Thursday, December 12, 2002

DARK AGES: military tactics

The group's anger has shifted from Indonesian Christians to Westerners.
· Indonesia [BBC]
· Indonesia [ABC]

Internet A dark day for the internet: Lawyers, Asses & Arses

That's right. One of the world's leading financial news services posts an article on its website in New Jersey, but publication – and hence liability for defamation – is deemed to be anywhere in the world where the article is subsequently downloaded and read by an individual reader.

All this high legalism may be beautifully consistent with defamation law flowing back, as stressed in the judges' decision, to an 1849 case involving the manservant of an English duke dispatched to procure a back issue of a small-circulation newspaper.
· Manservant [The Australian]

Nick of Hague Time

I'm going to make youse an offer youse can't refuse. I want to tell youse about an article. This article talks about how one court in the land of Oz was told about the 7000-word article, also available to Dow Jones' Internet subscribers, which portrayed Gutnick as a devious businessman given to stock scams, money laundering and fraud. Gutnick denied the claims and sued for defamation.
· Guts of the Story [The Age]
· Akademic [Parish Pump]
· The transcript of arguments [Law Library]
· Aktie Auslosungsanzeige [Actien]
· article: Internet Libel Laws In Limbo [OJR]
· Might reach out and grab you [Duanemorris]

Real Politics Public left in sacking's dark
The royal commission emphasised the need for easier processes to sack rogue cops. But there is a flip side to the Carr Government law permitting summary dismissal. What happens when a police hierarchy wants to dispose of an officer because he or she is honest and courageous, an irritant to cosiness, cronyism and corruption? No one suggests this was the case here. But the question alone illuminates the pitfalls of keeping the public in the dark. Like justice, police service administration must not only be free of improper entanglements, it must be seen to be so. The state's often sorry recent police history has sharpened public alertness to the potential for undue influences. The cards should be upturned, for everyone's benefit.
· Please [Only in Sydney]

Rocky Politics

If the Rockdale saga taught us anything, it showed the need for transparency when councillors make their decisions on developments.
· Show Me the $ [Sydney Morning Herald]
· Keating's Wisdom about Temptation & Corruption [Sydney Morning Herald 2]

Never give up your disbelief

I wish I were a writer, but all I have is how I feel about the big, scary nightmares that face us, and a growing despair that we will continue to spiral down into the blackest pit of us and them, with only hollow lies to cling to. All the while without a clue as to who are we, and who are they.
· Disbelief [Webdiary]

Monopoly

Just as there is scope within the taxi industry for some innovation
the banking industry still allows room for differentiation between
members of the cartel. Given a choice between big business and free markets, socialism always seems to favour big business.

· Cartel [OLO]

Go North, young man

Despite being closer to the likely 120 or so Million Indoinvaders, it seems Queensland has replaced NSW as the destination of choice for Australians and Europeans families on the move. I know my family is safe; with Darwinian Academics like Ken Parish in charge JI has no way of making it in this land of opportunities.

PS: Young Labour, Liberals, Democrats, even Greens are likely to get serious about family friendly policies - paid maternity leave is a good, solid, logical start. Don't make the same mistake of thinking like some Premiers that if you populate you perish, or that mothers can spent too much time with their children or they are adding more value by slaving for HIH, or OneTel or some other meaningless cartels.