Australia

[DougF]

Looks like Great Wall of China - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Quote:
Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

Finally an image that only Australians will 'get'

hay I get it it's the fence to keep the rabbits out right.

[DougF]

Here is a like I thought might like.
Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian Bureau of Statistics

Michaelangelica,
This is a good thread, keep up the good work.

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by DougF

Here is a like I thought might like.
Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian Bureau of Statistics

Michaelangelica,
This is a good thread, keep up the good work.

Thanks dougf, that looks like an easier stats portal that the one I've been going though.
Sometimes I think governments make them deliberately obtuse.

The rabbit thing is also a famous add where the kid (who, poor mite, dosn't have broadband) makes the mistake of asking his dad why they built the GWoC. You can guess the answer
The funny thing is the "dad" in the add, who was a poorly paid laborer up to now, has been inundated for requests for acting and advertisement roles- very good and funny

I just thought I'd post this latest, interesting bit of research to scare the New Zealanders away (They step off the plane looking for spiders and snakes)

News
Evolution of platypus venom revealed
Wednesday, 4 July 2007
by Anya Weimann
Cosmos Online
"The platypus is one of the few venomous mammals. It derives its venom from hind legs spurs, only produced during the breeding season in spring,"
. . .
"Envenomation is very painful. Thus if we could identify which of the toxins in the venom are causing the pain and then identify the protein molecules in the body that the toxin is stimulating, that will give us insights into the molecular basis of pain sensation," he said

Evolution of platypus venom revealed | COSMOS magazine

If you are SERIOUSLY HEAVILLY Into Kangaroo geonomics this would be of interest too
ARC Centre for Kangaroo Genomics : About Us > Annual Reports

O, this is great
You have to love the French

It's so unusual, with a furry shell and the ability to chirp, that scientists have placed it in its own genus.

But the lobster was almost lost to science.

Rumour has it the French researchers who discovered the world's first specimen in the 1980s didn't realise its significance. So, they ate it for dinner.

Environment & Nature News - Musical furry lobster feeling chirpy - 07/07/2005

I can't resist this final jab at Bonsai
Who, by now, you know I adore

[LaurieAG]

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

"elected head of state"
This is where we part company. I think this would be a disaster.
The last thing we need is yet another level of government power.

GGs will, and do the bidding of the Elected MOPs.
They are just a historical bit of political archeology.
The libs have shown they don't respect historical norms in the GG role.
The reason the "republican" movement stalled. "To elect or not to elect"

I like rubber Stamp GGs especially when they have not been elected

Hello Michaelangelica,

I was just reading Livy's 'Early History of Rome' and it goes into much detail about the Tribunes of the Plebs and the fight for these peoples advocates to retain their power of veto over unjust laws. My how things don't change. There was always an imminent threat of war that brought in a dictator and stopped the tribunes attempts to get agrarian reforms (captured land for the soldiers and the plebs, not for the exclusive use of the patricians).

[LaurieAG]

Hello Michaelangelica,

If I recall correctly the option put forward by the Constitutional Convention was for a minimalist republic and it failed miserably. I wrote the following (4 drafts with an editor) in 2001 for a local trader magazine.

Code Red for the Australian Constitution

Most people know as much about the Australian Constitution and our system of laws as they do about the operation of computer viruses. It's not surprising really as both are complex sections of written (or unwritten) code that bind and control procedural systems operating on an If/Then basis.

The Code Red Worm targets the Internet Servers that distribute the users files etc. This type of viral attack has a two pronged impact as the legal owners of the system are denied the right to use their system in the way they see fit while the recipients of the dummy messages sent by the worm suffer from a Denial Of Service attack. The latest version of Code Red inserts a 'back door' into the Server which allows the perpetrators to regain control. Fortunately the 'back door' can be easily detected although the infected hard disk must be formatted before system integrity can be restored.

You might ask, what has a computer virus got to do with the Australian Constitution? Viruses like to inhabit the grey areas of any type of system whether they be biological, computer, political or even outside the scope of their own creators. Just for a start they both operate under If/Then type rule based procedures and if anything the Australian Constitution is at the pinnacle of a large procedural system in which all citizens have a stake. Just like the hard disk format required to remove the Code Red 'back door', the will of the Australian people is enshrined in the Australian Constitution through its preamble where all 'have agreed to unite in one indissoluble Federal Commonwealth' under the constitution.

In a fundamental way this agreement of the people provides a basic safety catch that prevents other programs from being run that could subvert the control of the system. Unfortunately some politicians and their advisors think that preambles are non legally binding and therefore unlock this safety catch. As preambles just express the intent of the legislation in a summary format their legal status has nothing to do with the legal bindingness of the legislation contained in any proclaimed act itself. The main difficulty with preambles not being legally binding is that there would be nothing to legally hold the people to the constitution and the Australian legal system. A closer look at our history can shed some light on this matter.

In the first instance, we can compare the process taken over a century ago with the unheralded one back in 1986 to gain a perspective on the situation. In the late 1800's the people of the states voted in referendums for a Federation, the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act was created and established as an act of the Parliament of the UK in 1900, while the act itself was finally proclaimed in 1901. After 1901 the consent of the Australian people was required to modify this act. In 1926 Australia and Britain were acknowledged to be of equal status. In 1985 the Australia Act was established, introduced into the Federal Parliament and in 1986 it was proclaimed without any possibility that it could be be witheld or disallowed, let alone be constitutionally approved or celebrated by the people.

The Australia Act, through its preamble, brings constitutional arrangements affecting the Commonwealth and the States into conformity with the status of the Commonwealth of Australia as a sovereign, independent and Federal nation. This wording is unique in Australian legislation. The act itself requires that it can only be repealed by politicians while modifications to our constitution require a referendum yes vote in a majority of the states. Why should any constitutional powers originally held by the Parliament of the UK (equal since 1926) and the Federal Council of Australasia (then less equal) at the establishment of the Australian Constitution in 1900 and claimed through the preamble to the Australia Act, be expected to actually exist in 1986?

In the second instance we can see that the referendum of 1999, through questions intending to give clear constitutional title to the Federal parliament, was rejected by the people on both accounts even though one was just a proposed preamble change. As Paul Keating stated, while the people may have the right to change the constitution by voting at referendums, the politicians have the right to determine what questions are to be asked. In this respect, responsibility for the present state of the Australian Constitution lies squarely at the feet of the recalcitrant minority who phrase referendum questions, not to the liking of the people.

The perceived right to determine our own 'head of state' on a national and state basis pales into a hollow gesture through the major structural changes contained in the Australia Act. While all State Governors lost the power to withold or disallow legislation (like removing the US State Governors and Presidents powers of veto), the state Premiers gained the power to 'direct' the State representatives of the monarch (the Governors) in the 'exercise of their powers' to complement the Prime Ministers 'unwritten' power over the Governor General. Are our politicians so perfect that they require no supervision? Why would you bother to vote for anybody, in any position, who, if elected, could not be expected to exercise their own free will? Could this cynical/democratic exercise be considered democratic/cynical?

In the third instance we can wonder about the entire Australian military forces being stood down for a day before being restored under the Minister for Defense instead of the Governor General, as the Prime Minister commands our nations military forces like it was just another arm of cabinet. It seems one question that will never be asked of the Australian people will be 'Would you like to change Australia from a Constitutional Monarchy to a Constitutional Republic with a popularly elected President and popularly elected State Governors who have all the original powers of the monarch between them, through the Australian Constitution, as approved by the people'.

Would you treat your computer like our politicians treat the Australian Constitution, could you afford to? Just like Code Red, the Australia Act 1986 should be considered hostile code that snatches the right of the people to determine the sovereignty and independence status of the type of system currently running in this country. Surely, just like control of a computer system by its lawful owners, national sovereignty status should be in the constitutional domain of the people and should not be locked up in a legislative tower under the executive custodianship of our politicians?

It just goes to show that if you feel like you have lost control, things don't seem to function as they did previously and there appears to be no obvious way to restore the original settings, your system probably is suffering from a virus.

[Michaelangelica]

The republic and the form it should take is a vexed question
Will have a think

Meanwhile this hypocracy/plutocracy? was astounding, when China is surrounded by Korea, Japan, Taiwan, USA, Australia ASIAN countries.

Australia, US concerned over China's military buildup, back greater role for Japan
The Associated Press
Published: July 5, 2007
CANBERRA, Australia: Australia and a top U.S. military official expressed concern Thursday that China's rapid military buildup and use of a missile in space could add to instability in the Asia-Pacific, and backed a greater role for Japan in regional security.
The United States and Japan are stepping up efforts to build a joint missile defense system in Asia, partly as a bulwark against regional threats such as a nuclear-armed North Korea. Australia, a steadfast U.S. ally that has about 2,000 troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, is studying whether to participate in the defense shield.

Australia, US concerned over China's military buildup, back greater role for Japan - International Herald Tribune



World Military Spending - Global Issues

In Context: U.S. Military Spending Versus Rest of the World

While FY 2008 budget requests for US military spending are known, for most other countries, the most recent data is from 2005 (at time of writing). Using US spending at that time, we can compare US military spending with the rest of the world:

* The US military spending was almost two-fifths of the total.
* The US military spending was almost 7 times larger than the Chinese budget, the second largest spender.
* The US military budget was almost 29 times as large as the combined spending of the six “rogue” states (Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria) who spent $14.65 billion.
* It was more than the combined spending of the next 14 nations.
* The United States and its close allies accounted for some two thirds to three-quarters of all military spending, depending on who you count as close allies (typically NATO countries, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan and South Korea)
* The six potential “enemies,” Russia, and China together spent $139 billion, 30% of the U.S. military budget.

Tabulated data is as follows:

More at
World Military Spending - Global Issues

[Jay-qu]

Out of curiosity, heard of using the nickname G'land for Australia?

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by Jay-qu

Out of curiosity, heard of using the nickname G'land for Australia?

take your pick

G'Land the worlds best surf camp, Surf G'Land, G'LAND, G'Land surf camps, Hassle free surf travel. Putting you in the line-up at the world's best surf .

APAAF Australia
Australia broke away from the massive Gwandanaland , forming the world’s first continent in the southern hemisphere. This super continent, Sadul

[LaurieAG]

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

The republic and the form it should take is a vexed question
Will have a think

One good indicator on the health of our democracy is the number of referendums in the 20 years prior to 1986 and the 20 years after. Why have there been so few referendums since 1986? The only referendum since 1986 was the failed one for a minimalist politicians republic, our current status quo.

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

Meanwhile this hypocracy/plutocracy? was astounding, when China is surrounded by Korea, Japan, Taiwan, USA, Australia ASIAN countries.

It's not really surprising when you consider the geographic locations of the 'Axis of Evil' + Afghanistan and the so called 'missile shield' bases. The neo's are still fighting the cold war.

I suppose when your foreign policy is in abject failure mode, 'winning' a war that has already been 'won' might seem attractive to your 'true believers', even if it bamboozles everybody else.

[Michaelangelica]

With 100m Muslims in Indonesia and afew billion in China and SE Asia Australia really can't afford to piss of anybody


LORD OF THE FLIES?
This is a sad but true story of a male left alone in outback suburbia for SEVEN DAYS!
Tragic really

With Jocasta away, I can watch what I like. And eat what I like. If only I hadn't added quite so many beans.
. . .
Even the dog is down to tins of sardines, which is having quite an impact on his breath.

The inner 20-year-old unleashed - Richard Glover - Opinion - smh.com.au
(two pages-I blame the imported beer)