The unusual weather that turned summer into winter in eastern Australia had meteorologists gasping, with some describing it as among the most extraordinary they had witnessed ... Siberian invasion!
Dubbed the “shock jock” of blogging by The Sydney Morning Herald, journalist and Bulletin columnist Tim Blair has a history of stoushing with ABC TV’s Media Watch. More recently, he exposed a plagiarised story about the Redfern riots from the Chicago Tribune, resulting in the journalist’s sacking. Whether or not you agree with Blair’s often irrational diatribes, he’s arguably the most widely-read Australian blogger. Shock Jock
Eye on Politics & Law Lords: Revolutions: These days, the World is Smaller and Faster
Making a killing by spinning stories in a smaller revolutionary world of freedom from real information. Will the real corporate thug please stand up?
The great annual political donations list was released by the Australian Electoral Commission on Tuesday morning and, as usual, there are about 50 interesting stories.
Our intrepid political correspondent Christian Kerr has already driven down to the address of Family First's biggest donor in South Australia, the mysterious Hardel Pty Ltd at 255 Port Rd, Hindmarsh, and discovered the generous benefactor to the tune of $23,000 resides in a modern business centre with several tenants.
Could it be Johnson & Johnson? We doubt it. Could it be a Job Network provider? Unlikely.
• A deluge of political donations [At least 12 skyscrapers the size of the 47-storey Australia Square, housing 25,000 workers, could loom over Darling Harbour in order to pay for the Premier's dream of a huge harbourside park Roasting and Toasting the villages in order to save them ; Bush is an idealist and a revolutionary willing to fight for other countries' freedom Gun Point Democracy; St Kilda Writer's Festival Artists and Political bloggers ]
• · Property developers are becoming a more important source of funding for political parties as big sharemarket-listed companies adopt "no-donation" policies ; [Paul Whittaker and Michael McKinnon of The Australian used a freedom of information request to obtain records on travel spending by members of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. The 49 members spent about $250,000 on foreign travel during the past two years, and another $1.4 million on trips within Australia. Tribunal's $2m travel bill]
• · · Two members of Sydney's notorious rape gang could escape a retrial for an attack on a 16-year-old girl, after prosecutors accepted she was unable to face the ordeal of giving evidence again Skaf brothers escape retrial on rape charge ; [The High Court today granted a new trial for a man who allegedly confessed to murdering a prostitute when the video recording of his police interview was switched off Prostitute murder: High Court orders new trial ]
• · · · A key witness has backed independent MP Tony Windsor's claim that a Tamworth businessman offered him an inducement on behalf of two government members to stand aside from his federal seat of New England. I witnessed bid to bribe MP ; [Chris Casteel and Tony Thornton of The Oklahoman used federal campaign finance data and local property records to show that Oklahoma taxpayer money was used in 2002 to buy property in McAlester from then-state Sen. Gene Stipe, a transaction that allowed him to repay a $50,000 loan that had been illegally funneled into the 1998 congressional campaign of Walt Roberts.” The price was more than double the property’s assessed value at the time. “Taxpayer money was directed to the project from the city of McAlester and from the state, when Stipe was still a powerful senator]
• · · · · The State Government failed to intervene for almost three years in the business affairs of Westbus, despite the troubled bus company's directors refusing to submit key financial records as required. Mr Watkins insisted the firm's troubles had nothing to do with the Government's slow and controversial transport reforms, which are splitting the private network into 15 divisions. State looked on as Westbus stalled
• · · · · · For the first in more than three years, Mamdouh Habib is enjoying the freedom of open spaces with his family and friends. Marty Morrison, a member of Rural Australians for Refugees; [Margo Kingston: Your democracy ]