Islamophobia, A Bill of Rights, Climate Riots, Stripping Minors, and a Hobbit fest

[tcpip]

Sunday consisted of two great presentations at the local Unitarian Church. Bilal Cleland, the Human Rights Coordinator of the Islamic Council spoke on religious bigotry and particularly on bigotry against Muslims. Cleland was a great speaker - particularly noting how Muslims have become the marginalised 'other' in Australian society, a position previously held by SE Asian people, and how there is a populist assumption that does not differentiate between Muslim fundamentalists and Muslim secularists. Cleland also drew attention to the long history of Unitarian support for religious freedom.

Following that the Church conducted a public forum on the need for an Australian Bill of Rights, with Jess Healy, the Democrats youth spokesperson, Brian Walters, the legal spokesperson for the Greens, and Greg Connellan, President of the Victorian Council of Civil Liberties. I toned down the great sense of optimism at the forum by reminding those present that there are many people who do not support universal human rights and such people have resources which they will use against any campaign to introduce such rights.

Now the Pentagon tells Bush: climate change will destroy us

· Secret report warns of rioting and nuclear war
· Britain will be 'Siberian' in less than 20 years
· Threat to the world is greater than terrorism

More at the UK's The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,12374,1153530,00.html

Record this moment. I agree with Kennet and Doyle. A bailout to dodgy transport companies is not the solution.

http://www.theage.com.au/text/articles/2004/02/19/1077072779093.html
Tram, train subsidy doubles

And I reckon Martin Ferguson has it right too. You don't lie to the electorate if you want to be re-elected.

http://www.theage.com.au/text/articles/2004/02/21/1077072891949.html
Key seats at risk and toll debacle to blame: ALP

I'm so glad I don't work for the Victorian Parliamentary Labor Party anymore.

Sometimes when you operate from principles rather than feelings you have to support things that you may not be entirely comfortable with. Argue against this - from first principles.

http://www.theage.com.au/text/articles/2004/02/21/1077072892905.html
Loophole allows stripteasing minors

Erudito has alerted me to those who just can't get enough Hobbits. All three LOTR films in the same session. The Sun Cinema Yarraville is doing it every day until March 3. Which would seem to make Saturday 28 (or Sunday 29) The Day to do it. Fellowship starts at 10am.

Comments

Re: Various

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

They should have hired Stockdale as a consultant -- no one has a better track record for squeezing as much for govt out of contracts.

I'll agree with you there! He sold some of the electricity companies (for example) well over price and now they're really struggling....

Pentagon -- are we sure this is not scenario playing?

And what if it is? The Pentagon plays realistic scenarios.. If they consider the causes probable enough to map out the effects there is cause for concern.

current European temperatures are still not as high as they were in the Medieval Warm period (and won't be until vineyards become doable in Kent and Brandenburg).

Ahem!

http://www.looksmart.co.uk/explore.jsp?path=30505,686889,705474,605717,681659,1158484

;-)

Re: Various

[erudito.livejournal.com]

There seems to me to be a book or something in how and why private buyers paid rather too much for Victorian assets in the Kennett years.

But not all scenarios come to pass, or even close. That some warming is likely to take place seems a reasonable inference from the evidence (and I liked the vineyard list). The level of warming, degree of human involvement, consequences, capacity to affect are all much more speculative and the way some advocates carry on is enough to make me suspicious -- it is too convenient for all sorts of agendas.