let the facts determine the truth."
Celebrity Skin 5
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/Peter_Andre17.jpg)
According to Jordan, hubby Peter Andre maintains his tan by smothering himself in... Diet Coke? Seems B-list stars are just as kooky as their famous counterparts. The top-heavy brit revealed Pete's secrets in an interview with Elle magazine. She also revealed her bra size, a 34GG.
Yup.
Celebrity Skin 4
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/Dennis-Quaid.jpg)
So if Skeet is a poor man's Depp, then Dennis Quaid is certainly the Harrison Ford you get when you can't afford Harrison Ford.
Celebrity Skin 3
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4453/1087/320/skeet.jpg)
I was watching Jericho last night when I stumbled upon this thought. Like Emilio Estevez not quite being Charlie Sheen, is Skeet in Johnny's shadow?
New Beatles Album
A "new" album of Beatles music mixed by their legendary producer, George Martin, and described as a new "way of reliving the whole Beatles musical life span", will be released in November.
EMI Music and Apple said on Monday that Martin and his son Giles began work on the album, called Love, after getting permission from Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, representing John Lennon and George Harrison.
The music has already been used as the soundtrack to the theatrical Cirque du Soleil show called Love.
"This music was designed for the Love show in Las Vegas but in doing so we've created a new Beatles album," George Martin said in a statement.
"The Beatles always looked for other ways of expressing themselves and this is another step forward for them.
"What people will be hearing on the album is a new experience, a way of reliving the whole Beatles musical life span in a very condensed period."
The Martins worked from the original master tapes from the Abbey Road studios to produce a medley of Beatles music by remixing favourite songs, such as Harrison's Within You Without You being played to the drum-track of Tomorrow Never Knows.
EMI Music, part of EMI Group, and Apple, the English company that administers The Beatles' interests, said the album would be released worldwide in November.
Additional information such as the track listing will be released later.
Reuters