But he’s absolutely right!!!!

Bush the ‘biggest terrorist in the world today’. 16/05/2006. ABC News Online

Speaking on a private visit to London, the Venezuelan leader has thrown the accusation back at his accusers, calling the US an irrational empire and President George W Bush “the biggest terrorist in the world today”.

“For that you would have to punish the Government of the United States which is practising terrorism,” he said.

“It’s bombing whole towns, civilian populations, killing innocent people and women and children in Iraq.”

Western Sahara

sahara-harresia

Originally uploaded by Saharauiak.

Sometimes tourist type shots are not enough…

Seven summits, two poles and two X chromosomes

Cecilie Skog of Norway has become the first woman to conquer the “seven
summits” of the seven continents and the two poles, her team has said,
after she successfully skied to the North Pole.

Defying temperatures that fell as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius, Ms
Skog, 31, and two partners reached the North Pole after a journey of 48
days and 22 hours, expedition spokesman Bjoern Sekkesaeter told AFP.

Ms Skog so became, in just seven years, the only woman in the world to
reach both the North and South poles and the highest peaks of the seven
continents: Mount Everest (Asia), Aconcagua (South America), Mount
McKinley (North America), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Elbrus (Europe), Vinson
(Antarctica) and Carstensz Pyramid (Oceania).

“Her life will not become boring… She still has all kinds of projects
up her sleeve even though they may not all involve breaking records,”
Mr Sekkesaeter said.

Ms Skog and her partners left Canada on March 6 and reached the North
Pole unassisted, each pulling a sled weighing 120 kilograms, more than
twice Ms Skog’s own weight.

The expedition began inauspiciously with a tent fire on the first day,
though it was rapidly extinguished, and several falls into icy water,
Mr Sekkesaeter said.

Norwegian woman conquers seven summits, two poles. 26/04/2006. ABC News Online

The Lamborgini vs the Suzuki Swift

Hatchback hate: Lamborghini chased – National – smh.com.au

Size matters … how a Swift compares to a Lamborghini.

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By Dylan Welch
March 13, 2006

The road rage incident started with a glance and quickly became one of the more bizarre pursuits on Sydney’s roads.

As the driver of a yellow Lamborghini sat in peak hour traffic in Homebush at around 8.20am yesterday he flashed an annoyed look at the driver of a Suzuki Swift, who was booming music out of his car stereo, say police.

It was hardly a call to arms, but his frown provoked a 30-minute pursuit along Parramatta Road from Homebush to Glebe as the Lamborghini attempted to get away from the clearly agitated driver of the Suzuki, who tailgated the supercar and at one point even attempted to ram it.

“The Suzuki Swift was changing lanes, getting behind the Lamborghini and tailgating and also coming beside the Lamborghini at lights and revving [his car] and yelling at the driver,” Inspector Sue Trusty of Glebe Police told smh.com.au.

Despite being hopelessly outclassed by the supercar, the driver of the diminutive hatchback managed to pursue the Lamborghini through heavy traffic to Glebe, where the frightened driver flagged down a police car.

Police were unable to catch the Suzuki as it sped down a side street and disappeared.

The shaken Lamborghini driver lodged an incident report with officers at Glebe police station, leaving his car parked in Talfourd Street in a restricted area reserved for police cars.

He was then given a lift home by police, leaving the luxury vehicle to be picked up by his company.

Inspector Trusty suggested the driver of the Suzuki may have been suffering from delusions of grandeur during the pursuit.

“When they were stopping at lights he was the one revving up. He must have been delirious if he thought he was going to drag [the Lamborghini] off.”

The high-end Lamborghini, one of only 60 in Australia, can reach 100kmh in 4.3 seconds and has a top speed of over 300kmh. The Suzuki Swift hits 100/kmh in 10.0 seconds and has a top speed of 190kmh.

Police inquiries are continuing.

It’s time

Australia lagging on Indigenous health, Oxfam says. 12/03/2006. ABC News Online

He says it is a “national scandal”, highlighting that Indigenous life expectancy is almost 20 years less than that of non-Indigenous Australians.

He says Australia has slipped behind its Commonwealth counterparts in the last three decades.

“In that 30 years, there have been significant gains in life expectancy in New Zealand and Canada but if you’re an Indigenous Australian, you can assume that you are going to be lucky to live to the age of 55,” he said.

Sciece buffs – the New Scientist blog…

New Scientist Short Sharp Science blog

The smile of a very relieved woman

Far-fetched excuse that a court flung out – National – smh.com.au

AWB dementia

Secret emails sought AWB inquiry. 28/02/2006. ABC News Online

An email to Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) requested a high-level inquiry into allegations that AWB was making the payments and had parallel contracts but was not showing them to the United Nations (UN).

The reports say the AWB delegation in Washington had to be pushed to understand how serious the allegations were.

The emails failed to jog the memory of AWB’s former chairman, Trevor Flugge, who is giving evidence at the Cole inquiry today.

Mr Flugge has been unable to recall a Washington meeting in 2000 where Australian officials questioned whether AWB was making illicit payments to Iraq.

Yes, I’m one of the 70% of Australians who thinks the government was aware of the kickbacks.
Given the articles that keep coming up, how can you NOT believe that?

East meets West and gets translated…

EastSouthWestNorth Blog

This is worth a look if you want to read something different. Was recommended in the Sydney Morning Herald

It’s a good start…

Victims of alleged paedophile priest offered $4m. 26/02/2006. ABC News Online