Kenneth Galbraith dies - advice ignored - tutored Adlai

Economist Kenneth Galbraith dies - AFP
April 30, 2006 - 5:27PM
Economist John Kenneth Galbraith, who focused on controversial issues such as distribution of wealth in society died on Saturday at a hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the age of 97, The New York Times reported.
Professor Galbraith was consulted frequently by national leaders, and he gave advice freely, though it might have been ignored as often as it was taken, the paper said. He tutored Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic nominee for president in 1952 and 1956, on Keynesian economics.

Da Vinci optics Dan Brown

He conceived of ideas vastly ahead of his time. In addition, he contributed greatly to the study of anatomy, astronomy, civil engineering, optics, and the study of water.
Da Vinci was also intrigued with the study of optics and conducted extensive investigations and made drawings about the nature of light, reflections
Dan Brown has worked his fiction

Kovco - media speculation

Kovco funeral may be delayed
From: AAP By Xavier La Canna
April 30, 2006
A funeral due to be held on Tuesday for Australia's first military casualty in the Iraq war could be delayed by the NSW coroner. Kovco might be delayed until later in the week if NSW Coroner John Abernethy, who took possession of the body yesterday, needed it for his investigation. "If he is not happy, he can hold the body until he is finished with it," Col Semmens said. Mr Abernethy will try to determine the cause and manner of Pte Kovco's death, which has been the subject of speculation.

public arts bodies exude s---

Art fit for a pig
Andrew Bolt
28apr06
Our public arts bodies are, literally, spending your cash on s---, and it truly does stink.

Pulitzer Prizes Tainted

AIM Says: Give Back the Tainted Prizes; Urges Resignation of Post Pulitzer Winner
April 24, 2006

Democrats' Culture of Corruption ignored by media

The Democrats' Culture of Corruption
By Cliff Kincaid April 28, 2006 This "culture of corruption" is carefully ignored by our media.

BN hints Kovco media BS

Board set up to probe Kovco death
From: AAP
April 29, 2006
"Defence Minister Brendan Nelson has called on Australians to cease the speculation about the death of Private Jake Kovco until the findings of a military board of inquiry are released.
But he declined to comment on media reports today which suggested Pte Kovco had been alone at the time of his death, labelling them as "unhelpful and hurtful".
"I can't comment on some of the stories in today's media without saying things that would be inappropriate on national television."

Frugals "mingle" Kippers

When boomers split, a new class is born
Bernard Salt
April 27, 2006

Meet the Mingles. They are the newest and the grooviest social group to hit the headlines since the invention of Generation Y in the middle of 2005.
More powerful than the Frugals, faster-growing than the Kippers (kids in parents' pockets eroding retirement savings), able to leap hippies, punks, dinks and yuppies in a single bound. Look. Up in the sky. It's a nerd. It's a plane. No, it's a flying middle-aged baby boomer who's newly single. A middle-aged single by any other name is a "mingle". Bernard Salt is a partner with KPMG

JB tender fender vendor spender contender surrender

Jackson Browne The Pretender
Caught between the longing for love And the struggle for the legal tender
Where the sirens sing and the church bells ring And the junk man pounds his fender
Where the veterans dream of the fight Fast asleep at the traffic light
And the children solemnly wait For the ice cream vendor
Out into the cool of the evening Strolls the Pretender
I'm going to be a happy idiot And struggle for the legal tender
Where the ads take aim and lay their claim To the heart and the soul of the spender
And believe in whatever may lie In those things that money can buy
Thought true love could have been a contender Are you there?
Say a prayer for the Pretender Who started out so young and strong
Only to surrender

"Evatt’s trust was naive and misplaced."

"The book, Saving Australia, written primarily from sources and documents discovered in Japan, also reveals that the attorney-general and foreign minister, Herbert ‘Doc’ Evatt, in 1942 unwittingly compromised Australia’s national security by his ‘hands off’ treatment of Japanese diplomats.
Saving Australia, Curtin’s secret peace with Japan, is published by Lothian Books. Copyright © Bob Wurth, 2006."

Cronulla revenge charges dropped

Charges against riot suspects dropped
By Katherine Danks
April 26, 2006
Charges have been dropped against six men accused of involvement in Sydney's Cronulla riot revenge attacks after a legal expert said there was "no prospect whatever of convictions".

Pitney-belated-obit

Gene Pitney, songwriter, singer 1941-2006
A champion of tales of woe
April 26, 2006
smh.com.au
Telegraph, London; and agencies

Sun set near? McNealy

McNealy gives up CEO post at Sun - AFP
April 25, 2006 - 10:10AM

Musing: Kerry Son meets Kerry Wife

Packer in ginger group at Heinz
By Lisa Murray
April 26, 2006
Nelson Peltz, 63, and the Packers have had a long association sharing investments. He was particularly close to the late Kerry Packer.
Her Name
In May 2004, she had this to say about her name: "My legal name is still Teresa Heinz. Teresa Heinz Kerry is my name... (only) for politics. Just so people don't ask me questions about so and so is so and so's wife or this and that. Teresa Heinz is what I've been all my growing-up life, adult life, more than any other name. And it's the name of my boys, you know?...So, that's my legal name and that's my office name, my Pittsburgh name."[1]

"...condoning fatherhood founded on fraud."

"Mendacious mums can't be let off lightly - April 26, 2006
If the High Court is too soft on women who deceive their husbands on matters of paternity, parliament will have to step in, writes Janet Albrechtsen"

Australia's Curtin sought a Japan deal

Former PM Curtin wanted Japan peace deal - ©AAP 2006
Tuesday Apr 25 21:30 AEST
Australia's wartime Prime Minister John Curtin sought a deal giving Japan access to Australia's iron ore in exchange for guarantees of freedom from attack just months before war in the Pacific broke out, new evidence has revealed.

According to this week's Bulletin magazine, the wartime leader sought the secret peace deal with Japan's first ambassador to Australia, Tatsuo Kawai, as late as mid-1941.

The details of the agreement are detailed in a new book, Saving Australia, Curtin's Secret Peace with Japan, by Bob Wurth, of which an edited extract is published in The Bulletin.

Curtin and Kawai, who first met in Canberra in March 1941, held a series of confidential meetings aimed at preventing war but Curtin, opposition leader at the time, called the deal off, according to the book.

The Australian government had imposed a ban on iron ore exports in 1938 after Japan had secured the rights from the state government to mine and export iron ore from Yampi Sound, in remote Western Australia.

But according to the previously unpublished writings of Kawai, Curtin told the Japanese ambassador to Australia: "If Japan will do that (boost trade for us), then it would be okay for the subordinate Australian side to lift the seizure of the Yampi Sound, but Japan must guarantee Australia's safety".

Kawai wrote: "I was deeply impressed by his attitude and character.

"From that moment, my feelings of friendship towards him grew rapidly."

When Curtin became prime minister in October that year, his foreign minister H.V. "Doc" Evatt tried to pull off a last-minute peace deal between Japan and the US, Bob Wurth's book says.

According to Kawai's writings, which along with poetry and photos were discovered by Wurth during five years research, Curtin "exploded into action" after Kawai had told him in November 1941 that full war was inevitable.

By that time, Evatt and Curtin feared talks between the US and Japan were deteriorating, the extract said.

Evatt, who remained confident of brokering a peace settlement until days before Pearl Harbour, told Australian envoy Richard Casey in Washington to do "anything and everything in your power" to prevent a complete breakdown in discussions.

Despite the outbreak of war, Kawai maintained his strong friendship with the wartime leader until his death, even making a trip to Perth in 1959 to visit his widow Elsie.

Wurth's book will be released next week.

"I know my Dad marched here today..."

All The Bloomin' Way

I saw a kid marching
with medals on his chest,
He marched alongside diggers,
marching six abreast.
He knew that it was Anzac Day -
he walked along with pride,
He did his best to keep in step
with diggers by his side.
And when the march was over
the kid was rather tired.
A digger said "Whose medals son?"
to which the kid replied
"They belong to Daddy
but he did not come back,
He died up in New Guinea
on a lonely jungle track."
The kid looked rather sad then
and a tear came to his eye.
The digger said "Don't cry my son,
and I will tell you why,
Your Daddy marched with us today -
all the blooming way.
We diggers know that he was there,
it's like that on Anzac Day."
The kid looked rather puzzled
and didn't understand
But the digger went on talking
and started to wave his hand.
"For this great land we live in,
there's a price we have to pay
For we all love fun and merriment
in this country where we live
The price was that some soldier
his precious life must give.
For you to go to school my lad,
and worship God at will,
Someone had to pay the price
so the diggers paid the bill.
Your daddy died for us my son
- for all things good and true,
I wonder if you can understand
the things I've said to you."
The kid looked up at the digger and with a changed expression
said, with a lovely smile,
"I know my Dad marched here today
- this, our Anzac Day,
I know he did, I know he did -
all the blooming way .... "

D. Hunter

A Veteran of "Shaggy Ridge" - 2/12 Bn. WW2.

Landing At Gaba Tepe 25th Apr., 1915

Gallipoli Campaign To view the Official Histories you will need to have an application installed that can read PDF files such as Adobe Reader.

25th Apr., 1915] Landing At Gaba Tepe 255
safety catches. No shots were to be fired till daylight
The men were ashore and mostly alive, but the place was clearly the wrong one. Anyone who depended upon a set plan for the next move was completely bewildered. It had been hoped that the halt under the sandy bank would be long enough to allow all the companies to land, form, and carry out an organised attack across the open against the first ridge.
But there was no open.
25th Apr., 1915] Landing At Gaba Tepe 275 As MacLagan reached the plateau, he realised that the landing had been made in the rough country a mile north of the proper place.
278 The Story Of Anzac [25th Apr., 1915
The first Turkish gun had opened at 4.45 a.m., fifteen minutes after the landing.

Culture Wars - Forgotten arena of heroics - AWM

While we see:

A legend wins the culture wars
April 25, 2006 The Anzac story continues to appeal because it has always been based on fact, writes Gerard Henderson.

and

All too quiet on the Western Front
April 25, 2006
It's time to shift the focus from Gallipoli to a forgotten arena of heroics, writes Jonathan King.

Because the media have allowed

"British records may have buried these achievements, Australians should now focus on learning more about the Western Front - so we can commemorate the 90th anniversary properly, and so the stories of that "glorious and decisive victory" can re-echo through our homeland, after all. A former Sydney Morning Herald journalist and official war correspondent, Charles Bean, answered back in his Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918, but this academic tome was no bestseller."

But today "The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918" is available at awm.gov.au for all to read and learn.

Anzac Day cancelled due to Cyclone

In the Northern Territory, Darwin's Anzac Day dawn service and march has been cancelled due to category five Cyclone Monica, which was expected to reach Darwin and the Tiwi Islands by tomorrow.

Saturday, April 24th 1915

Gallipoli Campaign
To view the Official Histories you will need to have an application installed that can read PDF files such as Adobe Reader.
Chapter XII The Landing At Gaba Tepe
By 8 p.m on Saturday, April 24th, the four transports of the 3rd Brigade were close under the island of Imbros. Night had fallen an hour before. All the afternoon they had been sailing through a perfect sea. As they neared Imbros the first preparations were made on board. Thus in the Devanha, carrying a company and the headquarters of the 12th Battalion, the men had a meal at 5 o’clock, and immediately afterwards, before dark, everyone was brought on deck and put in his proper place.

"failed states...false countries and false hopes."

Blame-throwers miss the mark
April 24, 2006
Indonesia is right to be wary of Australian supporters of Papuan independence, writes Paul Sheehan.

"..he stamped down hard on any leaks"

CIA officer sacked for leaking secrets to journalist
By Philip Sherwell (Filed: 23/04/2006)

The longer the wait, Eisenhower knew, the greater the chance of the secret leaking out. With 2.5 million men poised for action, it could hardly be otherwise. To ensure that everyone got the message, he stamped down hard on any leaks.
One of the most spectacular involved Major General Henry Miller, chief supply officer of the US 9th Air Force. During a cocktail party at Claridge's, Miller had talked freely about his supply problems, but had added that these would be over after D-Day, which would come, he revealed, before 15 June. The instant Eisenhower was told, he had Miller reduced to the rank of colonel and sent him back to the States. Miller's desperate plea to his old West Point classmate against the punishment proved useless: Eisenhower's broad smile masked a man of iron.

'Japan is Australia's greatest enemy'

27 Mr Torao Wakamatsu, Japanese Consul-General in Sydney, Letter 17 February 1939 to Mr J.A. Lyons, Prime Minister

"Furthermore, anti-Japanese feeling and Japanophobia have spread so widely among the Australian people - even among school children - that, according to the enclosed cuttings from the Sydney 'Daily Telegraph' of November 18th, 1938, a correspondent received an unanimous reply that 'Japan is Australia's greatest enemy', as one of the answers to a questionnaire put to school children in Sydney."

QE II 80

Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 80th birthday
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II smiles outside Windsor Castle on her 80th birthday.
Photograph by : AP Photo
Jennifer Quinn, Associated Press
Published: April 21, 2006

Vichy New Caledonia 1940

HMAS ADELAIDE (I)
After the capitulation of France, the Vichy Government made a very strong bid to establish a Vichy regime in New Caledonia despite a predominant Free French following amongst the population. Australia was very interested in this move, as the threat of having a hostile population in a covering position on the east coast of Australia was very serious, and one which could not be tolerated.
When the British Commissioner and High Commissioner arrived at Noumea on 30 August they found that the Military Commandant had taken the place of the French Governor, and that the sloop DUMONT D'URVILLE was in port with a pro-Vichy Captain in command. The commissioners found that no De Gaulle Committee had been formed, although the majority of the people were for De Gaulle. ADELAIDE arrived at Vila (New Hebrides) on 7 September 1940 and remained there until 16 September when she departed for Noumea escorting the Norwegian tanker NORDEN. Aboard NORDEN was the Temporary Governor of New Caledonia, Commissioner-General of Western Pacific and High Commissioner of New Hebrides appointed as such by General De Gaulle.
ADELAIDE and NORDEN arrived at Noumea on 19 September to find that the pro-Vichy authorities had practically declared martial law, and that the city was full of the De Gaulle supporters. The crowd, which numbered several thousand, marched to Government House and demanded the Governor's resignation in favour of the De Gaulle appointee. The Governor finally agreed to permit the new appointee to land, which he did at noon, and ADELAIDE withdrew to patrol off the harbour entrance, with the object of inspiring confidence ashore, exercising restraint on DUMONT D'URVILLE, and maintaining mobility.
The crowd escorted the De Gaulle appointee to Government House, and after consultation it was agreed that the pro-Vichy Military Governor would hand over at 1500 on 19 September. After protracted negotiations and much diplomacy, DUMONT D'URVILLE sailed for Indo-China on 25 September 1940 and the situation ashore gradually became normal. ADELAIDE departed Noumea in October and arrived back in Sydney on 8 October 1940.

130 Captain H. A. Showers, Commanding Officer of H.M.A.S. Adelaide, to Commonwealth Naval Board Naval signal 0357Z/21 NOUMEA, 21 September 1940, 3.57 a.m. Received 21 September 1940, 6.21 a.m. IMPORTANT Have received formal protest from 'DUMONT D'URVILLE' claiming violation of French territorial waters. Have replied ship remains at official request of Government of New Caledonia and cannot agree that under present circumstances any violation of neutral rights is involved. SAUTOT [1] has informed British Consul [2] that he expects written reply by 0400 Z to his request that 'DUMONT D'URVILLE' depart from Noumea at 0700 Z today Saturday. Situation ashore still unstable mainly due to presence of 'DUMONT D'URVILLE' and lack of any military officer above rank of Lieutenant to give active assistance to SAUTOT.
FRENCH CONTROL 1940: SIGNALS ACNB-ADELAIDE] 1 Free French Governor of New Caledonia. 2 W. A. Johnston.

133 Department of External Affairs to Mr B. C. Ballard, Official Representative in New Caledonia
Cablegram 23 23 September 1940, IMMEDIATE MOST SECRET
[This document has been corrected from a slightly revised version contained in teleprinter message 1918 of 23 September on file AA:A981, New Caledonia 1, iv.] Reference Admiralty message for Sautot dated 22nd September, 1940 [1], sent through [H.M.A.S.] Adelaide, the situation so far as has been reported to us, appears to be deteriorating and requires prompt measures to eliminate those factors which are jeopardising the stability of colony and its whole-hearted adhesion to Free France. It is requested therefore that you interview immediately Sautot [2] and place before him the following on behalf of the Commonwealth Government. (1) In the opinion of the Commonwealth Government Colonel Denis should be deported at the earliest practicable moment. (2) Other elements in the armed forces who are followers of Denis or who are likely to provide leaders in the case of an attempted Vichy coup, should be interned immediately, and the extremists among them should be deported. (3) A staunch officer should be appointed temporarily to command the local forces without waiting for any special officer from Tahiti or elsewhere. (4) Sautot should ask Captain of Adelaide [3] forthwith for protection against any attempt to interfere with the internal control or administration of the colony or against any vessel hostile to Free France already in or proceeding to New Caledonia. (5) You are to inform Sautot that if he asks for the protection mentioned in paragraph 4, the Captain of the Adelaide will be instructed immediately to give it. [4]
1 On file AA:A981, New Caledonia 37. It transmitted orders from General Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Free French movement, that Denis (former Governor and military commander), de Quievrecourt (commanding officer of the Vichy sloop Dumont d'Urville) and all other dangerous opponents of the Free French movement should be interned or deported. 2 Free French Governor of New Caledonia. 3 Captain H. A. Showers. 4 Showers reported on 24 September: 'Situation now practically stable. DUMONT D'URVILLE sails for Saigon on receipt of provisions tomorrow Wednesday. All Vichy adherents now under restraint in PIERRE LOTI anchored harbour.' See teleprinter message D339 on file AA:A981, New Caledonia 37.
[AA:A981, NEW CALEDONIA 1, iv]

Troops set for long Solomons stay

Troops set for long Solomons stay
From: AAP
April 20, 2006
"Australian troops sent to the troubled Solomon Islands won't be returning anytime soon, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said."

Melanesia - Western romantics - Australian police

"Melanesia is a huge disaster
Canberra was right to pursue a Pacific activism in the post-9/11 era, but there is no real solution for the region, writes Greg Sheridan
April 20, 2006
Melanesia is often and tellingly compared with Africa. It may in a sense resemble the Middle East. There are no solutions. Nothing works. Yet ultimate failure is not an option.
What confidence do you have that a Solomons government, without Australian police and soldiers, could keep order and run affairs peacefully? We are likely to be in the Solomons for a long, long time to come."

GLAAD sicker

The Sickness that Is GLAAD
By Cliff Kincaid - April 20, 2006

Media Misinformation Media Lies

AIM Report: Media Create Civil War in Iraq - April 19, 2006

Ham Ass end of Mid East diplomacy

Reuters - Just three weeks in office, the Hamas-led Palestinian government is fighting for survival and seeking a coalition with other factions to shore up support, warning the administration's collapse could spark violence.

Heathcliff, it’s me - cathy.

Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights
Out on the wiley, windy moors
We’d roll and fall in green.
You had a temper like my jealousy:
Too hot, too greedy.
How could you leave me,
When I needed to possess you?
I hated you. I loved you, too.

Bad dreams in the night.
They told me I was going to lose the fight,
Leave behind my wuthering, wuthering
Wuthering heights.

Heathcliff, it’s me - cathy.
Come home. I’m so cold!
Let me in-a-your window.

Heathcliff, it’s me - cathy.
Come home. I’m so cold!
Let me in-a-your window.

Ooh, it gets dark! it gets lonely,
On the other side from you.
I pine a lot. I find the lot
Falls through without you.
I’m coming back, love.
Cruel heathcliff, my one dream,
My only master.

Too long I roam in the night.
I’m coming back to his side, to put it right.
I’m coming home to wuthering, wuthering,
Wuthering heights,

Heathcliff, it’s me--cathy.
Come home. I’m so cold!
Let me in-a-your window.

Heathcliff, it’s me - cathy.
Come home. I’m so cold!
Let me in-a-your window.

Ooh! let me have it.
Let me grab your soul away.
Ooh! let me have it.
Let me grab your soul away.
You know it’s me - cathy!

Heathcliff, it’s me - cathy.
Come home. I’m so cold!
Let me in-a-your window.

Heathcliff, it’s me - Cathy.
Come home. I’m so cold!
Let me in-a-your window.

Heathcliff, it’s me - Cathy.
Come home. I’m so cold!

Dizzy, I’m so dizzy my head is spinning

Aussies declare after Dizzy double
The Bulletin by Sriram Veera
April 19, 2006

Dizzy Written by Tommy Roe and Freddy Weller
Dizzy, I’m so dizzy my head is spinning
Like a whirlpool it never ends
And it’s You "man" makin’ it spin
You're making me dizzy

Cricket: As explained to a foreigner...

"fairy penguins renamed to avoid offending the gay"

Gay old time over a little fairy bird
By Adrian Tame
15apr06
Phillip Island's iconic fairy penguins have been renamed "little penguins" in Queensland to avoid offending the gay community.
In an act of political correctness gone overboard, Sea World theme park operators on the Gold Coast changed the name of their star attraction to avoid being "offensive".
Rebecca Smith, spokeswoman for Sea World, confirmed: "We didn't want to upset the gay community.

Hamas sandwich means death cafe

Hamas sandwich means death cafe is not breaking truce. Israel response is truce breaking.

While the UN dithers Iran insanity

Devil's finger on the button
By Piers Akerman
April 18, 2006
While the UN dithers about the form its ultimatum to Iran may take, the leaders of the world's real powers must take steps to ensure that this insanity is checked before the mullahs unleash the devastation they have promised.

"..refugee issues in government is seldom easy."

How Whitlam closed the door on refugees
April 18, 2006
Recently released department files reveal hostility towards Vietnamese asylum seekers, writes Gerard Henderson.
Handling refugee issues in government is seldom easy. The Howard Government's task, with respect to Papuans, has been made more difficult by the counterproductive activity of some refugee advocates. Yet, one fact is certain. The Whitlam government provides no lessons on how to handle genuine asylum seekers. Quite the reverse.
[Gerard Henderson is executive director of the Sydney Institute.]

Hamas death cafe replaces Nazi death camp

Bombing in Tel Aviv kills 5
Mon Apr 17, 2006 12:14 PM BST

Dan Vinci Hoax

Exposing The Da Vinci Code By Cliff Kincaid - April 17, 2006 The problem with The Da Vinci Code, Olson says, is that it purports to describe historical characters and events.
Carl E. Olson says the The Da Vinci Code book by Dan Brown can be easily refuted by examining the history of Christianity, using mostly non-Christian sources. The Brown book, which insists that the figure of Jesus Christ is a fraud concocted by desperate church leaders, claims Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had a child, producing a bloodline and a shocking and scandalous truth that has been protected over the course of human history by a secret society called the Priory of Sion. True Christian believers, in other words, are fools and dupes.

Olson, co-author of The Da Vinci Hoax, says, "The majority of our sources-and we have almost 600 footnotes-is from non-Christian books and scholarly articles." His approach, he told AIM in an interview, is that there is nothing to be afraid of by looking at the truth. "We shouldn't fear the truth," he said. "Our approach is let's look at the evidence. Let's look at what reputable sources, historians and scholars have said, as opposed to the sources that Dan Brown relies on, which are not just few in number but very dubious in their historical veracity. And that's putting it kindly."

The problem with The Da Vinci Code, Olson says, is that it purports to describe historical characters and events: "When The Da Vinci Code refers to Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Leonardo Da Vinci, Emperor Constantine, and other historical people who clearly existed and events that happened, then the question is: what did happen and who were these people?"

But when the novel is challenged about factual matters, Brown and his publisher "want to have their cake and eat it too," he said. They dismiss criticism on the ground that it is a novel but also want to sell the book as well-researched.

The media like this cake, too. It's an opportunity to bash Christians as simple-minded. But it's doubtful the media will take the time or trouble to read the Olson book and discover the true facts. We should.

President poor leadership and bureaucratic mismanagement bordering on the criminal

Chapter 5
To some of the delegates the conflicts and dissension between the states over the western lands seemed to carry the seeds of civil war.
International tension was so great in the months after the embargo went into effect that Congress, while rejecting Jefferson's proposal for recruiting a 24,000-man volunteer force, authorized the recruitment of 6,000 men as a temporary addition to the Army. In the last month of his administration President Jefferson sent more than 2,000 of these men to General Wilkinson to defend "New Orleans and its dependencies" against an expected English invasion. The invasion never materialized, but poor leadership and bureaucratic mismanagement bordering on the criminal combined with the tropical heat to accomplish what no British invasion could have done. Over 1,000 men, half of Wilkinson's army, died in Louisiana.

George W, Commander in Chief

Chapter 3
The next day, June 15, Congress chose George Washington, a Virginian, to be Commander in Chief.
From the trials and tribulations of eight years of war he was to learn the essentials of strategy, tactics, and military organization.
The army of which Washington formally took command on July 3, 1775, he described as "a mixed multitude of people . . . under very little discipline, order or government." Out of this "mixed multitude," Washington set out to create an army shaped in large part in the British image.
Lacking an executive, Congress had to rely on committees and boards to carry out its policies - unwieldy devices at best and centers of conflicting interest and discord at worst. In June 1776 it set up a Board of War and Ordnance, consisting of five of its members, the lineal ancestor of the War Department. In 1777 Congress changed the composition of the board, directing that it henceforth be made up of persons outside Congress who could devote full time to their military duties. Neither of these devices really worked well, and Congress continually handled administrative matters by action of the entire membership or by appointment of special committees to go to camp. In 1781 the board was replaced by a single Secretary at War.

"..ethically challenged and morally adrift."

Kevin Donnelly: Church vilified in classrooms
Religious wars have no place in our school education system
April 17, 2006
The Australian Multicultural Foundation recently launched a series of books for primary schools titled Harmony and Understanding.
The consequences of the long march are clear to see. Students leave school culturally illiterate, with a fragmented view of the world. Worse still, given the politics of envy and the spiritual emptiness of postmodernism, many students also leave school ethically challenged and morally adrift.

Kevin Donnelly is author of Why Our Schools are Failing (Duffy & Snellgrove, 2004). This is adapted from an address to a Quadrant dinner in Sydney last Wednesday.

Rumsfeld Generals History

We hear about Rumsfeld and Generals, while history tells us, about previous feuds, friction and conflicts.
Chapter I:
The War Department From Root To Marshall
The basic structure of the War Department and the Army down to 1903 was established after the War of 1812 by Secretary of War John C. Calhoun in an effort to assert centralized control over their operations. There were and are essentially two separate elements - a departmental staff, serving directly under the Secretary of War, and the Army in the field, divided into geographical districts under professional military commanders.
The departmental staff from the beginning was called the War Department General Staff, but it was not a general staff in the modern sense of an over-all planning and co-ordinating agency. It consisted instead of a group of autonomous bureau chiefs, each responsible under the Secretary for the management of a specialized function or service. By the 1890s the principal bureaus were the judge Advocate General's Department, the Inspector General's Department, the Adjutant General's Department, the Quartermaster's Department, the Subsistence Department, the Pay Department, the Medical Department, the Corps of Engineers, the Ordnance Department, and the Signal Corps.
While the Judge Advocate General's and Inspector General's Departments were staff advisers to the Secretary of War, the other agencies combined both staff and command functions. They acted as advisers to the Secretary of War and also directed the operations and the personnel involved in performing their assigned functions. Each had its own budget appropriated, specified, and monitored in detail by Congress.
Creation of the New General Staff, 1900-1903
When Elihu Root became Secretary of War on 1 August 1899 the moment was opportune to assert greater executive control over the War Department's operations. During the Spanish-American War the absence of any planning and preparation, the lack of co-ordination and co-operation among the bureaus, and the delay caused by red tape had become a public scandal.
The Early Years of the General Staff, 1904-1917
The new Chief of Staff and the General Staff were immediately attacked by traditionalists in the bureaus who were opposed to any attempts to assert control over their autonomy.
Mr. Root resigned as Secretary of War on 31 January 1904 with his work unfinished. His successor, William Howard Taft, lacked the inclination and ability to make the new dispensation stick in the face of bureau opposition. He was distressed at having to referee disputes between the Chief of Staff and the bureau chiefs, particularly Maj. Gen. Fred C. Ainsworth, the new Military Secretary and subsequently The Adjutant General. "The Military Secretary in many respects is the right hand of the Chief of Staff," Taft vainly pleaded, "and they must be in harmony, or else life for the Secretaries and all others in the Department becomes intolerable. Let us have peace, gentlemen."
Under the influence of Ainsworth, Taft abandoned Mr. Root's alliance with the Chief of Staff for the traditional Secretary-bureau chief alliance. Convinced the Chief of Staff and General Staff were too involved in administrative details, he restricted the General Staff's activities in April 1906 to purely "military" matters. On "civil" affairs the bureau chiefs were to report directly to the Secretary. It was Taft's belief that the Chief of Staff was Chief of the General Staff only and served in a purely advisory capacity.

At about the same time President Theodore Roosevelt designated the Military Secretary (later The Adjutant General) as Acting Secretary of War in the absence of the Secretary or Assistant Secretary. Taft was frequently absent for long periods on political junkets, leaving Ainsworth in charge. The Chief of Staff thus became subordinate to The Adjutant General instead of the reverse as Mr. Root had intended and as the law clearly stated.
All this changed when Henry L. Stimson, a law partner and protégé of Mr. Root's, became Secretary of War on 22 May 1911. Taking up where Root had left off, he reasserted the principle of executive control and embarked on an ambitious program to rationalize the Army's organization from the top down along sound military and business lines. He reformed Mr. Root's alliance with the Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood, who thought along the same lines.

General Wood, the Army's first effective Chief of Staff, had been in office a year when Stimson became Secretary. He was a brilliant administrator with a much broader background in managing large-scale, multipurpose organizations than his predecessors or immediate successors. He could distinguish between the important and the unimportant. Wood could make prompt decisions. He knew how to select competent subordinates, and he freely delegated authority to them. He abolished the "committee system" within the General Staff, eliminating one source of delay. Wherever possible he sought to streamline departmental procedures in the interests of greater efficiency. He also made enemies, especially in Congress.
The 1910 elections returned a Democratic House of Representatives, and the new chairman of the House Military Affairs Committee, James Hay of Virginia, was a rural Jeffersonian opposed on principle both to a large standing army and the idea of a General Staff. From 1911 until his retirement from Congress in September 1916, Hay did his best to limit the size and activities of the General Staff with substantial assistance from War Department traditionalists, chiefly General Ainsworth.
World War I: The Bureau Period, 1917-1918

The apparent intent of Hay, Ainsworth, and other traditionalists was to revive through the National Defense Act the organization of the War Department that had broken down in 1898. At least Secretary Baker thought so. As soon as Mr. Hay was no longer chairman of the House Military Affairs Committee and General Ainsworth had considerably less influence, Baker announced that so far as he was concerned "The Chief of Staff, speaking in the name of the Secretary of War, will coordinate and supervise the various bureaus . . . of the War Department; he will advise the Secretary of War; he will inform himself in as great detail as in his judgment seems necessary to qualify himself adequately to advise the Secretary of War."
After declaring war against Germany on 6 April 1917 Congress passed emergency legislation reversing the policies of Hay and Ainsworth by providing that the Chief of Staff should have "rank and precedence over all other officers of the Army" and increasing the size of the General Staff to nearly 100.35 With this authority Mr. Baker could have asserted firm executive control over the bureaus through the Chief of Staff in the manner of Root and Stimson. Instead for nearly a year he went back to the traditional policy of allowing the bureaus to run themselves, with results similar to those in the War with Spain, only far more serious.

Believing he was following the confederate philosophy of Jefferson Davis, Baker asserted that "civilian interference with commanders in the field is dangerous." He applied the same principle in dealing with the bureau chiefs. President Wilson also sought to run the war along traditional lines with as little executive control as possible. Both he and Secretary Baker exercised their authority by delegating it freely. The President left the running of the Army and much of the industrial mobilization program to Mr. Baker who in turn delegated his authority freely to his military commanders and the bureau chiefs.

World War I: The March Period, 1918-1919
March, who believed the shortest distance between two points was a straight line, was a hard-working ruthless executive. He made a lot of enemies in the process, especially in Congress.
The Long Armistice, 1919-1939
The successive Secretaries of War between World War I and World War II had little impact on the Army or on Congress. The one exception was Harry H. Woodring, appointed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whose feud with Assistant Secretary Louis A. Johnson in the late thirties demoralized the department and the General Staff. Two of them, John W. Weeks, appointed by President Warren G. Harding, and Patrick J. Hurley, appointed by President Herbert C. Hoover, were men of considerable talent, but they served in a period when the American people and Congress deluded themselves that large armies were becoming obsolete.
The broad delegation of authority by the President and Secretary Baker to General Pershing resurrected the position of Commanding General which had caused so much trouble in the nineteenth century and which Mr. Root had deliberately abolished for this reason. Mr. Baker apparently failed to appreciate Mr. Root's purpose in replacing the Commanding General by the Chief of Staff as the Secretary's principal military adviser. The divided authority created by the President and Mr. Baker inevitably led to serious friction between General Pershing and General Peyton C. March, the Chief of Staff after May 1918. March was the first to assert vigorously his 1917 statutory "rank and precedence over all other officers of the Army." In ignoring Mr. Root's advice Mr. Baker was in large measure responsible for the troubles that arose.
The bureaus operated as virtually independent agencies within their spheres of interest. These spheres often overlapped and conflicted, demonstrating what Roscoe Pound, dean of the Harvard Law School, described as "our settled American habit of non-cooperation.

Chapter II:
The Marshall Reorganization
There were other complications. When Marshall became Chief of Staff a bitter feud between Secretary Harry H. Woodring, a forthright, impulsive Middle Western isolationist, and Assistant Secretary Louis A. Johnson, an ambitious, active interventionist, had demoralized the department and reduced the Office of the Secretary of War to a position of little consequence.
This feud placed General Marshall in an impossible situation, which the President's delay in dealing with it made worse. Roosevelt finally removed Woodring in June 1940, and for personal and political reasons replaced him with a Republican, Henry L. Stimson, previously Secretary of War, as well as a colonel in the AEF, Governor-General of the Philippine Islands, and Secretary of State. Stimson's great personal prestige and distinction as an elder statesman in the Root tradition became the basis for his real authority within the department rather than his ambiguous official position under a President who frequently acted as his own Secretary of War.
Although the relations between the Secretary and the Chief of Staff were strained at first by the President's policy of dealing with the latter directly, Stimson and Marshall soon re-established the alliance between the Secretary and Chief of Staff initiated by Mr. Root. Friction then gave way to a close personal relationship based upon mutual respect.
The Operations Division's internal organization reflected its several functions. The Strategy and Policy Group was responsible for strategy and planning. It provided OPD's representation on the joint and combined planning staffs and liaison with other war agencies. The Logistics Group determined the resources required to support projected military operations. It also represented OPD on those joint and combined committees responsible for logistical planning. Necessarily, it worked closely with G-4 and Army Service Forces, and in the process considerable friction developed between OPD and ASF's Plans and Operations Division. ASF, believing OPD did not pay sufficient attention to practical logistical problems, especially the lead time required to produce weapons and other materiel, sought a greater role in strategic logistical planning. OPD, on the other hand, resented ASF's attempted intrusions into its areas of responsibility.
That friction should- have developed between General Somervell's headquarters and the technical services is not surprising, given the latter's tradition of resisting executive control over their operations. It was just as natural for General Somervell, saddled with the responsibility as their commander for supplying the Army, to seek effective control over their operations.
The friction between ASF "landlords" and their "tenants" developed because ASF, acting through the service commands and post commanders, determined the allocation of men, money, and materiel for these functions. AGF and AAF commanders might request facilities, but it was the post commander or his superiors who determined what money was to be spent where. In one instance a division commander requested construction of a .22-caliber range. The post commander disapproved, and the dispute went all the way up through channels to General Marshall personally for decision.
General Marshall also looked to General Somervell as his chief adviser on supply, treating him as G-4 of the General Staff as well as commanding general of the ASK Somervell also benefited from the support of Secretary Stimson and of Harry Hopkins in the White House. On the occasions when he lost a round in the constant bureaucratic feuding within and outside the department, he lost because either the Secretary or General Marshall sided with his opponents.
The status of the newly organized Women's Army Auxiliary Corps was the centre of a running feud between its determined director, Col. Oveta Culp Hobby, and General Somervell's staff. At first placed under the Director of Personnel in November 1943, the Office of the Director of the Women's Army Corps became a special staff agency of ASF attached to General Somervell's office. His staff continued to veto Colonel Hobby's proposals for improving the status of women in the Army, and in February 1944 General Marshall agreed to remove the Office of the Director of the Women's Army Corps from ASF and place it under the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-1, whose chief, Maj. Gen. Miller G. White, proved to be more hospitable. Such was the opposition to the WAC among conservative Army officers that General Marshall personally had to intervene repeatedly to ensure that his directives aimed at improving the status of the WAC were carried out.
Chapter III: Changes in the Marshall Organization
The difficulties Marshall and McNarney had with the management of intelligence, personnel functions, and research and development of new weapons indicated that the reorganization had not solved all problems of administration. The relations between the functionally organized ASF headquarters and the offices of the chiefs of the traditional technical services presented another difficult problem. Large industrial corporations which attempted to combine a functionally organized headquarters with a decentralized product-oriented field structure were experiencing similar difficulties.
Supervising and co-ordinating the technical services along functional lines which cut across formal channels of command inevitably generated friction. If the offices of the chiefs of the services had been phased out of existence as had been done with the chiefs of the combat arms within AGF, there might have been less friction and ill-feeling. AAF headquarters deliberately created its own integrated supply system from the start and did not have to deal with any technical services with long-established traditions and influence.
ASF might have solved its organizational and management problems by confining its top staff to broad policy planning and co-ordinating functions. The technical services chiefs argued for this alternative, but the experiences of the three major commands led their commanding generals to insist that their headquarters staff must operate in order to exercise effective control over their subordinate agencies and commands.
There were conflicts and jurisdictional disputes between General Somervell's headquarters and OPD over logistical planning responsibilities and with AAF headquarters as a result of the latter's aggressive drive for autonomy.
Although put together in haste, the Marshall reorganization worked as well as it did because General Marshall was the real center of military authority within the department. Both Roosevelt and Secretary Stimson supported him. In turn General Marshall delegated broad responsibility with commensurate authority to Generals McNarney, McNair, Arnold, and Somervell. While the Marshall reorganization lasted only as long as he was Chief of Staff, it was based upon the accepted military principle of unity of command and similar to concepts of administrative management developed by major industrial corporations.
Chapter 21: Grand Strategy and the Washington High Command
The last year of the war witnessed, along with the finishing touches on grand strategy, the change-over from the predominantly military to the politico-military phase. As victory loomed, stresses and strains within the coalition became more apparent. With the Second Quebec Conference in September 1944 agreement among the Allies on military plans and war strategy became less urgent than need to arrive at acceptable politico-military terms on which the winning powers could continue to collaborate. That need became even more marked at Yalta in February 1945 and at the Potsdam Conference in July 1945. To handle these new challenges after building up a staff mechanism geared to the predominantly military business of fighting a global and coalition war necessitated considerable adjustment of Army staff processes and planning. In midwar Army planning had been geared to achieve the decisive blow on the Continent that had been a cardinal element in the planners' strategic faith. Scarcely were the Western Allies ensconced on the Continent, however, when the challenges of victory and peace were upon the Army planners. They entered the last year of the war with the coalition disintegrating, the President failing in health, and a well-organized politico-military machine lacking. Besides the frictions generating on the foreign fronts, the Army still had to cope with the immense problem of what to do with the beaten foe-with terms of surrender, occupation, and postwar bases. The military fell heir-by default- to problems no longer easily divided into military and political.
Chapter VI: The Post-Korean Army
The Feud Over Research and Development
The emergence of the Office of Chief of Research and Development on 10 October 1955 as an independent General Staff agency ended a strenuous five-year campaign for recognition by civilian scientists both within and outside the Army. It was also part of the continuing struggle for control over the technical services because they performed most of the research and development within the Army.

'Catholic lifestyle' private life clash

Catholic school principal sacked for getting married
By Hannah Edwards, Matthew Benns and Eamonn Duff
April 16, 2006
"Quite simply the term 'Catholic lifestyle' refers in this instance to Paul Cronin's marital status in the eyes of the Catholic Church. This means that he is unable to participate in the sacramental life of the church and fulfil his role as faith leader of the school."
NSW P&C Federation acting president Di Giblin said a principal's private life should not impact on his or her school career, as long as it did not affect their ability to do the job.
"What they do on their own time is their own business," she said.

[To my mind public rules allow much private life problems which clash with the church.]

"he saw, and believed"

The Gospel According to Saint John

20:1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. 20:2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
20:3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.
20:4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.
20:5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
20:6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
20:7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
20:8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
20:9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

"Unreliable maps have a charm all their own.."

Christopher Pearson: Destiny lies within a chart
April 15, 2006
Unreliable maps have a charm all their own, especially when - as in this case - they record a sovereignty and colonial settlement that might have been but never eventuated. What a difference it would have made to South Australia and the country as a whole if there had been a Francophone outpost, in some ways comparable to New Orleans' influence on US civilisation or Quebec's on Canada.

"..academic world..others stay quiet from fear"

Racism phobia can muzzle the truth
By Michael Duffy
April 15, 2006

"Koran, and therefore Islam, denies that Christ dies"

'Islam and Christianity can't both be right' smh.com.au - AAP
April 14, 2006 - 9:38PM
A Sydney church leader has used a Good Friday address to tell his congregation that Christianity and Islam cannot both lead to God.
Anglican Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen told a service at St Andrew's Cathedral that Islam denies some of the Christian beliefs about Jesus.
Islam views Jesus as a prophet but does not believe he was the son of God who died on Good Friday to save humanity from its sins and was resurrected on Easter Sunday.
"Now that Islam has become more common in our society, you need to know the difference between Christianity and Islam," he said.
"For the Koran, and therefore Islam, denies that Christ dies."
But Dean Jensen said that the two religions cannot both be right.
"Either both are wrong or one is right and the other is wrong," hw [sic]said.
"But both of them cannot be right."
Bishop of South Sydney Robert Forsyth said the comments were in no way inflammatory towards Muslims, but instead were an attack on the naive who believed all religion was the same.
"What he was attacking was not Muslims," Archbishop Forsyth told AAP.
"The thing he was attacking was the unwise who people think that all religions are part of the same thing - so he was attacking the seculars."

"Easter Battle" April 13th, 1941

Tobruk, like Gallipoli, is a name that means much in the war annals of Australia. A parallel can also be drawn between Tobruk and Milne Bay. At Milne Bay the hitherto invincible Japanese suffered his first defeat - at Tobruk the all-conquering German forces received their first set-back - in each case at the hands of Australians.
This was the position when the Germans launched their ill-fated attack on April 13th, 1941. Known as the "Easter Battle", the Germans had confidently expected a walk-over - instead it had ended in their being completely routed. The spirit of co-operation, trust and comradeship between the men of the garrison, consisting of two thirds Australian and one third British, was the real strength of Tobruk. No other Middle East front saw understanding between the men of these countries so complete.

Edmondson - Easter 1941 "..saving his officer's life."

John Hurst Edmondson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Hurst Edmondson (8 October 1914–14 April 1941) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
The passage in the London Gazette of 1 July, 1941, gave the following details: "On the night of 13th-14th April, 1941, a party of German infantry broke through the wire defences of Tobruk, and established themselves with numerous machine guns, mortars and field pieces. Led by an officer, Corporal Edmondson and five privates carried out a bayonet charge upon them under heavy fire. Although wounded in the neck and stomach Corporal Edmondson not only killed one of the enemy, but went to the assistance of his officer, who was attacked by a German from behind while bayoneting another who had seized him about the legs. Despite his wounds, from which he later died, Corporal Edmondson succeeded in killing these two Germans also, thus undoubtedly saving his officer's life."

Jesus said It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost

The Gospel According to Saint John
3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life
19:13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha
19:14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
19:15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him
Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar
19:16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified
And they took Jesus, and led him away
19:17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: 19:18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst
19:19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross
And the writing was JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS
19:20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin
19:21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews
19:22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written
19:23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout
19:24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots
These things therefore the soldiers did
19:25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene
19:26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! 19:27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home
19:28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst
19:29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth
19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost
19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away
19:32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him
19:33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 19:34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water
19:35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe
19:36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken
19:37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced

"Better criticised way act than not acting at all."

Michael Duffy - smh.com.au
"Modern media management at its most successful is proactive and nonstop, the strategic aim being to leave no gaps that might be filled by other people, pushing issues where the government is weak. The greatest shows are those that contain the most art."

"KY Jelly" Bob Brown jellyfish John Howard

Greens leader, Bob Brown, has called John Howard a jellyfish for not standing up to Indonesia.

damn do don't "St Kevin Rudd" Cole AWB

"Wheat inquiry is a waste of time April 13, 2006
Though ill-advised in its inception, the Cole investigation is unlikely to cost the Government votes, says foreign editor Greg Sheridan

[Damn if you do, damn if you don't, regarding Howard and the Cole AWB inquiry]

"50-something baby boomers places of worship"

Bernard Salt: Religion a hard sell to young, rich 'immortals'
Opinion - Bernard Salt - April 13, 2006
"Religious fervour comes and goes in Australia, depending on how far you think you are from the day of reckoning.
The young, the fit and the healthy are far more likely to renounce any and all religious affiliation than are the old, the decrepit and the infirm.
After all, it may well be better to go to the Almighty with some evidence of contrition than none at all.
And if this is the case, masterplanned communities catering to fit 50-something baby boomers should be including adequate provision for places of worship."
Bernard Salt is a partner with KPMG;

Oz escape BenglaMesh

Australia won by 3 wickets

Sydney towering inferno threat

Sydney Radio 2GB reports Sydney faces a towering inferno threat from inferior fire protection in many high rise apartments.

"Monitoring Pyongyang's broadcasts"

I note:
Kim Andrew Elliott reports on Comrade radio, a North Korean friend for 30 years. Monitoring Pyongyang's broadcasts is more difficult than one might think Comrade radio, a North Korean friend for 30 years.

Man of Lettuce Tammy Bruce interview

I note:

April 12, 2006 Transcript
I've obtained a copy of my interview last week with Tammy Bruce. Rather than post the audio and jeopardize copyright, I've transcribed the tape for interested readers...

Eternal flame extinguished by vandals

Eternal flame extinguished
From: AAP By Catherine Best
April 12, 2006
The eternal flame that burns at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance has been extinguished by vandals armed with a beer bottle.

[God help the vandals. He may forgive. Lest we forget the 102624 .]

awm.gov.au - statistics sudan to somalia 102624

"naively thought 'fault' in divorce"

Don't forget the third group vulnerable after divorce: children
August 9, 2003 Anne Manne is a Melbourne writer.
It was naively thought that once we rid ourselves of "fault" in divorce, civilised adults would briskly bring unhappy marriages to a merciful end, shake hands and begin a new life.
The first fatal flaw in this optimistic view was the financial vulnerability of women after divorce.
The second vulnerability concerns the primary earning spouse, still usually men.
There is a third group vulnerable after divorce. Children.

"childcare orthodoxy"

Practice that spares the parents could spoil the child
Is that other progressive orthodoxy child care about to bite the dust? asks Janet Albrechtsen April 12, 2006

"dodgy climate modelling"

Six horsemen from downunder 11apr06
Terry McCrann
"In the original there were only four. There are Six Horsemen of the new downunder Apocalypse.
Presumably they ape the original four: War, Famine, Pestilence and Death -- of the entire planet no less. Now adding Hotter Summers and New Beachfronts, probably running up trendy Chapel Street, through Paddington, and their equivalents around Australia.
Goodness gracious me. It's -- deliciously -- difficult to know where to start with the pompously silly call from those six CEOs for urgent action on climate change.
Indeed, if anything, the Six Horsemen gave us a stunning example of dodgy economic modelling mating with dodgy climate modelling."

Come Next Spring, warm, gentle and has a loving nature

Plot Summary for Come Next Spring (1956)
Matt Ballot has returned home after 12 years of hard drinking in all 48 states. His wife has managed to raise their 14 year daughter and 12 year old sun [sic] nicely without his help. Matt is considered a disgrace to the town he came from and now he finds himself trying to win the love of his children, his wife and the respect of the towns people. Set in Arkansas in the 1920's.
Summary written by William Lund {hdccs@telis.org}

User Comments: Author: Michel Russell (Michel_Russell@hotmail.com) from Winchester, UK
For some reason whenever I hear the word 'Spring' I inevitably think of the movie 'Come Next Spring' which I remember seeing as a teenager. I thought Ann Sheridan & Steve Cochran were near the end of their careers and this was their swansong and did they know how to capture the whole essence of a small town community going through a crisis. It is warm, gentle and has a loving nature running all through it as though they all knew that the studio was near the end like a lot of the cast in their careers. Even the song I can still remember. Worth a remake? No impossible. It was the film that got away but luckily I have a good memory!

Seymour Hearse drives on

A list of United States traitors - Wikipedia which should list Seymour Hearse.
While a voice John A. Stormer - Wikipedia, is an American Protestant anti-communist writer. Both a pastor and a Christian school superintendent, his books have sold millions. The books promote claims of a communist infiltration of American society, politics and culture.
We hear a lot from Seymour Hersh - Wikipedia about problems with American society, politics and culture.
Seymour Hearse drives on.

Bing Crosby Most Popular Entertainer Of The Twentieth Century

A quantitative analysis the determine who really was The King.
Bing Crosby

Oz in BenglaMesh

Tigers maul pathetic Aussies By Iain Payten April 11, 2006

"Christianity has coexisted with democratic forms of government"

Time for non-believers to hear the word
April 11, 2006
The pivotal role faith plays in democracies everywhere has long been overlooked, writes Gerard Henderson.

"Whatever the faults of Christian faiths, it is a fact that Christianity has coexisted with democratic forms of government. This is manifestly not the case with some secular ideologies (that is, communism, fascism) or with some fundamentalist theocracies (that is, Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini)."

Gerard Henderson is executive director of the Sydney Institute.

Chirac surrenders to mob

Chirac scraps youth job law
From: Reuters By Matthew Bigg
April 10, 2006
France would scrap a planned youth job contract that has provoked mass protests and strikes, President Jacques Chirac's office said today.

Canterbury-Bankstown Crime

The Statistical Subdivision of Canterbury-Bankstown, however, bucked the overall Sydney trend, with significant increases in robbery without a weapon (up 22.0 per cent), robbery with a non-firearm weapon (up 47.9 per cent) and fraud (up 10.3 per cent).

Muslim gang-rape

Rough, slow justice for rape victims

"There is a reason so few reported cases end in convictions, writes Paul Sheehan. As Tegan Wagner stood outside the NSW Supreme Court last Wednesday surrounded by a media scrum, as she named herself and declared victory over the men who had raped her, the deeper story of her trial was more disturbing.
Every one of these instances worked against the interests of the victims. Every case involved Muslim defendants and non-Muslim complainants, thus compounding alleged sex crimes with hate crimes. These cases represent the apex of thousands of instances of sexual harassment, or worse, in Sydney.
There must be an appeal against Justice Hidden's sentences or they will make a mockery of Tegan Wagner's calls for women to come forward and trust the same courts that delivered her such rough, slow justice.
Paul Sheehan's book, Girls Like You, about the K trials and the gang-rape phenomenon, will be published in late July."

"ice" inducing violent psychotic

Ice 'super lab' busted
By Amanda Hodge
April 08, 2006

A super laboratory for "ice", able to produce up to 500kg of the dangerous drug a week, has been discovered in northern NSW in the nation's biggest methamphetamine lab bust.
AFP and Clandestine Drug Lab officers raided an isolated property near Murwillumbah late on Thursday, uncovering a series of buildings and a secret underground room containing laboratory equipment and precursor drugs such as pseudoephedrine and hydrogen chloride.
The drug is notorious for inducing violent psychotic episodes in long-term users.

Ahmad al-Hamwi 'Osama bagman'

'Osama bagman' living in Australia
Natalie O'Brien and Simon Kearney
April 08, 2006

For years, Ahmad al-Hamwi has led an inconspicuous life like thousands of refugees from the Middle East who settled in Sydney's southwest.
But in fact Syrian-born Hamwi is anything but an ordinary asylum-seeker. An investigation by The Weekend Australian has revealed that he has alleged links to terrorist organisations spanning a good part of the globe.

"Where are you?" "None of your f---ing business."

Where the bloody hell is Hoges when you need him?
Frank Devine April 07, 2006
The cool person's response to the "Where the bloody hell are you?" demand in Tourism Australia's television commercial is: "None of your f---ing business."

"four demographic faultlines"

Bernard Salt: Demographic rifts reveal shape of future
A shift in social responsibility from the family to the state and to service-providers will create business opportunity over the next two decades writes Bernard Salt April 06, 2006

victim "F...you mate, go to hell." MSK and MAK

The victim of brothers MSK and MAK was in court yesterday to give her own message to the men who ruined her life.
With a raised middle finger, Tegan Wagner said: "See ya, guys. Have a nice life. Enjoy prison." As the brothers were being taken from the Sydney courtroom to the cells below, MSK mouthed the words "I'm sorry." Ms Wagner, 18, replied: "F...you mate, go to hell."
Earlier: Gang rapists' cultural background
Gang rapists' jail terms increased - smh.com.au - AAP
April 5, 2006 - 1:11PM
Two convicted gang rapists have had their jail terms increased with fresh sentences over a series of 2002 attacks in Sydney.

Australia Japan 1952 Peace - 1957 Commerce

The central objective of the Australian Labour Government's post war foreign and defence policies with regard to Japan was to secure a place and a say in the peace settlement with Japan. To this end Australian Governments had contributed and maintained a sizeable military presence in Japan. when the Labour government was defeated at the polls in December 1949 this objective remained unchanged and unrealized, although other aspects of the Australian contribution had been subject to substantial variation.

The incoming Liberal/Country Party Government, led by Mr RG Menzies was to sign a Peace Treaty with Japan on the 8 September 1951 when a Treaty of Peace with Japan was signed at San Francisco by the Australian Minister for External Affairs Mr P.C. Spender in company with the other signators. Under Article 1 'The state of war between Japan and each of the Allied Powers is terminated as from the date on which the present Treaty comes into force between Japan and the Allied Power concerned, as provided for in Article 23'. Under Article 23 'instruments of ratification' by Japan and 'by a majority' which included Australia were required, the Treaty coming into force in each State which subsequently ratified it on the date of ratification, with certain time limits applicable.

The date of Deposit for Australia's ratification was 10 April 1952 and the Treaty came into force on 28 April 1952. The Australian occupation and new arrangements between Australia and Japan concerning the stationing of Australian troops in Japan came into force. Although hostilities between Japan and the Allied Powers had ceased on 15 August 1945 the state of war between Australia and Japan was not terminated legally until 28 April 1952.

Agreement On Commerce Between The Commonwealth Of Australia And Japan: Published Letters And Agreed Minutes
6th July, 1957

The Rt. Hon. J. McEwen,
Minister for Trade
Your Excellency,
With reference to the Agreement on Commerce between Japan and the Commonwealth of Australia signed today, I have the honour to inform your Excellency that the most-favoured-nation provisions of the said Agreement shall not apply to advantages which are accorded or which may be accorded hereafter by Japan to such areas as are set forth in Article 3 of the Treaty of Peace with Japan signed at the city of San Francisco on September 8, 1951, so long as the situation set forth in the second sentence of the said Article continues with respect to the administration, legislation and jurisdiction over those areas. I have further the honour to request your Excellency to be good enough to confirm the foregoing understanding on behalf of your Government.
I avail myself, Excellency, of this opportunity to renew
assurances of my highest consideration.
Minister for Foreign Affairs
6th July, 1957

Gene Pitney, 65, died Wednesday Apr 5, 2006

Singer Gene Pitney dies on tour in UK
Wed Apr 5, 2006 6:46 AM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. singer Gene Pitney, 65, has died while on tour in Britain, his agent said on Wednesday. Jene Levy said Pitney had died on Wednesday morning in the Welsh capital Cardiff. Pitney was best known for his 1963 hit "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa."
Obituary - bbc.co.uk: Gene Pitney
Gene Pitney went from being a successful songwriter for other acts to become a major international pop star in his own right.
He enjoyed more than 20 hits, including songs like 24 Hours from Tulsa and Something's Gotten Hold of my Heart.
Gene Pitney - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1941–April 5, 2006) was an American singer born in Hartford, Connecticut. He lived primarily in nearby Rockville, located in the town of Vernon, Connecticut. He attended Rockville High School from which he earned the name "The Rockville Rocket". Pitney enjoyed considerable success on both sides of the Atlantic and charted more than 20 Top 40 hit singles.
While at: Amazon we see:
Gene Pitney - 25 All-Time Greatest Hits
1. (I Wanna) Love My Life Away
2. Every Breath I Take
3. Town Without Pity
4. Hello Mary Lou
5. (The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance
6. Only Love Can Break A Heart
7. If I Didn't Have A Dime (To Play The Jukebox)
8. Half Heaven - Half Heartache
9. Mecca
10. True Love Never Runs Smooth
11. Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa
12. That Girl Belongs To Yesterday
13. It Hurts To Be In Love
14. Lips Were Redder On You
15. I'm Gonna Be Strong
16. I Must Be Seeing Things
17. Last Chance To Turn Around
18. Looking Through The Eyes Of Love
19. Princess In Rags
20. Backstage (I'm Lonely)
21. Nobody Needs Your Love
22. Just One Smile
23. Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart
24. She's A Heartbreaker
25. Yours Until Tomorrow

"Australian communists much admired Soekarno"

It's time for a low-key response to ease tensions with Indonesia, warns Gerard Henderson.

"West Papua previously titled Irian Jaya.
Jakarta has always placed greater importance on Papua remaining part of Indonesia than East Timor. The former was part of the Dutch East Indies, over which the Netherlands retained sovereignty when Indonesia gained its independence from the Dutch in 1949. East Timor, on the other hand, was a Portuguese colony and was not a factor in the Indonesian independence movement. Throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s, Australia's political leaders advocated that West New Guinea (as it was then termed) should not become part of Indonesia. It did so essentially for two reasons, one altruistic, the other strategic. Robert Menzies and his ministers pointed publicly to the ethnic differences between the native-born inhabitants of New Guinea and Indonesia. But, privately at least, there was also concern at the security implications of the radical nationalist Indonesian leader Soekarno gaining territory next to Papua New Guinea, for which Australia had responsibility at the time. Neither the US nor Britain was prepared to become embroiled in what would have been termed a colonial war in defence of a colonial power (the Dutch) against a newly independent nation.
Eventually the Menzies government accepted the realpolitik of the situation. West New Guinea was placed under the control of the United Nations in 1962 and transferred to Indonesia the following year, pending a plebiscite to be conducted no later than 1969. The plebiscite was inadequate by any standard. Yet by the time it was conducted in 1969 the matter had been effectively resolved.
As Peter Edwards points out in Crises and Commitments, total opposition to the Indonesian claim on West New Guinea "was one point on which there was almost complete agreement across the political spectrum, from the left wing of the ALP to the Democratic Labor Party and the RSL". As Edwards documents, only the Communist Party "took the opposite view". Australian communists at the time much admired Soekarno. Now support for an independent Papua is coming, in the main, from what is left of the extreme left."

Gerard Henderson is executive director of The Sydney Institute.

Australian defeat Germany, Italy and Japan

The Australian Contribution - awm.gov.au
To view the Official Histories you will need to have an application installed that can read PDF files such as Adobe Reader.

"The Australian military contribution to the defeat of Germany, Italy and Japan was a big one in the years 1941, 1942 and 1943.
In the Middle East in 1941 a series of important operations would scarcely have been possible had it not been for the presence there of the Australian corps of three divisions, and in 1942 the 9th Division played a vital part at El Alamein.
In 1942, 1943 and early 1944 Australian troops first halted the Japanese and then drove them out of most of the mainland of Australian New Guinea, inflicting on them their biggest reverses on land up to that time."

Gang rapists' cultural background

Gang rapists' jail terms increased - smh.com.au - AAP
April 5, 2006 - 1:11PM
Two convicted gang rapists have had their jail terms increased with fresh sentences over a series of 2002 attacks in Sydney.

"half light between war and peace" 1947

Address by Evatt to the United Nations General Assembly
NEW YORK, 18 September 1947
The General Assembly is meeting at a period in world history which can be described as the half light between war and peace. It is already over two years since Japan laid down its arms, yet the peace treaties are still not concluded with either Germany or Japan. Thus, although there is no longer any world war, it cannot be said that peace has returned to the world. Over vast areas there is a condition of fear and unrest which is not only disturbing to the people of the world but is an active hindrance to the work of the United Nations. The primary function of the United Nations is to maintain world peace but, paradoxically, there is as yet no world peace to maintain.

teapots cups and saucers tea bags and mugs

Teapot sales in Britain tanking

LONDON, April 3 (UPI) -- Although steeped in tradition, the British are buying just one-third of the number of teapots they did five years ago, while tea bags and mugs gain favor. The Tea Council said that 96 percent of tea consumed in Britain is brewed from tea bags and sales of teapots have plummeted by two-thirds in five years, The Telegraph reported. In 2000, the retail Tesco chain sold nearly 20 styles of teapot, while today it has five and sales have dropped by 62 percent over the same period. Sales of cups and saucers have also fallen by 85 percent since 2001. Edward Bramah, 74, the founder of London's Bramah Museum of Tea and Coffee, said people who are too impatient to wait for a traditional 5-minute brew in a teapot are missing out. "Orthodox tea has flavor and is delectable and delicious," he said. "It is true that the British have this great history involving tea, but today I would suggest that the British don't know anything about tea." © Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved

"Hollywood Left distaste for Middle American values."

AIM Report: The Hollywood Left and the Real Blacklist
March 23, 2006

Currently, Hollywood denigrates the War on Terror, more or less in the tradition of its previous blindness to the Cold War.
By Wes Vernon
To this day, Hollywood still clings to the myth of martyrdom on the Left—a Left that defended Communism and today soft-pedals the terrorist threat—as Billingsley put it—"while earning, substantial fortunes in the very country they attacked as repressive and fascist." In Hollywood's land of dreams, as author Richard Grenier once said, "Capitalism is evil except for the three-picture deal with Paramount, the Malibu mansion, the swimming pool, the tennis court, and the Mercedes Benz."
To which Billingsley adds, "Or, as Marx himself might have framed it: From each according to his credulity, to each according to his greed."

Wes Vernon is a Washington-based writer & broadcast journalist.

"Lebanese Muslim men have low levels of education"

Lebanese Muslims join jobless queues
Dennis Shanahan, Political editor - theaustralian.news.com.au
April 03, 2006

Australian-born Lebanese Muslims experience higher unemployment and lower educational achievements than second-generation Lebanese Christians or Muslims from other countries.

"Two roads diverged one less traveled difference"

Louis Untermeyer, ed. (1885–1977). Modern American Poetry. 1919.
Robert Frost - bartleby.com 1875–.
67. The Road Not Taken

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 20

"nonsense scholarship Stephen Walt"

Realist school's conspiratorial minds deviate wildly from reality
A study on the power of the Jewish Lobby is only good for coffeehouse chatter in the Arab world, writes Martin Peretz - theaustralian.news.com.au - April 03, 2006
"He has tenure, and tenure insulates one from all kinds of infractions against truth and honour."
Martin Peretz is editor-in-chief of The New Republic

Bill takes a Leak

Bill Leak: - theaustralian.news.com.au
'Tis a fickle fine line you walk in this funny business - April 03, 2006
















Leak cartoon - theaustralian.news.com.au

Benedict first year confounds

In 1st year, Benedict confounds left, right - April 2, 2006
After taking over for John Paul II, pontiff makes some changes not easily interpreted - By
Nicole Winfield Associated Press - indystar
VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II's death a year ago -- April 2, 2005 -- left many Roman Catholics expecting that their church would take an even harder, more conservative line if the College of Cardinals picked early favorite Joseph Ratzinger as the next pontiff.